Wanna Go Hunting?

[miss apple]

Applesong arrived back at camp with two voles and a large, juicy squirrel. She dropped them on the fresh-kill pile and looked around camp. She spotted Woodpaw sitting outside Dawnwhisker’s den. Trotting over to the little apprentice, she asked “Hey, what’s up, Woodpaw?”

[lord of all yellow mice]

Woodpaw blinked wearily, surprised to see someone else talk to him at last. He'd seen Sootpaw dash over to the nursery with some moss - she and Dawnwhisker were probably busy in there. "Uh, not really," he muttered. Usually, he would've been eager for another chance to go hunting when he'd messed up so badly the last time, but he'd barely gotten any sleep, and he was, well, in pain at the moment. "I'm waiting for Dawnwhisker," he added bashfully. "I think she's in the nursery right now - I don't know what I should do." He didn't mention why just yet.

[miss apple]

Applesong quickly saw that something was wrong with Woodpaw. He was acting so... so... reluctant - completely out of character for this apprentice. Then she remembered the thorn Woodpaw had encountered on the way back from the last patrol. "Is your paw still bothering you?" she asked, reaching out to touch his paw with hers.

[lord of all yellow mice]

"No," he meowed immediately, trying to look casual. However, as the warrior reached out to touch his paw, he instinctively pulled it away, wincing before she had actually touched it. Shamefully, he looked down. "Well, yes," he admitted. "It's - it's been bothering me all night." He looked toward the nursery. "They're probably really busy in there. If I tried to talk to them, I'd probably mess something up - I already crashed into Sootpaw this morning. I'm waiting 'till they're done."

[miss apple]

Applesong's eyes popped when she got a good look at Woodpaw's swollen paw. Ouch! That looked really painful. She was impressed with the young apprentice for putting others' needs ahead of his own, but she knew that paw needed attention immediately. "Stay put," she said, and she dashed over to the nursery.

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Honeyfrost stretched and padded out of the warrior den. Her stomach rumbled and she examined the fresh-kill briefly. Not much to choose from... She yawned and glanced around the camp. It was early in the morning, too early for a dawn patrol. Woodpaw was setting dejectdly outside the medicine cat den while Applesong was visable in the Nursery. There was a faint mewling coming from inside. "Oh!" she gasped happily. Orchidtail mut of had her kits. She would congratulate her later but at the moment she had higher prioties; hunting. Her stomach demanded more than the voles Applesong had caught and she had promised Owlfoot a mouse. "Woodpaw," she called, bouncing over to him. "Want to go hunting?" She was unaware that his paw was still bothering him.

[Redcloud]

Owlfoot padded out of the warrior's den behind Honeyfrost, shaking a bit of moss from his fur. He took in a deep breath of morning air. He sighed happily before looking around. He blinked at the nursery, still unaware of the activity going on. It seemed rather...busy in tehre today. He wondered why?

[lord of all yellow mice]

Woodpaw tipped his head in surprise as yet another cat approached him. This time, it was Honeyfrost - and that seemed to do it for him. "I would!" he wailed. "I really would! Why does the one day everyone wants to go hunting with me have to be the same day I'm not feeling well? It's not fair!" He lay down, squeezing his eyes shut. He was tired and dizzy, and pain seemed to be surging through his whole front leg now. He looked up at Honeyfrost anxiously, seeing that Owlfoot was now behind her. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

[miss apple]

Dawnwhisker came round to the medicine den entrance where she found not only Woodpaw, but Honeyfrost and Owlfoot. The little apprentice was lying there mewing in obvious discomfort. “Woodpaw, my dear, what’s wrong? Let me see that paw. Applesong told me you had an injury.” When Dawnwhisker finally got a good look at and a good sniff of that paw, she knew it had become infected. “Woodpaw,” the medicine cat said in her most stern manner, “injuries must be tended to immediately. Otherwise, they take twice as long to heal. Come inside and let’s get that paw fixed up.” Dawnwhisker hoped Sootpaw was doing okay in the nursery.

[Redcloud]

Owlfoot blinked before smiling at Woodpaw. "Tell you what, Woodpaw. When you get better, I'll go hunting with you," he said, smiling at the apprentice kindly.

