((Double update! And this one is longer.))
Chapter 21
Despite the patrol's best efforts, that day nothing had been found. The fox had either retreated, or simply happened to be in none of the places that the patrol looked. Still, Skypaw and Minnowheart had managed to find a few pawfuls of cobwebs. Minnowheart seemed to be expecting wounds that would need to be treated in the aftermath of the confrontation with the fox.
So, Skypaw's day had gone more or less normally, the vague pulse of apprehension from the presence of a fox somewhere about Rainclan's territory aside. He'd gone to sleep and slept more or less fine. Sometimes his dreams were…. Less than kind to him, but this time they'd be relatively normal and peaceful. A dream of lazily floating down a shimmering river… It'd been nice and allowed Skypaw to wake up, feeling well-rested.
Minnowheart took the morning to drag Skypaw out for a hunting lesson, even if he was pretty sure he was well versed in hunting as well… Since it wasn't the focus of his training, he bet that even Creekpaw was better than him… Though, he was perfectly capable. He knew better than to argue with Minnowheart… The medicine cat had a way with words that allowed her to win almost every argument.
Still, as a result, Skypaw had a hearty catfish hanging from his jaws. Minnowheart had her own bass she was carrying. Though, suddenly the black and white she-cat pushed the golden apprentice into the river. Then she jumped in as well and splashed him. If there was one thing that bugged him the most about swimming lessons…. It was how spontaneous and without warning they were.
…. Well that and how Minnowheart's solution to teaching Skypaw to be a stronger and faster swimmer was nipping him in the leg when possible, if he couldn't swim away fast enough.
It was just after Sunhigh when Minnowheart finally called it, the two medicine cats crawling out of the river.
Minnowheart shook her pelt, water flying off easily. As Rainclan cats, they had sleek pelts that water practically slid off of. It lended itself well to the Rainclanner's drying themselves off easier. "I think it's time to head back to camp." She announced.
Skypaw let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Starclan…"
Minnowheart suddenly started smirking mischievously. "Oh? I thought you liked my lessons?"
Skypaw groaned. "I prefer it when you're not using incentive to make me work harder…"
Skypaw was only rising to his paws when suddenly Salmonpaw burst onto the scene from the bushes. Instantly, the white-furred apprentice's fur was standing on end and Skypaw braced himself to be yelled at.
"What the hell are you two doing?! Having a water fight?! At a time like this?! You two make me so mad! Aaargh!" She shrieked.
Minnowheart looked like she was about to open her mouth to sass and probably take revenge for being talked to like that by an apprentice, when Skypaw decided to cut in loudly to prevent any fighting. "Salmonpaw! What are you doing here?"
Salmonpaw stomped angrily. "Because you two are needed in camp! Your Dad told me to come and get you two losers! The fox wasn't where it was supposed to be and it attacked a hunting patrol! They're fine, but Creekpaw might lose his eye if you don't get your stupid butts back to camp right now!" She screeched.
That explained why she was so angry. Salmonpaw was rather intense at best of times, but there was no doubting that she cared for both of her siblings, even if one was lazy Shinepaw and the other was nervous Creekpaw.
Minnowheart's gaze suddenly turned serious. "Alright." Without another word, Minnowheart was off. Skypaw, without missing a beat ran after.
Salmonpaw took a moment before she followed. "A-Argh! Don't go acting so cool when you two are the stupid ones!"
The run back to camp was… Well… Intense! He felt like his heart was going to pound out of his chest! Aside from little minor injuries that could be expected from day to day, Skypaw had never really dealt with an injured cat! It sounded like Creekpaw's eye was damaged by the fox, and the golden apprentice sincerely hoped his friend didn't lose the eye altogether. It would be horrible for Creekpaw's confidence, even if he was sure that Creekpaw would survive and still be able to be a warrior. He wondered who else was on the patrol… He felt a pang in his chest. He hoped it wasn't Fadingpaw, Cloudypaw, or Shinepaw! He knew Faithwhisper was probably on the patrol as well, since she was Creekpaw's mentor. He could only hope no one he loved dearly was too injured…
Other than Salmonpaw's constant ranting that Minnowheart and Skypaw were total minnow-brains… The run back was silent, save for the pounding of their feet against the earth, and splashing of the puddles they ran through.
