Ask to Join Know Your Place (11MW'21)

Other than the occasional jab at the two cats she was walking with, Bloomfire was quite quiet for most of the trip. Leafbare had worn even the best cats out, and the sharp winds still cat through her fur like a blade. Some might think that sunningrocks, the piece of ThunderClan territory connected to RiverClan's river would be the easiest entrance, but really it left cats vulnerable to the water, and at risk of being seen. Where they were right now was instead past the river, shrouded by forest that eventually turned into the woods of ThunderClan. 'Why do you want to know how far it goes? Are we looking at distance from out territory, sunningrocks or their camp?' She questioned. She had come with Coldgaze and Briarfang simply looking for something to do, and hadn't been paying attention when the deputy explained exactly what they were doing out here. 

Coldgaze's two toned eyes bore into her, and she narrowed her eyes in semi false irritation. 'Who said I was going to trespass? Gosh you think so lowly of me Coldgaze. It wounds me.' Bloomfire's tone turned more and more sarcastic as she talked. 'What are you gonna do if I cross it anyway? Reprimand me? You know that doesn't work.' A slight, smug grin spread across the she-cat's face as she walked dangerously close to the invisible line, before her dark paw stepped right on it. Her green eyes looked at Coldgaze with feign innocence. 'Oops.'

The coolness of the air made Briarfang's fur prick, but at least they were out doing something interesting. Having an apprentice had kept them busier than they'd ever been, and it was nice to be out with cats their own age again. They were about to make another jab at how their littermate seemed to be having a tougher time in the cold when Coldgaze mentioned the inlet.

Their gaze shifted to Bloomfire at the warning of trespassing, and they let out a tired breath as she began to speak. Briarfang remained in their place, giving their sister a dull look as she tested her luck. “Please, Bloomfire, don't make a fool of yourself,” they warned half-heartedly, more annoyed than anything else.

And you think so lowly of me when you assume I have the worse intentions. Coldgaze huffed, keeping his retort to himself. Cats like Bloomfire only thrived on petty comments. Which wasn’t something he wanted to entertain this close to Thunderclan’s borders.

“Listen to the senior warrior.” He chided, nonetheless. Boldstar’s decision to make Briarfang a high-ranking member of the clan was unexpected, but helpful to Coldgaze.

At her narrow eyes and taunting steps, he felt icy. Not calm, but rage. Which now felt almost the same.

“Bloomfire.” There was an authority he didn’t usually use on his fellow Riverclan cats – and only when he was making announcements such as border patrols or hunting duties. “I don’t appreciate you overstepping these explicit boundaries. This is your final warning."

He had been taught to never use claws against his clanmates. It was against the code – and moreso wouldn’t serve a deputy. But for a moment he flexed them. Debating whether the satisfaction of ruining her perfect self-image would be worth the lashing he would receive for his actions.

'Senior warrior? That's my littermate, Coldgaze. Their word is practically dirt to me, no offence of course.' She shot her siblings a soft smirk, blinking a few times before turning back to Coldgaze. Briarfang's opinion actually meant a lot to her, but definitely not in this situation. She still trailed along the edge of the border, tail sweeping across the ground.

'Final warnings, blah blah. Are you going to hit me? Surely you wouldn't stoop so low on your own clanmates. I'm too pretty for that, don't you know? Are you blind as well? I stepped on the border, not over it. Maybe you should reconsider your position as deputy.' She flashed a smile before slinking forward, pushing past Coldgaze, slightly brushing up against his side. 

Briarfang rolled their eyes, taking a few paces back. Ignoring the comment of their word being dirt."This isn't going to be pretty," they muttered, though they were definitely sticking around to watch.

At Bloomfire's words, Coldgaze took a few, casual steps towards her - for once in his life keeping his hackles laid flat against his shoulders. He always reconsidered his position as deputy. Every day of his life - he wondered if he was cut out for this.

But in this moment, he didn't care. He didn't care if he was worthy of the title or even worthy to be a warrior. All that mattered was giving Bloomfire a thrashing.

He moved before he really considered what he wanted to do. A blur of brown against the white snow, throwing his entire weight into his fellow Riverclan member. Throwing the both of them across the border. He caught her by surprise and made sure to get a proper pin on her throat with his claws, his hind legs digging into her belly - not in any way painful... unless she moved. 

He didn't say anything, his nose inches from her's, his eyes colder than the ice that he wanted to throw her through. His teeth was bared, inches from her face as he snarled in her face. "I will not stand insubordination."

