When we see someone like our siblings or friends fighting and we know exactly what they're fighting over, it's kinda hard not to laugh and your face kinda looks obvious to what you're doing to anyone who happens to be a bystander. You know what I'm talking about: that one meme or picture that has that kid trying not to laugh and looks like they're enjoying eavesdropping on the conversation. Yeah, I think that's good enough. Hearing someone getting punished either makes you want to laugh - especially when it's someone annoying - or you're either quiet and still, pretending you're anywhere but there for the sake of that person.

However, if the conversation starts to turn into something funny or reminds you of a sibling fight, it's hard to not leave because there's a small desire that wants you to stay where you are and listen even more. It's hard to ignore that, but sticking around them and listening to everything that's said, it can give you some kind of fun - even if it's a bad choice and you shouldn't be shoving yourself into something that doesn't involve you.

But, what are the chances people are going to leave when they have the chance to hold something over someone else's head?

X X X

[Three moons later]

"Don't attack your brother just because he's getting it before you, Leopardpaw," Swiftbranch instructed to his apprentice, who was inches away from slashing her paw across Icepaw's face. "It's not a race on who can master these skills first. I'd rather have you as an apprentice for moons than have you race your siblings just to impress your mother or father." Hearing those words, the orange apprentice smirked at his older sister and skidded off to Frostlight's side before his sister could screech in outrage. Mothpaw stayed by Sparrowblaze's side, a small bird at her paws from the hunting patrol.

The patrol managed to grab two hares, a bird, and one, tiny mouse that could barely feed Tumblekit. The tall grass shuffled and out came Finchpaw, eyes shimmering at their progress despite her empty jaws. Her mentor, Rabbitbranch, pushed his way through with a baby rabbit, and Leopardpaw let out a large groan at her empty catch. Mothpaw smiled and the brown she-cat bounced over, rubbing against the older apprentice happily, letting out small chirps of happiness.

"Mothpaw, did you see? I caught the baby bunny!" she announced proudly, puffing her chest out. To prove her point, Rabbitbranch nodded to the other warriors and Swiftbranch smiled at the youngest apprentice, congratulating her. Leopardpaw didn't take it well and stormed off, tail raised high above the blades of dried grass.

"I'll catch something, I promise you! And once I catch something you all will be really really happy for me!" shouted the apprentice, leaving without another word. Swiftbranch sighed and padded after her, white paws softly crunching on the soft layer of snow beneath them. Finchpaw headed over and set her tiny rabbit next to the prey they collected, a small flame of excitement giving the warriors a boost of confidence.

Mothpaw found it strange that a normal hunting patrol such as this would be a drag and a waste of time, struggling through the snow with the prey able to hear their every step. However, with three new apprentices entering the scene after a few days of practicing, they brought a kind of joy and excitement that caused the rest of the cats to observe as they danced around in the field, energy boosting their every step as they stalked down the swiftest mice or nimblest rabbits.

The bird at her paws was a struggle to even catch and she was embarrassed to let anyone know how she caught it even though Sparrowblaze looked ready to spill anytime. Hunting was never a strong sport of hers, but at least it was better than her combat skills. However, she didn't expect her mentor to jump directly behind her and cause a fright that scared her so much that she fell over the tiny bird, squashing the life out of it before it could take off into the sky. She hadn't noticed the lump - as she thought it was a clump of over-turned dirt - and was only noticed by her mentor when she got up.

Nevertheless, Mothpaw considered it a successful hunt and was ready to go home. Two cats pushed through the patrol, catching the entire patrol's attention. Ashstar followed by a fighting pair of Aspenstar and Dapplefur, something about herbs and their location while the old tom only moved forward, doing his best to ignore them. Icepaw, seeing his leader, sprang to his paws and snatched the rabbit he caught and stopped them, placing the prey at his leader's paws while his eyes sparkled.

"Ashstar, look what I caught! I got it on my first try! Look!" He said, bouncing around Ashstar recklessly, pointing with his tail at the rabbit. He didn't watch where he was going and bumped into Aspenstar and fell down on his rear. Icepaw shook his head, blue eyes focusing on the cat and he froze up, eyes widening and fur spiking out in a defensive position. The CinderClan leader rasied an eyebrow and leaned down, nose almost touching his forward as her shadow towered over him in a menacing way.

The apprentice trembled under her sharp gaze, color draining out of his blue eyes as he stared into Aspenstar's, not uttering a single word. Like a starving cat, the CinderClan leader began to pant, exhausted from her fight with Dapplefur, but it only caused Icepaw to shake even more, eyeing her outstretched claws fearfully. Then the leader frowned and lifted an outstretched paw, and the tom yelped when she set the clawed paw over his head, tips gently touching the apprentice's forehead but pricking him.

