Ouch! [Tawny x Bright][L0S0V0]

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The sun hung low in the sky casting an orange glow on the world. Long blue shadows reached for anything they could touch, their long fingers grazing Tawnystorm's form as she slowly hopped away from the edge of camp towards the medicine at den. She lost her balance forcing her to put weight on her injured right paw. For StarClan's sake... her eyes clamping shut for a moment as she inhaled sharply. Just as quickly as her paw hit the ground did it recoil. The momentary pain gone Tawnystorm continued her hobble towards the den. Today really wasn't her day.

A couple bushes and few thorns couple do more damage than most cats gave them credit. She'd been one of them but after her little incident you could be certain Tawnystorm wouldn't forget it any time soon. Down to her very spirit the word to describe her in this moment would be sore.

Triumph at last! She took the last few hops into the den with relief. "Brightnose, you in?" Tawnystorm asked tenatively. Peering around the corner she blinked twice. "Brightnose?" she asked again, it had barely been two seconds since she first asked. Impatient as always, probably more so because she was tired than out of tendency today though.

[Cloudbat]

"Yes? I'm not deaf." said the calico, padding out of the back of tangled branches (would need someone to cut those back soon), comfrey on her head. It seem silly to another cat, but save holding herbs in her mouth (which rarely tasted good and often robbed them of some of their potency) it was the most effective way. Her bush den was dark at the moment; (probably why Tawnystorm hadn't seen her) and it was late. "Long rakes, too messy to be from claws, and I don't scent anything else on them. You're favoring a paw, which seems to be from the same injury. So a natural accident. What was it?" Brightnose's eyes were keenly focused on her patient now, her head bent forward. "You'll need disinfectant, obviously cobwebs, and possibly something else. Hmm." She leaned down, shaking off the comfrey, and wove her way to the rock that held herbs, right outside the back of her den. "Oh, and feel free to relate what happened. I'm listening." the tricolored FogClanner called, ears flicked toward the warrior even though her eyes were cast toward her supply. She knew she was being contrary and somewhat scatterbrained, but it was better than her crippling uselessness of before. Besides, Tawnystorm was a supporter of the regime. It wasn't like she deserved better. [bg=090806][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

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While usually the she-cat would of thought of a retort she was hardly in the mood to at the moment. Besides Brightnose had something on her head and that was much more interesting to focus on than being a stuck-up jerk. As her eyes grew accustom to the darkness the den came into sharper focus and so did the something on top of the medicine cat's head. They were herbs of some sort. The corner's of Tawnystorm's mouth twitched as she tired to repress her amused smirk.

Still quiet taken by Brightnose's fashion of carrying her stock, she barely heard her question. "It was." Her response coming a little too quickly, she didn't want her to think she hadn't been paying attention. "Aww.." she sighed as the herbs fell off the calico's head and on to the floor. Now she'd be forced at actually try and talk to her, something that was bound to be quiet uncomfortable.

"Feel free?" Tawnystorm muttered more to herself than to anyone. "I don't really feeeeellll..." she paused trying to find the right words "you see I'd ratherrr. Oh nevermind." She said sounding somewhat exasperated. "Too make a long story short, I really should pay more attention to where I'm going and where I'm putting my paws." Getting into details wasn't really something she wanted to do. The story was just to embarrassing, what would Brightnose think if she new she was stupid enough to go crash into bushes?

[Cloudbat]

Brightnose was unimpressed with her patient’s evasiveness as she used the body part she’d been named for to sniff out some burdock root. Which crumbled partially as she eased it out with careful teeth, touch and taste more useful than sight. Still, there should be enough and she could lick up the dust if need be. “Whether you’d rather is none of my concern. You’re telling me exactly what happened or I won’t be able to cure you as well. Details are vital.” Her voice was rather sharp, surprising even the calico, but she wasn’t sorry. Everything was insane and this cocky star-dazzled pip wouldn’t even give her a decent story for her trouble! Nonsense. Burdock set aside, her short tail twitched as FogClan’s medicine cat looked for cobwebs. She didn’t keep those wadded up in the rock of course – they’d stick to each other and be useless. Where were…aha. Her eyes alit on a small corner with a few gossamer sheets carefully laid across it. Good for Finchpaw; he’d done well. Plucking them off with a paw while she bent down and picked up some burdock, the she-cat padded back to Tawnystorm on three legs while the other held the webs and sat down next to her, fixing the warrior with an expectant hazel glare as she began to chew the root that warded off infection. [bg=090806][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

