Just checking in (closed)

Snowfoot didn’t know why her paws carried her to ShadowClan’s makeshift medicine den tonight, but she found herself going to see Burdockroot. Her injuries still pained her and she’d found herself sitting out another patrol with a headache. Would they never stop?

“Hey, Burdockroot. How are you doing?” The question itself was simple, just classic small talk, but her eyes carried the look of a concerned mother. They’d all felt the loss of Fuzzybelly, but Snowfoot knew Burdockroot would be feeling it especially hard. She cleared her throat and continued. “I’m here, um, looking for something for another headache.”

Burdockroot glanced up to see Snowfoot in the entryway of her makeshift den. Snowfoot had been a long time patient due to her injuries all the way back when she was a fresh apprentice. Nodding at her request, she turned her attention back to the pile of herbs she was preparing for transport. Poppy seeds, but she shouldn't keep giving Snowfoot these forever. Carefully she slid two over to Snowfoot. "I can't keep giving these forever. This might be something you have to live with as a warrior or retire if it's too much." Her bluntness was unintentional. At this point, the white warrior should know Burdockroot, their medicine cat, would not sugar coat anything. Or, do small talk, as she had ignored Snowfoot's first comments entirely.

Snowfoot nodded and looked down. “I know. I don’t want to retire, not while my former mentor is still an active warrior. Marshmallow, Swiftheart, Rookfire, and Thalia are all older than me, some of them much older. I don’t think I can live with not serving my clan when they’re all still going strong. But you’re right. I'm not healing as well as I should.” Shaking off that thought, she took the poppy seeds and looked back to Burdockroot. “Still, that’s only half the reason why I’m here. I really do care how you’re doing, Burdockroot. I understand if you don’t want to talk, but I want you to know I’m here if you do.”

Burdockroot eyed Snowfoot as she talked, her face expressionless. If Snowfoot didn't get better soon, she would recommend retirement to Nightstar and it would be up to him. Confusion crossed those thoughts as she asked how she was doing. "Fine, I guess." How else could she really be doing? Unlike most of her clanmates, she didn't feel the strain of being away from the territory, or losing clanmates. Nightstar was back and that's all she cared about. Fuzzybelly going missing just made her learn faster. Besides that, it didn't phase her one bit. Just, existed wherever she happened to be. Nothing changed in her mind.