HOME | DD

Description

Ravenpaw nearly bowled over sideways as Sandpaw passed him and rammed into his flank. “Nice blunder back there, Ravenkit,” she sneered, her emerald eyes glinting cruelly in the sunhigh glare. “What do you call that signature move, anyway? The Ravenpaw Crash?”

Ravenpaw sank into his fur as he, Sandpaw, and Dustpaw filed behind their mentors. He tried to steal a glance at his brother, hoping for some support, but Dustpaw’s eyes were aggravated slits that stared dead ahead, not even acknowledging Sandpaw’s remark.

“I fought better than that when I was a moon old and in the nursery, for StarClan’s sake,” Sandpaw chortled. With arrogant haughtiness, she decided to show off to her denmates by performing an impressive leap over a fractured log, clearing it in a single bound. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen mice do better feats while running away than you do training!”

“It-it was a hard technique,” Ravenpaw mewed quietly. “I’ll get better at it.”

Sandpaw snorted. “Dustpaw and I got it on our first try,” she reminded him, her ears flicking proudly. “Are you sure you were aware we were battle training and not hunting snails?”

“Sandpaw!” Whitestorm hissed from up ahead from where he was padding between Redtail and Tigerclaw. “Stop that kind of talk and pick up the pace. We need to get back to camp.”

Sandpaw let out a faint yet obnoxious mrrrow of laughter before she pranced ahead, her tail up.

Ravenpaw had known from the moment he had awoken that morning that it was going to be a bad day. He had felt it in his bones, and everything that had happened in the following hours had confirmed that creeping dread. First, he had gotten the last pick from the fresh-kill pile, a tattered old starling that was so sinewy and tough that he felt like he was trying to eat bark; then he got snapped at by Smallear for being too slow when it was time to clear the elders of ticks. The worst thing, however, was when Tigerclaw had growled to him after his ear-chewing scolding that today was when he and the other apprentices would begin practicing more advanced fighting tactics and avoidance maneuvers in the sandy hollow.

Sandpaw had been right - she and Dustpaw took to the new techniques like birds to flight. Redtail instructed Dustpaw to use his entire body weight when he struck out to swipe with his claws for more damage, and he did. Whitestorm had called out to a pouncing Sandpaw to be aware of which way Dustpaw might consider going when he leapt out of the way of her aim, and she had caught him before he seemed to even complete his calculation of the intended escape move. They had both done it with such precision and accuracy, any inexperienced onlooker might’ve thought they were warriors already!

Ravenpaw wasn’t comfortable preforming anything outside the basic things he knew. He knew to keep his body low and tail completely still while doing a hunter’s crouch, that ears are more prone to bleeding than other parts of the body, and that the body language that Dustpaw was exhibiting at the moment should’ve kept him from slinking over to his side. “Sandpaw can be as arrogant as a toad,” he sniffed, hoping to get the brown tabby’s attention.

Dustpaw lowered his ears further, but didn’t reply. However, Sandpaw let out a firm harrumph and trotted to join Whitestorm.

Ravenpaw swallowed, anxiety making his heart skitter, but he kept trying to converse with Dustpaw. “She acts like she’s the leader of all four Clans,” he joked. “StarClan’s chosen, if you want to put it that way.”

“Don’t talk to me.” Dustpaw snapped suddenly, his voice as sharp as an eagle’s talon.

Ravenpaw was taken aback by his brother’s hostility. His ears flattened as he realized his brother’s gaze hadn’t even turned to glare at him. Dustpaw seemed ridgid with anger, his ears flattened and his tail giving the occasional lash. “Wh-what’s the matter?” he stammered, not sure if it was wise to be speaking to him or not. “Are-”

“Are you deaf?” The young brown tom snarled, finally whipping his head to face Ravenpaw with scorching, angry eyes. “I sure already know you’re dumb enough to be a dog, but didn’t you just hear me tell you not to speak to me?”

“Dustpaw!” Redtail had stepped aside to allow Whitestorm and Tigerclaw through the camp entrance. Sandpaw seemed a bit stunned and linger behind briefly, but a gesture from Redtail had her hurrying through the leaves of the gorse tunnel. Ravenpaw saw his mentor glowering at him, but kept strolling forward. “I don’t appreciate that kind of behavior as your mentor, and I definitely know that Ravenpaw doesn’t as your brother-”

The mention of the two apprentices’ shared kinship was enough to send a furious ripple through Dustpaw’s pelt. “He’s not my brother!” he spat, his eyes slitting further. He thrust his muzzle into Ravenpaw’s face, teeth bared. “Not anymore.”

