a crash course in herbs and life-saving skills [p]

[spade]

She felt as if she had been doing the same routine for moons on end; train, train, train. And she wasn't even a full medicine cat! But Cricketpaw would never complain out loud to anyone but herself. Truthfully, it was an honor to be one of the only active StarClan cats that still gave a damn about the Clans below; most of the cats she met here didn't care to keep up with current events. Aside from the too-young-to-have-died ex ThunderClan medicine cat, all StarClan cats had their noses too far up their tails to bring themselves to care about anyone else.

Emerging from the undergrowth, she paused as a familiar faces stood before her; Sundust and Rosepaw. She was excited to see how they settled into their respective roles. "Hello, I've been expecting you." Poised and proper, Cricketpaw dipped her head as she dropped the small bundle of herbs she had brought with her. These were ThunderClan's new medicine cats, and as she had done with both Sunhowl and Icicleripple, she could lend a paw in their teaching. Of course, she didn't know everything - a quest she was still on and seeking knowledge for - but she would help where she could. "My name is Cricketpaw. You two must be Sundust and Rosepaw, ThunderClan's newest medicine cats. It's lovely to meet you both."

// @Shade. @Naiad

[Shade.]

Rosepaw had gone to bed, expecting the usual annoying and unpleasant dreams, like being embarrassed in front of the whole clan or just straight-up dying. They never left her too distressed though, she was used to them.

However, now she was awake in a completely odd place. This wasn't really a dream, as in a random thought your mind has as you sleep. This was almost some sort of other reality.

Her attention was drawn to someone emerging from the nearby undergrowth. Her pelt was sprinkled with stars. Wait a minute...

"Is...Are we in StarClan?" she asked, face full of bewilderment as she examined the surrounding starry area. She noticed Sundust was there too. Oh, so this was a medicine cat thing.

@arden
@Naiad

[beau]

Sundust knew almost immediately he wasn't dreaming. Err, well.. that it wasn't his typical dream, at least. For one thing, he had not a glimpse of snow anywhere. In fact, wherever he was seemed kind of... warm? He also realized he could actually move, a major difference from his typical immobility he always seemed to have in his dreams. And then he saw Rosepaw, his apprentice/soon-to-be-apprentice/what-have-you. Ok, definitely not a normal dream.

His gaze snapped up as a voice spoke, an unfamiliar one. A young she-cat, with what looked like stars elegantly scattered across her pelt. "Ahh, Starclan." He paused. Was it rude to curse Starclan in front of a Starclan cat? Really, no one had ever informed him of the etiquette needed when speaking with dead felines. So it was true: He and Rosepaw were meant to be Starclan's new medicine cats. There was no more excuses his mind could come up with, only conflicting feelings that he would sort through later.

The ginger tom cleared his throat before speaking. "It's nice to meet you too." That was a satisfactory response, right? He wasn't sure; his mind was too preoccupied with hoping that it wouldn't be some crazy prophecy or something. Please let this not be a prophecy. His peach gaze lowered, landing on the small bundle of herbs. Was that what this was about? Their lack of herb knowledge? The lack of herbs the clan had?? Likely both, he assumed. They would need to figure out herbs quickly, as well as how to gather them. The last thing the clan needed was a greencough outbreak, or some other horrible epidemic, especially with it being leafbare.

@arden @Shade.

[spade]

Amusement sparkled in her gaze at the varying reactions that her presence drew from the two. Rosepaw was a little confused, maybe surprised even, to be shrouded in a StarClan dream, while Sundust seemed just as puzzled but hopeful and optimistic. It would be a good balanced combination, and hopefully these two could come together and be the pillar for ThunderClan that Icicleripple had been. Cricketpaw was entirely unsure what was happening with the long line of disappointing leaders, but hopefully the whole Clan wouldn't have to suffer for it.

"I was a medicine cat for RiverClan many, many moons ago. While I may not know much, I do know a few things." Using a slender paw Cricketpaw unveiled the little bundle she had carried with her for their first lesson. "And while my living Clanmates may not hold niceties for ThunderClan, medicine cats are not suppose to see borders. I hope the same courtesy will be extended towards me." With a hopeful glance, the bengal she-cat lifted her head from spreading the herbs out to smile at both cats. "Let's begin."

Settling back into her seated position, Cricketpaw cleared her throat. "Starting with the basics that you would find in a traveling pack; Burnet. This can be used if Aspenstar or Dogbark ever need to travel to the StarCave; it will help bolster strength and aide in tired muscles." Tapping out a medium-small green stemmed leaf, one of which had tiny purple spikes while the other was barren. "The leaves are meant to be swallowed hole - outside of traveling, it is also good for expecting queens. Generally it can be found in patches that get a lot of sunlight."

// @Naiad @Shade.

[Shade.]

Sundust certainly seemed more confident than Rosepaw with this whole StarClan endeavor. That was to be expected, of course. Rosepaw was always cautious and rather insecure. Sundust seemed at peace most of the time. His monotone voice was off-putting to some but his words were fluid and sometimes almost too conveniently perfect.

She listened to the starry cat speak. She seemed kind and honestly kind of excited. Rosepaw found it nice that she didn't seem hindered by the conflict of their clans, former clan in the other cat's case.

Rosepaw bent down to examine and sniff the pretty leaf as she listened intently to her fist lesson. Burnet was used for travels and extra strength that was also good for strengthening expecting queens. Grows in very sunny places. Got it.

