Birds of a Feather [Dusk and Mint]

[JOS]

[attr="class","round-presto"]

DUSKFEATHER
Windclan Medicine Cat

Greenleaf was at its peak, and although the living was relatively easy during this season, dread and anxiety plagued the forest territories. Duskfeather could feel it all around her like electricity from a lightening storm. Reports and rumors of missing cats had soured any joy that bountiful prey and pleasant weather brought, making every day activities such as gathering herbs seem somehow perverse. Surely there was something she could do, something she had to do? Every night when she curled up in to her nest she would pray for a sign from Starclan, but every morning she awoke only to another beautiful day in Windclan.



The medicine cat woke to a perfect Greenleaf morning having slept solidly and dreamlessly through the night. She blinked into the sunlight streaming in to her den, reaching in to her memory to try to uncover some whisper of a dream, a scrap of a symbol. Nothing. “Mouse dung!” she grumbled, raising from her nest and stretching her legs and back. Her den was empty, for once. Her apprentice was gone, the place where he used to sleep had been long since cleared. That was another thing she wanted to get done—to choose a new apprentice. Unlike becoming a warrior, becoming a medicine cat was more often than not a choice, or a calling that was very rarely declined. So far, none had come forward to her, and Starclan had been silent on this issue as well. They better have something to tell me at halfmoon, she thought as she groomed herself in a sunbeam. Or else I’m just going to have some words for them, that’s for certain!



After grooming, Duskfeather set about her daily tasks, singing to herself as she went:



“We have dock leaves for sore pads

Elder leaves for sprains

Juniper for stomach aches and

Poppy seeds for pain

We must keep them high

We must keep them dry,

To protect them from the rain!”



She would surely have died of horror if anyone caught her singing about her herbs, as it would have ruined her carefully cultivated prickly exterior, but since her den was empty she saw no harm in it as she sorted through her store and took stock of what she had.



After the morning sort, the medicine cat ventured into the main camp to look for fresh kill. There was quite a collection of prey already from the sunrise hunting patrol, and she picked out a rabbit to share with her dear friend Mintfeather.



The she-cats had become good friends, often eating and sharing tongues together. Duskfeather was quite fond of the white she-cat, even though their personalities were quite the opposite in some ways. Perhaps that was the appeal? Though, the stubbornness was the same, and Duskfeather was finding that her friend was a very difficult patient indeed. There was something wrong with Mintfeather, that much Duskfeather knew, but every time Duskfeather seemed to be getting close to the answer, Mintfeather would find some way to deflect. It was very frustrating for the medicine cat who, above all else, loved solving a good problem.


Duskfeather dragged the prey over to the warrior’s den and waited for Mintfeather to awake, as this was the time they usually shared tongues together. Soon she became impatient and called out,

“Mintfeather! I have a nice juicy rabbit for us. Get your tail out here or I’ll eat it myself!”


Minteh Freshness

[Minteh Freshness]

Mintfeather

The disappearances of so many clan cats, all across the forest had left the clans in a state of shock and fear. Everyone wondered if they would be the next ones unlucky enough for the two-legs to capture. It had left Mintfeather with a slight sense of depression. Here she was, someone not as spry or in good shape, and yet she was still here while there were apprentices and young warriors, and senior warriors and warriors better than her being captured. Starclan, there had even been reports of kits being taken!

It wasn’t like she wanted to be taken, but knowing that they were gone and she was still here, with arthritis no longer just creeping up on her but usually full-fledged in many joints every morning, she just didn’t understand how Starclan had let it happen. But, to be fair, she had thought that many times over her lifetime. Her first mate and unborn kits. Her apprentices. Any tom she tried to get close to. If she thought about it too much, she probably wouldn’t be able to pull herself out of bed each morning.

Her life hadn’t been all that great up until now, but she just had to remind herself it could always be worse. That many other cats had it worse than her. She sometimes had to use that as motivation to go about her day. Well, that and her current apprentice. Redpaw was a new apprentice, and sometimes she really wondered what Sunstar was doing by giving her an apprentice rather than a different warrior, but then again Mintfeather wasn’t open about a lot of things. She didn’t like to burden others.

She had told Redpaw in the beginning there wouldn’t be many early morning training sessions, that most of it would be in the afternoon or evening. What she didn’t tell him was that it was just too hard for her to move in the morning right after sleep.

