"Astro! Get over here you fat bear!"

The gray tabby groaned. "It's not even sunhigh yet, Gadget." He stretched, his muscles releasing stiffening acid. Astro walked lazily over to the angered tom across the camp. "What could you possibly need me for at this hour?" A Monarch butterfly caught his attention, and he batted his paw at it. 

Gadget hissed in frustration. His yellow eyes blazed in built-up fury. A thick paw cuffed Astro's ear and a stern voice yelled. "Pay attention!" Gadget rolled his eyes. "You do absolutely nothing around here!"

Astro stiffened. "What did you just say?" The butterfly slipped away from Astro's paws quickly. It seemed to be frantically running away from the sharp claws that once held it. 

A snarl rose on Gadget's face. "You don't do anything to help the family. You just sit around and gaze at flying insects. My kits are more mature that you!"

Anger boiled up from within Astro. His tail lashed side to side violently and a growl sounded from within his chest. "I do a lot around here! You're just too ignorant to see it!"

"Oh, yeah? Give me one thing that you 'help with'." Gadget looked at him expectantly. 

"I..." Astro stumbled on his words. He wasn't expecting to be asked that. "I.. uh," He desperately searched for his proof. "I... I help with watching the kits." A question was hidden behind his wavering voice. 

Gadget raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? That's the best you can come up with?" The small tom grimaced and sighed in defeat, lowering his yell to almost a whisper. "You really are worthless, aren't you?" 

If it was possible, Astro would have steam coming out of his ears. "I am not!" The green eyed tom searched for someone - something - to back him up. A she-cat with a white belly sat not too far away.  "Chroma? I'm not worthless, am I?" The young tom looked hopefully into his mother's eyes, and she glanced from son to son in confusion.

Gadget filled the silence with his explanation of the situation. "I was just telling Astro that he does nothing," he glanced at his brother scornfully. "to help around here, and he decided to look to you for support." 

Chroma began to walk the other way. "I, uh, have to go do some hunting. We're getting low on freshkill." 

"Mother?"

She sighed. Her paws reluctantly turned back to her two sons. "I don't think that Astro is worthless..." Chroma's voice lingered on her last word. 

Astro jumped into the conversation in excitement. "But?" He was practically bouncing in his spot. 

"Really, Chroma? What does he actually do around here? Can you think of one thing?" Gadget's voice was irritated. 

The older she-cat thought for a moment. "No, but..." She looked at her sons again and sighed, landing her focus on Astro. 

He looked at her in disbelief. "You wouldn't..."

"I'm sorry, Astro," Chroma replied, her tone sad. "But Gadget's right." She glanced at the tom bearing that name before returning her gaze. "You don't really... help around camp. You kind of, just... sit there." She winced as she said it. "I'm sorry."

A voice beside Astro announced herself. "I think Chroma's right, Astro." 

Astro looked at Lux in awe. 

The ginger she-cat shifted in her fur. "I- I mean I don't think that Astro does much around camp right now."

"Lux is correct. Astro mostly plays with the wildlife and sleeps all day." Fractal agreed, but aimed his reason to everycat there. 

Astro turned to the only two she-cats left. "Ion?"

"I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Fractal and Lux. You don't really do anything all day." 

He turned hopefully to his friend. "Pi? Please?"

The dark brown she-cat looked up at her friend, and then to the crowd. "You guys are all wrong. Astro isn't worthless." She looked up at the older, bigger tom. "You'll see it one day. He helps with all sorts of things. He plays with the kits, he hangs out with me, he goes out into the forest, he gives us company, he talks to us, he doesn't back talk us," Pi took in a big breath, not stopping at any point in her whole talk to breathe. She was quite notorious for this. "He is actually worth something." 

Astro grinned.

"Please prove me right, Astro." Pi had whispered in his ear.

He decided to make himself a little promise: I will do better, Pi. And I'll do it for you.