Impregnable

Chapter 9

Mistake. Mistake. Mistake.

The words were screeches of an unhappy chorus and no matter how much he plugged his ears, Arrow couldn't let them die. The wounds across his cheek continued to sting as Spring dressed the injuries with patches of herbs, the sound of her worried skittering being the harmony to the dreadful song. She was clumsy, unable to keep herself calm as she trembled like a sprout in the winds as she searched for the right herbs.

He bit his tongue to keep himself calm as she applied some kind of herb to his side, the stinging momentarily paralyzing him. It dwindled away little by little and soon, he was able to move his back legs without flinching. Arrow watched her as she handled herself with herbs, figuring watching her was the only option of company.

Flashes of Eagle's disapproving look came back along with the slashes and attacks he got from the mistake of leaving Serval for help and when he finally got a small group of cats together, Hurricane had fled back into Imperfect territory, his sister's scent following the hidden path. An outstretched paw and the blood flying out of his cheek raining on the ground, the realization coming to him after scorns. Arrow flattened his ears and let out a soft growl, pelt growing hot when he had to bow down and beg for forgiveness in front of the entire tribe.

"Hey," Spring called, stopping in front of him. "I'm really surprised Eagle let you stay in this tribe, you know. Not very many cats really stay in this tribe after a slip-up."

"I already know that," he hissed, trying to block away memories of chasing his own sister out while a crowd of angry cats chased Hurricane's striped tail. "It's disgusting that I have to stay here instead of trying to find Serval."

"But we already know where she is," Spring mentioned sadly. "She's in Imperfect territory. Eagle said there's no way she can be welcomed back..." Arrow stayed silent, wishing he stayed behind or did something to convince the hunter to stay in her nest. The healer twitched her whiskers and looked outside just as Eagle's furious shout rang overhead.

"Then that's her own fault for losing when she told me that she could handle it." Arrow unleashed his claws and dug them into the moss. "I guess she wasn't perfect after all."

"And you aren't?" Spring countered, seeming to be unaware of what she said. He shot her a look and she straightened up, eyes widening. She raised a paw as if she was going to cover her mouth but then she firmly placed it back on the ground, green eyes flashing. "Yeah... I said that out loud. I regret none of it."

"I could say the same thing to you, know you," Arrow spat, fur bristling as he pushed himself into a position to speak to the cream healer. "The top warrior after that battle ended. You were promoted to that position and could've easily become a beta. So why did you suddenly change positions to a healer?"

"The sun was getting too hot," she replied, flicking her ear as she tore a leaf to shreds. "If I got any closer, I'd burn."

It's hard to believe someone as young as her was already in that kind of spotlight. Even though she left four moons after Maple, she shouldn't have climbed her way up so high so quickly. Arrow scoffed and shook his head.

"How could you burn?" Arrow questioned, sighing. "Unless you found something worth more than it below."

"I didn't," she answered and went back to sorting herbs. "I didn't find anything better than the sun on the ground. That's where the Imperfects are, aren't they?" She said with a smug look, lashing her tail like an angry snake. "But I did learn that my fragile body couldn't stand."

"Spare me the history," he growled. "Can I at least walk around camp or do I seriously have to stay in this den for five days? I'm going to go crazy if I stay here any longer."