|
Post by Justice on Oct 31, 2016 22:22:34 GMT -5
Honeysong We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we lie in fields of gold58 Moons, Senior Warrior of TreeClan After a harrowing experience the day before Honeysong had been allowed to leave the medicine den. Her head still hurt and her leg didn't want to hold her weight yet, but she was recovering. Really, she was sure that since it hadn't been a venomous bite that the soreness would fade. She just had to be patient. But, since it was one of her front paws she looked fairly silly hobbling around on three paws, tail stuck out almost straight behind her to help with her balance.
Being stuck at home was a bit like torture to a warrior, especially one that should have known better. The brook was attached to the river, and the river moved swiftly during leaf-fall. Things came down stream all the time, and she'd let herself become distracted. Whimsical she-cat she was not, and she'd been careless. If Dunepaw hadn't found her when he had there was no telling how long she'd have lain there before being able to drag herself home. The memory of the last time she'd had to do so chilled her to her very spirit.
Her thoughts went to old, far darker times. This incident could have killed her, and that too bothered her. Both instances she'd put faith in her safety, and both times she'd nearly paid the ultimate price. But...how was she to know a brief glace to the beauty of the world around her would end up with a trip to the medicine den, with her being removed from active hunts and patrols while her head and leg healed? Snakes were starting to go to sleep for the coming cold seasons, and this one she'd practically stepped on, thinking on it. And just what would she have done if it had been venomous? She would have died. She was not a large cat, it wouldn't have taken long.
The thought of that made her tremble. She had promised herself she would be there for Lionstar, promised that she would make sure that no matter what path StarClan chose for him she'd support him. Lionstar did not need to lose anyone else. Her body shook again and she leaned against a tree. Her legs were starting to hurt from the added weight. She'd adjust, she was sure, but still. Maybe leaving the medicine cat's nest so soon hadn't been the best idea.
But...Bluejay needed her space. There were sure to be those who needed their medicine cat and the space in the den far more than an inattentive senior warrior.
428 // Fawn // *head desk*
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Nov 1, 2016 8:03:05 GMT -5
blinded by the light of a new sun take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem She wasn't going to like having a meal brought to her, but Lionstar trusted Bluejay to convince her patient to eat even when he would have no success. Bringing a wood pigeon to Bluejay's den (it was for both of them, as the pigeon had fattened up for the leafbare season), he frowned upon realizing it was empty. Bluejay must have been in the nursery checking on the three litters of kits, but where was Honeysong?Lionstar set the wood pigeon down so he could properly track her scent. Jaws parting ever so slightly, Lionstar let the scents of his Clanmates rush in and coat the roof of his mouth; he was out of practice. So many scents to distinguish, so much overlap...The golden tom shook his head and asked the nearest cat if they'd seen Honeysong. Nightshade gestured with his tail towards the trees, and Lionstar set off with a frown, his expression stormy as he pictured the senior warrioress trying to join a hunting patrol. She would never be so mousebrained, or at least she wouldn't be successful. Their Clanmates had enough sense to send her back should she try anything even close to that.He found her trembling against a tree, anger and sympathy struggling to dominate the other as he approached. "Honeysong," Lionstar mewed, his tone sharp with authority and the kind he used on misbehaving apprentices. "You need to get back to Bluejay's den. Don't make me put Falconstorm there as your guard." He knew one of the kits she had helped raise would care about her wellbeing tremendously - Falconstorm wouldn't just let her escape again.Lionstar checked her over both with observation and then leaning in to sniff for infection, old enough to know what that smelled like now. Old enough and wise enough to recognize the signs. Her leg looked swollen, and the other three were trembling so much, he was a little surprised she still stood. Lionstar drew his body parallel to hers, offering her something sturdy to lean against. "Come on. I'll take you back, and as punishment you have to listen to me lecture you on how mousebrained you're being."Her expression hadn't gone unnoticed. He could read it in her pretty amber eyes that she was upset by all of this, but that wasn't going to earn her any sympathy points with him. Better to have her healed and annoyed with his fussing than risking further injury because he let her brood or keep her pride. If anyone was allowed to brood or let their pride get the better of them, it was him; he had a few lives to spare. leader of TreeClan
|
|
|
Post by Justice on Nov 1, 2016 22:36:02 GMT -5
Honeysong We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we lie in fields of gold58 Moons, Senior Warrior of TreeClan She was so happy to see him. Even if he was telling her off about leaving the medicine den. When he arranged himself at her side she slumped against him gratefully, sides heaving for a moment from exerting herself too much too soon. Amber eyes shut and she butted her head against his shoulder, helpless for a long few moments. "Don't be angry." She asked him, rubbing her head against his shoulder as if that would make her head stop hurting. "I just wanted a short walk. I needed to get out of there."
