(The Debate)

[Ten]

Grimykit licked his lips. "Cuz I wanted food, idiot."

He glanced around at the approaching cats, wary of their numbers, but proceeded in gnawing the meat off the rat's crimson bones. If Spiderpaw wanted to tell him what he could and couldn't do, fine. He didn't have to listen. Besides, if she made him mad, he could always tear her throat out.

[Gosh]

Spiderpaw meowed, "I can see that. But you know, if there was a Clan, no one - not you or anyone else - would have to steal." She coughed and raised her voice. "Think about it. Today I participated in a rat hunt, and we got tasty rat meat out of it. If cats worked together on more things than rat hunts, then everyone would benefit. No cat would have to steal, and we would all live longer, happier lives."

[Ten]

"Yeah, if ya call takin' orders and gettin' bossed around 'happy'. Shuddup, wouldja?" Grimykit meowed, bone in his teeth as he chewed at it. Did she think anyone hadn't heard this junk before? Did she think anyone cared?

He raised his head. "And yeah, ya got some rat meat, but if ya's been payin' any attention ya'd know I jus' stole it from ya."

[dfsfsd]

Copperthroat usually took time to avoid the other cats. All they did was make noise, make dirt, and make a giant mess of their kills. He found nothing interesting in that and considered any sociable cat along the lines of being crazy or even demented. But, as the conversation turned to clans, the tom’s ears pricked in interest. He had heard yarns of clans and he knew they were nothing more then yarns, but the way the first cat was talking made it seem like clans were the future.

‘That kit has got the most sense,’ Copperthroat decided with an ill tempered snort. He itched to go over and speak his mind, but he wasn’t exactly a fan of speaking to cats who disagreed with him. Not that he was a coward- it just wasn’t as fun as sharing views with those who liked his ideas.

Narrowing his eyes, Copperthroat studied the kit. ‘Seems like a smart one,’ He thought, ‘I can’t let him be brainwashed.’

The hotheaded cat stood from his sitting position and gingerly put weight on his left foreleg, on which there were two tiny puncture marks from a rat that had attacked him ages ago. Satisfied with how well he handled the pain shooting up his limb, Copperthroat limped over to the cats. His eyes were glowing with caution as he sat, acting like he’d been among the two all along.

“I couldn’t help overhearing,” He began in his throaty mew, “that there was talk of clans going on. I’d like to insert my opinion, whether or not you mind.” Nothing said that he had to be considerate around other cats.

[Gosh]

"You wouldn't have to be bossed around," Spiderpaw meowed. "It wouldn't just be one cat giving orders-everyone would be able to decide things." She glanced at Copperthroat. "Go ahead and give your opinion," she meowed.

[Ten]

"If it were everybody decidin' things for themselves, it ain't Clan, now is it? You ain't makin' no sense, you know that?"

He crunched the bone and turned to glare at Copperthroat. "You gonna be a second idiot and say she's right?"

[Gosh]

"I mean that everyone would work together to decide things for everybody, not everyone deciding things for just themselves. Of course, it wouldn't have to work like that, either, but my point is that everyone would be fed." Spiderpaw sat calmly.

[dfsfsd]

Copperthroat was not fazed by the kit’s words. They were true, even if the insane she-cat said otherwise. He could tell a liar when he saw one. “Any cat who agrees with her is either insane or on the verge of it,” Copperthroat mewed, leaving the kit to decide whether those words were soothing or not.

“Our ancestors were abandoned here; they were once in a clan. All I can see coming from another one is this same thing, but worse, because we’ll probably be feeding useless cats to the rats,” It was an exaggeration, but Copperthroat had realized exaggerating usually helped. “Besides,” He went on, “those are just yarns told by old cats. Clans didn’t run soundly in any way shape or form and the only thing I can believe is that we’ll be bossed around by some cat called a leader. I think each cat should defend for themselves and the sooner we all die out in here, the better.” The cat finished with an irritable lashing of his tail.

[Gosh]

"Die?" Bronzefoot hadn't been planning to take part in the debate, but Copperthroat's last words had provoked him. "I agree with everything else you say. But why should we all die out?" He glanced around. "Me, I don't think that there ever was a Clan. Us cats have always been in this place and we always will be. Same with our prey, the crickets and rats. This place is our home - why should we die out?"

Spiderpaw meowed, "Should a leader start to be...bossy, the other cats would make that cat not be leader anymore. And we would elect a new leader." She looked around - surely there were other Clan cats here?

ooc| Ten, this is a good place for Woodstripe to speak up. ;D

[Darky [Megan]]

Redstream had been standing to the side, ears perked, listening. There wasn't anything wrong to speaking up, yet she had been hesitating.
Finally she decided to put the hesitation aside and got up, walking gracefully over to the three cats.

"I'd like to add in my opinion as well," the she-cat said sweetly, sitting beside Spiderpaw.
"A clan is probably the best thing that would happen right now and I, personally, would like one. You've heard the tales of fully-functional clans. They've been going and going for years and they're still holding together. You've heard the tails," she continued, nodding around at them, "and most are probably true. Also," Redstream said, her tone of voice becoming ever-so-slightly ruffled as she addressed Copperthroat, "one bad leader doesn't mean that it's going to be a tradition. If--"

"What's the use of all this anyhow?" came a rough voice from behind. "It's been years since our ancestors were trapped 'ere, there's no sign that we can change anything, It's best if things stay the way they are - we're not 'aving any massive problems at the moment.
"Besides, a clan means teamwork and I'm sure we've seen how absolutely wonderful we are at workin' toget'er."

"Hello, brother," Redstream muttered, not turning around. She recieved no reply.