rookfire did his best to pretend mistlewhisker wasnt unhappy to have him around even though he was more or less sure she was, simply following the deputy towards the grimpeak once more. watching her leap onto one of the old trees branches, lower than where dawnstar held meetings yet still elevated considerably, and took his place in front, facing the clearing and leaving mistlewhisker to metaphorically watch his back for hypothetical danger that might for some unbelievable reason appear. mistlewhisker called over the cats up to receive punishment, catching rookfire right where his thoughts were about to switch for silly to ridiculous, immediately chasing the neutral expression off his face to replace it with one of disappointment.
given the fact that he himself had been on a patrol, to windclan border at that, he hadnt really had the chance to take a good look at all the cats and their respective patrols. to find out not only firepaw but gutspaw as well had messed up enough to be punished was not what he had been hoping would happen shadowing mistlewhisker. whilst gutspaw wasnt his apprentice and theoretically not his responsibility, the hot flash of embarassment mixing with disappointment and swirling around his chest and stomach was more than simply because it felt like his fault firepaw, his apprentice had been slacking. gutspaw had been promising and honestly he liked bite more than firepaw, been hoping he would be a warrior this moon, but it appeared he had thought wrong. extended too much believe and goodwill perhaps.
rookfire hoped his disappointment was visible in his non blind eye and posture alone, not bothering to express his distaste audibly and instead hoping that all three would get themselves together. not only because this was a huge hit in their career, especially for gutspaw, but because this appeared to be their first punishment (at least it wasnt worse than that, for stars sake) and would hopefully mean more motivation to change.
despite the deputies tense body language and his lack of obvious reason to seek out conversation rookfire trotted after mistlewhisker slowing once he was on shoulder height with her. there was a question burning, except it had yet to take shape, resulting in a open ended sentence that could, and hopefully would, be interpreted as seeking advice. "'dont really know what ta' say,, firepaw's been doin' alright with trainin'..."
ⵌ ➜ #GUTSPAW ˗ˏˋ ✮ it . teeth . bite . // seventeen moons ˎˊ˗
small spiky-furred black tabby with striking icy blue eyes. has a huge fluffy tail & a few scars in the shapes of bite-marks - notch in left ear.
❝HIGH ACHIEVER, DON'T YOU SEE? BABY, NOTHING COMES FOR FREE !!❞
『 彡 @Mica @alec 』 || eep sorry !!! i've been so busy i didnt realize guts had to report in ;0; hope u enjoy the angst tho uwu
Gutspaw couldn't remember the last time it slept well. Sleep was no longer restful — a previous respite turned nightmare. Thoughts of its brother's death hung heavy on bite's weary mind, and it wasn't like actually knowing what someone looked like dead now helped by any means. It didn't think twice of when Mistlewhisker's voice rung out, beckoning it come. By bones, was it on another patrol? Numbly, the apprentice approached. Dark eyebags and messy, spiky fur evident.
Its thoughts lagged behind as the deputy spoke, eyebrows furrowing deeply in confusion before it clicked. Oh abyss dammit, it lifted a paw and dragged it slowly down its face before a deep, tired sigh escaped it. Yeah. Yeah, bloody of course it didn't report in. Multiple finished patrols, and it was this one it had to screw up. Dejectedness and frustration flashed through the black tabby. Primarily regarding itself — disappointing its mentor, its own expectations, caused its chest to ache deeply as if a badger was gnawing on its own heart. Gutspaw couldn't help a sense of bitterness seeping in.
It wasn't personal, the apprentice understood this. Mistlewhisker was only doing her damn job but a part of bite couldn't help but take it to slightly to heart. It had completed the patrol, and instead of maybe sending it do something useful teeth was stuck with a humiliating name for two weeks. Gutskit. As if being one (or the) oldest apprentices despite having its requirements well fulfilled wasn't humiliating enough. And she even had to bring Rookfire of all cats to sit and watch?
