The Clock Won't Stop {Open}

All Sleepycloud could smell was the blood: Hers, Stormsong's, and the badger's. The mixture of scents left her stomach doing flips as Sleepycloud slowly made her way towards camp. The weakness in her stomach was triumphed by the agony of her leg, bent at an odd angle, swollen and still slowly dripping blood. Despite the tunneling vision and the extreme exhaustion, Sleepycloud knew that if she stopped for even a moment, she would not be able to continue again. And what for her kits? To lose their father and mother in one day? What would Hopepaw think?

No. She couldn't let those thoughts overwhelm her. The injured warrior took another hobbling step, clenching her teeth on the fresh pelt of the badger; Sleepycloud hauled the broken body of Stormsong through the bramble-lined tunnel of her home. Once her three paws landed on the soft sandy floor, Sleepycloud let whatever strength she had been holding onto vanish. A wail of pain left her maw, grief, agony. Just as her leg screamed in pain, her heart was ripped into shreds like the badger pelt that Stormsong rested on.

Stars above, she could not do this alone..!

Sageroot stood stock-still, staring for a moment. Finally, she yowled, “I NEED ANYONE WITH MED KNOWLEDGE HERE STAT! If they’re on patrol, GO GET THEM!” In a flash, the fawn tabby darted into the medicine den, noting the state of disrepair. In her kithood, she’d wanted to be a medicine cat. Now she racked her brain for any memory at all. In desperation, she grabbed some cobwebs and ran back to Sleepycloud’s side, frantically applying them where she saw wounds.

Having been relaxing peacefully near the edge of camp, the sudden stench of blood filled the air and her ears perked up. Turning her gaze over towards the now growing commotion, stood up and gave her luscious pelt a good shake, ridding it of any dust and dirt. She couldn't have herself looking as disgruntled as the rest of her clanmates.

Making her way to the edge of the crowd, the molly looked down at her crippled clanmate, her head held high and her gaze unwavering as cats began to fawn over her. "Great StarClan Sleepycloud," Sweetheart grumbled, wrinkling her nose at the sight. "Coming back and getting the camp all dirty... and smelly too," the fluffy she-cat huffed.

Turning her gaze down towards Stormsong's still body, she cocked her head to the side. "What's his deal?"

Sageroot finally had a moment to breathe. “Sleepycloud, what happened?” she mewed. “Thank you, Wiggleworm. You’re a lifesaver,” she added, turning to the tom. She picked up the herb and began to chew it into a poultice, desperately hoping that was the right thing to do. Stars, they needed a medicine cat! What if… no. She couldn’t do that. For a moment, she considered sending a warrior to another clan to try and get a medicine cat, but who could they ask? If the last Gathering was anything to go by, RiverClan was without one as well. There was no chance of help from SkyClan either, with the current political climate. What was she supposed to do? Surely as deputy she had to do something!

Underneath the sound of Sageroot issuing commands was the sound of pawsteps suddenly growing louder - before, out of seemingly nowhere, Acornstar was throwing herself full-force into Sweetheart's side. She hadn't quite realize what she was doing until she was already halfway past the clearing and had made no attempt to stop it, her eyes steely as she stared at the warrior.

The leader had been watching everything from behind the Jaggedrock - struggling to figure out what to do, like her deputy was, thought was relieved that she could take the opportunity to stand back and think on her own while Sageroot was taking charge. That was until she heard Sweetheart's comment - insulting the poor molly for her state and unconcerned with the fact that Stormsong was... It had lit a fire in Acornstar, realizing that Sleepycloud had lost a mate. She was still reeling from Firefly's death after all and if she had heard Sweetheart make a comment like that towards her...

Perhaps tackling a warrior out of nowhere was beneath a leader, but it wasn't like she could cuff Sweetheart on the ear easily with the fact that the warrior was larger than her... And it wasn't like she cared. "Sweetheart. You forget yourself," she finally spoke, keeping her voice leveled as she glared at the warrior. "You may be a warrior but I recommend you learn some empathy. Or, if you will not give a thought for the grief of your Clanmates - that you learn to hold. Your. Tongue." She stepped forward as she spat out the final words, ears slicked back. "Be useful - or be silent. And if you do not mind your manners, then you will be sent to the nursery for acting no better than a kit."

With that done, she turned - the hardness in her eyes melting away at the sight of Sleepycloud. "Oh, Sleepycloud..." she murmured, turning to look at her deputy with a knowing look - this was bad. They were without their medicine cats, none of their cats had the knowledge to treat wounds like these. Perhaps they could seek aid from the other Clans but did they even have the time to send a patrol to beg use of their medicine cats - would any even accept the request for help? She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. "Sageroot, Wiggleworm - do what you can for her wounds here and once she is stable enough, move her to the medicine cat's den. We'll need cobwebs to help stop the bleeding once the poultice is on. We..." she drifted off, taking a few steps to the side to stare at Stormsong. The warrior was sprawled out on a... A badger's pelt. Her stomach rolled as the truth of the situation struck her - the pelt was clearly fresh. A badger... Another predator on their territory but at least this one did not survive its fight with the warriors, even if it did take Stormsong's life... A shaky exhale escaped her.

"We'll also need to hold a vigil for Stormsong, but that will wait until Sleepycloud is stable and can attend. For now, making sure Sleepycloud survives her injuries is top priority - I will not lose two warriors in one day."

The whole world seemed to fade in and out, from darkness to a vague feeling of clarity. She was in pain. But the agony in her chest hurt more than anything else. Stormsong. Stormsong. Stormsong. What was she to do now he was gone? He had been the only thing keeping her going for many moons of her life. Now? Now. Oh, Stormsong. Stormsong.

Words began to make their way through the haze. Sweetheart's callous words caused the rage from when she had fought the badger to resurface. She was thankful for the rude words as they drew her back to the present. The rage had little outlet compared to her encounter in the forest. But her gaze snapped to Sweetheart as Acornstar barreled into her. Sleepycloud managed an amused purr, which spiraled into shuttering coughs. "I'd like you to do what I did, Sweetheart. Maybe only then would a foxheart such as yourself understand your clanmates." And understand Stormsong. What he gave up to take on that badger. Oh, Stormsong. Stormsong, did you have to be gone?

Thankfully, before her thoughts could spiral again, Sageroot and Wiggleworm's attention and application to her wounds had her thinking more of the present. Until she knew she had to answer Sageroot. "Stormsong had been out hunting all day; normally, he would have been back--Ack!" She flinched as herbs were applied to her leg, Sleepycloud clenched her teeth and waited for the stinging to subside. "... by now. I went to look for him. And I found--" Unwillingly, her throat closed up, recalling the sprawled form of her blood-drenched mate in the dense forest. Stars above. Was she going to remember that for the rest of her life?

"He had died fighting a badger. Then, that same badger attacked me. I'm honestly not too sure how I did it..." Maybe she managed it because Stormsong was watching because he wouldn't leave for StarClan without ensuring she was safe. Knowing him, that was probably the case. He was stubborn like that. "After, I knew I couldn't carry Stormsong back with just him. But I couldn't allow myself to leave him there either, lest another predator found him." Not only would it draw more predators to their borders, but also, if they didn't have a body to bury, would Hopepaw understand what happened to her father? "So, as my grandmother taught me, I skinned the badger I killed and used it as leverage to bring him home." Sleepycloud finally let out a sigh. Talking took so much energy...