Little Game

l i t t l e g a m e

OA: Benny

font used: Pieces of Eight, Eternal Call

'''Play us like pawns and relentlessly confine, Into living up to gender roles and having absent minds'''

"Rosekit, Adderkit, come here!" Asterfur ordered. Her tone was gentle, but still strict enough for the kits to obey at once. They broke away from their playfight and scrambled up to meet their mother, their eyes bright and their ears pricked.

Both stopped dead as a large tom entered the nursery. Rosekit stepped back, his pale ginger pelt bristling, but Adderkit stood her ground, staring daggers at the dark grey tom.

Turning to the tom, Asterfur mewed, "The ginger tom is Rosekit, and the brown she-cat is Adderkit."

The tom narrowed his eyes. "A tom named Rosekit?" he hissed disbelievingly. "A she-cat named Adderkit? You know the rules, Asterfur. She-cats are named after flowers and the like, and toms are named after strong things, like wolves and stone. These names are unacceptable."

Adderkit snapped, "Our names are completely acceptable, you dumb tom!"

Asterfur looked down at her daughter with wide eyes, then over at the stranger, as if she expected the tom to attack Adderkit.

Instead the tom glared down at Adderkit coolly through narrowed eyes. "She'll have to change that attitude." he growled. "If she doesn't, she'll become Broken." He jerked his head as he turned to leave. "Come on." He exited the den. After he left, Rosekit and Adderkit glanced at each other worriedly.

"It's going to be okay." Asterfur mewed assuring, but her eyes revealed her doubt. She lead her kits outside, her tail curled around them comfortingly.

The three cats entered a fern tunnel. No light filtered through the tightly-woven ferns, and Rosekit pressed against his mother with a small whimper. Asterfur knew that he was afraid of the dark, but he'd have to get used to it. She wouldn't be around to calm him after today.

Adderkit, however, bounded ahead, her head high, as if this was an adventure to her. And in a way, it was. She had never been this way before, and she seemed to be excited to find new places to explore.

Soon they emerged into a large clearing. Dozens of cats were gathered there, lounging under the shade of an oak tree or sharing fresh-kill. Adderkit gazed around, her eyes round as moons. Rosekit, however, looked down at his paws. Asterfur lead the kits toward a large tree. The tree had a hollow about two fox-lengths up from the ground, and the bark around it was chipped.

Jumping up onto one of the roots, Adderkit chirped, "Where are we goin', anyway?"

Asterfur didn't answer. She stared up at the tree as a calico she-cat appeared, her one eye narrowed. When she saw Asterfur, her expression immediately brightened and she leaped down to meet the queen.

"Hey, Asterfur! Long time, no see." the calico purred, touching her nose to Asterfur's cheek.

The blue-grey she-cat tensed up, refusing to meet the other cat's eye. "Hello, Cherrypool." They had been mates before Cherrypool became the Peacekeeper for the Clan, and since Peacekeepers couldn't have mates then Asterfur was forced to leave her.

Cherrypool's tail drooped. "I'm still really sorry, Asterfur..."

"No, don't be." Asterfur mewed, looking back up. "Adderkit, come here!" As the she-kit bounded over to her, Asterfur turned to Cherrypool. "These are my kits. The ginger tom is Rosekit, and the brown she-cat is Adderkit."

"Those are great names!" Cherrypool glanced at each kit, as if she was studying them. Then after a moment, she nodded. "Their names seem fitting, too."

Adderkit interrupted, "Why d'you only have one eye?"

Asterfur gasped and glared at Adderkit. Then, to Cherrypool, she quickly said, "I'm so sorry--"

Cherrypool waved her tail. "No, it's alright." She turned to look at Adderkit and meowed, "It's a long story, but your mother wouldn't like it if I told you about it now. Maybe when you're older."

"But I'm six moons old!" Adderkit protested. "C'mon, pleeeaase tell me."

"...I'll think about it." Cherrypool promised, smiling slightly.

'''Don't you think it's funny how they tell us how to live? Don't you think it's funny how we're all delinquent kids? Like, hush now, don't say, don't say'''

'''Hush boy, oh hush boy, don't say a word Throw on a jersey and no one gets hurt Hush girl, oh hush girl, just bat your eyes Play our little game, play our little game'''

'''Bounded all thoughts and corrected common sense You're raising suicidals with your predetermined titles Like "a mess, distressed, I am unimpressed, you're excess A dress is all you'll ever be."'''

'''Gender roles impose control and deceive progressive times Welcome to the land of the broken minds'''

'''Hush boy, oh hush boy, don't say a word Throw on a jersey and no one gets hurt'''

'''Hush girl, oh hush girl, just bat your eyes Play our little game, play our little game Play our little game, play our little game'''

'''We feign opulence just to get by Put on false confidence just to feel alive They can't hurt me anymore'''

There's nothing left to break of me There's nothing left to take from me

Cause, baby, it's easy to fake a smile When you've been doing it for a while Baby, it's easy to fake a smile When you've been doing it for a while'''

'''Hush boy, oh hush boy, don't say a word Throw on a jersey and no one gets hurt Hush girl, oh hush girl, just bat your eyes'''

'''Play our little game, play our little game Play our little game, play our little game'''

Hush boy, oh hush boy

Hush girl, oh hush girl

'''Play our little game Play our little game'''

'''Play our little game Play our little game Won't you play with me?'''