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“Whether you’d rather is none of my concern. You’re telling me exactly what happened or I won’t be able to cure you as well. Details are vital.” Oh what a load of nonsense. She was tempted to tell the calico that she could forget it and that she'd just go and deal with her wounds herself. "Well, sorry." her voice came out more sarcastic than Tawnystorm had intended. Medicine cats were some of the few cats she actually made an attempt to act civil towards. Her health was in Brightnose's paws and she wasn't to keen on the idea of her being angry at her. For all she knew the other she-cat would poison her.

For a moment she was quiet. Tawnystorm knew she was gonna have to tell her. Swallowing her pride she began to speak, "I was feeling antsy so I decided to go for a little walk, hunt some." It had been quiet enjoyable too, except for the end. "I'd been chasing after a mouse and well I guess I put a little too much spring in my pounce... anyways I missed and tripped over it. Landed on my paw in the process." she paused, she couldn't stop now she was almost done. Besides she didn't want Brightnose to hassle her about it. If there was one thing she hated it was being hassled about things. "Landed right in a bush. It had thorns."

Not only was this story embarrassing but it was also damaging to her reputation. Not that Tawnystorm's was very good but everyone did know she was a talented hunter. If anyone else knew about this, if her mother knew about this she could only imagine the embarrassment. The worst part was she hadn't even caught the stupid mouse. StarClan she was so stupid.

[Cloudbat]

"You'll really be sorry if you don't stop giving me lip." She retorted. Uppity disrespectful little twit. I could slip something in her prey...no, she'd just be sent back here. Mouse dung. However, her bitterness was placated somewhat when the warrior began to (finally) speak. "Now..." the calico cut herself off. Admittedly, she'd been going to say something very patronizing - her tone had been loaded with contempt. Recalculating, bearing in mind the possible consequences, the FogClanner changed her voice to more neutral. “I see. No shame in that. Did you honestly think I was going to make fun of you? I have better things to do. Now I have a better idea of how long you’ve been injured and the severity of it.” Okay, those were exaggerations. But words, no matter how scant, nourished her. She was chained here, and pretending to be free only made it worse. Oh, Brightnose knew she was far better off than many – still. Reduced to begging stories off of a star-fogged fool. Absurd. Nowadays, when she’d rather be researching and experimenting, she was ‘praying’, ‘purifying’, or showing support for some wretched new idea of the Council’s. Or making sure Finchpaw wasn’t getting caught seeing Frostpaw, dodging Rowanheart’s inquiries, slipping apprentices healing herbs…but never enough. Never enough to really heal the wound of the regime. [bg=090806][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

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[bg=000000] I've been sorry. the thought rose above the rest squashing all the others forcing them to be quiet. It took so much for her to watch her tongue, to be good, be perfect. Don't disrespect elders, don't disrespect superiors, don't disrespect Brightnose. You're just perfect, huh? It slipped into her mind, it's meaning was a mystery even to Tawnystorm. There was one thing she knew though it was directed at the medicine cat. A million tiny ants covered Tawnystorm's body, crawling all around and everytime Brightnose opened her mouth they'd bite. YES. her mind practically screamed ... I would of. A cat who ran into thorn bushes wasn't any better than a PineClan cat. She couldn't help but run that thought on loop wasn't any better than a PineClan cat. she didn't believe it, she wanted to. Conform, hate just like she was supposed to. Good FogClan cats conformed, they hated. They were conditioned. Really? even unsaid venom oozed from the word. That couldn't of helped a bit. You want to humiliate me. The she-cat shifted her weight uneasily. Brightnose was laughing she could feel it, she knew it and Tawnystorm was always right. "Oh. That's good then." a breathy laugh following her words none of which were sincere. Sincerity got you in trouble. Don't mean anything you say, don't have anything to mean. Don't think about it, don't feel a thing. What did Smallear say? a mental reminder to her mother's words. speaking thinking

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[Cloudbat]

The calico looked at her patient simply but witheringly as her mouth curled slightly. "Lip is stupid. Insincerity is even less intelligent. If you have some whiny little complaint, out with it. My feelings won't be hurt by whatever you have on your mind so spit it out. It's painful watching you. And no, I won't turn you in or some such nonsense. A bit of bluntness will be a breath of fresh air."

