SkyClan Medicine Cat's Den

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Panda

The tom gave the bark a distasteful look, almost gagging himself as he watched Shinefang force feed himself them, but this was forgotten when the older tom had spoken. "I don't think preparing herbs and such is to bad. As long as it helps Skyclan, I really don't mind doing anything." Though his expressions and voice may not have made it evident, he was rather delighted to be given a task to do when he could do nothing else. It was hard for even himself to explain his distaste for 'lazy days'. They were really just something he didn't care for.
As Shinefang began to inspect his paw the same as yesterday, the tom held it in the air, not really sure of what else to do. "I've always been a quick healer. I suppose it's how I've avoided the medicine cat den until now." Though the tom had many scars, large and small, he'd never bothered to have them checked at the medicine den. He just always assumed they'd eventually heal over fine with no complications. Now the Shinefang had mentioned it, he still did feel aching in his paw, which he had mostly ignored up until now. "I guess it hurts." He begrudgingly admitted, disliking admitting that his paw was still in pain. "So, what can I do then?" He quickly changed the topic in hopes that the medicine cat wouldn't question about his paw anymore.

Shinefang grunted in acknowledgement before grabbing an elder leaf in his jaws and quickly chewing it into a pulp. He spat the poultice onto the young tom's paw and spread it over the area, taking less care than before. "How much? I can give you something for the pain if you like," he offered. Not unkindly. The medicine cat thought for a moment, then brightened as his looked at Morningdust. "I know just what to do with you," He meowed. The old medicine cat returned to his herb stores with surprising speed and returned with a mouth packed with leggy green stems topped with flowers with short, white petals and centers bright and yellow. "This is chamomile. The flowers are the useful part so the stems can be removed. And these stems can be used in nest bedding. They're harmless." Next the old tom returned with a couple of think stalks covered in pink flowers shaped like large, short tubes as well as an ivy vine covered in large leaves. He set all of this in front of the younger cat with care. "This," he said as he pointed to the pink flowers, is fox glove. Inside are some tiny black seeds the size of poppy seeds. You get them out by reaching in with your paw and knocking them loose. I'll make some packs out of these ivy leaves for them. But whatever you do, don't accidentally swallow any. Check your paw for them before you lick it after." With that, Shinefang began to nip the ivy leaves off the vine, and carefully fold them.

[Panda]

Originally Posted by Charmer

Shinefang grunted in acknowledgement before grabbing an elder leaf in his jaws and quickly chewing it into a pulp. He spat the poultice onto the young tom's paw and spread it over the area, taking less care than before. "How much? I can give you something for the pain if you like," he offered. Not unkindly. The medicine cat thought for a moment, then brightened as his looked at Morningdust. "I know just what to do with you," He meowed. The old medicine cat returned to his herb stores with surprising speed and returned with a mouth packed with leggy green stems topped with flowers with short, white petals and centers bright and yellow. "This is chamomile. The flowers are the useful part so the stems can be removed. And these stems can be used in nest bedding. They're harmless." Next, the old tom returned with a couple of think stalks covered in pink flowers shaped like large, short tubes as well as an ivy vine covered in large leaves. He set all of this in front of the younger cat with care. "This," he said as he pointed to the pink flowers, is foxglove. Inside are some tiny black seeds the size of poppy seeds. You get them out by reaching in with your paw and knocking them loose. I'll make some packs out of these ivy leaves for them. But whatever you do, don't accidentally swallow any. Check your paw for them before you lick it after." With that, Shinefang began to nip the ivy leaves off the vine, and carefully fold them.

