Fortunate Mishaps

[Yoko]

Puddlepelt flinched as she heard Spottedfur's protest. An amazed smirk came over her face. He did not just say that! She was more suprised and amused than angry. And in the darker, quieter Medicine Cat Den she licked her swollen, dripping paw. At least it wasn't bleeding as much as before, but it looked twice the size of the other one now!

She could hear Spottedfur ordering Ivypaw, so it didn't suprise her much when he ended up helping her to the Medicine Cat Den.

"Did you really think I would leave you alone in Shadestripe's den with your leg like that?" he asked, "You need attention."

She was almost confused by this reaction. She wasn't usually the center of so much attention, and she had been independent for quite a while now. It felt strange to be the cause of such a fuss, but she knew it wasn't unreasonable.

"I know I need to have it looked at," she mewed softly. "I just don't want to hold things up. Our apprentices are probably wondering where we are, and you have duties to do. And Shadestripe's speaking with Willowstar...I know it's bad, but there's not much else I can do but wait. And you..."

You don't have to wait with me. But she didn't want to say that...she liked that he wanted to be here. Was that selfish?

"Nevermind..." she mewed. "Thanks for waiting."

Her stomach growled rather loudly. Could the day be more perfect?

((OOC: Sorry for the rambling. XD ))

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Spottedfur sighed quietly, a rare expression of emotion. Why did it have to be that he couldn't stay away from this cat? He knew that it would only lead to more pain. Love was a weakness; it left you unprotected and vulnerable. But he had to admit that he did care for Puddlepelt, more than just as a Clanmate. Most certainly too much for his own good. And perhaps even enough to love her. Was there even any point in trying to deny it any more? Whether or not he said it out loud, he knew that he would always feel the same way. But if he was to have one more weakness, then so be it. It was a risk that he was prepared to take. When you had a weakness, there was only one thing to do about it; protect it fiercely.

Putting the thought aside, he padded over to the she-cat's side and sat down beside her. "It's no trouble," he told her quietly. "Cloverpaw and Graypaw will be fine on their own until your paw is taken care of. I'll go and fetch them once that's done." His face twitched in a wry smile. "If they've caught anything worth bringing back, then we'll know that they're progressing well in their training." Flicking his eyes to Puddlepelt's paw, he wished that he knew at least basic medicine, so he could do something for it while they were waiting for Shadestripe.

But, though he was an accomplished warrior, this was one thing which he could not do. Spottedfur smothered an expression of annoyance, but his eyes lightened at the growl that broke the silence. "If I had thought of it, I would have brought back some of the prey that we caught with us," he observed mildly. "Should I see if there's something left on the fresh-kill pile?" Getting to his paws, he padded a step towards the entrance before pausing and waiting for Puddlepelt's answer. Injured or not, he didn't doubt that she wouldn't appreciate him bossing her around. Looking down at the injured she-cat, he realized that they were quite close together, so much so that he could clearly smell her unique scent, even over the sharp tang of the blood that was drying on her paw. Resisting the urge to dip his head to clean it, Spottedfur stayed where he was and waited for her answer.

[Yoko]

Puddlepelt knew he was right. She didn't know why she had tried to push him away just now, after all the trouble she went through to spend the morning with him. This was hardly what she had imagined, but he was being so kind. He seemed to genuinely care for her. She shook her head. Shadestripe would probably just send him out when he got here anyway. "Please stay, I'll be fine I promise. And besides, Shadestripe might tell me not to eat anything. I've never had to come here before for anything serious, but I might have to eat herbs or something like that. Please, stay."

She hoped she wasn't confusing him, wanting him to go and then asking him to stay, but she was quite sure now that she wanted the later and she tried to show it through her eyes.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Spottedfur hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should fetch something anyway. He didn't see why Puddlepelt wouldn't be supposed to eat, especially since she had just lost blood and needed food in order to replenish her strength. But if Ivypaw had done as he told her, then hopefully Shadestripe would be there at any moment, and it was true that he didn't want to leave the wounded Puddlepelt alone while he went to root around the fresh kill pile. Reluctantly he sat back down next to the injured she-cat, wrapping his black and white tail neatly around his paws and being careful to keep enough distance between them so that they weren't touching. Not really feeling the need to fill the silence with aimless chatter, he simply let his eyes wander around the den as they waited side by side for the medicine cat to arrive.