She knew she'd moved too soon, and felt as if how she felt now was punishment enough. She'd be out for days, and with leaf-fall nearly over they didn't have time for an injured warrior. Realistically, she knew there were enough warriors and hunters to take up the slack of one missing, but she worried over the queens and the kits. The ones that couldn't just tough it out if things went south with their food source. "I thought I was stronger than this."
The last time she'd been this badly hurt had been....her frame trembled and she choked for a moment before she was able to regain her senses. She was looking straight ahead now, gaze distant. "I dreamed of before. I dreamed of moons past, of the last time I was hurt so badly I couldn't stand. And the nest was just too small and the walls were crushing against me." She shook her head. "I know it's mousebrained, but I had to get out."
She had had a bad dream, as silly as it was for her to admit to at her age. She'd been scared, had awoken and briefly thought herself back on that horrible day, to waking up and discovering she'd lost her entire family in one devastating go. Her life had ended, and then Lionstar had swept back into her life and saved her. Rather he knew it or not, he had saved her. He and the tiny litter of orphaned kits that were now all safely warriors of strength and courage.
Honeysong shook her head, realizing only then that she'd rested it against her leader and straightening back up. "Falconstorm and his siblings have all been by to see me already. I got an ear full about scaring them all." She did not say that they'd also piled on and around her like a bunch of kits.
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Nov 2, 2016 11:56:00 GMT -5
blinded by the light of a new sun take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem Lionstar's breath eased out in a quiet exhale, his heart squeezing at the pain in her voice, at the... emotions both spoken and unspoken that radiated from Honeysong. His tone gentled even without thinking about it; he could sympathize. Darkness had plagued them both, and it wasn't as though that fateful day hadn't sent a shudder down his spine too."It seems I'm destined to keep an eye on you, Honeysong." He mewed, about to give her ear a comforting lick before she'd pulled her head away. "We can sit outside camp for a while." This offer was made in accompaniment with a kinder smile, the sternness not fully fading from his gaze or his tone of voice, but it had lessened.With care and a slow pace, Lionstar guided her back the way they had walked, stopping outside the entrance to TreeClan's camp, the ancient stump in view. He gestured with his tail for her to sit or lie down, and he chose to sit next to her, but not before sending an apprentice - Dunepaw again - to fetch her a ball of moss soaked in the brook."There's strength in patience, you know." Lionstar observed, thinking back to one of the first things she'd said to him when he'd caught up with her. 'I thought I was stronger than this'. "I know it's hard, especially for cats like you and me, to stop fighting... To let the bad run its course so we can heal, or move on. But you made it pretty clear to me the other day, that we aren't alone."Golden eyes settled on Honeysong's lilac fur, taking in the softness of her features and the sweetness he always saw there. "Next time you feel like getting out of camp, find me first." There was a soft twitch of his whiskers, and a hint of humor. "Give me a chance next time to either talk you out of it or go with you." Or even sit beside her and share her pain.It seemed like too much to ask of a friend, and he knew he would never ask it of her if their roles were reserved, yet he also knew that she would be right there beside him if he was going through the same thing. Reliving dark memories. Struggling to accept that recovering was in their best interests, instead of trying to force themselves back into their duties.Was she in any pain? Lionstar cast a critical eye upon her, as if he could see any existing aches or pains the she-cat was experiencing. Perhaps he should have taken her right back to her nest. Your sympathy's getting the better of you, Lionstar.leader of TreeClan 447 Words | Justice | notes: x.x rambly, sorry!