She smirked, mocking Icepaw as he sent a pleading look at Dapplefur and Ashstar. Aspenstar pulled her paw away and sheathed her claws, but she didn't stop towering over him like the Moon Tree. Mothpaw shrank away, knowing the snappy she-cat was toying with him to get some kind of satisfaction from him. Whether she knew that she was frightening the young tom was a question - but she was pretty sure the she-cat knew very well what she was doing and what reaction she got. When she pulled back, shadow no longer covering the tiny tom, the orange tom skunk to the ground, breath exhaling from both his mouth and nose.

"You know," Aspenstar stated, licking her shoulder. "If you're afraid of me and think I'm going to kill you, then you've made a mistake. I've been with you for how many moons now?"

"Aspenstar—" Dapplefur tried to step in but was cut off by a sharp whip to her leg, making the calico wrinkle her nose and let a low growl escape her throat.

"Well?" Aspenstar insisted, throwing herself over Icepaw once again, paws surrounding him, preventing any escape. "Can you speak or are you mute?"

"T-three moons!" Icepaw shouted, shutting his eyes to avoid her reaction.

"Three moons," Aspenstar repeated, pulling away to take a seat. She stared into the open sky, eyeing the incoming snow clouds that foretold an even closer leafbare. "Three moons, Icepaw. I could've killed you anytime in those three moons. When you were sound asleep in the nursery or apprentice den, sneaking in silently and slitting your throat before you even knew what was going. I could've tricked you into wandering away from territory since all I have to say is something like, 'I can privately teach you all my battle moves' and you'd follow just like that."

"Aspenstar, you're not helping! You're scaring him!" Dapplefur protested, graving enough courage and stepped in for Icepaw's defense, where the apprentice had completely curled himself into a tight ball, making sure nobody could get in or out. Fur spiked out like a thorn bush and muscles bunched, ready to fight or flee in seconds, dashing off before anyone could lay a single paw on him. Icepaw flinched when the medicine cat stepped in and unleashed his tiny claws, biting into his lip to prevent screaming.

"I'm not! I'm telling him that if I were going to kill him, it would've been done by now! When I plan assassinations, they're executed as soon as possible. There's no way I'd spend three moons preparing a single attack that would last mere seconds on a cat like him," she snarled, glaring at Dapplefur and trailing that harsh tone at the apprentice. Icepaw's fear began to morph into rage and he curled his lips back, ready to fire a weak comment.

"Describing how you'd fight and explaining to him about something as nonsense as that won't do any good to anyone! Besides, even if you managed to sneak into the apprentice den, the others would wake up and scream, and you'd have to fight both Tigerfrost and Lionfur! Sneaking him outside camp isn't very helpful because you risk going missing!" fired Dapplefur, for once, looking enraged at a cat. The two she-cats both rose, refusing to back down as the other grew and twisted their words against each other.

"You know I can easily defeat both of them. They stand no chance against me, even if they're two of MeadowClan's finest warriors." Aspenstar gave Icepaw another curious glance and blinked, perhaps mocking him at the sudden change in his mood. "Also, I don't remember any cat saying those weren't the only two ways to kill a cat. There are plenty of other options."

And Icepaw bolted out from Dapplefur, shocking the she-cat, causing her to jump a few feet in the air. Ashstar finally got involved and lifted his head, calming down the calico she-cat, and sent a warning toward Aspenstar, who let it roll off her side like rain. Afraid and unsure where the apprentice what he was going to do, Mothpaw and the others watched his bright tail make a beeline straight for MeadowClan camp, seeming to want to run into his mother or father's embrace and spill everything he heard. If she listened hard enough, she thought she could pick up faint traces of high-pitched yelps, but before she could confirm they were from the apprentice, the sound was gone.

Ashstar left Dapplefur's side and gestured his paw to Icepaw's trail. "Look what you did now, Aspenstar. You've given him nightmares and he's probably going off to tell Tigerfrost and Lionfur, who will demand to have a chat with you when you return."

"I can live with that," she answered, swiftly getting up. "I didn't mean for that to even happen, by the way. All we came out for was herbs." Aspenstar sent Dapplefur an accusing glance, and the medicine cat let out a snarl, lashing her tail. Placing a firm paw on the ground, the calico's fur rose and she tried to keep herself calm and collected. Another smirk and unbothered expression on the older cat's face tipped her over the edge.

