#domesticcat | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

calicoshine · 1 year

Text

Cure Wounds

Characters: Sosthenes (Cameil, 1119 words), Waningmoon (Anakin, 708 words) Date: 2023-01-27 Summary: Waningmoon checks in with Sosthenes and asks if there is anything she can do to help in settle in. They chat for a bit, then Sosthenes asks Waningmoon to help him learn to stalk properly. She agrees.

Sosthenes curled against a sun warmed rock at the edge of camp, his spine stiff and muscles tense as he longed desperately for the safety of his den under the raspberry bush. The den he would probably never see again... His mind was still foggy with the shock of the exile and he otherwise kept to himself. It was all too much to think about...

There was nothing wrong with the hemlock village or the guild that inhabited it, but it wasn't his camp and it wasn't his guild. There was no traces of the coalition here or the scent of his family. His couldn't visit his parents grave or sleep under Firelight's tree. Tempest and Cinnamon were out of reach and he couldn't talk to anyone about it. They had all... all...

He closed his eyes, trying to pretend to be resting as he refused to think about the fall out; the implications that went will it all. None of them had said a word. He hadn't even gotten goodbyes from him. His family had... He couldn't help but shutter softly.

Waningmoon had not gone to see her brother yet, that would come with time however she knew they had a new addition to the Guild Sosthenes. She had heard about what had happened she personally thought that they were both in the wrong however she kept her opinion to herself. She figured the Tom needed to at least talk to someone maybe start over and make some friends, she knew he'd miss home but she could st least try and make him feel more welcome. She padded over and sat next to the Tom leaving s comfortable distance between them. "Hello Sosthenes" she says eith a soft smile wanting to help this exile feel welcome in a strange land. "How are you?" She asks

Sosthenes opened his eyes as he heard an approaching cat, expecting to see Summersoul or Obsidianclaw. He was surprised to see it was actually Waningmoon, as they hadn't spoken before. In fact, Sosthenes had hardly spoken to anyone since he arrived, outside of what was required for his sentry duties. Did she need someone for a patrol? He started to get up, eager to make himself useful, but she stopped a short distance away.

"As well as I can be," He answered honestly, trying and failing to make eye contact as he was momentary overwhelmed by a uncharacteristic bout of shyness. He had spent most of his life being the most competent cat around, but now he was surrounded by older, experienced cats on a territory he knew nothing about. How could he not feel incompetent? "Is there something I can do for you?"

Waningmoon looked at him "Ah well I was just checking in on you and seeing how you were adjusting to Hemlock Guild. I can see your enjoying the sun, mind if I lay with you and bask a little bit?" She asks with a soft smile "I hope your doing well. How's adjusting to Helmlock going for you? I know it must be hard but we'll try and make you feel at home here" she says expressing sympathy to the Ex Alder Guilder. "And to awnser your question you can relax with me, we can sit and chat. Nothing harmful about a conversation"

Sosthenes was not particularly comfortable with being comforted by anyone, let along a stranger. He was supposed to be the strong one, wasn't he? The one who comforted anyone else? He nodded anyway at her request less he upset her, and adjusted his position to make space for her in the sun. But then how did he respond to her questions? She was being genuine right? How could he really know?

He realized then that he had let the silence go on for a heartbeat too long and he opened his mouth to speak, but it took a moment for him to actually say anything.

"I'm ok." His voice was quiet, even to himself and he cringed, before clearing his throat. He continued with forced confidence, "I appreciate the concern. It's a lot to deal with, but you have all been very kind to me."

Waningmoon looked at the cat, noticing his silence, she figured he was trying to figure himself out. She waited for a response her mind drifting off to her brother Kite. When they met again she'd again ask him to join the Guild at least until the bobcat crisis was over, she wanted her brother safe more than anything. But soon her attention was brought back to Sosthenes who had awnsered her. "Well that's good, I know you went through a lot, and we're going to at least try and make things better for you while your here." She says licking her paw for a second. "So Sosthenes is there anything I can do for you to help your transition?" She asks wanting to help him

Sosthenes. Was there anything she could do to help his transition? He felt an uncomfortable warmth in his cheeks, remembering all the times he had started some version of this conversation with an abandoned kitten who still believed their mother was coming back. Did he look as pathetic as they had? Why did he cling to the same stupid hope that this was a nightmare; that his cousin hadn't betrayed him and his siblings hadn't abandoned him. Was he just delusional or had he actually been that much of a burden on his guild?