While Shinefang spread the goop over Morningdust's paw for the second time, the younger tom couldn't help but give the goop an annoyed glare. "While I was grooming yesterday, I accidentally licked my paw out of habit. I can't say I care for the taste of this stuff all that much." He flicked his paw towards the ground multiple times as he tried to get used to the nasty feeling of the poultice. "I'll be fine without anything for the pain." The continuous question of his paw made him slightly on edge, but when Shinefang started to explain what he could do, he immediately perked back up, evident by the excited flicking of his ears. "Consider it done." He hurriedly gathered the chamomile and foxglove flowers into separate piles before he began to bite off the stems of the chamomile similar to the day before. At this point, he was much more used to cutting the stems clean, which meant that they wouldn't be sharp and poke at whoever used them as bedding. It took almost no time before he had bit through all the stems, and as he worked through the pile, his expression changed to that of a curious one. He knew better than to talk with his mouth full of stems, so he stopped his work for a moment and looked up. "What's wrong with eating the foxglove seeds?" He turned his gaze so that he could eye the large flowers and get a glimpse at the seeds hiding inside.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Panda

While Shinefang spread the goop over Morningdust's paw for the second time, the younger tom couldn't help but give the goop an annoyed glare. "While I was grooming yesterday, I accidentally licked my paw out of habit. I can't say I care for the taste of this stuff all that much." He flicked his paw towards the ground multiple times as he tried to get used to the nasty feeling of the poultice. "I'll be fine without anything for the pain." The continuous question of his paw made him slightly on edge, but when Shinefang started to explain what he could do, he immediately perked back up, evident by the excited flicking of his ears. "Consider it done." He hurriedly gathered the chamomile and foxglove flowers into separate piles before he began to bite off the stems of the chamomile similar to the day before. At this point, he was much more used to cutting the stems clean, which meant that they wouldn't be sharp and poke at whoever used them as bedding. It took almost no time before he had bit through all the stems, and as he worked through the pile, his expression changed to that of a curious one. He knew better than to talk with his mouth full of stems, so he stopped his work for a moment and looked up. "What's wrong with eating the foxglove seeds?" He turned his gaze so that he could eye the large flowers and get a glimpse at the seeds hiding inside.

Shinefang worked silently while Morningdust diligently followed his instructions with the chamomile. He noticed how the warrior worked neatly with deft paws and wished that he could have tasked him with folding these leaves instead. His older joints just didn't seem to want to move with the same speed and creating packets was delicate work. Somehow, he managed. He was concentrating on one packet when Morningdust asked his question through busy jaws, but he understood easily enough. "It's uh, not an herb I really need to use often, but its a particularly volatile one," he explained. "In cats that have trouble with their heart - irregular beating, weakness, that kind of thing - it can help keep it steady and strong. But too much of it can cause paralysis. And they are so small that there's not a big difference between a dose that is just right and too much. I don't need you licking a couple seeds off your paw while you're helping me in the den and then never walking out on your own paws again." The old tom looked sadly down at his packet again and folded a large crease. "Starclan knows I've seen enough of that sort of thing already," he said sadly.

[Panda]

Originally Posted by Charmer

Shinefang worked silently while Morningdust diligently followed his instructions with the chamomile. He noticed how the warrior worked neatly with deft paws and wished that he could have tasked him with folding these leaves instead. His older joints just didn't seem to want to move with the same speed and creating packets was delicate work. Somehow, he managed. He was concentrating on one packet when Morningdust asked his question through busy jaws, but he understood easily enough. "It's uh, not an herb I really need to use often, but its a particularly volatile one," he explained. "In cats that have trouble with their heart - irregular beating, weakness, that kind of thing - it can help keep it steady and strong. But too much of it can cause paralysis. And they are so small that there's not a big difference between a dose that is just right and too much. I don't need you licking a couple seeds off your paw while you're helping me in the den and then never walking out on your own paws again." The old tom looked sadly down at his packet again and folded a large crease. "Starclan knows I've seen enough of that sort of thing already," he said sadly.

