Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmer
Shinefang cocked an eyebrow as she feigned interpreting his dream, shaking his head with a chortle. "Don't you know, Slate? I'm everyone's favorite medicine cat. Let's walk and talk," he suggested. Even the grass was warm under his paws. It is was so nice to walk beside her again. "The work is fine overall. A lot busier than you might think. I thought this would be an alternative to retiring to the elders den, but there have been days where I've had to remind myself to eat. I think I'm doing well enough...but I did learn I made a mistake recently." He lowered his head slightly in his shame. "I had an apprentice come in with a broken tail. It started to stink like crowfood in the night. I cut it off, thinking it was dead. Daydream came by a few nights later and told me it was likely just an infection. That poor little shecat lost her tail for nothing. All because I overreacted. Ever since Acornpaw... I just don't want to lose another cat." He looked at his mate then. "It's not like being a warrior. If a cat dies in battle, there's a hundred things that they could have done, that their clanmates could have done, but in the medicine den, so much of it is on me, you know." He looked away again, "I crippled her... because I couldn't tell an infection from a dead limb."
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Slatepelt scoffed, her whiskers twitching in amusement once more as she swiftly picked herself up from the ground and padded after Shinefang. "Of course you are! You're too handsome for them to handle." She cooed quietly, her paws whisking over the landscape as if she was barely touching it. The molly remained quiet as Shinefang spoke, the guilt thick in his voice. A twang of sadness touched her heart as she paced next to him, letting her fur brush against his side. Hopefully it would help comfort him. It was a small gesture, but Slatepelt hoped the tom didn't still blame himself about Acornpaw's death, not to mention amputating the poor apprentice's tail. It wasn't his fault: he was inexperienced. Her gaze lingered across the grassy moor of Starclan as a warm breeze scented of pine tugged at her starry pelt. "It's not your fault Shinefang." She meowed briskly, keeping her gaze forward as she watched the rolling plumes of alabaster clouds in the distant sky. "Acornpaw's destiny lied in Starclan's paws, sometimes it just can't be helped... as for the other, everyone makes mistakes. You did what you thought was right and she's still alive and doing well, I presume. That's what matters." Her words were barely a whisper as she ran the tip of her tail down Shinefang's spine in a soothing motion. A silence fell over her as the pair continued forward before she spoke up once more. "Daydream is a very knowledgeable cat, be sure to learn everything you can from that one. I know your joints bother you now, but try to reach out to the other medicine cats as well, dear. You all share the same path; you can learn a lot from them." Slatepelt turned her head to look at Shinefang, a compassionate expression evident on her features. "I'm very proud of you, Shinefang. I know you're trying your best." She purred gently, nudging the others side with her own. Tail suspended high in the air, another gust of wind buffeted her pelt as she motioned with her head for her mate to follow before racing over a lush hill-side, leaping away in graceful, even strides. She was taking them towards a nice sea front, an area that mimicked the Sea Stones almost perfectly.