SkyClan Medicine Cat's Den

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Spoopy Fishie

Ringpaw quickly ducked out of sight to groom herself. Pull her tongue, tug out a tangle, repeat. It was almost methodical, it calmed her down. Another medicine cat? Already? She had just gotten used to Caliaflame, and now she had a new feline to meet. Ringpaw wished that she had had more time to talk to the old Thunderclan medicine cat, she had seemed like an interesting molly. Ringpaw shrugged it off. She couldn’t miss something she never had. Finishing up on her pelt, she inspected her tail with spiteful eyes. The longer fur there was matted, so she rasped her bristled tongue over it briefly before standing to shake her pelt out. She felt more awake now, her consciousness snapping into place.
As she reentered, she felt her pelt burning oddly. She couldn’t believe that a second ago she had introduced herself to the new medicine cat with such messy fur. Shinefang was already so self conscious about others seeing him not at his best, what about now? Of course, the excitement of a new cat rushed back in to her. “You’re Thunderclan’s new medicine cat? That’s so cool! You were a warrior,” She said with curiosity. Ringpaw carefully observed Shinefang from the side of her eyes, making sure the willow bark was kicking in. She almost felt defensive of him, which was odd, as he could easily take her down any time. But she still couldn’t help but wonder why Tallmarsh was scrutinizing them; an elderly tom needing help standing up and a messy-furred apprentice who slept in until it was nearly sunhigh. Ringpaw didn’t like the odd way the blueish shecat was looking at her.
“Hmm? Oh!” She said in surprise, her ears shooting upwards at the question. “Well, willow bark helps with joint pain, and dock leaf, I think.” She prattled, wrinkling her nose and squinting one eye as she tried to remember painkillers. For a second, she wondered about how Tallmarsh was feeling. A new role... what if Passionstar had just given it to her? Maybe she hadn’t even wanted it. Although she didn’t look angry or anything, just slightly bothered and very calm, like water. Ringpaw was dying to know her story,

@Delta I think it's your turn but you didn't get mentioned. That's our bad.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Spoopy Fishie

Ringpaw listened intently as he droned on about the symptoms. Greencough sounded awful, Ringpaw once had a cough so bad it tore up her throat. That was after she had been accepted into Skyclan.
“Does the cough hurt? I’ve heard that sometimes having even a head cold can give you a cough that feels like fire.” She asked, trying to compare what she knew to what she didn’t. Runny nose, bad breathing, feeling chilly and having a fever. She twirled her paw around in the dirt, leaving little tracks behind her claws. “I think we should just ask Grousestar to make an announcement every winter. ‘Is anyone feeling hot but cold? Runny nose? Go to the medicine den!’ It would probably make finding out easier.” She said, thinking that her response was rather creative, and a good idea too. It’d save Shinefang a lot of hassle.
Ringpaw looked up at him when he spoke of his eye. She could hear sadness in his voice, which was unusual, considering he didn’t have any snap or anger laced behind it. Just... sadness. “Oh.” She said softly, her mint eyes wide. She was dying to know more, to hear about just how it happened exactly, but it was probably a touchy subject with the scarred yellow tom. Mother dying, then losing his eye while trying to help, by a Kittypet no less, definitely not a good plot point in his life. “Is that what drove you to become a medicine cat? To give out care and herbs for those who need it most?” She pressed, trying to move on to happier subjects.

Shinefang paused, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. The truth was, Ringpaw's idea was good as early detection of greecough could save cats. He just wasn't certain Grousestar would be in any mood to listen to him at this point in time after Shinefang spoke out against him at the meeting between leaders. Ringpaw had seen it all happen. Clearing his throat, he murmured. It's a good idea. Perhaps when we do our rounds of the nursery and elders den, we'll let the cats there know."

At her last question, the old tom chuckled. "Ringpaw, repeat this an not only will I deny it, but I'll shred one of your ears," he said in a lighthearted tone to let her know he was joking. "I was a warrior for seasons and seasons. Eventually, I couldn't keep up with the patrols anymore and knew my choices were limited to retiring and wasting away in the elders den, or taking Ebonyfrost's place as the medicine cat so that I could still serve Skyclan."

Taking an herb off the shelf of his stores, a bright yellow flower, he pointed a claw and said "Pay attention now. This is Coltsfoot. It may look like a dandelion, but do you see the way the petals stay off to the side instead of covering the whole top? Eating the flowers can help make it easier for a cat to breath, and it works wonders for kits with minor coughs. The leaves are useful too. If chewed into a pulp it can be spread on sore or cracked pads. Coltfoot tends to grow in shady, wet areas, so Shadowclan has a fair amount. Riverclan too."