The tom continued with his work as the medicine cat explained the use of the herb, and its fickle nature. When the older tom went on to explain it's repercussions and side effects, Morningdust couldn't help but hang his head solemnly. He personally had never been very good at sympathizing or empathizing, he honestly barely knew the difference between the two, so though he couldn't begin to imagine the scenarios of which Shinefang spoke of, he could tell it seemed to burden the old tom. "That's grim.", he mumbled unable to find the right words. Once he had gathered all the stems into one pile, he picked them up and set them on top of a nearby rock to dry out. He would've placed it outside in the sun, but it obvious that it was as humid as a swamp out there. He took one more satisfied glance at the cleanly cut pile of stems before moving onto the foxglove. He looked around for a moment as his eyes began to dart around the den in search of something. After a moment of searching, he gave an unsatisfied sigh and limped outside. A few moments later, he returned into the den with a large leaf that had fallen from a nearby tree. He placed the leaf on the ground and then scooted a foxglove onto it. He gently pawed the flowers of the plant until the majority of the seeds had fallen onto the leaf, and once the flowers where empty, he started with the next set of flowers. If possible, he'd rather not let any of the seeds fall onto the ground. Who knew what ran through kit's minds, so if one were to stumbled upon a random seed, he'd rather not put the dangers seeds to chance, and using the leaf was the best way to collect them in his mind.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Panda

The tom continued with his work as the medicine cat explained the use of the herb, and its fickle nature. When the older tom went on to explain it's repercussions and side effects, Morningdust couldn't help but hang his head solemnly. He personally had never been very good at sympathizing or empathizing, he honestly barely knew the difference between the two, so though he couldn't begin to imagine the scenarios of which Shinefang spoke of, he could tell it seemed to burden the old tom. "That's grim.", he mumbled unable to find the right words. Once he had gathered all the stems into one pile, he picked them up and set them on top of a nearby rock to dry out. He would've placed it outside in the sun, but it obvious that it was as humid as a swamp out there. He took one more satisfied glance at the cleanly cut pile of stems before moving onto the foxglove. He looked around for a moment as his eyes began to dart around the den in search of something. After a moment of searching, he gave an unsatisfied sigh and limped outside. A few moments later, he returned into the den with a large leaf that had fallen from a nearby tree. He placed the leaf on the ground and then scooted a foxglove onto it. He gently pawed the flowers of the plant until the majority of the seeds had fallen onto the leaf, and once the flowers where empty, he started with the next set of flowers. If possible, he'd rather not let any of the seeds fall onto the ground. Who knew what ran through kit's minds, so if one were to stumbled upon a random seed, he'd rather not put the dangers seeds to chance, and using the leaf was the best way to collect them in his mind.

(Flashing forward again)

The next day, Shinefang inspected Morningdust's paw first thing. He wiped off the elder leaf pulp from yesterday, now dried and flaky. "Hmm... It looks to be about the same size as your other paw. And its not warm. Try and walk on it. See if it's still painful at all. Again, don't lie if it is unless you want to spend even more time in here with me." The old tom backed up and sat on his haunches to give the other tom room. "And hurry up, would ya?I have herbs to gather."

[Panda]

Originally Posted by Charmer

(Flashing forward again)

The next day, Shinefang inspected Morningdust's paw first thing. He wiped off the elder leaf pulp from yesterday, now dried and flaky. "Hmm... It looks to be about the same size as your other paw. And its not warm. Try and walk on it. See if it's still painful at all. Again, don't lie if it is unless you want to spend even more time in here with me." The old tom backed up and sat on his haunches to give the other tom room. "And hurry up, would ya?I have herbs to gather."

The tom gazed at his paw unsteadily for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "It does seem to be the same, and it hasn't felt nearly as sore as it did yesterday." Morningdust remained unmoving from being lost in thought a moment more, before he confidently placed his wounded paw on the ground. He allowed his body's normal weight to press against the paw, and from what he could tell there was almost no pain. He took a few steps forward on it, before stopping and beginning to roll it in the air as a way to stretch it out. "It doesn't really hurt, but it does feel pretty stiff." His hopes to not have more of the nasty goo placed on his paw were high, and as a celebration, he began to clean it off, occasionally grimacing at the taste. "Please tell me I won't have to leave that nasty stuff on my paw again. With all this humidity and the goo on my paw, I attract nats like a flower is to bees."

