~A Break With Charity~ (OPEN!&PG-13)

[Cloud of Diamonds]

Why was he being made to be dragged out here - when it was freezing his fur off, dammit - by some completely insane elder? It. Was. So. Infuriating!

"Remind me why we're out here again." The tabby growled.

"I told you! I need to see the river!"

"WHY?"

Kitewhisker sniffed. "To see the cracks in it and what dangers they hold. Only I can be sure of they'll do."

The warrior rolled his eyes. Why did Kitewhisker even care? The black-and-white-tom could be curled up in a den, with not a care in the world, but NO, he just had to see the stupid dang frozen river!

Even Redtail couldn't fathom what the black and white tom was thinking.

He would die of embarrassment right now if somecat came along, he would just curl up and wait until the cold killed him. Infinitely preferable than any cat asking awkward questions about why the heck he was out here - not hunting, not patrolling - but with an elder. And especially Kitewhisker. Taint by association was never a good thing, even if it wasn't true. Rumors could start, after all.

It had all started when he'd been looking for Gingerpaw, and then this old bunch of fur and bones had come up to him, demanding to be taken to the river. And of course, he had to take him.

If he'd believed in StarClan, the ginger tom would be praying really, really hard now.

[Pyro]

eh. Why, of all cats, was Rabbitheart out here? It was cold. His pelt was short. His nature was lazy. He should be in his den, or up a tree avoiding Cloudstar. But the nosy warrior had seen Redtail going out with Kitewhisker and could not help 'tagging along'. He kind of liked Kitewhisker. He was interesting to be around, to say the least. But Redtail was with him...stuck taking him to see a frozen river if he heard right. This would be great. An excellent opportunity to relieve some stress. Redtail was the last cat he'd expect to be stuck with Kitewhisker, which could only mean the tom didn't want to be there. A silver ghost, he padded silently up to sit next to them.

"Yes...The river is quite frozen...quite frozen indeed." An odd comment, but a complete Rabbitheart original.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

Damn. Just damn. Redtail shot the silver tabby a glance that plainly said 'why in heck's name are you out here? Gtfo.' Maybe if one time Rabbitheart came out here, he'd never be out here again 'cause the ginger tom would ensure it! Well, no. But it was amusing to think of.

"Isn't it? But it will not stay that way, I can tell already! It will burst forth and prey shall drown! Many will starve and die! I feel such agony having to be the bearer of this grim news."

Kitewhisker said this in his usual trying-to-be-grave-but-just-sounding-stupid tone. But he believed it. Every last word the elder was saying, he believed himself. After all, he had been taught by Holly, who could see disaster even better than he could. He was quite pleased with himself for being able to tell that much.

Redtail groaned loudly. He'd never heard anything more stupid. Sure, the river might flood eventually, but that was probably moons off. And the StreamClan camp had been intentionally built far away from the river to be safe from this kind of thing. Didn't the crazy tom ever think?

"By the way, he made me come out here. Just saying. Go now and spare yourself listening to him. Please. It's bad enough I have to."

Hopefully his strong suggestion disguised as advice would work, because it was getting mighty uncomfortable standing around here. And if it didn't, he needed a way to ditch Kitewhisker. And what if Rabbitheart started spreading rumors? He would just die. Especially if any she-cats teased him. He could make them go away, but still.

[Pyro]

Go away? Parish the thought. Clearly Redtail didn't want him here. Well, who would, really? Especially when he had nothing better to do than spread rumors. Well...He could hunt. But with his fur, he'd only come back half-frozen to death. Of course, some might question why it was too cold for him to be useful, but not too cold for him to be a pain. Rabbitheart almost laughed at that. It was certainly his specialty, being a pain that is.

"Ah, Kitewhisker. But it is important news indeed. " The elder was best treated with patience. Even if there was a slight mocking undertone in the tom's understanding voice, it was probably better than outright disrespect.

"And Redtail, I cannot think of anything I 'd rather do than sit her with you and Kitewhisker enjoying the crisp air of this beautiful leaf-bare night next to a deadly, but fascinating, frozen river. Truly this is the highlight of my day~"

Oh he was so evil. He shivered a little beneath his short coat. But was that evil really so strong that he'd freeze his tail off to follow its will? Maybe for a little longer. Then he'd turn in, hopefully before Redtail, to enjoy the nice warm sanctuary of the warrior's den and his comfortable nest.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

Kitewhisker

A happy look came from the paranoid elder's face as he looked upon the silver tabby. He understood! He actually understood! He was...who was he, anyway? Kitewhisker's notoriously bad memory had not retained the cat in front of him's name.

He meowed happily, "Thank you! You are so kind and brave! But sadly that is only the beginning of the torment to come. There will be illness, too. And I suspect you will hurt one of your paws today and not be able to hunt." He finished in a solemn tone.

