I get lost in the process, I do try but I'm hopeless [p]

[Mica]

Eaglepaw
RiverClan
she/her | 9 moons | 93/100
[Golden and white tuxedo tabby with green eyes]
Purrks: Dreamwalker, Herbal Knowledge T2
· · ────────────── · ·
[Nathaniel - @Rani ]
· · ────────────── · ·
The screams of battle had died down hours ago. The moon had just dipped below the horizon, her light masked by the burning flames of dawn. In the shadows of the forest lay a young apprentice, slowly bleeding out on a bed of pine-needles and dirt. Her breaths came out in slow, uneven rasps, wheezing out of the giant gash in her maw that revealed gums and teeth that would likely remain revealed for the rest of her life.

If she survived.

It was in this quiet, sleepy forest that help would come. Unknown to the unconscious molly, someone would soon stumble upon her and bring her to a place that could finally heal something that had been thought to be irreparably broken many moons prior.


[Eaglepaw has a nasty gash on the left side of her mouth, as well as a festering bite mark on her left foreleg. Injuries clearly made by a cat]

[Rani]

Nathaniel
Kittypet Healer | He/him | Dreamwalker | Silver Tongue

Herb patrols were ever routine but always new in a strange sort of way. They had the same 'flow' to them, track down herbs by going to their probable growing spots and scenting them out, harvest and bring home, and yet there was never a normal herb patrol. Something always always happened to make things strange and more trouble then one would think they could be.

For example this outing.

Nathaniel didnt have any current patients that required herbs, Casket was in the physical therapy stage of recovery, having far passed healing. However he always liked to be stocked and was planning on running a training session with his kittens to make sure they knew what they were doing before they visited his healers den. Just so they didnt eat something they shouldnt or in case they got hurt, even if they were supposed to go there to meet their 'uncle' and maybe cheer the morose sod up. Those plans were thoroughly ruined of course when he needed to use his herbs before he even got home.....

A large chunk of burdock between his teeth the tom shifted, trying to make sure the poppy flower, burnet leaf, and chamomile stuck to his back with cobwebs stayed there for the trip home. It'd be a short term fix but once the kittens were taught about the herb the chamomile could be forced down Caskets throat to help his mental wounds and maybe he'd even feel well enough to face his- Ooop thats a corpse.

The lithe tom froze, mixed scent of blood infection and his own once clan managing to finally overpower the bitter tang of the burdock as he stood above Eaglepaw. For a moment there was not but fear, irrational paranoia racing thoughts through the toms head before he calmed and took in the situation.

The clan wasnt here, this was a kid, and she was hurt.
That was enough to finally push the healer into motion.

The herbs were placed down and, quickly snagging the burnet and shaking two poppyseeds into it before folding the leaf Nathaniel quickly fed it to Eaglepaw with the practiced paws of someone who knew his stuff. It wasnt hard to feed unconscious patients really, you just pushed the herbs to the back of the throat carefully, close the mouth and stroke the throat until they reflexively swallowed, and with the poppyseeds to help the shock and burnet to boost his strength the rest was just routine.
Wounds were cleaned with nearby moss, damp in the mourning dew, burdock was chewed with just a wrinked muzzle at the bitter tang, slathered on all wounds and cobwebs were applied to cover the rest. Honestly it was lucky he'd gathered burdock today rather then marigold, the flower was good as a preventative but burdock was harsher and so better for active festering in deeper wounds. Though it did sting a ton before it numbed the wound as a side effect.

As the tom cleaned himself off, staying within sight line of the unconscious apprentice the healer mulled over what to do. This kid had riverclan scent too fresh to be a runaway who'd be more inclined to not tell the clan that Snakeheart was alive and now a kittypet healer, and her wounds spoke of trouble, the scent of other clans to muddled to tell exactly who'd attacked a riverclan apprentice. So knowing who might still be after her was unknown. But..... this was an apprentice who wasnt among the clanmates Snakeheart had ran from, and regardless she couldnt be left here vulnerable.....

