chat·tel /ˈCHadl/ noun (in general use) a personal possession. Personal. That was a word he had almost no experience with, except in the invading context. Momentarypaw had shared a lot of things. To name a few: . His birthday . His den . His apprentice ceremony . His family He didn't mind sharing, in moderation. But it felt as though all he had ever done was share. Share your den, share your space, share your life. Share, share, share. Everything he had was community property, it felt like. Even he himself. As an apprentice, his duty was to to serve the clan, to share his time, effort, and occasionally his sleep. (It was the loss of sleep he most resented.) And in the end, what did he get? What did he gain? He knew the benefits, of course. It was just...hard. Hard not to make a list, a tally. /This is what I get. This is what they get./ And the difference between the two felt staggering sometimes. When, he wondered, would he ever own something that belonged to him alone? Would he? He was tired of sharing. That sounded selfish, but he was. How many things had he ever had to treasure that no one else had touched? He just wanted his own life. Was that too much to ask? And if it was... What was he going to do about it? Cry? Scream? Rant? Beg StarClan to make it better? StarClan didn't care if he had to share. They probably encouraged it. Making you the better cat, and all. But what if he didn't want to share anymore. He racked his brains, pointlessly, desperately, for something that he alone could lay claim to, and came up with nothing. It... It wasn't /fair./ It wasn't fair that it was this way. Everyone should have their own possessions, their own /lives./ But whose fault was it? Who had made it this way? And who had the power to change it? He didn't know, not yet. But with every heartbeat, his resolve deepened. He was going to look for the cats who could give him what he wanted. He was going to find /something/ that he alone could have. He was going to take control of his life again. No matter what it took. [fin.]
