Brotherly Love (Flightpaw)

[♥ Riro ♥]

--Gorsepaw shivered a bit as the cold and penetrating wind got through the weak spots in the camp and ruffled his long, fluffy pelt. Of course the sun couldn't get through to the camp to warm him, the close knit of trees above prevented it.

--Gorsepaw paced around the clearing of the camp in Shadowclan territory, hoping to possibly run into Tinystar so he could be given a job to do, but he also was hiding from his brother, Flightpaw, at the same time. Gorsepaw hated his brother, and it was no wonder, for Flightpaw beat him up all the time.

--Gorsepaw sighed, there seemed to be no one around camp. A shadow appeared and he ducked, thinking that it was Flightpaw, but it was only a bramble. Having nothing else to do, his memories turned back to when he was a young kit.

--It was midnight, and the moon was high in the sky, full and plump. Gorsepaw wondered if the warriors were back from the gathering yet. Suddenly, it darkened above Gorsepaw's head, and a tiny yowl split the air. The next second, Flightpaw had tackled him in a mass of fur and fluff. Gorsepaw tried to wriggle to escape, but Flightpaw had him locked, he could not get free. "Scum," his brother muttered...

--Suddenly, there was a noise. Gorsepaw looked up, searching for the source of the distraction.

[Sare «]

Flightpaw had a cheeky grin on his face and his tail was lifted into the air - like a flag, as if to challenge anyone around him. He had always felt like a figure with authority, being the dominant of his litter and an excellent fighter. The long-haired tabby tom knew that his little runt of a brother was hiding somewhere - in the forest, or in the camp. Now was a good chance to practice tracking skills. Flightpaw sniffed the air, trying to pick up any scent of his brother. He could smell the scent nearby, the scent of fear and frustration.

"Hey, Gorsepaw!" Flightpaw called out with a hint of a subtle challenge, "Where are you? I know you're nearby." A wide grin spread across Flightpaw's face, and he looked around with bright amber eyes, which seemed to shine with mischief. He unsheathed his claws, and dug into the earth with a threatening look on his face - how he loved being able to inspire such fear in a cat, especially the one that was called his brother. Padding forward, Flightpaw sniffed the air again, and picked up only a faint scent of Gorsepaw. But he would find his brother, yes... he would find him.

'Come out little coward, come out where you can fight. Come out where you can stop priding yourself in being able to catch rats and frogs - come out and feel the true meaning of fear! Come out, come out, wherever you are...' Flightpaw thought with such malice that it showed upon the features of his face - obviously he was up to no good, as always.

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--A slight change a wind brought Gorsepaw's heart to a stop. He heard the words of "Hey, Gorsepaw! Where are you? I know you're nearby," carried down by the wind. Gorsepaw sqeaked and then sighed. Luck obvious didn't favor him. It was his brother Flighpaw, probably looking to beat him up again.

--But not if Gorsepaw had anything to say about it. He had heard the sound coming from the apprentice den so he turned around, his fur standing on end, and raced towards the medicine cat den, taking shelter there. He was downwind, and hoped that Fligtpaw could not smell him.

--Gorsepaw could then hear the padding of Flightpaw's footsteps, and he ran all the way to the back of den where the storage area was. Luckily, Fernwhisker was not there. Gorsepaw tried to reign in his composure. He stopped his body from shaking and held his head up high. Then he stuffed his face in a bunch of herbs (what were they? Yarrow? Catmint? Gorsepaw could never tell) hoping to hide his scent.

--For the first time, Gorsepaw wished that Fernwhisker was there, she could protect him. "But what can he do?" he thought. "Flightpaw is just an apprentice, just like me, he can't hurt me," but he knew that was a lie.

[Sare «]

Flightpaw's ears twitched as he faintly heard the sound of pawsteps on the ground. Too silent to track or follow - too quiet to understand where they were or where they were coming from. A breeze ruffled Flightpaw's fur, and the young tom realized that Gorsepaw had intelligently hidden himself downwind, where his scent would be untraceable. 'Smart, brother. Very smart. More than I'd expect from you.' A malevolent grin showed upon his face, and any onlooker would realize he had only thoughts of evil upon his mind. Thoughts of spilling the blood of the innocents, thoughts of killing against the warrior code, and reigning the forest - yet none of those concerned him now. All he wanted to do was find his weakling brother and show him who was the dominant of the litter.

Flightpaw made no effort to disguise the sounds of his paws touching the ground as he walked - in fact, he was purposely slamming into the ground as hard as he could with every step he took. Inspiring fear in the hearts of his enemies was the best and easiest way to win a war. Warriors who were nervous during a battle were as useless as kittypets - unable to fight properly, always fretting about when their death would come, never making the right moves until it was far too late for them.

