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Post by Fawn on Aug 25, 2019 13:49:42 GMT -5
30 Moons StoneClan Tom Kestrelclaw "Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't harm them." -Dalai Lama He'd left a bloody trail to follow from the Sun Stones to the heart of StoneClan's territory. All he could think about was Dawnpaw; the way the young cat's eyes had fluttered closed and made Kestrelclaw's heart seize in terror. The limpness of Dawnpaw's body when Kestrelclaw, his own muscles screaming, had hoisted him onto his back. I have to get help. Those words were a broken loop in Kestrelclaw's mind, like a waterfall with no beginning or end.
He kicked up dust from his uneven gait, drawing rough breaths as the first few markers for StoneClan's camp finally swam into view. Just a bit farther! He had to save him. He couldn't save Eagletalon; he couldn't save Ashpaw; he refused to fail a third time.
"Kestrelclaw!" A sharp voice pierced his ears, making him flinch - then nearly sink to the ground with relief. It was his littermate, Meadowflight, a hunting party of cats behind her. "What in StarClan's name happened?"
Kestrelclaw's breath came out tight as he forced words, feeling dizzy. "Eagles. Two. Sun Stones."
A tom's gasp made Kestrelclaw whip his head around in time to see Dustclaw helping to hoist his son from Kestrelclaw's back. Kestrelclaw staggered, as if his sole purpose for working so hard had suddenly been lifted. Meadowflight gave him her shoulder to lean on, which he took gratefully, his eyelids half-closed as the hunting party hastened to camp.
"Sandblaze! Ebonypaw!" Meadowflight's voice interrupted the peaceful morning, and Kestrelclaw interally winced at the panic making his sister's words tremor. "I'll be okay," he murmured, but his placations were lost in the flurry of activity.
The scent of herbs rushed him all at once, and Kestrelclaw's heart lurched as he saw his apprentice carefully laid down in one of the healers' nests. "Dawnpaw first, treat Dawnpaw first," he planted his feet, swaying on his paws and refusing to budge an inch.
"Don't be a fool," said Sandblaze sternly, "two medicine cats, two patients. Ebonypaw, treat Kestrelclaw. I'll look after Dawnpaw." Already the ginger tom was bringing cobwebs and herbs to the battered apprentice's side.
Kestrelclaw shook his head, but there was no strength in the motion. He suddenly felt so tired. So worn down. I have to make sure Dawnpaw's alright. The back of Kestrelclaw's neck prickled. There were sharp eyes upon him, searing him to the skin. Dustclaw. His friend's gaze stung like a nest of wasps, and Kestrelclaw's heart fell at the unspoken accusations. "I'm sorry," he mewed. "I should have protected him better."
Dustclaw snorted.
An apology wasn't going to staunch Dawnpaw's bleeding.
Backdated to Greenleaf Day 3, shortly after this thread. |
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| I will not be like a bird bred in a cage, I thought, too dull to fly even when the door stands open. |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Ginger on Aug 25, 2019 14:58:06 GMT -5
Every time he felt himself even slightly wake up, Dawnpaw slipped away yet again. A familiar scent brought him out again -- Dustclaw? But it wasn't enough to keep him away from the void that he kept slipping back into.
Next time Dawnpaw felt himself regaining consciousness, he was no longer outside. Rather, he was inside a den, strong scents of herbs stimulating his nose. After staying awake for a few breaths, Dawnpaw determined that he was going to stay conscious from now on. The next goal was to open his eyes.
But it was still black. Dawnpaw opened and closed his eyes multiple times, feeling his eyelids slide over his eyes. Nothing was changing. Maybe he was dreaming. Voices were echoing all around him, simultaneously close to him and far away. He couldn't make out any words, but the tabby apprentice could make out some of the sources of the voices. Sandblaze, Stoneclan's medicine cat, was one of the more resounding ones. Kestrelclaw, his brave mentor who had saved him from certain death. The more he focused on the voices, the more Dawnpaw realized that this was no dream.
And then the pain set in.
Scalding, red hot pain shot through Dawnpaw's leg, causing his entire body to ever so slightly spasm. The injured apprentice, however, was feeling too weak to yowl in pain. All he could do was let out the breathiest of whimpers, not very telling of the incredible pain he was actually going through.
