Severed, Separated, Split {OPEN | MC/MCA NEEDED}

OOC: Continuation of this.
tl;dr: puddlepaw had a little skirmish with riverclan, and got his tail bit off. because of his love for she-cats, he promised to hide his attacker's identity and claim that his tail was taken of by a dog. ;)

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With droplets unpreventably oozing, leaking a trail of crimson, large paws scrambled unappealingly into camp. The splashed apprentice was deeply grim, which was greatly unusual for him. Puddlepaw hopped over the rough edges of the stone, and struggled to not crumple over. Limping all the way back to camp had proved a challenge, especially for an unfit tom like him. The twinkles of playfulness in his eyes from joking with the RiverClan apprentice had long faded, and was replaced with desperatation. The large pheasant the apprentice had hunted was forgotten, and he parted his maw to croak, "Please help..!"
Most of his tail was missing. The agony still freshly blazing was thoroughly and undeniably intolerable. All that remained was a blood-splattered stump. A mere stump. Remembering the story he had meant to invent, he added briskly, "It was a dog! Near the river! It.. it did this."
The story was utterly false. It had not been a dog at all, but a lovely RiverClan apprentice. He had planted a facade of shock and fear when he had entered, intending to indicate that the dog had been very vicious. Puddlepaw's vision had been obscured by a mist, threatening to make him faint, but the brief delightful moment he had shared with the RiverClanner had lightened it. Now, all he struggled with was keeping balanced, especially on the uneven ground. What would his Clanmates say? How could a SkyClan cat whisk through trees and climb if they had no tail?

It had seemed a dull, uninteresting day. Lingering at the edges of the clearing, Tigerleaf watched the going-ons of camp life with a blank gaze. Having returned from a patrol not too long ago, the striped she-cat was taking a break. A half-eaten squirrel lay at her paws. Despite knowing better than to waste food, she didn't have much of an appetite that day. As she was glaring at the piece of prey, trying to bring herself to take another bite, the coppery scent of blood reached her sensitive nose. Lifting her gaze, she caught sight of Puddlepaw standing at the camp entrance. The apprentice was swaying on his feet, looking dangerously like he was about to faint. The trail of blood that he had left behind stood out all too clearly against the dull-colored rocks.

Tigerleaf was standing in an instant, her bright yellow eyes stretched wide. "Puddlepaw!" She exclaimed in horror. The source of the blood was Puddlepaw's tail. At least, what was left of it. All that was left of the young's tom appendage was a bleeding stump. The sight of the wounded apprentice caused her to completely forget her usual behavior. Dashing over to him, she offered him a shoulder of support. "Hang in there, Puddlepaw. Mintwhisker!" As loudly as she could, she called for the medicine cat, "Puddlepaw's hurt!" How many cats were the dogs going to take from SkyClan? Tinystar and the other warriors were supposed to have gotten rid of them a while ago. Had they missed one?

Mintwhisker had been watching Amberpaw thoughtfully from her nest when the cries first reached her ears. Immediately, the taupe she-cat was on her feet, peering out of the den to see Tigerleaf standing beside a small apprentice near the camp entrance.
The Medicine Cat burst into action. Quick thinking was something a Medicine Cat was specifically selected for, and Mintwhisker was no exception. "Cobwebs, quick!" She cried, turning as Amberpaw peered out of the den after her. "Horsetail, Chevril, Goldenrod- you know what they look like -and grab anything else you think we'll need." With that, the plump she-cat rushed out of her den, making a beeline towards Puddlepaw.

The sight of the young tom's mangled tail was enough to make the she-cat's eyes narrow with sympathy. This wasn't going to be fatal, but it would definitely prove a painful and difficult wound to heal. A perfect learning opportunity for Honeypaw.
After assessing the wound for a moment, the long-whiskered she-cat turned to Tigerleaf with a calm smile. "Tigerleaf, dear, please help my apprentice carry the herbs necessary from my den. Afterward, if you would kindly inform Fernpetal that her apprentice has been wounded, and perhaps Mistyrain as well..."

With every second that passed, Puddlepaw was losing more blood. To have returned on his own with such a wound must have taken a ton of willpower from the young tom. Could a cat die from a tail injury? They couldn't, right? But what about blood loss or infection? Panicked thoughts whirled chaotically through Tigerleaf's mind as she held Puddlepaw up. She couldn't have been more relieved when Amberpaw's head poked out from the Medicine Den. The ginger she-cat subsequently alerted her mentor, and Mintwhisker was by Puddlepaw's side in an instant.

Mintwhisker's even tone calmed Tigerleaf down almost instantly. The medicine cat did not appear too worried; the wounded apprentice was in good hands. She nodded quickly at the request. "Okay." Pulling away from Puddlepaw, she bounded towards the Medicine Den. As a warrior, she didn't know too much about the herbs that had been mentioned. She could leave that to Amberpaw. Her presence initially startled the medicine cat apprentice, but Amberpaw was quick to realize her intentions. After all the herbs had been carried out to Mintwhisker, the striped warrior headed into the Warriors' Den. "Fernpetal, Mistyrain," She called out breathlessly to the two she-cats, "Puddlepaw was attacked by a dog. He's lost most of his tail."

Mistyrain's ears perked up, her nose picking up the unsavory scent of blood. A frown creased her muzzle as Tigerleaf swiftly delivered the unfortunate news. "Dogs again?" she grumbled softly. "I thought we had gotten rid of the filthy beasts." The undersized deputy swiftly trotted to the den entrance, careful to avoid disturbing any of her denmates. Her grimace increased at the sight of the apprentice, stumbling about in a weakened, unbalanced state.

She rushed to his side, laying her tail on his shoulder comfortingly. "It's going to be alright, Puddlepaw," she reassured him. "You're in good paws, I promise." The she-cat cracked a smile, making her best effort to erase the gloomy expression from his face. Making a quick decision, she opted not to ask him questions, as he still seemed to be in shock. "I'm sorry about the dogs," she mustered. "It's very unfortunate that you happened across them." She backed a way a few pawsteps to give the Medicine Cats room to do their work, though still hovering worriedly over the wounded apprentice.