Heronfeather was furious. Vineripple winced as he harshly bound up the gash along her back once more, sure that he was pulling much harder than necessary. She grit her teeth against the biting pain, ears flat against her head as she glared at the ground, refusing to make a sound. “There.” The old tom finally stepped back once he was satisfied-both with the cobwebs laced along her spine and the little pinpricks of pain he had inflicted doing so. “Now you’re ready to go and ruin my hard work all over again.” The tabby she-cat bristled, shooting the Medicine Cat a sharp glare. “You’re being unreasonable. I told you it was all a big mistake.” “And I told you not to leave the den.” Vineripple huffed, tail lashing behind her. He was being much pettier than usual, and it was starting to get on her nerves. “That’s not true and you know it, Heronfeather.” “If you’re injured and I haven’t specifically given you permission to leave this den, then it’s as well as assumed!” Heronfeather hissed, making Vineripple flinch back for a split second. “Honestly,” He roughly threw the rest of the wad of cobwebs against the damp stone walls, claws clicking against the floor and pelt in a mess. Vineripple frowned, noticing bags hanging under the tom’s eyes. “I do all this work to keep you safe and to help you heal, and you don’t appreciate it in the slightest! Excuse me if I’m being selfish, but after everything I’ve done for this Clan, I think I have every right to be!” Something.. Something was wrong. She was sure of it. “You’re the only cat in this StarClan-forsaken Clan that looks fondly upon me, and I’d rather not have you bleed out whenever proper Medical care is at your paws and you only refuse to take advantage of it.” “Heronfeather-” “I’m not done!” He hissed, pulling a pile of what looked like dock leaves towards him and beginning to sort through the good and the bad-in a very extreme manner, throwing the leaves harshly into different piles, and ‘accidently’ shredding more than a few. Heronfeather was a grump, he was angry, heck, he was downright rude, but throwing a fit like this.. This just wasn’t like him. Vineripple swallowed, pelt on end. “You go out and run around without thinking, getting yourself hurt and into trouble and running along the line of death. You go head-first into things without even thinking, and you hurt more cats than just yourself by doing so!” He was silent for a moment, his back to her, and Vineripple couldn’t help but wonder if there might be tears in his eyes. If his paws might be shaking as they deftly passed leaves from one to the other. If he might be catching his breath, but—well, that was just ridiculous. “You said it was Thornstar he bumped into you? Well, then you had bet your tail that he’ll be hearing a sharp word from me. Just because he’s leader doesn’t mean he’s not still young and stupid, or that he can get away with messing up my work.” Under different circumstances, Vineripple would’ve laughed at the idea of Thornstar getting chewed out by Heronfeather—it would be a comedic sight, she was sure of it, but Heronfeather was being so unlike himself that it put her on edge. Had something happened while she was away? Was he just scared for her? She was sure that it somewhat had to do with that, but this seemed like more than just her pulling some cobwebs off and breaking a splint. This seemed like something much more pressing. “Heronfeather, is-” He must’ve known what her next words were going to be, because he got there first. “That’s it, out!” He turned to face her, eyes narrowed. “You were oh so excited to get out of here earlier, so you must be itching to leave me behind again now.” Oh, that was just unfair. “I want you out of this den and I don’t want to see you again until morning.” “I-Heronfeather!” Vineripple protested, getting to her paws. He only wanted her out because he didn’t want her questioning him, she knew. “Vineripple.” He countered, voice sharp and yellow eyes flashing in the dim light from where they were anchored to the stone floor. ..It seemed he didn’t want to look at her, either. Knowing that this was a fight she couldn’t win (very few of them she could, when it came to Heronfeather), Vineripple turned with a sigh and slunk back outside, the sun washing over her pelt in warm waves. She couldn’t help but notice how cold it must be in the Medicine Den, especially compared to outside where cats were sharing tongues and laughing and talking. How lonely it must be, too. “Vineripple?” She turned to look over her shoulder, seeing Heronfeather finally look back at her with what she could only describe as desperation in his eyes. “You-.. You know that-...” It seemed he couldn’t find the words to say, because he eventually dragged his eyes away from hers once more. “A time always comes in a cat’s life when they have to make a decision of a lifetime. I only hope you make the right choice.” >>><<<