She was still used to waking up at dawn, getting up was just a different rodeo. And this morning was no different. She was awake, laying in her nest with her back right leg sticking out, away from others so as not to irritate anyone if she happened to kick or they tripped over it. But she hadn’t sat up yet, nor had she groomed her fur to lay flat over her scars yet like she did every morning. Many cats wore their scars like badges of honor, but for her, they were only reminders of her stupid mistakes and what she had lost.

The snow Bengal didn’t realize how long she’s been awake in her nest, staring into nothingness while trying to ignore the thoughts that were invading her mind. It didn’t help that her family was falling apart as well. She was no longer close to her brother Creekwood, which broke her heart, but it was probably her fault for not opening up to him like she used to. And he had his own life now anyway, she didn’t need to bother him. And then there were her younger siblings. Charcoalstrike was still in the clan, but both of the others had disappeared as well.

The sound of Duskfeather’s voice made her jerk her head up. Was it that time already? Starclan, she wasn’t even ready to make an appearance yet. ”Just give me a moment please! She called back, struggling to sit up as her joints and bones ached and popped. Goodness, she felt like she should be an elder already. Mintfeather tried to stretch out her back leg to shake out the aches but it retaliated by cramping up. Hissing out a breath, she slowly put it back where it was and worked on grooming her fur down as quickly as she could. She was too tired? to fully care today, so she didn’t get it the way she liked it before rolling her shoulders and lifting herself into a standing position. She closed her eyes with pained breath as she tried to put weight on her back leg. It just was not wanting to cooperate today. Biting back a groan, she limped out of the den and blinked against the light until she could see the medicine cat sitting there waiting for her. Somehow the two of them had become friends, despite how much Mintfeather tried to escape the other she-cat’s attention and questions. Perhaps it was just because the dark colored she-cat was trying to figure her out, but the silvery she-cat honestly didn’t mind the company. She let a smile grace her maw as she said a greeting, but it didn’t quite reach her tired green eyes.

Words || 774
Ooc || Poor girl. I just wanna give her a hug <3
Tagged || JOS

[JOS]

[attr="class","round-presto"]

DUSKFEATHER

Windclan Medicine Cat

”Just give me a moment please!" 
Duskfeather sat down heavily, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Mintfeather should be awake by now, surely. Most warriors were already out of their dens, some had been on one patrol already. The medicine cat knew something was wrong with Mintfeather, and so did Mintfeather. Sooner or later, the lie would catch up to her. Part of Duskfeather wanted to argue that, if a grown cat didn't want to be treated for something, they could live with the consequences. Why should Duskfeather, or any medicine cat for that matter, spend precious time and resources on a cat mousebrained enough to refuse help? 

But that wasn't why she was a medicine cat. All cats deserved to feel well, and to be healthy, and she wasn't going to let her friend get away with this-- this-- recklessness any longer. 

By the time Mintfeather emerged from the den, Duskfeather's tail was swishing crossly in the dirt. She had been given the time to imagine scenario after scenario of her giving Mintfeather the harshest dressing-down in the history of the four clans. When the white warrior emerged, Duskfeather was ready with an arsenal of retorts and lectures. Only her friend's smile tempered the ornery medicine-cat's greeting. 

Mousedung, she thought, I'm getting soft in my old age. Despite all her illusions of being an aloof and indifferent bastion of medicine Duskfeather had developed a keen fondness for Mintfeather. Suddenly her triumphant daydreams turned sour when she imagined her friend angry or, worse, upset. A lump was forming in her throat, which Duskfeather swallowed down.

She nodded towards the rabbit and invited Mintfeather to share the meal with her. After a few moments and a couple mouthfuls of prey, Duskfeather spoke.  

"You were limping." she noted quietly, not looking up from her meal. "Weren't you? I'm not an idiot. I can tell from here that your leg isn't right. Let me look at it. Not just as your medicine cat, but as your friend. You don't have to live in pain all the time. If you'd just let me examine you, I could help. No cat has to know." 

Duskfeather looked up from the rabbit and set her golden eyes on Mintfeather pleadingly, a little ember of anger and fear flickering behind, "Please, don't be stubborn, just let me look."  





Minteh Freshness

[Minteh Freshness]

Mintfeather

She had tried to keep from limping as she made her way to Duskfeather and their meal, but with how much her leg was hurting today, she knew she wasn’t very successful. And it was too much to hope that the medicine cat hadn’t noticed as well. Maybe she wouldn’t bring it up? No, probably not. Her friend wasn’t really the kind of cat that kept quiet on those types of things, though with how stubborn Mintfeather usually was, she’d change the topic anytime it got brought up.

