Truth be Told I Never Was Yours [Closed for Night]

Clearpaw limped back into camp a little while after his fall from the tree, and fight with Toadpaw. The anger had worn off, and now he just felt sad and confused. First of all, he regretted yelling at Toadpaw, but he also felt hurt by Toadpaw's words. Why had he been so angry? Surely he was in the right, not wanting to kill innocent baby birds just so the clan could have a few extra mouthfuls. That led him to think about what he had said about not wanting to be a warrior, or even an apprentice... What did he want to be, then? What role could he possibly play in the clan if he didn't like hunting or fighting? Toadpaw had encouraged him one moment, saying that he didn't need to be good at those things and to just be himself, then went back on those words just moments later. He was confused, and in pain, as he limped into the medicine den.

Cloudpaw turned his head away from herb-sorting to hear pawsteps approaching his den, surprised to see Clearpaw again so soon. The black tomcat padded out to help the apprentice inside, checking him over on the way in. "What did you do to your legs this time?" He had a slightly amused glint in his eye as he motioned for Clearpaw to lay in one of the nests.

Clearpaw sheepishly walked over and sat down in the best Cloudpaw had motioned to. "Fell out of a tree." He admitted sheepishly, "There were some baby birds in a nest, I wanted to see them! But the mother bird came along and I fell." He left out the part about Toadpaw, at least for now.

He couldn't help but purr in amusement. "Seems like the only safe place for you is in the water." Cloudpaw turned to his herb store, sorting through his currently meager supply for something that might help. "Where does your leg hurt the most?" Now that he knew what he had, it would be easier to determine which combination would work best beforehand.

Clearpaw nodded sheepishly-- he was feeling comforted by Cloudpaw's positivity, but he still couldn't help but think about what he had said to Toadpaw. Cloudpaw, he thought, probably understood what it was like to question your position in the clan, since he was training to be a medicine cat, not a warrior. And Cloudpaw seemed very trustworthy, becoming a close friend with all the time Clearpaw spent in the medicine den. "Cloudpaw," He mewed hesitantly, forgetting to answer Cloudpaw's question, "how... Like, how did you know you wanted to be a medicine cat, not a warrior?"

Cloudpaw blinked at him in surprise. He'd honestly always wanted to be in this den, with its strange smells and curiously hard-packed floor. "I wasn't interested in fighting as a kit, I think. I just didn't know what that meant at the time." He pressed down along the somewhat oddly bent leg, checking to see if Clearpaw would flinch if he pressed on a certain spot. "Since no cat lived here, I guess I was curious. It wasn't an active desire, I didn't know what it was to be a medicine cat, I still don't, but it was something that fit just right somehow."

Clearpaw nodded slowly. That, to him, made sense. He almost felt the same way, but... Well, the opposite. He didn't know what would fit just right, but he knew for sure that the pat he was on right then was wrong. It didn't fit. He just needed to figure out what the right path was. "Everyone isn't born to be a warrior, I guess." He mewed after a moment, then hissed in pain when Cloudpaw touched part of his leg.