Gutskit clenched its teeth, wrangling its expression into something blank; void of an reaction. Didn't matter. It didn't want special treatment, it had just thought bite's mentor might've understood. Then again, it supposed it didn't truly know the molly that much. Only what it had wanted to see. "..Yeah, sorry. I was a bit preoccupied with emptyin' my stomach outside of camp. Not so good with dead bodies, I guess, but there wasn't much to report. Didn't get to hunt, just found Yellowtwist's body with the rats. " it stated bluntly but honestly, meeting Mistlewhisker's gaze cautiously. "Won't happen again, " its gaze switched to Rookfire. Whyever he was here didn't matter but Gutskit suddenly really wanted to punch him. Seriously. If he kept looking at teeth like THAT it was going to claw his face off. Go away!!! Go!!! Get!!
Turning back to Mistlewhisker, it raised a brow. "Is the demotion it? Or is there anythin' around camp that needs to get done? Like, I dunno, cleaning out crowfood?" It offered, maybe with any luck if it showed,, enthusiasm its ceremony wouldn't get pulled back too much. (,, it was going on four moons overdue. Really. It was about to interrogate Dawnstar what her issue was soon.)
Well, this…wasn’t great. Nightpaw made his way over with his two frogs as he heard Mistlewhisker call for him, still covered in mud. He could live with whatever punishment was coming, as long as he didn't have to sit in this disgusting state for any longer. Along the way back, he'd tried several times to get some of the mud off him, but it would take a proper clean. As he approached, he tried to come up with something to explain why he'd taken so long. Maybe he could say something about the bird trying to steal his first frog as he caught his second? No, that just made him seem even more irresponsible. No, whatever punishment was coming, he'd just accept it.
Slight annoyance grew as Mistlewhisker mentioned that he’d only caught one thing. Maybe Briarsplash hadn’t known about the second when she reported, but still! He may have screwed up, but not that badly! His gaze shifted to Rookfire, the new medicine cat apprentice's presence confused him. Was this to make it scarier so the lesson would stick more? Not that that would be a bad tactic.
Demotion. That was…embarrassing. But not the end of the world. Nodding his head, Nightkit (ugh, this again?) left his two frogs right there. "I'm sorry about that." There wasn’t much else he could say. The worst part he reckoned would be telling his mentor about this. He turned to leave to clean off his fur, then he'd tell Sleepysunrise about this.
@Mica @alec [Sorry! Forgot I had to have him report XD]
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Deputy
she/her | 44 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and a pale green eye] Purrks: Killer Aptitude T3, Shadow Fiend, Mind Reader
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Chariot ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
· · ────────────── · ·
Nightkit's apology earned a curt nod from the Deputy. He was young--he would learn.
Gutskit, on the other hand... Mistlewhisker didn't feel good giving bite a demotion, but if she gave it special treatment, that meant she had to go easy on the other two apprentices as well. Besides--she wouldn't give Gutspaw special treatment. Bite was smart, and she had faith that bite wouldn't let this get it down. Dawnstar had ordered harsher punishments, and Mistlewhisker was merely the paw that enacted them.
Bite's words caught her attention, and she twisted around to look at bite. Something softened, almost imperceptibly, in her gaze. "Good idea. ... Thank you." She kept bite's gaze for a moment longer before walking away, feeling worse than she had in a while.
Rookfire's mumble earned a flick of the ear. "Training is only part of apprentice-ship. She'll be doing patrols for the rest of her life, so she needs to learn how it's done." Gutskit was way overdue for bite's ceremony, and Mistlewhisker found herself growing more and more frustrated with every moon bite remained an apprentice. Hopefully... this upcoming meeting. As much as Mistlewhisker liked having bite as her apprentice, it was time for teeth to become its own warrior. "Unless you need anything else, I have duties to attend to." With a curt nod, Mistlewhisker peeled away towards the camp entrance.
firepaw still hadnt appeared which only made rook feel more uncharacteristically unsure about his mentorship capabilities. though, at least gutspaw (gutskit, his mind provided, helpfully) was showing regret and hearing the explanation he offered made rook a bit less disappointed. he was just a kid really, and even though rookfire himself wouldnt have had that much of a problem with the body probably, he had to detach from his own feelings and try to understand once in a while, and especially this was rather easy to understand. he was sure it wasnt lying when bite said teeth wouldnt do it again, and rookfire gave him a nod at the suggestion of clearing out crowfood. gutspaw had some good traits, and this was certainly one of them. nightpaw hadnt really been his business before and the apology wasnt anything special but he was young and this had hopefully been scary enough to be the last time he forget reporting.
when mistlewhisker addressed him the embarassment was almost instant, it had been a stupid thing to say and well within the deputies right to put him in his place in a way. "yeah, youre right"just concerned im the one doing something wrong ear twitching into a more passive position, unlike the usual relaxed one but not outwardly folding under the slight pressure mistlewhiskers response put on him socially. '"Unless you need anything else, I have duties to attend to."' ack he had already overstepped asking to shadow her, how the hell had he thought it would be a good idea to get on her nerves with stupid half questions. "no, sorry for the disturbance ma'am" and with that he parted from the deputy, disappearing into the crowd.