She was enjoying the rabbit as they crouched next to one another. It was her favorite thing to eat for sure, having just the right amount of fat to meat. But, it wasn’t too long before Duskfeather spoke up, though her voice was a lot quieter than when she usually brought up the subject.

Mintfeather sighed quietly and shifted. ”It’s fine Dusk. You should save your herbs for others.” She replied back just as quietly, hoping the other she-cat would let it go again. Though today, she didn’t know if she was just so mentally drained she didn’t care as much or if she actually wanted her friend to not give up.

”Please, don’t be stubborn, just let me look.”

She lifted her silvery green gaze to land on the fluffy tortoiseshell she-cat. The look in her friend’s eyes made a lump form in her throat and she had to look away. Sighing again, she seemed to shrink in on herself a little, feeling the weight of all her problems pushing down on her. Her soft voice was small as she spoke. ”Okay. Let’s finish eating this in your den if that’s okay with you.”

It seemed to take all of her effort to stand up, but it wasn’t just because she had finally agreed to let Duskfeather look at her. She’d been feeling depressed lately and today it was just really hitting her hard.

She was used to being the one others went to to talk about their problems, the one that cheered everyone else up even if she was feeling down. She had never let someone else do that for her since the death of Thistleclaw and her unborn kits. Maybe, just maybe, today she would let someone else be her confidant.

Words || 376
Ooc || Maybe Mintfeather can talk about her state of mind and past as well? She’s just so tired, mentally and physically, I think it would help her if she unloaded it and had someone talk her though it. If you think Duskfeather would be good for that?
Tagged || JOS

[JOS]

[attr="class","round-presto"]

DUSKFEATHER



Windclan Medicine Cat

Yes!


Mintfeather had agreed to be seen by her, if not reluctantly. The condition was eating the rabbit in her den. Usually she had a strict rule against eating in the medicine cat den for cross contamination reasons but this was a special occasion. Duskfeather nodded and picked up the rabbit by its scruff and dragged it across the camp to her medicine den. Cats were watching her curiously, but she met each ones’ gaze with a dark warning glare.

The medicine cat den was dark and stuffy compared to the rest of the camp, tucked away within a large hollowed tree trunk. The herbs were neatly tucked away in their proper crevices, giving the trunk a certain fragrance, the scents of different herbs all tangled up together. Only a trained nose could sniff out each individual herb from these piles. Her nest was tucked in the very back, near the herb stores. The medicine cat apprentice nest used to be close by, but was now just an empty spot. Her heart gave a little twinge when she looked at the spot where her apprentice used to be. They hadn’t always gotten along, but she missed him all the same.

It was in this empty spot where she dropped the rabbit. “Dig in.”
She was starving, and a full belly might make their meeting a bit less tense. Duskfeather had hardly ever been nervous about seeing a clanmate in an official manner, but she really wanted to preserve her relationship with Mintfeather. Of course, her duties as a medicine cat needed to come first. That meant that if Mintfeather decided she hated Duskfeather for coercing her in to getting help, then Duskfeather would just have to lose a friend. That was the price a medicine cat paid for their position: loneliness. Even leaders were allowed to have mates and litters, but not medicine cats. They were part of the clan and yet somehow apart from it, in many ways. Still, the idea scared her.

Once the rabbit had been picked clean, and the she-cats had finished their post-meal groom, it was time to get to the matter at hand.

“You’ve been lethargic. Stiff. Slow. Hardly coming out of your den in the mornings, and your apprentice is missing out on dawn patrols. I know your leg is bothering you, but I think there’s more than just the leg isn’t there?” She was blunt. There was no reason slinking around the point.

Duskfeather turned around and almost without looking she pulled out a leaf wrap filled with poppyseeds. She licked her paw and dipped it into the seeds, picking up few and offering them to Mintfeather. “This will help with the physical pain, at least. I have some stretches you can do for your leg before you get out of your nest. I can also give you some daisy leaf paste to put on the joint if the poppy seeds aren’t cutting it.” It was clear she expected Mintfeather to take the seeds and wasn't taking no for an answer.

