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Post by Shortee on Mar 6, 2018 17:39:24 GMT -5
Mudwhisker just stared at Smallstep for a moment. Would Frostcloud really say something like that to Smallstep? Completely smash her hopes? Perhaps she was just trying to let the prisoner know out of sympathy. No, I know Frostcloud. There's no way she'd do that. He took a deep breath before saying seriously, "No. Oakclan has not made any advancements with their borders or tried to negotiate with us... about you." He swallowed before continuing, "I'm still somewhat surprised they haven't tried to come for you. You're a good warrior, Smallstep." He added a little bit of reassurance at the end, but wondered if it would really make a difference. He looked down at his paws, unable to meet her eyes. She looked so small in the shadows of her den. A sudden thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. Did Smallstep have a family back at her clan? A crush, a best friend? He had only seen her every once in awhile, and so he knew almost nothing about her. What if his clan was keeping her away from someone she liked, loved? Almost as suddenly as that thought hit him, it changed to cold anger. But that anger was with himself. Why should he care? She was from Oakclan and was a prisoner.
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Post by Kittensmew on Mar 6, 2018 19:45:15 GMT -5
Smallstep didn't speak, allowing the silence to engulf them until Mudwhisker spoke. To her disappointment, he didn't have much to comment on the situation. She offered a small chuckle at him saying she was a good warrior. "Obviously not good enough to be worth their time and resources to rescue," she mumbled, more to herself than to Mudwhisker. Just then her fear of Frostcloud being right about him grew. Even a fool could see that he was likely just saying that to make her feel better. After all, what use would a prisoner be labor wise if she were caught up in her doubts? With a sigh, she broke the gaze that she held with the tom. Should she mention what else Frostcloud had said? About him and her? No. That would only make things worse. Uncertainty clouded her eyes as she returned to her thoughts. Although her thoughts were her own and completely silent to others, they were louder than thunder to her.
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Post by Shortee on Mar 6, 2018 19:59:59 GMT -5
Mudwhisker watched for any reaction. Even though she did not say anything, he could tell something was going on in her mind. The sudden urge to be honest with Smallstep overwhelmed him. "Listen," he said, "We're from different clans. I'm a deputy and your a prisoner." The word prisoner came out more harshly than he had intended it too. "But, we're both cats. I don't like to see any cat this upset. I can't offer you any advice about your situation because it would be unfair to my clan." His paw stomped on the ground as he continued, "Make the best you have of this situation! Maybe something really bad is going on in your clan that we don't know about. Try to be happy, for them!" What Mudwhisker said was filled with a fierce compassion, so much so you could hear both in his voice as he spoke.
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Post by Kittensmew on Mar 6, 2018 20:31:57 GMT -5
Smallstep winced a tiny bit at how he referred to her as a prisoner. "Yes, unfair to your clan, which so obviously has the disadvantage here," she replied, her tone suddenly filled with bitter coldness. "I'm sorry. I forgot how high and mighty you and every other cat in Duskclan are." As much as she had hoped not to revert back to her old, short-tempered self, it had happened. It was bound to eventually. Yet, something felt off. She felt as though her sudden anger was brought on to hide something else. Perhaps his response to her opening up had made her not want to ever open up to anyone again. To ever see her hurting again. It was easier to mask the pain with anger. Besides, she wouldn't be seen as weak or a doormat to the others. Her eyes locked onto his as he continued. If his little speech was meant to make her feel better, it certainly didn't. "Make the best of my situation? That's easy for you to say! You aren't the one trapped here and forced to drag your broken and tired body out there each day and do work, work, and even more work!" she retorted with a hiss. She didn't attempt to keep her voice quiet, letting it become louder and louder with each reply. It didn't matter if one of the other cats heard anymore to her. In fact, she hoped that someone heard. Just so Mudwhisker could be shamed by the rest of his clan for sneaking in to speak to her. For him to feel what she felt. A small chuckle escaped her at his mention of needing to be happy for them. "Why should I have to force myself to be happy for them when they let me sit and rot here?" A hint of complete hatred and bitterness edged this question.
