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Post by <Raintalon> on May 4, 2019 17:48:49 GMT -5
I don’t think so... said Thornpaw, sinking back to her former uncertainty. Cats don’t listen to you if you can’t talk like them. Unless you can get me a voice, I think it’s hopeless.
Blazeclaw yelped as she was plowed into, and immediately switched to battle mode, dropping to the ground, twisting so her back legs were free, and flipping the larger...whatever-it-was over her with practiced ease. Then she finished the move with a firm bite to what she was pretty sure was tail, to discourage the enemy from attacking again.
“Thirteen!!” moaned Six, pinning her ears back in mortification. “Stop it! Please be polite!”
Cowstar blinked, momentarily taken aback. Had they ever been that close? She hadn’t noticed. There had been too much going on...she was losing track. That wasn’t good. “I’m sorry,” she said at last, bowing her head a little. “I wish you’d gotten that chance.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 4, 2019 18:40:28 GMT -5
We should go hunting. Crowfur said simply. He stood up and glanced around, eyeing the other cats to make sure no one was watching and slid into a crouch that hid his dark fur well in the thick grass. Then he began to slip away from the camp, his ears pricked for any hint of prey. Catch something, show them we aren’t helpless. A hunter isn’t the same as a useless crazy kit who just screams all the time, right?
Thirteen yelped as he was flipped and landed hard on his back, his head hitting the ground a little harder than he’d expected. He twisted in an attempt to fight back, then winced as pain shot up his tail and pulled it away. He backed up and sat down grinning like he was the one who’d just won. “Wow! So you guys really are Clan cats?” He said curiously, glancing between Blaze and Splash with intense curiosity. “Are you going to teach us to do that?”
“Me too.” Hazelstreak answered honestly, but her tone was far from self-pity. “But I thought you should know. I may have been wrong about you, Cowstar.” And with that, she stood up and dipped her head, walking back towards the spot Adderleaf lay dying despite Splashpelt’s best.
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 6, 2019 19:32:30 GMT -5
Thornpaw was quiet for a moment, and she seemed to be pulling several things away from Crowfur, snatching them back as best she could before he could see them. I... Shame. That was what she was desperately trying to collect and store away. She’d gotten most of it, but if you were astute enough, you could still feel it. I’ve...never been. I don’t know how, she admitted, shuddering a little.
“Probably,” said Blazeclaw icily, shaking out her pelt and narrowing her green eyes at the cat. Then, those eyes softened - he reminded her of the kittypets they’d been allied with, way back when. And the ones they’d taken in, and trained. “Yeah, we probably will,” she repeated, gentler this time. “But rule number one - no sneaking up on a Clan cat. I could’ve taken your head off for StarClan’s sake!”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 6, 2019 20:15:20 GMT -5
Seriously? Crowfur tried to be upset with her for a minute, then sighed, deciding it wasn’t worth the effort. It wouldn’t make this job any easier, after all. Well, I have, so this is lesson number one. He continued, then stopped. They should be far enough away now to catch something. He fell into a practiced crouch - or he would have, only his body didn’t have that muscle memory stored yet. The end result was something similar to a happy rabbit flop. He straightened up immediately, annoyance coursing through his veins. Are you telling me you never even practiced crouching before?!
Thirteen sat down, somehow awkward and at casual ease at the same time. He was bigger than a regular cat. Or maybe taller would be a better word for it. He was longer anyway, in the way that made him seem like he’d simply forgotten to stop growing as a kitten, or maybe that he wasn’t quite a cat in the same way the rest of them were. He could have been intimidating if he’d tried. Instead he simply watched Blazeclaw with his head to one side, as though she were the most interesting thing in the world. “Right. Got it. No sneaking up on Clan cats.” He repeated dutifully, nodding like a kit on their first day out of camp. “Are we going to be Clan cats too?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 7, 2019 20:52:50 GMT -5
And when was I supposed to do that? snapped Thornpaw, using the unexpected surge of anger from behind her to power her own sense of indignation. During the time I was stuck in my den under guard, or during those little windows where my brothers would follow me around like I was a mouse with a broken tail?
“Well...” Blazeclaw paused, realizing for the first time that she didn’t, actually, know the plan. “I guess that’s up to Cowstar and your leader.”