His head was pounding, everything was dark, and his leg was causing him the most pain he had ever felt. Am I dying? It only made sense. Dawnpaw had done something that warriors do, and now here he was, in pain and unable to see. Panic, along with his pain, began to course through his veins. He wasn't ready to go yet! He hadn't even had his sun-down meal with Paintedpaw! Petalrain hadn't talked to him in a few days! It wasn't his time.
"I-I'm not...rea--dy to g-go," he whispered ever so slightly, incredibly aware of his terribly dry mouth and raspy voice. Unable to close his mouth again, Dawnpaw left it open, taking in all the scents around him.
368 words Ghost the Undead Goddess , Fawn |
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| "If you're gonna hit it, hit it until it breaks." |
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GaleClan Leader
GorgeClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by Ghost the Undead Goddess on Aug 26, 2019 14:24:45 GMT -5
Ebonypaw, Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams Large black paws were sorting through herbs as the ever watchful gaze of her mentor sat on and observed. She was used to doing more and more when it came to smaller things and simple fixings, of course he aided with the more complicated of things. Though in time, Ebonypaw would be a capable, fully trained Medicine Cat.
A ear twitched slightly at the sudden intrusion of yowls and the scent of blood and panic. Pale green pools glanced at Sandblaze for just a moment before they both turned to be greeted by a number of cats, and Dawnpaw looking far battered and bruised than any of the other warriors.
The nub hidden within long black fur twitched with mild irritation, though her gaze remained sharp and unreadable as the apprentice made her way over to Kestrelclaw's form on order from her own mentor. Sandblaze himself went straight for the motionless, but breathing form of Dawnpaw, who had obviously taken the brunt of whatever had happened out within their territory.
The large feline gave a quick over on the injured warrior, the scent of eagle strong and the evidence of claw marks and gashes only concluded to what possibly could have happened. Birds a prey were always a danger to cats, mostly to those with open territories as opposed to the forest areas of Treeclan and Nightclan.
Herbs and supplies laid waiting at the massive, flat paws of Ebonypaw, but she turned those fierce mossy pools to were Dustclaw stared coldly Kestrelclaw, who leaned against his littermate. The apprentice needed them all out of the den, far too many bodies for her and her mentor to work comfortably.
"Meadowflight, Dustclaw leave, they are in good paws." Her tone was quick and sharp, earning a nod from the she-cat who pressed her nose to Kestrelclaw for a moment before slowly padding back to the rest of the camp. Dustclaw, the father of the injured apprentice, stood for a moment and opened his jaw in some sort of argument before Ebonypaw continued.
"Dawnpaw wont wake up or heal any faster with you standing over him like a stork." There was a flash of annoyance that made itself present within those pale eyes, her tone a stinging reply. "We need room to work, and right now you are just in the way."
"Dawnpaw will be fine Dustclaw, let us do our job." Sandblaze spoke from his spot, nose pointed at the injured apprentice and his gaze observing wounds as he didn't look up to address the father of the young tabby. His tone was far more comforting than his young apprentice's sting, but didn't have time to reprimand the black she-cat.
Finally Dustclaw tightly closed his muzzle and made his way silently from the den, it was finally quiet though there was a faint buzz of noise from Camp. Ebonypaw was sure either Hawkstar or Smokestorm would show up shortly to check on their clanmates, which caused another flicker of her tail nub.
Green pools were eyeballing a particularly deep wound, blood, pebbles and dirt starting to cake around the marred area. All his cuts and scrapes needed to be cleaned, that much was certain, then Ebonypaw could really look for what needed to be taken care of.
"Start cleaning your wounds, and tell me what hurts the most." Her voice didn't shift from that sharp, proper tone of hers. Dipping her head to sort out her bundle of herbs, the black feline pulled aside some cobwebs and some marigold. Infection was the last thing either of these two toms needed.
Dawnpaws weak voice pulled Ebonypaw from her thoughts, casting a green eyes glance in his direction as she felt Kestrelclaw stiffen beside her. The older apprentice had to hold from rolling her eyes at his cry, though to be fair, she didn't know all he was going through at the moment either.
