smoke & mirrors (hiatus)

.: chapter seven :.

.: ♔ :.

"O-OAKSTRIPE," Heronskip croaked, falling to his paws. "Come on, w-wake up. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I'll fix this. I promise. I have to fix it, because we have to fulfill my prophecy- I didn't tell you about that- did I? Some cat visited me last night- h-he was from Star Kingdom. C'mon, wa-wake up, we have to save Brook Kingdom!" he wailed, sounding like a kit.

"Wait- a prophecy?" Dewleap whispered. "From a black and white cat? Did he think you were Fawnsplash, too?"

"Y-yes..?" Heronskip said breathlessly. "Did you get it too?"

"Yeah... and so did she," he meowed, pointing his tail to Oakstripe. "That's why we were talking this morning. I have to go fetch Fawnsplash— do not leave Oakstripe."

"I would never leave her," Heronskip mewed quietly, unsure if he believed it himself. What have I done? She was a part of the prophecy? Is she dead? What if I killed her?

When Fawnsplash showed up, he almost fainted. The brown healer looked down at Oakstripe in despair, and then set herself down to look at Oakstripe's jaw.

And that was when everything became a blur, and Heronskip was unable to hear anything else. He stumbled backwards and looked up at the cloudless sky. Please let Oakstripe be okay.

And then, as if she heard his plea, Oakstripe let out a cough, spitting blood up everywhere. She looked around miserably and opened up her jaws to speak, and then noticed the wound.

Dewleap let out a sigh of relief, and Heronskip ran over to his best friend. "I'm so sorry- I was just really offended- I didn't want you to get hurt. I felt left out that you were talking alone without me," he lied.

"Heronskip," Oakstripe croaked as Fawnsplash slapped a poultice of herbs on the side of her mouth, "I would never purposely leave you out."

"I know, I know, I was overreacting- I'm so sorry..." he meowed guilty, looking down at his paws.

Dewleap said nothing. He did look up at the sky, though, and his eyes went wide. "I'm late to work! This'll be the third time this week! Sorry, guys, I have to go. Oakstripe," he nodded towards the injured she-cat, "I hope you get better, I'll visit you- I have to go."

Heronskip watched as Dewleap ran away into Central. His ears drooped.

Fawnsplash took a step back to look at Oakstripe. Cobwebs draped around her muzzle, holding down the poultice of herbs that were dressed on her wound. "Can you lift your head up?" the healer asked.

Oakstripe did. She stood up and unsheathed her claws as she stretched out. Then she sheathed them again, and nodded at Fawnsplash. Looking confused, she pointed to her muzzle and all of the herbs that were around it.

"You probably won't be able to talk for a few days," Fawnsplash warned. "You should rest. I'll tell Sedgecreek what happened."

Heronskip watched as Oakstripe tried to respond, but couldn't. Sedgecreek was the leader of construction, and she was pretty lazy and forgetful, to be honest. She wouldn't care if Oakstripe took a few days off, even if she wasn't crucially injured.

Fawnsplash told Oakstripe to go home and rest, so Heronskip took the opportunity to walk her home.