|
|
|
Post by Justice on Nov 5, 2016 16:15:19 GMT -5
Honeysong We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we lie in fields of gold58 Moons, Senior Warrior of TreeClan She cast her amber eyes at him for his comment and shrugged a little. "It seems so, but hasn't it always been that way? One of us has a moment where we simply don't think we can go on and the other, along with our other friends, comes along to help pick up the pieces. Its part of being friends." She smiled but it was weak, every part of her now starting up a dull throb of pain. She knew it wasn't injury, more the soreness of her muscles having locked up in the split second before she was hit in the head with the branch. Shocked at what happened, unable to comprehend it at first, then getting bitten? She hoped Lionstar forgave her for scaring everyone.
His help meant so much to her, more than she could really express. His kindness was something she truly admired about him, much better than the arrogance he'd had as a younger cat. Though as a youth she'd found that arrogance charming, she much preferred him the way he was now.
"There's strength in patience, you know."
Honeysong sighed and tipped her head so she could butt it against his shoulder again. "I know. Thank you for reminding me. Sometimes, when I have dreams like that especially, I forget that there are those that will be there for me if I need them." She gave the shoulder she'd been headbutting a lick, a show of affection and appreciation to this tom who worried about so much and still had time to fuss over her. To help her remember that she mattered.
Lionstar was just looking out for her, she realized this. Still, being the center of his attention, even for such a terrible reason, was an interesting change. He was her friend, had been for a long time. She felt bad that she'd taken his attention, even marginally, away from the clan with leaf-bare almost upon them.
Once he'd stopped them and motioned for her to do so Honeysong gratefully laid down, a little huff coming out of her as she was able to finally relax. Her injured paw was hurting her again, though it was only a dull throb, more sore than anything. Nothing a medicine cat would need to fuss over, she didn't think. Her entire body was sore as well, but again, nothing to worry about. She'd just pushed herself to hard.
"I didn't want to bother you. Things are already so tense with leafbare coming and so many kits in the nursery." She had her head lain on the ground and her eyes shut while she spoke, not sleeping so much as resting and being still while her head slowly stopped aching. "You'd have come after me anyway, wouldn't you? If I'd managed to leave camp. Straight on, calling me all kinds of mousebrained for being so stupid with my health and safety." She lifted her head, tipping it to regard him. "I never like being a burden, and I didn't want to worry you further. I'll heal, and in the meantime I do silly things like leaving the medicine den when I'm not well." She put her head back down and sighed. "At least I didn't get rolled over by a giant ball of moss."
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Nov 11, 2016 21:29:17 GMT -5
blinded by the light of a new sun take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem "You'd have come after me anyway, wouldn't you? If I'd managed to leave camp. Straight on, calling me all kinds of mousebrained for being so stupid with my health and safety."Lionstar didn't know whether to purr or growl, and the result ended up being a scoff in the back of his throat -though his eyes were still kind. "Yes, I would've." Calling her all kinds of mousebrained all the while, just as she'd said. "You could never be a burden to the Clan, Honeysong. Any cat that wants to say otherwise will have me to deal with." That Honeysong chose then to bring up the moss ball had Lionstar letting out an amused huff of air. "Don't jinx it." The gentle teasing aside... Golden eyes found the fatigued she-cat, and his gaze combed over her face for any further signs of distress, trying to read what was going on behind her expression. "Did you... want to talk about it?" It being the nightmare. Being the memories from her past that he would rather she never have to experience ever again; but, talking through things could be therapeutic. Bluejay was probably better at this. A better listener. A better council. But Lionstar wanted to let his friend know that she could confide in him, if she chose to do so; he would never laugh at anything she had to tell him, or belittle her feelings, or disregard her opinions on anything. If he could ease some of the emotional pain, then by StarClan, he would try. leader of TreeClan
|
|
|
Post by Justice on Nov 11, 2016 23:30:25 GMT -5
Honeysong We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we lie in fields of gold58 Moons, Senior Warrior of TreeClan The lilac she-cat gave a soft laugh at the sound that came out of her leader, but knowing that he'd come after her warmed her heart. She lifted her head again and leaned over to lick his ear, though she had to almost get up to do it since he was larger than she was and she'd been lying down. That achieved she settled back on the grass with a little exhausted huff. "So fierce."
