[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Brilliance

He didn’t seem pleased with taking the food, not that Pearcloud minded at all. She smiled, blinking blankly at him. Her ears pinned slightly, her nose twitching that he appeared to not want the piece of prey. She tilted her head when he told her to take it back to the food pile. ‘’...Well, if you don’t want it.’’ Pearcloud avoided confrontation at all costs, and it wasn’t hard to notice that by the contempt in his tone that he wasn’t happy with seeing what she was doing. She idly stared down at the prey, lost in thought. She barely listened to the older tom, not that she was trying to be rude in any way. ‘’You’re right! Someone else could be hungry!’’ She exclaimed. If he wasn’t going to eat it, that meant someone else would eat it, right? Pearcloud never been the cat to do the senseful thing at the right moment. One look at her, a cat might as well deem her as a cat who lacked common sense.
She quickly scurried away, grabbing the mouse and flinging it back to the food pile. Humming softly as she made her way back to her little shade, only to see the tom still there. ‘’Oh, hi, again!’’ She greeted, ebulliently, initially forgetting that he was terse with her. Pearcloud believed she didn’t do anything wrong, having to plop back down, a tilt of her head, and a sweet smile, staring blankly as he spoke again - seemingly lecturing her. She tried her best to listen to every word, but cats who usually tended to say more than a few sentences to her, caused her mind to become disheveled. Her eyes blinked, widening for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. ‘’I…’’ It was almost like a ‘game show’ for her. Like some type of trivia...what exactly was he telling her? ‘’...Wouldn’t I just give...my food to the hungry apprentice?’’She asked, a bit puzzled. When she wasn’t hungry, she never minded giving her food to any cat that was.
Despite his tone of hostility, Pearcloud didn’t allow it to deter her. ‘’A few moons with the apprentices?’’ She repeated, softly. Her mind floating around the idea of being surrounded by younger felines. They were always fun, while the older cats were grumpy. She wouldn’t admit it to this older warrior that she found him to be quite grumpy. She was too sweet of a cat to ever say anything rude. ‘’I think that’ll be awesome! We get to play games, tell stories, and have plenty of fun -!’’ That’s how she envisioned if Goldenstar ever punished her to the apprentices’ den, a bright smile glowing on her features. She was naive, if that wasn’t obvious...albeit, she noticed the slight pain. The limp and the scar, the wincing of the mature warrior. She sat down, her tail slightly propelling behind her, like a wagging dog. ‘’...Are you alright, mister? You seem like you’re in some mighty pain. Is that what makin’ you so cranky?’’ She asked, genuinely curious more than anything, but her words never meant to offend anyone.

There was something about the blank look in her gaze, as if she wasn't quite getting what he said that made the black and white tom screw up his face and narrow his eyes slightly. If she's so kit-brained how on earth did she pass the apprentice test? Badgersong watched silently as Pearlcloud looked at the piece of prey, completely silent, just staring at it. Some cats may have been weirded out by the she-cat already, but not him, he just grew even more frustrated with her. While he would never admit this, or even acknowledge it, Badgersong grew frustrated with things, and cats, with which he didn't understand. A small huff of exasperation would escape him as she would suddenly exclaim that someone else could be hungry. "That should be your first thought! You always put your clanmates before yourself! And never take prey if you're not hungry."
His head would shake with a look of frustration as she scurried away to replace the untouched piece of prey. "I swear, they're letting apprentices become warriors as soon as they hit 12 moons nowadays, no test at all." A small snort would escape him and he'd shake his head again before giving her a slightly confused look as she came back and greeted him again. What in Starclans name is wrong with this cat? Perhaps she needs to go speak to Daydream. Could have eaten something wrong. Be sick. Regardless, he wouldn't offer another greeting to her, but instead slowly settled down where he sat. He didn't want to sit up anymore, and he certainly wasn't going to let this she-cats strange antics drive him away. He was not a cat would would be driven away unless he did so willingly.
And it was his turn to get both frustrated and exasperated again as she replied to him stating the possible consequences of playing with her food again. "I don't think you grasp the severity of what you've done! That is not how a warrior should be acting!" His voice was slightly raised with his own frustration, feeling as if he wasn't getting through to her about how she should be upset about the punishments, about the repercussions.
And the question she asked caused him to glare at her, silent for a moment. Does she have no respect?
"I don't know what you mean by cranky, and I'm not in pain. My scar is fine." Meowed the tom shortly, his glare focused on her for a moment before he looked away.