—Timeskip
Blazeclaw, with Hazelstreak(I’m assuming) and Cowstar’s help, dragged Adderleaf into the den that Six had indicated from the medicine den. It was night, and the usual forest noises were beginning to die down, replace by the buzz of crickets and other, less identifiable little noises from all around the camp. No time to stop and look around, though - they had to get inside and get Adderleaf settled.
“Woah...” breathed Blazeclaw, agape as she gently lay Adderleaf down in one of the old, but perfect, moss beds. “This is...it’s a lot like our old camp, huh...”
“It is,” said Cowstar quietly, glancing at Splashpelt. They...well, they finally had something to work with. She could make this work, and most likely, so could he. If they could convince the others to let them stay.
“You guys should stay here, just for tonight,” said Six, dipping her head. “Ten will come and talk to you in the morning.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 8, 2019 16:10:32 GMT -5
Crowfur flicked an ear, back, scowling. Yes, mousebrain, you should have been paying attention to what was going on around you. He snapped back, and his resentment at the situation he was in was suddenly blinding in its intensity. Stuck in the body of a kit who can’t speak and is treated like wingless bird, having to share even the space inside his own head with someone else.... He suddenly realized he was angry. Very angry. You could have tried! He snarled at the only outlet available to him. You could have studied your brothers even if they thought you were nothing! You could have tried to show them you weren’t helpless, instead of being a piece of moss for them to step all over! Do you want me to feel sorry for you? Poor, innocent Thornkit just wanted her life to be fair and easy and for her mice to line up and beg her to take them? Well, I don’t feel sorry for you at all! He was running now, although he hadn’t made the decision to keep moving yet. He didn’t know where he was going. He wanted something to burn under his claws. Fight back! Get up and stop complaining and take care of yourself for once, because no one is going to do it for you, understand?!
Splashpelt couldn’t stop staring at the nests. And the walls. Smooth from use, cool to the touch but not cold, they reminded him so strongly of home that it was a physical ache in his chest. He caught Cowstar’s eye and managed a thin smile, the first in what felt like a long time now. “I can work with this.” He said quietly, comfirming her thoughts. “I can work with this.”
In another nest, his fluffy tail curled so it covered his face, a brown tabby with medium short fur and a bony frame lay apparently asleep. It only took one look for most cats to want to stay back, for fear of catching whatever it was he had. His chest rose and fell rapidly, but shallowly, and his paws twitched and clawed at the nest under him, which judging by its frayed edges was very used to the adjust.
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 8, 2019 17:33:46 GMT -5
Thornpaw opened her mouth a few times at the start of Crowfur’s tirade, furious. Despite being basically formless, she could feel anger traveling down her spine like invisible hackles raising at the cat commandeering her body. But as the shouting went on, she slowly went quiet, and seemed to fade a little, anger tempered into something quieter...and it was hard to tell if it was a kind quiet, or a furious one. At last, when he stopped talking, she spoke up, tone deadly quiet, staying shadowed near the back of her little spot in their head as the two of them barreled through the forest together, going who knows where. Are you talking to me, or to yourself?
“Psst,” said Blazeclaw, drawing Splash’s attention as the fur rose along her spine in fear of whatever storm might be held in the strange cat’s every breath. “Look at that cat. See the bones? Don’t let anyone sleep near him tonight...”
Rainpaw stalked into camp, slinking low as he could with how tired he was, and immediately followed the others into the medicine den, trying to avoid eye contact with both his siblings. Just get some sleep...surely everything would look a little better in the morning. Maybe.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 8, 2019 20:01:16 GMT -5
Crowfur didn’t answer, throwing every last ounce of his adrenaline into the sound his tiny paws made against the dirt and the feeling of the wind tearing through his lungs. He wasn’t angry with himself, surely. Why would he be? He’d given RoseClan everything he had, died and clawed his way back out of the grave, twice, for them. He’d never once given up on them, not when they betrayed him and turned on him and even killed him. His muscles burned. This body had no stamina. He leaned forward, pushing himself past the point where claws seemed to stab his side and it was hard to breath, past the point where it hurt. Of course he was talking to her. She was alive, and she was wasting all the potential that came with that fact while he shattered again and again just for this...this pathetic excuse for an existence he had now. There was so much he still had to do and there was no way for him to even begin to do it. His kegs collapsed under him and he fell forward, hitting the ground hard enough to bounce and roll over five times before he finally came to rest under a bush. It was dark and cool there, and he found that he was too tired to stand. So he lay still and felt his weak body betray him and tremble. He was so, unbelievably tired. Why am I too weak to lead this Clan? He asked finally, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion besides the burning anger that refused to die. Why does everything I do blow up in my face? Why didn’t they want me to save them moons and moons ago when I was there, I was alive, and I was ready?
