A lone cat wanders across Windclan territory, long brown and crème fur dirty with neglect. Healthcare doesn't really care about this, his multi-coloured gaze instead focusing on the ground below him. Somewhere, deep below the earth, his goal lies waiting. What is his goal? Blinking a few times, his ears twitch as he racks his brain. Below ground... insects? Oh, wait! Swishing his tail as he continues to walk, Healthcare can barely contain his excitement. Any moment, he will find some worms to examine. Then, when Komo comes back, he can show them to him! Deep in his brain, a lingering thought shoves its way into his head. A thought that has been there ever since he first found out about his friend's sudden disappearance. /What if he's not coming back?/ The warrior stops his aimless wandering, front paws automatically beginning to knead the ground. Good, a distraction from his thoughts. He needs to focus, to- What was he doing again? Oh, right, he's looking for worms. Think about that instead. Yet, Healthcare's paws tremble as they continue to knead the ground, his amber eye brimming with tears. He remembers his mother, telling him to never look a cat in the eyes. She told him that a cat's soul lies there, to look at another's eyes would let the other cat steal his soul. So, he listened. He never looked a cat in the eye, at least, he can't remember ever doing that. But what if he did? What if that is why he is alone now? Why? Why does no cat stay- Sitting down on the ground with a quiet intake of air, the tom sags like a piece of prey being discarded on the ground. Tucking his paws and tail close to his body, Healthcare squeezes his eyes shut. It is hypocritical of him to talk about leaving. While it is not his conscious decision, he often finds himself alone as he silently navigates the vast expanse of the world. Even before he became a warrior, he went missing for moons after being distracted by a butterfly and getting lost. But, nobody /really/ cared that he left, right? Komo didn't seem too upset... Neither did Lovejourney, not to mention that he hadn't seen Work or his mother at all after he came back. But, they're still there, still in his grandmother's den. He's confident of that, he simply manages to arrive when they are both busy whenever he tries to visit. Komo is simply off on an important warrior mission. Everything is fine. /Everything is fine./ No. He wrong, as usual. Everything is not fine. Maybe it was him, that made everyone not want to see him. Maybe he talked too much about animals, or took too long to make up his mind, or forgot something important. Maybe he did have his soul taken by another cat. Tears run down Healthcare's soft fur, leaving behind rivers of moisture clinging to the tom's fur. He wants to sob, he wants to wail, but he does not want to be a burden, so he remains silent. He lies there like this for an unknown amount of time, breathing shakily as he continues to cry. At least out here, no cat can be affected by his bad luck. The only life he sees is a line of ants marching back into their nest. Even insects have more friends and family than he does, Healthcare realises with a jolt of hysteria. Yet, his crying and anguish are for nothing, for when his wet face dries, he stands up in confusion, looking around the clan territory. What was he doing here? It takes a while for his thoughts to settle enough to give him an answer: Worms. Shaking out his now even more dirty pelt, the warrior picks a direction and sets off in it, determined to find some worms to bring back to his nest. Everything is normal, everything is fine. He worries about nothing, because /everything is fine./
Music: Clock Town, Third Day (Legend's of Zelda: Majora's Mask OST)