With a sigh the healer steeled his nerves, gathering several cobwebs as a delay tactic and sticking the rest of the poppy flower and unused chamomile (which might now be needed for the kid to help her deal with whatever had caused these injuries and driven him away from her clan) Nathaniel padded back over to Eaglepaw, resigned to his decision.


The molly would be gently lifted onto the healers back and he'd begin his journey home to the den, hoping Casket wouldnt mind a new roommate.


@Mica (if you do a short post next one I can have nate bring eagle into his den and tag redshift into the rp~)

[Mica]

Eaglepaw
RiverClan
she/her | 9 moons | 93/100
[Golden and white tuxedo tabby with green eyes]
Purrks: Dreamwalker, Herbal Knowledge T2
· · ────────────── · ·
[Nathaniel - @Rani ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Something stirred the large she-cat awake. Dull, throbbing pain that sharpened before fading into blissful numbness. Cool water trickling into her mouth from moss as it wiped away the debris from the gash on her mouth. The apprentice whimpered slightly, fever turning her vision into a haze. Someone was here. Someone that smelled of herbs and something warm and stale. She thought StarClan would smell like the chill of winter. Not like a warm den.

As she was gently moved, unconsciousness slipped its tendrils over her eyes and dragged her back under.

[Sounds good!! Also Eaglepaw is a girl just fyi : D]

[Rani]

Nathaniel
Kittypet Healer | He/him | Dreamwalker | Silver Tongue

Good gods Eaglepaw was heavy. Or maybe Nathaniel was just weak and needed to exercise more. The issue was was the healer was not a large cat, average sized at best but with a naturally lean build that did not lend itself to strength but instead agility and speed, maybe endurance if he'd put more effort into his form. And sure he wasnt the half starved disaster he once was in riverclan, skipping too many meals in his frantic rush to help the clan and now even had a good chubby primordial pouch (though he wished he'd developed fat tom cheeks instead, a pouch being a female trait and ruining his figure making him feel crawly and- Oh shut up dysphoria) but it was still a hard trip.

A couple times the healer felt the apprentice rouse, twitching as movement alerted her before the poppyseeds dragged her under again and he stopped every time to watch her, determining she'd need borage once she woke for that fever. But for now she stayed under, lingering blood on her pelt soaking through to Nathaniels, marring his fur.

Eventually he made it to the park that held his healers den, groaning at the strain before stopping outside to.... Well give the cat inside some space and called out, Eaglepaw still on his back.
"Casket! I found a patient on my herb patrol and...... Well you might wanna brace yourself before coming out. She's alive but, its a situation.
Come take a look maybe you can help me figure things out."
And sooth the apprentice who would be waking shortly he had no doubt. Walking here had taken some time and there was only so much poppyseeds could do to keep a cat out when you were constantly disturbing them.


@Mica @redshiftreign

[redshiftreign]

WHEN I GO INTO THE GROUND

THEY GOTTA BURY ME FACE DOWN.

CASKET ; he/it
@Rani , @Mica

it had been a good few dozen sunrises since casket had woken, half dead and held together solely by cobwebs and acrid herbs, in an unfamiliar den owned by a face he vaguely recognized. he had recovered a lot- maybe not fully. maybe never fully, but enough to be able to pace restlessly around the den, and sit outside and bask in the mid-morning sun when Nathaniel was off. enough to stand confidently on his own four paws again, at least.

his nerves were worse for wear, though. with each step forwards he took in recovering his physical capabilities, he got more restless and alert. as much as Nathaniel had helped with the fear by simply being there, casket had his own battles to fight. ones that wanted him dead. ones that haunted his every step.

so, the blue-grey tabby was pacing restlessly, lean muscle rippling under a glossy coat (he was finally just bringing to build that back up; all the lean muscle he had worked hard over moons and moons to maintain and had wilted in his stillness, and the sheen to his coat that he had once spent painstaking time to take care of.) when the familiar and welcome voice of Nathaniel called out.

then an even more familiar-

too familiar

-scent hit his nose.

and with all the fire and fury of a dying man, the once glorious tom streaked along the too-green grasses, maintained by the twolegfolk and to the entrance of the park, jaws parted slightly to drink in the scent. and stars, was he right.

