(The Debate)

[kat]

The tom walked a few paces around the group. "If we're gonna catch a rat, we need a plan. Yes, the old one will do." Stonepelt mewed briskly. "Also, I don't believe I caught your names. I need to address you by something; we don't want an angry rat on us without knowing who's who." He chuckled at his own joke. Quite frankly, he was sick of locusts and crickets, and craved red meat. "Any ideas? What should our plan be?"

[Ten]

Frozenheart was vexed to see Stonepelt march in and start bossing everyone around. No, they had not decided on which rat. No, they weren't going to take orders from him. At least this cat wasn't.

The white tom stepped toward him, glaring, and shook his head. He reminded himself to retain his cold demeanor but did not take his seething blue eyes from the other tom. His opposition was clear. The old rat was not a good target.

[Gosh]

"I'm Spiderpaw," Spiderpaw meowed slowly, "but are you sure the old rat is the best choice?" She looked at the rat again, frowning; she didn't like this unknown cat barging in and bossing them around. She could tell the white tom didn't like it either; he was glaring at him so obviously it was as if he had spoken.

"Bronzefoot," Bronzefoot meowed calmly. "Spiderpaw, what do you find wrong with the old rat? And I'm talking to you, too," he added, nodding towards the white tom, "but I hope you're not offended; I just don't know your name."

[Ten]

Frozenheart did not respond to Bronzefoot's words, for he had not heard, nor could he hear. His ears did not so much as swivel. He lived up to his name - frozen, unmoving - as he awaited Stonepelt's reaction with an indignant gaze. For all he knew, Spiderpaw could be in agreement with the grey tom, though this did not shake his resolution. His blue eyes remained fixed and defiant.

[Gosh]

"You know, if you're not going to talk to us, why come with us at all?" Bronzefoot asked angrily. 'Who does he think he is, anyways?' he thought. 'Someone better than us for some reason? He hasn't spoken a word to us.' He scowled openly.

[Gosh]

Tired of waiting for a reply that Bronzefoot didn't really expect would come, Bronzefoot cuffed the strange white tom's ear. "Hey!" he meowed loudly. "Did you hear me?"

[Ten]

Reacting to the unexpected blow with a start, Frozenheart spun his head in time to comprehend Bronzefoot's last two words. He twitched his whiskers, glowered, and shook his head. No, he didn't hear him. Didn't he notice the way his ears never flicked nor rotated to catch distant sounds? He looked the tabby over, expecting to read what conclusion he reached from his eyes. Restrained indignation smoldered in his own.

[Gosh]

Bronzefoot stared. He had not been expecting that answer and it took a while for him to comprehend what the simple shake of the head meant. Uncomfortable, he managed to look the white cat-whom he now knew was deaf-in the eye and whisper, "Sorry." He felt ashamed, as if he were a kit caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.

[Ten]

Frozenheart grunted. He couldn't hold a grudge against him once he'd apologized. Though far from having a high opinion of him, the white tom expressed his forgiveness by rubbing his large head on Bronzefoot's shoulder. When he met his gaze this time, his countenance was softer and warmer. So was this rat hunt going to happen or wasn't it?

[Gosh]

Bronzefoot found that when he looked the white tom in the eye this time, he felt better, if only a little bit.
"So," he meowed after a short pause, "which rat should we go after? The old one? A different one?"