Posts by HAWKMOTH

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

"Sorry, did I startle you...?" He asked, voice low as to not stir any others from their nests. His ears flushed warm, feeling a little stupid; he should have realized not everyone wanted to be woken up after a long day to go dig up smelly plants. "I just thought I'd see if anyone wanted to come along with me to gather some herbs and I thought I'd check with you." Was medicine even interesting to most apprentices? Hawkpaw himself hadn't really had a choice but to learn, so it was hard for him to say whether he would have been curious about the craft otherwise.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

"Hey, you okay?" Hawkpaw mumbled, then cleared his throat when he realized his tone had come out a little blasé. Try to sound a little warmer, you're a medicine cat apprentice after all. Foxdung, if my eyes didn't scare her she's definitely uncomfortable now. He scolded himself inwardly before parting his jaws to speak yet again. "You're probably busy so I won't keep you, but I just wanted to let you know you can stop by the medicine den if you're feeling stressed or anxious and we can give you something to help calm you down- adjusting to Clan life can be a little daunting... I would know. I'm sure any of the cats around here would be more than happy to show you to the medicine den if you lose your way." He explained, whiskers twitching. StarClan, that was more of a mouthful than a whole rabbit.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Hawkpaw nodded, dipping his head in thanks to the newly named Morningstar. His appetite was suppressed by his nerves, but after his journey he knew he needed something in his belly to replenish his strength. If the experience had made him feel on edge, he couldn't imagine what the now WindClan leader must have been feeling. The bengal couldn't believe he'd been apart of something so sacred to the Clan, especially when there had been a time he didn't believe he could be of any use at all.

He flicked his heavily-blotched tail in response to Wolfsbane- he'd let Morningstar respond as he didn't want to take the focus off of him, unless someone addressed him directly. After all, the sightless medicine cat apprentice was known for remaining silent a good amount of the time anyway. Perhaps he was even a little unnerving as his clouded icy gaze seemed to pierce cats to the bone, though everyone was aware of the fact that he couldn't actually see.

"Thank you Blossompaw. I hope your hunt was successful." He mewed with a fleeting smile. It was hard to be too stoic around the pair of apprentices.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

While Thunderpath certainly did not smell pleasant, one would be hard-pressed to get a 'woohoo' out of Hawkpaw, that was for sure.

"Yet another reason to keep far away from it- unless you want to end up in the medicine den." He reminded his Clanmates as he padded over on long dappled tabby legs before dipping his tawny head to Morningstar and Minkpaw in respectful greeting.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Minkpaw's fretting dug up memories of his own first time gathering herbs and how nervous he'd been- he had worried if he'd messed up Buzzardflight would doubt a blind cat could make a good medicine cat. The former medicine cat being deaf himself however, he had seemed to be understanding Hawkpaw's plight.

"No, don't worry- it's easy. I'll show you how." He encouraged her, beckoning the molly to follow with his long blotch-marred tail. Now that it was new-leaf, the budding foliage would be much less fragile than the crinkly and dry leaves and stems of leaf-bare... Perfect for teaching inexperienced cats how to gather them.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Flicking his beige and black tail thoughtfully, the medicine cat apprentice felt a pang of happiness for Blossompaw and Chillypaw's apprenticeship- the later being mentored by the WindClan leader-to-be himself. On the other paw though, Hawkpaw's chest tightened at the notion of being the only medicine cat in the den- and he wasn't even a full medicine cat yet being still at least a few moons' worth of training short.

StarClan, what am I going to do? He mused, momentarily lifting his head to the skies above; he couldn't see, but he knew the starry cats above were watching him. Would they give him a sign?

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Perhaps one of the only cats that could illicit more than the slightest smile from Hawkpaw, a light chuckle rumbled from the blotch-marked medicine cat in response to Morningstar's teasing remark.

"I'll give a woo-hoo if everyone promises to steer clear of or at least be very careful around the thunderpath." He said with a smile still upon his features, however there was a shadow of worry cast over his chilly blue gaze.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Having overheard his name, his tawny ears darted forward in alarm.

"What's going on?" He called out to Lizardbounce, padding over to the three-legged WindClanner. It had sounded rather urgent, but unable to see anything, Hawkpaw was kind of left in the dark about the situation- which made it all the more stressful; what would he do without Buzzardflight and Fogpaw?

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Turning from the various stems and leaves he'd been sorting, the sightless bengal's empty blue gaze met Lizardbounce and Minkpaw. Thank StarClan no one was hurt- they just wanted to accompany him in his duties, which was always welcome.

"Oh? Well I could use the help. I appreciate it," he admitted, whiskers twitching. He was a little surprised at their offer, but in no way was Hawkpaw complaining. Pushing the herbs gingerly into their respective nook to preserve freshness, he started out of the medicine den. "Ready to get going?" He inquired with a flick of his slender inky-dappled tail.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Hawkpaw didn't feel experienced enough to weigh in on the situation himself, however he trusted Morningstar's judgment fully and didn't have a shred of doubt that he would do what was best for WindClan. It would be nice to have some reliable alliances, though; a shoulder to lean on in times of war or sickness. But green-leaf would be upon the territories soon enough and prey would be plentiful. Hawkpaw supposed the Clan could manage on their own for the time being.

