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Post by ♦ stormeh ♦ on Oct 27, 2011 17:37:39 GMT -5
Stormpaw trotted into the marshy camp clearing, proudly holding a plump rat in his jaws as he made his way toward the Nursery. Desperate to feed his hungry Clan, Stormpaw had gone out to hunt earlier that day, and when he found nothing, he made the casual decision to try to find prey at the Carrion-place. Even where there were only two or three rats there, Stormpaw had only managed to catch one, after coming to a frightening experience almost getting bitten by one. He never knew why no one ever hunted there, or actually, he had forgotton the important reason. The poor fool didn't realize that rats couldn't only bite you, but something much more deadly and fatal.
As he was about to pad into the Nursery, a shadow fell upon him and he turned around to see Adderstrike, the strict Clan deputy. Placing his rat by his paws, Stormpaw greeted him with a respectful nod. "Good afternoon, Adderstrike!" he meowed politely, yet cheerfully. He felt like he made a great accomplishment by bringing a plump, well, somewhat plump piece of prey into camp. Adderstrike had no expression on his face, but his eyes seemed to glitter with pride as well. "Stormpaw, you did excellent bringing that rat into camp, but the queens and their kits, and the elders have already finished eating when a patrol had brought in extra prey. However, you have rightfully earned this rat, and I give you permission to eat it." his deep voice rumbled, while Stormpaw looked on with excitement. "Really? Thanks Adderstrike!" he squeaked, picking up his rat and trotting off toward a shady spot beneath a small tree.
Seeing Hornetpaw nearby, Stormpaw swerved so he was now trotting toward her, and he sat down beside her while flicking his tail in greeting. "Hi, Hornetpaw! Do you want to share this rat with me?" he asked, his eyes shining fondly. He prodded at the rat with a paw, and grinned once again at the wonderful thought that he was the first apprentice to catch something this juciy in a long time.
ooc;; Obviously, Hornetpaw will decline his offer, and I'll make him get sick after your post.
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Post by .:|Fawnzie|:. on Oct 27, 2011 18:21:06 GMT -5
Hornetpaw had been laying by the thorn entrance, under a small patch of dappled shade. The she-cat had watched him come over, a satisfied smile on his face. She flicked her tail and looked at him as he came over, a warm grin spreading across her face.
Looking at the rat, she shook her head slightly. "No, you earned it. Plus, I just ate part of a squirrel," The black cat meowed, her amber eyes shining. She glanced at the rat one more time, prodding it with a paw. "Nice catch."
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Post by ♦ stormeh ♦ on Oct 27, 2011 18:34:52 GMT -5
Stormpaw felt disappointed when Hornetpaw politely declined his offer, but then regained his happy posture when she congratulated him on his catch. "Thanks, it actually wasn't that hard to catch." Lies. Stormpaw had scurried around the Carrion-place for a long time until he could finally catch that stupid rat. He only wanted to impress Hornetpaw, even though his skills in hunting were already quite decent.
Leaning down, he took a few famished bites out of his rat, a mixture of tastes flooding over his tongue as he swallowed. Though the meat tasted tough and stringy, Stormpaw wasn't about to complain. The whole Clan was tired, and if even one apprentice made any remark about being hugry, then he'd probably be sentenced with no food that day at all. Finishing the rat, Stormpaw thought he could feel a churning suddenly appear in his stomache. He didn't expect the prey to reach his belly that fast, but to his astonishment the churning slowly strengthened, making him wince a bit.
Ignoring the slight pain, Stormpaw tried not to show his confusion on his face. "So, uh, how was your day today?" he asked casually, trying to start a conversation so he could at least forget about the pains suddenly appearing in his stomache.
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Post by .:|Fawnzie|:. on Oct 27, 2011 19:15:45 GMT -5
"Really? I would've thought it had taken a while to catch a plump rat like that.... well, kind plump," The apprentice teased, a mischeivious gleam in her amber eyes. She shifted her weight, moving her paw out from under her.
Watching her friend lean down and take a few bites out of the slightly juicy prey, she frowned. "Sit down. You must be tired after hunting," Hornetpaw meowed warmly, nudging his shoulder from next to him. She cast a sideways glance at the camp entrance as she heard Smudgepaw brush through the tunnel. Out of the corner of her eye, the she-cat saw Stormpaw wince slightly.
Standing up, the black cat stretched her paws swiftly then took two steps toward the tom. Putting her tail on his shoulder, she looked into his eyes. "Are you okay? I saw you wince..." With a concerned look in her yellow gaze, she flicked her tail and waited for an answer. A fly landed lazily on her ear, and she twitched it to make it go away.
