Caduceus Place [Invite Only]

[redshiftreign]

WHEN I GO INTO THE GROUND

THEY GOTTA BURY ME FACE DOWN.

CASKET ; he/it
@Rani

the walk was fine- it always was. more or less. on unsteady legs, the blue-grey tabby ambled alongside nathaniel, shoulder pressed to his. the routine had fell in comfortably, easily, where each motion was expected. as easy as breathing now, even if his muscles still flexed with tightness and his body protested from both stress and old wounds. the walk was the easy part.

it was always the next step that made him twist and churn in disgust. that made his skin crawl, and his breath hitch and the world stop spinning.

frozen. ice in his veins, scorching like liquid fire.

Water.

it never got easier. curse what anyone said- it never got easier. and every day, his paws stopped, nearly tripped over themselves at the bank as he stared down with raised brows, fur bristling. every day that small little voice in him said he couldn't do it. he couldn't. he'd die. it'd crush him, smother him, suffocate him and he'd die.

and the other part of him, the stronger, sharper, meaner part that burned with a fire hot enough to flash water into steam, told him to suck it up. for every small whisper of terror, he grit his teeth and snarled inwardly, forcing his lead-heavy paws forwards until cold Water soaked into his short fur like frigid acid on his skin. every day, without fail, he hesitated but never caved. he was not weak.

he was not weak.

so, carefully, the tom slunk deeper into the brook, paws shifting silt aside and digging in for support. the cold- (though warmer than the morning before, and the morning prior to that)- Water shocked every system in him awake with electricity. tentatively, he made a few breaths of distance between himself and nathaniel, craving the independence so unjustly robbed of him. he slowly worked raw, underused muscles free from their gauntness, rolling his joints and flexing his back until he felt his spine pop satisfyingly. better. better. better.

but still, he felt familiar fear pin-prick up his back as the water sat in, a cursory glance spared over his shoulder at nathaniel.

just to be sure.

he trusted him- stars, he trusted him. he was certain he trusted nathaniel more than he thought he had trusted anyone in a very long time. but, still, paranoia settled like lake bed silt, and he had to brush it away with a fleeting, cautious glance. just to be sure.

[Rani]

Nathaniel

Kittypet Healer | He/him | 40 Moons | Dreamwalker | Silver Tongue

It was heartbreaking to watch this all effect Casket this way, watch him struggle with a simple task that should be enjoyable to watch him struggle with it so much. But.... He wasnt struggling with it as much as he once did. Improvement came with a sort of slow painful ice thaw, but it came, quicker with the effort expended to crack that ice into smaller pieces that'd melt faster.


It was a strange analogy perhaps, but watching Casket stretch not a fox length away it felt right. Snakeheart had once melted and bloomed into Nathaniel, healing an injury more mental then anything but painful all the same and so Casket would do the same.





Noting that the other tom wasnt going to get much more loose at the moment Nathaniel slipped into the river, lithe form gliding around the terrain he was born to as he tested the flow today. It wasnt too hard today, just enough that walking upstream would provide some small resistance and walking down would need some balance. Perfect.


"Once you feel ready you get to experience the ~wonderfully interesting~ activity of pacing up and down the river in mid shoulder depth. Going upstream will build strength as the water cushions you and supports your frame even as the resistance of the current helps build muscle and going downstream will help you figure out your balance and allow you to kind of rest.


Ill be here the whole time Ill just be swimming rather then walking, maybe see if I can catch a fish for us. Also if you make a comment on how much Im puffing I will be feeding you the most bitter herb in my store, Rowan already asked me if she was gonna get a belly like mine when she grew up and Ive not recovered." Kittens could be the most unintentionally cruel creatures in existence and Rhiannons mad cackles had truely broke the toms ego. Nathaniel might not be able to 'hit back' on his mate and innocent (if cutting) kitten but Casket could be punished for snickering. Though if it lightened the other toms spirit and he didnt laugh then it could be ignored.



The potential punishment would probably be something not at all serious to be honest, bitter herbs or Nathaniel siccing his kits on Casket to use him as a play toy and yank on someone elses whiskers for a change.





Paddling around the deeper parts of the river Casket would be given space to move as he wished though the russet healer would stay within easy conversation (and helping) reach, musing a gentle "Have I told you how the twolegs have been a menace lately? I think theyre twitchy with how long Im spending out, especially given Rhiannon isnt wandering as much as she used to with the kittens, they now expect both of us to stay home more.


They keep trying to collar me, frankly its a nuisance more then anything given I refuse to wear those uncomfortable things and they refuse to make one I cant slip out of~ An endless cycle of them putting a new one on me as I swipe at them and me 'loosing' it as soon as I leave the house but I hope they grow tired and give up soon because I will not."



Nathaniel was fully aware that Casket had been collared in a brutal way before and the healer had all too keenly seen the visceral reaction the tom had suppressed when a collared cat poked their head in for a minor heal on occasion. It wasnt a good reaction to have, even if valid, so here was a topic of conversation designed to gently loosen whatever silent knot of emotion the other held if possible. Also to test Caskets lungs, how his breathing and speech was when he was exerting himself would say a lot about the damage remaining after all this time.



@redshiftreign