Redtail separated the two of them by splitting a paw between their chests. “Enough!” he growled. He stepped in front of Dustpaw first, tail up and staring sternly down at the fuming tabby apprentice. “Regardless or not you wish to acknowledge him as your littermate, you must remember that he’s still your Clanmate, and proper ThunderClan cats are brought up to respect their Clanmates at the bare minimum.”

Dustpaw’s eyes never settled. He let out an incredulous snort, his line of sight flitting between Redtail and Ravenpaw.

“Look at me, Dustpaw,” Redtail growled firmly. With that, he heaved a bit of a sigh, as though he were searching for his words by lifting his head to the treetops, as if to find the answer somewhere along the newleaf foliage. “I know that...recent events have left the two of you shaken-”

“Recent events?” Racing anxiety pooled into Ravenpaw’s stomach as Dustpaw actually forced his mentor to the side as he began to size up his denmate, spine arched and claws beginning to unsheathe. “You’re dismissing the fact that he’s the reason Fuzzypelt, Robinwing, and Cherrypaw are dead is because he was too big of a mouseheart to fetch reinforcements when he was directly ordered to in the middle of a battle as ‘recent events’?!”

“I-I was going for h-h-help, honest!” Ravenpaw’s mew caught in his throat as he lowered himself to the ground, his belly touching the earth. “I-I was caught off by a couple of RiverClan warriors and I-I just turned to the opposite-”

Dustpaw’s claws unsheathed as quickly as an adder’s strike, sending a new pulse of fear through Ravenpaw’s heart. “Typical of a coward to make excuses!” The brown tabby snarled, now nose-to-nose with his trembling littermate. “StarClan wouldn’t blame me if I shredded your muzzle right here and now, so you could feel the fear and pain our family felt when you were too scared to help save them-”

“Dustpaw!” Redtail snapped sharply. “Stop this at once!”

“Why?” The apprentice growled back, not turning to look at his mentor. Ravenpaw’s chest ached as though as he had just finished running to the moor and back as Dustpaw’s meow wavered like a piece of bark bobbing on water. “I’m just letting him know that I hate him just as much as our parents and sister do for letting them die!”

Suddenly, Dustpaw was jerked sharply backward as Redtail yanked one of his hind legs with his teeth. The brown apprentice let out a wail as he was brought to the ground, with his tortoiseshell mentor towering over him and growling. Ravenpaw’s body pulsed with horror as Redtail growled like a roll of thunder. “This is inexcusable!” he snapped as Dustpaw flattened himself down, suddenly looking terrified. “You aren’t the only one grieving in this situation, Dustpaw, stop acting like the pain is exclusive to you!”

Dustpaw shakily tried to stand, stammering.

“No, stay down!” Redtail slapped his paw down a mouselength from Dustpaw’s nose, frightening him back into his heap. “If you want to act like a deranged rogue, then I’m going to forbid you from going to the Gathering for the next two moons!”

The tabby apprentice gaped, his lower jaw quivering.

Redtail grabbed Dustpaw by the scruff and roughly brought him to his paws. “You can forget about practicing your avoidance maneuvers until the claw moon,” He thrust his apprentice through the camp opening, making sure to herd him through the undergrowth where Ravenpaw could see several of their Clanmates staring in their direction. “Until then, you’ll be on flea and tick duty for the elders and nothing more. Perhaps they can teach you more about respect and understanding in times of need. You need to channel your grief into something more constructive than bullying and taking your anger out on others.”