"Agreed." He mewed finally with a thoughtful nod of his tawny features.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ eight moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

After taking part in the chanting of the WindClanners' new names, Hawkpaw felt everyone else had spoken all that there was to be said. He supposed it was a blessing he would never have kits of his own- how could he help to conjure up fitting names for them without the ability to see the shades of their pelts?

"Congrats." He murmured with a respectful dip of his tabby-dappled head, sure that the cats would live up to their awarded names under Morningstar's watch.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Though he hadn't intended to eavesdrop, the bengal's ears flicked forward at his name, followed by mention of a sore paw. The young molly had insisted she could push through her injury, however even if it wasn't serious Hawkpaw knew it was his duty to check things out.

"Tallpaw? What happened?" He urged her to spill the details, tawny ears pinned in the apprentice's direction. "It's really no bother. I don't like seeing Clanmates get hurt, but treating ailments sure passes the time."

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ eight moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

As a veil of warm light shrouded the territories in morning sun, Hawkpaw had been awake within the medicine den since the stars had dissipated into the sky's waning darkness, tawny tabby paws busy keeping the workspace organized.

Forepaw hovered over a bundle of sharply-scented new-leaf green fronds, the plant growth began to vibrate; trembling upon the ground. Though he couldn't see it through his overcast blue eyes, the medicine cat in training felt the herbs he'd been sorting scrape against his pad with a resounding rumble echoing alongside. Not unlike thunder, but his sharp sense of smell failed to detect the scent of rain upon the moorland air.

Something's wrong. He realized with a spark of alarm in his chest as the earth shifted beneath the lithe WindClanner. Before his body had the chance to respond, mounds of dirt rained upon him and the den had partially collapsed, though Hawkpaw was left unharmed albeit his coat would need quite the cleaning when all was said and done. That was the least of his worries, though- had any of the herbs been left unscathed?

The familiar voice of Blossompaw pulled him from his scattered thoughts. At least she hadn't been lost to the chaos. As she assured him no one was hurt to the Clan's knowledge, a wave of relief surged through his slender frame. Pushing through the remains of the medicine den, Hawkpaw broke through and inhaled a heft breath of fresh air in a gasp before coughing out a cloud of dust that had once made up his den- the same dust that was caked to his once silky tabby pelt.

"I'm fine," he rasped, clearing his throat a few more times as he refreshed his lungs with clean air. "Are we sure everyone's okay? Has everyone been located?" He inquired, trying to get a grasp on the weight of the situation.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ seven moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Had Tuftkit fallen unconscious? The panicked medicine cat apprentice tried to sort through his flurry of thoughts- did he have enough experience to deal with this kind of situation?

Now isn't the time to worry about that. he inwardly scolded, simultaneously feeling a weight lift off of him as Tuftkit spoke up. "Tuftkit. Do you hurt anywhere?" He inquired gently, ensuring his tone was as calm as possible as not to frighten the young tom any further. "Lizardbounce, Morningstar... How's his eye look?" He added, unable to see for himself. Oh StarClan, don't let him suffer my fate.

//so, so sorry for the late response!

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ eight moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

A twisted paw was a pretty common injury, and though the marbled tabby was still an apprentice he felt fairly confident about treating sprains.

"Just twisted? No bleeding on the outside? It's not numb or anything, right?" He questioned. Being blind, unfortunately Hawkpaw had to rely on others' visual accounts of physical wounds. He hoped his Clanmates didn't doubt his abilities due to that- and the fact that he still fell short in experience due to his lack of moons spent training. He was doing the best he could, and that was all he could do for now, really... Manage.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ eight moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Hawkpaw was oblivious to the alabaster flashes of static-charged lightning that bathed the camp in bright white. Instead, it was a rumble echoing from the bellies of the clouds above that drew Hawkpaw to the entrance of the medicine den. Giving the breeze a whiff, the heavy dampness hanging in the air flooded the bengal's senses. The smell of rain was pleasant, but the medicine cat apprentice was not naive to the threat storms posed to the territories- fire, falling trees, flooding. All were in the realm of possibility.

"Careful out there." the marbled apprentice called out from the mouth of his herb-filled den. Most of the time he probably came across like a fretting queen, at everyone's tails incessantly warning of the danger that lurked at every turn. Already jaded at a mere eight moons, carefree kit-hood seemed a lifetime behind him- or had he even had one? The lithe tabby couldn't remember a time his shoulders had been weight-free.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ eight moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ]}

Not known for his nosiness, Hawkpaw felt a little uneasy as he padded in pursuit of Petalpaw. It was just that the fragrance of herbs had lured his interest- what was she doing with lavender? Had she swiped some from the medicine den? No, he would have picked up on her scent; lacking sight, his nose did what it could to make up for his visual disadvantage.