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Post by ♦ stormeh ♦ on Oct 27, 2011 20:05:35 GMT -5
Stormpaw almost immediately sat down as Hornetpaw advised him to, and he felt his body growing hotter within moments. What was going on? Why wasn't this feeling going away? Dumbfounded, he desperately tried to level his breathing, but for some strange reason is became quick and shallow.
Frowning in concern, Stormpaw turned to look at Hornetpaw, his eyes narrowed. "W-what? I d-don't know... I d-don't feel so g-good," he stammered, each word difficult to force out of his mouth. Then, his chest tightened, and his eyes widened in realization. He turned quickly and ran toward a nearby holly bush, his fur bristling all over. His flanks convulsed, and he retched onto the ground, bits of rat in the fluid.
Now terrorfied, Stormpaw stumbled backwards, falling down as his legs grew weak. The churning in his stomache still didn't leave, and his eyes were glazed. "Hornet.. paw.." he choked out, trembling violently. Why was this happening? Was it something he - boom. Stormpaw wanted to thrash out with his paws and claw his own ears off at being so stupid, when he remembered why no one was to hunt at the Carrion-place. The rats there were almost always sick, and carried sickness. Stormpaw had caught a sickness from the rat he ate, and the more he thought of it the more weak he grew.
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Post by .:|Fawnzie|:. on Oct 27, 2011 20:35:55 GMT -5
Hornetpaw's eyes stayed wide for a moment longer, then narrowed into annoyed slits. "You caught that at the Carrion-place, didn't you!? How could you be so stupid?" The black cat's words might've stung, but the truth was that she was just upset and worried about her friend. She watched Stormpaw run to a holly bush, then realized that he was throwing up.
The she-cat ran to Stormpaw's side when he collasped, eyes wide with worry again. "Stormpaw!" The apprentice nudged his side, hoping to make him get up. Mentally trying to will him to stand, she hissed in annoyance as she realized it wasn't working. Lifting her friend's head and front paws onto her shoulders, she dragged him into the medicine cat's den.
Stripedpaw turned around, an irritated look in his eye as he heard an apprentice call his name. Though the sight that greeted him wasn't what he had expected. He had expected to see Hornetpaw limp in, a thorn in her paw. Or maybe with a stomach ache. But instead, it was her dragging Stormpaw through the entrance to the medicine cat's den. "What in the name of starclan happened?"
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Post by ♦ stormeh ♦ on Oct 27, 2011 20:42:36 GMT -5
Stormaw hadn't the energy to at least try and support himself as Hornetpaw dragged him off towards somewhere, assumably the medicine cat's den. As he let himself collapse onto the ground, merely inches away from a nest, but he wasn't strong enough to reach it. He groaned, his once bright blue eyes now glazed with a sickly appearance. He attempted to lift himself yet again, only to fall back onto the ground. Stormpaw's flanks barely rose and fell as his breaths came in quick, shallow gasps. "Ugh..." he winced, flanks starting to convulse as though he were going to retch again. An omninous, cold ripple passed through his body. He thought he could barely hear the whisper of death in his ears. No, that wasn't possible! He couldn't die from a mere rat, could he? But he saw no shimmering pelts of StarClan cats around him, so he knew that he wasn't going anywhere yet.
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Post by .:|Fawnzie|:. on Oct 27, 2011 21:23:20 GMT -5
Hornetpaw rolled her eyes, which were now clouded in worry, at the sight of the tom trying to pull himself up. She grabbed his scruff, and yanked hard to drag him into the nest that was next to Stripedpaw. "He ate a rat from the Carrion-place," The black cat explained to the medicine cat, spitting out the word "carrion-place".
Focusing on Stormpaw, she leaned down and licked his ear, trying to get him to snap out of it. "You're going to be okay," The she-cat meowed to her friend, laying down next to him to keep him warm. "Get out of that nest. now." Stripedpaw said, an annoyed look on his face. He whisked around, pawing out four poppyseeds. As an afterthought, he rolled out a few juniper berries and put them with the poppyseeds.
"Give me one good reason why I should. He's my best friend and I don't want him dying on me," Hornetpaw hissed, a determined look on her face. Her amber eyes were blazing with anger towards Stripedpaw. "Well someone has a fancy. And give your 'friend' these," The medicine cat apprentice grinned, teasing her lightly. He set the juniper berries infront of her, then indicated to make Stormpaw eat them. "I do not have a fancy!" She mewed, her ears getting hot with embaressment.
