private SINNERS AND SAINTS // hailstorm

[HOWLINGSTAR]

// @HAILSTORM.

It's been days since her son's burial. Howlingstar has not been seen as much around camp, save for the clan meeting where she named several warriors and apprentices. She spends most of her days out in the forest, walking, imagining Berryheart at her side in comfortable silence. When she's not wandering the territory, she is often in her den. She asks not to be disturbed, so she often isn't. But she knows she can't stay cooped up forever. She has a message to deliver, one her son made her promise she would in case his death did come.

"Hailstorm," She murmurs the greeting as she pushes into the den, the grief clinging to her like moss from her nest. She watches him for a moment, wondering what must be going through his head. He is the clan's sole medicine cat now, after all. Is he frightened? Hopefully, with the news she brings, he won't have to be. "I need to tell you something. Berryheart...somehow knew he was going to die. He'd told me, and he also had a message for me to pass onto you when the time came." Her ears are folded backwards as she watches him for his reaction, a somber frown tugging at her lips.​

 

[GENTLESTORM]

'CAUSE SOMEWHERE DOWN THE BANK — After the burial of Berryheart, the lumbering giant had kept to himself tending to his own duties of caring for the elders, going out to find herbs, changing the bedding of the nests within the medicine den, and reorganizing the herbs on the shelf several times. His ears pressed flat against his head hearing the sound of pawsteps approaching the mouth of the den and slipping inside, he frowns prepared to ask what they need or tell them that he's preoccupied which would only be half a lie as his snow dipped paws shift through the herbal plants in the shelf once more. Howlingstar's voice immediately makes him bite his tongue not uttering the words that he was initially prepared to say with his back facing her, he swallows feeling his throat become dry in the slightest before finding his voice does he say "Hello Howlingstar... How may I help you?" If she even seeks for his help considering that he hadn't been much help when Berryheart had been struggling to breathe, he shuts his eyes tightly not wanting to think of it. His mind a disturbed hive with several buzzing, upset bees that swarmed his head... It was quite unpleasant. .

At the mention of Berryheart, he shifts so he's facing her properly now trying his best not to let any emotion slip into his expression but his eyes betrayed him... A sadness hidden behind the deep browns of his eyes and a frown of his own pulls at the sides of his mouth as she tells him that his late mentor knew that he was going to die somehow... Why hadn't Berryheart told him? His gaze breaks away from the green of her gaze staring at the ground where his paws shuffled briefly for a heartbeat, he takes a deep breath with a quick nod of his helm and glances up once more "What... What was it?"

WHERE THE DOGS ROAM ✿ POR LA CALLE QUE TE LLEVA A CURICÓ

• 

  MEDICINE CAT IN TRAINING;
  — ✿✿✿✿✿ FLESH WOUNDS
  — ✿✿✿❀❀ INFECTIONS
  — ✿✿✿❀❀ ACHES & PAINS
  — ✿✿✿❀❀ ILLNESS
  — ✿✿❀❀❀ BREATHING ISSUES
  — ✿❀❀❀❀ TRAVELING HERBS
  — ✿❀❀❀❀ BROKEN BONES
  — ❀❀❀❀❀ KITTING
  — ❀❀❀❀❀ POISONS
• 
  ✿ longhaired blue sepia tom w/low white and brown eyes
  ✿ hail is a very warm individual (despite his name) and friendly to those who he meets, he's very social and willing to lend anyone a paw if they need it. he's very patient, gentle, and it's usually rare to earn his ire.
  ✿ 52 moons old; ages the 27th every month
  ✿ widowed/not interested; mated to little wolf
  ✿ currently being mentored by no one
  ✿ easy to befriend/interact with ; hard to anger/upset
  ✿ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✿ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

She can see the sorrow that lives behind his gaze - she recognizes it in herself. She watches him drop his sights to the ground and wonders if he knew, too. No. No, he couldn't have, for Berryheart would have told him this message instead of her. She waits a moment, letting him absorb the shock of the statement before she parts her jaws.