PATROLS ARE DUE OCTOBER 30th
BY 11:59pm CENTRAL TIME
If you would like to be replaced please let me know no later than October 20th at 11:59pm Central Standard Time. You are more than welcome to ask for an extension up to three days after the patrol is due although such is not preferred, however, patrols that fail to report in/back or return with empty paws will be punished in character by Mossfreckle, Rookfire, Dawnstar, or an enforcer.
Please report in this thread to Mossfreckle [mention me @/elio] with the number of each herb gathered along with a link to the post in which you collected the herbs. Note that no cat should be realistically able to carry more than 5 herbs - if you have The Collecter purkk you will be able to carry 8 and second trips can be made to bring back more.
Unless stated by the patrol leader, everyone should report their own herbs and herbs reported by the patrol leader should still list which cat brought which herbs. [failing to return with herbs will result in IC punishment]
Gathering of herbs should be done through roleplay IC, hence the links to where the herbs were gathered. Furthermore, please include how many of each herb your cat gathered in your return post.
Please VM if you have any question or concerns, I don’t bite
(If your character is an apprentice and none of the warriors are showing up it is your responsibility to find a warrior to go with you and/or go and speak with Mossfreckle)
｡ﾟﾟ･｡･ﾟﾟ｡
ﾟ。 Mossfreckle (ShC)
ﾟ･｡･ﾟ they/he ~ medicine cat
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The High Priestess ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
❦ Mossy hues flitted between the cracking crevices of the stone walls the nature carved shelved which bore the burden of his ever growing stockade of herbs which varied form vivid blooms to dull verdant leaves to a lone outlier which laid starkly separated form the organised piled as well as metaphorically between the annals of the herbalist’s starry mind as he rolled the image within his mind like a marble one’s finger tips, tugging forth the compilation of moons worth of knowledge he still fell short of grasping the vividly verdant and long, think stalked, billowing plant in question. Whether it be a remnant form his former mentor or the incoherent attempt of his former apprentice to properly complete a task or simply something brought in by many a patrol, lone or ordered, the freckled tabby had little clue as he leapt with the unknown herb clenched gently between his canines over the babbling rivulet which cut the burrow in half as if to impose some lingering idea of the disconnect of power and society, and strode to intercept Rookfire { @alec } who had been waiting ever so diligently before the muddied orange and silvery verdant tones of the lichen curtain which shrouded the medicine cat’s den form the beaming midnoon soon and added teasing shadows to the dappling of golden rays that filtered through the knotted roots above and cast dancing beams of sunlight onto the hard packed earth and glistening water, ”Do you know what this is?,” Mossfreckle mused as he laid the plant before the dark grey tom, curiosity like a chipper lacing to his clam and lilting tones, ”It is quite low and if it’s useful I will have more gathered but if it’s not I would rather it not be lying confusingly within my stores,” it was a to the point question and it wasn’t meant to be anything less than simply put bluntness, the oriental was sure it served some purpose or another but if it didn’t it had no need or right to continue residing among plants far more useful than most. [ can throw this in your patrol started at the top, thank you <3 ]Taking in the medical spiel as Rookfire’s deeper tomes settled softly on the soft hairs within the canals of his large ears the younger yet higher ranked healer nodded along, appreciative of the dynamic hewn of a shared thirst for knowledge than the bounds of a harsh dictatorial apprenticeship as the information was administered with as much precision as one would clean a weeping gash and as quickly one would set a jutting, off angled bone.
