Bow To Your King

[Thistle]

"How could ya be 'not intuhrested'? The leada' is in charge of everythin' an' anythin'. Ya could eat rats wheneva' ya wanna and everyone listens to ya! Yessiree, that is the life. An' that life is betta' than this stinkin' one with only crickets an' lizards to feed ya."

Dullpaw cocked his head at the she-cat and pleaded again, "So whatda ya say? Huh?" He started bouncing around her, just like a kit begging to be let outside of camp.

[Darky [Megan]]

"That's called bein' lazy, and you're not describing much except lordin' it over all the other cats. 'Sides, you're seeing a leader all wrong. If you only took and didn't give back, you'd be kicked off your high throne by the rest of the clan before you could say 'cricketbrain'. Also, huntin' isn't too hard if you trained properly." Speckledclaw sniffed for no particular reason and sat down.

"So. You want to be a leader, huh? Now, I would like to know how to expect to hold up the responsibilities of a leader. How, for example, would you defend your own clan if it were being attacked by a couple o' mad cats?"

[Thistle]

"Uh, uh, um..."
For the first time, Dullpaw was at lost for words. He quickly found his voice, though, and retorted, "I cans help meh Clan by leadin' it, dummy. I'll tell them cats what ta' do an' make sure no one kills each otha'. I dun' needa hunt for mehself or anyone else, yessiree."

At Speckledclaw's next words, he meowed, "'Course not. Fightin' fer their leada' is what the Clan was made fer." He flashed the she-cat a superior look and jumped back onto his rock.

"Now that I answered all of yer questions... ya gotta answer mine. So are ya gonna be meh deputy or what? An' d'you know any cats who'll be meh followers? Huh?"

[Darky [Megan]]

" 'Course you can. That's what you're s'posed to do. I'm asking you how you're going to lead it. That's what it's all about. You can lead yer Clan to ruin or success based on the kind of choices you make. Any dummy can lead a Clan, but it's the smart cats that'll make it progress. And a Clan's more about just the leader. A leader isn't come kind of godly cat that everyone worships. You gotta earn their respect."

Speckledclaw pretended to examine her claws. "I doubt that cats would hunt for their leaders. For the Clan in general, more like - that's what the stories said.

"I still reject yer offer. I'd like to be a deputy, but not to you. Too biased, you are." Speckledclaw had a feeling this conversation was about to end.

Then a new cat came along. It was a kit, actually. Amberkit had simply been wandering the enclosure after carefully marking his territory. It had been terrible to leave it, but Amberkit was getting bored and his interest had been waning. He padded towards the two cats and sat down, looking at the two of them expectantly. They were going to serve as his entertainment.

The talk about leaders and deputies caught his interest, and the kit decided he would voice his opinion. "I thinks a Clan would be just gweat!" he mewed.

[Thistle]

Now Dullpaw knew that he didn't like Speckledclaw, after what she said about him. But he didn't have time to tell her exactly what he thought of her then, because a kit came along and started talking.

The stocky tom grinned at the young cat like a person with nothing to hide. "Ya thinks a Clan is good? I'll let ya join my Clan, if ya wanna. You'll be taught how to hunt if ya don't know already an' then you can hunt fer meh! 'Course, you'll git lots of fat food too. But then, if ya dun' wanna..." he trailed off, flashing the kit a fake, mournful expression.

[Darky [Megan]]

"... a person with nothing to hide."
I laughed at this. xD

bic
Speckledclaw stared at this kit in disbelief. He was walking right into a very dangerous trap. Paternal instinct and her personal rule of not meddling in others' business was starting a mini-war in her head.

Amberkit's eyes widened and he began to hop around after hearing the tom's words. "Food! Food! Food! I's likes sum food for once," the kid mewed enthusiastically, "And o 'course I cans hunt, but I'm just not vewy ... good at it, I s'pose.

"But I didn't know there was a Clan already! Where is it? Do you haff lotsa cats?"

[Thistle]

Amberkit's last question caught the tabby off guard. "Uh... yessiree, there's lots o' cats in meh Clan, but righ' now it's all scattered, ya know? Mebbe if ya join, ya could help meh round up some more cats an' then, then I'll git some kittehs to hunt a rat fer meh. An', uh, fer you too, what eva' yer name is."

[Darky [Megan]]

Speckledclaw frowned as hard as a cat could. She could feel her temper rising, and her claws inevitably inching out. Dullpaw was manipulating a kit. A bloody kit.

"Now you just stop right there--"

Amberkit bounded in front of Dullpaw, interrupting Speckledclaw. "Well, what's we waitin' hurr for, den? Wet's get goin'!"

[Thistle]

Dullpaw beamed. "Dat's a good kitty. Now follow meh, an' the mighteh' Dullpaw shall lead the way!" After giving Speckledclaw one last you-don't-think-you're-so-great-now-huh? look, the gray tabby jumped off his stone and padded away with his tail in the air. He paused to turn around and look back at the kit.
"Well, are ya comin' or not? Waz' yer name, anyhow?"