Warriors of the Plants

At the border between Flowerclan and Castleclan 

This was the first time Mouseheart stepped outside of the Stone Den since Forkkit's death. Her conversation with the poor kit's father left her feeling so hollow. Then again, it wasn't so much of a conversation as it was just an acknowledgement. They saw each other, they knew they were both hurting, and they knew that they couldn't undo the Resting Ones' decision.

Mouseheart needed to get out of there -- just for a little bit. She couldn't stand being near her herbs right now. She just needed an escape. She needed to speak with Yewpaw. 

Mouseheart didn't know what she was doing by the FlowerClan border, but it wasn't like she could just pad on in there. She'd miss her chance to see him at the last Gathering due to her mourning, but she needed to see him soon if not now. Staying by the border and hoping a FlowerClan cat passed by was the only thing she could really do without getting in trouble.

Petalpaw was unfortunately the cat passing by, she normally came around the borders by the outlands instead of by any of the clans, but she wanted to take a longer walk today. Maybe stay further away from where her parents had left her, cause honestly she didn't understand why she was always slightly drawn towards there, and that sadness. She was already moving on fine, despite how much of a pain everything was. 

Petalpaw was comming up to where Mouseheart was now. She padded over to her, curious about what the Castleclan medicine cat might need. "Hey there... did you need something?" Petalpaw asked in a polite tone, something she was used to using now, since she decided to try to move on... it was friendly, but still put a distance between her and whoever she talked to. She didn't need to get close to someone just for them to leave her again.

Mouseheart jumped up to see a FlowerClan cat she was unfamiliar with. "Um, hi," Mouseheart greeted with a nervous chuckle. "Is Yewpaw okay? I-I mean, is he available? I need to talk to him about... stuff."

Petalpaw tilted her head. "Medicine cat stuff?" She inquired. They were both medicine cats... so she guessed that would make sense. It wasn't really any of her buisness anyhow. "I don't know how available he is... I don't really check in much with the medicine cats" She felt bad she couldn't give a helpful answer... she suprisingly didn't get hurt much, so there wasn't much reason to see them.

Mouseheart stared at her with the most nervous, suspicious smile. "Yep! Medicine stuff. Herbal things and whatnot." She winced when Petalpaw told her the truth, however. "Well, uh, in case he is busy, could you tell me how he's been? I know you just said that you don't talk to him much, but you'd know if anything was wrong with him, right?"

Petalpaw sat down. "You seem very worried..." She says more out of obligation than anything, She really didn't know what had been going on with her clan. Yewpaw, Harveststar, Springfern, Hazelbird too... they all seemed to have a lot going on. Sure Hazelbird's kits were recently born, but she had a sense there was something more. "He seems concerned about something..." She would say simply expressing her observations simply.

Mouseheart stopped smiling. Oh Resting Ones, here I was wallowing in my own pity when Yewpaw also needed me. "But you don't know what happened to him?" she questioned.

"Yeah, sorry. I don't" Petalpaw answers. "You must be really close with him... this doesn't seem like a simple medicine cat problem." She says with a slight huff, kind of wanting things to get to the point. She didn't want to be harsh, but she wanted to help, and really couldn't with nothing being communicated.

Mouseheart's eyes widen. She's already been found out? "O-Oh! Yes! Yes it is! We medicine cats just have to have each others' backs, that's all!"

Petalpaw rolls her eyes. "Right so... worrying about a friend is a medicine cat exclusive thing now?" She says rather sarcastically. "Well... I was at the gathering, and he seemed disapointed about something when Harveststar went up to talk." Petalpaw didn't really have much to do during that gathering besides paying attention to what was happening. "Oh, and He didn't seem to take the news of Rainstar dying well."

Mouseheart was taken aback by the whole 'friend' comment, but the other things the FlowerClan cat was saying were even more important. "Wait, Rainstar's dead?" she gasped. She knew that she had basically locked herself up in the Medicine Den, but why did no cat even mention it after they came back from the Gathering? "Did CactusClan even have a deputy?" And is Thistlesong okay?

"No... Cactusclan didn't have a deputy. They're probably handling it though? but there was also tension between them and Forestclan, something about prey being stolen." Petalpaw says repeating the information she had gotten. "I wonder how Rainstar died? He seems really healthy the last time we saw him" She didn't want to say it, but it was worrying what was happening to Cactusclan, and especially with Forestclan pretty much on their tail about things.

Although Mouseheart didn't want to think it, she had to disagree with that. Though she didn't know Rainstar all that well, but he didn't seem all that healthy. He was always so sleepy and tired, like his body was giving up on him. Still, it was rude to speak of the Resting Ones so ill-like.

Mouseheart sighed. "Goodness, I should have been there," she muttered. "I shouldn't have let what happened to Forkkit keep me from my duties." Thistlesong and Yewpaw needed her, and she wasn't even there for them. How selfish could she be?

"You sound like your blaming yourself..." Petalpaw says in a slight mumble. It reminded her of herself, how she still, to this day, blamed herself for her parents leaving her, not wanting her. She was going to be a hypocrite. "What happened probably wasn't your fault... and not being able to make it to a event, because you were taking care of yourself..."

