keep your head up - resting

( ) A few days had passed since her accident. She had taken quite the tumble out of the Great Sycamore, and when she thought about it, she supposed she was lucky to have just sprained her shoulder. The outcome could have been a lot worse...Stars, she could have broken a leg! She had been confined to her nest the first couple days after it had happened, but she was tired of laying around. Her paws had never been so antsy. Yesterday she had tried to help clean out some nests, but she overdid it and now it was back to hurting again.

The sun was high in the sky, and it seemed like everyone was out being productive. Her heart tugged for her to leave, but she knew if she tried she would surely get scolded. With a limp, she would pad to a sunny spot in the camp and slowly slump downwards until she was laying down. A heavy sigh escaped her throat as she watched another patrol leave without her. She rested her head on her paws, wishing her shoulder would hurry up and heal.
( I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD ; YOU CAN BURY ME )
 
WE HAVE YET TO CRASH ✧°.☀ ————————————
There probably weren't many that hadn't heard of the incident - or accident - by now. Lightpaw most definitely wasn't one of them, especially considering how fast word could spread, out of concern or otherwise. Nothing was broken, something a bit of rest would fix. As such, it hadn't garnered a particular amount of worry from the young apprentice, though he couldn't help the way he eyed her curiously from where he sat near his den.

Flamewhisker was clearly miserable. Well, who could blame her? If it were him that was forced to lay around with a sore shoulder while others went about their business, he would surely go mad. Seeing as he had already finished his given chores, the tabby had nothing else to do. Even still, as he got to his paws and began to pad over, he wasn't sure why. Circling around until he stood before her, he gazed down, green into green, and then lowered himself on his belly so that they were face to face.

Should she not say anything, there would be a moment's silence shared between the two. "You seem bored," Lightpaw commented after a moment, quirking a figurative brow. "Berryheart really won't let you do anything? How long?" There was little time for the warrior to respond before he swept on. "I mean, I heard you fell from the Great Sycamore, but not how. Were you hunting? Did you slip, or something?"

[penned by its_oliverr - ]
———————————— ☀.°✧ BUT WE STILL MAY AS WELL ENJOY IT
 

By now, word of Flamewhisker's accident had made its way around the clan. Although she had gotten away with fairly mild injuries, Flycatcher couldn't help but feel terrible about the whole thing, feeling as though he was partially to blame for what had happened. Flamewhsiker had been doing well in her recovery until yesterday, when according to what Flycatcher heard from other clanmates she had overworked herself cleaning out some nests.

Not on the dawn patrol for that day, Flycatcher was still in camp, and seeing that Flamewhisker was awake and obviously still confined to camp the lead warrior had decided to see if she would share a meal with him and that he would try his best to lighten her spirits. With a pigeon clamped between his teeth, Flycatcher padded over to join Flamewhisker, finding she was already being spoken to by a younger apprentice. Lightpaw's comment that she seemed bored probably wasn't far off, Flycatcher reflected. There were already minimal duties around camp as it was, and after yesterday's attempts, he imagined she had been warned off most other things lest she further aggravates her injury. Setting the pigeon down, Flycatcher chuckled nervously as he had arrived in time to hear Lighpaw's question about what she had been doing. "We were climbing," Flycatcher answered sheepishly. "As you can tell it didn't go so well." His gaze flickered towards Flamewhisker, "Did you want to share a meal?" He asked, before looking back to Lightpaw. "You can join too if you'd like. The pigeon seems plenty plump enough for the three of us."
 


Her own confinement to camp had been self-inflected and she does not regret it, she loves her children with her entire heart and soul but still she does pity the red tabby she-cat. She knows what it is like to be stuck, trapped, paws itching to get out. She feels it whenever she has to sit idly by while yet another patrol leaves the camp. She is ready to return to her warrior duties, though she feels guilt for wishing her children's kit-hood away. She can't help it though. It was never in her nature to stay in one place long.

