The Heart Is Hurt Instead [CLOSED]

After sending Muddypaw to the Medicine Cat Den to have his wounds examined as well as to see if he had any other wounds prior that he didn't notice, Amberfluff padded outside, trusting the Medicine Cats to care for Muddypaw. The more she thought of the implications of Muddypaw not feeling pain, the more her heart sank. Theoretically he may not even realise he was injured, and could bleed out in the open before realising and returning to camp. It was absolutely necessary to have someone with him at all times. And what's more, it was possible that he wouldn't even feel the signals from his body telling him he was tired or hungry. Amberfluff wasn't too sure how it would work, but who knew what this strange new thing might bring?

In any case, Amberfluff knew she couldn't stick around Muddypaw at all times to look out for him. She had her own family to look out for. However, she did know she could inform some other cats.

Looking around camp, Amberfluff called out. "Hayglow! Sunnypaw! Come over here!" She called out for Muddypaw's sister and mother.

Hayglow sat in the corner of the camp, eyes locked firmly on the medicine cat's den as Amberfluff stepped out. She had seen her son and his mentor leave camp...Only to come back a short time later with her holding him and the scent of blood following them. She had watched nervously as they slipped into the medicine cat den and waited... She straightened up at seeing the warrior, slowly pushing herself to her paws to approach - but then Amberfluff called out for her and she hurried to meet the she-cat. "Amberfluff, I saw you return to camp with Muddypaw...I-Is he alright?" she asked, whiskers twitching as she peered past the warrior to glance in the medicine cat den but she couldn't see any sign of her son from where she was standing. "What happened out there?"

Muddypaw had told her that he was going to train with Amberfluff, and Sunnypaw had been looking forward to sunset when they would talk about their days. Who knows what he would tell her! She had been asked to tend to the elders, a duty she did with excitement and pride. She loved going to visit the elders, even if the mouse bile to remove their ticks smelled horrible it was easy to forget when they told their stories. When her name was called, she carefully the bile-soaked moss to the side before backing out, making her way towards her mother's figure. As she got closer, she realized that Amberfluff was there, and she had blood on her. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked around for Muddypaw. He had said the two of them were going training. Where was he? He should be right there. Lifting her nose, she realized she could smell his recent scent, coming from the medicine den. Discomfort twisted her belly, and she stopped next to Hayglow, looking between the two she-cats. "Momma? Where's Muddypaw? Is he okay?" Her head was turned towards her mother, but her eyes fixated on Amberfluff.

As the two she-cats approached, Amberfluff could see their visible anxiety and discomfort at seeing Muddypaw go into the Medicine Cat Den. She also noted the way they peered at the traces of blood on her, which was understandable since they were probably imagining the worst that could have happened. At least, she was pretty sure that Hayglow was thinking that.

"Muddypaw and I encountered a snake out on patrol." Amberfluff explained. "He got bitten, though the snake wasn't venomous. We were able to defeat the snake. However, after the fight Muddypaw noted that he wasn't experiencing pain in his bite wound, which I find concerning. My current evaluation is that he is likely to be unable to experience pain." She stopped after dropping the shocking revelation, giving Hayglow and Sunnypaw a moment to process it, and give doubt if they want to.

Hayglow's ears slicked back in horror as Amberfluff explained that they had fought a snake and Muddypaw had been bitten. However...He hadn't...Felt pain? He couldn't feel pain. But... She opened and closed her mouth a few times as she tried to find the words to respond, muzzle scrunching up in confusion as he tried to make sense of it. How could nobody feel pain? It was such a strong, biting feeling. It was nearly impossible to ignore but her son apparently... Didn't feel it? She didn't want to doubt Amberfluff - or perhaps, she did but knew that she couldn't. The warrior wouldn't say such things so lightly. "...I see..." she finally meowed softly, eyes falling back towards the medicine cat den. She wasn't sure how to accept it, or what to do with the information. Her darling Muddypaw couldn't feel pain... "Wh-What do you purpose we do?" she questioned softly, eyes falling back onto Amberfluff. "That...Not feeling pain, that has to be dangerous, isn't it?"

"Snakes can be venomous? What does that mean?" Sunnypaw asked, concern evident in her gaze. Amberfluff said that Muddypaw had reported no pain after the fight... Didn't that mean he wasn't hurt? No, the warrior said that he had been bitten... Recalling the pain that she had experienced when the weasel attacked her, she looked to her mother as she spoke. Dangerous? How could that be dangerous? Her brother would never feel hurt! That was a good thing, wasn't it? "Why is it dangerous, momma? Isn't it a good thing? Muddypaw won't feel hurt, the way I did when that weasel bit me. I don't want him to feel that, so why is it bad?" She was confused, and scared. Why were they making such a fuss of things? Frustration and fear brought tears to her eyes as she looked between the two she-cats.

Amberfluff nodded at Hayglow's evaluation, glad that the Warrior was taking it seriously. "Yes, I believe it has potential to be very dangerous. For one, it would be incredibly easy for Muddypaw to underestimate how bad an injury is and carry on with a patrol not knowing he's got a wound, which could be detrimental at best and deadly at worst. Especially with internal injuries-even cats who can feel pain often end up not realising they have internal injuries, and it could be worse for Muddypaw."

The intention wasn't exactly to scare the mom-and-daughter duo, but Amberfluff wanted them to know about the many possibilities of the troubles that this disability could bring.

"I think one idea would be to have a cat with some medical knowledge accompany Muddypaw on all patrols out of camp, or at least keep him close to camp. He'll need to go to the Medicine Den often for checkups on whether he has any injuries that he didn't realise." Amberfluff offered up her ideas for helping Muddypaw, then paused as Sunnypaw asked her question.

"Venom is a substance that damages your body, to put it simply." Amberfluff restrained herself from saying too much. "Pain is the thing that tells us when something is wrong with our body, so if Muddypaw feels no pain it is definitely not a good thing. It doesn't stop you from getting hurt, you just won't feel when you get hurt."