Post by cosmic on Aug 6, 2024 10:49:59 GMT -6
#s://live~staticflickr~com/5042/5219036534_03dd8ea183_k~jpg
maplefrost |  | my body is a cage, that keeps me from dancing with the one I love, but my mind holds the key |
[tw: swearing, mention of overuse of herbs/medicine]
Time slipped away after he snapped back to the current reality. Unfocused, he looked to the cat that spoke directly toward him. One of the patrol members, Sheepfeather. Since the patrol of warriors were headed out for a midday hunt, they decided to correlate with Maplefrost's daily routine of looking for certain herbs that deteriorated quickly.
His usual emotionless face quickly turned to a frowned brow, as the older warrior repeated himself, asking if the medicine cat was alright. It was a question that he heard every single day, but each time would cause the fire in his soul to grow more out-of-control. Ever since his mother's death, everyone looked at him differently. When he stepped into the medicine cat role after the tragic loss of Shrikeberry, they looked up to him with confidence and gratitude. But once Littlestar was confirmed to be missing, dead, everyone's eyes became softer and mournful. As if he was the one that was dead.
"Why don't you worry about catching prey at your old age and I'll worry about my duties, huh?" He snapped back, with his tail whisking around his body with irritation. "I'm fine, I'm just going to look for some marigold on my own, thank you..." As the fiery tom swiftly turned away from the senior warrior, Maplefrost managed to catch the warrior's face.
Pity. Sadness. Worry.
Everyone always looked at him that way.
Maplefrost let out a huff as he trekked away from the patrol, with whispering and comments falling on his deaf ears. Again, he found himself not focusing as the blades of grass moved away from him. The orange tom knew his bitterness and cold-temper was taking over him, but each day it felt like his body was becoming more and more stiff with the constant sadness. Poppy seeds were almost a daily occurrence, even twice a day if he was really restless. It was sometimes the only thing that kept him going.
But he was supposed to be the strong one of his family. Never to falter, never to surrender. Basilheart needed him. Rosethorn needed him. Redberry needed him. He was the only one left.
Maplefrost, lost in this thought, caught the scent of something different as he became focused again. The scent of the MistClan border. Shit, how far had he walked? With his head still low to the ground, he raised it quickly, coming eye to eye with a cat he wasn't too familiar with. Definitely not a clanmate.
"I guess PrairieClan has been foxdung at marking the borders lately, didn't even realize I stepped over. Apologizes, I'll head back now." Thankfully, being a medicine cat gave him some immunity to be over the border, mostly. But, the hostile tone in his voice may not have gone over well with whoever is in front of him.