Citrus padded into the trail with a total of two mice in her jaws. Blaze and Maple looked up at her the moment she approached them, with Cloud and Dusk coming back a few moments later. They greeted each other and admired the prey the group caught.
Then Maple's eyes landed on her injuries. "Citrus..." She mewed cautiously, eyeing her. Citrus used her tail, vainly hiding her scars. Blaze noticed right away and tipped his head, the wounds standing out like silhouettes.
"What happened?" Blaze said, looking at her leg.
"I was on the left side of the territory, and I don't want imperfect herbs. I wanted perfect ones" She snorted in her mind. This is stupid; I'd rather use those herbs than not use anything, honestly. If I did, maybe I wouldn't get infected or something. I didn't have enough time... "So, I was going to search for some, do I have permission?" she asked, keeping her head up.
Blaze nodded, proud of her. The guardians exchanged glances and Maple whispered something in her brother's ear, making Citrus weary. However, she set off, letting it fall behind her. Taking a stroll would make her feel better.
Citrus closed her eyes, opening her mouth to let scents roll in like moths to a light. Cobwebs. Marigold. Chew the marigold up into a paste and smear it on the infection. Use the juice you can manage to squeeze out as well. Then wrap it up in cobwebs.
She spotted a nearby patch of cobwebs located high up in a tree. She climbed up on the tree, reaching her right paw forward to grab the silky thread. Triumphantly, she fell back and twisted around, landing on three paws while her other held the fragile object. With one down, all she needed was the next one - easy and flawless.
Citrus scanned the area for the yellow herb. Nothing popped up and her heart fell to her stomach. Get your brain together, Citrus. Look for a river or something around here! That herb grows nearby water! She opened her mouth to draw more scents in.
The water scent never came to her, making her frown. Come on, think. If marigold isn't around, what's another herb used? Chervil root. Luck is on my side today then! The sun peeked through the leaves and sprinkled down on her like raindrops. It's not hard to find chervil root in a forest.
Underneath a dark shade of rocks lay a speck of green. Her heart flared and Citrus padded forward, brushing her paw against the delicate herb. She pulled one leaf back, forcing it from the comfort of the shade and into the harsh sun. The green leaf was long and had a few bits of the leaf chewed off by some critter.
Sweet. Citrus' mouth watered but she began to dig around the fern under the shade. Soon enough, she kicked up enough dirt and gently took the herb out of the ground. Its roots were large and bulky, jutting out in each way like the top of a twisted tree. After a quick smile, she swallowed the herb and started to chew.
She chewed it up to a pulp and then applied the herb on her wound. It stung for the first few seconds, causing Citrus to stop smearing it on. The throbbing ended just as quickly as it came. She smoothed her fur down, attempting to cover the wound's existence. A small spark of sensation came over her when she finished.
Citrus titled her head up and faced the bright sun. The rays basked on her back and painted the forest with hints of sunshine. The air was clean and fresh like newleaf when life flourished and rose back from its long slumber. She let out a sigh and then huffed her breath in, enjoying the territory for a few more seconds.
It was time to move on, Citrus declared.
With her wound somewhat healed, traveling was much easier for her. Citrus remained calm, should anything come out from the dense forest and ambush her. Nerves would only bring destruction and failure to her.
YOU ARE READING
Imperfect
Fanfiction"There are two things that separate us, perfection and imperfection..." What if a tribe was run by perfection? Where failure is no option. That one mistake could end a life. Positions are won by strengths and there are no such things as flaws. Take...
