A Light of Hope (CLOSED)

The tom entered the camp with two mouses and one sparrow. He made his way to the fresh-kill pile and left two of his three preys before walking toward the medicine cat den with heavy and slow steps. The past few days were simply overwhelming. So many deaths. So many wounded clanmates. As a deputy, he had to be strong for his clan, but it was hard when everything seemed to go down in front of his eyes. Without Goldenpaw, it was even harder to deal with all this mess.

Goldenpaw... his friend also was also involved in this sudden rise of attacks against Riverclan. How could a cat attack her when she was only a medicine cat apprentice? Windclan... Thunderclan.. they were the ones behind all this. But this was not the time to think about them. He had to focus on the she-cat.

"Morning." He mewed, entering the medicine cat den. His green eyes immediately fixed on the golden-furred she-cat who was recovering there. Tying to hide his own concerns about the future of the clan, Jaystream offered her a friendly smile. He didn't want her to worry about him. After all, Goldenpaw was the one who needed more help. The handsome deputy left the mouse in front of her before sitting. "I come as a visitor. No wounds this time." He joked, trying to lighten up his own mood and hers. "I brought you something to eat. How's your recovering going?"

It was one of those days. Just one of those horrible days where the she-cat did not wish to function, she just wanted to sleep all day and discard her duties. But she was important to her clan, even if she was injured she had a job to do, though she just couldn't seem to drag herself out of her nest. Goldenpaw looked around the den, noticing her loneliness, with only Cloudstone to sleep with, but even then... All of her other clan-mates slept with each other, held a certain closeness around them as they slept in shared dens, all but Ivystar. She was probably lonely too. Goldenpaw sighed softly as she rested her head on her paws, tail swishing restlessly.

And in walks Jaystream, her best friend, and just like that, all feelings of loneliness was gone like the wind. Goldenpaw watched the tom struggle with his emotions before settling on a friendly smile hidden behind the mouse he carried. The young she-cat worried that if she ate the offered mouse or anything at all it'd be enough to kill her, though logically she knew that it would not happen unless she got attacked again. Harrumphing Goldenpaw rolled her eyes and looked up at Jaystream with an almost loving smile at his comment. "Thank Starclan!" She chirped.

Though when he mentioned her recovery, everything seemed to darken again. The pure savagery of that apprentice made her belly ache and she visibly flinched, her belly flaring with the memory. "Everything is going good I'm trying to start walking around again, and it's still raw but, heh, when one gets their belly raked to Starclan and back that's what happens," Goldenpaw remarked sourly, struggling to push the scent of blood and the rush of the gorge out of her senses. "Thank you, Jaystream. You should have some too, it is leaf-bare and we all need our strength." She meowed softly, inhaling the sickeningly delicious scent of the mouse.

The tom shivered at the thought of seeing Goldenpaw's belly being raked like that and the fur of his fluffy tail bristled at the thought. The deputy still blamed himself for not being more cautious and not seeing that she was leaving the camp alone without an escort. But blaming won't solve anything. Now he felt the responsibility as a friend to look after her and maybe one day, claim justice for her scars.

He shook his head at the she-cat's offering. "Don't worry about me. I followed your last advice and I already had a meal before going on a patrol. You're the one here that needs strength." He purred softly as well remembering the day the she-cat gave him that fish to eat after she healed his wounds.

"I'm free for now so I will like to make a little company. You must feel a bit lonely here." He mewed. Goldenpaw never got the chance of sleeping with fellow cats of her age. Due to her destiny, since her apprentice ceremony, she always had to sleep with Cloudstone and he wasn't exactly the most talkative or friendly cat in Riverclan. Jaystream knew loneliness and he didn't want his friend to feel like that. Goldenpaw also made him feel accompanied. Her only presence was comforting in dark days like this. "When do you think you'll be able to leave the den? I would like to be there to cheer you up too." The handsome tom purred as he wrapped his tail around his paws to keep the warmth.

"Good, I like it when cats follow my advice, makes everything easier." She meowed, almost ignoring the rest of his sentence. Tucking in, it didn't take long for the medicine cat apprentice to crunch away at the mouse's bones, fur, flesh and everything else, swallowing with a quickness that it'd seem that she was starving. Licking her maw clean, she licked her paw and drew it over her ears before giving Jaystream her full attention once more.