"Eaglepaw." he said, with more life than he'd had in moons. maybe ever. maybe even before the real him died. his metaphorical death. his self-sustaining exile. "Eaglepaw. Oh stars." He surged forwards as if to investigate the massive apprentice carried in tow by Nathaniel, then fell back, hesitant.

"she's alive? she's okay? what happened? who did this-" the questions came out faster than he had wanted, desperate and rambling and splitting on his cracked voice. crumbling on his scarred vocal cords. then, after fear came rage. fury. hotter than anything- scorching brighter than the nurturing sun. a river could run, meander and flow, but it too could carve, and rush, and it could kill.

casket squared his emotions into neat little bottles in his mind, corking them up in tidy filing cabinet-like zones until a cold feeling settled in him like silt or stones to the bottom of a river, expression steeling into something very reminiscent of the tom he had once been.

perhaps, perhaps Rushwater was dead. but casket survived.

the stoic tom stepped in a half-circle around the pair to assess the damage, a switch flipped in his brain as he went into work mode. like a retired bomb dog, he would do what he was trained to do. even after everything.

"that's my daughter, Nathaniel. you found my daughter."

[Rani]

Nathaniel
Kittypet Healer | He/him | Dreamwalker | Silver Tongue

The healer had seen what the weighty claws of depression could do to a cat. He'd both grappled with it himself and come out the other end horrified at what that beast had done to him, body mind and soul but had also tried his best to coach cats through their own in his den. Life changing injuries and confronting your own mortality tended to drag a cats mind to dark places after all.

But in all his time he'd seldom seen such a dramatic change as Casket- though the tom supposed this was Rushwater in a way Nathaniel never had been able to meet him as even as the toms form had returned until now there'd been an aspect missing. He supposed it was passion now, seeing the other toms face change as he beheld his daughter.
Things made sense in that way now, Nathaniel was sure he'd be rocked much the same if he saw on of his little girls in this state.


In that he knew there was no response he could give that'd really fit in this circumstance. Though reminded that Eaglepaw had really only gotten lucky in being found by him and saved would be painful and terrifying, any expression that Nathaniel was glad he could do this for a cat who he was viewing as some sort of distant family now was already implicit. Nothing fit, and so he simply nodded small, normally sharp green eyes soft in a rare way as he moved on.

Moving forward would protect and nurture all the most, Nathaniel had learned in his life. Though it'd been a hard lesson to learn.

"She'll find your nest a comfort then, lets get her inside. Id rather her not wake and panic at being on some strange toms back after whatever she's been through. She's safe and will live and now even has you to help her on that path. Ill prepare a batch of herbs for her when she does out here to give you space while she rouses, but please try and keep her calm and still to not reopen things."

The tom could and did deposit the cobwebs and poppyseed in his store, confident he wouldnt need them for awhile as the herbs yet lingered on Eaglepaw and didnt need refreshing. But the chamomile he wished to give a dose of to both patients and so would need more, and borage was a priority to sooth that fever.... Ever more things to do and at least the time that took would provide space for a reunion Nathaniel didnt wish to intrude on.

So Eaglepaw was brought under the foot bridge to the sheltered spot that created a den, filled with stolen twoleg blankets softer then moss could hope to be and gently slipped into the one that held her fathers scent. She could share that with him, at least until a decision on what came after was reached and wounds were healed, and the healer himself laid a comforting tail on the no doubt hovering fathers shoulder before giving the two room to be alone.

Which was a form of healing, in its own way.


@redshiftreign @Mica

[redshiftreign]

I know my way is hard and steep.

Where God's redeemed, their vigils keep.