Ravenpaw felt whimpers worming their way out of this throat as Dustpaw shot one final scathing glance at him before Redtail pushed him forward. “You’re ruining my life, you kittypet-spirited coward!”

~~~

i made a post awhile ago about dustpelt and ravenpaw being brothers and it never being addressed other than a meta comment about how the former was embarrassed of the latter’s timid nature and didn’t want to admit relations, and ALSO that their entire family pretty much evaporated into thin air

so here’s a gritty take on the brotherhood being broken off thanks to mismanaged grief and misplaced rage ;w; also get this damn thing out of my drafts after two literal years lmao

Description

Ravenpaw nearly bowled over sideways as Sandpaw passed him and rammed into his flank. “Nice blunder back there, Ravenkit,” she sneered, her emerald eyes glinting cruelly in the sunhigh glare. “What do you call that signature move, anyway? The Ravenpaw Crash?”

Ravenpaw sank into his fur as he, Sandpaw, and Dustpaw filed behind their mentors. He tried to steal a glance at his brother, hoping for some support, but Dustpaw’s eyes were aggravated slits that stared dead ahead, not even acknowledging Sandpaw’s remark.

“I fought better than that when I was a moon old and in the nursery, for StarClan’s sake,” Sandpaw chortled. With arrogant haughtiness, she decided to show off to her denmates by performing an impressive leap over a fractured log, clearing it in a single bound. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen mice do better feats while running away than you do training!”

“It-it was a hard technique,” Ravenpaw mewed quietly. “I’ll get better at it.”

Sandpaw snorted. “Dustpaw and I got it on our first try,” she reminded him, her ears flicking proudly. “Are you sure you were aware we were battle training and not hunting snails?”

“Sandpaw!” Whitestorm hissed from up ahead from where he was padding between Redtail and Tigerclaw. “Stop that kind of talk and pick up the pace. We need to get back to camp.”

Sandpaw let out a faint yet obnoxious mrrrow of laughter before she pranced ahead, her tail up.

Ravenpaw had known from the moment he had awoken that morning that it was going to be a bad day. He had felt it in his bones, and everything that had happened in the following hours had confirmed that creeping dread. First, he had gotten the last pick from the fresh-kill pile, a tattered old starling that was so sinewy and tough that he felt like he was trying to eat bark; then he got snapped at by Smallear for being too slow when it was time to clear the elders of ticks. The worst thing, however, was when Tigerclaw had growled to him after his ear-chewing scolding that today was when he and the other apprentices would begin practicing more advanced fighting tactics and avoidance maneuvers in the sandy hollow.

Sandpaw had been right - she and Dustpaw took to the new techniques like birds to flight. Redtail instructed Dustpaw to use his entire body weight when he struck out to swipe with his claws for more damage, and he did. Whitestorm had called out to a pouncing Sandpaw to be aware of which way Dustpaw might consider going when he leapt out of the way of her aim, and she had caught him before he seemed to even complete his calculation of the intended escape move. They had both done it with such precision and accuracy, any inexperienced onlooker might’ve thought they were warriors already!

Ravenpaw wasn’t comfortable preforming anything outside the basic things he knew. He knew to keep his body low and tail completely still while doing a hunter’s crouch, that ears are more prone to bleeding than other parts of the body, and that the body language that Dustpaw was exhibiting at the moment should’ve kept him from slinking over to his side. “Sandpaw can be as arrogant as a toad,” he sniffed, hoping to get the brown tabby’s attention.

Dustpaw lowered his ears further, but didn’t reply. However, Sandpaw let out a firm harrumph and trotted to join Whitestorm.

Ravenpaw swallowed, anxiety making his heart skitter, but he kept trying to converse with Dustpaw. “She acts like she’s the leader of all four Clans,” he joked. “StarClan’s chosen, if you want to put it that way.”

“Don’t talk to me.” Dustpaw snapped suddenly, his voice as sharp as an eagle’s talon.

Ravenpaw was taken aback by his brother’s hostility. His ears flattened as he realized his brother’s gaze hadn’t even turned to glare at him. Dustpaw seemed ridgid with anger, his ears flattened and his tail giving the occasional lash. “Wh-what’s the matter?” he stammered, not sure if it was wise to be speaking to him or not. “Are-”

“Are you deaf?” The young brown tom snarled, finally whipping his head to face Ravenpaw with scorching, angry eyes. “I sure already know you’re dumb enough to be a dog, but didn’t you just hear me tell you not to speak to me?”