Goldenpaw absently nodded, rather bothered by the fact that he basically read her mind. Was she really that easily read? "Heh, yeah, you know me too well." She huffed, a pained smile on her face as she got to her paws, breathing a bit heavily. "I'm free to leave right now, actually. I can walk just fine, I just can't do any extensive activities." She huffed, curling her tail as she padded up to Jaystream, affectionately bumping her shoulder against Jaystreams though she framed it as a stumble.

Jaystream blinked surprised when the young cat started to stand up slowly. When he asked that question he never expected that she would be fine right now. But he had to admit that it was a pleasant surprise. It was good to see that Goldenpaw was recovering rather quickly despite the severity of her wounds.

However, he immediately worried when she stumbled into his shoulder. "Don't force yourself!" Quickly, the deputy stood up and walked to Goldenpaw's side, offering his right flank as a point of support. His natural desire of protecting his clanmates and friends overcame his shyness. "Lean on me if you get tired, okay? I would hate to carry you again here because of an open wound." He purred, concerned as he walked only when she moved. The tom could feel her long fur pressing his and her warmth. That warmth relaxed and relieved a bit his worried mind because it meant that the she-cat was truly there, by his side. At least... Goldenpaw was still alive. He couldn't be more grateful for this second chance. "So... where do you want to go on your first day out of this den?" He asked gently.

Goldenpaw rolled her eyes, wasn't she supposed to be the one to nag him? She was a medicine cat after all. Goldenpaw did not give it much thought, tilting her head side to side as she thought she wondered. "The Gorge." She stated simply, starting to walk, albeit slowly at first to get the handsome tom used to her gait. Once out of the den she pulled away to stretch out her limbs, and her back cracks quite audible as Goldenpaw groaned from satisfaction. Though now she had no excuse to lean on Jaystream, she picked up her pace, feeling light as a feather.

The golden apprentice realized that she may owe Jaystream and explanation after all the place was probably very traumatizing for him. "I want to go there because if that ap- rogue is there I can laugh in her face and you can promptly tear them apart with me. I mean I could have totally beat a rogue, but... I don't really have any battle experience." She meowed simply, trying to shrug off the fact that she didn't know something crucial, playfully batting her tail against his side as she dipped out of the camp and eased herself into the ice-cold water that surrounded the camp, inhaling sharply as it lapped at her raw belly.

Once emerging the she-cat shook out her fur, giving a shudder as she quickly lapped at her paws and fluffing out against the cold air. 'Brr!'

The tom blinked surprised when the she-cat answered him and he lowered his tufted ears slightly. He hated the Gorge. He had so many bad memories from that place: blood, open wounds, injured friends. The gorge... why would she want to go to the place where she got attacked? Windclan is so dangerous! He thought but he didn't say a word. It was Goldenpaw's wish and he wanted to make her happy after all the pain she suffered. His fear toward that place wouldn't stop him from satisfying the desire of his friend.

Jaystream followed the apprentice closely until they left the den. He looked at her concerned when she stopped leaning on him but soon he knew that his fear had no argument when he noticed that Goldenpaw was standing up perfectly. Once she explained her reasons to want to go to that place, the tom nodded, understanding. However, he honestly doubted that the one who attacked her was a rogue. When the tom found her, the smell of Windclan was too strong. But if the she-cat didn't want to say who was, then he wouldn't insist too much... for now. "It seems that you know me well. I will fight anyone that will try to lay a claw on you again, Goldenpaw. Attacking a medicine cat is bad but attacking a friend of mine is worse." He stated with a determined look on his green eyes. Jaystream wasn't exactly the type that would seek vengeance but if someone attacked a friend in front of him, he won't hesitate in attacking back.

His serious look disappeared in the moment that the she-cat touched him playfully with her tail and with a happy smile, the deputy rushed behind her and let his paws and belly get submerged by the cold water. The tom tossed her a bunch of snow to her flank when she left the water, looking at her with a funny and playful smile. Around the she-cat, he felt so young again. He hated the idea that she could get hurt again because she lacked battle training... but wouldn't be different if she knew how to fight? Jaystrwam jumped off the water, shaking the water off his fur before approaching Goldenpaw with a brighter smile. "Hey, I got an idea! I know you're a medicine cat that is not supposed to fight but after what happened, it's obvious that you need a way to defend yourself if you're alone again. Once you're completely recovered and when you have free time, I can teach you few things about fighting techniques. You might not be as skilled as a regular warrior but you'll be able to fight back properly and defend yourself." The anxious tom really hoped that his friend wouldn't think that his idea was too crazy. He wanted to protect her but he also knew that he couldn't be guarding her every second so the best he could was to teach her how to protect herself when he wasn't around.