Post by 𝓣𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓵 on Mar 24, 2021 13:17:08 GMT -5
I ask this because I was thinking about these two scenes from TLH:
“No, not like that!” Bumblestripe yowled.
Dovewing spun around to face him, gripping hard on the branch to stop herself from falling out of the tree. “You told me to climb, I’m climbing!” she snapped. Can’t I do anything right?
“Not the trunk.” Bumblestripe padded along the thick oak branch toward her. “In a battle, if every cat climbed the trunk, it’d be chaos.” He tipped his nose up and focused on the branch two tail lengths above his head. Crouching, he sprang and gripped it with his forepaws, then hauled himself up. “Your turn.” He peered at her through the browning leaves.
Dovewing scowled. Hunkering down, she bunched her muscles, then leaped and dug her claws into the branch above. Flicking her tail, she landed nimbly beside Bumblestripe. “Is that better?” she sniffed.
Bumblestripe glanced at the leaves she’d sent fluttering to the ground. “You really need to aim for a bare bit of branch,” he suggested. “The enemy’s going to know you’re here if you shower him with leaves every time you move.”
Dovewing clamped her jaws together to stop herself from snarling at the arrogant furball. I can’t believe I ever thought we might be more than just friends! Seeing Tigerheart again made her realize what a dumb choice that would have been. I only ever liked you because you’re a ThunderClan cat. Tigerheart wouldn’t bother about whether she climbed the trunk or rustled too many leaves. He was a warrior, not a worrier!
They’d been practicing tree-battle all morning and Dovewing was hot and tired. “Why are we doing this?” she grumbled at Brambleclaw. “What cat is going to climb a tree to fight? There is no SquirrelClan!”
Bumblestripe flashed her a warning look. “Shut up!” he hissed.
But Brambleclaw was already bounding along the narrow rowan branch. It bounced under his weight, making Toadstep cling on with his fur spiked up. Brambleclaw jumped and cleared the space between the trees easily. The sturdy oak hardly trembled as he landed. “I know some cats don’t like tree training,” he meowed as he padded along the branch toward them. “But it gives us a strong advantage over the other Clans. If we can move through our territory and attack from above them, it’s a great surprise.”
Dovewing rolled her eyes. “I know. But Bumblestripe’s acting like I’ve never been up a tree before. Every time I do something wrong he points it out like I hadn’t already noticed.”
Bumblestripe stared at his paws. “I was just trying to help.”
Brambleclaw flicked his tail. “It’s good of Bumblestripe to be so patient with you, Dovewing.”
“Patient?” Dovewing retorted. He’d criticized every move. “Can’t we just move on to drop attacks and go hunting?”
“Is she ready for drop attacks?” Brambleclaw asked Bumblestripe.
“I guess.” Bumblestripe’s ear twitched. “Having seen her tree skills, I think she’d better practice falling out of them.”
Dovewing spun around to face him, gripping hard on the branch to stop herself from falling out of the tree. “You told me to climb, I’m climbing!” she snapped. Can’t I do anything right?
“Not the trunk.” Bumblestripe padded along the thick oak branch toward her. “In a battle, if every cat climbed the trunk, it’d be chaos.” He tipped his nose up and focused on the branch two tail lengths above his head. Crouching, he sprang and gripped it with his forepaws, then hauled himself up. “Your turn.” He peered at her through the browning leaves.
Dovewing scowled. Hunkering down, she bunched her muscles, then leaped and dug her claws into the branch above. Flicking her tail, she landed nimbly beside Bumblestripe. “Is that better?” she sniffed.
Bumblestripe glanced at the leaves she’d sent fluttering to the ground. “You really need to aim for a bare bit of branch,” he suggested. “The enemy’s going to know you’re here if you shower him with leaves every time you move.”
Dovewing clamped her jaws together to stop herself from snarling at the arrogant furball. I can’t believe I ever thought we might be more than just friends! Seeing Tigerheart again made her realize what a dumb choice that would have been. I only ever liked you because you’re a ThunderClan cat. Tigerheart wouldn’t bother about whether she climbed the trunk or rustled too many leaves. He was a warrior, not a worrier!
They’d been practicing tree-battle all morning and Dovewing was hot and tired. “Why are we doing this?” she grumbled at Brambleclaw. “What cat is going to climb a tree to fight? There is no SquirrelClan!”
Bumblestripe flashed her a warning look. “Shut up!” he hissed.
But Brambleclaw was already bounding along the narrow rowan branch. It bounced under his weight, making Toadstep cling on with his fur spiked up. Brambleclaw jumped and cleared the space between the trees easily. The sturdy oak hardly trembled as he landed. “I know some cats don’t like tree training,” he meowed as he padded along the branch toward them. “But it gives us a strong advantage over the other Clans. If we can move through our territory and attack from above them, it’s a great surprise.”