Splashpelt glanced at the figure and went tense, but he didn’t otherwise react right away, “Could be fine.” He muttered back, but his voice betrayed how likely he thought that was. “But yeah, we should steer clear until we get a chance to ask Six about it.” Which would be soon, hopefully. If that cat was too contagious, they already had a problem.
Nightpaw saw his brother enter the den and pricked his ears, then pulled then back. Did he want to approach? Not really. He was tired of trying to figure out everyone around him and how to keep them moving and okay. And Rainpaw looked like he wanted to be left alone right now, so the best thing to do was walk away. He turned and walked three steps in the opposite direction. Then he muttered a curse he shouldn’t have known under his breath and headed for his sibling, tail straight in the air and legs stiff. “Hey.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 13, 2019 13:13:40 GMT -5
Rainpaw stiffened, drawing himself momentarily into an even tighter ball. Then, he slowly began to untwist, thumping the ground with his tail. “Damn it all...” he growled, flicking his ears back as he sat up straight, apparently ready to have whatever conversation was brewing. “What do you want, Nightpaw?”
—timeskip to morning for the others but we can continue with the apprentices still—
Early in the morning, the soft, yet uneven footfalls of a cat who had never learned stealth properly woke several of RoseClan’s cats from their slumber. Ten had entered the den, and she sat down in the middle of the floor, flicking her long tail contemplatively. “Aaight,” she said at last, raising her voice. “Rise and shine kiddos, it’s sit rep time.”
Cowstar jumped, startled out of her sleep by the loud voice.
Blazeclaw hadn’t slept much, but by now, she was used to that. Now she sat near the front right side of the den, staying as far away from the clearly sickly cat in the back corner as possible.
Adderleaf lay still in his nest - he’d fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep sometime during the night, and it would’ve been difficult to tell whether not he was dead if not for the slow, rhythmic breaths making his chest rise, and then fall.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 13, 2019 14:57:51 GMT -5
Nightpaw sat down and wrapped his tail tightly around his paws, his ears shivering slightly as though they wanted to flatten but he refused to let them. It was too late to back out now. And it was better to just say it rather then let it sit out in the sun, right? “I don’t want to fight.” He said as evenly as he could. There was a tremor he couldn’t quite squash down, although what emotion it came from was a mystery. He noticed not for the first time how much shorter than his brother he was and squared his shoulders, forcing himself to meet the other apprentice’s eye. “I just want to talk. And so do you, but you think I’m mad at you, right? I’m not mad. I’m just....” He hesitated. “Well. Not mad.”
Hazelstreak hadn’t left Adderleaf’s side since he’d been moved to the nest, not even at midnight. Her own breathing had shifted to match his so that they seemed to move a a single, oddly colored oversized warrior. But she wasn’t asleep. She wasn’t exactly awake - dreams walked behind her closed eyes and every now and then she twitched or a soft growl would escape his throat - but Ten’s footsteps didn’t exactly wake her up when her eyes snapped open and every muscle in her body tensed. They didn’t know how to be quiet, but they were trying, so it was no one from a RoseClan. For a single, agonizing moment she imagined it was Talon and Cloud somehow, but she bit that thought back with a stab of anger at herself; even if that were possible they would know even better than anyone here how to be silent. Her claws slid out and she was on her paws ifadter than she could process what had happened as Ten’s familiar voice shattered the silence, her ears flattened against her skull. As soon as she could process that it wasn’t a surprise attack, or else it was a very bad one, she crouched back down next to Adderleaf and waited to see what would happen next.
