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Post by adrian on May 4, 2024 12:00:36 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png ooc note for tor's timelines: takes place the evening after coyotepaw aggravated heronpaw's injury.
Heronpaw's injury weighed on Coyotepaw all day. He didn't eat. He barely reacted to Wheatpaw's taunts or Foxpaw's derision, ignored all other apprentices, and kept himself curled up neatly in his nest until Brackenthorn spoke to him later. Heronpaw would be alright, he said. Coyotepaw would be doing extra chores, he said. Maybe even having a required additional moon of training just to sort out his attitude. And finally, he told him not to go near Heronpaw for the time being.
That last one was going to be very difficult, he thought, sneaking half way across camp to find Heronpaw in the medicine cat den. Maybe he should leave him alone, but it would be wrong not to apologize, right? Just, in the moment, he froze. So he missed the opportunity, then. He wasn't stupid enough to not realize when he'd done something wrong. It happened often enough that he was kind of used to it.
But that didn't mean he liked it.
He slipped into the medicine cat's den without notice, which was pure luck, because he imagined his mentor was still lurking around somewhere making sure he was following his instructions. Once inside, he called out, "Heronpaw?" |
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Post by tor on May 7, 2024 8:15:44 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/G2gWhXV/heronpaw~jpg Slacking off in his early moons of training meant Heronpaw was unfamiliar with the medicine cat den. He never paid attention to the lectures young apprentices received about anything other than future warrior duties, so the exact nature of medicine cats - other than healing, and regularly communing with StarClan - was lost to him. As well, he'd avoided most youthful mistakes by simply not doing the work, and so didn't share the common experience of sprained paws or thorn scratches that most young apprentices had. Thus, being in the medicine cat den twice in such a short time span was unfamiliar and uncomfortable. He didn't like how the scent of dried herbs nagged at his senses. This time, he was told he would have to stay longer. The medicine cat had misjudged how bad his previous injury was, and now it was worse, aggravated by the last spar. It put a frown on Heronpaw's face that refused to leave, not that he thought anyone would notice. Other cats seemed accustomed to him frowning. Judging by the faint amount of starlight trickling in through the burrow's entrance, Heronpaw knew it was late into the evening, perhaps even after moon-high, when he heard his name called out. He blinked sleep from his eyes, clearing them just enough until Coyotepaw's shaped formed, outlined by starlight. He sat up as best he could to greet the other apprentice, though winced at the pain in his back leg. He felt slow. Stiff. The poultice caked into his fur, meant to calm inflammation, wasn't helping. "Good evening," he said softly. The den was empty of other patients, luckily. Maplefrost and Vulturepaw made their nests off to the side, away from where patients tended to rest. Still, Heronpaw kept his voice low. "Is everything alright? Do you need the medicine cat?" He hoped not. Coyotepaw had seemed fine after their spar, but, for good reason, Heronpaw hadn't been able to confirm that before they were separated. |
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Post by adrian on May 10, 2024 7:29:46 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png "Good evening." Coyotepaw's eyes adjusted as he heard Heronpaw's voice, sounding much less angry with him than he would have anticipated coming in here. For a moment, he lingered by the entrance, a little unsure. "Do you need the medicine cat?"
He couldn't possibly be worried about him. But then, he was in the medicine cat's den. It was a pretty obvious question. "Everything's fine," he said, a little sharp. What he wouldn't give in the moment to have better control over his tone. "I mean. I'm not injured, or sick."
After another moment of hesitation, he stepped further into the den. It smelled very bitter and herbal here, with just the hint of something sickly sweet and floral. Even after Vulturepaw became medicine cat apprentice, and Coyotepaw found himself in this space more often, he still wasn't sure if he liked the scent.
