Check-up [C]

Two days had passed since the snake bite. Or so Woolywing assumed, based on the 'good morning's he received from other residents of the medicine den. He didn't know where exactly the sun was in the sky, but he knew the day was far enough along that Dovesight would be checking on him soon. Or at least she had done for the past two mornings. The young tom rested his head on his paws, curling his tail neatly around himself. It was comforting to curl up, he'd discovered, when one couldn't see. He was afraid to move too much, to bump into someone or something or injure himself again. It was part of the reason he hadn't tried to get up thus far, that and the pain that still radiated from his body. Instead, he laid still and listened out for any movements.

Mostly, he hoped Yarrowblossom would visit. Unlike with the eagle, Woolywing had mostly been conscious the past two days- conscious enough to have visitors, in his opinion. But Dovesight said he needed rest. Woolywing privately disagreed. He was disorientated and scared- he wasn't getting much rest anyhow. If anything, he suspected curling up with Yarrowblossom would help him recover more than laying here alone. Not that Yarrowblossom would curl up with him anyway, he hastily added to himself. They were friends, and whatever feelings Woolywing had weren't shared by the taller tom. Woolywing sighed, shaking the thought from his mind. Anyway, he didn't argue with the medicine cat about the visitors. She knew best, he knew that. And he had some hope that if he was as cooperative and seemingly unbothered as possible, she'd discharge him sooner. So he tried to be a model patient, taking the admittedly disgusting herbs quietly and trying his best not to flinch when Dovesight examined his eye- or what was left of it. Ah, speak of the devil- his ears swiveled to the entrance of the medicine den as he heard soft pawsteps. He shuffled a little bit, raising his head.

"Dovesight?" He questioned, unable to tell who it was by scent. He'd never had to use his nose much when his eyes told him near everything, and he hadn't really improved at the whole scent recognition thing since Stormdance taught him. All he could smell was herbs and the faint scent of blood, but that was all he'd been able to smell for the past two days.

"Yes, it's me."

Dovesight walked up to Woolywing, her pawsteps light. She probably could walk a little louder, but it was merely habit. She always did have a careful gait.

Letting out a sigh, Dovesight sat beside Woolywing, a look of defeat in her eyes. But Woolywing wouldn't be able to see that. He never would. Today she was going to move from trying to heal the eye to teaching Woolywing how to work without it.

"Woolywing.... there is no easy way to say this. Your eye.... I don't think there is anything that can be saved from it. I'm sorry, but you won't be able to see anymore. This..... this is permanent. But, ah, maybe you don't have to give up being a warrior, though. I was thinking, and maybe we can teach you to function just as well with your other senses? If anything, we can teach you things to do around camp if you can't hunt or fight. I, ah, I don't want you to have to retire. Not when you are still so young. Do you think you would be willing to try?"

Woolywing felt relief when Dovesight confirmed her identity, straightening up a little. He gave her a soft smile. "How's it looking? Do you think I'll ever..." He trailed off and she began to speak, and his relief was replaced by the force of two days of denial falling away all at once. He tried his best not to visibly crumple with disappointment, though his heart sank to the pits of his stomach. Dovesight had tried her best, applied all sorts of herbs and bindings... Yet they still weren't enough. Woolywing took a deep breath and squeezed his eyelids shut tightly, grounding himself. He was an adult, he had to act as such. He would not cry, not in front of the medicine cat.

Or her apprentice, he added with a jolt as Sandypaw spoke and he realised she was there too. She smalled just like the den and he'd been preoccupied, so her entrance gave him a small fright that managed to jerk him out of his melancholy. "Oh, Sandypaw. I'll be alright. I have my ears and nose and whiskers..." Once again his voice petered out. What was he supposed to say to her? He didn't trust himself not to break down entirely if he kept going, so he reached out and touched her with his tail and turned his head back to Dovesight. "Can I really be a warrior? I don't... My sense of smell isn't what it should be, I admit. But if you think there's a chance for me..."

Taking a deep breath, he shakily rose to his feet. He wobbled, getting a sudden jolt of panic that he'd fall over and not be able to catch himself. What if he landed on Sandypaw? But his fears subsided and he stood, feet wide apart to keep himself stable. "I want to try. If there's any chance of me staying a warrior, I need to try." He gave Dovesight a lopsided smile, faking confidence that not an ounce of him really felt.

Although he couldn't see her do it, Dovesight smiled, standing beside Woolywing to keep him steady. "Alright, what we are going to do for now is take a tour around the camp. I want you to take in as many smells as possible, and pay close attention to where your paws are going. We will get you used to walking around camp before we try anything else. Alright?

So let's start with the scents. Take in the smells of this den. See if you can pick apart the scents of me and Sandypaw among the herbs. And then we will move on to other areas of the camp. Other cats. Alright?"

She looked at her apprentice, offering a nod to see if she had anything she wanted to add. Woolywing was her friend, and Sandypaw was a perfectly capable medicine cat. She deserved to have her voice heard.