[Charmer]

(I'm thinking for the order: Me, @Silver Fishie then @Empress Of Evil
This will be interesting. I don't think Shine and Aurora have spent any real time together since the herb expedition).

Shinefang entered his den with Ringpaw in tow, the now familiar scent of his herb stores washing over him. He went straight for his shelves and turned his head to look at them straight. "Most of your training is going to involve you assisting as I work with patients. But things are quiet in here today, as you can tell." The medicine den was empty except for three vacant nests close to the entrance and Shinefang's own nest tucked far in the back of the den in the shadows. "It works out, I think. I can teach you some herbs before you have to go in blind." Shinefang grunted as he stood on his hind legs and braced his forepaws against the wall. Carefully, he took the very tip of a wrapped leaf parcel in his mouth and lowered it to the floor opening it with a paw. "First things first. Let me show you which herbs you don't use or touch for now." Inside sat a pawful of red berries with dark pits visible at the ends. The berries themselves were shriveled. Shinefang had not gathered them. They were leftover from when Ebonyfrost was still Skyclan's medicine cat. "The fresh ones are going to look more plump and full, but you've probably heard of these. They're called deathberries, and the name is not an accident. A cat who eats these will die within minutes. You should always be very careful when handling these and don't let any roll away into one of these den's nooks and crannies. I don't want any curious kits getting into these. There is only one reason to use these berries: and that is if a cat is so gravely injured or ill that there's no way they're not going to Starclan and that their passing will be so agonizing that a faster death is kinder. Then and only then. And even so, a medicine cat should make every effort to save them. Sometimes, cats can survive things you would not believe. Either way, don't worry about the when so much. The important thing now is that you know how they look so that no cat gets them by accident."

[pomegranate]

Originally Posted by Charmer

(I'm thinking for the order: Me, @Silver Fishie then @Empress Of Evil
This will be interesting. I don't think Shine and Aurora have spent any real time together since the herb expedition).

Shinefang entered his den with Ringpaw in tow, the now familiar scent of his herb stores washing over him. He went straight for his shelves and turned his head to look at them straight. "Most of your training is going to involve you assisting as I work with patients. But things are quiet in here today, as you can tell." The medicine den was empty except for three vacant nests close to the entrance and Shinefang's own nest tucked far in the back of the den in the shadows. "It works out, I think. I can teach you some herbs before you have to go in blind." Shinefang grunted as he stood on his hind legs and braced his forepaws against the wall. Carefully, he took the very tip of a wrapped leaf parcel in his mouth and lowered it to the floor opening it with a paw. "First things first. Let me show you which herbs you don't use or touch for now." Inside sat a pawful of red berries with dark pits visible at the ends. The berries themselves were shriveled. Shinefang had not gathered them. They were leftover from when Ebonyfrost was still Skyclan's medicine cat. "The fresh ones are going to look more plump and full, but you've probably heard of these. They're called deathberries, and the name is not an accident. A cat who eats these will die within minutes. You should always be very careful when handling these and don't let any roll away into one of these den's nooks and crannies. I don't want any curious kits getting into these. There is only one reason to use these berries: and that is if a cat is so gravely injured or ill that there's no way they're not going to Starclan and that their passing will be so agonizing that a faster death is kinder. Then and only then. And even so, a medicine cat should make every effort to save them. Sometimes, cats can survive things you would not believe. Either way, don't worry about the when so much. The important thing now is that you know how they look so that no cat gets them by accident."

