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H O N E Y W I S P
The golden-and-white molly quietly stuck her head into the medicine cat den, as she did not want to disturb anyone who was catching up on rest. It was just in the aftermath of the avalanche in camp from a couple days ago, one that resulted in the loss of a few warriors, as well as a life of Snowstar's. They were still recovering as a community and trying to get back on their feet.
One of those who had been injured was Darktorrent, a friend of hers from long ago. They hadn't spoken in seasons, though. He had severed ties from her during their apprenticeship, but she never truly understood why. It may have been as simple as they drifted apart from one another, but she had a feeling that it was not quite that easy. That being said, Honeywisp never had the chance to reconcile with him, for he had gotten himself a mate and made a life of his own in RiverClan. So, she chose to respect his distance and go on in life, too.
Lately, though, a lot had changed. The golden molly was never a fan of gossip or rumors, but some spread like wildfire and there were things she simply couldn't escape. She knew that deputyship was short for Darktorrent and his reign as leader was harsh and ended in his resignation. Many of her Clanmates thought of him a failure for this, but Honeywisp never saw that fault in him. She couldn't imagine what being thrust into leadership after only a few moons was like, along with the tragedies his leadership gave to him- it would have taken a toll on anyone and she didn't think it was fair to judge him as harshly. On top of that, Sorrelember had left him and the avalanche had wounded him. She didn't know how bad it was but she also didn't want to let things continue as they were any longer.
Spotting the dark warrior near the back end of the den, she carried her resolve to approach Darktorrent. Her dainty paws carried her quietly to his side, where she settled down an appropriate tail-length away from him to respect his space. "Long time no see," she mused lightly, using soft humor to break the ice between their seasons of not speaking to one another, "are you fairing well?"
H O N E Y W I S P
She knew the second the words came out of his mouth that he wasn't being entirely truthful. She knew him well enough, had been on the receiving end of his fibs long enough, to know when he wasn't telling her everything. That being said, she chose not to push the subject about his health- or her own luck for that matter. They might be talking now, but things could change any moment now and if she was being honest with herself, she didn't want that.
"It's no trouble," she commented instead when he mentioned her visit. No matter what changed, Honeywisp felt that he deserved to have someone that cared about him, to have someone at his side to be there when he needed support. And right now, she wasn't sure if he had that or not. Ah, well, that is- she was certain that his kits were there for him- he had family, he had a close relationship with Sorrelember before- what was she rambling about?
Her winded thoughts were interrupted when Darktorrent spoke again, much to her surprise, giving her an apology. Her jaw parted briefly, as if to reply but shut again, finding herself speechless. Clearly, she wasn't expecting him to approach the topic himself. Once she had gathered herself, she replied, "I'd love that."
"Hey, I'm being careful," He grumbled in response to her scolding, but he obeyed nevertheless and stopped prodding at his wound. Most cats would be offended by someone they hadn't spoken to in ages coming back into their life and bossing them around immediately, but Darktorrent's response to Honeywisp was surprisingly relaxed. If it had been anyone else, he likely wouldn't have taken to it as kindly. But either way, she was right. He had been told to leave the wrappings alone, so he had no reason to argue with her.
His whiskers twitched when she asked about his exercises. Truth be told, he'd barely left the nest since the accident. "I.....'ve been trying my best," he mewed hesitantly, wincing a bit as a bolt of pain shot through his skull. This had been happening a lot lately. "The headaches make it difficult," he sighed, face scrunching slightly until the flare ended. According to Rainysky, it was likely that he'd be dealing with these random headaches for the rest of his life. It really was just one thing after another, wasn't it? The dark tabby rested his chin on his paws, looking up at the she-cat with a dispirited expression. "It was nice of you to stop by, even though I'm not exactly capable of entertaining company at the moment," he hummed, offering her a small smile.
He fell quiet for a moment, tail flicking along the ground absently as Darktorrent got lost in his own thoughts. "I.... I owe you an apology, Honeywisp. You didn't deserve to be shut out like that, and I'm so sorry. When I'm able to leave the medicine den, will you join me on a hunt or something so we can talk more privately?" He glanced around the den, taking in the resting forms of his sick and injured clanmates. They were all cats he didn't feel comfortable bearing his deeply scarred soul around, even if they were all sleeping. One cat at a time, and this time, it would be Honeywisp. The mere thought caused anxiety to spark in his chest, but it was the only way he could explain why he turned away from her back when they were apprentices. "I promise you, I will explain everything and answer any question you have."
H O N E Y W I S P
Her reaction to his response was a tender smile. It was good to know that he wasn't going to shoo her away again, as he had been in habit of doing so since they were young. "I wish I could say the same for you," she teased. It was just like him to undermine his struggles- that part of him never seemed to change, no matter how many years passed. As he raised a paw to mess with his wrappings, Honeywisp flicked her tail at him, swatting him gently.
"Don't do that," she scolded, "you'll only make it worse and it'll take longer to heal. I'm sure Rainysky and Venompaw have told you that already." Her clear blue eyes fixed him sternly before she softened up again at his statement. "It's good to see you, too," she confessed, her mew laced with a sigh. She still had some reservations about what even happened between the two of them in the first place. She never understood how they could be so close as apprentices and then cut ties so suddenly, but even then, she clearly hadn't stopped caring for him.
How badly she wanted to pry him for answers, to demand she finally know what happened with him, but she didn't want to risk having him shut down on her again. Instead, she asked, "Have you been keeping up with your exercises? It's no good to let yourself fall out of shape because of an injury."
Darktorrent
Sleep. That's all he wanted. A dull ache rippled through his body, starting at his head and making its way down to his injured hind leg. Rainysky said he was lucky, and that his injuries could've been worse. He didn't believe in luck, not anymore. A heavy sigh escaped the former leader. He was nothing but a joke now. 'Some luck,' he thought to himself, laying his paw over his face to block some of the light leaking in from outside. However, a noise at the mouth of the den caught his attention, causing him to look up at the source.
For a moment, he thought it was his youngest daughter, Marblepaw. She'd been checking up on him a lot since his accident, but she had just left not too long ago. Was there something she forgot to tell him? However, as the feline approached him, he realized it was... someone else. His jaw hung open just a bit when he realized just who was coming towards him.
"H-Honeywisp-" His words got caught in his throat. He didn't know what to say. A small part of his brain wanted to send her away. He wanted to be left alone... but he couldn't bring himself to turn her away. He'd been doing that for far too long now. She didn't deserve the way he'd treated her in the past, no matter his reasons. "You, uh... look well," he said softly, dipping his head in greeting. "I could be fairing worse, I suppose," he mumbled, reaching up to carefully prod at the cobwebs wrapping the head wound he sustained during the avalanche. A hint of awkwardness hung in the air between them, but that was to be expected after so long of not speaking. "It's... nice to see you, Honeywisp."