Splashpelt had, somehow, managed to sleep. Maybe it was the den that felt like home against his fur. Or maybe it was the smell of dried herbs trapped in his nose. Or it could have been the fact that he hadn’t actually slept in two and half days. Either way, Ten’s voice cut through his dreamless sleep like a claw and he had to scramble for a second to regain his footing, his eyes owlish in the pre-dawn light as he stared around for the source of the shout. “Ten?” The medicine cat poked his head out of the den, blinking as he spotted the she-cat from last night. “What are you doing? Can’t you let us just sleep if nothing’s on fire and no one’s about to die horribly?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 13, 2019 15:22:23 GMT -5
“I don’t care if you’re mad at me,” said Rainpaw, the tip of his tail slowly twitching back and forth as he spoke. “That’s...it doesn’t matter. You were right all along, I guess. I was the one who didn’t take good care of her.”
Blazeclaw glanced at Hazelstreak, trying to gauge her reaction to the noisy leader’s sudden introduction. She looked...cautious. Understandable.
Ten craned her neck at Splashpelt, giving him a look that could only be described as total disgust. “What are you, stupid?” she growled, her tail giving an angry shiver. “Oh, sure, the big ‘are you gonna stay here with us and change our entire lives’ talk can totally wait until you’ve gotten your beauty sleep.”
“Our apologies,” interjected Cowstar quickly, not eager to see this get out of hand. “You startled us. We’ve been on our own for a long time. Of course, let’s talk.”
Ten paused in her destruction of Splashpelt to glance at the leader, and suddenly she looked shy, and a bit hesitant. “Uhh...huh. Yeah, sure, then. Let’s do it.” She took a breath. “So. The long and short of it is that we want you to stay. You’re Clan cats, and we’re...well, not. We don’t know what we’re doing here, quite frankly. But we also have the supplies and the territory you need - it’s the perfect spot, and we’re not planning on vacating it, so if your plan is to run us out, well...” She puffed herself up a little, and a cocky grin shot across her face. “We may not be Clan cats, but you still ain’t know what you’re messing with.”
From the entrance to the den, about three paces behind Ten, sat a small, narrowly built black cat who looked to be about five or six moons old. He had an, odd, almost blank look on his drawn face, and seemed to be scanning each of the new faces in turn, deep-set eyes bright with interest.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 13, 2019 15:52:48 GMT -5
Nightpaw blinked, It was so tempting to agree. It would feel so good, to finally be the one who was best for her and took care of her, the one she really needed. But the words died in his throat at the look on Rainpaw’s face. “That’s not fair.” He muttered, glancing away. “I wish it was, but we both screwed up, okay? But we don’t have time to sulk about it anymore, we’re apprentices now and so is she. That means that we can’t keep fighting over who gets to love her anymore.” He was talking to himself now, and it hurt. But what hurt worse was knowing that he’d let his sister down in a way he couldn’t take back, and he’d hurt her. Maybe Rainpaw would understand. Or maybe he’d just get angry, and the fracture lines between them would cut even deeper.
Sludgemelt scowled, but Cowstar interrupted before he could calmly explain that most of them had been literally moments away from falling into an involuntary coma when they’d arrived, and unfortunately, for some stupid reason of course, one half night’s restless attempt at sleep didn’t even make a dent. He turned away, deciding that he didn’t have the energy or any good reason to try and deal with her right then. Instead, his gaze found another, less familiar cat sitting a ways behind her. He looked....at He medicine cat couldn’t place it. He had a different light to his bright eyes. Not sinister, just not...super encouraging, either. “Don’t judge a kit by their pelt.” He muttered, and headed cautiously over to join the younger cat, his ears forward in an attempt to look non-threatening. “Hello there. I’m Splashpelt, medicine cat of RoseClan. What’s your name?”
Hazelstreak narrowed her eyes. Then she noticed Blazeclaw next to her and whispered to her, forgetting for the moment that they were no longer kits and practically siblings. “Is she seriously challenging Cowstar to a fight in the middle of our camp with no backup, or does she have a secret plan B, do you think?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 13, 2019 16:11:57 GMT -5
Rainpaw turned his head a little, looking up at the dark ceiling. “You know Cowstar only made her an apprentice cause she felt bad for her, right?” he said, without really meaning to. Then he froze, ice gripping his chest, but now it was out and he couldn’t stop. “I mean, what kind of life is she going to have? Have we ever even thought about that?”
“I think it’s for show,” whispered Blazeclaw back, also falling easily back into their old pattern, without even realizing it. “She’s in the worse position here. She doesn’t want to look desperate, or like she’s giving everything away.”