@Empress Of Evil@Charmer

As Ringpaw hurried after Shinefang, she entered the musky den.
It was much like the last time she had been here, the tang of herbs slamming into her senses like a tidal wave of different smells. As she followed the yellow tom, she stopped to peer inside a little ledge, where there were brightly colored marigold flowers. She wasn’t sure which part was medicinal, as Shinefang had told her only certain areas on a plant were useful, but she knew that one from her time romping around the territory.
Of course, the yellow tom didn’t skip a beat and continued talking even as Ringpaw nosed around at the pretty blossoms.
As he explained the dens, Ringpaw tilted her head in confusion. “Wait- where do I sleep? Do I still sleep in the apprentice’s den?” She asked when he took a pause in his explanation.
Maybe she would just be able to stay in her old nest. That would save the time of looking for more moss. Or she could just drag the old one in here. But, she did need a bedding change nonetheless, so maybe she could sleep in newer moss, moss that wasn’t stale and... crispy? She couldn’t think of a word to describe it.
As soon as her new mentor said something about certain herbs, her ears perked suddenly. Already? Learning right now?
Shinefang is so amazing! She purred gleefully in her mind. She was already starting!
As he pulled a few bright berries wrapped up tightly in a leaf, she leaned forward eagerly to investigate. While old and a bit strange looking, they still had a certain sheen to them. They were small, a bit the size of one of her toe pads, so maybe that’s why she hasn’t seen them around Skyclan. Because they’re too small to notice!
”Oh, deathberries.” She meowed, leaning backwards a bit. At her time as a kit, she hadn’t exactly been around queens very often, but at night she had often leaned over from her tiny nest to listen in on the tales they told.
A Queen, her name was Swallow something, had once told a horrible tale of a young kitten who had gone out of camp.
He wound up on the silliest of adventures, running into snakes and a badger, and in the end his mother found him. She had then scolded him for running away, but he continued to do so day after day. Soon enough he encountered his demise; a deathberry.
Ringpaw hated that story. It always reminded her never to leave camp, but as an apprentice she had to. Then she had gotten used to dangers and other such things, so she wasn’t as scared. But never in her life, except for now, had she actually seen a deathberry.
It looked like it had seen a few more moons than it should have.
She jotted that down after Shinefang explained.
“Got it, never ever let anyone touch them unless they are in suffering. What’s next?” She meowed eagerly once more, her green eyes looking up at her mentor with wide apprehension.
She may have seemed to be rushing things, but her mind was filled with everything she could know.
There were so many things! Piles upon piles of herbs lay in nooks and crannies along the walls, and one day she would know all of them. Hopefully. If she could remember them all!

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Charmer

(I'm thinking for the order: Me, @Silver Fishie then @Empress Of Evil
This will be interesting. I don't think Shine and Aurora have spent any real time together since the herb expedition).

Shinefang entered his den with Ringpaw in tow, the now familiar scent of his herb stores washing over him. He went straight for his shelves and turned his head to look at them straight. "Most of your training is going to involve you assisting as I work with patients. But things are quiet in here today, as you can tell." The medicine den was empty except for three vacant nests close to the entrance and Shinefang's own nest tucked far in the back of the den in the shadows. "It works out, I think. I can teach you some herbs before you have to go in blind." Shinefang grunted as he stood on his hind legs and braced his forepaws against the wall. Carefully, he took the very tip of a wrapped leaf parcel in his mouth and lowered it to the floor opening it with a paw. "First things first. Let me show you which herbs you don't use or touch for now." Inside sat a pawful of red berries with dark pits visible at the ends. The berries themselves were shriveled. Shinefang had not gathered them. They were leftover from when Ebonyfrost was still Skyclan's medicine cat. "The fresh ones are going to look more plump and full, but you've probably heard of these. They're called deathberries, and the name is not an accident. A cat who eats these will die within minutes. You should always be very careful when handling these and don't let any roll away into one of these den's nooks and crannies. I don't want any curious kits getting into these. There is only one reason to use these berries: and that is if a cat is so gravely injured or ill that there's no way they're not going to Starclan and that their passing will be so agonizing that a faster death is kinder. Then and only then. And even so, a medicine cat should make every effort to save them. Sometimes, cats can survive things you would not believe. Either way, don't worry about the when so much. The important thing now is that you know how they look so that no cat gets them by accident."

