Atari Healing Den

[Wingnettle]

Blood
Atari healer
he/him | age unknown
Chill of Death



This was it. Blood's patience had definitely reached its limit, and he knew he needed to talk with Ares about it.
Yes, his duty had never been to rule other cats, build an army or establish tyranny, but he was extremely tempted now. Alright. First, let's see what this one has achieved and why he's lying down like prey.

The old cat approached the male Keeper, a brownish tom with some sort of invisible issue. He seemed in a terrible state, and this, of course, managed to rage him even more. "Lightning." He called, his voice coming out like a storm threatening to come out in like a mad cry. He breathed in, then gritted his teeth. C'mon, this was the only cat who had done, at least, something.

He decided to lower his tone for a few more minutes. Just for the time it would take him to treat this one.
"You did well, and the berries are a good bundle. Though a couple of them belong to the wrong plant, but we still have enough for the storage. Now come back inside. I need you to remain here for a few days, at least two or three, and recover from the excessive exhaustion you put your body into. Which is extremely irresponsible."

The dark brown tom shook his pelt, scratched his itchy ear and raised to his paws. He was in pain for a rotten tooth, so he took one of the two remaining bearberry leaves and chewed it with that painful side. The pain was terrible and the taste extremely sour, but he had no sweetfern nor sweetgale. Everyone else had failed.
The Atari was crumbling down.

"ARES!" He stormed out of the den, leaving Lightning alone with his smelly collection. "This is too much. Your Claws and Trappers are useless I sent out half of the Atari and only one Keeper came back with the herbs.
Prey is low. The herb pile is almost empty."

"I'm warning you, Ares. I won't heal any of your cats who do not commit to their duties, and I request that they are exiled permanently from the tribe.
I am tired to see slacking cats eating prey that only a few of them catch.
They are failing us.
The Atari is slowly coming to an end."

@Rowan @Dizerel

[Dizerel]

⚡Lightning⚡

[ He/Him | 14 Moons | Character Profile | Purrks: Active Power Card]
[ Mentions: @Wingnettle | @Rowan ]
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Lightning says nothing as the healer talks about the herbs he returned or his condition. By the time that Blood was telling him to stay and rest for a few days, his ears were already ringing. A few of them were wrong? So he had failed, after all. Earlier he had been proud of his accomplishment. He thought he had brought enough herbs for everyone. Of course, he had been foolish. He never was competent at anything.

He was collapsed on the ground, paying no mind to being told to rest. He had to do something to make up for his failure. He wanted to get up, but it felt like he was moving through syrup. It wasn't until after Blood had stormed out of the den that he even managed to lift his head up.

Lightning was moving only through sheer spite. All that lack of self-worth channeling into the will to somehow keep going. Lagging over a dozen seconds behind Blood, barely able to carry each paw after the next, slow, sluggish, zombie-like. Still, he refused to forgive himself for this failure. He had to know what he could do to make up for it. Blood or Ares would have that answer.

His vision was constantly blurring and re-focusing. Consciousness was an active battle. Yet his ears strained to hear. Only catching the conversation halfway through.

Prey is low? His ears started ringing again, only coming back into focus when he heard the mention of exile. His heart skipped a beat. Were they talking about him? Was he so pathetic that he was to be exiled for his performance? No, he couldn't let that happen. He had finally found his second chance with the Atari. He would sooner die from pushing himself to exhaustion than be exiled.

Even worse was that very last line. The Atari might fade out? He wasn't sure what was worse, being exiled, or his new home coming to an end. This summoned something inside of him. Perhaps it was rage, panic, or the sheer vitriol of self-loathing. His mind started to clear up, because he wasn't about to lose everything. Swirling energy was felt inside his stomach, churning, unleashing, somehow a second wind. No doubt, pulling this energy out of himself in his current state would come with devastating consequences soon after, but not right now. Right now, he needed to make something of himself.

Stepping forward, his condition is no better than before. If anything, its worse. Blood leaks from his torn claws and scarred gums, creating a ghastly visage of crimson scattered across his muzzle and paws. A shell of a cat stood before them. The only sign of life were his eyes, fierce, sparking in their yellow-green radiance. Eyes that had the determination that transcended anything that a body could physically match.

He starts speaking slow, in a low voice, indicating how tired he is."I will do it. I'll catch more prey. I w.... I wont eat any of it. I will find more herbs!" Fumbling at first, but then his voice starting to pick up. Echoing the same energy he felt inside. That loathing he had towards himself. The fear of having his home be lost to him. The constant, unending, unrelenting voice he heard day in and day out that told him he wasn't good enough. Rising in action as for once, he wanted to stop hearing that STUPID voice telling him that he wasn't good enough and that everything in his life will go wrong. "I'll be useful. BUT I WILL NOT LET THE ATARI DIE!!!"

[Sorry about this! If its an unwanted addition in a conversation that was just meant to be between healer/crown, let me know and I can delete it/edit it/back down/etc. ]