"Oh, come out, Gorsepaw! Surely you're not scared of me, now are you?" the long-furred tabby called out in a taunting manner. 'Come on out and show yourself, I can't enjoy being able to scare you like a piece of prey forever.' the nefarious little apprentice thought, as he continued to sniff the air and search around for any traces of his brother. 'You know I'll find you sooner or later, so why not just get it over with now...? I will increase your suffering because of this! You can't avoid me. You may be an excellent hunter, but you are nothing but the hunted.'

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--Gorsepaw hid, shivering quietly in the mountain of herbs. He heard pawsteps, loud pawsteps, and he knew that Flightpaw was being loud on purpose. "He wants me to fear him," he thought. "But I won't." But Gorsepaw had to admit to himself that hiding in a medicine cat den wasn't the bravest thing to do.

--Gorsepaw smelled Flightpaw, a strong and couragous scent coming off from him. His brother had probably found him. "Oh, come out, Gorsepaw! Surely you're not scared of me, now are you?" The lyrics were sarcastic and taunting, meant as a challenge. But Gorsepaw would not sink to that level.

--He knew that each den had a back entrance, just in case of an emergency. As slowly as he could, Gorsepaw walked to the back of the den. The hole was small, but he was an apprentice and could fit through it. He wriggled his body through until he had appeared at the edge of the camp clearing. Hoping that he was still downwind of Flightpaw, he stayed out of sight as much as he could, but it was only a matter of time before he was caught by his very own kin.

[Sare «]

Flightpaw still couldn't scent his brother - but he had heard rustling from inside the medicine cat's den. So quiet that it had obviously been by a cat trying to be subtle and stealthy, no doubt it was Gorsepaw. The brown tabby quickly darted towards the medicine cat's den, hoping to be able to corner his brother inside. 'There will be no escape!' Triumph surged through his body, and satisfaction seemed to radiate from him. 'I have you now, little brother.'

Flightpaw slithered into the medicine cat's den, as stealthily as a long-furred cat could do so. The smell of herbs dominated every other scent, and Flightpaw screwed up his nose with disgust. 'Yuck. They smell disgusting and taste that way, too.' Though usually the scent of herbs was comforting to a cat's heart, anything that may bring a warm, tingling sensation was immediately hated by Flightpaw. He didn't want joy to surge through his heart, and he didn't wish for his cold inside to be warmed. Hissing, Flightpaw crouched and padded forward as if hunting a piece of prey. 'And that is what I'm doing... hunting.'

The first thing the young tom noticed was a pile of herbs that had been disturbed. Reluctantly, he leaned in forward and sniffed at the pile, which had a small, but lingering scent of his brother. He had been here. Flightpaw let out a loud sneeze, further messing up the organization of herbs that no longer existed in the den. He didn't care for the herbs, he just needed to find Gorsepaw. But where was he? Surely if he had been here only moments ago he would have been caught already.

But then it struck him. 'There are other ways to get out the den.' As he walked away from the herbs and towards the other side of the den, the scent of Gorsepaw was much stronger and clearer than it had been. 'He's been here recently...' Flightpaw thought with satisfaction, 'So he has to be nearby...'

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--Gorsepaw stood shaking silently behind the den. He heard the pile of herbs shake and quiver and then fall down as Flightpaw touched them. He smelt the scent of Flightpaw and the strong smell of herbs. "He is near" Gorsepaw thought. He knew he couldn't stay forever or Flightpaw would surely find him. He lifted one single paw slowly and then took off, a blazing ball of brown fur ripping through the camp. He leaned his body against the Highrock and paused to catch his breath, that was coming out in jagged spurts.

--Flightpaw must have realized that he wasn't in there by now, so what was he doing, taking so long? Then Gorsepaw realized that his brother must be getting his scent, tracking him down, knowing that he couldn't hide forever. "Starclan, save me," Gorsepaw sent a silent plea to Starclan, but he knew that the troubles of an apprentice did not concern the starry ones.

--"Why did I have to end up with a brother like him, why couldn't he have been normal," Gorsepaw thought desperately. "Why can't he even try to be nice, I am his brother?" Just then, Gorsepaw saw Flightpaw wriggle out of the medicine cat den, and he quickly stuck his head back behind the rock.

[Sare «]

Flightpaw snorted, trying to clear his lungs and nostrils of the disgusting, reeking scent of herbs. Shaking off his fur as if he had just plunged into a body of water, he took a deep breath of air, glad to be inhaling the good scent of fresh air, not tainted by the odor of herbs. He picked up the scent of Gorsepaw - it was fresh, he had just been here, and was somewhere nearby. "Hah! Nowhere to go, I've got you now!" he called out playfully, as if he were a kit innocently playing a game of tracking.

