Leo
Cross my heart, hope to die, to my lover I'll never lie - Him And I by
G-Eazy & Halsey
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Word Count: 1532

"Leo! For the love of the Skylands Chervil's not for bee stings blackberry leaves are!" Lynx snaps at the young silver tom for the fourth time today. Leo the trainee in question looks to the ground with flattened ears, eyes not meeting his mentor's eyes, which he's sure are filled with disappointment.

"I'm sor-sorry i-i for-forgot" he stutters out, feeling ashamed with himself for forgetting such thing. Lynx sighs before using the right herd for Skyler a tailless calico she-cat's bee sting. The young guard was patrolling the left side of the kingdom with a couple of other guards, halfway through she got stung on her right front leg by a bee. The patrol leader sent her back to get treated.

"Just... go sort the herbs I collected earlier" the lynx pointed rag doll tom sighs not looking at Leo.

The silver tom did as he was told and went to sort the herbs, but stop and turn to face his mentor who wouldn't look at him. With his ears still flattened to his head and tail touching the ground he says quietly.

"I really did try"

He then turned and padded out of the healer's den and headed to the herb storage. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the light hurt his eyes for a few seconds. The kingdom was alive with cats everywhere some, of which Leo didn't know and some he did. He saw Gold and Foxy the two hunter trainee walking into the food yard that was in sight of the herb storage. Leo yearned to be with them, learning to hunt and binging fresh-kill for the kingdom, not sorting herbs that he'll never remember the uses for.

He never wanted to be a healer, he wanted to be a hunter and maybe one day, king. He wanted to train in hunting not herbs and mixtures or remedies. Sure he respected the healers and is grateful for Lynx wanting to train him. But he wasn't happy doing what he did and he just couldn't learn what he needed to. Three moons of being a healer trainee and he still couldn't remember what Juniper berries are for. Clover almost die! Because he gave her the wrong herb for her bellyache

Leo turned from the two trainees and headed into the herb storage. The storage was made out of a cave that the founders of the kingdoms thought was a good place. The cave itself was small only big enough for one cat at a time but fit all the herbs perfectly. Vines hung from the entrance making it dim, it would be calming if not for the strong smell of herbs that only the healers liked.

Leo spots the pile of herbs messily spread out near the back. Sighing he gets to work sorting through them and placing them in the right places in the cracks of the cave. Sorting herbs was the only thing he's good at it seems, he only knows the names of the few but doesn't knew which is which. He remembers on his first night as a healer trainee Lynx told him he had to try really hard to convince Queen Amethyst to let him have Leo. Why Lynx wanted him as a healer was beyond him Leo never shows interest in becoming a healer and he spent a lot of time asking the hunters questions about hunting as a kit.

When the day came for his trainee ceremony Leo along with the hunters was surprised when he was given to Lynx. His mother Moonlight didn't seem surprised at all, in fact, she seemed proud. He bet now if she knew how terrible he was at healing she'd be disappointed like the rest of the healers. All he ever saw from his mentor was disappointment and he swears he once saw regret.

Most healer trainees can heal bad infections three moons into training, while Leo can't even heal a simple cough. He not even able to identify the herbs by names or what they're for let alone what they look like. It's so frustrating that half the time he just wants to rip his fur out. Heck Hopper a five moon old kit can identify more herbs then he can, and Leo has training!

What's wrong with me? He asks himself as he puts Marigold where the Parsley goes before realizing its not supposed to be there. How do you mess up sorting herbs?

Tears pickle at his eyes as he thinks of how ashamed his mentor is going to be when he finds out how useless his trainee is. He stops what he's doing and digs his claws into the dirt frustration and anger radiates off his body. He thinks of his sister Star, he thinks of her pretty white and orange tabby fur and how she's his best friend. He thinks of how wide her smile was when she was given to Messenger Finn and how happy she was.

His anger soon fades and a small smile forms in its place. His sister is always happy and has so much energy it was no surprise when she became a Messenger trainee.

Leo sighs as he puts the last of the Tansy away and with it the last of the herbs. He's been in the storage for hours and the light was just beginning to fade. After double checking, everything was in the right places he walks out of the cave. The evening air is warm on his fur and the dim lighting soothes his sore eyes. His feet drag as he walks to the healer's den looking for Lynx. His stomach rumbles with hunger and he wants to eat but he can't till his mentor tells him he can.

He enters the den to find only Fish sleeping peacefully in her nest. He turns from the den and his nest that's begging for him to sleep. So he goes to search for him cause he's really hungry and tried as he got up at dawn. He checks the nurser's den first since he knows that his mentor like to check on the kits and nursers. When he's not there he looks at the elder's den where only Wings is. As soon as he enters, he sees the old white and gray she-cat laying on her nest with her head on her paws, her eyes are open and she sees him right away.

"A Leo what brings you to this sad den," she asks tilting her head in interest at the young tom.

"I'm looking for Lynx" Leo tells her truthfully which earns a smile from Wings.

"I haven't seen him all day, in fact, you're the first cat I've seen in days" she state closing her eyes for a few seconds.

"What? Hasn't one of the trainees come to bring you fresh-kill or clean your tics"

"No I'm afraid not I've had to get my own fresh-kill myself," she says shrugging as if it didn't matter.

"I'll be right back," Leo tells her and dashes out of the elder's den before Wings could ask where he was going.
Leo forgot all about his quest to find his mentor and ran straight for the herb storage to get mouse bile. His hunger was forgotten and he felt slightly annoyed that the other trainees haven't been tending to Wings. Healer trainees aren't supposed to clean the elders or bring them fresh-kill to them cause they have so much to learn and are almost always occupied. The other trainees aren't busy all day and are meant to take care of them.

He can't believe they are that ignorant to leave their only elder to do those things when this is her time to rest and relax. She served her kingdom for many seasons and deserves the respect of the cats of the kingdom. The rules even say shes eats before others along with kits and nursers. He gets to the storage and finds what he's looking for quickly, then makes his way back to Wings.

When he gets there shes sleeping in the same position as when he left. He doesn't wake her before he starts searching her pelt for tics. He finds one her shoulder and quickly and gently removes it. Its well dark out by the time he's done and he's irritated cause she shouldn't have had as many as she did from not be tended to. He didn't want to wake her so he couldn't get the ones on her front or legs cause it'd most likely wake her. So he makes a silent promise to come back tomorrow when she awake.

After gathering the used mouse bile and dead tics and getting rid of them he's beyond tired. He doesn't bother to look for his mentor anymore even tho he's real hunger. He makes his way to the healer's den where the other healers have joined Fish in sleeping, all but Lynx. Sighing he curls up in his nest and fells asleep to the soft snores of his fellow healers and the loud ones coming from Bug.

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So here's the first chapter of Loyalty and Courage.

Don't be silent readers and tell me what you think.

Fun Fact the whole time writing this I listen to Him And I By G-Eazy & Halsey.

Have a great day my beautiful warriors.

~~~~~Nightwatcher13 Out Bye!!