Cat Name: Chirankit [Chiranpaw]
Gender: male
Rank: warbler (kitten) [flycatcher (apprentice)]
Clan: CaladiumClan
Age: 4 moons [8 moons]
Prompt:
“Why do you adore him?” the voice asks, and it’s so hateful, so spiteful that he flinches away at the tone. Chirankit turns, wide-eyed, only to see Temporalkit glaring at him.
What? Chirankit means to say, but no sound leaves his maw. Instead, he gapes. The poor tomkit’s too… bewildered. Bemused. Temporalkit has never screamed before. Temporalkit is kind and quiet, always helping his denmates and defending them against…
“So?” his supposed ally prompts. It hurts, like a thorn in his paw, but Chirankit’s not sure why. Temporalkit isn’t attacking him. Not physically, at least.
“Adore who?” Chirankit questions, somewhat lost.
Temporalkit spits out the name like poison, or like a volcano spouting embers: “Bromeliadwicker.”
Chirankit looks up to Bromeliadwicker—he’s a powerful raptor; a defender of their clan. To hear the name spoken like that, Chirankit takes offense. “Bromeliadwicker’s strong,” the kitten defends. “His apprentice does well, so he’s a good teacher, too—”
“Picazuro,” Temporalkit hisses, and that’s a curse—who taught him that? Certainly not the cowbirds; they throw a fit. Chirankit contemplates pointing that out, but his friend (is he still, though?) talks over the silence. “Glacialpaw needed the Whitewing because Bromeliadwicker hit him too hard during training. He’s doing well because he needs to. Bromeliadwicker made Kernelkit cry,” the grey kitten snarls.
And—oh. Oh, that explains a lot of things, really. But still… Wait. “Kernelkit really cried?” Chirankit utters, something in him breaking. If Temporalkit is the kindest of the kittens, then Kernelkit is the bravest. For him to cry... And moreover, Kernelkit is his brother. His. They were supposed to know everything about each other.
Dark mirth glints in Temporalkit’s eyes, and really, it doesn’t fit him at all. “Yes,” the kitten confirms. Chirankit droops. No wonder his (friend?) is so mad right now.
“Oh,” the red-furred feline mutters. What else is there to say?
At that moment, Temporalkit bares his fangs—super tiny ones, and it would be adorable if Chirankit wasn’t so terrified. “What?” he squeaks out, right before an imposing shadow and a familiar scent falls upon him.
“Temporalkit,” a voice growls. “Leave your denmate alone. If you have a bone to pick, then pick it with me.”
The grey-furred kitten surrenders immediately, and the red-furred one backs up, only to bump into a hard leg.
“Chirankit,” the voice continues, ever softer, “are you alright?”
The kitten in question holds his breath, knowing that at least two pairs of eyes are on him. After Temporalkit’s warning… was it all true? Should he keep following Bromeliadwicker, even considering…
“Chirankit?” the voice prompts, and Chirankit finds himself saying to the earth, “Yes. I’m alright. I’m fine.”
The noise of approval sends warmth through his chest. “Good. You wanted me to teach you the forepaw blow,” Bromeliadwicker reminds Chirankit. “Is this a bad time?”
“No! This is… this is perfect!”
“Then let’s go find somewhere private to practice, eh?”
Chirankit nods, feeling slightly detached from the world. He follows after Bromeliadwicker’s shadow, and hearing no pawsteps from behind him, dares a glance at Temporalkit, who’s watching him leave—on his face, the most genuinely shocked and betrayed expression that Chirankit will ever see.
Something tells him… that they’re not going to be friends anymore. And curse the stars, the knowledge hurts.
[four moons later, half his (pitifully short) life later]
Four moons later, he is Chiranpaw, and Bromeliadwicker is his mentor. Something happened to Glacialpaw and only two cats know what—the high ranks aren’t either of them, though they’ve been reassured (however effectively) that the flycatcher’s not dead.
Chiranpaw hasn’t spoken to Temporalpaw in ages.
He’s not sure what to think.
Bromeliadwicker is a strict mentor. He pushes and pushes, even when the Chiranpaw knows they should stop. Often, he returns to camp sporting injuries. Chiranpaw ignores the Whitewing’s warnings of not working himself too hard, because too hard for his clanmates isn’t hard enough.
It’s dangerous, what he’s doing. Chiranpaw’s not blind—Chiranpaw knows. But he can feel himself getting stronger. He can feel the power rushing through his veins, and just when he thinks he’s mastered a skill, Bromeliadwicker shows him that he’s not good enough. Might never be good enough.
But that’s alright, because his mentor always shows him the way, even if it’s dangerous and not so straightforward… Chiranpaw will become the strongest raptor ever, mark his words.
His denmates watch him cautiously, boasting about their skills, yet Chiranpaw beats them every time.
His higher-ups watch him carefully, telling him to slow down, but Chiranpaw refuses—they’ll make him weak.
His mentor watches him guardedly, claws unsheathed, and Chiranpaw grins—bring it on, he challenges.
(In the back of his mind, Temporalpaw’s voice—don’t do it! He’s going to hurt you, just like he did to Kernelpaw. You can still turn back; you don’t have to do this—please, just tell Condorstar and we can be friends again…)
Chiranpaw banishes those thoughts. Bromeliadwicker is his. His role model, his mentor, his flawed moral guide.
They fight.
_____________
Notes:
- Chiran is short for Chiranthodendron, also known as the Devil's Hand. Here, Chiran knows exactly what he's gotten himself into. He just can't fight the temptation—power over his own friends and wellbeing.
- Picazuro, the curse that Temporalkit uttered, is a type of pigeon. It's used similarly to idiot/fool/stupid, but somewhat worse.
- Bromeliadwicker making Kernelkit cry is also referenced here.
- Image Credit: devil – pigeon
