Kit Corrals

[twizzypaw]

Having been gently encouraged by his mother to attend this digging class, Falconkit slowly, reluctantly and timidly made his way from the nursery to the kit corral. The grey and cream colored kit held his gaze downwards as he slightly stumbled over his large paws, feeling a rush of anxiety swell inside his belly. He was doing his best to hold it together, but his expression was slightly twinged with uneasiness, his deep and dark brown eyes overcast with fear. All over being separated from his youngest sister, Magnoliakit. Unexplainably, he was attached to her by the hip at birth. Nothing happened to warrant such a bond, it was simply written in the stars. But posed a problem for when he needed to be away from her. Though he did his best to hide it and try to be brave.

Approaching Rabbitpaw quietly, Falconkit exhaled deeply and stared up at the apprentice with a neutral expression, "Rabbitpaw? I'm ready..." he mewed, the tone of his voice having more depth and richness due to his larger size.

@Dolomedes
@Rose
@seeingstars

[seeingstars]

Hollypaw • He / Him • Windclan apprentice • 6+ moons
A mostly white tom with ginger patches throughout his pelt and bright green eyes.
{ 1 / 100 Posts}

Daywhisper had suggested next time they were holding tunneling lessons that he joins. He wasn't sure why, partially wondering if she just wanted him out of her fur for a bit. Little did he know, he ended up being voluntold by her as well.

His ears perked up when he heard his name get called by Rabbitpaw, confusion followed by distaste crossed his face as he reluctantly padded from the apprentice den to the Corrals. He looked around curiously, taking note of Falconkit being the first to arrive. Hollypaw sat, The larger-than-average-sized tom glanced down at the kit, before turning his attention back to Rabbitpaw. He bowed his head in greeting to the medicine cat apprentice "Hello Rabbitpaw" He said, flashing a small smile.

{ @Dolomedes - Rabbitpaw | @twizzypaw - Falconkit | @Rose - Strawberrykit }

[Rose]

She/Her | Post Count: 22/10

Bright blue eyes slowly opened at the call of her moniker, already pricked pointed ears swiveling towards the Nursery entrance. Digging lessons... hm. Strawberrykit didn't recall asking for any - she didn't even know who's voice that was - but perhaps... if Snowydad wanted her to go, then she would. Though the thought of leaving her siblings made her uneasy. Her usual blank expression morphed for a brief moment, brow furrowing, pupils narrowing to slits as she untangled herself from the family nest, peering down at Seedkit. Her baby sister was her biggest concern. Well, Seedkit wasn't exactly a baby. She was of the same litter, merely the youngest.

It wasn't just Seedkit she fussed over, though she didn't outwardly show it. As the oldest, it was Strawberrykit's duty to look after all her siblings, no?

Large white paws genetically inherited from her father, the tall she-kit slunk quietly out of the Nursery. One day she'd probably grow into these paws, but for now, they were a tad oversized - much like Snowybreeze's had been when he'd been younger, though she retained none of his clumsiness. Following the voices to her makeshift teacher, Strawberrykit said nothing as she plopped down beside the other two, not even bothering to give either one a glance. She merely stared straight ahead, unnerving, unblinking gaze fixated on Rabbitpaw as the rest of her became a statue.

[ @Dolomedes - Rabbitpaw / @twizzypaw - Falconkit / @seeingstars - Hollypaw ]

[Dolomedes]

Rabbitpaw

The medicine cat apprentice gave out a purr as he watched each of the kits he called approach and settle down for a lesson. Yes! All of them arrived in a timely manner and that was a good sign right? That they wanted to learn and that may be they will want to be tunnelers down the line? That was always good though Rabbitpaw did mourn the fact that would mean even more apprentices for the tunnelers that were already so busy. Crowtooth, Dustbunny, and soon Vinepaw hopefully. Maybe Rabbitpaw could discuss taking on Apprentice tunnelers to help with the load despite his status as a healer as well.

"Alright! I'm so happy that you guys all made it!" He started happily before turning his attention to actually teaching the lesson that he was asked to teach. It reminded him of doing a kit lesson when he was younger but that was awhile ago. "So with digging, one of the biggest parts is making sure you keep your digging neat... which may seem a bit hypocritical in some ways." Rabbitpaw started to dig at the ground at his front paws and demonstrated scooping up a paw and setting it to the side of the hole and padding the clump down. "As you dig, you want to make a scooping motion with your paw, pull up the dirt and put it to the side and pat it down."

"If you just throw it wherever it can make your hole... or later maybe a tunnel you may be digging, unstable which can be dangerous. OH! the top soil will be looser but the deeper you go the harder it'll be to dig so you may need to use your claws more to loosen it up first!" He finished, continuing to demonstrate with his own little hole. Reaching his paw in and scraping the dirt with his claws before scooping it up and adding it to his dirt pile where he padded it down so it didn't tumble back into his hole and set him back in progress.

"Any questions? You guys can try! Digging is pretty simple once you get going, but its a very useful skill, especially if you guys decide to be tunnelers when you're older." That probably wasn't explained very good but hopefully it got the point across!

[ @Rose - Strawberrykit | @seeingstars - Hollypaw | @twizzypaw - Falconkit ]
[ Sorry about the delay! ]

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Lightningstorm |
21 Moons - WindClan Medicine Cat
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Active | Mind Reader - Active | Dreamwalker - Inactive | Katty Krueger - Inactive

---

A giggle escaping the medicine cat, she found herself quickly enjoying the company of these two little students. Classes she had given before rarely met such overenthusiastic responses on this very first of topics. In fact, the classes usually devolved before anything of value could be taught. Perhaps these two would learn a couple of basic herbs by the end of the day if they were good. Sneezekit she had no doubt would behave. Littlekit, on the other paw... well, maybe misbehave was the wrong idea for it. But the small calico certainly seemed to have inherited her mother's - the real one, not hers - ability to focus on a single thing for too long if it involved too much sitting. The mere thought of the poor she-kit attempting to sit through her job for a day coaxing another small trill of laughter from her, she nodded along to what they both proclaimed.