"He knew he wouldn't be able to finish your training. He wanted you to go to Dawnglare in SkyClan - he's the most experienced of all the medicine cats. He said he'd teach you." She tilts her head only slightly, trying to read his expression. She's not sure if Hailstorm is friendly with the SkyClan medicine cat or not, but she recalls her son having a fairly strong relationship with him. And Dawnglare is the mentor to her own grandson; she has to trust him. "I can go with you to ask him, if you'd like," The dark-furred tabby adds on more softly.​

 

[GENTLESTORM]

'CAUSE SOMEWHERE DOWN THE BANK — At the mention of Dawnglare, Hailstorm can recall the russet tom who seemed taken back by the fact that he was Berryheart's new apprentice but the Skyclan healer had willingly spared him some catmint and thus was good in the grey striken toms book. It would be best to rely on their neighbors once more but he wonders how he would go about learning from Dawnglare, whether it be the medicine cat meetings or dropping by Skyclan often, his flicks an ear noticing Howlingstar tilting her head at him does he offer a hesitant but tired smile "Dawnglare... I see. He was kind enough to give me catmint for Berryheart..." But would the Skyclanner be kind enough to share his knowledge? This he does not know. Berryheart had been eager to teach but whose to say the same would apply to the other tom?

When Howlingstar offers to go with him to ask, he feels another sigh slipping from his jaws and finally nods his head to her "I'd appreciate that a lot..." She was kind enough to lend him a paw in this and he would remember this, he admits softly with a dry chuckle "I didn't expect to visit Skyclan so soon again...""

WHERE THE DOGS ROAM ✿ POR LA CALLE QUE TE LLEVA A CURICÓ

• 

  MEDICINE CAT IN TRAINING;
  — ✿✿✿✿✿ FLESH WOUNDS
  — ✿✿✿❀❀ INFECTIONS
  — ✿✿✿❀❀ ACHES & PAINS
  — ✿✿✿❀❀ ILLNESS
  — ✿✿❀❀❀ BREATHING ISSUES
  — ✿❀❀❀❀ TRAVELING HERBS
  — ✿❀❀❀❀ BROKEN BONES
  — ❀❀❀❀❀ KITTING
  — ❀❀❀❀❀ POISONS
• 
  ✿ longhaired blue sepia tom w/low white and brown eyes
  ✿ hail is a very warm individual (despite his name) and friendly to those who he meets, he's very social and willing to lend anyone a paw if they need it. he's very patient, gentle, and it's usually rare to earn his ire.
  ✿ 52 moons old; ages the 27th every month
  ✿ widowed/not interested; mated to little wolf
  ✿ currently being mentored by no one
  ✿ easy to befriend/interact with ; hard to anger/upset
  ✿ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✿ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

She nods slowly - SkyClan had done everything in their power to help Berryheart. But even herbs weren't powerful enough to stop what was always going to inevitably take her son. She has no doubt Dawnglare will help Hailstorm now in Berryheart's absence, but she hopes her presence with him will help ease him. "Of course," She murmurs. "We can go whenever you're ready. SkyClan has always been a friend to us, I don't expect we'll find any more trouble than you found last time with the herbs." And that had been none at all.

She shifts back onto her paws as if she is preparing to leave, but she stops while turning towards the mouth of the den. With a paw midair, she hesitates before peering back at him. "I never did thank you. For loving my daughter, even for such a short time. I don't think Berryheart chose wrong at all when he picked you to be his apprentice." Her eyes linger for a moment, watery but squinted slightly with her smile.​

 

[GENTLESTORM]

'CAUSE SOMEWHERE DOWN THE BANK — Hailstorm nods at her reassurance still offering a small smile to her does he part his jaws to speak and reply to her "I'll tell you right away when I am." He finds that he needs just a bit more time to quietly mourn the loss of his friend and teacher even if it had been short-lived, snowy paws pressing the smooth cool rock of the shelf where the herbs had been stored and he prepares to be left alone once more to busy himself until he didn't need to dwell on the aching that came from his chest. His ears prick toward the sound of hesitance and turns caramel kissed eyes in the direction of the tabbied molly only to silently note how her paw had been up mid air. He silently wonders what other words may be at the tip of her tongue, pressed against her teeth, and unwilling to let it slip. A part of his mind believing it was disappointment and resentment for letting both of her children die under his care, he half expects it but the words that break and splinter the silence is enough to make him hold his breath.