“I have no intention of taking you over,” Cowstar assured the leader, realizing she was just as nervous about the outcome of this. “You’re right. You need our expertise, and we need a home. All I want is to find some kind of compromise where we can coexist.”
“Actually, I was hoping for more of a merger,” said Ten, straightening up and looking the tall, intimidating leader straight in the eye. “We’re not a Clan, and we don’t have any kind of family pride to keep strangers out or to preserve customs. We’re just trying to survive. So what I’m suggesting isn’t that we share this space as two, exactly. I’m asking if we can join your Clan, and in return, we’ll give you this space.”
The small cat tore his yellow eyes away from the others, focusing in on the cat who, for some reason, had decided to come talk to him. “We don’t have names,” he said simply, tilting his head. “Just designations, so we can keep track of each other. I’m Ninety-Six.” He looked away again to watch the proceedings, but kept one ear trained on Smeltingjaw. “Who are you? What did you put on that orange cat’s wound?”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 13, 2019 16:44:00 GMT -5
Nightpaw flinched like he’d been slapped. He didn’t answer right away. He couldn’t answer, his tongue seemed to have forgotten how to move on its own and lay limp in his mouth, his mind spun. Had she really? It seemed obvious once Rainpaw had said it, but he’d never once considered that possibility. How had he never even wondered? “What are you saying?” He finally managed to ask, his voice strangled.
Hazelstreak flicked an ear in response. “Smart.” She admitted. “She does have some leverage right now, so if she makes her move first she has a better chance of getting the deal she wants instead of whatever we might come up with.” It was see through, though. Blazeclaw had seen through it in a matter of seconds, and no doubt Cowstar did as well. She glanced at Blazeclaw. “I guess they’re lucky we don’t have any reason to attack them.”
“You could have a name, if you wanted to.” Splashpelt couldn’t help but say it. The kit didn’t sound upset, but most cats probably would rather have a name than a designation, over all. “Since you don’t need to keep track of each other the same way anymore. What would you like your name to be?” He paused at the question, distracted from his own. “Oh. Herb poultice. As medicine cat, I learned about what most herbs do and how to use them to make sick cats better, so I used some of the dried ones you found here to help with his infection.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 13, 2019 18:02:19 GMT -5
“I don’t know,” said Rainpaw, shaking his head. An odd smile spread across his features, out of place for the situation. “I have no idea what I’m saying. Will she live? Will she get killed tomorrow cause she doesn’t know how to do anything? Cause she’s broken? Who knows? I’m not even supposed to say this stuff.” He shook his head, breath coming in a low, shivering sigh. “I’m just so tired, Nightpaw. And I know I shouldn’t be like this, because she needs me - I just...” He didn’t know what else to say.
“Think we’ll really merge with them?” asked Blazeclaw, as the two leaders continued to converse. “It sounds like that’s what Ten wants, and Cowstar didn’t shoot the idea down right away.”
Ninety-Six blinked, slightly taken aback by the strange cat’s suggestion. “What would I need a name for?” he asked, tilting his head. “If not for identification, which you said we don’t need anymore, what’s it for?” But the next bit of information seemed to puzzle him even more. He narrowed his eyes at Adderleaf, the many gears in his small mind working furiously to fit this new piece. “So you...” He paused, formulating his thoughts. “You fixed him? But that’s not possible...once cats lose their health, they just die. You can’t just...reverse it.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 13, 2019 18:22:25 GMT -5
Nightpaw crouched as he watched his brother, as though he was trying to become as small and insignificant as the beetle crawling at his paws. “She is not broken!” He snarled, his voice shaking like twig in a hurricane and significantly higher than he’d expected it to be. “How could you say something so awful? She isn’t broken just because she’s isn't like us, okay, she’s fine, she just needs time a-and us and everything will be okay!” He crouched, no longer able to look Rainpaw in the eye. “What happened to you? You never would have even thought stuff like that before.”
“Well, we do need more cats.” Hazelstreak mused, eyeing Ten. The she-cat looked inexperienced, but surprisingly hardy considering where she came from. In another life, she could have been a formidable opponent by now. “And she has a point. We could take them, but we aren’t in a good position for a fight, even one we’d win. We’re in bad shape. I think Cowstar will agree.”
