private AND I'M STILL WRITING SONGS // heathkit's diagnosis

[BRIGHTSHINE!]

// thread limited to @WOLFSONG @cottonpaw @HEATHKIT @HEAVY SNOW and the rest of the family if they choose to be in it!

Heathkit had of course opened her eyes and ears a little later than Finchkit and Downykit for reasons only Heavy Snow and Lilacstem knew. So of course, it made plenty of sense that she had been slower to develop, slower to learn. But Pink-kit, who had been at the very same stage as her ivory-furred sister developmentally, has since sailed beyond where Heathkit is, able to hold conversations with her other littermates while their white daughter is...quiet. So, so quiet. Not only that, but she is always the last to return to the nursery, the last to realize when it's meal-time, the clumsiest during playtime. It's like her head is always in the clouds....either that, or she's just too stubborn to listen to them.

At a quarter-moon past two moons, herself and Heavy Snow have absolutely grown concerned. And fortunately, Wolfsong has agreed to take a look at her, see if he can figure out what could be affecting the young girl so much. As he interacts with Heathkit, Brightshine leans against Heavy Snow for support a few fox-lengths away, watching with wide, observant eyes. "What do you think he's talking to her about?" She whispers to her mate. She's not sure why she's whispering...only their family is around. But still, she just feels the need to whisper.​

 

[cottonsprig]

Cottonpaw remains nearby, however for once not plagued by sorting leaves from one another. She keeps the couple's other kittens distracted, with feathers and moss, while Wolfsong works. Brightshine and Heavy Snow are here for their monocolored daughter, Heathkit, but that doesn't necessarily mean that their other kittens were left behind with other WindClan queens. And though it may sound selfish, Cottonpaw would admit that she's glad most of Wolfsong's own are permitted to explore camp on their own. She doesn't think she could be of help of distracting an excess of eight kittens while her mentor checks in on an additional one.

She keeps her ears pricked for if her mentor needs her, however white tipped paws toss a feather back into the air. "Don't let it touch the ground!" she stage whispers, tail lashing. Blue eyes flick up towards the nervous parents, wondering briefly if her position as a medicine cat apprentice has strengthened her empathy at all, or if she's always had a soft heart for parents and their youth. Her thoughts are disrupted when a tiny paw slams against the bridge of her nose - likely one of the kittens attempting to scale her for the feather. "Hey!" she giggles, still trying to keep the rest of the litter quiet.

[ mobile!! ]​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── He understands Brightshine and Heavy Snow's concern for their daughter. He had his own when his kits were first developing their personalities, paranoid despite his and Sunstride's efforts that Bearkit could not speak. Featherkit struggles still with pronunciation, but it is not so grievous, and as a child he had known a warrior with a similar speech pattern. It did not and does not worry him, but Heathkit's condition is something else altogether, and she had needed more involved guidance to be brought to him for examination.

He has his suspicions, but will need to confirm them. Fortunately, Cottonpaw is keeping the other kits occupied, as they would no doubt be curious as to what he is doing with their sister. "I am going to make a few sounds to see how you respond," he says, mostly for the benefit of her family so as not to alarm them. There are a few noises he knows will alert even daydreaming kits: growls, hisses, and the like. A snarl would be too visually involved that it could draw her attention without ensuring her hearing was responsible, so he begins with a growl instead, keeping his expression carefully neutral and watching her for any reaction. ​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 38 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTRIDE (07/05/2023). BIOGRAPHY, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.

medicinal expertise med. part ii med. part iii med. part iv

• — ★★★☆☆ WOUNDS: You're (mostly) in safe paws. You'll know if he's less experienced if he asks for your permission to try a treatment. No wound can scare him away from knowledge.
  — ★★★☆☆ INFECTION: He can prevent most infections. If you feel feverish, let him know; he'll hum thoughtfully over herbs and sniff your wound before saying, "With your blessing..."
• — ★☆☆☆☆ ACHES & PAINS: If you complain to him of pain, he'll ask where. If it's a headache, you'll likely feel a bit better. For anything else, "Try this, if you'd like, and tell me how you feel."
  — ★☆☆☆☆ BROKEN BONES: At best. he can ask you to remain lying down in the den. He may try to distract you with conversation while he considers what herb to feed you.
• — ★★★★★ TRAVELING HERBS: Going somewhere? No worries; Wolfsong knows just what you need to stay hale and healthy during your journey. The rest is up to you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ KITTING: Thanks to Starlingheart, he's better prepared for the arrival of kits, but any complications will need a little faith and a lot of luck.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ POISONS: It's best if you avoid eating anything unfamiliar to you— it's probably just as unfamiliar to Wolfsong. The best he can do is offer you yarrow and sit with you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ ILLNESS: If it's white or greencough, you'll likely recover. Otherwise, prepare for odd concoctions and the usual request that you consent to a little trial-and-error.

