- Oct 12, 2022
- 65
- 5
- 8
It's night, and Badgerstrike feels strange being stuck in the medicine den. She can still function just fine, but her tail... Her tail still hurts. She still feels like it's fully there sometimes, yet when she moves to curl it around her paws, they are barely covered now. If fate had been kind, she could joke with Rabbitnose about having a matching tail. Fate is never kind though, and her brother is more broken then a thin sheet of ice thats been tread on. Its horrible, everything that has happened. She doesn't want to think about it, doesn't want to show any weakness.... But she is just as shaken as everyone else. She felt the strongest sense of fear she's ever felt that day.
But she won't show it. It doesn't matter. Her fear and loss of half a tail is nothing compared to what was truly lost. She can cope, just as she always has.
She hears a sniffle outside, a soft whimper that is cut short as if to hold it in. Her heart sinks as she recognizes who it belongs to. She quietly gets to her paws and leaves the medicine den to look around. There, by the nursery, sits her brother. Rabbitnose is curled tightly.... Right where Sunfreckle last drew breath. Her heart drops and her ears fall. Wordlessly she pads over to him, settling beside her broken brother. He's cold and shivering, tears streaming down his face. Have they ever stopped? She doesn't think so.
Softly, she speaks to him. "Rabbit...."
Rabbitnose's voice is cracked and hoarse. His face stings from wiping tears away and his throat aches from the crying. "What..."
"You should go to bed." She suggests. "It's cold out, you'll get sick."
"I don't care. Like I can sleep anyways." His voice is surprisingly harsh, but it doesnt phase Badgerstrike.
"It's gonna be alright-"
What phases her is the look of anger Rabbitnose gives her as he lifts his head to glare at her and cut her off. "Shut up. Don't give me one of those speeches. It will never be okay. I can't sleep because every time I close my eyes I see RED. Every time I nearly drift off, I hear crunching. Every snap of a twig I hear the snapping of bones. I look to the nursery and all I can see are his last moments. And you tell me it's going to be okay!?" He snaps at her, voice hushed. There are still cats sleeping, after all.
"I know- I know. I'm just trying to.... Support you, somehow." Badgerstrike responds, stumbling over her words.
"Then don't lie to me and tell me everything will be fine. It's easy for you to say, you didn't lose anyone important to you. You didn't lose the love of your life."
Badgerstrike remains quiet. Rabbitnose never got mad at her. He's never spoken to her with such coldness before. She didn't think her airheaded brother had it in him to speak such a way. It stung.... But she supposes he's right. She remains quiet, still pressed to his side to keep him warm.
"Please.... Leave me alone." Rabbitnose whispered weakly after some time.
"Okay." Badgerstrike replied quietly, slowly getting to her paws and walking away. Before she enters the medicine den to return to her nest, she looks back at Rabbitnose one last time. Her brother, staring blankly at the ground, tears dripping from his eyes.
She doesn't know how to help him.
But she won't show it. It doesn't matter. Her fear and loss of half a tail is nothing compared to what was truly lost. She can cope, just as she always has.
She hears a sniffle outside, a soft whimper that is cut short as if to hold it in. Her heart sinks as she recognizes who it belongs to. She quietly gets to her paws and leaves the medicine den to look around. There, by the nursery, sits her brother. Rabbitnose is curled tightly.... Right where Sunfreckle last drew breath. Her heart drops and her ears fall. Wordlessly she pads over to him, settling beside her broken brother. He's cold and shivering, tears streaming down his face. Have they ever stopped? She doesn't think so.
Softly, she speaks to him. "Rabbit...."
Rabbitnose's voice is cracked and hoarse. His face stings from wiping tears away and his throat aches from the crying. "What..."
"You should go to bed." She suggests. "It's cold out, you'll get sick."
"I don't care. Like I can sleep anyways." His voice is surprisingly harsh, but it doesnt phase Badgerstrike.
"It's gonna be alright-"
What phases her is the look of anger Rabbitnose gives her as he lifts his head to glare at her and cut her off. "Shut up. Don't give me one of those speeches. It will never be okay. I can't sleep because every time I close my eyes I see RED. Every time I nearly drift off, I hear crunching. Every snap of a twig I hear the snapping of bones. I look to the nursery and all I can see are his last moments. And you tell me it's going to be okay!?" He snaps at her, voice hushed. There are still cats sleeping, after all.
"I know- I know. I'm just trying to.... Support you, somehow." Badgerstrike responds, stumbling over her words.
"Then don't lie to me and tell me everything will be fine. It's easy for you to say, you didn't lose anyone important to you. You didn't lose the love of your life."
Badgerstrike remains quiet. Rabbitnose never got mad at her. He's never spoken to her with such coldness before. She didn't think her airheaded brother had it in him to speak such a way. It stung.... But she supposes he's right. She remains quiet, still pressed to his side to keep him warm.
"Please.... Leave me alone." Rabbitnose whispered weakly after some time.
"Okay." Badgerstrike replied quietly, slowly getting to her paws and walking away. Before she enters the medicine den to return to her nest, she looks back at Rabbitnose one last time. Her brother, staring blankly at the ground, tears dripping from his eyes.
She doesn't know how to help him.