Splashpelt hesitated, realizing his poor choice of words. “I mean, they are for identification, but more than that. We consider them an important part of our identity, and the last part even changes to signify our growing up.” Which might be a bit complicated to explain in detail, but thankfully the smaller cat seemed far more interested by his sick friend. “Well, not quite.” He explained as gently as he could. “He could still die. But I did what I could to help him, and in less severe cases there’s...well, I could have done more if we’d gotten here sooner, that’s all.” A lot more. But no point in dwelling on that. He shook his head and offered the black cat a crooked smile. “Cats don’t always die when they lose health, only sometimes when it gets too bad. But that’s what those dried herbs you guys have are for. Fixing cats.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 14, 2019 10:36:40 GMT -5
“She is broken, and she’s not fine,” said Rainpaw dully, too burnt out for Nightpaw’s surge of emotion to really affect him. “That’s what we’ve been saying for seven moons, and where has it gotten us? She’s still alive, sure, but for how much longer?” He paused when Nightpaw continued, considering his words. “Yeah, I guess that’s true,” he said flatly, shaking his head. “I didn’t used to think stuff like this. Now I can’t stop.”
The young cat’s eyes were narrowed, the slits of yellow rapidly taking in every bit of the information he was being presented with. “I never knew that,” he said at last, slowly. Then, he looked up at Splashpelt, those eyes alight with intense interest. “We’ve had a lot of cats die, and most of them are all the same - they’re like him,” he said, pointing with his tail to the ailing cat in the corner. “I think we’re cursed, because the deaths don’t make any sense. You wanna know what they all died from, in the end?”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 14, 2019 15:38:30 GMT -5
Nightpaw’s ears pressed against his skull and his claws dig into the ground. Then suddenly he snarled and lashed out, sharp claws extended to slash his brother across the nose with all his strength. “That’s right, she’s alive! How can that not be enough for you anymore? How can you just sit there and call her those things, just like all the warriors used to back home when we were kits?” He wanted to leap on him and hit him until he stopped saying such horrible things. He looked so tired, like he’d done this too long to remember why anymore and it killed Nightpaw to see it. “I’m sorry.” He managed to say, his fierce tone abruptly strangled. “This is my fault. I thought I had abandoned her, but I didn’t even think about what it did to you. To be the only one to protect her for so long. I’m sorry.”
Splashpelt glanced at the cat Blazeclaw had pointed out to him earlier, and again was seized with the instinct that this wasn’t a mild illness. The cat hadn’t moved once since they got there, and his breathing was quick and shallow as though it hurt him. “I don’t know if you’re cursed,” He answered slowly, glancing back at the kit, his eyes wary now. “I usually don’t worry about that, I just do the best I can as long as the cat’s still breathing.” He flicked an ear back, already hating where this was going, but what choice did he have? As the sole medicine cat, he needed all the information he could get. “What’s?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 14, 2019 15:45:25 GMT -5
Rainpaw flinched back a little, but the deadened look didn’t leave his eyes as droplets of blood began to leak from the tip of his nose. He watched Nightpaw, tired eyes scanning his expression as his anger turned to guilt. “It’s fine. It doesn’t change anything,” he said, turning around and curling himself into a ball again. Facing away from his brother. “Just find a nest and go to sleep.”
“They drowned.” The cat’s voice echoed slightly around the medicine den, but his expression didn’t change - his face was still, eyes alight with that flame of interest that never seemed to die out. “I’ve seen the insides of dead cats before,” he said simply, flicking the tip of his tail. “Ones that didn’t die from this curse. Or disease, or whatever it’s called. They were normal, but when I opened up a dead cat that was like him...” He frowned slightly, reminiscing. “Her lungs were full of water. Even though she hadn’t had a drink in a whole day.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 14, 2019 15:59:14 GMT -5
Nightpaw stared, the hopelessness in Rainpaw’s shadowed eyes sucking the warmth out of his body. He looked dead already, somehow, in a way that was terrifying to look at and feel. He was almost relieved when his brother turned away, curling up facing the opposite direction. “You’re both still here with me.” He whispered finally, helplessly. “Maybe that’s not good enough for you anymore, but it still is for me. I love you, Rainpaw.” And he turned and padded away, the tip of his black tail dragging behind him.