"Stop crying Dawnpaw, you wont die." Not on our watch anyways. Ebonypaw returned her attention to the warrior next to her while she chewed up some of the Marigold to apply to lesser scratches along his ruffled coat.
"Don't listen to that old badger..." Sandblaze said softly, a hint of amusement within his tone as he spoke about Ebonypaw while carefully tending to Dawnpaw. "Everything will be okay now, just tell me what hurts."
12 Moons StoneClan Medicine Cat Apprentice |
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Post by Fawn on Sept 7, 2019 10:16:46 GMT -5
30 Moons StoneClan Tom Kestrelclaw "Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't harm them." -Dalai Lama "I..." Kestrelclaw frowned at Ebonypaw, struggling to string his thoughts into something coherent. His entire body felt like one big wound, concentrating enough to answer her question seemed laughable. Bone tiredness and deep wounds were a deadly combination, he knew, but some part of Kestrelclaw wasn't really worried about himself. Not really. All that mattered was--
"I-I'm not...rea--dy to g-go,"
That tiny whimper, raspy and weak, shattered Kestrelclaw's constitution. His expression crunched with horror, the stocky warrior backing haphazardly out of the medicine cat's den, heart plunged into a fearful rhythm. StarClan no! Please, not Dawnpaw. He couldn't lose his first apprentice. Kestrelclaw's head swam, the world thrown into sharp contrasting colors as panic seized him tighter than an eagle's talons.
"Stop crying Dawnpaw, you wont die." Ebonypaw spoke and Kestrelclaw's gaze snapped to the fluffy she-cat - then to Sandblaze, as his friend spoke in far more soothing tones.
"Everything will be okay now, just tell me what hurts." Sandblaze glanced briefly at him next. "Come back in, Kestrelclaw. It's alright. You'll both be alright, as long as you let Ebonypaw see to your wounds."
Kestrelclaw's whole body shook with relief, the lump in his throat sitting there like a rock, blocking words. Further exhausted by the emotional upheaval, Kestrelclaw's tail dragged on the stone floor as he moved leaden paws back into the medicine cat's den. "It's my sides, both of them," and... He paused in his murmuring, turning his head to eye his back; he couldn't see much without hurting himself, but there was crusted blood and dirt all over. "Back too." That's where the eagle's claws had cut the deepest, and no doubt his long hasty trek through the territory had done the claw wounds no favors.
Unable to reach the wounds to clean them, Kestrelclaw dipped his head in apology to Sandblaze's apprentice. "Sor...Sorry," he murmured, words slow. "Can't reach." The young warrior's eyes kept darting to the more senior medicine cat and Dawnpaw, hyperaware of every whimper, every twitch his apprentice made. I have to believe Sandblaze. Had to believe that everything was going to be okay now.
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| I will not be like a bird bred in a cage, I thought, too dull to fly even when the door stands open. |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Ginger on Sept 18, 2019 12:34:09 GMT -5
"Everything will be okay now, just tell me what hurts."
Those words helped Dawnpaw come to the realization that he wasn't dying. As dark as it was, as little as he could see, he was still alive. Somehow.
He tried to move his leg, but it was met with sharp pain, forcing the young tabby to let out a whimper. "Is...is my leg s-still there?" All he felt was pain. Dawnpaw couldn't move it, and the pain had spread out so much that he had little sense of what was what. All he had sense of was that he was hurting. Oh Starclan, had the eagle eaten his leg?
With all his might, Dawnpaw attempted to lift his head. Nothing moved. Was he paralyzed too? Was that why he couldn't see? Was he going to have to stay in the medicine den for the rest of his life?
"C-can't move...can't...see." Dawnpaw was trying to be brave, just like a warrior, just like Kestrelclaw, but he couldn't help but keep his voice from quivering. He was truly scared, an emotion he was not often the subject of. Scared if he would be able to walk out of this den. Scared if his name would forever be Dawnpaw. What if he wasn't good enough for his clan? For his family? Petalrain would never be proud of me then...
