RiverClan Medicine Cat's Den

[CheetahPelt]

@Dipper


Otterstone limped into the den after a while, visibly cleaner and more alert. Her pelt, before matted with moons of dirt was clean. Her eyes were steely and focused, though the rest of her face was clear and unreadable. Her head was held up, bundles of herbs in her mouth.



She made eye contact quickly with Fawnsqueak, though decided not to say anything. She held the stare, shifting her grip on the herbs, before sliding forwards.



Her golden gaze shifted around the den, first catching on the herbs at her apprentice's paws, then flicking up to the cats working around the small den.


The tortoiseshell brushed past the other cats, slipping into the herb storage to put her finds away.

[BEAR.]

Originally Posted by Dipper

Fawnsqueak skittered to meet them at the front of the den, relieved by the sight of Firehawk and Thistlestep and it was even better that they were carrying herbs. That was a trip saved. Although he'd never thought he could feel that grateful for a gift of plants to spit on cats with, the ache in his paws from his Lionsrange journey convinced him to muster a more colorful reaction than the usual "oh.. thanks, I guess." "Wow," he said, pawing through it, sniffing it. Wrinkling his nose at the pungent scents that weren't spectacular when combined. "This is all-- really nice, like there's.. a stick and some cobwebs and oh-- marigold, borage? Maybe? I don't know." It was closer than the other flower that'd been delivered, given it wasn't purple. "And a poppy. Nice, that's honestly.. super helpful right now."

He swept them away quickly and was already organizing them into the stock when he remembered Firehawk and Thistlestep, growing sheepish. "Seriously, it was kind of you guys to.. to do that." He didn't know how to articulate his appreciation for the gesture when he hadn't even had to ask for it. But he grinned, almost shy, and cleared his throat. "Thanks.. for that, well-- everything."

Thistlestep chuckled faintly as he headed out of the den, stick and web collecting duty done for the day. "Don't mention it, Fawn-- seriously."

Firehawk was a little more pawsy, moving to give Fawnsqueak an affectionate nose boop on his cheek. "Just tell me if you need anything and I'll get it for you."

[Fawn]

The small gesture of affection stirred memories of a different period within his life, equally complicated but for unusual reasons, and Fawnsqueak smiled faintly. Doing his best to not get choked up. "No, it's.. you've done a lot already," he reassured but his mind was reviewing where they were at on the revamping of the den, and an idea dawned on him. "If you're comfortable with it, maybe-- if it's not too much of a hindrance, you could check in on the kits and queens. We had a," he paused, "... situation in here, and it's sort of led me to believe it's possible that a cough might be spreading throughout the Clan...?" Although the end was lifted like a question in his uncertainty, it was a statement. "Here.. you can listen to how I breathe--which is normal, I think. And then listen to Coralkit's. Which is.. less normal."

@BILL.

[BEAR.]

Oh, dear! Firehawk flattened his ears back in concern as Fawnsqueak spoke, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the nursery. "Several of the kits became apprentices.. should I do a wellness check up for them as well?" It would make sense! If they were exposed in the nursery, that meant now they might be exposing the other apprentices.. their mentors.. anyone those cats interacted with... it made Firehawk antsy. "Do you want me to send them to you if they sound strange?"

The more he thought about it, the more he shuffled his paws. Oh, skies! It felt like they were going to have another pandemic on their paws, though he was glad this time around they had a capable medicine cat. "Let me.."

Firehawk craned his head down to put his ear close to Fawnsqueak's chest. He couldn't find anything of note to it-- it seemed fine? Maybe it would be easier to tell once he tried Coralkit out.

Moving away from Fawnsqueak, Firehawk shuffled over to where Coralkit was resting. "Hey there sugar," he murmured gently to the fiery little kitten. Coralkit was visibly old enough to be apprenticed-- at least, by Clan standards, but they'd always be tiny to him. "Do you mind if I check your breathing for a moment? I'll be out of your fur in a jiffy."