“As for the other stuff. I think we’ve become good friends. I hope you think so too…” Duskfeather cleared her throat, her fur prickling with the anxiety of being vulnerable. It was an uncomfortable feeling, and her big sister Sunstar would be proud of her for putting herself out there instead of becoming a prickly hedgehog. “Well, to get to the core of it, you’ve been through a lot. It’s got to…weigh on you. You know? You might feel like you’re all alone, that you don’t have kin, but I want you to know that you’re important to me. You’re my kin, and you don’t have to face whatever it is you’re facing alone. Okay? I’m here.”

Minteh Freshness

[Minteh Freshness]

Beware, self-depreciating thoughts ahead.

Mintfeather

Mintfeather quietly followed the dark she-cat to her den away from the others. Her fur prickled at the stares they were getting, but Mintfeather didn’t let it bother her. For those she caught the gaze of, she offered a small smile, though again, it didn’t meet her eyes. She gave a quiet thank you to her friend when she was told to dig in and they sat there in silence as they ate the rabbit together. Sadly, it wasn’t comfortable, but rather a nervous energy that surrounded them both as they thought about the upcoming conversation.

At first Mintfeather thought about denying it, just like she always did. But she was so tired of lying, as that was what it was. She was so tired of hiding, of pushing her feelings and pain away. She was just so tired.

It didn’t take long for Duskfeather to speak up and start the dreaded topic. Mintfeather sighed and tried to gather up her thoughts. She gave a short nod without speaking. Dipping her head in thanks, even though her stomach twisted at the thought of taking herbs that should be saved for someone else, she dipped her head and took the few poppy seeds offered. She didn’t like the texture of the little seeds but she didn’t want to argue anymore. When the medicine cat brought up the stretches for her leg, the off-white she-cat nodded in thanks. ”That would be wonderful, thank you.” She did already try to do stretches for her leg, but it was usually when others weren’t awake or looking. She didn’t like being vulnerable. But, Duskfeather would probably have some other ways of stretching that would be better for her joints and muscles.

Mintfeather tried not to wince as her friend brought up the other topic again. Perhaps trying to guilt her by bringing up their friendship, though Duskfeather was more blunt than that honestly. She said things as they were and hardly ever seemed to sugarcoat anything.

Laying down, Mintfeather looked away at the opposite side of the den. It was too hard to look someone in the eyes while being so vulnerable. ”I just…I know others have been through worse things than me, and I try not to let my issues come up because I don’t think anyone needs to hear about another sob story.” Even with saying that, she knew Duskfeather wasn’t going to take that answer and let it slide, so she took a deep breath and continued. ”I haven’t been sleeping well lately because all I can think about is my stupid mistakes. What it’s cost me. And all the people who have left me. If I hadn’t been so stupid when I was younger, I wouldn’t have lost Thistleclaw and our kits. I know there’s nothing I can do to change the past but it was hard seeing my parents have another litter after it happened. I was happy for them, truly, and I enjoyed my little siblings, but I felt the pain of what I was missing each and every day. Cedarcreek and I used to be so close too, but while I was healing he was out living his life, and I didn’t want to impede on him or bring him down. And now, it feels like we are strangers to one another, and now two of our little siblings are gone, too. And each and every time I have gotten close to another tom since then, something happens to them. I just feel like I’m cursed. All I ever wanted was a happy life filled with kits of my own, but it seems that was too much to ask for. I don’t know if Starclan hates me or if the world is against me, but maybe that’s giving myself too much credit.” She sniffled.

Tears were streaming down her face but she didn’t rub them away. She just lowered her head to her paws and closed her eyes, hiding the pain she felt. She continued, even quieter. ”And I don’t get why so many of our clanmates have been captured and why not me? Tawnypaw was barely more than a kit when she was taken. How is it fair that she and the others are gone, and I’m still here. They are more valuable than me. They could have helped the clan more than me. They had their whole lives ahead of them with their loved ones, and I don’t. I can barely hunt or fight, I can barely train an apprentice. I’m practically worthless Dusk. I shouldn’t have even lived through that dog attack, and yet I’m still here with nothing but pain and scars to show for it.” She gritted out bitterly, and turned her face away as a sob broke out of her.

Words || 793
Ooc || I’m not over here crying or anything. She’s got so much of past me in her, it makes me so sad.
Tagged || JOS

[JOS]

[attr="class","round-presto"]

DUSKFEATHER

Windclan Medicine Cat

Smug.