❦ New knowledge settled warmly on the barren and chilled stones of the medicine cats mind, sparking up new life within the annals which sprawled like an ancient labyrinth which connected lose ends and old knowledge, a bit of information form one feline solidified by another, a map more or less of the painstaking effort of self improval and expansion forested and tended to by one’s own self loathing and feeling of inadequacy. With a nod to the former enforcer, Mossfreckle closed the space between the gap of contemplative musings and his original destination far beyond the mouth of his den as even, long legged gaits carried him to the base of the ancient and looming stump of the grim peak which reached form the earth as if it was a beast from below seeking to claw its long dead from which it had came, unwilling to let go of life fully it stood as a requiem of times long past. Lanky form sat, positioned comfortably beside Rookfire as white tipped feathery tail twitched to bump the tom momentarily before flipping to curl politely over white tipped paws as attention shifted from internal and foresighted to encompass the camp as a whole, every feline which flickered in his peripheral’s and those whom he had selected for the current round of soon to be sent out herb patrols.
❦ Tail flicked to call forward the familiar black and white tufted enforcer from the crowd { @Estelle ~ Sleepysunrise }, offering a soft smile as she was to be making her way to the herbalist as he began the first of the assignments once he knew she was within the range of his authoritative tones which where raised against the hustle and bustle of the goings on of the Shadowclan camps perpetually busy clearing activities, ”How have you been love,” the tom as the familial molly informally as he waited to pick out the others of her patron among the ever shifting eclectic mingling of pelts and shared tongues, ”You will be leading a patrol to Mourning Ruins in search of blazing star, lavender, and stinging nettle. Take Newtbelly { @sleepyyjax }, Squirrelrise { @idia }, and Hollowpaw { @Aries } along with you,” the tom paused his dictation to wait a moment for the other felines to make their way to group, ”Blazing star is found at the edges of the forest and is most notable by its five narrow and pointed yellow petals with lots of filaments bursting form the center, almost like a fallen star if you will. Be extra carfuls when gathering these as they greatly helpful in curing the onsets of unknown illness and will be helpful as we transition from greenleaf to leaffall. Secondly, as repetitive as such a spiel may be to some of you, lavender is a tall stocked and topped with long clusters of purple flowers that make their way down the stem, they can be detected easily not only by their colour but by their unique and fragrant scent,” another brief pause to catch his breath and allow the feline’s before him to take in the first bit of shared knowledge, some more than usual as he strove to kill two birds with one fell swipe - knowledge for knowledge, a fair trade besides his obligated duty of furthering his apprentice’s knowledge without constraint - Lastly, is stinging nettle which needs a special technique to avoid more unfortunate outcomes. Stinging nettle is brightly verdant thick stemmed and wide, serrated edge leafed most known for its itchy and irksome hairs, hence, you will need to put the leaves and stems into running water and hold firmly while rubbing them, go in the direction the hairs grown, not against. Once the leaves and stem is free of the hairs you can bring them back to dry in the sun so that the plant does not get mushy and start to rot," with the last of the needed information relayed and a mostly certain assurance that he would not have to deal with a fussing kit acting warrior with itchy paws, Mossfreckle’s tail flicked to direct the first patrol group out and onward to their task.
❦ Turning a less than pleased gaze towards Foggymask who had failed to adequately complete his last patrol and had, unfortunately, been left unpunished as the more pressing matter of Grousepaw’s subsequent absence form not only his patrol but his duty in general had taken president, which meant absolutely nothing but as to say that Mossfreckle remembered and the tom would be punished properly regardless of what punishments had been administered before, if he slipped up it would be his second, not his first. That was neither here nor there outside of a mental warning that he willed towards the tom that had a less than sweet spot within the herbalist heart, more so a rotted section, and turned his focus to seek out the patrols leader, finding the light grey marked dark tom and meeting similarly toned hues Mossfreckle began, ”Ashthorn { @gayvinegar }, you will be taking Foggymask { @otter }, and Stemppaw { @Luna16 } out into Shadowclan Territory to gather honey and Ragwort. Honey is a golden liquid that can be used to soothe aching throats and lesson minor coughs by lubricating the throat,” a turn to add a brief side note to the dark grey tom at his side, ”it can also be used to sweeten herb mixtures for fussy kits or be added into a mixture of chamomile and water for a sweet and calming drink,” focus shifted once more outward, ”What is more important about honey, however, is that it can be found in beehives which hand from trees, you are welcome to try and knock it down to gather the combs from the shattered hive but I recommend attempting to find a recently dormant hive so that I do not have to waste my time and herbs on bee stings you got gathering herbs, it’s counterproductive. The second herb you are to gather is ragwort which is characterised by deeply verdant and ruffled leaves that extend outward against the ground form a center most point. If there is no questions you are free to leave,” the tom instructed and dismissed before turning to his Rookfire and thus his last patrol.
