[ @
Wings ]
Goosefury's hackles spiked and he dug his claws into the dirt. At first his feelings toward this cat had simply been blatant distrust; after all, Russetstrike was from ShadowClan, and ShadowClan
couldn't be trusted. But now his distrust was morphing into utter hatred, as if a snake of pure ire had planted itself in his head and nothing was going to remove it. His voice was cold and hard as he replied to Russetstrike,
"I trust Lionstar's judgement, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with everything he does. I suggest you stop assuming what I should and shouldn't do."
He raised his chin as Russetstrike slunk closer to him, even though a twinge of fear shot through him briefly. He glared up at the bigger warrior, muzzle rippling with contempt.
"RiverClan took me in," he spat.
"WindClan and ThunderClan have done nothing to deserve my hatred. It was ShadowClan and ShadowClan alone that screwed my life up. I wouldn't be in RiverClan if it wasn't for your stupid group of home-stealers!" Once again he moved as if to hurl himself at the red tom, but the mention of Shimmeringpool made him stop.
His whole body quivered with utter fury. A
Gathering? And she had
liked this fool? He curled his lip in a sneer.
"Please. Shimmeringpool was among the group of cats who found me and took me to RiverClan. She fought for me to have a place here. She would never doubt being friends with me, and the sooner she realizes who you really are, the better." Goosefury didn't know who this cat really was, but he sure as hell was going to find out.
Now he tilted his head, and a rueful chuckle escaped his throat.
"Bumblebelly? Are you serious? I know Bumblebelly was once part of ShadowClan, but have you met the guy? He's too soft and gentle to have been able to do anything like your Clan did. I like him. He isn't a thief or a wild beast to be contained. You and your Clan should take a few lessons from him, you know. Might learn how to function normally in society like the rest of us."
His tail lashed behind him as he brought up Shimmeringpool again, and though he opened his jaws to retort, he couldn't find a single thing to say back. Then the russet cat began go walk away, and what little resolve Goosefury had left snapped.
A snarl burst from his throat and he rocketed past Russetstrike, skidding to a stop in front of the red cat to halt him in his tracks.
"Do you want to know why I hate your Clan so much?" he thundered, swiping a paw into the air. His unsheathed caws flashed dangerously.
"Because Icestar, Wolfglare and Dawnstripe kicked me out of the only home I'd ever known to use it for StarClan knows what and gave me these as a reminder that I would never get it back." He jabbed his paw at his left shoulder, where three fading scars were visible, and accidentally nicked himself with an exposed claw. The scratch went unnoticed in his rage.
"During the raid with your stupid Clan, your murderous little family, Bloodtooth and Sparrowpaw worked together to maim me for life." He gestured to his empty eye socket, to the several scars that roped across his body.
"Now I'm terrified, Russetstrike. I can't sleep without the fear that they'll come back to finish the job. I can hardly hunt because I don't know HOW to with this one cursed eye. For the first two weeks I couldn't even walk because of you vicious little monsters, and you have the audacity to ask why I hate you. This is why, Russetstrike. I hate you because your family ripped my life to pieces and scattered the scraps into the wind." His voice had risen in volume as he had spoken, and it cut off as a furious yowl that echoed throughout the thicket. His chest and sides heaved with every angry breath he took, and though his eyes burned with hate, his body slumped wearily, and he moved to lean against a nearby tree, taking short, deep breaths.