It was a bad feeling to have in this moment, but Duskfeather couldn’t help but to allow herself a little victorious feeling of smugness that she had finally gotten through to Mintfeather. Luckily, the other she-cat wasn’t looking at her, so she wouldn’t have had the chance to see Duskfeather’s celebratory tail flick. In all honesty, it was only a hunch that something was wrong with Mintfeather’s mental health. All things being equal, the warrior was doing a top job of hiding it or playing it off as the general stress and grief the clan were feeling. It was entirely possible that what Mintfeather was feeling was purely situational, and not the deeply rooted issues Duskfeather had hypothesized.



Her smugness faded away as Mintfeather confessed. What she’d been through was heartbreaking, and what she was feeling was cruel and unfair. The whole story ended with her friend sobbing in the corner of her den, and, for the first time, the medicine cat was unsure what to do. There were no herbs, really, to fix any of what Mintfeather was telling her. No fast fix, no poultice or wrap or compress. The only thing that could help was patience, kindness, and love. All the things the Windclan Medicine Cat was notoriously bad at.



The tortoiseshell she-cat shuffled closer to her friend and sat next to her, pelt touching pelt, her feet tucked under her. Come on, there’s got to be some maternal instinct in me somewhere! Duskfeather dug deep down, thinking about the times she was upset. What had her mentor, her sister, or her mother done? First step was to lay next to them. Then they would groom her ears. That’s right! In her excitement, Duskfeather began grooming Mintfeather rather abruptly and roughly – too hard! – but eventually her movements became less frantic and more comforting. An empathetic purr even began from her chest.


“You know." she began after a few moments, "The thing about being a medicine cat is that I must see my clanmates in all sorts of states. Mostly I see the worst—hurt, dying, dead. Sometimes I get to deliver kittens and I see the happy times, and of course I try to take the hurt and dying and turn them in to living, healthy cats again. I’ve learned that everyone suffers sometimes. Suffering is something that can’t be measured, it just exists. No one gets to suffer just a little bit. Maybe the suffering lingers, maybe you’re lucky and its time is short, but the time that it’s there is just…bad. And some suffering never goes away. Like losing the cats you love. I guess that’s partially why I became a medicine cat—you must love everyone just a little bit, but you don’t ever get too attached. At least, that’s what I used to think when I was young and bitter. You remember what I was like. So gloomy.” She shivered at the memory of her younger self. It was not a flattering memory.

“Anyway, my point is that just because you’re still suffering doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It’s not your fault. None of it is. I know it’s easy to blame ourselves, and we want to think that maybe if we’d gone left instead of right, or went with this cat instead of another, or woke up just a bit later, you’d have been able to change what happened. Sometimes it does. Sometimes a cat gets lucky and they’re in the right place at the right time. Other times, you’re not. Like… sometimes when cats get sick, I can heal them. They get better. Sometimes they just die, no matter what I do. It’s hard, and I hate it, but when it happens I simply don’t get a say in the matter.”

A soft breeze brought the warm scents of Greenleaf into the medicine cat den, and with it the distant voices of their clanmates going about clan business. It was easy to pretend that everything was fine and normal, and it seemed somehow cruel that the weather was nice when things were going so horribly. Still, there was comfort in knowing that the seasons were constant, and Duskfeather took a deep breath. 


“You’re much more to this clan than a body to hunt and fight with. If that’s not enough, then you should know you’re much more than that to me. If you weren’t here…if you were gone…I would be lost. The world would be a darker place without you in it. It might not surprise you to know I didn’t have many friends growing up. Becoming the medicine cat was isolating enough. I didn’t think anyone could ever want to spend time with me. I’m—I’m abrasive, blunt, and all I do is work. Sure, Sunstar spends time with me, but she’s my older sister AND the clan leader, so she has to.” She ‘mrrowed’ a little chuckle. Of course, Sunstar loved Duskfeather, and Duskfeather loved Sunstar. Everyone knew they had a close relationship.

“Our captured clanmates are important and valuable, yes, but no more important and valuable than those they’ve left behind. It’s up to us, Mintfeather, to help them, and we can’t do it without you. You’re smart, calm, persistent—you see things hotheads like me don’t. We need you. I need you.” There was an uncomfortable feeling in Duskfeather’s throat. Pain, stinging in the eyes. She buried her muzzle in Mintfeather’s flank and muttered, softly, “I…need you.”

Minteh Freshness

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OOC: Duskfeather it lowkey panicking she might lose her one and only friend <3 Not very professional of her lol poor Mintfeather, she deserves all the hugs