'And now you're mine. This camp isn't large enough to hide you for long..' following the scent trail like a bloodhound, Flightpaw padded closer and closer to the highrock. 'So there you are, little brother, hiding behind a rock, thinking that it will stop you from experiencing me? Do you really think it will mask your scent and hide you? No, brother, I've grown and I'll always be able to find you. Accept your fate, runt.'

To increase the suspence, Flightpaw slowed down his pawsteps and went into the hunter's crouch. If his brother tried to run he would pounce on him, and if he was still there he'd pounce on him anyways. Either way, he knew he was going to catch his prey, and now he was going in for the kill. But not literally - even if he were going to kill his brother, he'd make sure to toy with him, causing him every bit of suffering before he ended Gorsepaw's miserable life.

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--Gorsepaw watcher nervously from his place behind the rock as Flightpaw wriggled out of the hole. "Hah! Nowhere to go, I've got you now!" he called out, and Gorsepaw could imagine them being kits again, but Flightpaw wasn't so mean, and they were playing an innocent tracking game.

--Then Flightpaw came running across the clearing, and Gorsepaw now knew that he had been seen. "Oh Starclan, help me please," he thought. Flightpaw lowered his belly and haunches to the ground and started stalking him. He was going to pounce, going to corner him to the ground, Gorsepaw just knew it.

--"What can I do?" Gorsepaw thought desperately. "I could try to fight," but if he did that he would lose, as he had always done. Gorsepaw need to come up with a plan, at least for now, and then a lightbulb went off in his head.

--Right when Flightpaw was wriggling his haunches, preparing to spring, Gorsepaw sprung up on top of the Highrock, his legs propelling him up, and he scrambles on to the rock, a little bit messily, but now at least Flightpaw could not leap at him now. Gorsepaw was pretty proud of himself and even through a taunt at his brother. "Can't catch me now, can ya bro?" knowing that it would make him angry.

[Sare «]

Closing in closer and closer, Flightpaw knew that he was going to win this round. Gorsepaw had never won - and Flightpaw would make sure that he never did. Yes, soon Gorsepaw would be like a rat on the fresh-kill pile. He would regret running, he would regret being so little and weak. He would regret everything he'd ever done. 'Yes, how dare he try to outshine me by being a hunter? A true warrior shines in battle - and my poor little weakling runt of a brother is going to have to find that out someday. When we go into battle, he is going to be torn to shreds, and no one is going to save him. No one will take pity upon that weakling, and --' his chain of thought was interrupted by a taunting, "Can't catch me now, can ya bro?"

Flightpaw looked up into the sky, trying to pinpoint where the sound had come from. He then noticed the long-furred apprentice standing atop the Highrock, standing up there with pride and triumph as if he had already defeated his larger brother. 'I won't allow -THAT-!' Flightpaw growled angrily, standing up and staring up at his coward brother. "What, are you too afraid to fight me?" the long-furred tabby growled with a tone of absolute fury and frustration. 'That's not outsmarting me, that's being a coward!'

But Flightpaw didn't take the time to listen for a reply. He quickly darted around the Highrock, looking for where his runt brother had jumped onto it. 'Unfortunately you've also trapped yourself. Enjoy the fall.' It was then that he noticed a place that he could grip on to and successfully haul himself atop the rock. Taking no time to delay, he pounced onto the grip and scrabbled to the top of the Highrock. 'There you are, now it's time to finish this...' He growled, his eyes blazing with rage and satisfaction. 'Now you're mine.'

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--Flightpaw hadn't even seemed to notice until Gorsepaw had taken advantage of him and mocked him. Then when he looked up saw his brother on top of the high rock, his fury climaxed. "What, are you too afraid to fight me?" There was a strange sort of fire in his eyes, as if Flightpaw actually want Gorsepaw dead.

--Gorsepaw shivered, it was creepy. "No, bro, he called back, his claws working into the solid rock. "You are just to scared to try and get me." But now Gorsepaw knew that Flightpaw would do everything he could to catch his brother, and he began t get afraid. "I am really bad in battle," he thought. "If he actually wants to kill me, I will never live to see another moon."

--Flightpaw didn't reply, his eyes to intense and focused. He was looked for a pawhold, and when he found one, he scrambled up the rock. Gorsepaw was trapped. He looked down, the jump was very far down, but it was just a risk he would have to take. Before Flightpaw could take any action, Gorsepaw had squated, and leaped into the air, hoping he could find himself in one piece when he landed.

