Quote:
Originally Posted by Duskflight
"Shinefang I think you see yourself more as an elder than anyone else in this clan. You're not too terribly old my friend." He chuffed out with a small grin, but he did mean what he said. While he did know that the other tom was certainly older than him, he didn't see him as old as he made himself out to be sometimes.
Once the other tom was at his side, ready to provide his support, the leader carefully began to amble forward, legs feeling a bit wobbly. He would pause at the entrance of the medicine cat den, sniff at the air, squint at the natural light that shone down through the leafless trees. Nothing really seemed to have changed at all, and he was glad of that. Clan life didn't need to stop just because he was under the weather. Everything was just as it should be. With a happy flick of his tail, he would start his slow walk again, noting the quiet achiness of his limbs, but it was definitely not bad. It was just a whisper of pain and soreness. Surely with a bit more walking and stretching he would be walking at his pace he always walked at.
It took approximately two full minutes at this pace to reach the entrance to the camp, leading out into the territory and there he would pause to inhale the scents that came with it. He wasn't too tired, though he would have to say he would need a break once reaching the small stream they were headed to. "Alright to the stream..." He murmured, mostly to himself, as if to prepare himself for that walk before moving forward again. "How long do you think until I'm ready to finally leave the medicine den?" |
Shinefang gave a derisive snort in response. "First of all, you and our clanmates are the only ones talking about elders.
I prefer the term, ex-warrior. Or new medicine cat. Second, tell that to my joints. Greenleaf can't come soon enough." The aching in his joints that he expected from being in the cold air dug the tips of its cold claws into his limbs. Fortunately the willow bark took the edge off, and he could move with the spryness of a younger cat. In a way, he supposed he should be pleased to see that he looked at ease enough winding along the thick, leafless undergrowth to make the leader think it wasn't a struggle for him. Of course, his focus wasn't on his own well-being now. It was on Grousestar's. The leader had been a little on the shaky side as they'd begun to traverse the woods, and even now he certainly didn't seem to be quite as sure-footed as usual, but it was subtle, and the tom's spirits seemed to have brightened with a bit of time in the sunlight and fresh air. Still, he kept close, watching the boisterous young cat like a wary parent for any sign of trouble or weakness.
Naturally, one of the tabby tom's first questions had been about when he could leave the den. "Leave? At this rate, I thought we'd become denmates and live the single tom life together," he joked, chortling as he amused himself. "No shecat will be able to resist our wily tomcat charms. But if you insist on squashing my dreams, I'd say maybe a couple more days just to make sure you keep getting stronger. Then maybe just a few more check ups over the next quarter on a moon once you move back to your den. I'm sure you're through the worst of it, but what can I say? I worry like a queen with her first litter." His japing finished, Shinefang turned his amber eye on the leader and sincerely asked him, "How are you feeling so far?"