​

 

[HEATHPAW]

Heathkit sees herself just as quiet as the other cats. The earth moves for her in patches of color and bursts of smell and these are the things she enjoys the most. She enjoys the vibration of her parent's purrs, she loves the way the earth shakes under her paws. She had never known anything different.

That sort of bliss was only given to her for a moon or so. As she grew, she started to feel more frustrated. The feeling was akin to a tick buried deep in her fur in a place she could not reach despite how fervently she scratched. Her sisters beat her at games, her sisters could imitate other cats and interact with them in ways that Heathkit felt intensely jealous over. Things happened that she could not make sense of or understand. When those frustrations bottled up, she would lash out with her claws and make sharp yelping noises. Those noises felt the best—she could feel the ache and stretch of her vocal chords. She never spoke, but she would scream and perhaps that, alongside her general failure to hit the same milestones as her littermates, was among the reasons she was finally taken to Wolfsong.

Heathkit glanced up at the medicine cat, a shadow cast over her pale face. She was not nervous of the golden tom, but her eyes kept wandering over to his missing eye. The growl was lost on her, and Heathkit's ears did not give the slightest twitch to indicate that she had registered the sound at all. Instead, she blinks and raises a paw to her own eye, covering it like Wolfsong's was.

​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── There is a complete lack of response from the kit— not even the faintest twitch of an ear, or the glance of Heathkit's gaze at his throat. Instead, she seems quite occupied with staring at his face, and when she lifts a paw to cover her eye, mirroring Wolfsong's, he can't help a sudden, startled laugh. There is no sign that she hears that, either, judging from the position of her ears, and his laughter peters out into a sigh. It does not point to a child caught in her own world of daydreams. There is no reaction to auditory stimuli at all, and he gives her a gentle smile before looking over to her parents.

"Brightshine, Heavy Snow— I have a likely theory." His stare shifts briefly to his apprentice and the kits she distracts. "She is a bright-eyed child, and it appears she reacts to what she can see." Hence her mimicry of his blinded eye. "But I...do not believe she can hear. It would explain why she may seem in her own world, at times– because she does not have access to a sense we rely on heavily." ​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 38 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTRIDE (07/05/2023). BIOGRAPHY, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.

medicinal expertise med. part ii med. part iii med. part iv

• — ★★★☆☆ WOUNDS: You're (mostly) in safe paws. You'll know if he's less experienced if he asks for your permission to try a treatment. No wound can scare him away from knowledge.
  — ★★★☆☆ INFECTION: He can prevent most infections. If you feel feverish, let him know; he'll hum thoughtfully over herbs and sniff your wound before saying, "With your blessing..."
• — ★☆☆☆☆ ACHES & PAINS: If you complain to him of pain, he'll ask where. If it's a headache, you'll likely feel a bit better. For anything else, "Try this, if you'd like, and tell me how you feel."
  — ★☆☆☆☆ BROKEN BONES: At best. he can ask you to remain lying down in the den. He may try to distract you with conversation while he considers what herb to feed you.
• — ★★★★★ TRAVELING HERBS: Going somewhere? No worries; Wolfsong knows just what you need to stay hale and healthy during your journey. The rest is up to you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ KITTING: Thanks to Starlingheart, he's better prepared for the arrival of kits, but any complications will need a little faith and a lot of luck.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ POISONS: It's best if you avoid eating anything unfamiliar to you— it's probably just as unfamiliar to Wolfsong. The best he can do is offer you yarrow and sit with you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ ILLNESS: If it's white or greencough, you'll likely recover. Otherwise, prepare for odd concoctions and the usual request that you consent to a little trial-and-error.

​

 

[BRIGHTSHINE!]

Brightshine watches with bated breath as Wolfsong finally lifts his gaze up to seek out herself and her mate. When he speaks her name, she gets up and pads closer, ears pressing forward and eyes wide with focus. She nods along with his initial statement, knowing it to be true. But I do not believe she can hear. A small gasp of surprise leaves her and she immediately looks to Heavy Snow, ears pinning to her skull. "What do we do?" The question is directed back towards the medicine cat, emerald eyes round with concern. "She can still be a warrior, right? She can be like everyone else?" Her gaze drops to the small ivory she-kit at her side and she is swift to lean down and gift a few licks to the top of her head. This doesn't change a thing. She loves her daughter with all her heart and soul, but she wants to know what must happen going forward to make sure she's safe and getting all she needs.​

 

[FINCHPAW!]