Originally Posted by Silver Fishie

@Empress Of Evil@Charmer

As Ringpaw hurried after Shinefang, she entered the musky den.
It was much like the last time she had been here, the tang of herbs slamming into her senses like a tidal wave of different smells. As she followed the yellow tom, she stopped to peer inside a little ledge, where there were brightly colored marigold flowers. She wasn’t sure which part was medicinal, as Shinefang had told her only certain areas on a plant were useful, but she knew that one from her time romping around the territory.
Of course, the yellow tom didn’t skip a beat and continued talking even as Ringpaw nosed around at the pretty blossoms.
As he explained the dens, Ringpaw tilted her head in confusion. “Wait- where do I sleep? Do I still sleep in the apprentice’s den?” She asked when he took a pause in his explanation.
Maybe she would just be able to stay in her old nest. That would save the time of looking for more moss. Or she could just drag the old one in here. But, she did need a bedding change nonetheless, so maybe she could sleep in newer moss, moss that wasn’t stale and... crispy? She couldn’t think of a word to describe it.
As soon as her new mentor said something about certain herbs, her ears perked suddenly. Already? Learning right now?
Shinefang is so amazing! She purred gleefully in her mind. She was already starting!
As he pulled a few bright berries wrapped up tightly in a leaf, she leaned forward eagerly to investigate. While old and a bit strange looking, they still had a certain sheen to them. They were small, a bit the size of one of her toe pads, so maybe that’s why she hasn’t seen them around Skyclan. Because they’re too small to notice!
”Oh, deathberries.” She meowed, leaning backwards a bit. At her time as a kit, she hadn’t exactly been around queens very often, but at night she had often leaned over from her tiny nest to listen in on the tales they told.
A Queen, her name was Swallow something, had once told a horrible tale of a young kitten who had gone out of camp.
He wound up on the silliest of adventures, running into snakes and a badger, and in the end his mother found him. She had then scolded him for running away, but he continued to do so day after day. Soon enough he encountered his demise; a deathberry.
Ringpaw hated that story. It always reminded her never to leave camp, but as an apprentice she had to. Then she had gotten used to dangers and other such things, so she wasn’t as scared. But never in her life, except for now, had she actually seen a deathberry.
It looked like it had seen a few more moons than it should have.
She jotted that down after Shinefang explained.
“Got it, never ever let anyone touch them unless they are in suffering. What’s next?” She meowed eagerly once more, her green eyes looking up at her mentor with wide apprehension.
She may have seemed to be rushing things, but her mind was filled with everything she could know.
There were so many things! Piles upon piles of herbs lay in nooks and crannies along the walls, and one day she would know all of them. Hopefully. If she could remember them all!

An inky black she-cat padded into the den and immediately the scent of herbs was pushed towards her. Her nose twitched as she adjusted to the scent of the healing resources. In her mouth was a vole, tightly held by her teeth. Her eyes curiously looked around, taking in her surroundings. Auroraflame was rarely in here nowadays. For one, she was able to take good care of herself so usually there was no need for her to be treated and for her other reason, well....she couldn't say that she and Shinefang got on particularly well. If anything, the she-cat tried to avoid too much interaction with the medicine cat. She knew that one day she would have to work alongside the tom closely, but even with this knowledge in mind, she found it hard to like the grouchy cat. At first, she had been cautious of him because she found out that he had pretty much appointed himself, but now she didn't care. Although she would never admit it aloud, she knew that Shinefang was capable of looking after the clan and there was no need to worry about him being incompetent. Nowadays, she was wary of him because of his attitude. The deputy had a bit of an attitude too at times, and Shinefang happened to be able to easily bring it out.