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Post by ♦ stormeh ♦ on Oct 27, 2011 21:48:45 GMT -5
Stormpaw's eyes remained open, wide with fear and glazed with sickness. They flickered at Hornetpaw, then at Stripedpaw. Trembling, he still didn't calm down as Hornetpaw lay down beside him, nor did his heartbeat slow. Everything was going by too fast, and too blurred for him to understand or comprehend anything around him.
Though his ears still worked perfectly fine, and he felt so encouraged when Hornetpaw defied Stripedpaw, even when he was the medicine cat apprentice. He also was able to hear the quick-tempered tom's remark about Hornetpaw having a fancy on him, and he felt his fur prickle. It was difficult to make out through his clouded eyes, but if you looked closely you could see the curiosity in them."Non... sense..." he responded, his voice slow as he tried to catch his breath. A grin feebly spread across his face, and he weakly flicked his tail at Hornetpaw's flank in a teasing matter.
Stormpaw never thought that his and Hornetpaw's relationship would go any further than being just friends. To think that he was causing her this much worry, made him more guilty than ever. But at this moment, he didn't want to think about how far his feelings would go for her, and instead he simply wanted to make sure that Hornetpaw didn't worry over him.
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Post by .:|Fawnzie|:. on Oct 29, 2011 10:05:57 GMT -5
Hornetpaw nudged Stormpaw's shoulder, trying to get his attention. She put the herbs infront of him, hoping he'd be able to eat them like Stripedpaw had told him to. "Hey Stormpaw, could you eat those herbs for me? It's supposed to help you get better," The she-cat said, a small grin on her face. She had purposefully avoided replying to his "nonsense" comment, and was trying to get his mind off of the rat.
Pressing up against her friend, she prayed to Starclan for him to get better. Sure she had other friends, but he was her best friend. The black cat didn't know what she would do without him. She flicked his ear with her tail, hoping to make him reply with some sarcastic comment.
Looking around the medicine cat's den, she realized that Stripedpaw had gone to a small nest in the corner. That must be his, Hornetpaw thought, wondering why he had decided to be in the corner. As she continued looking around the medicine cat's den, she took in the strong smell of the herbs, trying to get used to it.
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Post by ♦ stormeh ♦ on Oct 30, 2011 13:46:57 GMT -5
ooc;; Don't have my templates right now, I apologize. x3
Stormpaw took a shaky breath inwards and nodded. Leaning down, he feebly licked up the herbs that Stripedpaw gave him. He quickly realized that he had been given poppy seeds, and for a moment he panicked. How long would he be asleep? Would he be burdening Hornetpaw by making him stay with him? If staying with him meant falling back on her training, Stormpaw didn't want her to do so. But part of him begged Hornetpaw to stay with him. He didn't know why, but he would've felt so small and vulnurable without her.
Soon, however, the medicine was beginning to make Stormpaw drowsy. His thoughts began to fade, until his mind was completely blank. Eyelids already drooping, he closed them and attempted to curl into a ball, but his body was too weak. His breathing as raspy as his flank finally began to rise and fall slowly.
*** (Time Skip)
Stormpaw slept soundly, his body pressed against Hornetpaw's comfortably. He had no dreams, and every time he swallowed, it would be difficult. His entire body was hot, and his ear twitched every now and then.
ooc;; I time skipped so Hornetpaw can talk to him while he's in his comma. c:
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Post by .:|Fawnzie|:. on Oct 31, 2011 21:01:35 GMT -5
Hornetpaw smiled, watching her friend take the herbs and eat them. Slightly reassured by that, she set her head down. Still nervous, the she-cat flicked her tail to have something to do. She watched Stormpaw go to sleep, then stood up slowly. She started walking around the medicine cat's den, trying to find something to do.
*** Pulling her lazy head up, she yawned. Glancing over at Stormpaw, she watched his ear twitch. Looking around the den, she saw Stripedpaw sorting herbs. Standing up carefully, she walked over to him. "I have a stupid question, but why are you always so upset?" Eyes shining curiously, her whiskers twitched.
He didn't answer, just mumbled about finding Featherleaf then leaving the den. She knew the answer, of course; it was because he had lost his sister. The black cat turned around to face the sick cat sleeping peacefully, realizing that she would be the same without him. Though, she wouldn't feel the same with one of her sibilings.