"I'm telling you, there isn't anything growing by the rabbithole!" Dapplefur snarled. "I've been medicine cat for moons and know where each and every herb is, and I can tell you that the only thing over by the rabbitholes is dirt and pebbles! If you truly think a plant grows there, then show me!"

"That's why I'm taking you there but you had to get into an argument than me," Aspenstar countered. "You know that I know this territory better than you, Dapplefur. Every single inch of MeadowClan's land is a second home to me."

"But I've been here longer than you since..." Dapplefur stopped herself from saying anything else, the cats around them acting as bystanders, waiting for the argument to die down before they could say anything. Fuming, the spotted she-cat marched away toward the rabbitholes, her impatience getting the better of her.

"You know," Ashstar mumbled, "you didn't have to get your point across that way."

"Oh, hush," she snapped, flicking her ear in annoyance. "It's the only way that'll make things stick. Saying it nicely is going to be ignored and the cat will only nod their head to get out of the situation and problem."

"Amberfeather and you always fought anytime like this. Every time she'd come up with an idea, you'd be the first to smash it into dust. There would always be fighting between you two, never once did you guys ever agree on anything, did you?" commented Ashstar, getting at something Mothpaw couldn't understand. Sparrowblaze, Mothpaw, Finchpaw, and Rabbitbranch exchanged glances, no cat daring to speak up yet.

"Oh yeah?" Aspenstar muttered, letting her stoic expression land on him. "I remember you and Amberfeather getting along like two peas in a pod. You never grew any kind of backbone, it was always you following her and whatever she had in mind. When you did branch off, that was impressive to see, but for her being younger than you, I swear to StarClan you were the youngest and admired her skills."

"And you'd secretly train and tell me everything that was on your mind. I was the messenger between you two," he snapped back. "Listen, we need to stop arguing and leave the hunting patrol to do their thing. Just follow Dapplefur and we'll see if you're really lying or not."

"I guess this is what time does: you can't even trust me anymore. I'm starting to brag now, I can tell your Clan thinks of me like that." Mothpaw straightened up when Aspenstar sprang toward them, eyes zipping down each cat in the line. Finchpaw slid closer to her, trying to blend herself with the silver she-cat. The challenging glare was gone the next second, and Ashstar rolled his eyes.

"It shouldn't matter what my Clan thinks of you. You aren't their leader, after all," threatened Ashstar, a change in his voice making Aspenstar weary. She raised an eyebrow and turned around, fur settling down and hostility rinsing out of her eyes.

"It seems as if we've changed," she finally said, shrugging. Aspenstar turned tail and padded out, making her way through the small path Dapplefur took.

"Sure, Aspenfern."

"Ashflame." The angry voice snapped, hearing his little comment. Ashstar smirked the slightest, a playful side starting to show on his wisened face. The tom padded after her, leaving the hunting patrol in silence. It bothered Mothpaw the slightest the two leaders left them alone without saying a single word to them or some kind of apology. Then again, she didn't expect a cat like Aspenstar to lower her head and apologize, and her leader wasn't one to say what was on his mind in front of a crowd.

For a little bit, the patrol sat in silence, waiting for some cat to speak up. Mothpaw focused on her paws a little too much that Finchpaw noticed. The younger apprentice smiled and shoved herself in her sights, causing her to momentarily blink. With a goofy grin on her face, the light brown she-cat drew her attention away from the ground and to her instead. Pelt the shade of tree bark, the tiny apprentice looked at the rest of the warriors and gave them an encouraging bump or nudge.

They acknowledged her presence but only pushed her aside with a polite dip of their head. Finchpaw frowned and stood on her toes, peering at the trail Ashstar and Aspenstar followed. Wind around the group getting stronger, Mothpaw squeezed herself into a ball, hoping her fur was thick enough to prevent her from shivering. Neither cat said a word, always waiting for something to appear to start a conversation. Sparrowblaze, looking rather bored, was about to break the silence when a golden she-cat barged through the tall grass, the only thing in her jaws being the multitude of comments and vents spewing out of her.

Swiftbranch came after her, a plump mouse hanging from his jaws while his apprentice came back empty-pawed. Rabbitbranch counted the total amount of prey and smiled, noticing that this patrol was luckier than the last patrols. Mothpaw relaxed, a small sense of pride swelling in her that she contributed to the hunt - despite her hunting method was off. Finchpaw's eyes lit up and she darted over to her friend excitedly, trying to get Leopardpaw to listen to her. Then the white warrior noticed the painful silence and confusion crossed his face.

Through the mouse, he said, "Did we miss something?"