WARRIORS: He Was What I Wasn't

11

Pebblepaw looked at Dioritestar, his brow raised. "Do you know something, father?" Dioritestar looked between his sons, his gaze no longer showing his fake confidence. His eyes were glassy and were tinged with nervousness.

"I don't know anything."

"You wouldn't flinch at any regular name," Wingedpaw commented, glad that the pressure wasn't on him anymore.

"Please, father. These cats are hostile. Remember our plan?" Pebblepaw meowed, hissing the last word. Dioritestar widened his eyes, then shook his head, clamping his mouth.

"I can't speak. I can't say. We swore an oath!" Dioritestar meowed, his voice beginning to rise. He stopped himself and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "We took an oath never to talk about it. Never. If we did, if we came in contact, the consequences would be...dire."

"Whoever this 'we' of yours is, and I'm assuming that Coyotestar is part of that 'we,' she's already interfered with whatever oath you pledged. This simply gives us more reasons to end her clan," Pebblepaw snapped. Wingedpaw looked between his father and brother, unsure where to fit in this conversation. Still, his curiosity began to bloom at Dioritestar's previous words. What had his father been involved in before they were born? Or before they were able to leave the nursery? Maybe it was a secret that neither he nor Pebblepaw knew.

"I blinded a cat for this oath, am I supposed to have more blood on my paws?" Dioritestar hissed back, finding some of his voice and confidence. Wingedpaw twitched at his words. Did he really feel guilty? Or was he trying to convince his sons he was a good cat? If Dioritestar is willing to blind a cat, harshly punish an apprentice, and refuse to retaliate against a clan that has been attacking us, how far will he go just to follow this oath?

Pebblepaw glared at Dioritestar, waiting for his reply. "I...I can only say that yes, Mauledtail and Coyotestar are of the same clan," Dioritestar choked out, almost as if saying the very words were agonizing. 

"Then why are they attacking?" Pebblepaw asked, his eyes cold. Wingedpaw had never seen his brother act so calculated and determined. He narrowed his eyes, wondering what his brother had grown up to be--no, what Dioritestar had raised him to be. Or maybe it was never their father, but always Pebblepaw. Dioritestar's next words, however, broke his train of thought.

"I don't know."

"You're lying," Pebblepaw accused, twitching his whiskers in annoyance. The den around them seemed to grow cold, and Wingedpaw could barely feel Slinkpaw shifting next to him.

"I'm not, I swear it! We swore an oath by our lives, don't you understand? I could die!" Dioritestar shot back, his voice beginning to plead. Pebblepaw's eyes still flickered with doubt before moving to Wingedpaw's, clearly wanting his judgment. Wingedpaw shivered, suddenly aware of how cold they were, how...accusing. He wasn't used to this side of Pebblepaw, nor the side that he didn't see often. He could only guess that it came out during these meetings. Is this who my brother really is? Letting out a shaky breath, he spoke.

"Then do you have any idea as to what business they might want? Weaknesses?" Wingedpaw asked, tearing his gaze away from his brother's. He was unable to hold Pebblepaw's stare for much longer, and couldn't bear to feel Pebblepaw's eyes raking over him. Their father took a moment to think, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two brothers and occasionally moving to Slinkpaw as if he was worried she would overhear. Thankfully, she still seemed to be in a deep slumber, only shifting sometimes when Wingedpaw accidentally prodded her.

"I can't be sure, but whatever it is, it's not good. If Coyotestar should be interfering with MangroveClan as of now, I can only guess she seeks revenge," Dioritestar admitted, finally breaking the short silence. "She was always the cat who the others suspected would be the first to break such an oath that we all swore upon with our lives."

"And what of the information? Weaknesses?" Pebblepaw spoke up. 

"I'm...I'm not sure if I'm comfortable giving such information."

Pebblepaw sneered, his fur beginning to bristle. "If Coyotestar seems to be the most troublesome of whatever or whoever agreed on such an oath, then don't you think she would give her clan our weaknesses? If you wish for our clan to prosper for many seasons to come, I would suggest you spill what you know." Dioritestar flinched at his words, and Wingedpaw noticed their father beginning to shrink. His facade of being confident can never last, he noted silently. He looked at his brother--especially not under his command. Wingedpaw still could only shudder, and he wished his brother was warmer towards their father like he was to Wingedpaw. What makes us so different? 

"What if they kill me?" Dioritestar whispered, his scent suddenly becoming thick with fear.

"Then you should be willing to make the sacrifices for this clan," Pebblepaw snapped back. Wingedpaw almost yelped in shock at his words. 

"Brother, stop!" Wingedpaw meowed, suddenly unable to take this conversation for longer. He stood in front of Pebblepaw, blocking him from Dioritestar. "Don't you want his information? What good is it to threaten him?"

"What's good is that he should be a better leader! And it's not a threat, it's a truth," Pebblepaw protested, his eyes narrowing and his pupils slitting. "I do the work around here, and yet you support this excuse of a leader? What have you become, brother?" Wingedpaw shut his eyes, forcing his breathing to slow. He had to calm. 

"No," he dropped his voice to a whisper. "But please, we must treat him nicely if we wish for his information." He flinched at his own words, unable to think that he was manipulating both Dioritestar and Pebblepaw. Dioritestar has done nothing for me, but Pebblepaw? He has done everything. How can I possibly manipulate him? He blinked the thought away. Now was not the time.

Pebblepaw, thankfully, seemed to understand. Still, stubbornness flashed in his eyes. "Fine."

Both brothers looked at their father, whose fur was bushed out as he shivered. The air around them was warm, so Wingedpaw had to stop himself from scoffing at his father. Not in front of Pebblepaw, not after what he said, he couldn't. "We'll protect you," Wingedpaw meowed comfortingly, taking a step towards Dioritestar. "But tell us what you know."