Then it hit her; her sibilings had never been there for her, or even actual friends. She had a bond with them, of course. But it was never as strong as her bond with Stormpaw was. Then she noticed that it was because, as much as she loved her sibilings, she loved her friend, too. But it wasn't like she loved him as a friend. She really loved him.
Walking over to him, she nudged his shoulder. Realizing that she wouldn't know what to do if he died, she frowned and laid back down in the nest beside him. "S-Stor-Stormpaw? If you weren't here, I fon't know what I would do without you. I-i thi-think I love you," Hornetpaw mewed, putting her nose in his fur.
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Post by ♦ stormeh ♦ on Oct 31, 2011 21:29:31 GMT -5
Stormpaw heard very faint, distorted voices sounding from around him. He couldn't make out who it was, but he didn't have the energy or consciousness to move. He realized, that the voices suddenly grew clearer, until he could ear each word of Hornetpaw and Stripedpaw's conversation. Realization hit him, and he figured from the stories he'd heard before, he was in a comma; but he was also awake.
He could faintly feel the moss below him and the air around him, but he could also hear what was going on around him. He guessed that his own self was sleeping, but his consciousness wasn't. Though just as he was about to try and make himself fall asleep again, he heard a shuffling sound beside him and felt warmth spread across his left side and the scent of Hornetpaw filled his nostrils. Letting out a weak breath, he expected to hear her comforting voice, but instead it came out shaky and somewhat nervous. Confused, he could do nothing but stay where he was and listen on.
***
Stormpaw was shocked. Not just surprised, but he was trully in a state of pure shock. He had thought before that maybe Hornetpaw would be padding after someone like Mallowpaw, or Smudgepaw, or any other tom who was better than him. But she loved him? That was unbelievable. Or... was it? Stormpaw's head began to hurt as he tried to comprehend what he was hearing. But a warm, happy feeling spread across his dense, matted pelt, that he couldn't stop. Stormpaw realized with a jolt that he loved Hornetpaw as well. The feelings of anxiety and stress that he had experienced when he saw how worried Hornetpaw was when he got sick, suddenly made sense, and the tingling sensation in his paws when he shared tongues with her, and even when he looked at her. He wanted to wake up and tell her that he felt the same way, but he couldn't. He was stuck in his dumb comma.
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Post by .:|Fawnzie|:. on Nov 1, 2011 21:25:24 GMT -5
Hornetpaw looked over at the other apprentice, seeing his flank move slowly. She wished he'd wake up, but she knew he probably wouldn't. Nevertheless, she nudged his shoulder, prodding it with her paw. "I wish you'd wake up, Stormpaw..." the she-cat mewed, sighing as she stood up.
Walking around the den, she trailed her tail along the walls. Her black fur was unkept and messy, a sign that she was worried. Hornetpaw almost always made sure there wasn't a single fur sticking up when she left the apprentices' den. But now, her fur was sticking up at all angles, making her look slightly strange. Her amber eyes were dull, giving her a half-dead impression.
This was, infact, half true. She hadn't slept well the past night, having nightmares of rats and the carrion-place. Hornetpaw had been worried too much about her friend, over-reacting about his sickness. The she-cat had also not bothered to tidy her pelt, since she hadn't left the medicine cat's den and had no intention of doing so.
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Post by ♦ stormeh ♦ on Nov 1, 2011 21:48:00 GMT -5
Stormpaw I have your back, and you have mine too
[/color] Stormpaw suddenly became aware of his surroundings. Had he woken up? Yes. He had almost forgotton about what Hornetpaw had revealed to him that night, and he held her words dearly in his mind. They were the words that he'd remember for his entire life. But he couldn't wait any longer, he didn't want to see his best friend worriedand anxious like this.
Grunting softly, Stormpaw attempted to lift himself to his paws. He failed at first. But hope gave him a faint energy that flowed into his limbs, and he weakly managed to stand up. Lifting a trembling paw, he slowly climbed out of his nest, almost falling to the ground. Breathing heavily, Stormpaw slowly limped up to Hornetpaw, heart beating faster as he grew nearer to her. He didn't mind what he looked like at that moment, and only had one intention. He padded up to Hornetpaw's side, and pressed his shivering body against hers. "Hornetpaw..." he rasped quietly, then fretting that she hadn't heard him. Feebly, he twined his tail with hers, and forced his legs to support his weight. "... Hornetpaw, I... I love... you, too..." he breathed, his clouded eyes shining faintly with joy.
But that one day will come, and I won't want to lose you
Notes: Tags:[/i][/color] Hornetpaw|Fawnzie Words: ? [/color][/sup][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]
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