[squidz]

| BERRYSHINE |

small & nimble dark brown she-cat with darker flecks and light, leafy-green eyes | the collector | dreamwalker |

[ riverclan medicine cat | she-cat | 16 moons | timid, kind, hardworking ]

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*PATROLS ARE DUE BY TUESDAY, JANUARY 28TH [EST]*
-- if you need to be replaced, please let me know by Monday, January 20th!--
-- if you need an extension, please let me know by Sunday, January 26th! --

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Alright... patrol time has come again. After anxiously sorting through their stores (and it having been roughly a moon since Cobwebstorm had sent out the last patrols), Berryshine figured it was a good a time as any.

"R-RiverClan!" Stars, was her stammering just worse because of how cold it was? Her teeth were chattering! Waiting a moment for her Clan to look at her, Berry took a quick breath of the icy air. It never got less daunting to see multiple pairs of eyes fixed on her, but at least she was more or less used to it by now... no, that wasn't the correct wording. Not used to it, but able to remember how it feels and to be prepared for it.

Once she'd commandeered enough attention, the soft-spoken she-cat cleared her throat and attempted to keep her voice steady; as soon as she was done, she'd be ducking back into the medicine den and seeking out Cobwebstorm for warmth. Curse her too-thin pelt.

"I-It's time for some more herb patrols! I-I know, it's cold, b-but... we need 'em. A-And I'd appreciate a-anything you could find me — it's d-difficult in weather like this." Blinking, the she-cat took a mental note of who was around her and began to speak, her mind sorting cats in various groups. A familiar, kind she-cat caught her eye first.

"W-Wisteriawren [ @Rose ], could you take Sharkhail [ @Fish ] and Salamanderpaw [ @nyme ] to Seagrass Fields for some dock leaves? The leaves o-of the plant are broad and large, a-and they survive the frost m-more than others." She pushed forward an example leaf that had been leftover in their herb storage, letting the cats sniff and peer at it as needed. It was a fairly common herb, but just in case they didn't know what it was called. With a smile and nod at her friend Wisteriawren, she then turned to a few other cats who'd trotted up.

"Duskleaf [ @Seamrog ]," she mewed, looking at the former Lionheart, "c-could you take Rainpaw [ @Luna16 ] a-and Dustychill [ @GrimacingHeron ] to Lionsbeach for s-some rosemary and lavender? I'm sure you know what t-they look 'n smell like..." Death had been an all-too-familiar visitor for the Clan lately, and those two herbs were used to help mask the scent of it. They had other properties too, such as calming, though Berry didn't know much else. "T-They can stay alive in leaf-bare, e-even by the coast, if they're sheltered from the wind. Look f-for rock clefts and such."

Finally, the small brown molly turned to a few others. The larger tom that caught her eye made her heart wrench; Rowanmane had been going through it lately, and she hoped that maybe leading a patrol would put a pep in his step. Well, probably not in this weather, but Berryshine hoped to convey that she still trusted the ex-Lionheart — even if he didn't trust himself.

"R-Rowanmane [ @Rowan ], could you please take Rosehawk [ @kira] a-and Soaringpaw [ @Minku ] to the general territory t-to get some celandine and goldenrod, i-if you can find some?" She pushed forward a few meager stalks of each, both of which had been flash-frozen from her preserving techniques. "Both look dead this time of year, but c-celandine starts to grow in late leaf-bare, a-as I've found. Already saw a few tubes shooting up from the ground. G-Goldenrod shrivels and go browns, b-but it's still useful for poultices even like this."

Okay! With that done, the she-cat paused for any questions. "T-Thank you all! Please come back and drop them o-off for me when you've finished." And then she dipped back into her den to escape the chill, shivering. How she envied Cob's fluffy coat right about now.