Aftermath pt. 1 (Closed)

Dewshine padded into the medicine cat's den. Her mind raced with gratitude, but she still felt the sting of words directed towards her. She had broken the code, she knew that. Yet it hurt to know that she had failed Flurrypaw so absolutely, that she would have to become a warrior without her guidence. Nor could she leave the camp and fish. Jaystar had made it clear that she was to remain in camp at all times, even the river was off limits. Her thoughts churned bitterly towards Silverfang. The she-cat would have a field day with this.

She had her kits though. It was a silver lining. Her kits and her mate now were both in the same clan. She no longer had to choose as she padded beside Scorchclaw, as if the deputy believed she would bolt. That she might go somewhere when there was nowhere else she wanted to be. Dewshine's blue gaze fell to Goldeneye with an embarrassed smile as she tucked her tail around her paws.
"Evening Goldeneye." She greeted softly, glancing at Scorchclaw with a huff, then lowering her head. "Jaystar wants you to check on my kits..." She added with slight embarrasement. She hadn't exactly told the she-cat that she had been expecting. It was simply something she felt, deep in her bones. Her instincts were strong, and that meant she was probably farther along than she expected despite the lack of swelling in her belly.

As Scorchclaw stepped into the Medicine Den, the sharp scent of herbs greeted him. He was acutely aware of Dewshine's presence behind him. Although no words were exchanged, the silence between the two of them seemed to crackle with friction. In the end, Jaystar had allowed Gingerstripe to stay in RiverClan. The fluffy deputy still had mixed emotions on this matter, but the decision was made now. He just had to hope that they hadn't made a terrible mistake in showing mercy to the former ShadowClanner. Ever since the two of them had left Jaystar's side, the brown tabby tom hadn't made eye contact with Dewshine even once. His anger and disappointment at the she-cat's failure to keep the Warrior Code couldn't have been any clearer. He had nothing more to say to her.

When the medicine cat looked up at their approach, he dipped his head. "Goldeneye." He mewed simply, as a form of greeting. As Dewshine spoke up, his green gaze darkened. "It is as she says. In a little while, Jaystar will make an announcement explaining the situation to the whole clan." Sitting down on the sandy ground, he flicked his fluffy tail. "Dewshine has taken a rogue as her mate and is pregnant with his kits. Just a moment ago, he was accepted into our clan." The sharp tone he used as he spoke those words was unmistakable. He could probably have done a better job explaining things, but he cut straight to the chase. He knew the medicine cat had probably seen the strange tom entering their camp.

A wince was all that Fallowpaw could muster as both Dewshine and Scorchclaw padded into the den, speaking to someone who wasn't there. "I... I'm sorry. Goldeneye ain't here right now..." She looked up to Scorchclaw with a pained gaze. 'So, it's not known...' She breathed in quickly and looked to Dewshine. Her mind faltered for just a single second- Dewshine... With a rogue! She was the last cat she'd expect to end up with any outsider! The small she-cat shook her head, masking her disbelief with the bright smile that she always presented her Clanmates with. "I'd be delighted to check for you, though." She tilted her head to the side a bit, gesturing to the closest nest in her den. "Just lay down right there, for a second. Y'all make yourselves comfy." She padded over to the small nooks in the den, scanning the herbs to find... Ah! She gently picked up a bit of Thyme, and placed it in front of Dewshine. "Go ahead and chew this up." She didn't bother explaining her reasoning- if the she-cat cared to know, then she'd ask.

At first, Dewshine thought that the medicine den was empty. She looked back at Scorchclaw as she stepped further in until Fallowpaw appeared. She smiled, but looked down shamefully as the young cat heard her offence as she padded over to where it was gestured for her to wait. The nest was soft and smelled pleasant as Dewshine sank down into it, but her body tensed as she looked towards the camp entrance. Gingerstripe would be introduced to the clan any moment... how would it go? Would they reject him? She feared the reaction as she forced herself to focus on Fallowpaw and the herbs placed in front of her.

She couldn't help the grimace as memories of the travel herbs came to mind. Still, she lapped up the herbs, expecting them to taste horrible. They were grassy, pungeant, but as she chewed the leaves she was pleased to find it was a lot less awful than those herbs had been. She still preferred fish, but she cast a quick glance at her belly, this was for her kits. She could stand eating an herb or two if it helped them.
"Fallowpaw... how do you check them?" She asked curiously as she watched the young cat move around.

Well, that had been awkward. Instead of the familiar golden pelt of RiverClan's medicine cat, the one who appeared before the two of them was Fallowpaw. It was at that moment that Scorchclaw remembered that Goldeneye wasn't currently present. She had been gone for quite some time now, but the fluffy deputy seldom went to the Medicine Den, so it had all but slipped his mind. It had seemed to him that Goldeneye would always be there. The look of discomfort on Fallowpaw's face made him want to wince in return, but he maintained a poker face.

As the medicine cat apprentice began to give Dewshine instructions, Scorchclaw sat down in a quiet corner of the den. He knew next to nothing about herbs. With one ear still listening in on the conversation between the other two, he glanced towards the exit of the den. He wanted to know what his clanmates' reception of Gingerstripe was like. He supposed he would know before too long. Even if they disagreed, they couldn't change Jaystar's decision.

"Nothin' too complicated." She padded over to Dewshine, nodding heartily to Scorchclaw as he settled in the corner. It had only taken a quick glance when Dewshine walked in for Fallowpaw to conclude that she was pregnant, with her swollen belly protruding more so in the sides than hanging down as if she were just overweight. "The herbs have nothin' to do with what I'm doin' now. It just helps to relax the mind a bit. If you can, try not to swallow 'em. It won't hurt you or the kits, but it's better to just spit it right out when you're done." She pushed a leaf in her direction with her last words, intending for her to do so there instead of anywhere else. Then, once Dewshine had completely relaxed her muscles, she reached out with a deft paw and gently touched the surface of her skin. Immediately, she felt the slight movement of growing kits beneath her paw. She grinned and looked into Dewshine's blue eyes, nodding her head in delight.

She shifted her paw a little more, try to get a rough count of just how many kits she might be having. Goldeneye hadn't gotten far into her training, and even though she thought she had a good idea of how to get an estimate, she didn't. It was definitely a blow to her confidence. 'Goldeneye, where are you?' It was something that she'd know how to do. She shook her head and looked down at her paws in disappointment before lifting her gaze back to Dewshine's. "T-The kits are well, and you're rather far along. But I... I c-couldn't get a good feeling of how many you're havin', Dewshine... I'm sorry." Again, the she-cat shook her head, returning her focus to her paws.