tea with cthulu | mallowlark

[Dandelionwish]

Call it a side-effect of being too overwhelmed and busy with so many sick cats to handle but Dandelionwish had not even realized he was one patient less until another cat offhand mentioned it in passing to him. Mallowlark seemed well. Mallowlark seemed well? That was impossible, he'd seen the black-footed tom wheezing horrifically not too long before and he was one of the first cats to show any indication of illness in addition to being one the sepia point had not personally treated as well. It was baffling to him to hear that cats could just recover on their own but the whisperings around his den had made it clear this was not the case. Something else had happened and it was thanks to WindClan's tendency to be gossipy know-it-alls that he even found out. There was a certain level of subtle to the chitchat near his den as opposed to elsewhere, suppose most cats knew he was the last to go marching to Sootstar with information given his stance on her leadership so cats often felt safe enough to indulge in the sort of whispering rumors that might otherwise get a clanmate killed here. Dandelionwish didn't care about the details, he only knew one thing and one thing only and it was his focus above all else. Mallowlark was no longer sick. Mallowlark was seen leaving the gathering area briefly with SkyClan's medicine cat. Dawnglare had catmint most likely and those two were apparently friendly enough the smiling tom had been offered some.
It did not take him long on his trek out of the camp to find the grinning ghost of a tom, raising his tail in greeting as he marched his way over and gave a quick glance around to ensure they had no maliciously prying ears nearby.
"Mallowlark, yer look'n well!" No beating around the bush, he had things to do and he wasn't here to play mind games or make enemies; he liked Mallowlark so his weird secret friendship was none of his business, "Reckon ye got catmint from Dawnglare? That mean he has some extra ye think?" All he needed was a verification and he could just outright ask the eccentric red tom directly come the medicine cat meeting which was, if he guessed the moon's phase correctly tonight, only in a few days after all.

@MALLOWLARK
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[MALLOWLARK]

He felt as if he was dancing atop the clouds, and yet there was a new weight in his soul too. Linked now to Dawnglare by the ties of love, seeing him distraught over Morningpaw that night of the Gathering was present in the forefront of his mind- gnawing poison, corrosive and painful. He wished- he wished that there was some way he could be more there for him, that there had been time to hold him until the sun came up, but... with this new rule, secrecy had to permeate their relationship now. And Sootstar would have noticed, had he been absent for too long- he'd certainly notice if a friend went missing all of a sudden!

Gwynplaine grin set as ever upon his face, Mallowlark's owlish eyes moved not an inch as Dandelionwish made his approach, voice cheery as always. He greeted the medicine cat with a brief wave of his night-dipped paw, glad to have some company- it wasn't often people approached him directly, looking for him! Intently as his gaze betrayed, Mallowlark listened- and the mention of Dawnglare involuntarily made a giggle fall from his maw before he could stop it. To stifle his happiness, though- that'd be dishonest, and what reason did he have to be dishonest to Dandelionwish? "Nice of you to notice!" he chimed through the laughter, and truly meant it. A cough cleared his throat- crackled as he choked down a cackle. He'd not suffocate his happiness, but sometimes it really did need to be managed. "You know, he might! But- maybe he saves herbs for people he likes, I dunno."

Really he'd not bothered to pry about the backstory of it. He'd had... other things on his mind.​

[ PENNED BY PIN ]​

 

[Dandelionwish]

The cough was still there but nowhere near as bad as when he'd heard the smiling tom wheezing atop the tall rock that one day, he was very sure he had not sought Mallowlark out to give him anything for it, he was very sure the other had not come to him for anything-so to hear him getting better on his own was sure something. Up until the tom just admitted he'd taken some herbs from Dawnglare in a sort of giggling manner that wasn't too hard to pinpoint but Dandelionwish had no real idea the extent of it. Good pals they were then he supposed.

Saves herbs for people he likes. Personally, Dandelionwish had quite a lot of feelings about the idea of that, that one would begrudge a cat the care their duty entailed based on how they felt about the other; if that was the case he'd have left Sootstar coughing and choking on her own blood as Wisteriapaw had, but he was never the sort of cat to be so vindictive. Still, the remark did not give him a lot of hope about the situation but it was a start. At the very least he knew it was worth the time to ask.
"Well, reckon I just gotta be polite." He chewed his wheat stem, twirled it thoughtfully between his teeth and gave a careful glance back in the direction of the camp. "Mallowlark, word of advice? Maybe be a little more...discreet when ye go hangin' out with yer pal durin' the gatherin'. Yer real lucky it weren't paid much mind to." A few cats had noticed, including the one he had overheard but right now he couldn't determine if it was news that was going to carry to Sootstar or not. Maybe they'd just forget about it, it had been only a passing thought anyways. For the black-footed tom's sake he certainly hoped so.
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[MALLOWLARK]

The grin almost hurt, but he kept it, for what point was there in diminishing? Argent eyes moon-wide kept unmoving place upon Dandelionwish's face, eye-contact held as if it would kill him to fracture it- though despite the intensity of his gaze there was very little appraisal going on. No, he just wanted to be clear that he was listening- and as Dandelionwish spoke his resolve, another laugh flitter through Mallowlark's teeth. It was not a mocking laugh nor a nervous one, but just the sort that escaped him involuntarily. If he let this go on too long he might get carried away, but for now- for now he was just about able to hold back those bubbling laughs. Politeness would aid him, maybe- and then, he was offered so thoughtfully a piece of advice.

"Good point," he murmured, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth in fleeting contemplation. He'd not though about the implications- in fact, he'd hardly considered the fact that it was probably a little weird for some to see another leave the gathering for a bit when it was supposed to be the number one social event of the moon. And- well, they'd hurried, but that had been about as secretive as they could manage. "Thanks! And thanks for checking in on me, too!" Lovely it was to have friends! So many were in this place, they crawled from the ground like insects... but it was especially nice when they were friendly back.​

[ PENNED BY PIN ]​