The river was scary too...so big and silent...and it could kill any cat who got too close to it. Just like the sky. All sorts of deadly things came from the sky. Lightning, hail, snow, rain. The old, frail tom shivered.

Redtail

Redtail shot the tom a not-so-subtle glare. A glare that said something along the lines of, 'You will pay for this one day. Badly.' This was the evil in this lazy, pain-in-the-tail tom. Like all cats, it was there. More than anything.

He wished Rabbitheart would go mute. Then he could never speak again. How much more convenient. And amusing. Just like a dead rabbit. He snickered at the thought.

But what the silver tom had said...the ginger tabby couldn't help snorting. "Right. Sitting here in the freezing cold for no good reason with US is the highlight of your day? Your life must suck. Must." That'd make 'im squirm, and hopefully leave altogether.

[Pyro]

Rabbitheart blinked at the praise. Kind? Brave? He didn't remember someone ever telling him something like that. The tom's heart twinged a little. Usually words directed toward him were for the sole purpose of nagging or getting him to up and leave. To hear genuinely kind words set him off balance a little. He actually almost flinched instead of just blinking. To praise him of all cats...Kitewhisker had to be crazy. Oh wait. Rabbitheart almost rolled his eyes with an expression of complete and utter dumbfounded sarcasm. Oh yeah. He was.

Well, even if he was, that wasn't any reason to continue to have a mock conversation with him. A real one was deserved at least. Rabbitheart started a little again. Wait a minute. How many cats, like him, had talked to Kitewhisker like that? In that un-genuine, quite nearly babying tone? A lot probably. Even the most patient. Rabbitheart knew what it was like to be talked to with an undertone of annoyance and almost broken patience. It wasn't very fun. And Kitewhisker was an elder of all things.

He'd try to be genuine with Kitewhisker. Serious. And stuff. But not to everyone. It would set the clan on their heads to hear Rabbitheart being serious.

The tom shook his head. Kitewhisker had said more than just praise. Stuff worth replying to.

"My paw, huh? That'll be unfortunate. Do you know for how long or why?" Rabbitheart thought a little. "You know Kitewhisker, I don't think you should feel agony about knowing these things. I think you should feel proud that you are chosen to know them. I mean, not everyone gets to know the events of the future."

"Right. Sitting here in the freezing cold for no good reason with US is the highlight of your day? Your life must suck. Must."

Rabbitheart snorted. "Suck I and my life may, but at least I can spend time with an Elder without fidgeting with annoyance like a kit...Or is it just that the big bad Redtail's getting frostbite in the ass?"

What. The. Hell. Did Rabbitheart just get defensive over the treatment of an Elder. And not just any elder, but the crazy loon Kitewhisker? Since when did Rabbitheart have a sense of honor?

[Cloud of Diamonds]

The black and white tom positively beamed at the silver tabby being so nice. It wasn't every day you met a cat like this, so, so...nice. Kitewhisker just couldn't find another word for it. Sympathetic might also be one. But really, he wasn't thinking that much - just being happy, bouncing a little on his paws like a kit, shivering slightly from the cold.

"I....I think you might cut it on a rock, and then it'll bleed for a while because you'll be far off in the territory..."

For once the StreamClanner was hesitant as he spoke. It wasn't that he didn't know, of course - but it was so rare that some cat actually asked him to explain how he knew. It was almost mystical. But he just knew, because Holly had taught him. The knowledge was always in his head. Because accidents always happened, didn't they? Even if cats were careful? Sad, very sad. Green eyes looked in surprise as Rabbitheart spoke again.

"You...you really think so? I never thought of it like that....even though I should, really, you're right. Though I wasn't really chosen, I just had a very good teacher..." He shuffled his paws. Embarrassment? Was Kitewhisker actually feeling embarrassed? It was so long since he'd felt like that he'd almost forgotten what the word meant...

Redtail

Oh. He did not just say that. He seriously did not just say that. If Rabbitheart had, was he ever in for a hard time.

The great amber eyes narrowed and the lips drew back, his tail bushing up in anger. How could he make Rabbitheart pay for this? How could he make him squirm down to the tips of his claws?

"Why you little-"

Then the ginger tom controlled himself. Anger would get nothing done here. He knew how to handle this.

"Oh, really? And I suppose your pathetic attempts to humor this insane bag of bones are any better? Why do you even waste your time on a miserable wretch like him? He'll die in a few moons anyway. The only thing in my ass is balls - oh right, you don't have any, so you wouldn't know."

Redtail ginned fiercely, silently congratulating himself.

[Pyro]

"Hmph. Well, I suppose no one ever died because of a paw before. And as long as I up and about in a short time i guess it'll be okay." Who knew. Maybe the old cat had a bit of power in him. Even if he didn't, he'd make sure to look out for sharp stones. He did not want to trot around with a wound on his paw in the the cold.

