Ask to Join Waves of Thought [8SC'21]

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
༻❁༺

Nettleplume's poultice itched and that was partyly what kept Merryaster awake. Every few heartbeats her tongue threatened to dart out on instinct before she caught herself with a quiet huff. With a sigh she let go of the effort of pretending to sleep and eased herself out of her nest.

It didn't take long for her to find Mintwhisker and he just seemed...deep in thought. She settled beside him without crowding him, leaving enough space that he could leave if he wished. "Nettleplume says the herbs work faster if you don't keep fussing with them..." She meowed after a moment, glancing pointedly at her own injury before one ear twitched."So I'm trying hard not to itch it."

When the silence fell in after her words she waited, not rushed to fill it to allow the tom to say his peace if he had any. He had ran back to RiverClan with her and Cottonbright and had seen the first wave of the battle. There was probably a lot of things on his mind...and hers as well.

Mostly shouting...Splashing, then the sudden absence of both.

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
༻❁༺

Merryaster's ears lowered slightly as she listened, her expression molding into something soft as she listened. She didn't say anything for a few heartbeats, before finally she sighed. "No...I don't think it does." Her teal eyes blinked up at him. "I think it means you knew what you were capable of doing and what you weren't. I don't think either of those feelings makes you a bad warrior."

From her position, her thick whiskers dipped as she tried to mouth her own thoughts that sometimes seemed as slippery as trout. "I didn't want to kill anyone. I knew what we were doing and I knew our goal was just... but when those cats disappeared beneath the water..." She blinked back the imagery. "Victory seemed far from my mind." Wondering if she should be revealing such things to the cream warrior, Merryaster huffed again, more to herself than to him.

Even for her enemies she only wished they had a quick, painless death. Her head craned up, tongue parting the fur near her patched injury and gave it a few licks hoping to quell the feeling. Seemed to have done the trick for now. "I think Nettleplume might have been more upset if you were hurt because you thought you might have something to prove... You don't have to make yourself suffer just because other cats stayed to fight."

Being a warrior meant doing what was needed for your Clan and today, Mintwhisker and Merryaster had done just that. Admirably.

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
༻❁༺

Merryaster's ears flicked at his admission, though she didn't look away from the river. "It did give us an advantage. A large one." She conceded quietly as her eyes wandered. Maybe it wasn't so cowardly to use something that other cats wouldn't be prepared for. "I understand why it felt wrong...There's something unsettling about watching the river take a cat."

The gentle touch of his nose against her shoulder had slightly caught her off guard. Merryaster's ears warmed slightly, and she gave a small, almost bashful flick of her tail before settling again. It was sweet of him to offer. The edges of her muzzle turned in a small smile as she looked at him. "I don't know if there's much more keeping me awake than what happened today. Maybe there is. I suppose I haven't really given myself enough time to figure that out yet. I suppose there's much keeping me busy." The striped mink tabby mewed while a faint huff left her nose. Training a new apprentice was one of them as well as her increased duties.

"I think I was so focused on making sure everyone came home that I didn't think much about what it would feel like afterward." She shifted carefully, mindful of her patched shoulder. "But if it something keeps me awake again...I'll find your ear." A moment later, she added with a bemused tail flick. "Thanks for that."