[ @Scum, @Dipper ]

[teddy.]

Coralkit looked up with their fiery blue eyes, narrowed into a sharp glare. Who was this random imposter? Nothing but a fly, buzzing of annoyance, in Corals ear. They stretched out little ginger topped paws, letting out a wheezy breath, "Coralkit, not Sugar..." They wheezed, voice dripping with poison but behind all the sour was a sadness.

@BILL.

[BEAR.]

Affectionately, Firehawk bopped his muzzle at the top of Coralkit's head to gently comfort the sick little kitten. "Sugar is a term of endearment, Coralkit. I wasn't using it as your name."

Since Coralkit had moved, Firehawk took this as an opportunity to move into a position where he could hear Coralkit's breathing better. Wheezy, rattling-- thick. It definitely reminded Firehawk of the old pandemic when all the Clans threw together CoughClan as a quarantine.. would they have to do that again?

Moving back, he reached to lightly rasp his tongue over one of Coralkit's ears. "Don't be sad, Coralkit. You'll be bright as the sun soon enough, Fawnsqueak's here to look after you and help you get better. All you need to do is rest."

[ @Scum ]

[teddy.]

A little angry blep of a pink tongue poked out of Corals mouth as their ear was licke. Another sneer plastered their snout at the mention of Fawnsqueak, the rabbit-brain who could barely run without coughing up a lung... and yet it was Coralkit who apparently needed to be taken care of. They bit back their comments, not needing to put themselves on the medicine dens Black List.

Coralkit rolled onto their back, leaping up to bat a sheathed paw at Firehawks snout. They were meant to be taken in a harsh manner but Coral hardly had the enegry to really leave an impression. Soft little pawpads didn't help. "I was meant to be an apprentice....Now they're all busy. Only sting came to visit," Coralkit grumbled, voice a mess of different pitches - all of which were painful.

@BILL.

[BEAR.]

Firehawk took the angry signs from Coralkit in stride, unfazed by the silent objection and sneers as he continued to try to rasp his tongue over the sick kitten's pelt. If Coralkit thought Firehawk would be deterred by a sheathed paw, they were wrong-- he'd endured worse from his own son! Beneath his fluff, he was sure he had some scars to prove it.

"Well, the sooner you recover, the sooner you can join them!" Gently, Firehawk reached to tuck Coralkit close to him, intending on burying them in his thick coat. "You know, they're not really supposed to visit you when you're sick.. with how rampant it might've spread, the less a cat is exposed, the better. But! As soon as you recover, you'll become an apprentice and," he reached to poke Coralkit on their muzzle with a bean, "I bet you'll be the best dang apprentice in the whole Clan." Firehawk handling Coralkit was probably not the best idea, but the kitten looked like they could use some love, and Firehawk didn't have the heart to deny them that.

[ @Scum ]

[teddy.]

Coralkit blinked. The sudden warmth of Firehawks chest puff was relieving, comforting, enjoyable almost... But coral would never admit that.
They listened, reluctantly so, but it wasn't like Coral had the energy to shutdown whatever exactly this was. First a moment, they lingered in the comforting embrace, allowing Firehawk to indulge in the moment.

"Do you... really think that? I'd be a good apprentice?" Coralkit whispered, no energy to speak any louder. They pushed a paw up, diverting his large ginger beans away. "I hope I got a good mentor... Not everyone is teacher material," they wheezed.
@BILL.

[BEAR.]

Ah, Firehawk was pleased his attempts to cuddle the child seemed to work! Snugs fixed a lot of problems and he was more than happy to try to nuzzle the top of Coralkit's head.

"Of course I do. I know you'll be the best apprentice!" He gave the kit a rumbly purr. "It's unfortunate some of our Clan-mates definitely aren't ideal mentors.. no matter what, if you ever want extra training you can go to me. How does that sound?"

[ @Scum ]