Petalpaw continued, "You shouldn't blame yourself for that either. Others might need you, but they can't truely depend on you if you aren't there for yourself first. How are you meant to be a foundation for others, if you don't build yourself up?" Petalpaw says with a slight smile, trying to be encouraging. She says it like its obvious... but it's not like she had truely gotten herself up out of things... She had stopped crying, but she still had to go out on her own, and do whatever it was that she did.

Mouseheart just looked at Petalpaw, shocked. This was all coming from a cat that she didn't even know the name of yet. Even though the other's blunt words hurt, she could see that the FlowerClan cat's words seemed to hurt them as well. 

"Yeah," Mouseheart said. "I know you're right, but it's just hard to practice it, you know? I did everything I could to save that kit's life, and even though I felt like I made all the right moves, she still died. It was my first death. I've had close calls, and I've seen cats die, but never been by my paws." Even admiting it made the medicine cat feel more defeated. She *did* do everything right. Why did the Resting Ones take Forkkit then? What did CastleClan do to deserve that? What did Forkkit do to deserve it?

Mouseheart blinked a few times, trying to ground herself back down into reality. "Um, what's your name, by the way? I'm sorry to have dumped all of that on you when I don't even really know who you are."

Petalpaw blinked, opening her mouth to give her name, but hesitating for a moment... yeah they were both clan cats, but giving ones name is like... a step towards being friendly... was that a good thing? Was that something she was ready for? "Petalpaw." She finally coughed out in a bit of a gruff whisper. "Oh yeah... I barely noticed since we were talking, but Yewpaw is Yewshine now." She says catching that detail. 

It wasn't much, but little things mattered for politeness... Mouseheart should probably give congratulations no matter how close they were... Petalpaw wasn't sure if she should mention this though. It seemed pretty obvious... then again.. if this cat had the attention span and airheaded-ness of Hazelbird...

Despite how crushing she felt recently, the news that Yewpaw got his name did wonders to her mood. "Really?! That's great! Oh, I have to tell Yewshine how proud I am of him and how wonderful he is and--!" Mouseheart choked up on her words. "I mean, how wonderful it is that he got his name! That's what I meant!" ...Fox-dung.

Petalpaw gave Mouseheart a look. Oh boy. Petalpaw had seen this before with Hazelbird... and maybe even her parents. She took back that statement about them being friends. They were clearly more than that. It really wasn't any of her business... "Well, I'm sure he'd be happy to hear from you. You guys seem very close." She says, suprising herself with the amount of salt in her voice

Mouseheart smiled, inwardly scolding herself. "Yep! Just friends! Just--!" She looked back into the other cat's eyes. It was too late. She had been caught. 

Mouseheart groaned and dropped the act. "... Please don't tell anyone, please. Even though my clan doesn't necessarily believe in *that* rule, I know that FlowerClan probably does. I don't want my feelings towards him ruin his good name in the clans. Yewshine cares a lot about what other cats think of him. I don't want to hurt him like that."

Petalpaw is quiet for a moment, pretending to consider telling other cats. She honestly saw no point in doing so, yeah mix clan relationships were a pain, but making a big deal out of it didn’t have any benefits… for her, or her clan. “Fine. I won’t tell anyone.” She says a little teasingly. Like if she had made a deal of sorts, and had the upper hand. “Just promise to take care of yourself. You seem like the type to worry other cats…”

Mouseheart let out a sigh of relief before giggling at Petalpaw's antics. "Don't do that to me! You seriously scared me for a moment there. "And will do. Thanks for talking to me, Petalpaw. It really did help a lot."

Petalpaw gave a slight smile. “Glad to help” She says with a polite dip of her head. The talk had brought them closer, but she once again kept her distance… acting like if she didn’t really care, and she only did things out of duty to move on.

Mouseheart offered her a smile. "Well, if you could, could you tell Yewshine that Mouseheart said congrats? Oh! And that maybe, uh, if he had any free time, he could meet me on the border? I wanna personally caught up with him."

“Sure. I’ll let him know.” Petalpaw says… being a messenger though… hopefully things don’t get messy, she wouldn’t want to be caught up between that. “Well… I’m going to go…” She says awkwardly, not sure how to end their conversation. She figured she could probably head back right away… she did already patrol quite a bit of the border now.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry about that! Um, thanks for everything!" Mouseheart said, waving Petalpaw farewell.

“Don’t apologize… and no problem…” Petalpaw wondered if it would be too friendly to hope to talk again or something. Its not like she was interested in their relationship and the story behind it… or maybe the feeling of being helpful or needed.. no, no, no- 

“um… see you around…” Petalpaw says with a wave of her tail as she turns to leave. Still awkward, and unsure of her curiosities. When she really thought about it… why did she say that? ‘See you around’ was friendly, and showed she might want to ‘see’ her ‘around’. She felt stupid as she walked away. She didn’t want or need friends.. right?