@arden
@Naiad

[beau]

Sundust sat back on his haunches as Cricketpaw brought out the first herb, burnet as the former medicine cat explained. He took note of the tiny purple spikes, as well as the appearance of the barren one. His gaze flicked to the side as Rosepaw leaned forward to sniff it, and he did the same. That was a smart idea, getting to know the herb's scents.

He swallowed nervously as Cricketpaw explained what it was used for. Maybe they should head out and gather some - if they could even find any in the wretched snow - when they had the chance. Dogbark would have to journey to the Starcave sooner or later, and it would be good to be prepared. And then there was the second use for queens, that would be good to know.

He briefly ran over the herb in his head: medium-sized green stem, sometimes had purple spikes. Swallow leaves whole, find it in sunny places. Used for traveling and queens. Oh Starclan, this was only the first herb? This was going to be difficult, but they would manage.

@arden @Shade.

[spade]

[ apologies for the delay, n many thanks for your patience ]

Perhaps she was going too fast, but Cricketpaw wanted to get as much as she could in the first day. With how ThunderClan had been progression - or, rather not progression, it was of the utmost importance that these two cats were able to take what little knowledge that she could offer back with them to their struggling Clan.

She scooted the burnet aside and replaced it with white petaled flowers with yellow centers. One pile had more round, smaller petals, while the other had elongated, thinner petals. "Next is chamomile and daisies. Both smell rather nice, and are usually found in twoleg gardens; chamomile can be spotted in cooler areas like near bodies of water; their white petals are usually more round and tinier than daisies." Giving the plant a nudge, Cricketpaw added, "It's added whole to travel packs, and acts as a calming herb to sooth ones mind and heart." Great for stress, and perhaps Dogbark, but Cricketpaw refrained from adding that.

"Daisy leaves are chewed into a paste and used to ease the pain of aching joints," Cricketpaw used a paw to point towards the separate pile with longer petals, "sore muscles, any sort of minor dull ache injury. You might use this quite a bit on Dogbark." A tiny smirk tugged at her lips as she actually did speak her mind. Hopefully her little joke would be taken as lightly as she had intended it to be. Lifting her blue gaze, she waited patiently to make sure that both cats were doing okay before she would continue.

// @Naiad @Shade.

[Shade.]

@arden
@Naiad

Rosepaw was...enjoying this? It was pleasant. Nothing to fall into, fall off of, fall onto, or have fall on her. No injury. It was definitely turning out better than any training she'd had before.

The herbs were nice and pretty and smelled quite lovely. She listened to Cricketpaw speak, drinking up the knowledge like fresh water from a cool stream. She really hoped she wouldn't confuse the two so she made dead sure she remembered: small round leaves means chamomile for exhaustion. Longer thinner leaves means daisy and joints. But now there was a question.
"Do we smear the paste? Or do cats eat it? How does it go into the joints and how does it stay there?" she asked, a little embarrassed to be interrupting with potentially dumb questions.

[beau]

Sundust nodded, leaning forward to sniff the new herbs and taking a mental note of them. Chamomile has smaller leaves than daisies. Both can be found in two leg gardens, and chamomile can also be found in cooler areas and near water. Chamomile was for calming.

Daisies were chewed into a paste and used for sore joints and muscles. His pale gaze flicked to Rosepaw as the apprentice asked a few questions, and he realized he had one of his own. “Do you eat the chamomile whole? Or just the leaves?” His tail came around to rest on his paws as he spoke, his eyes trained on the herbs as he spoke, fully absorbing their appearances and commuting them to memory.

[apologies if my reply looks a bit wonky, I typed this up on mobile ^^]
@spade @Shade.

[spade]

Blue eyes flickering to Rosepaw, Cricketpaw nodded. "It can be spread across the joint yes. From my experience, it has a bit of a cooling affect. I assume the leaves can be eaten as well, though Geckoleaf never really explained it that much." Her tail swished back and forth on the ground at the thought of her mentor, smiling at Rosepaw. Her gaze them flickered to Sundust. "Yes, the chamomile can be eaten whole. Usually it takes a few moments for it to kick in, but one leaf is generally enough; two, if there are extreme circumstances."

Noting their faces and that they both seemed entranced by this, Cricketpaw decided into doing the last bit she knew. It wasn't much, but it would give them a start. "Sorrel is yet another traveling pack herb," Cricketpaw continued, scooting aside the current array to reveal leafy green herb. "Again, it is eaten whole. It bolsters strength, but can also be used to stir an appetite. This can be beneficial to cats who are just getting over sickness, to get them eating again. However you want to use it in small amounts to avoid extracting hunger pains." She paused for a moment, studying the faces before her with a soft smile. "Don't worry we can certainly go over all of this after."

Moving right along, Cricketpaw pulled the last herb from her bundle, an uncracked honeycomb with the honey still inside. "It will be a struggle to obtain this, but definitely worth it. Travel packs are not good taste-wise; honey will help to sooth the throat and make it taste at least a little enjoyable." Cricketpaw chuckled a bit as she scooped some onto her paw, lifting it to her nose to take in the sweet smell. "It's also great for leaf-bare to help with sore throats and coughing. It can also be used in a pinch to soothes infections." After a moment or two, Cricketpaw set her paw back down. "You'll need to fend off bees, so I would recommend only sending warriors to retrieve this if you cannot do so yourselves."

// @Naiad @Shade. [ glad i had most of this pretyped because my hand is about done haha ^^ anyways this is all cricket knows, so we can wrap this up in the next few posts! ]