❦ Bumping his star marked brow into the muscled toms shoulder the medicine cat shuffled to take Rookfire into his foresight rather than the blurry peripherals that his apprentice had sat in the majority of the patrol send out, ”You will be heading to Evergreen Grotto to collect more horsetail, catmint, and marigold. You will be talking Palepaw { @goodacacia } and Silentpaw { @Starphobia } out with you, it will do them some good to be out and about and leaning something new,” a pause as he watched the apprentices from the lessoning crowd as those who weren’t sent out went back on their way, ”I know you know these dear but I’m going to go over the last two herbs for Palepaw and Silentpaw, while you can explain Horsetail to them as I am still categorising it correctly in my mind. Catmint has a distinct smell and pale green plant with slightly serrated leaves and a bushel fluffy purple flowers that ascend the stems. Lastly, marigold is mainly characterised by ruffly orange layers of petals flowers and deeper verdant stems with long and thin pointed leaves that go down a mean line,” and with that the medicine cat canted his head in the direction of the exit, ”off you lot go,” he meowed before turning to seek out a rising commotion as the patrols left one by one and without one very vocal kit. { @wolfie ~ Houndkit // feel free to wreck your havoc <3 }
__________________
౨Mossfreckle is Shadowclan’s Medicine Catৎ
it is not a fate cast in the stars, it is a calling written in blood and etched in bone
╔══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╗ Silentpaw
Patched tortoiseshell tabby tom with deep blue eyes that look purplish in certain light sources and a short fluffy tail.
He/Him | 8 Moons| + every 1st | ShadowClan Apprentice | Silent
[N/A/100]
Purrks:
Ultimate Predator [Permanently Active] • Agatha Kitty [Permanently Active] • Katty Krueger [INACTIVE]
. 。・゜✭・.・✫゜・。.
. 。・゜✭・.・✫゜・。.
Silentpaw padded up at the mention of his name. Herb patrol. Neat. Just what he needed for the day when he wanted to do absolutely nothing. He listened closely to the description of the herbs, nodding along. He gave a quick scan of the clearing, trying to spot Palepaw.
Please feel free to bump me on any ongoing RPs. I have ADHD and it gets really hard for me to keep track of all my RPs ^^
• • • Icekit • Silentpaw • Mothflame • Firepaw • Daykit • Windkit • Spiritkit • Eveningpaw • Mimickit • Starlingkit • Hiddenpaw • Milkbee • Flickerflame Character Site Do you dare approach?
Newtbelly found himself sat in the clearing, cleaning his coat. After all, what was there to do? No leaving the camp without orders. He'd stay put. His ear twitched as he noticed the medicine cat emerge from their den - could it be herb patrols?
Much to his delight, he'd guessed right, and his own name soon reached his ears. Wonderful. The tom stopped to stretch his back, before wandering closer to the medicine den - awaiting his patrol mates. Sleepysunrise, hm? The enforcer. Wasn't she younger than him? He definitely recalled her warrior ceremony. It wasn't rare for him to be jealous of the younger enforcers. Just what had they done that he didn't? Not that he held it against them. His respect for Dawnstar was great, and thus it was the same for the team of enforcers. He just found himself... Lost, wondering what the difference was. Whatever, it would just drive him to work harder. He had time yet.
Now those other cats - Squirrelrise and Hollowpaw. He couldn't say he knew either of them. Soon, he would, he supposed.
cool grey eyes shaded from the blazing midday sun by the quite simply phenomenal design of the medicine den, rookfire lay stretched out at the very mouth of the medicine den whilst eyeing the clearing as best he could. a yawn snuck up on him unexpectedly, underlining the reason he had switched from sitting and waiting to lying and waiting, ever the insomniac he hadnt taken to their sleeping in shifts as well as he wouldve liked to pretend.. which, for the record, was not rook complaining about the careful security measures they had taken to ensure their herbs, themselves and any potential patients were safe at any hour of the night, he was complaining about the fight his body was putting up for no discernible reason.
