There's a pause, tilting his chin slightly down. Avoiding the underlying question. A look of delight flashed in amber optics, the silence was telling in itself. Though, truthfully if one would take the life of a wanderer then you were bound to run into .. sinners. Still, narrow eyes turned into thin slits. Spirit didn't know of how much experience Oleander carried — and that could make all the difference.
"That's good to hear then. It would be a shame if someone took advantage of your .. helpful personality and you ended up dead in a ditch, " He sighed sadly, glancing to the side. Nonetheless, if the tom hadn't went scampering off at his invasive questions then he had to be slightly more forgiving than the average cat.
Then again, the average cat Spirit met tended to attack him on sight. So territorial.
The chimera glances back towards Oleander, a smile spreading over his lips. "Reallyy?" He rumbles, eyes crinkling up in elation. In a quick movement, they're up on their paws (wincing as they pressed down on the ground but quickly shifting back into a content expression.) "I'm sure you'll be great help, anyway! He does have quite the few.." they purse their lips, ".. ailments in general. " Oopsie. In their defense, the black cat proved to be quite resilient! They had to .. go to extreme measures to ensure it's safety. After all, if it escaped it would likely simply succumb to its current injuries.
"You're welcome to bring a friend. The more the merrier .. I'll ensure you both are well fed! Anywho, our den is .. " Spirit jerked their head towards west, "that direction. Does that perhaps align with your friend's path?" They inquired, tail flickering back and forth. Having another cat wasn't particularly a big deal, more playmates were always interesting — though they did neglect to inform Oleander .. of his other denmate. Even if he brought another, the number would still be even.
__________________
❝ hold on tight to this time,
this place 'cause everything you know will be erased.
you were born inside your head.
and that is where you'll be when you are dead. ❞ -- currently on a hiatus until further notice --
꒰ pronouns.cc꒱
Re: is your blood authentic? can you prove it? [ p ]
There was an almost interceptible scrunch on Oleander's face. This cat wasn't even being subtle! Even his brother, with his little inside jokes, had more subtlety. The tabbico considered making a run for it again. But what if this cat was telling the truth? He was definitely keeping sonerhing, but maybe there really was someone injured, be it someone evil or someone they injured themself. Either way, he had to help.
His haze tracked the direction he was presented with. Not really towards WindClan..
"No, I don't think so. But I might be able to manage anyway! I can cure infection and I know how to bolster strength and recovery. If its a specific illness like a cough I might have more trouble." he said, flicking his exceptionally floofy tail back and forth. Nick seemed to still be in pain from the wounds, hopefully the numbness would take hold soon. Oleander winced every time the other did, involuntarily empathising with the pain.
Re: is your blood authentic? can you prove it? [ p ]
「〷」 THE HOLY GHOST「〷」 ╰► SPIRIT he | they ♛ tall black, grey, and white chimera with varying fur lengths and texture + a kinked tail; bright amber eyes ♛
The chimera had to resist the urge to burst into a fit of giggles at the scrunchy expression plastered over Oleander's scarred face. It was subtle, perhaps not something most would pick up on (of course, they did. they saw everything — anything.) It was clear there was no trust, but alas he did not relent. Maybe curiosity (kindness?) will kill the cat!
"Ooh, that's a shame. I was looking forward to meeting your little buddy, " Spirit clicked their tongue against the roof of their mouth, tilting his head to the side. "Though, if you truly insist .. I suppose we can go on a bit of an adventure. Just gotta hope my, aa, friend doesn't drop dead before then, of course!" He chirped, albeit too cheerful for the rather morbid sentence. Clearly, the other wasn't going to be scared away from such statements. It was nice to let loose, if only a little.
"Well, from the sounds of that I think you'll do dandy! Probably better than my.. attempts, " Then, in retrospect, poisons weren't really known from their healing properties. Spirit raised a brow at the flinching. Huh. Was this guy reallyy mimicking his winces? That was peculiar. His long, bent tail curled up over his hindleg. It felt like a mockery and caused their stomach to churn uncomfortably. A reminder of being currently perceived and watched and gaped at. (areminderofacoldslabandbeadyeyesstaringandjudging throughdaysanddaysanddays)
They blinked. "Righty-so! Let's be on our way before it darkens. I think there are some delicious berries on our way, " He rumbled, turning and beginning to head off towards RiverClan's side of the Outskirts.
uughhh!!!!!!! Spirit was SO tired. honestly, he was regretting inviting oleander. The idea of dangling possible help, freedom in front of the black cat had just seemed fun. He was getting tired of it; experimenting was fun and all but it got repetitive after a couple of moons. Still, he would make the other last for at least a few more. It was a pain in the ass to get another one anyway.
