[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Beau

Piperwing didn't wince at Passionblaze's glare, as a weaker cat might've. She was too headstrong and courageous to wilt with a glare. In fact, given the way she'd acted earlier, she probably deserved it. However, she had come to apologize and, in her opinion, deserved no further hostility. With Passionblaze's first comment, Piperwing immediately bristled. Her temper was remarkably short and Passionblaze's little mood fit had ignited it easily. "Excuse me? I came here to apologize. You do not have the right to treat me like that! What in the dark forest did you mean by 'obviously?' What, you think I can't take on two cats because I'm a she-cat? You one of those Shadowclan Fuzz family lunatics? If you are, you can fight me right now and I'll show you just how 'weak' I am. I'll have you know that I just returned from fighting for our clan, like you. So don't you dare insult my abilities." Piperwing did not care who or what Passionblaze was angry at. He had insulted her and would now feel her wrath. Nor did she care that he was deputy. No amount of power gave a cat the right to be rude. "I'd think you'd show more grace to a cat who is apologizing. I admit that I was wrong, but you're in the wrong now. Do you think because you're deputy you have the right to treat other cats poorly? Because you don't. I'll admit that you helped me in that battle, but I didn't ask you to 'literally throw' yourself in front of me. So why don't you stop it with whatever tantrum you're throwing and accept my apology." She sat back down with a 'humph' and continued to eat, eyeing Passionblaze with a fiery green eye. Her anger had subsided somewhat, but she was still very irritated. She was rubbed further the wrong way when he began to feel sorry for himself. Scoffing and rolling her eyes, Piperwing replied in a hard, tough love type voice, "Of course you deserve to eat! Honestly, if you'd stop acting like a kit for one moment you'd realize that you fought for your clan until you literally couldn't anymore. Being sent back to camp isn't a shameful thing. It shows that you were out there in the thick of it from minute one, getting injury after injury. It's only right for the cats who are at full energy and health to relieve those of us who have been fighting for hours. So stop moping and eat your squirrel." Piperwing's aching shoulders slumped as she continued to eat her own squirrel before adding, "Besides, if either of us doesn't deserve to eat, it's me. I'm the one who killed that Windclan warrior. I broke the code, 'A warrior doesn't need to kill in battle.'" Piperwing seemed strong and not bothered, but in reality, the guilt of that battle had been following her like a dark shadow ever since she found out that Rappitpounce had died.

Passionblaze was always the courteous one. The polite kind. The helpful and encouraging one. He knew from day one to respect the female kind because all she cats were a force of desire. They were beautiful, exotic, creatures, hand carved by the grand Starclan themselves. And, their temper? Good Starclan, their temper! Such steamy fire that ran your head in circles. This is what Passionblaze took interest in. Not their beauty (as to him every Molly was gorgeous) but their attitude. It showed a lot about their character. Currently, Passionblaze felt lost in a beehive. Only without the honey sweetness. It was apparent Piperwing took offense to what he said, and yet he didn’t care. A throb in his head was banging as Piperwing was talking. Passionblaze wanted to growl to tell her to be quiet but that would had been rude. She would had been ignited even more instead of extinguished. Passionblaze bent his head down, breathing heavily. “Did I ever say you were weak? Did those exact words come out my mouth?” He spoke. He didn’t bring his head up, but he did move his eyes sideways to glare at her. “I know you are strong. You’re strong, you’re smart, you’re beautiful, but I don’t think you’re very experienced. You’re young after all. You’d be crowfood trying to fight off two mollies.” If Passionblaze was honest, he didn’t see Piperwing as a fighter. Not that he thought she was weak or anything. Passionblaze knew mollies were far stronger than any tom. When it came to mental, physical, and emotional strength. He saw his mother use these combinations of power, and never had he found himself looking up to another cat in his life. Passionblaze’s eyes flashed when she challenged him to a fight. He would had laughed - actually, he did. It was a hoarse chuckle. “Fight you? Challenge accepted. Perhaps another time though. It wouldn’t be a fair fight with both of us injured, ay?” Despite feeling downward, his tone was a little light. Maybe it was because she was being challenging, and Passionblaze loved a good challenge. The tom has completely ignored the fact that she compared him to the reputation that the Fuzz family held. Instead, he looked down at his paws, striking the dirt into aimless lines as he debated to close his ears or listen to her. Certainly, he chose the latter.
Passionblaze knew he was in the wrong, but others who knew him well knew to leave him alone when he was in his mood. Passionblaze directed his anger to any object in his view. Unfortunately, she was that object. Passionblaze found himself looking up at her again, a stoic expression on his face. “I don’t think because I’m deputy that I treat others poorly,” He spoke, the words foreign to his tongue. If anything, Passionblaze always tries to find a fair way to keep everyone happy. “But, did you have the right to treat me poorly in the first place? I fight for my clan just like I’ll fight for my clan mate. I wouldn’t even think twice before I even died for them. Forgive me if I’m a little overwhelmed for what’s been going on these last few moons.” With losing his first apprentice by that Starclan-forsaken monster. Then with the skirmish, and the battle...all Passionblaze could feel was emotional pain. He took too much pleasure in the physical goodness of pain so that he didn’t have to feel that hurt deep in his chest.
Now, she was scolding him in a way. He had refused to eat that squirrel, and he still refused to do it. It’s not that he wasn’t hungry, he just felt empty. “Give it to the cats who were badly injured,” he says quietly. “I need to be back on that field. Fighting until my last drop of blood is spilled. I should be out there fighting for my clan, not stuck in camp waiting for the others.” Passionblaze scrunched up his face into a grim expression. This may not have been a big deal to Piperwing, but Passionblaze carried a fierce passion for his clan. For his clan mates. It wasn’t fighting for Thunderclan. It was fighting for those who loved within Thunderclan. Passionblaze had turned to look at Piperwing. His usually green eyes flecked with golden as he gave her a desperate look. “It is shameful to me.” Passionblaze didn’t think she would understand how powerless he felt at the moment. He left his leader to fight when he should had been guarding her with his life. In other words, Passionblaze should still be out there; fighting fiercely as his name suggests.
Passionblaze’s eyes widened when Piperwing mentioned Rabbitpounce. She was nothing more than a warrior, but every warrior was important to their clan. Piperwing wasn’t the only one who thought about that. Maybe, that’s what made him soften when he thought about that day. The ginger tom grunted as he laid himself on the ground, purposely flopping his hind leg out to pulsate pain through it. It should had made him scream in agony, but it didn’t. Instead, he ignored it. “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. You three were my responsibility and I allowed the attack to happen, when I should had stopped it. Those windclanners had no business provoking us when we all had one job to do. Rabbotppunce’s hostility killed her.” He spoke, quietly. Then, he sighed, shaking his head. “I just wish things went differently. Sometimes we can’t control the fire rising in us,” he paused, knowing he was one of those cats. Passionblaze didn’t have much of a temper to hold, but he did have a passion for battling. Sometimes when he started, he couldn’t stop. His mind wouldn’t yell at him until the other cat was severely wounded, on the verge of death, or possibly...dead. It was a bad example to set for his clan, and something he needed to work on. Then again, Passionblaze needed to work on a lot of things when it came to himself.