As soon as she spotted the medicine cat, she set the vole down and gently pushed it aside with a paw so that he could eat it later. "Shinefang," she greeted, giving a shallow dip of her head. Auroraflame didn't sound unfriendly, but nor did she sound excited to see him. Well, it wasn't as if she were here to see how he was doing anyway. "If what I've heard and seen is correct, then you've taken on an apprentice. Is that right?" She asked coolly. Word had spread around quickly and Auroraflame had been quick to hear about this news, wondering at first if it was true or not. Then she had spotted Shinefang talking to Grousestar with a young she-cat beside him and that proved that what she was hearing was true. The deputy wasn't really offended that he hadn't invited her over to tell her this important news. After all, she didn't expect that much kindness from the tom.

Her icy gaze then moved around until it landed on the young cat standing beside Shinefang. Auroraflame let warmth wash into her gaze and gave the she-cat a friendly smile. While she didn't like Shinefang, that didn't mean she had to be unfriendly with his apprentice. She let her hues run over the she-cat until a name clicked into mind. She didn't say anything however, and patiently waited for Shinefang to introduce this new cat, or for the cat herself to say her name.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Silver Fishie

@Empress Of Evil@Charmer

As Ringpaw hurried after Shinefang, she entered the musky den.
It was much like the last time she had been here, the tang of herbs slamming into her senses like a tidal wave of different smells. As she followed the yellow tom, she stopped to peer inside a little ledge, where there were brightly colored marigold flowers. She wasn’t sure which part was medicinal, as Shinefang had told her only certain areas on a plant were useful, but she knew that one from her time romping around the territory.
Of course, the yellow tom didn’t skip a beat and continued talking even as Ringpaw nosed around at the pretty blossoms.
As he explained the dens, Ringpaw tilted her head in confusion. “Wait- where do I sleep? Do I still sleep in the apprentice’s den?” She asked when he took a pause in his explanation.
Maybe she would just be able to stay in her old nest. That would save the time of looking for more moss. Or she could just drag the old one in here. But, she did need a bedding change nonetheless, so maybe she could sleep in newer moss, moss that wasn’t stale and... crispy? She couldn’t think of a word to describe it.
As soon as her new mentor said something about certain herbs, her ears perked suddenly. Already? Learning right now?
Shinefang is so amazing! She purred gleefully in her mind. She was already starting!
As he pulled a few bright berries wrapped up tightly in a leaf, she leaned forward eagerly to investigate. While old and a bit strange looking, they still had a certain sheen to them. They were small, a bit the size of one of her toe pads, so maybe that’s why she hasn’t seen them around Skyclan. Because they’re too small to notice!
”Oh, deathberries.” She meowed, leaning backwards a bit. At her time as a kit, she hadn’t exactly been around queens very often, but at night she had often leaned over from her tiny nest to listen in on the tales they told.
A Queen, her name was Swallow something, had once told a horrible tale of a young kitten who had gone out of camp.
He wound up on the silliest of adventures, running into snakes and a badger, and in the end his mother found him. She had then scolded him for running away, but he continued to do so day after day. Soon enough he encountered his demise; a deathberry.
Ringpaw hated that story. It always reminded her never to leave camp, but as an apprentice she had to. Then she had gotten used to dangers and other such things, so she wasn’t as scared. But never in her life, except for now, had she actually seen a deathberry.
It looked like it had seen a few more moons than it should have.
She jotted that down after Shinefang explained.
“Got it, never ever let anyone touch them unless they are in suffering. What’s next?” She meowed eagerly once more, her green eyes looking up at her mentor with wide apprehension.
She may have seemed to be rushing things, but her mind was filled with everything she could know.
There were so many things! Piles upon piles of herbs lay in nooks and crannies along the walls, and one day she would know all of them. Hopefully. If she could remember them all!