Dovewing rolled her eyes. “I know. But Bumblestripe’s acting like I’ve never been up a tree before. Every time I do something wrong he points it out like I hadn’t already noticed.”
Bumblestripe stared at his paws. “I was just trying to help.”
Brambleclaw flicked his tail. “It’s good of Bumblestripe to be so patient with you, Dovewing.”
“Patient?” Dovewing retorted. He’d criticized every move. “Can’t we just move on to drop attacks and go hunting?”
“Is she ready for drop attacks?” Brambleclaw asked Bumblestripe.
“I guess.” Bumblestripe’s ear twitched. “Having seen her tree skills, I think she’d better practice falling out of them.”
Bumblestripe scrambled to a halt beside Dovewing and Rosepetal. “You nearly ran me into a tree!”
“You should watch where you’re going,” Dovewing growled. “I nearly tripped over you.”
Muttering under her breath, she ran down the slope. “Clumsy mouse-brain.”
“Why do you have to be so mean to him?” Rosepetal’s whisper took Dovewing by surprise. “It’s not a crime, you know!”
“What isn’t?”
Rosepetal’s gaze darkened meaningfully as Bumblestripe raced past them.
“What?” Dovewing repeated. Why did Rosepetal look so angry?
“It’s obvious he likes you!” Rosepetal snapped. “You don’t have to keep biting his head off. He’s your Clanmate, not prey!”
Dovewing flattened her ears. Why should she feel bad? “Why do I have to tiptoe around him just because he likes me? It’s not my fault.”
Rosepetal looked sideways at her. “Do you enjoy hurting his feelings?”
“Of course not!” Guilt flashed under Dovewing’s pelt.
“Then apologize.”
Dovewing winced. Rosepetal was right. If Bumblestripe had feelings for her, it wasn’t fair to punish him for his attention. “Okay!” She pulled ahead, following Bumblestripe’s tracks through the grass. She bounded down the short slope onto the shore, landing on the pebbles a moment after Bumblestripe. He glanced over his shoulder and kept running.
“Wait!” Dovewing panted, pebbles spraying out behind.
Bumblestripe eased his pace enough for her to catch up. “What?” he growled.
“Look.” Dovewing tried to catch her breath but Bumblestripe was still running hard. “I’m sorry I snapped.”
Bumblestripe turned his head to look at her, his gaze hard as ice. “I’m tired of being used as your scratching post,” he hissed. “From now on sharpen your claws on someone else.”
Dovewing’s pelt pricked. “It’s not my fault!”
“I get it, okay?” He didn’t even look at her. He just kept running. “You don’t like me the same way I like you. I’ll get over it. I’m just disappointed you’re not the cat I thought you were.”
“You should watch where you’re going,” Dovewing growled. “I nearly tripped over you.”
Muttering under her breath, she ran down the slope. “Clumsy mouse-brain.”
“Why do you have to be so mean to him?” Rosepetal’s whisper took Dovewing by surprise. “It’s not a crime, you know!”
“What isn’t?”
Rosepetal’s gaze darkened meaningfully as Bumblestripe raced past them.
“What?” Dovewing repeated. Why did Rosepetal look so angry?
“It’s obvious he likes you!” Rosepetal snapped. “You don’t have to keep biting his head off. He’s your Clanmate, not prey!”
Dovewing flattened her ears. Why should she feel bad? “Why do I have to tiptoe around him just because he likes me? It’s not my fault.”
Rosepetal looked sideways at her. “Do you enjoy hurting his feelings?”
“Of course not!” Guilt flashed under Dovewing’s pelt.
“Then apologize.”
Dovewing winced. Rosepetal was right. If Bumblestripe had feelings for her, it wasn’t fair to punish him for his attention. “Okay!” She pulled ahead, following Bumblestripe’s tracks through the grass. She bounded down the short slope onto the shore, landing on the pebbles a moment after Bumblestripe. He glanced over his shoulder and kept running.
“Wait!” Dovewing panted, pebbles spraying out behind.
Bumblestripe eased his pace enough for her to catch up. “What?” he growled.
“Look.” Dovewing tried to catch her breath but Bumblestripe was still running hard. “I’m sorry I snapped.”
Bumblestripe turned his head to look at her, his gaze hard as ice. “I’m tired of being used as your scratching post,” he hissed. “From now on sharpen your claws on someone else.”
Dovewing’s pelt pricked. “It’s not my fault!”
“I get it, okay?” He didn’t even look at her. He just kept running. “You don’t like me the same way I like you. I’ll get over it. I’m just disappointed you’re not the cat I thought you were.”