[:c a i:]

"Okay, Puddlepelt, what have we got?" Shadestripe's calm voice cut through the air of the medicine cat den as he swept in with the air of a cat who knew just what he was doing. He was beside Puddlepelt in a flash, pushing Spottedfur out of the way and summoning Ivypaw. With a quick inspection of the obviously swollen paw, the medicine cat nodded briskly and glanced at his apprentice. "Ivypaw, go and fetch a decent pawful of cobwebs, prepared stinging nettle and some marigold."

Puddlepelt's wound looked particularly messy and unpleasant, though Shadestripe suspected it looked worse than it was. There were deep cuts and a sizeable amount of swelling, but it was a clean wound which would heal fast. "I need you to wash the paw as well as you can for me, okay Puddlepelt? Nice and gentle. Just make sure the affected area is clean. That's it." Shadestripe's voice was calm and reassuring. "It's a nasty cut, but nothing we can't fix. You're going to have to stay in here for a while though, I'm afraid. I want to keep an eye on that and make sure there are no signs of infection." While he waited for Ivypaw's return with the herbs, Shadestripe kept a watchful eye on Puddlepelt, making sure she was in no real danger.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Graypaw had hurriedly grabbed his mouse and came back to camp with Cloverpaw. After checking the area and not seeing any sign of Puddlepelt, he had been even more worried that something might have happened to his mentor. Hearing a screech of pain out of nowhere was something to be alarmed about, wasn't it? He hadn't even stopped to find the other three cats on the patrol, Littlestream, Gingertail and Robinwing, and only remembered them on the way back to camp. He hoped he wouldn't be in trouble for leaving without saying anything, and that they wouldn't waste time looking for them.

He came into camp and dropped his one piece of fresh-kill onto the pile, then glanced around the camp. He didn't see Puddlepelt anywhere. Would someone in camp know what had happened? He saw Shellclaw, her brother, heading toward the medicine cat den and his yellow eyes widened. Would she be in there? Making up his mind to check it out after he saw Shadestripe go into the den, he padded quickly over. He paused cautiously as he peered inside the den, then stepped inside and sure enough he saw Puddlepelt. Did he smell blood, too? "What happened?" he asked worriedly as he started to step inside. Would someone tell him what was going on or would they just tell him to leave?

After Shadestripe left her den, Willowstar took a few moments to think a little more. She was fairly sure she had made a decision about the WindClan kits, and it wouldn't do any good to mull over it needlessly. So she got to her paws, shook her thick silvery-gray fur and padded out of her den. She headed for the medicine den to check out the situation for herself. A Twoleg trap sounded serious, and if there was one on their territory there could easily be more. She did not understand the strange ways of Twolegs when they made a racket in the river during Greenleaf or placed traps for unsuspecting cats. But she could try to get to the bottom of it somehow. Stepping halfway into the den, she peered inside to see Puddlepelt's condition. Her paw was swollen and bleeding and it looked painful. Glancing at Spottedfur, who was nearby, she called to the warrior. "Spottedfur, I want to talk to you. Shadestripe will take care of things for now." she stepped back and gestured for him to join her.

[Yoko]

Puddlepelt smiled, relieved that he wouldn't go just yet. Her eyes lit up when she saw Shadestripe enter. She had been worrying the whole time about whether or not her paw would recover, and now maybe she would get her answer. She relaxed at hearing his simple, direct, instructions. It seemed less complicated than she had imagined. Cleaning, and cobwebs. She rasped her tongue over the barely bleeding but quite swollen forepaw. It stung a lot, but she worked through it, determined not to leave room for any infection to get in. As she did so, a voice sounded from outside.

"I'm fine, Graypaw," she mewed calmly, biting back the sting of her paw. "But in all likeliness, I won't be able to train you myself for a while."

Then another voice sounded. No! she thought, her wide eyes turning to the Medicine Cat Den entrance.

"Puddlepelt? Are you there?!" Shellclaw demanded, unable to see past Shadestripe who had just entered.

He shoved his way in, mumblng an apology to the Medicine Cat. His eyes widened in suprise as he caught sight of her paw. "Puddlepelt, what happened?"

His sister opened her mouth to respond, but Shellclaw turned on Spottedfur first. Puddlepelt was never a careless cat, therefore it must be his fault. "What happened to her? Were you with her?! How could you let her do anything so mouse-brained?!"

Puddlepelt whipped her head towards her brother with a scowl. He didn't even know what happened!

