[closed] Troubles Unseen

A fresh new dusting of powdery white snow glinted in the light of sun-high, having just fallen the night before. SkyClan found its territory shimmering like Silverpelt in the daytime. Despite the now-ceased precipitation, the world felt a bit more insulated as Amberpaw made her way out into the forest and left the camp behind. Her fur was thickening up, and the little golden tabby knew she had been born in just the right season to carry her through this cold. She padded through the shallow blanket with her dark amber eyes scanning near tree trunks and skirting bushes as she passed them. While the medicine den was well stocked, Amberpaw had a bad feeling about what new darkness the leaf-bare might bring - though perhaps it was just her being fretful - and she knew it wouldn't hurt to search for more herbs to help fill up some of what they'd already used for minor injuries.

Due to the new snow, and the snow that had fallen several days before, Amberpaw wasn't sure what to expect, but she had learned that some herbs could still be found trying to sprout in leaf-bare if they had enough protection around them. Twoleg gardens were one such place, but thick forested areas with dense foliage often yielded some leaves as well. The medicine cat apprentice was rummaging around beneath a fat juniper bush when she discovered a thick, harsh scent a few tail-lengths away - wild garlic! Through the scent she thought she detected ThunderClan, but she knew she was near the border when she'd gone into the bush so thought little of it. She came out the other side to see a clump of the wild garlic sheltered safely beneath some other branches. Amberpaw padded over to it and began to look for the best way to gather some.

The bulky warrior's head was low, shoulders hunched, and tail dragging lazily through the snow. Behind him was a trail that marked the indifference that seemed to overwhelm him. Between the massive paws and the tell-tale trail, it would have been easy to track him. In this weather, it was easier than finding a black-pelted Shadowclan cat skulking through their territory in the daylight. One ear flicked with a mild interest as he heard a noise. Beartooth was near Skyclan territory after all. Perhaps there was a patrol. If there was, he prayed to, well the godless sky above that no cat would cross the border. Times like these he cursed his sense of duty.

A solo patrol had been much needed but if there was a confrontation, well, for once he actually hoped to avoid one. Normally the warrior was dedicated to his mission as a Thunderclan cat, honor bound to serve and protect. Today he wanted nothing more than to curl up in the peace of the lazy, leafbare snow that drifted from the trees above. But fate was not so kind. A flash of fur caught his eye, clearly across the border. He forced a half-hearted growl and briefly unsheathed his claws. With one look at the monsterous daggers that protruded from his paws, Beartooth changed his mind. Instead his footfalls thudded against the snow as he packed it down with weight. One broad, scarred shoulder struck Amberpaw's side and he toppled over, unintentionally pinning her under his frame.

An overwhelming scent, one he remembered from recently somewhere... Pricklepaw's den. Herbs! Beartooth rose to his feet, staring down at what he now assumed to be the Skyclan medicine cat. She was trespassing. But this was a medicine cat. Confusion wracked his deadened mind and he stepped away, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were a medicine cat." His voice was low, almost soft despite its usual rasp, "You're on Thunderclan territory, you know." A pang of guilt twinged from within his chest. Monster. Vicious monster. You hurt a medicine cat. His maw twisted into a frown as he used a forepaw to swipe snow from his eyes. As he knicked the still throbbing wounds, inflicted by his own claws, the warrior could not help from twitching involuntarily.

Beartooth used run and tackle dealing 12 damage and using 10 stamina.

Beartooth
30/45 [reduced stats due to prior injury]
120/160


Amberpaw
23/35
90/90

The bright golden tabby was so focused on her task that she didn't hear the approaching, thundering pawsteps until the tom was upon her. Amberpaw turned her head with a surprised gasp just in time to see a ThunderClan tom lurching towards her to check her with his shoulder. Amberpaw yowled with surprise as he came crashing down on top of her; he seemed almost as surprised to be on the ground as she was, for a moment later he was scrambling up. Despite being immediately relieved of his weight, the medicine cat apprentice stayed on the ground, wincing as she stared up at the tom. Then, he spoke - and he really was just as confused as she was.

"I didn't realize you were a medicine cat. You're on ThunderClan territory, you know." Amberpaw gasped and replied quickly, "I-I'm sorry, I knew I was near the border but I didn't realize I'd crossed. Medicine cat or not, that's no right to intrude..." Now that she knew the warrior before her wasn't planning on continuing the jarring assault, the SkyClan medicine cat apprentice watched him rub snow from his face. His wounded face! "You're hurt!" she gasped, quickly standing to her paws. She hesitated, then asked, "Have you seen your medicine cat about this...?" She didn't know his name, and she trailed off awkwardly, eyeing the wounds she was now seeing everywhere.

