THINGS THAT UPSET ME ABOUT WARRIOR CATS 1/?

@badthingshappenbingo

Setting a Broken Bone:

I made the mistake of googling broken bones. I am mentally scarred now and can’t stop shuddering. I also have never broken a bone (touchwood) so I haven’t a clue on how I’m meant to write this. Images put me off researching so I am thoroughly winging it ^^’

Mentor struggled to help Hero limp towards the bed. Hero clung to the front of their shirt as they tried to find grip so they didn’t have to put their foot down again. They were covered in sweat and almost snarling in pain.

“I told you you were training too much,” Mentor grumbled.
“Leave off,” Hero winced, “patch me up before you give me the lecture.”

Their mentor shook their head and propped them against the side of the bed, helping them to sit down first. Then they carefully picked up their swollen leg and guided it onto the mattress. Mentor felt the bone shift slightly in their grip and Hero hissed.

“Definitely broken. Well done.”
Hero had one arm covering their eyes and the other clenching a fistful of the blanket. “Just. fix it,” they ground out.

Mentor had already set to work cutting the material away from Hero’s leg. The bone was still under the skin at least but it was badly bruised. Hero hissed at the pressure and Mentor felt them tense.

“I think you’ve dodged surgery. You’ll still need a pain killer while I set it.”
Hero didn’t answer. They focused on their breathing before they let go of the blanket and raised their arm up for Mentor. Mentor raised an eyebrow. “What’s up with you, aside from the leg?”
“Nothing,” they mumbled.

Mentor let it be, leaving to fetch a needle. When they returned they found Hero hadn’t moved an inch, but their cheeks looked red where their arm wouldn’t cover.
“You still with me?” Mentor asked flatly.
“Fine.” Their voice cracked.
Mentor rolled up their sleeve and felt for the vein. “This’ll help. But what the hell were you thinking, [Hero]? Why do you always have to take what I say and do the complete bloody opposite?!”

As Mentor binned the needle they heard hitching breaths. That developed into shuddery shoulders and crying. Hero was crying. For a minute, Mentor didn’t know what to say or do. Hero pressed their fingertips into their eyes slightly and slid them across, wiping away tears. Their breaths were uneven and shaky.

Mentor sighed and sat down beside them. “Hey? I’m sorry. I won’t make excuses. I know why you’re trying so hard.”
Hero coughed and kept furiously trying to wipe away their tears. “No, you don’t! But you’re right. I always mess things up. I should have concentrated and rolled. But when I saw them, I-”

Them. Villain. The sole cause of most of Hero’s troubles. Mentor settled a hand in Hero’s hair. “Tell me what happened, [Hero].”
Hero shook their head and rejected their comfort. Mentor brought their hand away. Hero said, “Tell the others [Villain] is planning something. I can’t even run away without being so. so- Ugh!” Hero punched themselves in the thigh to try and burn out some of the anger. Mentor grabbed them by the wrist to stop them doing it again.

“None of that,” Mentor scolded. They lowered Hero’s hand and rubbed the top of their arm. “Come on. Sit tight. I’ll get this set now if you think it’s numb enough?”
Hero nodded but looked away. They went about trying to wipe away the tears. They covered their face with their arm again and left Mentor to work.

“Did [Villain] see you?” Mentor asked after a few minutes.
“They saw me fall,” Hero admitted after a minute, trying not to listen to the slight grinding noise as their bone was realigned. “They laughed.” Hero cleared their throat to hold back any more emotion.

Mentor wasn’t sure what to say. They decided to stay quiet. They winced Hero’s behalf as they worked with their leg, taking the utmost care to straighten it. They had a scanner at hand, checking the breakage before they decided it was set. Throughout it all, Hero didn’t move, even if they couldn’t feel it. They weren’t interested. They had nothing to say for themselves like they usually would with an injury. Mentor found it hard to believe that this was caused by a simple fall, even from a height.

Hero lost track of time but finally, Mentor was finished with the cast. Hero could feel the pain coming back just as they finished working on it. Hero looked down at the cast in disgust. The cast covered their foot and went up to their knee. `What could they do now with that on their leg?

“Anything [Villain] does now is on me,” Hero decided. “Whatever they plan to do next- I’ll take the responsibility for.”
“No, you won’t,” Mentor insisted. “You can’t help getting hurt.”
“No? You were pretty sure on that before I got upset. This is my fault. I messed up and I don’t want your sympathy, I’d rather you complained- Better yet. Just leave me alone.”

Mentor didn’t stop Hero from forcing themselves to their feet and, using the wall as support, limping away. Despite their dizziness and obvious lack of balance, Mentor let them go.

“You didn’t fall, did you? There’s more to this than that?” Mentor called out. Hero turned their head slightly. Words were on the tip of their tongue but they bit them back. Then they hobbled away.
Mentor sighed. “Good job, [Mentor],” they muttered to themselves in annoyance. “Now they’ll never tell you.”