When they burst back into camp, the two medicine cats made a beeline for their den. Waiting for them was Creekpaw, sobbing grossly into Fadingpaw's shoulder, and probably getting blood, snot, and tears all into the latter's fur. The silver tabby looked decidedly uncomfortable, but still trying to comfort Creekpaw best he could. "E-Erm… It's not that bad! Besides… Scars are cool…?!" He didn't sound all too convincing.
Skypaw swallowed. He didn't expect this to be the turn of events. A quick glance over, Fadingpaw seemed fine however, aside from a few scratches and… His tail looked to have been bitten.
Sootspeck looked to be the worst out of them, two major bite wounds in his back and shoulder. He was on the ground complaining about it to Faithwhisper, who seemed bruised with a few cuts.
Skypaw bit his lip.
Minnowheart began speaking. "Skypaw. I will tend to Sootspeck. I need you to attend to Creekpaw first. Then take care of your brother and Faithwhisper." She ordered. Then she moved forward, and gently shoved Faithwhisper aside, apparently assessing the damage. Then she immediately reached for cobwebs to stall the bleeding. Skypaw was reasonably sure it probably wasn't fatal but… He could only hope that Fadingpaw's mentor came out of this encounter alright.
He moved to Creekpaw and Fadingpaw. "I can take him." He said, trying best to invoke his inner Minnowheart, trying to be brave like she was. Fadingpaw looked up and seemed hesitant, before finally pushing the distraught apprentice towards the medicine cat of the two brothers.
"Hey, hey… Creekpaw… Don't worry. Just hold on a bit…." Skypaw soothed, and Creekpaw at the very least had stopped sobbing uncontrollably.
"I'm going to be blind! I'm totally useless…!" He wailed. He wasn't done complaining, apparently.
Skypaw wondered if it'd be rude to point out that at worst, Creekpaw would be half-blind since his other eye was undamaged. Instead, he grabbed goldenrod and cobwebs, carrying them over to Creekpaw.
"Hold still." Skypaw asked. He picked up the goldenrod and began chewing it into a poultice in his mouth. Then he began dripping the produced poultice onto Creekpaw's eye. Skypaw winced at the shrieking, but was thankful for when Fadingpaw stepped in, holding Creekpaw still, hissing out "Didn't you hear him say 'stay still'?!"
Skypaw remembered that day…. When Fadingpaw called him weak. Apparently at least his brother respected his healing skills, of what Minnowheart had taught him at least.
Creekpaw's pained wails devolved into whimpering.
Fadingpaw groaned. "Somehow I doubt Faithwhisper was the perfect mentor for you…" He grumbled.
Skypaw reached for the cobwebs, to wrap them around Creekpaw's head, concentrating them on Creekpaw's damaged eye. "You should be set now. Just… Don't poke it." He advised.
"G-Great. We can leave then!" Fadingpaw said a little too hurriedly, trying to usher Creekpaw outside when Skypaw forced his fear down, going forward to place a paw on Fadingpaw's chest.
"He can. You can't. I need to check you over for infection." Skypaw said firmly, with all the confidence he didn't feel.
Fadingpaw growled at him, and it took everything that Skypaw had to not shrink away. "I'm fine!"
"Your tail isn't. Lemme see…!" Skypaw insisted, and Fadingpaw begrudgingly allowed Skypaw to tend to his wounds. The golden-furred apprentice used the same goldenrod-cobweb combination for Fadingpaw's tail, though due to the lesser damage of his various cuts, the cobwebs weren't necessary for the minor cuts.
"Done." Skypaw announced when he applied the poultice to the last of Fadingpaw's cuts.
"Can I go now?" Fadingpaw asked irritably.
"... Yeah, sure." Skypaw said finally, looking away.
Without another word, Fadingpaw left the medicine cat's den, dragging Creekpaw out with him.
Skypaw sighed, and looked to see that Faithwhisper had come of her own accord. "I'm guessing I'm next?" She asked softly.