Besides that, the trip itself had been awful, and while the budrock had numbed his paws for a stretch of time it had worn off by the time they reached the cave he called.. erm, not-home. (Spirit was glad they were getting to the fun bits at least. ) It was partially hidden by thick overgrown plants, trees loomed overhead. Easy to miss if one wasn't looking for it.
"Anndd here we are! Wait out here for a moment, will you? My.. friend isn't used to visitors and you aree showing up unannounced, " Spirit explained briefly, not sparing much of a glance to Oleander. Somewhat fixated on the entrance.
He trotted in, pushing back the thick leaves. There was an offputting smell. Like a wet dog. Drip, drip, drip. Water leaked down, hitting the ground. In the very back of the cave, blending in with the expectation of pink scars and white speckles was the black cat. Its left hindleg was noticeably bent in a painful way while its front rightpaw was in a similar condition. Its bones showed clearly, a husk of a skeleton. A mixture of thick gashes and scratches littered its body. There was a strong smell of infection.
"Ooh, Wormmyy! Did you miss me? I brought you a friendd! He's going to try and make you feel much better. Isn't that wonderful?" He purred, taking a step closer. There, Spirit noticed a half-eaten piece of prey nearby. Ah. That would explain the sleeping and noticeable lack of Wolf. He stepped forward, touching a black paw against it. It was cold. The poppy seeds ought to wore off rather soon.
He stepped quietly back out of the cave. "Oleanndeer, you can come iin! My friend is ah, sleeping. He's a bit hard to wake, but he's grumpy anyway so it might be best if you see what you're dealing with without all the chitter-chatter, " They piped up, "and then you can gather whatever herbs you need. I'm sure there's some around here. It's an awful thick forest."
__________________
❝ hold on tight to this time,
this place 'cause everything you know will be erased.
you were born inside your head.
and that is where you'll be when you are dead. ❞ -- currently on a hiatus until further notice --
꒰ pronouns.cc꒱
Last edited by wolfie; February 27th, 2024 at 07:04 AM.
Oleander followed the other cat with a horrible churning feeling in his stomach. He was practically certain that the situation wasn't as it seemed. But there could still be someone injured. He'll, there could be others who are somehow being harmed or manipulated by this cat. He couldn't just pass by ahd leave. And besides, Nick was honestly easier to deal with than Poisondrop. Poisondrop spoke in a way that could genuinely make you question if mass murder was really that bad. Or, at least, he didn't speak of it at all and instead focused on hiding things from you and tricking you into thinking he cared about you or anyone else. Nick clearly didn't bother with either, or was simply very bad at it.
Oleander's muscles were cramped now, after a long walk with a person who could attack him at any moment. The emotional distress and psychological torture made him not notice the physical pain, however. This portion I'd the forest was appropriately ominous. Jeez, this guy really didn't bother with hiding things well. Next thing you know, he'd dye his fur black, call himself Deathcause McMurder, and wear a bunch of cat skulls around his neck.
Nick went ahead to warn whoever was in the den and Oleander's abdomen clenched. An illogical part of him honestly expected to see some kind of gigantic, multiheaded monster with big claws and dozens of eyes. Plus, this whole den entrance was screaming, "Death trap."
He was finally invited to enter, after a bit. The tabbico tom took a deep breath and studied his guts, which felt like snakes moving inside of his body. He shuffled in, and his blood ran cold. For a split second, there was relief because there really was just an injured cat, not a monster or an assassination attempt. But Oleander was an intelligent cat and quickly gleaned the situation. This cat was a hostage. One that hadn't been treated with much mercy, either. The cat was deathly thin and mutilated. He froze there for a bit, Nick's words muffled in his brain until he was properly able to process them.
"I-...I'll need to find - Yes, yes, I'll need to go and find several kinds of herbs and other materials." he said hollowly, completely unable to hide the horror and disgust he was experiencing despite his potentially deadly situation.
The fluffy tom gave the captive another look before backing away. He wasn't sure if Nick would take that as an escape attempt. It was not intended as such, no matter how baldy he wanted to run away. This cat needed help. Burdock root and marigold if he could find some, and a few sticks and cobwebs. He didn't know how to cure an infection that got this bad. And lots of burnet to eat. The cat needed a boost of strength. Oleander wasn't sure how much herbs he could shove into their mouth to get them strong enough to escape. And he wasn't a fighter. He couldn't fend Nick off on his own.
The tabbico scrambled around outside in the muck, gathering anything that could be useful, anything that even resembled an herb into a large pile.
"All this moisture in the cave isn't helping. It's likely to cause a cold, worsen infection and ruin poultices. Maybe I should treat him outside. It'll reduce the dangers of making it worse." he mumbled, trying to maintain a focus on healing the cat while pushing an ulterior motive to keep him outside.
Last edited by Shade.; February 27th, 2024 at 12:56 PM.
Re: is your blood authentic? can you prove it? [ p ]