Honeysong had to grin when he let out an amused sound. "I'd rather have been rolled over by the moss than hit in the head and bitten by a snake. Though the moss would have been far more embarrassing." Because a seasoned warrior being squashed under a large ball of moss would have been hilarious.
"Did you...want to talk about it?"
Oh, he really didn't want her to tell him about the dreams that drove her from the medicine den, did he? She sighed, the sound dragging through her body. "I don't. But..I've learned that holding in things that haunt dreams only gives them more power to hurt you."
A slight, very sad smile stole onto her features then and her head rested on her paws as she fixed her gaze on the horizon such as she could see. "I was a young warrior again, heavily pregnant and in love. Dustburrow was still here, still pretending to be mine. But then...everything went dark and a great storm covered the land. Dustburrow became Demon and chased me across the territory. I called for help but no one could hear me. And then...he caught me and ripped the kits from my body, killed them while I could see it. I begged him to stop, begged StarClan to not let it happen, to spare my poor kits. I'd been fooled, it wasn't their fault their father was such a terrible cat. Why did they have to suffer for my mistakes?"
Her ears laid back against her skull and she clenched her eyes shut as her body shook from remembering the terrible dream. "I wanted to be a mother more than anything in the world. I was so happy to find out I was having kits, and then to suddenly have that taken away." She'd been so depressed she had wanted to simply die, to go on to StarClan so she could be with her kits. Only being given the litter that had contained Falconstorm and his siblings had saved her.
"Before I woke up I could hear them calling to me, asking me why I hadn't saved them. Why hadn't I tried harder for them? Didn't I want them, didn't I love them?" She pressed her face against the ground so that Lionstar wouldn't see her expression as it dissolved into true desolation. "I know it was a dream, but it hurt so much, ripped open old wounds I thought I'd healed from. I guess somewhere, deep in my mind, I'm not as healed as I thought."
Well, perhaps she'd spoken more than she should. Would he even still be next to her when she looked again? Had she made being at her side so uncomfortable that he'd simply walked away? She didn't dare to look, though the breaking of her heart said she hoped she wasn't alone right now.
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Nov 14, 2016 21:38:33 GMT -5
blinded by the light of a new sun take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem He could imagine it; tiny kits that had never gotten the chance to be named, that had never even opened their eyes, mewling for their mother - cutting her with questions and pleas that dug in harder than even the sharpest claws. Lionstar's heart mourned for her loss, and he mourned for the unrest in Honeysong's heart and head both."Your kits would never blame you for what happened," he began softly, uncertain if there were better words than what he had to comfort a queen with so much grief in her soul, but Lionstar spoke nevertheless. He would speak from his gut, for good or for bad. "No cat could blame you for what happened."The golden tom laid his tail around Honeysong's shoulders, as if he could cover her from the pain she had endured for 28 moons. "Asking Bluejay for herbs won't help; or they will just help you fall asleep, they won't keep the dreams away." The tone his voice had taken on was benevolent, but pensive, as if he were thinking long and hard about something. A spark entered his eyes just then, though it was quickly followed up with solemn hope."We should sit vigil for them. Every leaf-fall, we can pick a night when the stars are bright, and let them know they are loved, and missed." They could honor all of the dead this way. Perhaps it would not be such a bad idea for the entire Clan to do so.The longest night of the year... Leafbare. Lionstar would not ask his warriors, apprentices, queens and kits to stay up on one of the coldest nights of the season, so perhaps the last day or so of leaf-fall would have to do. This was a private grieving process; not every cat was required to grieve, rather it would be open to those that wanted to feel close to their loved ones. The cats they had lost. Despite the heart-wrenching topic that had brought about this idea, Lionstar was grateful for it; he felt confident that he would have the support of Bluejay and Gorsetail both. They had lost cats closest to them, and by the looks of it, Nightpaw could benefit from having an excuse to stay up all night.Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Lionstar gave himself a little shake, hoping with a small shock that he hadn't missed Honeysong's answer in the midst of his private brainstorming session. Whatever she decided, he would be right here alongside her. leader of TreeClan
|
|
|
Post by Justice on Nov 14, 2016 22:37:22 GMT -5
Honeysong We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we lie in fields of gold58 Moons, Senior Warrior of TreeClan Her shoulders shook even as he spoke to her, briefly letting her grief take her. She wondered if it was possible to push grief and sorrow into the ground her face was pressed against, to purge it from her furry frame. "I was their mother, why couldn't I save them? Was StarClan punishing me for falling for Dustburrow's charm?" Her words were muffled against the ground, but since she was speaking pretty loudly she was sure he could hear her.