229 words Ghost the Undead Goddess , Fawn |
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| "If you're gonna hit it, hit it until it breaks." |
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GaleClan Leader
GorgeClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by Ghost the Undead Goddess on Nov 15, 2019 5:19:13 GMT -5
Ebonypaw, Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams There was a flicker of annoyance within those pale pools as Kestrelclaw haphazardly backed out of the Medicine Cat's den, as if that would fix anything that had happened, or make it disappear like a bad dream. It was Sandblaze who spoke in a much more soothing tone than she would have used to bring the warrior back to where she stood.
Her tail nub twitched out of sight, irritation rising within her large form but she shoved it back down as she moved to examine the areas the warrior had told her about. It definitely seemed like his back had the most damage, the still bleeding mars looked deep but not deadly. It would take some time to heal, but he would probably only have small scars as a reminder of the event.
"I'll give you some poppy seeds for the pain, and to ease your anxiety." Ebonypaw grumbled after a minute, knowing that in his jumpy state he could just future irritate his wounds. And she needed him to stay calm for the sake of his apprentice who was currently in a much worse state.
"Get some for Dawnpaw too, he needs to rest." Sandblaze spoke up, his attention still not leaving the young tabby tom as the red furred healer set to cleaning the more deeper and painful of the apprentice's wounds. Panic and fear clung to the young apprentice, anything to soothe him would be beneficial for certain.
Padding away from Kestrelclaw for but a moment, the multicolored feline returned, pausing to drop a bundle of poppy leaves at her mentor's paws before returning to her own patient and nudging the little black seeds towards him. She then set to her task of cleaning the wounds along his back and sides, pleased to see that some were much shallower than they initially seemed.
"I'll put some Marigold on it, make sure no infection sets in and wrap it in some cobwebs. Eat those poppy seeds and i'll check your wounds when you wake up, you can eat something then too." Ebonypaw spoke in that sharp tone of hers again, sounding far older and wiser than her twelve moons of life within Stoneclan. She had taken to her role of Medicine Cat quite well.
Sandblaze gave a small smile of approval, ears flickering as he listened to her plan. He gave a gentle nudge to Dawnpaw, turning his muzzle to where the poppy seeds waited for him, "Go on and eat those for now. It will help, I promise." His tone far gentler and more soothing to the frantic young apprentice.
12 Moons StoneClan Medicine Cat Apprentice |
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Post by Fawn on Nov 27, 2019 20:02:29 GMT -5
30 Moons StoneClan Tom Kestrelclaw "Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't harm them." -Dalai Lama "I'll put some Marigold on it, make sure no infection sets in and wrap it in some cobwebs. Eat those poppy seeds and i'll check your wounds when you wake up, you can eat something then too."
Sleep? Ebonypaw thought he was going to sleep? Despite the heavy tiredness he knew was a result of blood-loss and the adrenaline leaving his body, Kestrelclaw's emotional state was chaotic, like a storm that he couldn't predict. Kestrelclaw slowly lowered himself onto his belly to give the healer's apprentice full access to the wounds on his back. His sides stung at the excess movement, feeling the wounds stretch. A hiss slipped between his teeth, otherwise Kestrelclaw fell silent.
It was aparent by the rigid position of his ears that he was listening to Dawnpaw and Sandblaze. The ginger tom was moving fluidly and speaking in tones as soothing as a queen's. Those words were meant for Dawnpaw, he knew that. Yet he could not stop himself from grasping onto them tight as he could, willing himself to be soothed too.
..."C-can't move...can't...see."...
Can't see. Kestrelclaw's heart swapped places with his stomach, bile filling up the space between them. No, StarClan not again! Had the eagles scratched Dawnpaw's eyes? Had he hit his head? Bloody memories swelled inside Kestrelclaw's brain, infecting him with fear and guilt as he remembered Sootpaw's ruined eyes, the fox's claws robbing her of sight.
With a pain in his chest deeper than anything the eagles had inflicted upon him, Kestrelclaw whispered to Ebonypaw, voice hoarse and miserable. "Why can't he see?" Will his sight come back? Ebonypaw had brought him poppy seeds and marigold, but Kestrelclaw looked at the tiny black specks as if they were boulders she were asking him to swallow instead. He had to hear her answer first. |
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