“Dustpaw!” Redtail had stepped aside to allow Whitestorm and Tigerclaw through the camp entrance. Sandpaw seemed a bit stunned and linger behind briefly, but a gesture from Redtail had her hurrying through the leaves of the gorse tunnel. Ravenpaw saw his mentor glowering at him, but kept strolling forward. “I don’t appreciate that kind of behavior as your mentor, and I definitely know that Ravenpaw doesn’t as your brother-”

The mention of the two apprentices’ shared kinship was enough to send a furious ripple through Dustpaw’s pelt. “He’s not my brother!” he spat, his eyes slitting further. He thrust his muzzle into Ravenpaw’s face, teeth bared. “Not anymore.”

Redtail separated the two of them by splitting a paw between their chests. “Enough!” he growled. He stepped in front of Dustpaw first, tail up and staring sternly down at the fuming tabby apprentice. “Regardless or not you wish to acknowledge him as your littermate, you must remember that he’s still your Clanmate, and proper ThunderClan cats are brought up to respect their Clanmates at the bare minimum.”

Dustpaw’s eyes never settled. He let out an incredulous snort, his line of sight flitting between Redtail and Ravenpaw.

“Look at me, Dustpaw,” Redtail growled firmly. With that, he heaved a bit of a sigh, as though he were searching for his words by lifting his head to the treetops, as if to find the answer somewhere along the newleaf foliage. “I know that...recent events have left the two of you shaken-”

“Recent events?” Racing anxiety pooled into Ravenpaw’s stomach as Dustpaw actually forced his mentor to the side as he began to size up his denmate, spine arched and claws beginning to unsheathe. “You’re dismissing the fact that he’s the reason Fuzzypelt, Robinwing, and Cherrypaw are dead is because he was too big of a mouseheart to fetch reinforcements when he was directly ordered to in the middle of a battle as ‘recent events’?!”

“I-I was going for h-h-help, honest!” Ravenpaw’s mew caught in his throat as he lowered himself to the ground, his belly touching the earth. “I-I was caught off by a couple of RiverClan warriors and I-I just turned to the opposite-”

Dustpaw’s claws unsheathed as quickly as an adder’s strike, sending a new pulse of fear through Ravenpaw’s heart. “Typical of a coward to make excuses!” The brown tabby snarled, now nose-to-nose with his trembling littermate. “StarClan wouldn’t blame me if I shredded your muzzle right here and now, so you could feel the fear and pain our family felt when you were too scared to help save them-”

“Dustpaw!” Redtail snapped sharply. “Stop this at once!”

“Why?” The apprentice growled back, not turning to look at his mentor. Ravenpaw’s chest ached as though as he had just finished running to the moor and back as Dustpaw’s meow wavered like a piece of bark bobbing on water. “I’m just letting him know that I hate him just as much as our parents and sister do for letting them die!”

Suddenly, Dustpaw was jerked sharply backward as Redtail yanked one of his hind legs with his teeth. The brown apprentice let out a wail as he was brought to the ground, with his tortoiseshell mentor towering over him and growling. Ravenpaw’s body pulsed with horror as Redtail growled like a roll of thunder. “This is inexcusable!” he snapped as Dustpaw flattened himself down, suddenly looking terrified. “You aren’t the only one grieving in this situation, Dustpaw, stop acting like the pain is exclusive to you!”

Dustpaw shakily tried to stand, stammering.

“No, stay down!” Redtail slapped his paw down a mouselength from Dustpaw’s nose, frightening him back into his heap. “If you want to act like a deranged rogue, then I’m going to forbid you from going to the Gathering for the next two moons!”

The tabby apprentice gaped, his lower jaw quivering.

Redtail grabbed Dustpaw by the scruff and roughly brought him to his paws. “You can forget about practicing your avoidance maneuvers until the claw moon,” He thrust his apprentice through the camp opening, making sure to herd him through the undergrowth where Ravenpaw could see several of their Clanmates staring in their direction. “Until then, you’ll be on flea and tick duty for the elders and nothing more. Perhaps they can teach you more about respect and understanding in times of need. You need to channel your grief into something more constructive than bullying and taking your anger out on others.”

Ravenpaw felt whimpers worming their way out of this throat as Dustpaw shot one final scathing glance at him before Redtail pushed him forward. “You’re ruining my life, you kittypet-spirited coward!”

~~~

i made a post awhile ago about dustpelt and ravenpaw being brothers and it never being addressed other than a meta comment about how the former was embarrassed of the latter’s timid nature and didn’t want to admit relations, and ALSO that their entire family pretty much evaporated into thin air

so here’s a gritty take on the brotherhood being broken off thanks to mismanaged grief and misplaced rage ;w; also get this damn thing out of my drafts after two literal years lmao