[:c a i:]

"Enough!" Shadestripe meowed stridently. "This is a place of healing, not petty squabbles. Anyone who is not either a medicine cat or a patient must leave the den at once. Or at least take this away from the cat who needs treatment. And keep it quiet!" It always irritated Shadestripe when piles of gibbering kin and friends turned up to start panicking, squabbling or generally getting under his paws.

He swiped up the cobweb Ivypaw had brought first and nodded reassuringly to Puddlepelt. "Honestly. I don't know why I don't just ban my patients' kin from my den." It was awfully crowded whenever new patients arrived. Everyone wanted to gawp at whatever injury had been picked up. It was most inconvenient. "Okay, that should be fine, Puddlepelt. Now this is just going to stop..." Shadestripe carefully applied the cobweb to the wound. "... the bleeding." He finished as he gently pressed the feathery threads onto the paw. "It might sting. Just hold still and make sure the cobwebs are in place." He sat back as the padding was neatly secured and then began to prepare the marigold and nettle poultice. When the bleeding was stemmed, the herbs would be applied to speed the healing and quickly bring down the swelling.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Spottedfur moved smoothly aside when Shadestripe entered, allowing the dark tabby to access Puddlepelt and look at her injury. The black-spotted warrior was grateful for the medicine cat's arrival; now he could leave without having to be concerned for his Clanmate's safety. Deciding that she was in safe enough paws, he began making his way out of the medicine cat's den, which started to become rather crowded as Willowstar and Graypaw stopped by to inquire into the goings on as well. Acknowledging Willowstar's summons with a look of cool interest, the tom began to make his way over to her, but was interrupted abruptly when Puddlepelt's brother stormed into the den and began hurling questions and accusations.

Coldness rose within Spottedfur and spread through him until his eyes glittered, cold and hard as ice. "It is none of mine what you or your kin do," he said flatly. "I assisted Puddlepelt back to camp after her paw was injured. Since it is clear that I am no-longer needed, I will take my leave." Nodding respectfully to Shadestripe, he stepped quickly out of the den and made his way to Willowstar's side. Feelings or not, a relationship with Puddlepelt was something that he did not need. It was more trouble than it was worth, fraught with complications and challenges that it would be much easier just to leave alone altogether. Putting Shellclaw and his uncomfortably-appealing sister out of his mind, the warrior turned his attention fully towards his leader. "What is it that you wanted me for, Willowstar?" he asked coolly. "Is this about the Twoleg trap?"

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Graypaw felt slight sadness tug at his fur and his tail drooped. Oh, well she was alright, at least. He was happy about that, for that was the reason he had rushed back to camp in the first place. Concern for his mentor above everything else. But hearing they won't be able to train for a while disappointed him. "Oh. Sorry, Puddlepelt." he murmured a quiet apology and started backing out of the den, respectfully acknowledging Shadestripe's request to have the uninjured cats leave. He moved out into the clearing, unsure of what to do with himself now.

Willowstar's eyes narrowed slightly at Shellclaw's outburst. His concern for his sister was understandable. She empathized with that more than anything. But yelling wouldn't help her heal faster, and the den was crowded enough already. She was one to talk, she reminded herself but brushed it away with a flick of her ears. As Spottedfur came over, she blinked at him, not surprised he guessed what she wanted to ask him about.

"Yes," she said, getting to the point quickly. "I just need to know what kind of trap it was. What it looked like, and if you think there could be more on our territory." How he managed to get Puddlepelt out of the thing was something else of concern, but first things first. There were other patrols and cats out at the moment and there was a chance others could find themselves in the same situation. It was best to deal with the traps as quickly as possible.

[Yoko]

Shellclaw was outraged, his face was heated and his eyes were bright with fury. First at Spottedfur for brushing off the incident as if it were nothing? Did he saw her paw? It was as large as a sparrow! What did he mean he had helped her back to camp? Couldn't the mouse-brain have stopped the accident in the first place. If it was an accident! He brushed past Shadestripe and licked his flabergasted sister's ear. She looked wide eyed with fear and sadness. "It'll be alright, Puddlepelt! He's gone now, and with any luck he won't come back!"

The grey and white tom's eyes flashed at Shadestripe. "But she needs-!"

"Just go..." Puddlepelt mewed, dejectedly. "Just go Shellclaw, I'll be fine."

"Nonsen-"

"LEAVE!" Puddlepelt demanded.

Shellclaw blinked in shock, then gave an understanding nod. She was still upset that Spottedfur had caused her accident. She was in physical pain. Of course, she was bound to be unhappy. "I'll bring you a meal later," he promised with a grimace. And I'll keep that mange-pelt away from you.

