“What were you thinking?” The cat’s snarl cut through the air. “You could have been killed, Brightpaw! How many times have I told you that that side of the territory is dangerous?” The brown tabby stood in front of Brightpaw, glaring down at her with wide yellow eyes.
She stared back with defiance gleaming in her own eyes. “You told me to be independent! To take charge of my own education! I did exactly what you asked, Quailfang.”
“That's not what I meant, and you know it.” Though their voice had quieted, Quailfang’s ears flattened back against their head in anger. “I said to speak with our elders and medic to learn our clan’s history! I never told you to sneak away while I was resting to go exploring. What do you wish to learn? How it …show more content…
As she sat down, Whitenose spoke up again. “You know that she’s just looking out for the good of the clan, right? If you keep causing trouble for the rest of us, it takes our attention away from everything else that we have to focus on.”
Brightpaw’s eyes were fixed on Whitenose. “I'm doing my best! All my life I've had free rein; my owners never kept a close eye on me. I looked out for myself. I can hunt, I can defend myself, and I do it better than some of your warriors! But I'm just supposed to lay around camp and wait for orders from some fleabag? It’s unfair!”
“Quailfang is no fleabag,” Whitenose corrected. “They’re well respected both within our clan and among others, and it would do you well to learn that.” When Brightpaw didn’t answer, he continued. “I know you can hunt and defend yourself, but have you considered that you must hunt for and defend others as well? That you must defend who we are as a people? The point of being in a clan is to stand up for each other and to care for each other. Just look at me; in a few weeks’ time, I'll be giving birth to new life. If a fox broke our camp, would you be ready and willing to protect me and my children, or would you be out snooping around the territory without the knowledge of your
She stared back with defiance gleaming in her own eyes. “You told me to be independent! To take charge of my own education! I did exactly what you asked, Quailfang.”
“That's not what I meant, and you know it.” Though their voice had quieted, Quailfang’s ears flattened back against their head in anger. “I said to speak with our elders and medic to learn our clan’s history! I never told you to sneak away while I was resting to go exploring. What do you wish to learn? How it …show more content…
As she sat down, Whitenose spoke up again. “You know that she’s just looking out for the good of the clan, right? If you keep causing trouble for the rest of us, it takes our attention away from everything else that we have to focus on.”
Brightpaw’s eyes were fixed on Whitenose. “I'm doing my best! All my life I've had free rein; my owners never kept a close eye on me. I looked out for myself. I can hunt, I can defend myself, and I do it better than some of your warriors! But I'm just supposed to lay around camp and wait for orders from some fleabag? It’s unfair!”
“Quailfang is no fleabag,” Whitenose corrected. “They’re well respected both within our clan and among others, and it would do you well to learn that.” When Brightpaw didn’t answer, he continued. “I know you can hunt and defend yourself, but have you considered that you must hunt for and defend others as well? That you must defend who we are as a people? The point of being in a clan is to stand up for each other and to care for each other. Just look at me; in a few weeks’ time, I'll be giving birth to new life. If a fox broke our camp, would you be ready and willing to protect me and my children, or would you be out snooping around the territory without the knowledge of your