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Post by Shortee on Mar 6, 2018 20:41:19 GMT -5
Mudwhisker stopped. Then replied loudly, "Now I'm not the leader, am I? I don't get to who lives or who dies." He sat in silence as she continued before saying loudly once again, "At least my clan likes me. Wants me for who I am and what I do. Your clan doesn't care about, and why should they? You couldn't handle us because of our power. You're right, you should be ashamed. You. Are. Nothing." He whispered the last part, hatred filled his voice and his eyes were cold. The sudden anger that overwhelmed him hurt. Before he could even think, his claws had reached out and scratched Smallstep on the face. A smirk formed. "You know what, Smallstep? I think jealousy is wracking your senses. You're envious of Duskclan's prosperity, envious of the friendships and relationships here, and envious of our ways." Breezestar would be proud of him. "You're pitiful." He scowled as he turned away from the she-cat and began to walk out of the den. For the time being, Mudwhisker had gone to his old self.
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Post by Kittensmew on Mar 6, 2018 21:11:29 GMT -5
(Well this certainly took a different turn than I thought. XD)
Smallstep froze when he spoke again. She flattened her ears against her ahead, unsure whether to be more angry or saddened. Well, the truth was out. The truth that she had so desperately wanted. The cold feeling of complete and utter loneliness seemed to grab hold of her, digging into her skin like thorns. That feeling seemed to bury itself deep. This was not something that she would soon forget, if ever. When she suddenly saw his claws coming towards her, all she had time to do was tense her body. She dropped her head to the side with a hiss as he raked his claws across her face. For a moment she stood completely frozen, staring down at the ground. Droplets of blood had splattered across the dirt. She slowly lifted her head to lock her gaze onto him. However, she head remained low to the ground. Her right eye was forced closed by the blood dripping into it. The last, very few words that he said felt like he had just taken another swing at her. "Then why don't you just kill this pitiful mess that is myself? Get it over with already!" she screamed at him as he was padding off.
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Post by Shortee on Mar 6, 2018 21:20:09 GMT -5
(Hehe evil Mudwhisker. I was wondering if somehow Smallstep would help make Mudwhisker realize he was being a total jerk. I think I'm going to eventually have Mudwhisker tell her a bit of his backstory and that would be why all of this anger suddenly flooded him.)
Mudwhisker merely glanced back at what Smallstep said. Wouldn't it be better to let her live and be tortured like this? He thought Breezestar would approve. He sneaked into the warriors den, plopping down in the same nest as Frostcloud. She blinked open her eyes, looked at him for a moment, then put her head back down but closer to him. He did the same and fell asleep quickly. He would tell Breezestar all about this tomorrow. He would love it.
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Post by Kittensmew on Mar 6, 2018 21:42:11 GMT -5
(Ooh, okay! Sounds good to me.)
Smallstep squinted her eyes as she turned her head to glance out of her den entrance. The slowly rising sun flooded more and more light into her den with every passing minute. She had not slept at all the previous night. Nor had she bothered to clean her wound up. She would consider herself lucky if it became infected. Perhaps an infection would hit her hard enough to offer her a break from working for a few days. Besides, she didn't want to have to go through every detail of what happened with Yarrowtail. With anyone, for that matter. The thought of ratting on Mudwhisker crossed her mind. She could explain how he came into her den upon her request, seeming to be concerned for her at first. What good would that do? A small hiss escaped her as she convinced herself that nobody would believe her. Even if they did, they would surely still take Mudwhisker's side. Her claws began digging into the dirt underneath her. Back to silently plotting, she supposed. This time would be different. Now she would plot solely of how to free herself. It was clear that her clan was not coming for her. She was left alone to fend for herself in this ruthless clan.
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Post by Shortee on Mar 6, 2018 21:50:36 GMT -5
Mudwhisker was woken up by the gently prodding of Frostcloud. "Wake up, sleepy head!" She purred and walked out of the den when she saw his eyes flutter open. He quickly got to his paws and followed her out. He sped through organizing the patrols, as he would be watching Smallstep today. Once the patrols were finished he walked over to Breezestar. He dipped his head to the leader and quickly explained, "Smallstep and I had an argument yesterday. I wanted to let you know that I firmly put her in her place with both my claws and my tongue." Simultaneously, the two toms smirked. Breezestar praised him and Mudwhisker continued on. He marched into the medicine cat den next, authority displayed in the way he walked. "Yarrowtail," he said, "Don't use any herbs on Smallstep. If I see any trace of herbs on her you will be punished." He didn't even wait for a response, just walked out and traveled over to Smallstep's den, saying hi to Flowerstorm and Amberfall on the way. "Smallstep," He snapped, "Hurry up! I don't have all day."
