Crash through the surface where they have hurt us

[Estelle]

Sleepysunrise
[ 13 moons | She / Her | Shc Enforcer ]

Her paws tipped dark, cold ground as she lay to rest within her usual corner of camp, the place where normally she stood guard. Warrior and enforcer for a whole five moons and not once had she slept inside the warriors' den; she had paw inside once, yes, but had been appalled by the smell and crowded space enough to neglect ever returning in there. Now, she realised that mama was much the same. She had adjusted her position just a bit today you see, for Sleepysunrise had came to remember her mama's peculiar sleeping arrangements upon the tree trunk overlooking her most valued places, and the enforcer found herself watching it as if she could will her mother back into existence.

It still seemed impossible to her. Mama couldn't be so easily killed, much less drowned, unless something had been greatly amiss. Either mama had faked her death and was alive, a painful yet relieving thought, or... She couldn't quite place the 'or' either. Mama had been a medicine cat and trained to detect and treat illness, surely she would have taken better care of herself had she fallen ill; besides, she hadn't noticed her mother to be sick during their outing shortly before her death. It was odd to think, then, what else might have taken her mama's life and felt as impossible as the earlier. Sleepysunrise knew about that one poison, the name did not come to mind or her rper and thus neither did she; but most were murderous, were they not? Made one sick and killed them later. Mama ought to know about them.

And yet. Was it not possible, to have slipped one such small berry in her food and tainted her health? The thought sat wrong with the enforcer, even more so at the prospect that one could do the same to Miss Grandmama, if that is what had affected mama. Mossfreckle had told her younger self of two poisons before, a preventative measure, and these thoughts could only push her to think she should know more about them. Just as Sleepysunrise has always been out to discover the use of every herb she could possibly come in contact with and beyond, she subtly shared the same sentiment about the plants that could cause harm to another. But she knew all too well that the likelihood of receiving in-depth knowledge of such a thing from Mossfreckle or Rookfire would be difficult, much to her dismay.

But she needed to know it. She needed to know their uses, their effects, their dangers; how to cultivate them, how to dry them, how to hide them, how to use them. It was the same mantra that danced within her head when it came to healing herbs - how to cultivate, use, dry and preserve. Every little detail, every little thing, of every skill she could ever encounter. If she ever wanted to protect her family and Miss Grandmama, if she ever wanted to amount to anything... If she ever wanted to be able to be in control. If she ever wanted to avenge mama. She needed to know everything, without exception, excel at everything. And matters or herbs and poison were no exception to that rule.

As the night dragged on and these thoughts ran wildly rampant in her mind, Sleepysunrise began to drift off into what was sure to be yet another restless sleep. After all, she had found to have some penchant for meeting strangers within the confinements of her mind.


[ @SuspiciousMindz - Decided to set up a starter right away so I wouldn't forget! Reminds me of the tree combat practice starter ahah, but that will have to be for another day ]