username: Tendency
name:
Cedarkit Cedarpaw Jaggedpaw Jaggedsoul
age: 24 moons
gender: Tom
rank: Warrior (Medicine Cat eventually)
clan thread:
Dustclanpartner: mewmew.
The Scar:
Cedarpaw realized he spent a lot of time looking at his sister’s tailend. He followed his sister dutifully, yawning and stretching as they wove their way to the training grounds near the edge of their clan territory while everyone else was asleep. She turned to him abruptly. “I need to go to the twoleg place.”
Cedarpaw yawned again. What was it this time? “Why?” He said, resigned to Chicorypaw’s strange ideas since birth.
“I need to look for...a thing…” Her eyes avoided his and her tail couldn’t stay still.
He knew that tail twitch; it was another thing he’d grown up with. “It’s about dad, isn’t it.” Not a question.
Chicorypaw shook her head blue fur ruffled, but didn’t say anything. It was definitely about dad. Cedarpaw faked a yawn and started to curl up on the spot.
“Alright, alright, it’s about dad. Happy?”
“According to you, am I ever happy?”
“No.” She stopped. “Please, I need your help, Cedarpaw! Aren’t you the least bit curious who our dad was?”
The red pointed tom wasn’t the least bit curious. He faked another yawn. “So you think he’s a kittypet? Are you insulting mother now?”
Her tail was even more agitated. “Cedarpaw…” she hissed. “I just need to go once. I’m sure I’ll know his scent if he’s from the twolegplace. And there are loner’s there too, you know.”
Cedarpaw knew their dad was a loner. Everyone at camp said so, even their mother. Just because she didn’t tell them anything about him didn’t mean she was lying, it just meant she didn’t want to talk about him. He watched Chicorypaw start pacing and couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. He’d never get to sleep with her doing that. “Alright! But really quickly. What do you need me to do?”
Her tail immediately dropped to a relaxed position. So he wasn’t the only one faking emotions. Drat. “Thanks, brother! I know a really tall twoleg nest that will be perfect to check out the area from. This way!” She turned, heading toward the twolegplace fence, the tops of their strange constructions poking out above the trees.
They climbed a tree near the fence and leap on top of it, Chicorypaw sniffing anxiously, even more excited. Cedarpaw couldn’t keep from trying to see if he could distinguish any spells, but all he got was towleg and weird food and dog...and he wasn’t pleased about the last one. “Chic-”
“Shhh! There’s a dog the protects this nest, we just need to stay on the fence and we’ll be fine, grumpypelt.” Of course she omitted that there was a dog until they were already here.Cedarpaw kept his head and tail low, fur puffed up already in dislike.
She scrambled around a corner, heading toward the tall twoleg nest now. It was a pasty white color, and very slick. He wasn’t sure how they were supposed to climb up. Chicorypaw crouched, jumping straight up to where the nest hung over itself like a strange wide branch. She easily made the distance, but he paws connected with something that echoed and strained loudly as she climbed up.
A reflexive bark startled both cats. “I thought you said to be quiet,” Cedarpaw grumbled.
More barking accompanied by thudding paws. “Cedarpaw, come on!”
He eyed the jump. “I can’t make that.”
“Yes you can, come on!”
“The dog isn’t going to get me up here. This fence is way too tall. I’ll wait here.” He tried to sound unconcerned. He’d only seen a dog once before and not up close and had always been told to run away if he encountered one.
The steps where louder and a large honey colored canine burst around the corner of the house, a storm of barking filling their ears. The dog leaped at Cedarpaw, huge paws thundering into the fence, making the whole thing shake.
Cedarpaw panicked, feeling his paws slipping, momentum sending him forward, so he used it to leap out over the dog. He landed on his feet, but now he was on the ground. And that thing was big and right behind him. His instincts told him to run and he sprinted for the far fence, home somewhere on the other side. He could hear Chicorypaw yelling insults at the dog to get it’s attention, but he could also hear it gaining on him.
There was a gap in part of the wood fence and he broke for it, the dog lunging forward in the same instant, jaws snapping closed next to his shoulder. Cedar dove through the gap, just clearing it, breathing heavily on the other side. He paused a moment, turning back to see golden paws scrambling at the other side of the gap, a just wet nose searching for him.
He stumbled through a bush and sat down, gulping air. He was fine. That hadn’t been so bad. He was just...never doing that again. Fighting a dog. Ridiculous… Cedarpaw blacked out.
The Rivalry:
“Jaggedpaw!” He winced at the name. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, it just...he missed being Cedarpaw. Cedarpaw was more confident and relaxed and Jaggedpaw was...well...not those things...even though he still wanted to be. And Jaggedpaw was definitely not a medicine cat apprentice’s name. It was so violent and that was the complete opposite of what he was trying to do now. Just because he had a scar didn’t mean he was a fighter.
The fire pointed tom scampered quickly over to his mentor. He’d been about to eat but a patrol had returned suddenly, calling on the medicine cat urgently
“Yes, Greywind?” His mentor was longhaired solid blue tom with a tail that always displayed his anxiety.
“We need to go. There’s been a border skirmish...Sunstar and some of the other warriors need our attention.”
Jaggedpaw nodded simply. Questions weren’t important. He didn’t need to know why it happened to help. “Yes, Greywind. I’ll grab the cobwebs.” Greywind nodded, fetching other herbs from the den.
I had to be Chicorypaw. Maybe this would calm her down. Exploring a twoleg place was one thing, trespassing on another clan’s territory though…She’d been running off someplace for moons now and he’d promised not to say anything, but...ever since he’d been hurt she stopped including him. Jaggedpaw hadn’t realized he would miss following her around so much.
The forest was eerily silent until they reached the stream. Sunstar and her patrol were limping toward them. Greywind rushed forward, interrogating them and admonishing them. Jagged dutifully trailed after him, listening to his assessments and applying some cobwebs to bloody paws and flanks and ears. He soaked in the knowledge like a sponge, but he’d been Greywind’s apprentice for long enough that he could be made medicine cat, if they had need of one.
None of the cats he helped were Chicorypaw. Jagged glanced around, everyone else distracted by the warriors explaining the story. They must not have known she was here. Even if she was avoiding him, she was still his sister.
Slinking around the stones bordering the creek, Jaggedpaw tried to pick up her scent, weaving through the boulders. She was here, he knew it. Something leaped at him from above, deftly pinning him on his side. "Hey Chicorypaw, what's new?" Like this happened all the time.
"Shut up and listen," she replied, tail twitching. "I can't explain what happened but...I'm leaving the clan. I can't stay any longer."
"So I'll come with you."
"No."
For the first time, something she said actually alarmed him. "You can't leave alone, I-"
"You don't understand."
"So help me understand," Jaggedpaw hissed, pushing to his paws.
Chicorypaw moved as if to speak, then paced a few steps away, pausing. He tail suddenly calmed. He knew he couldn't stop her or catch up to her if she really had decided to leave. But why?
"Asked the cat we once called 'mother,'" she said stiffly. Chicorypaw leaped onto the boulder once more and vanished without him.
Jaggedpaw paced. She would do that. He should habe seen it coming. She goes on some grand adventure and he is expected to stay here, nice and safe. Well, fine. He would find his own way, better than her way.