[pomegranate]

Originally Posted by Charmer

@Spoopy Fishie

Shinefang turned at the sound of a familiar voice entering his den. His whiskers twitched as he squinted at the cream-colored shecat. “Fennelheart,” he said in greeting as he moved closer. “Training an apprentice of your own eh? How many have you had now?” As he spoke he lifted the shecat’s paw and looked at the torn claw before looking to his apprentice. “She did a number alright. Have a look Ringpaw. See the blood? It’s dried now so bleeding shouldn’t be an issue. What are we most worried about when a wound’s bleeding is controlled?” Ringpaw had managed to pick up a fair amount. He was curious to see if she’d realize he was referring to infections.

Originally Posted by spookapi

@Spoopy Fishie
Fennelheart glanced at Shinefang,” Yes indeed, Aspenpaw is quite wise, his first time out in the territory, I showed him the borders and I gave him the challenge of getting back to camp without help, he tracked his own scent back to camp. He’s my second apprentice, I wouldn’t be such a good mentor without your excellent training.” In a joking manner she added,” Shame you wasted it by healing cats.” She purred in amusement

Originally Posted by Charmer

@Spoopy Fishie


Shinefang chuckled as he let the shecat's paw go. "I don't think I need to remind you that most cats my age would have retired moons and moons ago. A warrior life can only last so long."

He glanced at his current apprentice to see if she was coming to look at Fennelheart's paw as well. "Besides, I have one more apprentice to train. Sounds like Aspenpaw will make a fine warrior in his time."

Sorry I’m so late!

Ringpaw ducked her head towards Fennelheart, remaining oddly quiet as the cats chatted. From what the calico had gathered, Fennelheart seemed to have been Shinefang’s apprentice when he was a warrior. Ringpaw was surprised he had mentored apprentices beforehand, it hadn’t been something that had crossed her mind.
Ringpaw quickly shot a glance at the torn gash, and saw that some of the dried blood was oozing a bit, slowing as the scab formed. “Infection? Aren’t we supposed to worry about some sort of nasty stuff to get trapped while it’s healing?” She questioned, wrinkling her forehead. She had tried to explain it in a way that made sense, but she was struggling. “We use the yellow flower thingy for it.” She finished, puffing out her chest as she remembered that the flower was yellow. But then her eyes sank as she tried to think of the name. Rats. I need to study some of the herbs a bit more.

[pomegranate]

Originally Posted by Charmer

Shinefang paused, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. The truth was, Ringpaw's idea was good as early detection of greecough could save cats. He just wasn't certain Grousestar would be in any mood to listen to him at this point in time after Shinefang spoke out against him at the meeting between leaders. Ringpaw had seen it all happen. Clearing his throat, he murmured. It's a good idea. Perhaps when we do our rounds of the nursery and elders den, we'll let the cats there know."

At her last question, the old tom chuckled. "Ringpaw, repeat this an not only will I deny it, but I'll shred one of your ears," he said in a lighthearted tone to let her know he was joking. "I was a warrior for seasons and seasons. Eventually, I couldn't keep up with the patrols anymore and knew my choices were limited to retiring and wasting away in the elders den, or taking Ebonyfrost's place as the medicine cat so that I could still serve Skyclan."

Taking an herb off the shelf of his stores, a bright yellow flower, he pointed a claw and said "Pay attention now. This is Coltsfoot. It may look like a dandelion, but do you see the way the petals stay off to the side instead of covering the whole top? Eating the flowers can help make it easier for a cat to breath, and it works wonders for kits with minor coughs. The leaves are useful too. If chewed into a pulp it can be spread on sore or cracked pads. Coltfoot tends to grow in shady, wet areas, so Shadowclan has a fair amount. Riverclan too."

(Oh gosh Ringpaw is going to constantly ask Shine if she’s his favorite cat ever)