He'd had enough of her. Just enough.

Bloomfire thought she knew Coldgaze, the way her worked, how he saw things, what things he had the guts to do, and what things he was too much of a coward to do. Sometimes Bloomfire was wrong. It didn't happen often, but when it did it always caught her by surprise. Coldgaze threw his entire weight at her, and before she could even react she was bowled over, shoved over the border and pinned beneath her deputy's ever growing icy gaze.

She was stuck, she could tell she was unable to move for if she did, Coldgaze's claws would sink in, whether that be her throat or her belly. Despite this, her gaze showed no signs of fear. 'Are you gonna do it?' She asked, voice as cold as her deputy's gaze. 'Or are you too much of a coward? You know me, Coldgaze. Ranks mean little to me, you mean little to me. Claw me and face the consequences of undying guilt, for you made your own clanmate bleed, or let me go, and forever face the feeling of being a coward, unable to fully stand up against a lowly molly like me.'

She smiled at Coldgaze as his face moved closer and closer to hers. She simply just blew on his face, watching as his whiskers ruffled in the breeze of her breath. Bloomfire only got scared when faced with death itself, and one thing she knew about Coldgaze is that he would never kill her. 

Briarfang paused, their gaze suddenly locked to their deputy and their sister. Their natural instinct was to jump to defend their littermate, but they forced the muscles in their legs to still. Coldgaze wouldn't do anything...too bad. And Bloomfire was being even more of a prick than usual today.

The tortie held still, ears perked forward to keep a careful watch on the two. If either of their fellow warriors really had snapped completely, and a fight was about to break out, Briarfang needed to be ready to spring.

Bloomfire's retort settled the fire in Coldgaze's belly. She was all talk - and thought he was as well.

But she did have him in a bind. It was true - if he let her go without consequences he would look weak in the eyes of one of his few followers. If he injured her badly, there was bound to be questions back in camp.

So he sat there, crushing her windpipe with his full weight, feeling her words on his face.

"You aren't some 'lowly molly' Bloomfire. You are a warrior. And I expect you to act like it." He kept his voice low, bending his neck so it looked like he was going for her throat. "When Thunderclan descends upon us. WHEN we stand for what we deserve - I know you would have stood with me. Not like those who worry about peace. Or the status quo."

After a heartbeat, he did lash out. But not at her throat. His claws caught her ear, tearing the delicate skin. Shredding her perfectly symmetrical apperance. Leaving a bloody mess as he leapt backwards, off her. So her blood was the first to fall on Thunderclan's land. Not in the way that he was hoping, but the sharp tang of iron was hopefully a sign of things to come.

He glanced at his shoulder at Briarfang, letting Bloomfire collect herself - not acknowledging her or the mess he left. "We will travel North, using trespass point as a landmark. Any objections?" His tone implied he wasn't just speaking about the patrol route.

A breathy laughed escaped from Bloomfire as Coldgaze pressed on her windpipe just that little bit harder. No one, nothing could get her to see things like others did, to change her mind and to just act normal. These were the sort of encounters that thrilled her, made life just that little bit more interesting. 

Then he lashed out, at the searing hot pain tearing up her ear. She flinched for a moment in shock, stumbling back as Coldgaze released her. She stood for a brief moment, not looking at him as her blood dripped to the ground, melting the snow as it stained it red. Finally, she she looked up, giving her deputy a loose smirk. 'Looks like you do have the guts.' She said, spitting out some blood that had managed to drip into her mouth, right at Coldgaze's paws. She wouldn't attack him back, for she had no need. She had had him in a tight spot, and had forced him to make a choice. That was enough for her, for now at least. 'Briarfang, help me' Bloomfire ordered, pretty much ignoring Coldgaze.

Briarfang nearly sprang forward as they saw Coldgaze pin their sibling. The blood made them take another step forward, limbs rigid as they silently begged the two not to escalate the situation further. When Coldgaze stepped back, they couldn't exactly hide the way their shoulders fell with relief.

They waited until their deputy was finished. "North is fine," came their agreement. "No objections." And then they padded over to the orange she-cat, more frustrated than anything else.

They'd always known their sister to be the most irritable cat in the world, so it wasn't as if this sort of thing was unwarranted. Besides, Bloomfire should know better than to test their deputy's patience--she wasn't a kit anymore. "I told you not to make a fool of yourself," they grumbled as they helped their sister back up.