Hearing her younger brother's name makes her head swing around and eyes alight on the source of the conversation. "Flamewhisker needs her rest to get better" she explains with a sympathetic glance. "Lightpaw, perhaps you would like to split something with me and we could bring these two something as well?" she offers "If of course its alright with you two that I join as well" her mother had taught her manners, after all, she would not intrude where she was not wanted.
 
( ) Just as she felt her eyelids growing heavy, Lightpaw appeared in front of her. She rose her head to acknowledge him with a grim smile. His comment about her looking bored caused her to let out a chuckle. Bored was an understatement...This was the first time since she joined the clan that she had been forced to remain idle. Even as a loner, she hadn't been able to not do anything. Her paws were itching to leave the camp so bad, it was almost unbearable. "Several more days." she would grumble, lashing her tail a few times. The moment he said she could leave, she wouldn't hesitate for a moment...even if it were raining.

Her eyes brightened as she spotted Flycatcher padding towards them. A pigeon was grasped in his jaws, and she shuffled herself into a sitting position, wincing as she accidentally used her injured shoulder to rise. She licked her fluffy chest fur in embarrassment as he explained what had happened to the apprentice. "Yeah....I misjudged a branch and slipped. I suppose at least now I know what not to do." she tried to make light of the topic, but it was hard to when leaf-bare was so close. She should be out there hunting, not laying around!

Flycatcher offered her a share of his bird. She opened her mouth to agree, but she hesitated. Her gaze darkened, and she looked away for a moment. "I don't want to take prey when I didn't help contribute." Not once had she ever thought twice about the queens, elders, or injured about taking prey, but she couldn't feel alright about not helping....especially when this was her second time confined to camp. Her attention shifted to Little Wolf for a few moments, then motioned with her paw to the bird. "You can have my share...I'm not hungry."
( I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD ; YOU CAN BURY ME )
 
WE HAVE YET TO CRASH ✧°.☀ ————————————
Several more days. Yikes. Lightpaw adopted a small, possibly reassuring grin at that, although it could easily have passed as a grimace. Once he had finally gotten a taste of what it was like outside of the nursery and camp, he found he could hardly sit still - not that he ever could before. Before either of them could say more, however, Flycatcher made his appearance, quickly filling in the story. Hardly detailed, and about what he had already known, but whatever. Flamewhisker patched the gaps. What did pique his interest, however, was the invite to join them for a meal. It wasn't often that apprentices ate with warriors, green eyes turning up to him with surprise.

"Oh, uh, sure," he had barely managed, Little Wolf making her appearance to suggest a slight change in plan. It was still about the same to him, if not even more surprising. Not that he would show it, instead shrugging in response and nodding. Flamewhisker disagreed.

Lightpaw hardly hid his crinkled look of confusion and mild distaste, head swiveling to look at her again. "That's dumb," he uttered without hesitation. "Also, you're a terrible liar." The cream-coated apprentice huffed. "Y'know, it'll be kind of hard to make up for the time gap if you're too tired to hunt by the time Berryheart lets you. Just 'cause you can't hunt doesn't mean you can't eat. Or shouldn't." He broke off, biting back the urge to tack on a small insult. He failed. "Moron."

[penned by its_oliverr - ]
———————————— ☀.°✧ BUT WE STILL MAY AS WELL ENJOY IT
 

As they are speaking. Little Wolf pads over to them and asks if she may join as well. Flycatcher gave her a small nod, glad for yet more friendly company. "Of course, you can join," He assures her.

What he is surprised by is Flamewhisker not wanting to take the prey and that he should give her share to Little Wolf. Much like the smaller apprentice standing with them, he's quite confused by her response, at first believing she simply doesn't want to eat because of him and not because she felt bad about eating prey she hadn't helped contribute for. Although he doesn't quite agree with Lightpaw's blunt choice of words he finds himself partially agreeing with the apprentice. "Whilst I understand the sentiment, Flamewhisker, you shouldn't deny yourself food. You need to eat. Emberstar certainly wouldn't complain about you taking fresh-kill when you're still recovering."