Username: sugacubes
Cat Name: Sharkbait
Gender: nonbinary (they/them)
Rank: Formerly a rogue, now a Hunter
Clan: IvyclanAge: 3 yrs
Prompt:Sharkbait had come to learn that they hated nothing more than being confined to the medicine cat’s den, but they just loved the thrill of a challenge too much to make good, healthy decisions.
They had scuffled with plenty of woodland creatures in their time as a loner, so they thought that they could face off with another, no problem. What had done them in this time was a bobcat, of all things, and they were embarrassed to admit it. In their attempt to flaunt their hunting abilities to their clanmates, Shark had to drag themself back to the camp with the little strength they had left. Despite the damage they had sustained, they were certain the bobcat wouldn’t be returning any time soon, and that was enough to leave them feeling a little proud of themself despite the circumstances.
Now, Shark lay restless in a leafy fern nest within the medicine den. Their whole body ached, rendering them unable to move much and bored out of their mind. As if on cue,
Weevilfleck, Ivyclan’s healer, padded into the den with a mouthful of herbs. Sharkbait winced as they sat up a little too fast to greet him. “Weevilfleck-”
“Just a minute,” he mumbled through the herbs in his jaws. He walked past them without a second glance. They rolled their eyes and groomed their chest fur, awaiting their only company to return.
It didn’t take long for him to come back. He presented a pawful of herbs wrapped in a leaf at Shark’s nest. “How are you feeling today?”
“Like my whole body hates me,” they groaned obnoxiously. Shark lapped up the herbs gratefully, even though the taste wasn’t very pleasant.
“Well, I hope you’re taking the time to reflect on the choices that led you here in the first place,” Weevilfleck grunted in response. he swept away the leftover leaf with his tail idly.
“Seriously? You’re still on about that?” Shark was getting a little irritated with the constant badgering they’d received from the healer recently.
“Of course I am!” he spat. “If you cared about your health or your clan half as much as you do your pride, maybe I wouldn’t have to waste my time entertaining you while you recover every other moon!”
“I do care about the clan! Why do you think I’m here in the first place?” Sharkbait hissed back; the strain of raising their voice was hurting their chest, but they felt like they had to give him a piece of their mind. “
I chased that bobcat out of our territory, because I did what I felt was necessary to keep us all safe!”
“This is your problem. You only think about yourself. We have ways of dealing with threats like that
together, and if you can’t learn to do things as a group, then maybe you shouldn’t have come here.”
Sharkbait’s blood ran cold as ice as Weevilfleck’s words coated their mind like thick venom. It was no secret that Sharkbait was having trouble adjusting to clan life, but to throw it back in their face? Their combative persona was completely shattered by the clan’s
healer, of all cats. “Tell me how you really feel,” they huffed, their feelings clearly hurt.
“Oh, Shark, I didn’t mean it like that… I mean…” Weevilfleck opted to bite their tongue, having already offended the only cat in their care.
“Forget it. I’m done talking to you.” Sharkbait settled back down into their nest and turned their head away so that Weevilfleck couldn’t see the single tear forcing its way down their cheek.
word count: 597