The fakeness, the tenseness...did Tawnystorm think she was blind, or noseless? So obvious. The hunched shoulders, the irritated tail twitches and barely concealed disgust. The ear flicks, the subtle odor of disdain buried under a poorly kept mask of docility.

It's a stupid game. These righteous, believing they're in charge when they're just pawns to their own delusions. Even if this one turns out to be as stupid as all the rest, at least I said something. How far we have fallen.

Her own choice of words brought the verse back again.

Fallen angel,
broken wings
Righteous burn -
Sinners sing.

Would it come to pass? She'd lost much of her faith in prophecies, if they'd ever been true. What should make this any different, if was anything but a series of repeated lines clinging to the vestiges of sanity?

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[bg=000000] She eyed her paw pretending to study it, anything to distract from Brightnose. It felt as all the air in the world had been sucked up by the medicine cat. It was so hard to breathe. Maybe if she explained Brightnose would understand why she acted like that, sympathize. No one ever sympathized for her. Hush, take it. She thought to say something but her mouth but was working, and there wasn't any air in her lungs. Tawnystorm was drowning her embarrassment. Brightnose's words while harsh had seemed sincere. It was nice that she didn't seem to worry about what to say. She's medicine cat. Power was everything, power let you do anything. Brightnose had power. What Tawnystorm would of gave to have that power. To be respected, to have others do what you say without question. She wanted that more than anything. While she'd been busy pretending Brightnose hadn't been talking to her silence had set in. She liked the silence, it spoke everything her mouth refused to. I should say something. Doing anything wasn't an interest of hers at the moment. She'd failed and Brightnose made it obvious she knew. No one saw through her facade. Who was this cat in front of her? Say something. Did she know her; was she her? "You don't mean that." Tawnystorm said plainly, "no one does." Brigtnose didn't see anything, she didn't know her, she was a liar. speaking thinking

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[Cloudbat]

Brightnose's hazel gaze turned from disdain to pure disbelief. No one told her what she did and didn't mean and by StarClan's immaterial glowing paws she'd prove Tawnystorm wrong as any cat who tried to deny the calico an answer. Or at least, as wrong as she thought they were for denying her. For the medicine cat there was little distinction between the two - she was aware that this was a rather black-and-white perspective, yet she failed to care as she believed she was right anyway.

"I mean what I say. That's why I don't say much." She retorted simply, and then continued in an undertone.

"Do not play games with me. Insult me, ridicule me, call me a crazed old hag - but do not tell me that I don't mean every word I say to you. There is so little of substance in this Clan, and you rebuke someone who gives you a chance to speak freely. You are foolish, Tawnystorm, as foolish as the cat who allowed everything to happen here. But she's talking to you, because even though you frustrate her, you're a faint light in a world of confusion and lies. And that's all she has."

Perhaps it was a slight sign of insanity that she had slipped into third person - she hadn't meant to say so much, either. But she meant it, all of it, and it had been compressed for so long that letting it free was almost like expelling a poisonous fluid from her body. It might hurt coming out, it might put her in fear of discovery and punishment – but she felt just a small bit lighter for it being released.

Still, Brightnose doubted that her patient would turn her in.

For one thing, it was a warrior's word against a medicine cat's. For another, Tawnystorm didn't really seem like the type. She couldn't claim to know the she-cat well, and would usually scoff at reliance on intuition, but logic had deserted her. Faith had left her behind. Her own inner judgment was all she had left.

And if that too betrays me, than I am truly broken.

Broken wings.

Yet I am no bird. Why does the verse speak of wings?

Still, Brightnose couldn't help the oddest feeling that the line, somehow, referred to her despite the obvious flaw in that reasoning.

Angel...where had she heard that word before?

Why does this keep haunting me?

What was the purpose of the verse?