Open to Join Plot Thread A little hope, however desperate [9RP’21]

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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Basilflame had heard a bit of commotion a day or so ago from the Rowanglade’s den, on that day she had been particularly worried about and and was chatting with Sunbear and Berrykit in the far side of camp, her ears flattened. She had seen Pipertuft wounded and getting moved to the medicine den. After what felt like forever and with her paws moving with little slowness, the longhaired point she-cat gave a soft goodbye to her dam and the small (yet somehow large for a nursery dweller) kit before heading for the medicine den.

However, but the time she had arrived, the calamity had become and eased silence, but silence after a wound that she saw was nothing to be comforted by. Nothing something like that. "Rowanglade! I saw Pipertuft get moved into camp a little while ago is she-" Basilflame paused, her flattened ears quivering as if trying to force themselves lower than they were, her ginger striped tail curled between her hid legs.

"… How is she" Basilflame kept a comfortable distance, breathing room so the den didn’t feel tighter, so the air didn’t feel heavier than it was. From looks alone it looked grim, herbs were packed onto a wound that seemed fatal and her brows furrowed, this didn’t look good… "Would… would you need space?"

Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.

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The questions made Rowanglade raise her head to look Basilflame. The sick den where she was laying shared an entrance with the medicine den where she and Pipertuft normally slept was.

”Unconscious. Since she was brought.” Rowanglade didn’t feel she should be anything but honest. ”I don’t need space. She won’t be bothered by talking. It may even help. Sometimes cats can be drawn out of a coma like this when they hear others around.”

She still couldn’t understand what had possessed her to obey her apprentice a day’s cycle ago when Pipertuft had thrown herself into the fray. And now… the coma was already deep. If they didn’t come back quickly from something like this they rarely came back at all. But it was still within sense that she might wake. No need to make up troubles.

Rowanglade already had enough of those.

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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"Oh, talking helps." Basilflame repeated, although, the words were mostly a reminder to herself. She couldn't even imagine to know what it was like to be a medicine cat... to deal with something like this. She didn't envy Rowanglade, not at all. But she was here to help. "Her wound... it doesn't look..." Basilflame couldn't find the words, not exactly... so she just moved in beside Rowanglade, hoping that the worried expression she was wearing would speak more than her words would let her.

Basilflame's landed on Pipertuft, her once vibrant eyes were shut as if she were asleep, but her breathing, the slow rising and falling of her chest, it seemed so shallow. From what she had seen... from the bodies she's witnessed, it was over before she could say goodbye, but with Pipertuft... she didn't even know if she would pull through. She just hoped that Pipertuft would prove her worries wrong and wake up stronger than ever.

For a moment, she searched for what to say, her ginger paws kneading at the ground, one hesitently reached out and brushed against Pipertuft's fur, it was still warm and had volume, but for how long? Finally, the words came to her, a question. "Rowanglade, you were with Pipertuft when... when the rogue was there. What... what happened?" The word left room for Rownglade to interpret and answer how she needed, any answer would give Basilflame some sort of view on this, however simple or complex the answer was.

Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.

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”It’s very deep. Such things heal slowly.” Rowanglade avoided mentioning too much. It wouldn’t do for Warriors to worry about exactly how insufficient treatment could be in the field.

Then came the question. This was the first of the Warriors to ask. Fawnstar and Aspenberry knew the details, but debriefing with them after things was necessary. Rowanglade sighed deeply.

”We’d left Sacredmoor and the Thunderpath. The rogue came at us from the treeline when we were leaving it for the moors…” She reached out and ran her tongue over Pipertuft’s still ear, getting not even a twitch in response. ”The rogue leapt on me. Pipertuft leapt on her.”

Next was the hardest part of the story. ”Then she screamed at me to run. It felt like StarClan screamed with her!” Rowanglade hadn’t been able to resist the force of that command, the echo of the rabbit’s paws in the distance. She closed her eyes to hide the regret in them. She had wanted so badly to protect Pipertuft… ”I listened.”

She couldn’t keep her feelings from her voice, lacing the words with pain.

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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"It sounds like... maybe she had StarClan's support while protecting you. Far-fetched... maybe, but Medicine Cats would know more about that than me" Basilflame replied after letting Rowanglade to finish the story, and then some to make sure she had truly finished before replying again, Basilflame wasn't keen on interrupting such a respectable cat.

Basilflame lowered her ears as she caught the pain in the medicine cat's voice, a burning pain that Basilflame had felt before. More times than she would have preferred it and she knew that pain would be felt again, if not here, than somewhere else in the future, she wanted to be there for her clanmates when that day came. 

The ginger lynx point she-cat pressed her nose into Rowanglade's fur a soft sign of comfort that she hoped was welcomed, and even more hoped that it hadn't been misplace. "You've been medicine cat for longer than I've been alive, my mother, she sought you in her time of need, not every cat could claim that. But you can." she added, moving her nose away from Rowanglade's fur.

"Either she makes it out or she doesn't" Basilflame stated in a much more hushed tone, glancing down as Pipertuft's flank moved in slow, hollow breaths, as if clinging to a life that was already losing it's light. "If she doesn't, you'll have so many cats here to support you. While... I can't speak for everyone, I know me and Sunbear will be around if you need someone to talk to."

Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.

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”I do think StarClan may have had a paw in it. A rabbit gave a warning thump when she yelled.” The echo of the banging paw would always ring her mind until the end of her days. ”Using hindsight, Running Rabbit takes much care.”

The Medicine Cat’s proverb had been used for time immemorial to help memorize the meanings of the different omens. Plants, animals, sky phenomenon: It could all be imbued by StarClan with a message.

”She truly is in StarClan’s paws now.” Rowanglade’s voice was a sigh. ”I’d told the other Medicine Cat’s I intended to put her before StarClan. She was ready to be a Medicine Cat. I won’t be retiring before the gathering now…”

She didn’t address the offer to talk. But once she’d figured out her own feelings on the matter she might take Basilflame up on the it. Maybe after she’d gotten to speak privately with the rest of the Medicine Cats. Whatever Laughingfox’s message to Pipertuft was she wanted to talk it out. It’s just… Basilflame couldn’t understand the full weight of what had happened. The implications of the private message from a StarClanner.

”A coma is a dangerous thing. She’s been in this one long enough to be worrying.” She wasn’t going to hide the direness of the situation. Rowanglade could find no point in it. All cats of the Clans faced death every day. ”But she has swallow reflex enough that we can get some water and blood into her. That means we can hope.”

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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Basilflame listened attentively to the medicine cat, her words of the rabbit's thump and the signs from StarClan flew right over her ears. Basilflame was no medicine cat and she wouldn't claim to be, all this talk of omens was out of her line of experience, but she listened, not daring to let a word miss her ears, even if it missed her understanding.

"If she can eat and drink, she can survive. But... for only so long" Basilflame murmured, her voice gaining a quiet reverence for Rowanglade in her voice not all cats could be a medicine cat, it took a certain type of cat and those skills were noble ones. "Whatever happens, you'll get rest eventually. I'm sure of it" 

Rowanglade's news of her wish to retire didn't fall on deaf ears as Basilflame nodded slowly. "You served us well Rowanglade." She stated, a sweetness that couldn't be more real slipped into her voice, wanting to give Rowanglade solace, that even in a dreadful moment like this, there was a hope for a brighter future, at least for WindClan. "Whatever happens, if StarClan made this decision, I trust they have the clan's best interest at heart."

"After all, what choice do we have?"

Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.

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”StarClan’s will is law.” Rowanglade agreed with a sigh. She deeply wished she had medicine superior to what was available. There must be things stronger, if only the Medicine Cats could find them. ”But until StarClan tells us the end of the story we can only do our best and wait.”

She looked over Pipertuft, with her barely moving chest and closed eyes. Cleaned and treated she looked far better than when she’d been returned to camp. Another quick lick to an ear. They’d gone through so much together, and Pipertuft had some so far in her journey.

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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Basilflame nodded in agreement, Rowanglade had spoken to the stars themselves so she had more knowledge on the matter than Basilflame could dream of. The certainty of StarClan’s will was not Basilflame’s to speak so confidently about, but she knew one thing, StarClan had a plan for them, and the stars knew the correct way to handle it.

"They’ve got a strange way of playing out their plans. I’d like to think that we still have some control in the matter. We all make our own decisions in all of this." She whispered, her ginger paws tapping the ground softly before glancing towards Rowanglade. "We’re strong, WindClan is strong, whatever StarClan might throw at us, we’ll get through it" she added, she had a feeling Rowanglade wished to retire soon, she wasn’t that far behind her dam in age, and Pipertuft’s training was seemingly complete before… all this.

Basilflame parted her jaws in a yawn but didn’t move, she wanted to stay with the medicine cat until the pointed she-cat pushed her out. There was support needed here and Basilflame is certainly the type of cat to give it over her own needs, that’s just who she was.

Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.

‹‹‹‹ ››››

Rowanglade gave a little nod of confirmation. ”Choice always matters.” She spoke the words quietly. StarClan had likely pressed her, but Pipertuft still made a choice. ”StarClan has laid paths before cats and they’ve refused to walk them before. They will again.”

She watched the ginger cat yawn.

”Right now it’s time for you to choose rest. I’m sure you’ll have plenty to do tomorrow. I’m free to rest when I please but you’re bound to your patrol schedule.” And until that rogue was killed or run out there would be much for the warriors to handle. It seemed unlikely that anything short of death was going to stop that creature.

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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Basilflame twitched a fire colored ear as Rowanglade finally told the pointed she-cat to rest. Basilflame let out a sigh and nodded "I suppose you're right. I'll be out of your fur then." Basilflame took one final glance down at Pipertuft, something deep down felt like she didn't have long, Basilflame could just exit the den without saying goodbye. 

The air seemed cool around Pipertuft as Basilflame dipped her head, pressing her nose against the ginger she-cat's fur, it was warm and soft as she purred a soft 'Rest well, Pipertuft' before standing up once more, turning to the dappled medicine cat with a soft grin. "Same should go for you too Rowanglade, you need the rest as much as all of us." she stated before making her way to the den's opening, glancing out into the camp, quiet with the soft hum of the clearning settling down for the night, his drew a soft smile from her before she turned back to the medicine cat.

"Goodnight Rowanglade."