Come and Take It.

[duckyaisha]

Patchfur could tell he was lying. He could also tell that this tom could easily beat him in a fight. He didn't want to get to that point. Patchfur sighed. "Well, that's the best we're going to get out of you," he meowed, and licked the top of Batkit's head.

[Ten]

"Strong but insidious Slatefoot, from where does your behavior as such displayed have its origin? Surely such aggression must have roots. In your kithood, was your father violent with you?" Woodstripe asked, not at all sensitive or cautious with the matter.

[Thistle]

A small head peered out from behind the body of Patchfur. Batkit, as much as he stared at the blue-gray tom in front of them, could not imagine Slatefoot as a kit. And now that he thought about it, he must've been treated cruelly to act like that. "Poor him," he mewed impulsively, not acknowledging the fact that Slatefoot hadn't even comfirmed what Woodstripe had said yet. Although his words weren't supposed to be heard by any set of ears, Slatefoot did.
The heavyset feline now rounded on the striped gray cat, eyes flashing anger, but he didn't speak to him. Instead, he replied to Woodstripe in a scathing tone, "I never even met him."

[duckyaisha]

Patchfur stepped protectively in front of Batkit once more when he saw the tom's angry eyes trained on the small cat. /This is what it must be like to be a father/ he thought to himself. /Protecting your kit like this./
But Patchfur didn't like what Woodstripe had said. He didn't like how she shoved her way into his personal life. And despite the fact that they were on the same side right now, defending Batkit, he thought about how he would've felt if she asked such a personal question to him, a question she had no business asking, and hated it. He couldn't stop his fur from rising again, but he rounded on Woodstripe. "What right do you have to butt your way into other cats' lives, hm?" he practically yelled at her, eyes blazing with anger, Slatefoot and Batkit all but forgotten as he turned his fury on Woodstripe. "It's none of your business!" he spat.

[Gosh]

Spiderpaw hovered a little anxiously near Batkit. Eyes widening as she witnessed Patchfur's sudden rage, she exclaimed, "Patchfur, what is with you? First you are protecting Batkit, then you're shouting at Woodstripe. You have all the logic of Shortwhisker." Realizing the impact her words would have on Patchfur, Spiderpaw tensed, getting ready to run. Then she thought, 'But what about Batkit?' Shivering at the thought of what the ginger and white tom might do to the kit accidentally while trying to attack her, Spiderpaw decided to stay put. 'Fighting can't be that hard, can it?' she wondered. 'Mother always said that it was just like hunting a rat, except you were facing another cat instead of a rat.'

Reflecting on Patchfur's sudden shouting, on the rage that seemed to have swept through him suddenly, Spiderpaw began to doubt her participation in the experiment. If Shortwhisker would be there, too, Patchfur might get violent. And she did not want to be there when that happened. The she-cat suddenly glanced at Batkit. 'If I don't want to be fighting Patchfur, Batkit could be seriously injured by him...It might not be safe for him to be in this experiment.' Having reached this conclusion, Spiderpaw blinked several times. The only conclusions she could come up with were either not taking part in the experiment and taking Batkit with her (which he might object to) or staying and protecting him. She gulped at this thought but she did not want to leave him alone, defenseless.

So she stayed put, ready to fight - and also ready to voice her concerns to Woodstripe. This brought up another thought - was Woodstripe the one to talk to? She would, of course, be concerned about Batkit's safety, but Spiderpaw felt that this might be treating Woodstripe like a leader. 'Well, Woodstripe is organizing this whole experiment,' she thought. 'And so far there isn't anyone else in this experiment that I could talk about this with.' It was the only option, but she wasn't sure about treating Woodstripe like a leader this early.

From not so far away, Bronzefoot watched the situation. Woodstripe, Spiderpaw, Patchfur, and a kit he didn't know had just arrived, and he watched as Slatefoot swatted at the kit. Bronzefoot frowned at this display of cruelty towards a kit, but he narrowed his eyes when he heard Woodstripe asking about Slatefoot's father. He considered calling out to agree with Patchfur, but he decided against it; already he could see Spiderpaw tensing up. Perhaps there would be another fight - more entertainment.

[duckyaisha]

The comments stung, but maybe Spiderpaw didn't understand. "You'd understand," he meowed quietly. "If your family was missing or dead and someone asked about them and they- she- you- it's none of your business!" he stuttered, grief for his own lost family filling him up. "Whenever someone asks something like that, I just remember them and they- and I remember- and what if that was what had happened to Slatefoot? You don't need to be asking those questions. You have no right to intrude in our personal lives," he meowed, his rage vanished, overtaken by grief. He hung his head low, trying to stop the memories of Russetstorm, Whitepelt, Redfoot, and Cricketpaw from flooding his mind. Seeing the anxiety in Spiderpaw's eyes, he sighed. "I shouldn't have done that. But like I said, you'd understand if your family was gone. And you should know- I'd never hurt a kit. That's what this while fight was over, anyway."

[Ten]

"I was merely attempting to discern the cause of Slatefoot's behavior, that is all. Patchfur, I place no blame on you for your reaction, and I hope to be less intrusive in the future." Then, with a smile, she added, "And no, Spiderpaw, I would say that Patchfur differs greatly from Shortwhisker." After all, the ginger tom was much more rebellious.

[duckyaisha]

Glad that Woodstripe was apologizing, enough of his grief melted away so that he could reply to the she-cat. "Well, if you stop asking personal questions and inquiring into matters that are not at all your business, I will try to be more open to compromises on leadership. Maybe there could be a council of cats, so that things get done in good time, but more voices are heard," he meowed in a calm voice. After hearing Woodstripe and Spiderpaw's side of it, he realized that his bristly behavior was ridiculous, and was going to try to compromise.

[Thistle]

"Yeah, stop poking your nose in where it doesn't belong," spat Slatefoot, though he wasn't sure if Woodstripe would hear him over all the commotion. Well, it wasn't that loud, but there were so many cats talking right now, that Slatefoot thought that it might be best to leave this idiotic crowd. But his pride wouldn't allow it, so he just glared at the rest of the cats.

"What are you all doing here anyways?"

[Gosh]

Spiderpaw cleared her throat. "We are here to tell other cats about a...experiment Woodstripe here thought up." She wasn't sure if it was worth the trouble to tell these cats about it, but there were other cats here who had been observing the fight. Even so, she looked back at Woodstripe for reassurance.