at the soft pawsteps that he knew could only be his 'mentor's, rookfire shifted into sitting almost automatically, stretching out cooled down limbs briefly before eyeing the stalk of horsetail the lithe brown medicine cat had dropped between their paws. he hadnt bother gather any since becoming medicine cat apprentice so it wasnt really that much of a surprise when mossfreckle said they were running low, that didnt help with the faint guilt licking at his conciouns like the thick fog of his dreamscape he liked to imagine within his head as well. the low humm confirming mossfreckles question was followed by a moment of silence in which he cleared his throat. "'s called horsetail. grows well in wet environment so i used it a bunch back in riverclan" rook finally replied, memories of the aftermath of thunderclans raid foggy in his mind, connected with mostly scents and feelings rather than the gruesome visual of broken limbs and shredded flesh.
"ya can use it as a substitude ta' chervil or marigold. chew it into a pulp n it'll slow bleedin' n prevent infection." the medic explained, sharing knowledge he had metaphorically fought for and kept safe for moons as easily as one as insecure about his knowledge and abilities could. mossy is different his mind supplied. and it was right.
recently shared knowledge still ghosting around his mind, rookfire waited at the entrance as mossfreckle returned the horsetail to where he found it, before exiting their shared den after the younger medicine cat. taking his place to mossfreckles left as grousepaw had done only a few moons ago, faint shivers of realisation once again washing over him. feathered tail nudging against dark fur was met with a brief glance before the former enforcer returned to his current task of staring at the cats in the clearing. with the new restrictions fresh on everyone mind cats were no doubt going to be more enthusiastic to be placed on a patrol, to be allowed to roam the forest briefly and with a purpose before returning to their confinement in camp like kits stuck in the nursery. as long as they were too enthusiastic about being outside and could stay on track to full filling their duties, rookfire was all for a little fun.
as his 'mentor' began assigning patrols rookfire took in the new informations eagerly, blazingstar, stinging nettle. blazingstar, a warm reminder to his oldest friend, was interesting to rook primarily as he knew some herbs to fight greencough but never new how to identify those, meaning it could cut out any trial and error, or well, awkward questions to mossfreckle, he might have at a early stage of the illness. lavender was one herb rookfire was pretty sure he knew all there was too know about, but stinging nettle was another previously unknown one and one of the few herbs he knew to come with a warning lable. stinging nettle and its thick stems and wide serrated leaves sounded like something easily identified yet the specific instructions of removal of their itch inducing hairs was not something he had encountered before.
moving on to the second patrol featuring one of his least favourite cats, foggymask, mossfreckle finally lifted the secrets around honey he had yet to learn. whilst the former enforcer had seen and gathered honey before, he had not known of its purpose in soothing aching throats and minor coughs. already halfway to the conclusion that its sticky sweet flavour would make for a good substitute to berries in sweetening bitter herb mixtures for kits and fussy apprentices, his train of thought was interrupted by that very information (with addition of chamomile).
____patrolmates feel free to skip to here_____
eyes briefly glazing over as his mind wandered for the current moment and beyond mossfreckles explanation of gathering honey, the nudge of angular soft brown head into his shoulder brought him back to reality and made him shuffle from sitting besides mossfreckle to standing closer to the crowd as he was assigned his own patrol. it appeared he had convinced the younger medic of horsetails properties as he was sent to gather that very herb alongside catmint and marigold, neither of which he was unfamiliar with. with a brief nod, he stepped up to silentpaw to wait for one of his favourite apprentices to show up, the explaining could be done on the way. or perhaps he would make the two gather catmint and marigold whilst focussing on horsetail himself.
☽3 moons old || he/him ☾ large chocolate brown kit with darker brown markings and thick fluffy fur;
bright golden eyes and a single tooth that overlaps his bottom lip ꒰ #AcontiumFlowers /ᐠ - ˕ -マ ꒱
Huff. Huuff. Houndkit was contained by these towering walls!! First time was a complete and utter failure. He was young, he could forgive himself for that. Second time was because his siblings got him caught. They truly did not understand the meaning of stealth. No-no, but he was a Master of Stealth. Third time would succeed. It had to be. Houndkit had seen a large moth fluttering about the clearing before escaping camp. He would become like the moth. (He also wanted to learn more about the moth. Where did they sleep? Where did all the little critters rest their heads? Did they have family? Could they talk like the wildcats?)