[Sare «]

Flightpaw panted as he reached the top of the rock, only to see that his brother was squatting down, and then had jumped. 'What are you, some kind of mousebrain?' Flightpaw decided not to risk the jump. After all, if only Gorsepaw got hurt, that would be pretty hilarious. 'And then his apprenticeship will be delayed for moons, and I'll become a warrior far before he does! Then by the time he's a warrior, I'll already be so respected that he'll never fit in. Ever.' the long-furred tabby thought with a malevolent grin on his face. It sounded like a plan, to break his brother and then become a greater warrior than he ever would.

He scrabbled back down the way he had come up, racing around the rock to go find what Gorsepaw's outcome had been. 'Yes, and we all know that broken warriors don't last long. Just look at that ThunderClan medicine cat - Kinkfoot, or whatever. They say she was a warrior for many moons before she ever became a medicine cat, and that she broke her leg by falling from a tree. It was only moons before she had to become a medicine cat. Yes... he'll never be a good warrior, may as well give him a chance at a happier life. Though from what I've seen of her at gatherings she's far from happy. But oh well, little brother, I hope your fall was pleasant.'

He looked over at his brother, Gorsepaw. Was he going to be able to get up, or would he be forever condemned to be a broken, lame, useless warrior?

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--As Gorsepaw was falling, feeling the wind rush by, he felt strangely free. Free from his evil and disgusting rat of a brother, free from his jobs as an apprentice in Shadowclan, where all cats ever did was look down on him. And the only thought that processed through his mind was, "Cats always land on their paws."

--And so when Gorsepaw hit the earth floor, rather loudly and heavily, he landed on all four of his paws. He looked up at his brother, who had decided not to move from his perch on top of the rock, and called out, "Can't catch me now bro, can you. What, to afraid to jump."

--Gorsepaw was used to fleeing, he had the natural instincts from being a natural hunter and knowing how is prey thought and felt, he could get himself out of any corner. But, Gorsepaw didn't run. Instead, he planted his feet firmly on the ground and stayed exactly where he was, throwing more taunts up into the air above him. "Hey, what is the matter, bro? Haven't got your warrior instincts yet have you. Well, you will get there some day." Gorsepaw hoped that Flightpaw would be mad that he called him bro.

[Sare «]

Flightpaw hissed with annoyance. "Honestly, enough with the whole 'bro' title. I'm far from anything, any WRETCH that could be considered your brother." he growled as he stared at Gorsepaw with burning anger inside of him, his pelt prickling with rage and his teeth bared. "It's a shame you didn't break yourself when you fell. Then maybe you would become something of some respect, an eight moon old elder or a shameful medicine cat. You can never be a true warrior of ShadowClan. Why not go to ThunderClan? They may accept kittypets like you." he hissed.

"You bring me only shame. You couldn't even fight a mouse, and if you could, you would lose. You are so weak you aren't even fit for the life of a kittypet. Sure, you can hunt and kill a few rats. But that's all you're worth. You'll lose every battle for the rest of your life." the bitter apprenticed growled at his brother. How he wished to say more about how much disappointment surged through him every time he looked at his brother. But no word would ever describe his utter resentment he felt towards his brother.

Frustration and fury dominated Flightpaw, and he rushed forward at his brother, claws unsheathed. Stopping abruptly as soon as he got within a pawlength of his brother, he swiped his claws at his brother's muzzle, anticipating being able to watch red blood swell up from the wounds and stain Gorsepaw's pelt.

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[♥ Riro ♥]

--Flightpaw hissed from his place at the rock. "Honestly, enough with the whole 'bro' title. I'm far from anything, any WRETCH that could be considered your brother." Gorsepaw chuckled with amusement at Flightpaw's annoyance. "Well, it's the fact, bro, you can't change it. We were born with the same mother.

--"It's a shame you didn't break yourself when you fell. Then maybe you would become something of some respect, an eight moon old elder or a shameful medicine cat. You can never be a true warrior of ShadowClan. Why not go to ThunderClan? They may accept kittypets like you." Now it was Gorsepaw's turn to be annoyed. "I am nota kittypet!" he spat back. "I am a better hunter than you and you know it!"

--Flightpaw went on in anger. "You bring me only shame. You couldn't even fight a mouse, and if you could, you would lose. You are so weak you aren't even fit for the life of a kittypet. Sure, you can hunt and kill a few rats. But that's all you're worth. You'll lose every battle for the rest of your life." Gorsepaw looked up with all seriousness in his eyes and replied, "Try it, fight me, I bet I can take you."

--Flightpaw lunged forward and scratched Gorsepaw across the muzzle, his claws unsheathed. Gorsepaw yelled in pain as blood welled from his maw. But he came back, claws sheathed, and landed a blow across Flightpaw's side, one enough to knock the air out of him.