"Hey, um, what are you doing?" He chimed in a little awkwardly, unsure of how to address the situation. Lavender was harmless enough, and paired with the fact he wanted to encourage his Clanmates' interest in learning herbs as much as possible, he didn't want to dishearten the molly by any means. Not all plants were safe to be in contact with, however, and Hawkpaw didn't want a worst-case scenario to come about- such as a cat ingesting deathberries. Now, the bengal of course couldn't seethat the pretty she-cat was applying a poultice to the scars marring her frame.

^{[ hawkpaw ] [ marbled tabby bengal mix with milky blue blind eyes ] [ eight moons ] [ male ] [ trad. windclan mca ] [ gen. 1 ]}

As the medicine den had been in disrepair post-earthquake, the bengal had been sleeping out in the open as the rest of WindClan typically did until he could trust his usual sleeping place wouldn't cave in on him yet again. The fringe of his marbled pelt brimmed in the light of Silverpelt, Hawkpaw tossed and turned under the watchful night sky. He felt downright restless out here; sleep eluded him most of the night. At least in the medicine den, he had known where everything was from memory.

It feels like a rogue could jump out at any moment and send me to StarClan in my sleep! He huffed in frustration at his musings, shifting into a different laying position; his head and neck lifted from the earth in unease as he found drifting off impossible. In addition to being uncomfortable, Hawkpaw found himself unable to think of anything aside from the herbs that had been destroyed when the camp had been shaken to its core. At the very least it was no longer leaf-bare, and so there was fresh growth to replace what had been lost. Still, the blotchy tabby apprentice couldn't stomach the thought of not having an herb in stock when a Clanmate needed to be treated with it, and so he rose to his weary paws- his limber legs slinking out of camp like a snake slithered through ThunderClan's rocky fissures.

For him, there wasn't much difference between night and day aside from the distinct scents - and in the daylight - the vague blurry blot in the corner of his blackened vision that was the sun guiding his way. Moorland grass flattened beneath his pads, slowly springing back up behind him as he went on his way. His tail flicked in apprehension as the terrain shifted from field to uneven slabs of rocky expanse.

The Gorge.

As an apprentice, Hawkpaw knew well he wasn't meant to be here. Especially not as a blind apprentice at that. It was a risk he'd decided was worth taking- WindClan couldn't be without sufficient stock of medicine. He was sure the coursing water nearby must encourage the growth of surrounding plant life, and so he was bound to find a treasure trove of herbs, right? Not known for brash decision-making, the tawny tabby cursed himself inwardly. This is downright mouse-brained, he thought, gingerly edging down the ravine with utmost caution as he followed familiar pungent odor - intermixed with that of the rapids - upon the breeze. RiverClan is crazy for playing around in that stuff. He noted in reference to the water, the call of which roared in his ears from a distance. A warning of sorts, was it?

He halted as he reached a patch of flat rock surface, slick from tidewater. Just a little closer and he'd have a hearty clump of coltsfoot in his grasp- it was in its prime in newleaf, and grew best near water, something the moors lacked; a valuable find. Small splashes surged over the jutting rocks and licked at his heavily-patterned pelt like flames. He was playing with fire, except it wasn't. One miss-step and a watery demise awaited below. It's fine, I'm not a kit anymore. I can handle it. I can be in and out, just like that. Just do it. He urged himself, swallowing hard as his willowy legs trembled under him. It was hard to be sure where he was placing his paws each time he advanced a step in his blind state. Budging forward just enough to clasp the dandelion-like flowers between his teeth, he lost his footing on a stretch of slimy moss. The back half of his body engulfed by cascading river, his front paws scrambled against the crag before him, finally hooking into a nook in the stone by stroke of luck.

Drenched and petals still clutched tightly in his maw, the young WindClan tom heaved himself over the edge, throwing his exasperated tawny frame back to safety. I nearly got myself killed, no rogue jumping out of the shadows needed. He realized with shock coursing through his body in similar fashion to the violent waters he'd almost fallen victim to. Too depleted of energy and scared out of his pelt to continue his hunt, the medicine cat apprentice began the trek back to camp, occasionally clearing his nostrils of rivulets of gorge water - in the midst of his slip he'd taken in a few gasp-fulls of river water - as he did so.

--

Quietly slipping into camp with an air of shame over his head, Hawkpaw shuffled over to a thick patch of gorse with coltsfoot in tote as he didn't want to stir up any commotion by dropping it off near the ruins of the medicine den. It would be fine alongside him until later, as it would be preserved by its dampness- it was nearly as soaked as himself. Curling up beneath the golden gorse blooms, he rasped his tongue over the swirling tabby markings of his pelt, yet he couldn't quite rid himself of the lingering watery scent.

As the first light of rosy dawn crept into the clearing - a splendor the bengal himself couldn't enjoy - he found himself unable to resist the heaviness of his sleep-deprived eyelids; his clouded eyes drowsy sapphiric slits. Never one to sleep in, he was too tired to care what the dawn patrol would think of his slumbering self. Currently WindClan's only medicine cat, hopefully they would assume he'd been overexerting himself.'They'll wake me if I'm needed' was his last fleeting thought before fading into the void of sleep.