Thornstar bit back a yawn as he made his way silently through the undergrowth, his back leg dully aching. He usually wouldn’t notice, but after Vineripple pointed it out earlier, it seemed he couldn’t seem to ignore it. He really did pray that her leg healed better than his had. But, he didn’t have time for thoughts like those. Puddlepaw was closing in on his rabbit, and Thornstar was very acutely aware of how hard of a catch it would be. He was half surprised that the small tom hadn’t decided to look for an easier catch. The other half of him was proud. Eyes catching on a poplar tree, the gray tom crouched before silently leaping through the air and digging his claws into the rain-softened back, letting out a quiet grunt that he prayed both his apprentice and the rabbit didn’t hear. He quickly made his way up to the lowest branch, where he would have the perfect view of how Puddlepaw decided to go about landing this catch. It was going to be so challenging because of the lack of cover and abundance of gravel on the ground. In fact, sticks in this scenario actually would have been preferable, since they’d be softened with water and less likely to make a sharp snap if stepped on. The small pebbles that littered the ground, however.. One misplaced paw would send them skittering down the small hill Puddlepaw was approaching from, and would alert the rabbit instantly. Thornstar shifted on his branch and watched. Puddlepaw was moving slowly. His green eyes silently evaluated each small area before he set his paw down, remembering to keep his tail well off of the ground. Thornstar knew that it was good he was taking his time—really, it was—but he couldn’t help but flick his tail with impatience. This was the last catch he needed to make before they could head back to camp, and Thornstar couldn’t help but glance at the sky, where the sun was quickly easing its way back down to the horizon. He was evaluating when they would arrive back at camp whenever a flash of black shot across his vision, and the rabbit went down with a squeal. He pricked his ears in pleased surprise as Puddlepaw made quick work of his catch, breaking its neck with a quick bite. The apprentice had made an awfully long leap whenever he had attacked. It was impressive. But then, Puddlepaw had always been good at making long jumps. Purring, Thornstar made his way down the tree, green eyes shining with pride as Puddlepaw turned to face him, his own eyes going wide. “I could’ve sworn I heard something from that tree.” Thornstar chuckled, picking up Puddlepaw’s catch and heaving it over his shoulders. The black tom's eyes went wide. “Oh, here, please, I can take that-” “You can take something smaller.” Thornstar mewed kindly, gently flicking the tom over his ears. “I want your head held high when you walk back into camp, so everyone will see your pride the last time you return without a Warrior's name in tow.” >>><<< Nightshade purred as the clearing rang out in joyous cheers, her heart warmed at the blushing pride and grins oozing off of the three new warriors. “Skylight! Bouoncetail! Puddlestep!” She cried out, raising her voice along with the rest of the Clan and letting it pull her heart up with it. The black she-cat caught her mate’s eyes from where he stood atop high rock and grinned, seeing his beautiful face turned to her. “I do have one last announcement before we disperse.” Nightshade knew her cue and got to her paws, slipping her way through the crowd like water between stones until she stood at the base of the rock. Thornstar dipped his head to her, and the she-cat raised her voice to be heard over the confused murmurs of the Clan. “I am carrying kits, and can no longer continue to perform my duties.” Somewhere deep in the crowd, she saw amber eyes widen before they were hidden beneath shifting pelts. She swallowed, pushing the image of Vineripple pressed against Thornstar’s chest out of her mind. “While I am out of service, Sheepstep will take my place. I will gradually begin to teach him and shift my duties unto him until he and I are both ready to let him lead in my stead for the time being.” She cast a quick glance up at Thornstar, who gave her an encouraging nod. “Meeting dismissed!” Nightshade declared, hearing a small thump to her left only moments later, signaling that her mate was now by her side. She turned to him with a purr in her throat, eyes shining with excitement and contrasting greatly against the orange and pink skies that enveloped them in flame and flower. “You did beautifully.” Her mate purred, nuzzling her ear lovingly. “Are you sure? It was my first time speaking in front of the whole Clan, I was so afraid I was going to stumble over my words or my voice would crack, or that I w-”