"No cat could blame you for what happened."
She lifted her head when he spoke these words, staring at him with eyes gone large and liquid with sadness. "Even StarClan?"
Honeysong noticed his tail around her shoulders and stared at it for the longest time as he kept talking. His voice was soothing, and she was reminded of just how long they'd been in each other's lives. She'd always tried to be there for him, and it had always been to Lionstar that she went when her own world came crashing down around her. He was a rock in her life, the one constant she'd always relied on as time carried on. Her parents hadn't wanted her, her kits had been taken from her, but Lionstar had always been there.
"A vigil?" She broke from her thoughts on the tom next to her at his words, head tipping slowly to one side as her ears flicked forward. "You mean actually talk to them, as if to StarClan?" That was where cats went most of the time, after all, and she did believe in that. "I...I would like that. I think it would provide closure, to myself as well as to our clanmates."
She considered him once again, watching as he seemed to sink into his thoughts after his suggestion. A small smile crossed onto her face, and before she could talk herself out of it the lilac colored she-cat scooted herself sideways on the ground so that her body was pressed against Lionstar's side and butted her head under his, letting off a weak purr as she did so. "Thank you. For listening to me. For understanding."
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Nov 15, 2016 21:53:52 GMT -5
blinded by the light of a new sun take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem
The warm touch of Honeysong's fur as she nuzzled her head right against his throat caught him completely by surprise. Against his control, his heartbeat increased for a moment, and he was hyperaware of the sweet scent of her fur with such a close proximity. Lionstar soon relaxed, blinking warmly at her though she could not see it. "No thanks necessary. I'll always have an ear to lend if you need one." Lionstar's purr was a low rumble, deep and soothing and a sound he did not make as often as he used to. He was always so busy; always so caught up in Clan dealings that he forgot to have moments like these. But this wasn't a regular moment. As much as he enjoyed her company, if the only way to enjoy this much closeness and emotional vulnerability was for Honeysong to experience her night terrors all over again, then he would've given up purring for the rest of his lives. Better to have her safe and happy than to selfishly appreciate these rare happenings marked by many moons of friendship, mutual trust and affection. Perhaps for the first time, he wondered if that affection was strictly platonic in nature. You've got bees in your brain, he chastized himself immediately. Honeysong had poured her heart out to him about her lost litter, and he was all of a sudden thinking of something more? It was inconsiderate. It was foxbrained is what it was, and he almost apologized until he caught himself, realizing she'd have no idea what he was saying sorry for. Dropping it immediately, Lionstar willed himself to relax, forcing his mind to focus on the plan he had devised. He would have to find Gorsetail and Bluejay to discuss it with them when he had the chance. leader of TreeClan
|
|
|
Post by Justice on Nov 17, 2016 0:22:24 GMT -5
Honeysong We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we lie in fields of gold58 Moons, Senior Warrior of TreeClan Honeysong pressed her weight sideways so that she was braced against Lionstar's side fully and continued to rub her head under his. It was terribly forward of her, but it made her feel better. "Hmmm..." She purred softly, amber eyes sliding shut slowly as she relaxed in the warmth of the body next to hers. This here, the closeness of another cat, was what comforted her the most.
She had always felt best when around other cats. As a kit she'd relentlessly followed after any adult that paid her the least bit of attention. Of course, as she'd been abandoned, no one seemed to blame her. The number of times she'd fallen asleep in a large pile of fluffy kits was an endless source of amusement to her clanmates, especially as she'd gotten older.
She gave a soft yawn then, her purr deepening into one of contentment. Slowly her head sunk until it was rested against his neck and the she-cat drifted off into a deep, contented sleep.
|
|