He sat a polite distance away from the older apprentice and said, "I came to say... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." What he wanted was to win, and this didn't feel like a win. |
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Post by tor on May 11, 2024 13:37:17 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/G2gWhXV/heronpaw~jpg Coyotepaw's tone sliced through him more sharply than any blow dealt during training. Heronpaw's expression drooped. So many cats reacted harshly when they were unwell, reluctant to let others see when something was wrong. He wouldn't be surprised if Coyotepaw was the same. But here, in the safety of the medicine cat den, when it was just the two of them standing together, he would hope Coyotepaw would be more comfortable.
"I mean. I'm not injured, or sick." "I'm glad." He was even more glad when, a moment later, Coyotepaw stepped further into the den. Heronpaw shifted in his nest as if to make room for the other apprentice, despite there being plenty of moss around them for Coyotepaw to rest in if he wanted.
"I came to say... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.""I know," he said, speaking evenly to not startle Coyotepaw away. He seemed like a dried leaf on a branch, ready to snap and fall away at any moment. "I don't blame you. Thank you for apologizing, though." Sure, the lunge hurt. And Heronpaw hated to think that he was confined to this den for a few days, just to ensure he healed correctly. But it wasn't Coyotepaw's fault that he was untrained. "Did you go through a growth spurt recently? It seems like you're still learning your balance." |
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Post by adrian on May 12, 2024 10:03:59 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png "I know." He knew. How novel. Nearly everyone else in his life - probably even his own parents - would have thought his actions intentional. He was getting a reputation. And not really a good one. Maybe that was a good thing, though. He was still trying to figure it out for himself. "I don't blame you. Thank you for apologizing, though."
Unsure how to respond, he only flattened his ears in mild embarrassment. He didn't want it, but maybe he could use a little blame for focusing so much on winning. Proving himself was important, but... this didn't feel great.
"Did you go through a growth spurt recently? It seems like you're still learning your balance."
For a moment, his tail lashed defensively, fur raising a hair along his spine. So what if he had a growth spurt? What was he trying to say?
And then he took a breath and cooled off, casting his gaze low. "Yeah. Still in it, I think. That obvious?" |
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Post by tor on May 12, 2024 10:38:00 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/G2gWhXV/heronpaw~jpg Coyotepaw went so quickly from seeming sheepish to seeming annoyed that Heronpaw wondered if he often gave himself whiplash. They were so far apart in age, but he knew Coyotepaw was probably dealing with the swirl of emotions that young apprentices often had to balance. It was hard. Heronpaw had dealt with his by trying to be numb to and bored by everything. That was no way to live - though, he wasn't sure being angry at everything was better. Later, he would try to share that insight with Coyotepaw. He didn't want to tread on the toes of his apology by turning it into a lecture. "Yeah. Still in it, I think. That obvious?"It definitely was, both because of his awkwardness proportions - another sign of his age - and the way he threw his body weight around on the sparring grounds, like he was uncomfortable with it. "Even I'm still growing," he said. "I'm not surprised you are." For now, he was still larger than Coyotepaw - both taller and broader. But Heronpaw wasn't a broad cat to begin with, and he suspected that soon Coyotepaw would overtake him. "I can show you how to balance that, once they let me out of this den? It will make our future training sessions easier if you feel comfortable on your paws." |
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Post by adrian on May 18, 2024 8:50:35 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png "I can show you how to balance that, once they let me out of this den?" Heronpaw suggested.
What?
"It will make our future training sessions easier if you feel comfortable on your paws."
Though Coyotepaw listened for it, he heard no signs of mockery, or disdain, or annoyance, or any of the other tones he was so used to picking up on from those around him. Foxpaw might say he brought it on himself, but what did they know, anyway? They didn't experience the world the way he did. It wouldn't have been the first time he was taunted for a mistake.
Maybe he should just wait for the joke to be revealed. Or maybe he didn't have to worry about Heronpaw treating him with derision at all. The thought made him curious.
"You still intend to train with me?" he asked. "I thought Brackenthorn would put an end to it." That made him sound like a much harsher mentor than he was. But it wouldn't have surprised him if his mentor did something like that to protect him. He usually kept him away from training with Wheatpaw for similar reasons. |
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