Splashpelt’s eyes widened, and a chill went through him, only partially at the description. Drowning from the inside out...what in the world could cause that if not some sort of curse? And hadn’t they had more than they’re share of those by now? Also... “Why were you...opening...a dead cat?” He asked tentatively, not wanting to imply anything, but unable to really leave the question alone either.
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 14, 2019 16:08:49 GMT -5
The young cat fell silent for a moment, considering the question. “Dead cats stop breathing for a reason, right? It’s not random. It’s not like some cat in the sky just decides they’re done - their own body kills them. Once, I cut open a healthy cat who had been killed by a dog. Aside from the wounds, I remember what a normal body looks like from that.” He glanced back at the dying cat in the corner, then at Adderpaw, apparently completely unfazed by what he was saying. “Sick cats are always different than that, somehow, and if I dig deep enough, I figure it out.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 14, 2019 16:22:59 GMT -5
Okay. So this kit apparently had a hobby of slicing dead cats open and messing with their insides. That...that could not be good. He shoved his own misgivings out of his eyes as he replied, barely neutral and a bit higher pitched than normal. “Yes. I suppose...I guess so, yeah. But wouldn’t it be even better if you could figure out what was wrong before the cat died? Then you have a chance of fixing it, right? That’s what I do, with those herbs I showed you, and if you want I can take a look at your sick friend over there.” He nodded at the skinny tabby in the corner, bracing himself for whatever he’d see when he looked closer.
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 14, 2019 19:41:27 GMT -5
“Yeah, well, you don’t cut up living cats,” he said calmly, in a voice that suggested he didn’t think much of Splashpelt’s admonishing. “But cats still die, and we can learn from the dead ones. I don’t see why it can’t work both ways...” He paused, and then began to head over to the sick cat, gesturing for Splashpelt to follow so he could take a look. “In fact, wouldn’t my knowledge help you use your medicine better?”
The cat wasn’t looking good. He was skin and bones, running a high fever, and his chest was was heaving with sharp, shallow, rattling breaths. A sickly discharge was leaking from his nose, dampening the fur around his mouth. He didn’t appear to be conscious, or at least not fully so.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 14, 2019 19:54:35 GMT -5
“I don’t cut up any cats at all, ever.” Splashpelt felt the need to make this fact very clear, in case it ever came up again in the future. No misunderstandings. “Even if they’re dead, they’re body was a very important piece of them. It was them, in a way. So cutting them up even after they’re gone...” He shuddered. How could someone even bring themselves to do that? His mind moved to Adderleaf in the corner, imagining him dead and.... He didn’t feel very good anymore. He pulled his mind away as best he could, but the damage was done, and now he was thinking about how likely it was that his herbs had done nothing for his friend, that he really was going to die, soon...and then, this kit.... “Are you interested in my medicine?” He asked, sitting down as his trembling legs threatened to stop holding his weight.
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 14, 2019 20:04:01 GMT -5
The kit watched Splashpelt with the same detached interest that he seemed to apply to everything. He looked upset...which disappointed him. He’d hoped if there was anyone who would understand his point of view, it’d be a cat as smart as this one. Oh well. Maybe he’d come around someday. If not, he’d be just like the others, and he supposed that was okay too. “Yes, of course,” he answered flicking his tail in a friendly gesture as Splashpelt inquired about his interest in medicine. “You know how cats work, like I do, but you also know how to fix them. I’d like to learn that.”
Just as he’d finished speaking, the both of them were disrupted by a noise in the corner - the sound of bedding being disturbed. Adderleaf was waking up.
(The den is mostly cleared out - only Splash, the kit, Adder, and the unconscious cat remain)
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 14, 2019 20:17:52 GMT -5
Splashpelt nodded, his relief clear in his eyes as the conversation shifted obediently into safer territory. It wasn’t the first time it had occurred to him that he was getting old enough to need an apprentice of his own, but it was the first time there had been anything like a possible solution. He’d considered trying to teach Thornpaw, but that task was so daunting that he’d kept putting it off in the hope that she would thrive as a warrior. But did he want this kit to become a medicine, possibly the only one RoseClan has after he was gone? He looked at 96, at the bright, intense interest in his eyes and the way he held himself. He tried to see himself in the younger cat. He’d realized pretty quickly that Creekfang hadn’t thought much of him at first, either, a realization that at the time had felt like a crushing blow. Looking back, it was the best thing that ever happened to the small, skittish kit with no tail and nightmares that could kill. He turned, Adderleaf snapping him instantly back to the present, and hurried over to the warrior. Then, almost as an afterthought he looked back and nodded 96 over to join him. “I can teach you that.” He said simply.