Rabbitheart made a note to talk to the elder more, alone. Or if he had to talk to him with someone else, at least someone less bristly than Redtail. True, he had come here with all the intention of poking fun at him, but the warrior didn't seem to know when the jesting mood was replaced by one of calm interest.

"Oh, really? And I suppose your pathetic attempts to humor this insane bag of bones are any better? Why do you even waste your time on a miserable wretch like him? He'll die in a few moons anyway. The only thing in my ass is balls - oh right, you don't have any, so you wouldn't know."

Oh, hell no. There were some lines that were not meant to be crossed. Yes, Kitewhisker was crazy. Yes, he was getting on in years. But to talk like that about him...right fricking in front of him...That was inexcusable. So angry was he at that scathing, low remark, it barely registered that he had been insulted. Well, he was insulted a lot anyway, so that might have also been a contributing factor.

"Damn it Redtail, you loathsome. Little. Piece of fox dung." The ticked tabby was bristling now, the black bases of his rising hair becoming more pronounced as his hackles spiked. White claws dug into the ground, as if trying to restrain him from ripping the ginger tom's throat out. A human passing by might have thought him one of the wild cats of Africa.

"Kitewhisker is an elder. An elder. You can talk about me all you want, but HE at the very least deserves respect. He's done more in his life than your sorry carcass ever has or ever will. You're just a bitter, hateful badger, a waste of space without a single compassionate bone in your body."

The tom growled, the sound rumbling deep from within his throat. "Apologize. Take it back you worthless shrewtail."

[Cloud of Diamonds]

Redtail

The sad thing was that Rabbitheart was somewhat right - he shouldn't talk like that in front of an elder. Especially when he was insulting said elder. He swore he could see the silver tabby's thoughts - the anger, the sense of nobility he had, stupid as it was. But that didn't help him understand him any better. What the cat facing him was feeling was pretty plain already.

The insults made him angry, but the anger was tempered by a sense of shame: had he really sunk this low? A bitter, almost self-mocking laugh escaped him. He'd sunk too low to get out again.

He almost wanted to lie down and curl up, and remember the days with Snarl, when he'd known nothing but love. But to back down now would make him look weak. And he was not a cat who wanted to look weak.

"Why? Why should we respect him? What has he ever done for us? For you? For all we know he's been the same all his life - paranoid, babbling, useless. I have compassion - but it's not wasted on him. Apologize. Why? Look at him. Do you think he cares?"

He gestured with a jerk of his head to the small tom beside him who was watching everything with an expression of vaguely sad blankness.

Kitewhisker

For the aged tom it was little more than a replay of times gone past. The hateful words, the sneers - he'd heard them so many times it didn't even hurt him anymore. He was old. There was nothing anyone could do to him anymore. Not more than he'd already suffered.

He hardly listened, mostly noting the tone of the toms' voices rather than their words.

Wait. Was he...the silver tabby...defending him? Kitewhisker's face registered disbelief, relief, and longing all at once. Could it be true? No one...no cat besides his mother and Holly had ever defended him, they all thought he was annoying and crazy, like Redtail did.

"It's okay. I'm so used to it, it doesn't hurt me anymore. I like that you stand up for me, though. No one ever does. So I don't really blame Redtail. He's just like everyone else. But he shouldn't have insulted you. You're nice."

The black and white StreamClanner's tone was toneless and matter-of-fact, but it had an air of sadness and wistfulness.

[Pyro]

"Why? WHY? Because it's the right thing to do you half-brained warbler of a fool. In any case compassion is never wasted. Ever. Do you even realize how bad it is to hold that kind of stuff in? It...it can ruin a cat not to hear at least ONE sincere kind word." He wanted so bad to sneer and ask him if that was how Redtail's life had been. If he had been a sorry scrap of nothing that no one had every cared about. But he was already pushing lines, already fighting hard against his reputation to get his words through to Redtail and Kitewhisker. No need to bring his sarcastic pokey nature back in when he had already held it off long enough to get a few sensible, albeit loud, words in.

Rabbitheart smiled a little at Kitewhisker's last comment. two cats who were never defended were defending each other. How...interesting. But the spark of joy he had received from hearing more kind words couldn't survive against the waves of anger that flowed through him at he first comments of the elder. Was his life really like that?

Like...mine?

Only ever knowing sarcasm and insults...The numb pressure of knowing you'll probably never be taken seriously? He shuddered to think another should be in that grey realm with him.

He sighed. "No Kitewhisker. It's not okay. No elder should have to deal with this. no matter how they are. I don't care if they're grumpy, round the bend, or infested with ticks, elders deserve respect. Bottom-line."