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

An inky black she-cat padded into the den and immediately the scent of herbs was pushed towards her. Her nose twitched as she adjusted to the scent of the healing resources. In her mouth was a vole, tightly held by her teeth. Her eyes curiously looked around, taking in her surroundings. Auroraflame was rarely in here nowadays. For one, she was able to take good care of herself so usually there was no need for her to be treated and for her other reason, well....she couldn't say that she and Shinefang got on particularly well. If anything, the she-cat tried to avoid too much interaction with the medicine cat. She knew that one day she would have to work alongside the tom closely, but even with this knowledge in mind, she found it hard to like the grouchy cat. At first, she had been cautious of him because she found out that he had pretty much appointed himself, but now she didn't care. Although she would never admit it aloud, she knew that Shinefang was capable of looking after the clan and there was no need to worry about him being incompetent. Nowadays, she was wary of him because of his attitude. The deputy had a bit of an attitude too at times, and Shinefang happened to be able to easily bring it out.

As soon as she spotted the medicine cat, she set the vole down and gently pushed it aside with a paw so that he could eat it later. "Shinefang," she greeted, giving a shallow dip of her head. Auroraflame didn't sound unfriendly, but nor did she sound excited to see him. Well, it wasn't as if she were here to see how he was doing anyway. "If what I've heard and seen is correct, then you've taken on an apprentice. Is that right?" She asked coolly. Word had spread around quickly and Auroraflame had been quick to hear about this news, wondering at first if it was true or not. Then she had spotted Shinefang talking to Grousestar with a young she-cat beside him and that proved that what she was hearing was true. The deputy wasn't really offended that he hadn't invited her over to tell her this important news. After all, she didn't expect that much kindness from the tom.

Her icy gaze then moved around until it landed on the young cat standing beside Shinefang. Auroraflame let warmth wash into her gaze and gave the she-cat a friendly smile. While she didn't like Shinefang, that didn't mean she had to be unfriendly with his apprentice. She let her hues run over the she-cat until a name clicked into mind. She didn't say anything however, and patiently waited for Shinefang to introduce this new cat, or for the cat herself to say her name.

Shinefang heard the Skyclan deputy enter and greet him, but he held up a paw without looking at her, signalling her to wait and spoke again to the smaller, calico shecat. "Noooooo," he said, drawing out the word and fixing his eye on his apprentice with a stern look. "Open your ears and listen. Not just if a cat is suffering. Every cat who enters the medicine den is suffering with something whether its a thorn in the paw or a broken leg. If we gave deathberries to every cat who was suffering, soon there would be no Skyclan left." The old tom leaned in and lowered his voice so that the younger cat would have to listen more closely. "One, if the cat has an illness or injury from which there is no chance they will recover. Two, you have exhausted all other methods to heal the cat's malady and they have not responded. And three, the cat's death is inevitable and will be so slow and excruciating that a faster death is the only relief left. And frankly, that's only my take on deathberries. Many medicine cats won't even use them then and will instead continue to try pain control measures that are not working in the hopes that Starclan will intervene. I just happen to be of the mind that it's better not to let a clanmate suffer in the hopes that Starclan will actually do something to help for once." Shinefang added this last point with a barb of spite in his voice. Using his paw, he began to fold up the leaf that held the deadly berries. "And besides, as long as I'm still alive, I'll be making the calls about when it's the right time to use these. In time, you'll be able to make up your own mind. For now, just make sure no kits get them." With the packet sealed, he nudged it closer to Ringpaw. "Now put them back where I got them."

Finally, he turned back to Auroraflame and met the deputies bright blue eyes with his only orange globe. "Auroraflame," he greeted, echoing her cool tone. "Sorry to have kept you waiting. You caught us in the middle of a lesson that was kind of important. Don't want any cats being accidentally poisoned after all. You heard right, this is Ringpaw. Ringpaw, you of course know Auroraflame here, Skyclan's deputy." Shinefang looked the deputy up and down in search of any signs of injury, but she appeared to be in good health. One of his shredded ears flicked in minor annoyance at being interrupted for what was likely no more than a social greeting. Couldn't she see that the medicine cats had work to do? Even so, he kept silent and let the introduction sit between the two shecats ans waited for them to make nice.