Shellclaw exited the Medicine Cat Den, glad that he had gotten this all straightened out. His sister should be focused on serving her Clan and being the great warrior she is! Not flirting with the notoriously fickle Spottedfur. He padded past Spottedfur and Willowstar, giving the black and white cat a glare, then a triumphant smirk. He kept walking, deciding that he would take a break before going hunting. He groomed his fur in the bright sunhgh light.

[:c a i:]

"For StarClan's sake, Shellclaw!" Shadestripe snapped when he saw the tom had no intention of leaving and had the nerve to start telling him what Puddlepelt needed. He was about to sharply reiterate his order to clear the den, but his patient beat him to it and sent Shellclaw away himself. As he watched him leave, Shadestripe called after him.

"There's no need. I'll have one of the apprentices fetch her some fresh-kill later. Puddlepelt just needs peace and quiet to recover in." And whatever was going on that was causing friction between Puddlepelt and his brother was certainly not providing her with peace and quiet. Perhaps it would be better if she, Shellclaw and Spottedfur were kept away from one another until she was better. Honestly, it was like separating squabbling kits! With a sigh, Shadestripe applied the poultice carefully, smearing it all over the drastically swollen paw. Infection was the last thing he needed, so he this was a vital step for treatment.

"There." The medicine cat stepped back, nodding at his work. "That should heal nicely, but you'll be staying in here for a good few days until the swelling goes down. Don't put weight on it or it'll only get worse." He instructed, packing up the remainder of his supplies before cautiously tilting his head to look at Puddlepelt. Part of his job as a medicine cat was to provide advice...

"Your brother seems unhappy with Spottedfur." He commented neutrally. "Is everything all right?"

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Spottedfur leveled his eyes thoughtfully at the RiverClan leader while he let his mind slide back to earlier that morning. He hadn't taken a long time to examine the trap - mostly he had been concerned with getting Puddlepelt out and then helping her back to camp. But he had at least seen enough to describe it roughly to Willowstar. "The trap looked like a pair of big, shiny jaws lying on the ground," he began, imagining the strange, menacing device. "When Puddlepelt stepped into it, the jaws snapped closed around her leg. There were two pieces of hard, shiny material that I had to push apart in order to open the jaws again... And the whole thing was attached to a stick buried in the ground, probably so anything caught in it wouldn't be able to go anywhere."

His expression remained calm, but his mind darkened as he remembered once again the ordeal he had gone through to get Puddlepelt out of the trap. He wasn't sure why Twolegs would place such things around RiverClan's territory, but if there were more, it would be a danger for every cat. Any cat caught in one when they were alone would be easy prey for a fox or badger. "I don't know if there are more, but there could be. Once the jaws close, they aren't dangerous to any cat, but we'll have to make sure that everyone is on the lookout in case there are more of these things."

[Yoko]

ooc: Sorry Cai, I totally forgot to respond to Shadestripe XP*is late*
Puddlepelt watched her brother go.. She realized as he left that she forgot to tell him he needed to mentor Graypaw for a while. Great, the grey and white she cat thought numbly. Now he'll think he was right about everything. Well, maybe Graypaw can distract him a while. So throwing her apprentice into the situation was the answer? What sort of mentor was she? Nothing felt right with Spottedfur gone. That's not true! Puddlepelt scolded herself. Spottedfur was not here. Not always, and just a few days ago I knew how to do everything perfectly fine, andd I still do. Whatever he thinks of me and my brother right now, I'll prove him wrong. I'll show that our feelings, whatever we have for each other are not misplaced.

Puddlepelt turned to the suave medicine cat with a steady gaze and a wry smile. "No, honestly t is not. But I will fix that, as soon as I am well enough again, Shadestripe."

She winked. She trusted him completely to heal this wound for her. StarClan itself would not keep her off this paw forever.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Willowstar narrowed her eyes and listened carefully to Spottedfur's description of the trap. This was going to be a huge concern, and if cats weren't notified about the traps or careful enough there could be more cases like Puddlepelt's. It was lucky that Spottedfur had been around to help free her, and her paw would eventually heal, according to Shadestripe. But there were likely cats outside of camp now, and they were also at risk of getting injured. She couldn't afford to lose any strong warriors to some Twoleg thing.

She nodded. "Thank you. I'll warn the Clan and get some cats searching for any more of the traps." She turned to leave, heading further out into the clearing. Now she had to take this into her own paws and do something about it.