He swallowed as he tried to see through the fog that swamped his mind. Usually when something was wrong he sought out the young cats, but Hemlock Guild had no sprouts or saplings. Shit, he missed Tempest, Griffon and Cinnamon horribly. He had been so proud of them when they earned their provider names. He had helped raise them from kithood and fucking Autumnlight hadn't even let him say goodbye. But what would she know about that? She had never had an apprentice or honestly, done anything for the guild beyond being Baltazar's obedient daughter. She had never risked herself for anyone else.

But Sosthenes couldn't do anything about that and it made him fume. He was desperate for a distraction.

"Would you teach me how to stalk through the trees?" He asked, seeking the comfort of canopy. He had always been a powerful climber, but his stealth was abysmal and he felt like he woke up half the forest when he jumped from branch to branch.

Waningmoon looked at the former Alder Guilder, she knew that he was in a bad place now he had just been banished from his home all over an owl, everything he knows and loved gone. She genuinely fekt sorry for him however him and Fadedwhisper were to blame, both of them to stubborn to back down from it and now he was here in Hemlock. As she waited an awnser her mind driftrd off towards Kite. She was planning on meeting him very soon, she hoped and prayed that the Tom was okay he was one of the things that she cared about well that and Cygnusssong, she had developed a small crush on them but wouldn't admit it. Her mind was snapped back to reality when the Tom awnsered her question. "Of course, it looks like your a natural born climber I would love to show you" she says with a smile wanting the Tom to feel at ease and welcome in his new home.

Sosthenes nodded gratefully as he pulled himself to his feet, the idea of being back in the trees helping him keep the emotional stagnation at bay. He hated not having a task to focus on and being stuck in the winterly village was only making it worse. He was the type that always needed to be doing something.

"Would you like to go to the training ravine?" he asked the smaller cat, feeling slightly less self conscious now that he had a plan. Climbing was always the first thing he taught new sproutlings when they left the village for the first time and the idea of starting his Hemlock training the same way made him feel more secure.

Waningmoon. "Yeah we can go to the training ravine, if you don't mind I can lead you there if you would follow me" she says getting up to lead him to the ravine, he was hoping that the Tom could use this time to learn and hopefully take his mind off things. The she cat shook her pelt before she looked over at Sosthenes she was hoping that the Tom could adjust well and maybe one day that Alder Guild may accept him once more, however she wasn't the controller of fate, she could only hope and pray that relationships between their former member and his home could get easier.

Sosthenes nodded gratefully as Waningmoon led the way out of the camp. It felt good to be moving and doing something, yet he couldn't help feeling hesitant. He was very aware of his physical skills and well... he wasn't even a quiet sleeper. He eventually had to inform the other sentries that he had someone how gone four years without improving his stealth skills in the slightest, but was he really ready to do that now? He was a phenomenally powerful climber but power and silence weren't all that compatible...

"How long have you been a guild cat?" he asked, dreading the possibility of an uncomfortable silence.

Waningmoon. "I've been a guild cat for a while now. I'm guessing you've been a guild cat for a while as well." She says looking over at the tom. "Sosthenes what's your skill set like? I just want to know before we begin training so we don't make you relearn something you already know" she says wanting to gauge what the cat knows, she figured he was very experienced, but she was still curious to see what would they know.

Sosthenes. "I was born into the Coalition, " he answered, his voice a little flat. Turning the coalition into a guild had worked out for the best, but to Sosthenes and his siblings the change was synonymous with their father dying. He wasn't as grief stricken and resistant to the idea as he had once been, though he still thought the name system was stupid, but it still felt odd to think about. So much change had happened in his short life, yet so much was still the same.

"I am a powerful climber," he responded without shame, "I am strong and fast, but I don't do anything gracefully or with stealth." Or with brains, if he was being honest, but she didn't need to know about his impulsivity problem. He then cracked a bit of smile, remembering when Tempest, Griffon and Cinnamon had been kittens. "Honestly, the apprentices could all out stalk me by the time they were 6 months old."

#thesacredlight #roleplay #cat #feline #feral #Sosthenes #Waningmoon #guildcats #domesticcats

0 notes