The gnawing sense of guilt that tugged at his stomach as he took another step away with his ears flattening. Even if his faith in the fading stars had worn to little more than ragged shreds of a mere memory of faith, his duty-bound to the code had not shifted in the slightest. While in such a darkened state, the warrior hadn't once considered anything other than what he had been taught his whole life. If anything, he was at least thankful that her blood was not on his claws. Beartooth flinched. The thought was unbearable. Especially after everything that had happened, how would he be able to atone for his sins in the eyes of the universe, the code, the clans, and his kin. That final thought caused his gaze to lower and his gut to tighten. It was devastating at best. But at least he had managed to tame his own beast enough not to draw blood. Right?

When she spoke, he found himself wincing as if struck. Likely because of her position, each word cut as deeply as it had in speaking to Pricklepaw. He clenched his teeth. If the tom had thought about it, embarrassment would have heated his ears at how genuinely pathetic it was for such an awesome looking warrior to appear so weak. But he did not consider such things. Instead, Beartooth flickered his gaze upwards at her exclamation. Once again he was reminded of the recent encounter with his adoptive kin and his throat dried up. The cold of the snow seemed to numb his paws as his mind too had become void of feeling much more than dulled sensations and the occasional stabbing of sadness or guilt that reminded him what he was. Her line of questioning caused his paws to shuffle. The answer was obvious.

"No."

His meow was gruff, covering the lie that slipped so easily from his maw. Never before had the tom sacrificed his natural-born honor for any level of falsities. Beartooth was not clever enough to craft them, nor did he have the desire. Somewhere deep inside he shrank, but an admission of the truth was seemingly a worse fate. As much as he had begun to sleep with knowledge of his own shortcomings, well overplaying it at times, seeing any such thing in the pale, spikey-furred medicine cat was seemingly impossible. And so a lie it was. Clawing at the frozen ground, easily slicing through the fragile tufts of snow, Beartooth struggled to find some balance. Doing his job as a warrior was difficult with the ongoing battle to fight his piddling grip on reality. With a low exhalation of breath, the tom finally meowed, "We should get you back to your own territory, right?" Flickering his gaze to the ground, it was the first time Beartooth questioned himself aloud. And what a feeling it was.

Amberpaw was surprised by the tom's expression when she explained how she had ended up on the wrong side of the border. His face seemed... guilty? Is he worried because he tackled me? she wondered. I really did trespass - it was his right, and I'm not hurt. The warrior seemed embarrassed about the state that he was in, but Amberpaw just felt concerned and frustrated by it. Pricklepaw was receiving training from both Amberpaw's own mentor, Mintwhisker, and StarClan as well. Why was he not using any of his training to help his Clanmates? Was he not learning? Maybe Pricklepaw doesn't care, Amberpaw thought grimly. It wouldn't surprise me.

The medicine cat apprentice stared hard at the warrior before her while he hesitantly suggested they return her to SkyClan's territory. Amberpaw hesitated for a second before replying slowly, "I'm glad to go back to my territory, but... I'm a medicine cat. I can't let you return to camp in your condition if you haven't visited your own medicine cat yet." The golden tabby found a bit of confidence with her argument and turned around to the clump of wild garlic she had found under the edge of the bush. Her dark amber eyes searched their surroundings for any more useful herbs, and she was delighted to find a small sprout of chervil protected by the foliage.

Amberpaw grabbed the sprout up and began to chew it, then reached down to pluck a clump of garlic. She winced as she chewed the strong herb up with the chervil, and then she spat the wad into a clean patch of snow. She looked at Beartooth, gazing into his eyes - his slightly unfocused eyes gleaming with pain . "The garlic doesn't normally get chewed in, and it's a weaker disinfectant," Amberpaw admitted, "but I don't have everything I'd normally use here, and those wounds need whatever help they can get. I'll return to SkyClan right after. You can even escort me if you need to." She waited a moment, giving him a chance to protest - though she was going to help him by force if he did.

"Close your eyes, and lower your head a little please," Amberpaw directed softly, "It will sting, but it will feel better than it has been." And then she reached up a pawful of the salve and gently worked it into the long, puffy scratches above his eye. Seven scratches, though some had become so enflamed they almost blended into the others... and seven claws, Amberpaw remembered from when she had been on the ground earlier. Maybe he's hurting in places I can't heal. She worked quietly, then stepped back to see if she had coated the wound thoroughly enough.