CASKET ; he/it
@Rani , @Mica

his daughter. his daughter. his treasure, his devotion, his dedication. everything that fueled him he would pour into her, he would give to her. motions that had once been to prove a point, to prove his competence became to protect. someone so selfish, so cruel, so vile became so noble when he had someone to defend.

he followed helplessly after Nathaniel as Eaglepaw was deposited into his nest, too flat, too uncomfortable to be suited to her. he was all short fur, sharp edges, uncomfortable joints prodding solid ground- she was the opposite. her fur would cushion her. he was fretting. he was worrying.

bite that feeling down. he snarled inwards at the dread boiling in his throat, shortening his breaths and bringing the thunder of his pulse to his ears. this was a feeling for the battlefield. for tactics. for planning. this was no battlefield nor war council, unless he could somehow rip through reality itself and cut pain and sorrow into little shreds and use it as kindling for the hell that he would raise once he figured out who did this to his daughter.

Nathaniel's brief touch on his shoulder shook him back to reality, head lifting too high, muscles tensing briefly before unwinding. he spared a glance at him, pupils shrinking, ears pinning.

"thank you for saving her, Nathaniel." he managed, before the healer was gone from the bridge to do. . . healer things. he had a penchant for attracting the herbal type it seemed. falcon, tansy, Eagle, and now Nathaniel. he never quite understood it- the appeal of acrid plants and memorizing their uses, but he saw the utility. and he was eternally grateful for the dedication to their craft and the healing miracles they worked.

his focus turned back to his daughter, sliding down on unsteady paws to rest his chin on the edge of her nest, anxiety sinking its horrible claws into his stomach, making his mind churn with every possible path that could arise and go wrong. that could steal from his eagle her wings. that could hurt her.

how had this happened?

how had RiverClan let this happen?

[Mica]

Eaglepaw
Outsider
she/her | 9 moons
[Golden and white tuxedo tabby with green eyes]
Purrks: Dreamwalker, Herbal Knowledge T2
· · ────────────── · ·
[Casket - @redshiftreign ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Waking up was slow. The sun had risen and hung high in the sky by the time the apprentice showed any signs of movement. It started with a twitch of her ear, a jump of her forepaw, a deeper intake of breath than normal. Slowly, so, so slowly her eyes cracked open, little green slits that could barely make out shapes in the dim lighting of the den. Her eyelids were crusted over with blood and tears and made holding her eyes open very difficult. Her whole body felt heavy, like she was a stone at the bottom of the river weighed down by raging water.

Each inhale had scents, unfamiliar and familiar, working their way up her nose. The same stale warmth from earlier, the scent of a tom she didn’t recognized, herbs…

Something that made a whimper crawl up her throat. She couldn’t feel her mouth, and swallowing was impossible. The sound was strangled and high pitched, diving into a dry sob as she realized where she was.

She was dead.

That was the only way she would be able to smell Rushwater.

Her eyes were blurry, but the blue and… pink? pelt in front of her, curled around the soft nest she was in—which she was now realizing was the source of the warm, stale scent—and bathing her in a comforting scent. Stars, if this was StarClan…. This wasn’t so bad. Her dad was here.

Her dad was dead.

She was dead.

 

Another sob crawled up her throat and deposited itself on her scarred, bloody lips. Was the afterlife supposed to hurt this much? But at the same time, there was immense relief. She had wanted to be dead for moons. Each sunrise was just another reminder of what she would have to endure. A failing clan, missing family. Being dead meant she was free from the horrors of clan life. All the things she had seen, all the friends she had lost…

Mossypaw! Was Mossypaw here? Maybe Rushwater would know. Eaglepaw tried to speak, tried to ask, but something was keeping her mouth in place. She wanted her friend, she wanted her Mossypaw…

[redshiftreign]

I SEE A MAN WHO GETS TO MAKE IT HOME ALIVE

BUT IT'S NO LONGER YOU.