The brown kit rolled in the mud, waiting patiently for one of the Noble Wildcats to start the morning patrols. This time around, it was the FlowerCat who sent out the first batch. Somethin' about .... lavender.. uhm.. alotta words, honestly. Herbs is what Houndkit had learned they were called. So, technically ...... Moossy (..he was pretty sure that was his name.. somethin' like that..) was a HerbCat. FlowerCat was better though.
His eyes watched the wildcats start to gather up. He slowly got up from his mud pile, gulping silently. Become Stealth. Become Stealth. Become Stealth. He stepped slowly like a snail, approaching one of the small tortoiseshell wildkitties from behind He seemed busy looking for.. someone, so Houndkit took this as a chance to try and dart under him. YES. No one would ever notice... He would keep low to the ground, as if trying to become a mud pile himself. He only had to crawl as the other walked, keeping in pace. Luckily, the mud disguised his appearance.. Riight? Right..
SQUIRRELRISE she/her. 16 moons. small, scarred russet molly with brown markings and yellow eyes.
[ chill of death, hulk SMASH ]
russet ears twitching at the sound of her name being called for a patrol, squirrelrise quickly makes her way over. she takes a second to glance at her patrolmates, bushy tail flicking in greeting. sleepysunrise - she is..admittedly not extremely familiar with the younger, though she's been on a patrol with her before. perhaps she's a bit intimidated by her. hollowpaw and newtbelly on the other paw.. well, she's completely unfamiliar with the two. she doesn't mull over that for too long, attention turning to mossfreckle when the meddie begins explaining the herbs.
she's unable to stop a nervous frown from growing on her maw when she hears they'll be heading to mourning ruins, the owl nest immediately popping into her mind. while she doesn't think there's a large chance of the owl suddenly appearing, she's still worried and scenarios begin to fester in her mind. shaking her head, she focuses on the herbs listed. blazingstar, lavender, and stinging nettle. mentally reciting the descriptions of each - besides stinging nettle, she remembers that one from a patrol two moons or so ago - she gives a nod.
Sleepysunrise
[ 13 moons | She / Her | Shc Enforcer ]
A patrol. It had been far too long since her last patrol outing, undoubtedly a fault of her own. Mama would be disappointed, she was certain, and Miss Grandmama even more so. She couldn’t have that. The air escaped her lungs as Mossfreckle, one who had been so close to her mama, called her forth. Sometimes she still found herself envying those who had such unrestricted access to not only the den where mama spent so much time when Sleepysunrise had been but a kit, and unforgivingly, the knowledge it came with. Those permitted to penetrate its perimeters would be an inch closer to her mama than she ever might hope to be, Sleepysunrise feared; they could see the den mama once called home, walk the exact pawsteps she had set down; Sleepysunrise was unsure if she had ever even set paw inside the new one, unsure whether she would ever, truly, live up to her mama’s name and Miss Grandmama’s expectations. Especially with the current situation. She couldn’t afford to slip up, now more than ever; she had lost mama already, this time to the supposed claws of darkness that Sleepysunrise still tried to deny. And Mirepaw had betrayed them, turned her back on ShadowClan. So many others were gone. She could lose no one else.
Sleepysunrise had always been one to lack a grand motif of expressions; her face was often monotone as her voice, vibrant, unsettling eyes the most expressive of all. Eyes were the window to ones soul, after all. And yet even they seemed glazed over with a distant feeling, tearing the youngest enforcer away from the here and now with rigid and cold claws, unrelenting and unforgiving, ever tearing into her very being as she failed to truly walk among the present and living any more. Mossfreckle smiled, she could see the movement of his maw; he always had this odd sense to him, something almost… Familiar, or warm, that she could not quite place. Something that, strangely, frightened her. Where the herbalist had always been so kind to shine his warm rays upon her, frigid Sleepysunrise failed to return anything akin, most of all now when her world could consist of her duties and duties only. Her duties, all that mattered.