Ringpaw shot a pretend smirk at Shinefang. “I’m gonna tell the whole clan,” she purred. The thought of Shinefang having quit being a Warrior... Ringpaw couldn’t imagine it. Although at least her mentor had enough humility to admit he was slowing down, unlike some of the stubborn elders around Skyclan. But she couldn’t tell anyone, or else she’d have a scarred lump for an ear. “Besides, you wouldn’t touch me, right? We’re best friends now.” She smiled, flicking her tail. Sometimes she wondered if Shinefang would ever just admit that Ringpaw was his favorite, of course.
Ringpaw listened intently as he switched back effortlessly into teaching mode. Coltsfoot seemed to be quite the magical herb, good for coughing and kits, and also good for sore pads. Ringpaw would make sure to pick a lot of it when she could. “Coltsfoot sounds cool! So if my pads ever got really bad, I could just rub some of it on and it would help?” she double checked. That would have been useful for when she had been training with Snapbranch, after long hours of being forced to climb a tree of scale the rocks to the training grounds. Ringpaw remembered her first session with Shinefang up on those rocks, she had gotten a bit better at holding her balance since then. Bird feathers, key words right there. She had been so surprised when Shinefang had offered to teach her warrior moves, and when he had heard about her awful training conditions he had taken pity on her. From what the calico had heard about him, he was nasty old grump who didn’t like cats like her. Of course, he had somehow shown her some balance techniques, and even though she still tried to favor her left paw, she had gotten over being forced to use her right paw.
Snapbranch really was stupid. What cat makes me use my right paw? She thought angrily. Sometimes she was like this, arguing with her previous mentor in her head for no reason.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Spoopy Fishie

Sorry I’m so late!

Ringpaw ducked her head towards Fennelheart, remaining oddly quiet as the cats chatted. From what the calico had gathered, Fennelheart seemed to have been Shinefang’s apprentice when he was a warrior. Ringpaw was surprised he had mentored apprentices beforehand, it hadn’t been something that had crossed her mind.
Ringpaw quickly shot a glance at the torn gash, and saw that some of the dried blood was oozing a bit, slowing as the scab formed. “Infection? Aren’t we supposed to worry about some sort of nasty stuff to get trapped while it’s healing?” She questioned, wrinkling her forehead. She had tried to explain it in a way that made sense, but she was struggling. “We use the yellow flower thingy for it.” She finished, puffing out her chest as she remembered that the flower was yellow. But then her eyes sank as she tried to think of the name. Rats. I need to study some of the herbs a bit more.

@spookapi

Shinefang nodded, a pleased grin spreading over his maw. "You're right. The herb you're thinking of is marigold. Debris in the wound is certainly a risk. Fennelheart, go ahead and lick your wound clean while Ringpaw and I prepare your herbs."

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Charmer

@Spoopy Fishie


Shinefang chuckled as he let the shecat's paw go. "I don't think I need to remind you that most cats my age would have retired moons and moons ago. A warrior life can only last so long."

He glanced at his current apprentice to see if she was coming to look at Fennelheart's paw as well. "Besides, I have one more apprentice to train. Sounds like Aspenpaw will make a fine warrior in his time."

Originally Posted by Spoopy Fishie

Sorry I’m so late!

Ringpaw ducked her head towards Fennelheart, remaining oddly quiet as the cats chatted. From what the calico had gathered, Fennelheart seemed to have been Shinefang’s apprentice when he was a warrior. Ringpaw was surprised he had mentored apprentices beforehand, it hadn’t been something that had crossed her mind.
Ringpaw quickly shot a glance at the torn gash, and saw that some of the dried blood was oozing a bit, slowing as the scab formed. “Infection? Aren’t we supposed to worry about some sort of nasty stuff to get trapped while it’s healing?” She questioned, wrinkling her forehead. She had tried to explain it in a way that made sense, but she was struggling. “We use the yellow flower thingy for it.” She finished, puffing out her chest as she remembered that the flower was yellow. But then her eyes sank as she tried to think of the name. Rats. I need to study some of the herbs a bit more.

Originally Posted by Charmer

@spookapi

Shinefang nodded, a pleased grin spreading over his maw. "You're right. The herb you're thinking of is marigold. Debris in the wound is certainly a risk. Fennelheart, go ahead and lick your wound clean while Ringpaw and I prepare your herbs."

She flicked her tail,” Maybe you should start thinking about retirement?” She purred she listened to Ringpaw,” Good job Ringpaw, you seem to be doing great.” She praised before obeying Shinefang and licking her wound clean

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by spookapi

She flicked her tail,” Maybe you should start thinking about retirement?” She purred she listened to Ringpaw,” Good job Ringpaw, you seem to be doing great.” She praised before obeying Shinefang and licking her wound clean

@Spoopy Fishie

Shinefang's whiskers gaze a sharp twitch as a flicker of anger crossed his face. Then with a hollow chuckle he said, "I'll retire when I'm dead. Ringpaw, you remember how to prepare the marigold?"

