everybody wants their own little kingdom.

[Darky [Megan]]

ooc
"kill two crickets with one pounce"
--
That needs to go on the terminology board. 83

bic
Amberkit was so relieved at being allowed food that he jumped on the thing the second Dingypaw brought it into his reach. He tore at it for a little while, quieting his stomach, and then sat up with a look of content on his face. "Thanks," he squeaked, at Dingypaw.

Now that he was in a sounder state of mind and not distracted by hunger pangs, Amberkit finally got a good look around. Firstly, he recognised Dullpaw, and jumped excitedly at seeing the tom again, mewing greetings and looking around Dingypaw to do so.

[duckyaisha]

"Oh, no!" The she-cat growled, puffing up her fur angrily. "You're not going to be influenced by that no-good cricketbrained tom. You'd be working for him for the rest of your life!" She knew Dullpaw could con the young kit into doing so.

[Darky [Megan]]

Amberkit, startled by Dingypaw's outburst, immediately shrunk back into a small ball and quivered, peering cautiously at Dingypaw. "I'm n-nuh infooenced by h-him - and he's starting a Clan, which is a good t-thing! I-I've already joined! D-don't you like Clans?"

[Thistle]

Dullpaw's face lit up when Dingypaw killed the lizard, and when he spotted a familiar face he positively beamed. A lizard for his fresh-kill pile and the kit for his Clan! "'Ello, lil kit! Ya been a good boy? 'Cause ya gotta lota' catchin' up to do. Ya have to learn how to hunt by yerself, so ya can get a yummy meal fer -" He stopped babbling and stared in horror as the ginger tom demolished nearly half of his lizard. "No! The leada' has to eat first!" He hurried over and, ignoring the kit's excited greetings, tugged his prey away. Good thing that small cats had small stomachs, he thought in relief.

Assured that he had the lizard all to himself now, he padded back toward the group. His temper vanishing almost instantly, he jumped to the defense of Amberkit. "Hey, ya can't scare lil kitties! Be nice, 'cause I gotta big plan fer ya two. This young'un is needin' a mentor, yessiree." He grinned at the she-cat. Leaders were too important to watch over kits, and there were no warriors so he had no choice but to give Amberkit to Dingypaw. Surely she was smart enough to teach him stuff.

"Wull, if there're no 'jections, we can have the 'pprentice cer'mony righ' now! An' later mebbe a feast!" How quickly his Clan was progressing.

[duckyaisha]

Dingypaw sighed. It seemed like Dullpaw had already sunk his claws into Amberkit. "Whatever. I thought this was the first time you two had met. And how am I supposed to be a mentor? Not that I wouldn't mind, but this kit could probably hunt and fight better than me! I couldn't teach him anything. Sure, I know what you're supposed to do to catch a lizard or something like that, but when it comes to the actual doing, well, I'm old! I'd be the most useless mentor ever. Why don't you teach him? Back when there was a real Clan, leaders would mentor apprentices too. You'd be a great teacher." It wasn't that she didn't like Amberkit, she just didn't feel like she was qualified to be a mentor. And though Dullpaw would be a pretty useless mentor as well, any cat was better than her.

[Cloud]

Darkfur's head was going back and forth watching the whole discussion. He was a bit amused by the talk of the protective elder and the seemingly brainless young tom. But when it came to talk of a mentor for the young kit he was disdainful and excited in equal measure. Mentoring was a Clan thing, he thought. He didn't like Clans. But this, this was similar to his own ideas, and he had thought no cat possessed any thoughts like his own....perhaps he could join, at least for a while. The little kit needed someone competent to teach him, and perhaps the brown tom was the best cat - here and now - for the job of instilling him with cheesy commercials. He padded forward slightly, and spoke. "Perhaps I could take on the job of teaching Amberkit in the skills of survival, at least mainly...of course, only if he accepts me. After all, I am older and more experienced than you-" He nodded respectfully at Dullpaw all the same. "-and younger and more fit than you." He nodded to the mangy she-cat. He then turned his gaze to the small tomkit. What, Darkfur wondered, was he like?

[duckyaisha]

Though Dingypaw barely knew the new tom, it automatically made sense for him to mentor Amberkit. He was much more intelligent than Dullpaw, though that wasn't saying much, and he wasn't incredibly scrawny, so he could obviously hunt for himself. It was the perfect solution. Tihs way, Dullpaw wouldn't sucker Amberkit into doing all his work for him. "Thank you for offering," she meowed kindly. "I'm sure you'll be a great mentor."

[Thistle]

"Ya haf' to be! Leadas' are too busy to menta' 'pprentices, so 'cause there's no warria's yet, you are gonna be his menta'!" The gray tabby stamped a fore paw on the ground in frustration, but before he could let loose another retort an interruption arrived in the shape of a stranger. Dullpaw turned toward Darkfur and raised an eyebrow, as though not sure whether to believe him or not.
And then he exclaimed ecstatically, "Yahooey! Yer meh firs' warria', an' yer 'pprentice will be, er, what's yer name?" He flashed an inquiring glance at Amberkit. He didn't know the young kit's name yet, never having asked him.

[duckyaisha]

"What exactly do leaders do all day that keeps them so busy they can't spare any time for training. Especially you, who's not a cat inclined to perform complex activites. But you know what, Darkfur'd make a much better mentor than you anyway, so I don't really care what you waste your time doing." Dingypaw thought no one would actually listen to Dullpaw besides Amberkit. After all, what self-respecting cat would take orders from a cat as cricketbrained as him?

[Thistle]

"Yer not a leada', so ya dun' haf' to know. An' I'd make a much betta' menta' than anyone here! Yer jus' jealous that I'm a leada' and yer not." Dullpaw sniffed arrogantly. "If ya talk to yer leada' in a mean way one more time, I'm demotin' ya to Clan prisona'."