Runningwish was sitting outside the medicine cat den, her leg badly injured but she was fine regardless. Snowpoppy was dancing through the clan, her mouth full of herbs. She would grab a mass of one type of herb and give it to those who needed it, and once that was covered, she would move onto another herb to pass around.
Runningwish wouldn't know if she'd called that a very effective strategy, but it was working for the most part, and currently Snowpoppy was only one medicine cat. Runningwish didn't know where Sunscar was, but then again she didn't have the ability to wander through the camp to look for her.
As the thought passed her mind, another golden she-cat appeared in her line of sight. Goldensky was making her way over to Runningwish, a look of great worry on her face.
"Runningwish!" She called out as she began to run to her sister. The brown she-cat blinked in surprise. Her and Goldensky had rarely spoken since her return, and with all the action she almost forgot her sister had even been in camp. Probably overshadowed by Tigertooth being the one to return with her.
The golden she-cat stopped in front of Runningwish, her large golden tail fluffed out, showing the scale of her concern for her sister.
"Are you alright? I overheard your leg was badly injured." She asked, her concern also showing in her voice. Runningwish did her best to act unphased by the injury.
"It isn't all that bad. Sunscar patched me up just enough to stop the bleeding, I'm waiting like all the others for Snowpoppy to deliver the next necessary herb." Runningwish replied, her voice a bit shallow, she was tired, it was hard to pretend she wasn't. It felt like all she could do was watch the clan and talk to Goldensky. She felt like her body was anchored to the ground by her leg, she had no choice but to sit and watch.
Goldensky nodded slowly at her sister's words, glancing about, seeing Snowpoppy weaving her way to one cat to another through all the injured.
The golden she-cats eyes squinted for a moment as a thought passed through her mind.
"I could help her. I..." She hesitated and looked over at Runningwish. She leaned down and almost whispered.
"I don't get tired when the sun is up, remember?" She admitted. Runningwish did remember that, When they were told by Leaffern seasons ago. The brown tabby glanced away frim her sister, looking to Snowpoppy once again.
"Well, there is no harm in asking her if you can help. I'm certain she would greatly appreciate it." Runningwish encouraged her sister as she looked back to her. Goldensky nodded a bit curtly as she decided what she was going to do. She looked back to Runningwish.
"Alright, I will help. Hopefully Sunscar returns from wherever she went to help too... I and Tigertooth are very worried about her." She said almost sadly, "She's been on my mind for quite some time..." Goldensky seemed to almost regretfully say. Runningwish watched her sister, her identical green eyes seeming to mimic that same level of loss and regret from the time they've spent apart.
She regretted not talking to her when she first came back, for practically ignoring her, her own sister, ever since her return.
She must've felt so alone, so cold without her family greeting her back into the fold. Voleeye had welcomed her, he had given her that attention, greeting her with the love of a sibling. Runningwish had failed her, caught up in her own world, distracted by Sunscar's future and her own.
It didn't help with the Mapleshade and Snowtuft situation, but she couldn't accept that as a reason to have abandoned her sister. Runningwish nodded slowly, her sorrow shining through.
"Goldensky, I'm sorry. I was worried about you all the time when you left, I constantly worried, you were always on my mind.. But the moment I first met Sunscar.. When she was a kit so long ago.. I allowed you to slip from my mind. And when you returned, when I finally got to see you again, with or without Mapleshade and Snowtuft using us the way they did.. I failed at being your sister. I didn't treat you like family." Runningwish admitted, her heart heavy and her words cutting deeply. Goldensky looked to her with surprise and shock. How long had this been on her sister's mind? How much had this been weighing on her shoulders?
"Runningwish, please don't say those things to me.." She said quietly as she laid down in front of her, pressing their foreheads together. Runningwish found such comfort in that, the warmth of her sister and the way her longer golden hair tickled her whiskers and nose.
"I have been the one running away. I have been hiding and staying silent when I had every ability to return and speak up and let myself be seen." She moved away slightly.
"But now we have the chance to be sisters again, to tell each other what has happened in our lives and what we missed and what we still want to experience. I love you, you will always be my family. Possessed or not." She said, trying to lightly joke at the end. Runningwish allowed a small smile.
"I want that too. Please, when there is time, let's be sisters again, and tell each other everything." Runningwish requested of her. Goldensky chuckled.
"I promise. But first, let me help Snowpoppy before she becomes one of the cats who needs herbs." She joked again, rising up from the ground and starting to prance off towards the preoccupied medicine cat. Runningwish watched from her spot, eager for that long talk with her sister that was equally long overdue.
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Walt had been sitting with the others for an hour or two. He didn't know how long, he was just guessing. The sun didn't seem like it moved much, his joints did ache a bit from the lack of movement. He had completed his time with her, at least he felt he did. He knew Squid well, but he wasn't as close to her as Taz and Gouge were.
He had another cat weighing deeply on his mind. Runningwish had been injured during her fight with Thornleap. He wanted to see her, know if she was doing alright. It didn't take him long to find her, she was really the only she-cat he recognized in the crowd. She was a bit off on her own, just enough to have her own space away from the others.
This was his chance to wander over and speak with her. He rose from his spot and headed over to her, stretching his legs as he did so. The light blue tom felt a small bit of nervousness creep into him. What did he have to be nervous about? He knew Runningwish well enough to speak with her.
As he got closer, Runningwish looked over at him, a smile appearing on her features. Her green eyes were hit by the sun at just the right angle that they looked ignited. It gave him pause as he looked at her, though he never stopped walking towards her. It was like his brain lost its train of thought when he saw her, looking at him like that.
"Hello, Walt." She greeted somewhat passively. He noted how tired she sounded, the energy clearly gone as he saw she seemed drained. It caused a small sting in his chest. He wish he had been able to protect her, he shouldn't have left her side like that, they would've worked better as a team. He sighed as he sat before her.
"I should apologize. I shouldn't have left you to fight Thornleap alone." He said as he looked from her face to her injured leg. She gave him a curious look, glancing at her own leg.
"No. You saved me, Walt. If you hadn't separated Brokenleaf from the fight, I would've walked away with something much worse than this." She reassured, slightly flexing her leg as she pointed it out, but she cringed at the pain it brought, slowly returning it to its previous position.
Walt wasn't convinced, even though she clearly didn't blame him for his failings. The blue tom sighed once more as he laid down before her, his ears laying low in regret.
"I could've still stayed by you to fight together..." He said. Runningwish laughed at him quietly.
"Walt, please. You don't have to beat yourself up over it. You saved my life, you should be proud of that." She persisted. He raised his head, a bit of confusion on his face at her reply. She rose slightly and moved closer, pressing her head against his a bit to show some affection, leaning on him.
He stayed still as he watched her, a bit surprised by her movements. She looked at him with gratitude in her eyes.
"Thank you for saving me." She said sincerely. Walt could only resolve to nodding as he gazed at her as his fur grew hot.
"You're welcome." He said after a moment, it was all he could think to say. Runningwish chuckled at him before sighing and resting against him.
"If you want to make it up to me, serve as a nice place to rest while I recover." She said quietly as she closed her eyes. He smiled softly at her as she did so.
"I can accept that."