Her gait remained professional, tired, ears picking up on the toms lilting, soft voice. It reminded her of mama, of the times she could lay in her arms, the times she could simply be with her; perhaps that is why the young white-tufted enforcer could not meet the herbalist’s eyes no matter how she tried. Mossfreckle had been close to mama, Mossfreckle shared a den with mama – he knew what she knew, and was now teaching it to his apprentice, once more. And Mossfreckle was gentle like mama could be. So how was she? She could not answer, she could not return the question, a social concept failed on the younger feline. She blinked at the ground, gaze kept low and movements minute as instead she focused on the instructions she was being given.
Blazing Star, an odd leader-like name. A plant consisting of five narrowly pointed petals whose colour she correctly guessed to be yellow, all bursting from the centre. Her ripped ear gave a light flicker, interested in finding what the medic let slip; treat with care she had noted and understood, it was a given; what interested the knowledge-hungry feline was the tidbit on curing unknown illnesses and help it provided with the shift to leafbare. Miserably, Mossfreckle gave no further information and the enforcer had to bite back on her tongue to stop herself from wasting Mossfreckle’s time by asking for every minute detail, knowledge and usefulness and questions of the given herbs when the herbalist had his own duty to do. Besides, a small part of her had grown unsure whether he was keen on sharing information with anyone other than his apprentice. A painful thought.
Secondly came lavender, a herb largely unknown to her. Tall, with clusters of purple flowers down the stem – its fragrant scent was interest, she wondered if it could be used to cover up nasty smells in the warriors den and cover ones own scent while moving about the grounds that surrounded their land. It was easily remembered and noted, the description, silent hopefulness for additional information that never came. Stinging nettle came last, a herb she was in fact familiar with. Grousepaw had detailed the techniques to gather this plant in little less detail during a herb patrol once upon a time; that to say, Sleepysunrise knew to recognise the plant and how to take care when gathering it, even if her ears remained perked for all of what Mossfreckle said, noting a few more details the former had left out. Wash first, she remembered, and rub in direction of the hairs’ growth; dry in the sun, bring back. It was straight forward enough.
Stepping away from the medicine cat couple with a dutiful nod, Sleepysunrise found Squirrelrise and Newtbelly to already have made her appearance. That left only the last of their patrol before they could set out; briefly, her eyes moved from the warrior to the other warrior – Squirrelrise – what is it with all these names? – and Sleepysunrise had a the distinct sensation that she was forgetting something. Some sort of… Troublesome element, otherwise it would not be on her mind and yet the feline’s worried expression had Sleepysunrise deep in thought for several instances as she sought what the reason may be. ...Ah. It must have to do with the predators that had been running rampant across the territory. She blinked, slowly, pondering how trustworthy and quick to lose their lives this little group might be. She decided she better keep a careful eye on them all, especially the apprentice, or Miss Grandmama would have her head. She couldn’t have them wandering off, getting lost and losing their lives in the process.
[ @sleepyyjax @idia @Aries | @elio - for Moss mentions < 3 bit of a messy post, though ;; ]
The little pale calico perked up when he heard his name called for herb patrols. His pale blue eyes lit up with excitement, it was his first patrol! It was also something unexpected, so he was just a tad bit jittery as he made his way towards Mossfreckle and Rookfire. Horsetail. Catmint. And Marigold! The last one was the only herb he'd heard of amongst the others listed. Palepaw had remember Lostspark showing him some a long time ago. She said it was for infections and the flowers were round, yellow and orange. It was quickly confirmed again with Mossfreckle's words.
Awh yes! He'd actually managed to remember something semi closely to what it should be! With a bright expression on his face, the little one made his way towards his group. The other apprentice should be Silentpaw, and there was Rookfire, the super awesome enforcer who's learning to be a medicine cat!
Palepaw gave them both a big smile in greeting. "Hi! I'm all ready to go!"
There was two things that stood out when the many conversations were going on. One, horsetail sounds like a pretty new herb to ShadowClan. And two, Rookfire's been in RiverClan? His eyes did widen a bit at Rookfire's mention of his past. Palepaw's only experience of RiverClan were their mentions in the history lessons by Nightshiver and a peak of them at the recent Gatherings. And here it sounded like Rookfire had travelled the world and it just sounded amazing! Of course it was amazing, Rookfire was amazing! Palepaw eyes shone with a hint of envy. I want to travel to see the other parts of the world too!
Re: ShadowClan Patrol Place