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 16, 2019 18:10:26 GMT -5
96’s eyes lit up immediately as Splashpelt spoke the words - he hadn’t expected to be accepted into the group so quickly, if at all. “Thank you,” he said genuinely, a bit of the stoicism disappearing from his face in the moment. “I’ll...I’ll try to make it worth your time.”
Adderleaf lifted his head, visible eye glazed and a little disoriented. His fever wasn’t gone, but it had gone down slightly, and if one was being optimistic, they might even think a little of the swelling had gone down from the wound itself. He was far from healed, but... “Buhhh,” he said, opening his mouth to say something and ending up half choked on his own tongue. “Fwah...tt...”
96 watched the interaction with intense curiosity, small head tilted as the warrior tried to speak.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 16, 2019 19:44:27 GMT -5
Splashpelt nodded, but his attention had shifted entirely to the broken warrior in front of him. He noted the improvements, trying not to let himself feel relieved yet, trying not to see it as healed. But he couldn’t help getting his hopes up, and once they were up there was no getting them down. He even gave a small, shaky laugh as he felt Adderleaf’s paws and found the fever had gone down. “Hey.” He said softly, his voice high and edged with emotion he couldn’t keep out. “It’s okay, you’re okay....don’t try to talk. You’re hurt pretty bad, but we found cats, Adder. Cats with herbs and a camp and....” And hope. They’d found hope for the first time since they’d been home, and it felt like finally falling into a dreamless after days in an endless nightmare. He glanced at 96 and felt an unexpected rush of warmth for the kit, then back to Adder, his head inclined to indicate his new apprentice. “This is one of them, 96. He’s helping me.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 20, 2019 16:33:09 GMT -5
(Three days later)
Cowstar sat in the center of camp next to Ten, waiting patiently as the last few cats assembled. “Hello, members of RoseClan, and soon-to-be,” she greeted, raising her head high. “As most of you already know, after some deliberation, and some discussion with the leader of this group that has so kindly taken us in, we will be taking in some new members. We’ve...” She paused, letting the silence linger in the air for a moment as her throat began to seize up. This was hard. Harder than she’d thought. I’m sorry you’re not here to see the end of our journey, Mintheart. “We’ve been a long way,” she continued at last, fighting her way past the tightness in her chest. “We’ve lost good cats, and now, the time has come to add good cats to our Clan. Six, Ten, Seventy-Two, Fifty, Thirteen, and Ninety-Six, please step forward.”
Six stepped up to join Ten, the fur on her chest puffed out with pride even though her tail was low, skirting the ground as she nervously took her place next to her friends.
Ninety-Six paused for a moment, then slinked forward, coiling in a compact ball next to the others. His eyes scanned the crowd, then locked on Cowstar, curious.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 20, 2019 20:46:40 GMT -5
Seventy-Two stepped forward, their blue eyes bright and inquisitive as they took their place close to Ninety-Six and sat down. “I wonder if we get to pick our new names.” They murmured to the kit, raising an eyebrow with a half-smile as they glanced at him.
Fifty’s paws trembled under him as he stood up and took a step forward, carefully, begging every muscle not to let him down. It felt like he was a kit again, barely a day old and exhausted by every tiny motion. But he was not going to join an actual Clan by falling on his face, that just wasn’t an option, so he summoned all his willpower and forced himself to walk at an almost normal pace to his place on the other side of Six. He collapsed, but he managed to make it look like he was just sitting down. Sort of. He hoped.
Thirteen wasn’t actually there. Which was odd, considering how excited he’d seemed to be about this whole thing as soon as he’d eavesdropped it. Then the sound of his heavy paws hitting the grass at a gallop slid into earshot, and moments later he arrived, panting like a dog and trying to hide the sheepish grin twitching at his expression. “Hey guys. I promise I didn’t forget I was just...doing a thing....real quick first.” He explained, halfway between awkwardly apologetic and offhand. “What are we doing?”
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