[lord of all yellow mice]

Woodpaw raised his head weakly, watching as Dawnwhisker inspected his paw. "Immediately?" he meowed, sounding slightly worried. It had been quite a while since the thorn had first gotten stuck in his paw, and he hoped it wasn't already too late. He attempted to pull himself up on three legs, but moved to fast and immediately collapsed again. He paused for a second, and tried to work his way into a standing position more slowly, shaking quite a bit. When at last he'd succeeded, he gave a grateful nod to Owlfoot, and began to hobble into the medicine cat den.

[miss apple]

Dawnwhisker inspected the paw carefully. She grabbed some water-soaked moss from the back of her den and a few dried oak leaves. Dawnwhisker carried them over to Woodpaw and washed the pawpad carefully with the moss. Then, Dawnwhisker made a poultice with the oak leaves and placed it on the paw. "There, that should cure the infection. Now, go and rest. Sootpaw or I will come check on you later.

[lord of all yellow mice]

Woodpaw shuddered a little as he felt the cool water trickle over his paw - it was relieving, and yet it was a surprisingly new sensation from the foggy, burning pain. He tried to keep his paw in the air as Dawnwhisker put something else on it, though it was difficult to keep from shaking. Once she'd finished, he lowered it slightly, still trying to keep it from touching the ground. "In the apprentice den?" he asked the medicine cat quietly, glancing at his paw and wondering whether he'd make it back without stumbling and embarrassing himself. "Or..." he looked toward the nests in the back of the den, two of which were still occupied. He certainly didn't want to wake the cats up by mistake.

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Honeyfrost gave a disappointed awww as the apprentice was led away. She was so sure that Woodpaw would've of loved to go on her illegal hunting expedition. The plumpest mice ran in no cats land and she had promised Owlfoot a mouse. She turned to the grey tom her eyes lighting up slightly. "So," she meowed," Do you want to come hunting with me?" As the words slipped out of her mouth she realised too late she shouldn't have asked. Owlfoot was the deputy! She always forgot that when she was around him. She cringed slightly wondering how she was going to get out of this situation. "You don't have to," she added," I wouldn't want to get you in trouble..."

[miss apple]

Dawnwhisker looked around the medicine cat den. Wolfheart and Spottedfrost were still curled up asleep. She was glad they were able to sleep through Woodpaw's treatment. "You're welcome to curl up over there in that moss," she said to Woodpaw, pointing towards the back of the den. "Or, if you'd be more comfortable in the apprentice den, that's fine with me. I've got to head back to the nursery and see how Orchidtail and the new kits are doing." She licked Woodpaw's head affectionately.

[lord of all yellow mice]

So now it came to the difficult decision - whether to sleep in the medicine cat den and risk waking up the patients already sleeping there, or to attempt to make his way wearily back to the apprentice den - a journey that would probably cause him to trip over something and embarrass himself before its end. He glanced nervously at Spottedfrost and Wolfheart. I won't wake them up, will I? Nothing can go wrong here... It might be more comfortable in the medicine cat den, anyway.
"Um... I'll sleep here, I suppose," he meowed weakly. He hobbled toward the nest Dawnwhisker had indicated him, miraculously managing to make it without a mistake, and curled into a ball. It was much easier to sleep this time.

[miss apple]

Dawnwhisker watched Woodpaw curl up into a little ball and quickly succumb to a deep sleep. Good, she thought to herself. As she turned to leave the medicine den, she heard a small sound from the other side of the den. Looking back, she saw Wolfheart had begun to stir. As he made his way to the medicine den entrance, Dawnwhisker told him about the new kits. Even though the warrior still seemed a little unsteady, Dawnwhisker saw that the good news had buoyed him. And, she watched as he headed straight to the nursery.

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

Desertflower entered the medicine cat den, passing Honeyfrost and Owlfoot on her way in her. "Dawnwhisker?" she called softly. The she-cat would be pleased to know about Orchidtail's final kit.

Tussockpaw bounced around the camp, excitedly. "New kits!" he meowed," That means new competition!!" His pale gold tail flicked back and forth at the idea of new cats to race against.
Woodpaw was always tripping and falling, Maplepaw still had a limp and Sootpaw was always busy. He couldn't wait, there would be finally someone he could spar with.