CASKET ; he/it
@Mica

dulcet birdsong lilted on the breeze, unfitting the circumstances. his head rested neatly on the edge of his daughter's nest, staring with indigo eyes attentively. moments, long and suffocating passed by and he waited, holding his breath for a small eternity as he watched the gentle rise and fall of Eaglepaw's chest, ears pinned.

eternity expanded, spiraling like winding clock hands in a futile descent, endless and unfathomable. time was eternity, forever encroaching towards the edge in which it would fall off to forever be forgotten, to end. though, truly, time had no end. for what was it but a measurement? what was it but the simple rate at which things changed, the world spun, and the stars flickered, and the body rotted. the mind decayed. all because of time.

he was dead, he decided. Rushwater was dead, anyway. lost somewhere in the liminal space between self and unself. somewhere between real and fiction; Rushwater was a lie made up by some foolish little warrior to have something to strive towards. to work for. without the clan, without the drive, Rushwater was just another word.

then she stirred. and he leant forwards, eyes widening as much as he could afford with the scar tugging the thin skin of his eyelid. he sat back, sat up on his haunches and moved forwards to curve his tail around the mass of fur and acrid herbs that was his daughter, a small, almost sob of a breath escaping his scarred muzzle.

"Eaglepaw," he murmured, almost choking the word out, "settle, settle please, Eaglelove." he fretted, voice hoarse, as he watched her try to open her mouth. "you're hurt, sit still, please, sweetheart. please. you're okay, you're okay." he was more re-assuring himself than her, "settle,"

he leaned to press his forehead to her shoulder, nuzzling against her neck. affection initiated from him was rare, painfully so, further driving the nail through his heart as his stoic and tough façade crumbled in the wake of his daughter's injury. he wasn't Rushwater anymore.

he didn't have to save face or keep up arbitrary reputation. he didn't have to act infallible anymore. he just needed to be.

"you're alive, you're alive. i'm alive. we're safe. okay? we're safe. nothings going to hurt you- us -here. nothing, okay?" so many words- as if all of the moons carefully building up his skill of saying exactly what he needed, nothing more, had left. all of it gone. maybe part of it was the memory loss he had to blame, but a lot more of it was the sheer. . . terror. in the back of his throat. "we're safe. i'm not going anywhere, love. i'm not going anywhere."

[Mica]

Eaglepaw
Outsider
she/her | 10 moons
[Golden and white tuxedo tabby with green eyes]
Purrks: Dreamwalker, Herbal Knowledge T2
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Star ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
[Casket - @redshiftreign ]
· · ────────────── · ·
It was agony. Not the pain in her leg, or the headache throbbing behind her eyes, or even the growing discomfort around her mouth. It all came from Rushwater's tail resting around her spine, his scarred head pushing gently into her shoulder, the cracks in his voice. His words. Eaglelove, he had called her. He never called her that before. In fact, no one had called her any nickname save for Dusklion's "Wings". Oh, what she would give for Dusklion to call her Wings again. Her body heaved with another sob, head falling down onto Rushwater's paws. She nosed into his short fur, not caring that his legs were bony.

Alive? Were they really alive? Eaglepaw sucked in a breath, exhaling shakily. She expected disappointment to rise like bile up her throat, but instead something like relief settled in her chest. She was alive, and if Rushwater was here...

Were they in RiverClan? She couldn't scent Mistyshard anywhere--this was a medicine den, she assumed--just that unfamiliar tom. She couldn't see outside of the den, so she had no idea what sort of territory they were on. Was she with strangers? Fear lanced through her. Outsiders were bad. Everyone who wasn't in RiverClan was bad. She had learned that from day one in the clan. Was she being held hostage? Healed up so she could work for them? Was that why Rushwater was so beaten up? Her green eyes--glazed with the remnants of fever--widened slightly, a slice of rage peering through the haze. Were they the cats who took him??

Eaglepaw tried to push herself to her paws again, a guttural, rasping growl bubbling sickly in her throat. She stared intently at his scars, then at the den entrance. It was clear what she was thinking.

The thought that whoever had saved her had done so out of the kindness of their heart didn't even occur to her. If she had learned anything in her time as a clan cat--no act came without a price. Whether you or the cat who did it had to pay for it.

[I'm sorry this is so short :sob: ]