Skypaw could only nod, and he began to tend to her, giving a similar treatment to Fadingpaw's. She was mostly only bruised and cut in a few places. The bruises could be left alone and would heal fine, and he only needed a poultice for the cuts.
Though, as he worked, Faithwhisper spoke to him. "I'm sorry that things got bad between you and Fadingpaw. I'm sure you'll reconcile one day… When you're both ready. I hope you'll be able to forgive him. Thank you for helping him, even when he's been unkind to you. You're a special kind of cat Skypaw."
Skypaw didn't answer to a single word Faithwhisper said. Recognizing her conversation to be unwanted, when the older she-cat was done, she left without another word.
By this time, Minnowheart was finishing up with Sootspeck. Well, she'd been done with him for a while… She was actually arguing with him.
"Couldn't you have helped your clanmates without nearly getting killed?!" Minnowheart did not suffer fools lightly.
"... Get off my back." Sootspeck grumbled in response.
"Oh yes, I'll get off your back as you bleed to death!"
This had been going on for a while, but Minnowheart finally left Sootspeck in a spare nest. She sighed and addressed Skypaw. "This idiot's injured enough that we need to keep him here and keep an eye on him. Watch for infection or his wounds getting worse. At least he's not the type to go prancing around, reopening all his wounds…" With the way Minnowheart was speaking, Skypaw had a feeling that the hazel-eyed medicine cat was a little too familiar with the type of patient she was describing.
Like he'd been hit with a rock, Skypaw realized Fadingpaw was probably that kind of patient. He really hoped the silver tabby wouldn't open his tail and bleed to death out in the territory. He… Wasn't sure he could talk to Fadingpaw himself… Maybe he could ask Salmonpaw to….
As he turned away and stepped a single step out of the medicine cat's den, the aforementioned apprentice was suddenly in his face.
"What the hell, Skypaw?! I brought you here to save his eye, not cover up the damage!" She shouted, barely an inch between their faces.
Skypaw flinched and then took a deep breath. He tried harder to invoke the spirit of his mentor's courage in the face of cranky patients and even grouchier relatives. "His eye was struck by the fox. There was no saving it. I'm not a miracle worker."
Salmonpaw made a noise of frustration and rapidly turned around, kicking up dirt as she did so. "It's not fair!" She snarled.
Skypaw stepped forward and sat down next to her. "He might be half-blind now… But he'll still be a warrior." He said.
Salmonpaw's head snapped to the side. "But he's lost an eye!"
"He might have to… Adapt… But that's still one eye still undamaged and functioning fine. He'll be fine. He'll be a warrior." Skypaw promised.
"But how can you know that?! You know, Creekpaw's already messed up in the head enough, he doesn't need this!" Salmonpaw screamed. When Skypaw saw the tears in her eyes, he realized how upset Salmonpaw really was.
Skypaw took up and pressed his forehead to Salmonpaw's, as a gesture of comfort. "Salmonpaw. Creekpaw just needs to know he's still the same… He can still do everything he wants… He can be everything he wants to be… I'm sure if anyone, you'll be able to make him believe that." He promised.
Salmonpaw choked back a sob. "I-I'm just worried about him, y'know?"
Skypaw nodded. "... He'll be fine. With a sister like you, I'm sure he'll be great."
Salmonpaw smiled and suddenly playfully shoved him a little.
"H-Hey!" Skypaw cried.
"Man, you got all weird and mature now! Is it a medicine cat thing? Is it a Starclan thing?" She pressed.
Skypaw hesitated. "Um… I think it's a…. Thing."
Salmonpaw pouted. "And now it's gone! Jeez, you were almost cool."
Skypaw stared. "Why is that important?" Then he shook his head. "A-Anyway… Can you do me a favor? Can you keep an eye on Fadingpaw? I feel like there's a pretty strong chance he might… Reopen his tail wound and start bleeding out again."
Salmonpaw nodded fervently, with a wide grin. "You bet I can! I'll drag his stupid butt back to camp if he even thinks of being a mousebrain!"
Before Skypaw could thank her, Flashstar's call rang out.
"Let all cats old enough to fish gather beneath the Tall Root!"
Another clan meeting so soon…? Skypaw wondered what it could be about.