╭──── ⋅ ⋅ ──── ｡･ﾟﾟ･ ─── ☀︎ ─── ･ﾟﾟ･｡ ──── ⋅ ⋅ ────╮​

They'd all gone to visit Wolfsong today, a curious thing in and of itself, and perhaps Finchkit would have thought to question it more, to question somebody gathered here more, had she not been almost immediately distracted by Cottonpaw's antics. Whatever the others were doing is quickly lost on her as the apprentice pulls out play-thing after play-thing, and if Heathkit isn't there beside the rest of them to play, too, it's not so out of the ordinary to distract her from her goal - winning the game. Whatever the game was. As Cottonpaw hoists a feather into the air, telling them to keep it off the ground, she's laser-focused in, determined not to be the one to it drop, even if that means she has to get a little creative with her methods.

Bouncing off Cottonpaw might not be the most traditional method, but hey, whatever works, works, right? Besides, it seems to have caused amusement more than anything, and at the end of the day she'd been able to bat the feather up one more time, so all in all it seems like a rousing success. Before Finchkit can try again, to pass the feather off to a littermate or swipe at it herself again, her attention is forcibly dragged away by a startling sound - is Wolfsong growling at Heathkit? More than anything, she's confused, and as the interaction only grows stranger the feather is forgotten entirely. "What's going on? What're they doing?" she asks, looking first to Cottonpaw, and then over to Brightshine and Heavy Snow.

It's not directed at her, but an answer is quick to follow - Heathkit can't...well, she can't hear, apparently. Initially, the significance is lost on the child, who only tilts her head curiously in Heathkit's direction. So, does that mean she didn't hear Wolfsong growl at her just then? Or - or anything else, either? Slowly, it begins to dawn on her the extent of what this news means; all those times Heathkit was ignoring them, or wouldn't talk back, or just purred or yowled or bumped up against them, it wasn't 'cause she was just like that? Well, she was like that, only it's a different that, one borne not a lack of care but a lack of understanding. "She can't hear anything? Nothing at all? Is that why she doesn't ever talk back to us?" The questions are more of a formality than anything, only a way to confirm her own suspicions about the situation.
​

i want to spin something out of nothing - (☀︎) - lead to gold, spring from winter

• OOC: --​
• 
• 
  - Finch Finchkit
  - She/her (AFAB)
  - 2 moons
  - Loner Kit of WindClan
  - Hearty & scruffy chocolate lynx point with splashes of white and bright blue eyes
  - Art by Jay & base by googaoo respectively! <33
  - Minor powerplay allowed!
  - Penned by Hijinks​

 

[HEATHPAW]

Of course, the diagnosis goes undetected by soft, white-furred ears. Heathkit had enjoyed Wolfsong's attention but it was clear the she-kit appeared much happier when her mother came up alongside her and rasped her tongue against her head. Heathkit broke out into a purr and leaned back against the calico, raising a paw to try to bat at her face.

She had always wanted to be a warrior like the rest of the Clan. She did not know what that word meant, but she could sense within all the cats in WindClan's camp held a purpose. She wanted to contribute to that greater good.

Finchkit's arrival in her peripheral prompted a happy squeak from Heathkit's lungs and she wriggled out of Brightshine's care to attempt to pounce on her sister, oblivious to the inevitable change within their family.

​

 

[cottonsprig]

"Alright, this time -" Cottonpaw continues to try and keep the other three preoccupied, even as the adults sequester Heathkit away and conduct mild tests. She moves to hit the feather even further into the air, however as she does, Wolfsong begins to growl. The fur on the apprentice's shoulders ruffle and like Finchkit, she's distracted. The feather lands to the ground (should Pink-kit or Downykit ignore it as well) and the blue smoke only offers Finchkit a slight incline of her head when questioned. "They're... giving her tests, Finchkit," Cottonpaw offers, however being a curious child herself, she knows that that answer won't be enough.

Wolfsong straightens his back after a short laugh and begins speaking. Cottonpaw's heart thumps unsteadily for a second and her gaze falls to the white kitten at their paws. Never once has Cottonpaw thought of her own senses, and how she must take them for granted. StarClan - even with her mentor, one-eye and all, she's not considered what being blind may be like. Kittens escape her distraction and questions are pitched for Wolfsong. Questions, all but one Cottonpaw cannot answer.

"She'll be a great warrior, Brightshine," she decides for them all, moving closer. Sootstar wouldn't allow anything less... The thought goes unspoken. Her mother isn't known to be the kindest towards those less abled, and though in her younger youth Cottonpaw was more accepting of it, watching Heathkit purr and jump and smile... she almost fears what Sootstar will have to say about the kitten's deafness. "I bet -" she looks to the other kittens, her grin brightening again, "Heathkit can see so much clearer than you lot. What do you say, how about we find some pretty bugs and see if she can count all of their legs?" Again, she attempts to deter the kittens so that the adults can have their discussion.​