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Spoopy Fishie

(Oh gosh Ringpaw is going to constantly ask Shine if she’s his favorite cat ever)

Ringpaw shot a pretend smirk at Shinefang. “I’m gonna tell the whole clan,” she purred. The thought of Shinefang having quit being a Warrior... Ringpaw couldn’t imagine it. Although at least her mentor had enough humility to admit he was slowing down, unlike some of the stubborn elders around Skyclan. But she couldn’t tell anyone, or else she’d have a scarred lump for an ear. “Besides, you wouldn’t touch me, right? We’re best friends now.” She smiled, flicking her tail. Sometimes she wondered if Shinefang would ever just admit that Ringpaw was his favorite, of course.
Ringpaw listened intently as he switched back effortlessly into teaching mode. Coltsfoot seemed to be quite the magical herb, good for coughing and kits, and also good for sore pads. Ringpaw would make sure to pick a lot of it when she could. “Coltsfoot sounds cool! So if my pads ever got really bad, I could just rub some of it on and it would help?” she double checked. That would have been useful for when she had been training with Snapbranch, after long hours of being forced to climb a tree of scale the rocks to the training grounds. Ringpaw remembered her first session with Shinefang up on those rocks, she had gotten a bit better at holding her balance since then. Bird feathers, key words right there. She had been so surprised when Shinefang had offered to teach her warrior moves, and when he had heard about her awful training conditions he had taken pity on her. From what the calico had heard about him, he was nasty old grump who didn’t like cats like her. Of course, he had somehow shown her some balance techniques, and even though she still tried to favor her left paw, she had gotten over being forced to use her right paw.
Snapbranch really was stupid. What cat makes me use my right paw? She thought angrily. Sometimes she was like this, arguing with her previous mentor in her head for no reason.

(Lol, and the truth is, she's up there. But of course he won't tell her that lightly)

Shinefang rolled his orange eye, "Yes yes, best buddies to the end. Now listen up already." The old tom was dismissive, but in truth, he actually was rather fond of the younger cat. She had been a welcome addition to the normally solitary life of a medicine cat, not just because of the fact that she was another cat but because she had a spirit and life about her that helped him reclaim just a bit of that fire when he was at his coldest.

"That's right. The leaves though, not the flower. And you'll want to chew them into a pulp first." Moments like this made the old tom glad he'd picked Ringpaw to be his apprentice. There might have been cats who would have been more serious or caught on to things a little faster, but she was passionate and genuinely wanted to learn what he had to teach. It would serve her well as a medicine cat moons and moons after he was gone. Medicine cats training never really ended, he had noticed. There was always something more to learn. He wondered why her old warrior mentor had never seemed to see that she had so much promise. Ringpaw was a cat who may not get something the first time, but a little extra guidance could make her great in whatever she had decided to do whether it was healing or fighting.

Setting the coltsfoot aside, Shinefang placed another herb in front of the younger cat. This one was also the same shade of bright yellow. "If you suspect a cat might be in danger of getting greencough, this herb might be able to stave it off. This is tansy. See how it's yellow too? It has petals all along the top like a dandelion, but see how the petals are much thicker? And they come to a point. It should help a cough if coltsfoot isn't doing the trick. Cats eat it to get the effect, but only in small doses. Kit should never get more than an eighth of a flower, and grown cats no more than one flower per day. And this is important: never, never give tansy to a pregnant queen. If you do, her kits could die, she could have them too early and bleed too much. It's extremely dangerous. Before you give it to a shecat, always ask them seriously if there is any chance they could be carrying kits."

[Freesia]

Originally Posted by Charmer

Sorry guys. Busy week.

“Fine fine,” Shinefang said to Ringpaw dismissively. He lapped up the strips of bark his apprentice had set before him, grimacing at the gritty texture. Once it was done he tried to get to his feet but his joints locked up at the effort and left him frozen in an awkward half-risen state. He was just about to sigh out loud when he felt teeth in the scruff of his neck. He was surprised to see that Tallmarsh has come closer to pull him to his feet. Too startled to protest, he let the Thunderclan cat help him up. On his feet now with much less pain than was typical, he cleared his throat and muttered a low, “Thanks,” before striding over to his herb stores with a slow but steady gate.

“So then, you’re here for training. That’s all well and good. I take it from your size, you were a warrior first.” He was sizing up the other cat now. She looked strong. He had no doubt she’d been a successful hunter and fighter. “It’s a good path. Your time as a warrior will serve you well. It’s onr thing to have a cat tell you about their pain from a wound. It’s another entirely to know what it feels like to be wounded. Let’s talk about pain management first. A cat who won’t sit still long enough for your treatment because of pain doesn’t have a great chance at recovering.” He turned to his apprentice next. “Ringpaw, how about you tell our guest about two herbs to manage pain?”