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Post by Kittensmew on Mar 6, 2018 22:05:40 GMT -5
Smallstep argued with herself silently for the following minutes. She kept going back and forth between different plans. Bits and pieces managed to surface, yet never fit together to form a solid plan. She huffed and drifted her gaze to the dirt. Her head now rested on her paws as she continued to think. No matter how hard to tried to focus, something was still gnawing at the back of her mind. Something she attempted to distract herself from, yet never quite completely could. The fact that she even cared what Mudwhisker thought. What any of them thought, for that matter. It bothered her how much Mudwhisker's words had seemed to strike her down. The she-cat suddenly lifted her head, fixing her gaze at nothing in particular. That was when she decided not to play his little game. She knew that he was all confident with himself that he had broken her, that he had put her back in her place. That was where he was wrong. Well, he would have been right to think that way last night. Now she was deciding that that was the end of those thoughts. What did it matter if he attempted to put her back in her place anyway? At the sound of his voice, she flicked her tail in annoyance. "I'll be out when I'm ready," she retorted with a small snort.
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Post by Shortee on Mar 7, 2018 7:38:03 GMT -5
Mudwhisker's body blocked the entrance to the den, allowing now sun rays to enter. "Come out, now. This job is going to take you awhile." His demeanor screamed authority, and so did his voice. He was going to stand here until he saw Smallstep stand on her paws. A small smile formed on his face when he saw the scratch he had given her on her cheek.
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Post by Kittensmew on Mar 7, 2018 7:53:32 GMT -5
Smallstep shot a glare at him when the faint sunlight was suddenly blocked. "I said that I will be ready when I want to be," she replied with a cold tone. She thought back to how she had seemed to use her anger to hide her pain the night before. Was she doing the same thing now? It was likely. She figured that this would become the new normal, that she would go back to her old ways of being snarky and sharp tongued. Releasing a huff, she pushed herself to her paws. "Fine. I'm up, happy now?" she asked with a hiss. "I don't know what suddenly snapped inside your head, but you're becoming worse than the others." She began padding towards the den entrance. "What, are you planning to put more thorns in my nest? Go right ahead. See if I ever trust you again." The words she spoke were filled with complete sincerity. She stopped in front of the tom only for a moment, then quickly shouldered her way past him and into the clearing.
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Post by Shortee on Mar 7, 2018 17:46:21 GMT -5
(Ughh sorry for the late reply. I had school, student council, and then volleyball.)
The words Smallstep said stung like a bee. Was he really being a jerk? No, he was just doing his duty, right? Right? He had considered her to at least starting to be a friend. But who was he loyal to, his clan and his future mate, or an Oakclan cat? He looked away from her. He needed time to think. But, that would have to wait since he had to oversee Smallstep. "Your... Your job for today is to move the boulder in the middle of the camp back to its original spot. Breezestar has decided it took up too much space and is necessary for the camp. Now go!"
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Post by Kittensmew on Mar 8, 2018 8:04:56 GMT -5
(You're fine! I may not reply too much tonight. I have a lecture and observation for astronomy tonight. x.x I'll be there around three hours. I believe I have another observation next Monday as well, so heads up for that day too. ) Smallstep stopped a few steps out of her head. She turned her head to peer at Mudwhisker. He was just standing there for a moment. She rolled her eyes and scanned the clearing. Her gaze stopped on Breezestar. The leader was sitting atop his den. Had he been watching her? She shook the thought away and cast a glance back at Mudwhisker. Right when she was about to make a remark about him being slow, he spoke. "How did I see that one coming?" she murmured as she looked at the boulder. Hopefully the leader wouldn't change his mind about it again. The she-cat said nothing more and began heading towards the boulder. As she walked, her thoughts traveled back to the first few days here. One of her very first tasks had been to move the boulder. Since then she was beginning to become, well, she wouldn't say friends, but perhaps better acquaintances with Mudwhisker. Yesterday that had all fallen apart for some reason. Their conversation had taken a different direction suddenly, and now they were here. Back to square one. Just like when she first arrived and had to move the boulder.
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Post by Shortee on Mar 8, 2018 8:15:35 GMT -5
( that's no problem. Also, I was wondering your thoughts on Mud being brought to the dark forest as he sleeps. He would see Breeze and Frost there.)
Mudwhisker kept his eyes on Smallstep. However, he was completely absent to reality. His thoughts were plagued by whether what he was doing was right or wrong. Sure their ways were a little harsh, but Smallstep was from another clan. The fact that she was from another clan seemed to be his only excuse, though. She was a cat, too. Mudwhisker turned his attention back to the real word when Flamekit and Goldkit were running past him, playing a game of tag. Maybe he would have kits one day.
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