Where he expects venomous words there's only warm and bittersweet ones that strikes at the mental dam within his mind, the one that refused to allow him to mourn properly when there was work to be done and cats to be healed yet when those words are spoken does his heart bleed and his eyes sting, he has kept himself so strong throughout the passing moons not allowing himself anything but a few droplets of tears to leave his earthy toned eyes. He had tricked himself into believing that he was a dried up well with nothing to offer but now he sees that he's wrong. It starts with one, two, and then three soon enough a whole stream cascades down his face and he fears if he cries for longer than a heartbeat that a river would begin to lap at his snowy dipped paws. Hailstorm ducks his head away from her lifting up a paw to hastily wipe the tears from his now blurring gaze "I'm s-s-sorry..." A pathetic croak leaving his throat that was clenching from the emotions that crashed onto him like brutal waves. He was sorry for not being able to save both or either. He's sorry for crying in front of her when she's standing there strong while he cried a pool of salt.

"I'm sorry, Howlingstar..." A wet sniffle or two from him and he forces his eyes shut with his ears pressed flat against his helm "I loved her so much... I always will." The memory of their vows to wait for one another amongst the starlit forest pressed at the forefront of his mind along with Berryheart's passing and even if Howling says Berry knew that he would die, Hailstorm still feels that there could've been a way to save him. He strongly believes it even if it had the slimmest chance. "And Berryheart... If I had been in camp... If I acted quicker and had not stuttered..." Hailstorm would not blame anyone if they had lost their trust in him being a good medicine cat apprentice but he'd do his best to heal what he could.

WHERE THE DOGS ROAM ✿ POR LA CALLE QUE TE LLEVA A CURICÓ

• 

  MEDICINE CAT IN TRAINING;
  — ✿✿✿✿✿ FLESH WOUNDS
  — ✿✿✿❀❀ INFECTIONS
  — ✿✿✿❀❀ ACHES & PAINS
  — ✿✿✿❀❀ ILLNESS
  — ✿✿❀❀❀ BREATHING ISSUES
  — ✿❀❀❀❀ TRAVELING HERBS
  — ✿❀❀❀❀ BROKEN BONES
  — ❀❀❀❀❀ KITTING
  — ❀❀❀❀❀ POISONS
• 
  ✿ a longhaired blue sepia tom w/low white and brown eyes
  ✿ gentle is a very warm individual and friendly to those who he meets, he's very social and willing to lend anyone a paw if they need it. he's very patient, caring, and it's usually rare to earn his ire.
  ✿ 52 moons old; ages the 27th every month
  ✿ widowed/not interested; mated to little wolf
  ✿ easy to befriend/interact with ; hard to anger/upset
  ✿ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✿ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

Her expression immediately turns into one of sympathy and concern as soon as the first tear splashes to the floor. She is a mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother, after all - instincts take over and she shuffles towards the younger tom with a sorrowful glint in her eye. He's apologizing. He blames himself. For both of them. Howlingstar is not so foolish. She rests her tail across his, touches her paw to the medicine cat's shoulder and gazes at him with a sad sort of kindness. "Don't apologize, Hailstorm. There is nothing you could have done."

She lets the words settle in the air for a moment before she shakes her head, stifling her own tears as she imagines how it must have been to be there when her daughter took her final breaths. "Little Wolf had always been a protector. Nothing could have stopped her from saving that SkyClan apprentice's life. Nothing. And Berryheart...nothing could have stopped the ailment from finally claiming him. He knew it. StarClan knew it." She tilts her head downwards, eyes falling to the floor as a soft smile traces her lips. "I know neither of them regret a thing. That's who my children were. They did not regret their lives, and I know they hold nothing against anyone still here living. Especially not you."​