Originally Posted by Spoopy Fishie

Ringpaw quickly ducked out of sight to groom herself. Pull her tongue, tug out a tangle, repeat. It was almost methodical, it calmed her down. Another medicine cat? Already? She had just gotten used to Caliaflame, and now she had a new feline to meet. Ringpaw wished that she had had more time to talk to the old Thunderclan medicine cat, she had seemed like an interesting molly. Ringpaw shrugged it off. She couldn’t miss something she never had. Finishing up on her pelt, she inspected her tail with spiteful eyes. The longer fur there was matted, so she rasped her bristled tongue over it briefly before standing to shake her pelt out. She felt more awake now, her consciousness snapping into place.
As she reentered, she felt her pelt burning oddly. She couldn’t believe that a second ago she had introduced herself to the new medicine cat with such messy fur. Shinefang was already so self conscious about others seeing him not at his best, what about now? Of course, the excitement of a new cat rushed back in to her. “You’re Thunderclan’s new medicine cat? That’s so cool! You were a warrior,” She said with curiosity. Ringpaw carefully observed Shinefang from the side of her eyes, making sure the willow bark was kicking in. She almost felt defensive of him, which was odd, as he could easily take her down any time. But she still couldn’t help but wonder why Tallmarsh was scrutinizing them; an elderly tom needing help standing up and a messy-furred apprentice who slept in until it was nearly sunhigh. Ringpaw didn’t like the odd way the blueish shecat was looking at her.
“Hmm? Oh!” She said in surprise, her ears shooting upwards at the question. “Well, willow bark helps with joint pain, and dock leaf, I think.” She prattled, wrinkling her nose and squinting one eye as she tried to remember painkillers. For a second, she wondered about how Tallmarsh was feeling. A new role... what if Passionstar had just given it to her? Maybe she hadn’t even wanted it. Although she didn’t look angry or anything, just slightly bothered and very calm, like water. Ringpaw was dying to know her story,

Tallmarsh had always considered herself a warrior, so being a medicine cat now was odd to her. There was a certain air around the position medicine cat, or at least she felt so. The medicine cat was supposed to heal their Clanmates and be the closest to StarClan. It seemed that most of the time they were expected to keep a level head—which wasn’t exactly Tallmarsh’s strong suit. She didn’t understand why she’d been chosen for this position when she seemed like the last cat for the job, but she was going to work hard to catch up and serve her Clan to the best of her abilities. She hoped that Shinefang and Ringpaw would be able to teach her to be a proper medicine cat.

She nodded in response to Shinefang’s question. She was usually very careful not to get hurt while practicing or battling, but she had had a few experiences where she had to be patched up. She knew what it was like to get a bad clawing or bite from another cat, and hopefully this would come in handy when treating her Clanmates. Even though these two seemed to have more lax schedules than her, Tallmarsh could tell that they were still extremely hardworking cats and did their job well. The long-legged tabby watched curiously as Ringpaw recalled the herbs that helped with pain. She remembered having dandelion put on a particularly bad cut as an apprentice after she fell while training, scaring away every scrap of prey within a two-mile radius with her yowl of surprise/pain. At least, she thought it was dandelion—it had been so long, she couldn’t be sure. She took a step forward and piped up, “Isn’t dandelion used for pain as well?” Her memory had been screwy ever since she started this position, probably from stress—not to mention that it seemed that every cat in the Clan wanted to talk to her, and she wasn’t really one for conversation.

((I am so sorry for the late reply, y’all! T-T))

[pomegranate]

Originally Posted by Charmer

@Spoopy Fishie

Shinefang's whiskers gaze a sharp twitch as a flicker of anger crossed his face. Then with a hollow chuckle he said, "I'll retire when I'm dead. Ringpaw, you remember how to prepare the marigold?"

Ringpaw awkwardly listened to their conversation. Shinefang? Retiring? The calico apprentice couldn’t even imagine what trouble she’d be in if her mentor wasn’t there to teach her. Besides, she wasn’t going to let him get old. At his next comment, Ringpaw smiled at Fennelheart in amusement. “Ah, but Shinefang’s not allowed to die. It’s against my rules,” She squeaked, before her head turned towards the herb storages, scanning for the yellow flower. It had grown chillier lately, so she could see the browning tips of the petals. “Chew it into a slick poultice and rub it into the cut?” She guessed. She had done that before with her first time with herbs, when she had nearly had a heart attack after the yellow tom collapsed in the woods. Ringpaw chuckled at the memory, it seemed like life and death. Now she was sure she could handle it without a bump.
@spookapi