"Right you are. It seems you both have been listening to your elders. Anything that isn't food should be a given, but you would be surprised at how many kits seem to think that anything and everything can be eaten. Bugs are the biggest example, and something you should never but into your mouth. Not only do they not taste good, they can be very harmful if ingested. Plus, I'm not sure my friendly resident beetle over at my den would feel if it found out that one of my patients ate one of its chaps," Lightningstorm purred.

"Now, that's all well and proper good, but there are some trickier things when it comes to what not to eat. For example, I know that many a cat enjoy eating berries as snacks. And who can blame them? The right berries are delicious, aren't they? But! They must be eaten with caution. If you aren't sure if a berry is edible, do not eat it. There are poisons hidden among them, the infamous death berry the most known of all. A tasty snack might turn into your last, so it's best to be cautious.

The same can be said about food! If a piece of prey smells off, has maggots wriggling about it, or is just... dubious looking, best not have at it. At your young ages, it's best to ask your elders what is safe and not safe to eat, but I promise you lot that you'll learn to distinguish what is safe and isn't as you grow older and wiser. Remember, always ask questions. There is no shame in wanting to learn. And speaking about wanting to learn..." she mused, whiskers twitching as she continued.

"Now, I think we can wrap this up soon, but I will be answering that questions of yours concerning herbs before I let you go," Lightningstorm stated with a teasing voice, standing up momentarily to search behind some of the nests that littered the corrals - courtesy of Snowybreeze - to find the three most basic of herbs she usually had at her disposal. A yellow orange bloom, a bright red flower - by now dried and full of dark, black seeds - and a stick with many a white thread covering it.

"These three herbs are the single most common yet most important herbs a medicine cat can know and should always have. Of these, obviously, cobwebs," she mewed, signaling towards the web covered stick, "are not plants, but very important. Cleaner and stickier than moss while also readily available throughout any season, cobwebs are used to ensure poultices stay in wounds while also attempting to stop the flow of blood. I have other, better herbs for that particular matter, but that's a story for another time... and perhaps far too advanced even for most warriors, as it takes an expert eye to find what I use. Regardless, no chewing of these webs, of course. Not unless you want to have your jaw clamped shut for the foreseeable future."

The medicine cat giggled lightly, pushing the two flowers forward instead, tapping the red one while keeping a strict eye on them. The two kits had made it clear that they would not eat anything that wasn't food, so she could at the very least assume they would keep to their word. The poppy seeds in particular were dangerous. Barely edible when it came to kits - she highly considered it before feeding even one to any kit beneath a certain age and size - she would rather the clan didn't all learn together just how deadly overfeeding poppy seeds could be to the smallest of their clanmates. She was growing rather fond of both Sneezekit and Littlekit. It would be a shame for them to lose their lives over a misguided step towards knowledge coaxed by kittenish innocence over the way things worked in the world.

"Now, for these two. These are marigold and poppy. Bet you can tell which one is the marigold and which one is the poppy. Name's sort of self explanatory for the golden one, innit? Now, these two are herbs used often, as often if not more so than cobwebs. Marigold in particular. That one is the one that is chewed to make a poultice, as you say, Sneezekit. But, to be honest, I have discovered a better way to not have to chew my own herbs when making medicine for injuries! You see, just because I can make a poultice with a flower, that doesn't necessarily mean I want to eat it. Being able to be smeared into a pulp on your skin is all well and good, but it doesn't mean it won't poison you if eaten. This is one of the many reasons why it's important to leave your injuries alone after they have been tended even if they itch a little. So even I don't tend to put things in my mouth that I don't need to, even if the thing in question is a golden flower that is excellent to combat infection that might settle on your injuries!

As for the poppy, well... that's a little more curious. You see, the flower isn't really medicinal. It's the seeds you are after! Those, unlike the marigold, you do eat! But very little! In fact, you should never, ever eat poppy seeds unless a medicine cat tells you to! They are good for helping you sleep and removing pain, but if eaten incorrectly, you might just never wake up from your slumber."

Lightningstorm paused here, her cheeky smile vanishing momentarily, adopting instead a more serious countenance. Cats had been lost before due to eating things they shouldn't. Adult cats at that. Yes, it was good for them to recognize marigold and poppy seeds and understand they were useful, but they also needed to know that they couldn't just eat them because they knew they were good for you. Even the most helpful of herbs could be devastating if used incorrectly. Perhaps not the case for most - she was fairly certain dandelion was completely harmless - but cats who were not familiar with these herbs were better off leaving the experimenting to those who were. That's what medicine cats existed for in the clans, after all.

"With that, I think you two are safe to head out for today! And now that you know all about marigold, poppy and cobwebs, I'll be sure to count on you both to go out on patrols to gather them for me once you are apprentices! Unless you have any more questions, I'll see you lot around. Just remember to be good... or not be caught if otherwise," the herbalist teased lightly, sticking her tongue out playfully before gathering her herbs, waiting for just a little while to ensure the kits were ready to head on our before returning to her den.

---

@Fits [Sneezekit] | @SuspiciousMindz [Littlekit]
| I know your characters have earned their paws at this point, so figured I would end it here and give a massive post for their knowledge gain! Feel free to respond if you want them to speak to Lightning as kits for a bit longer, but if not, this can be considered completed! |

[BEAR.]

Originally Posted by Rani

Rainkit
Windclan Kit | She/Her

Aw no there was loud out here too!

Grumpy and still too imature to handle things 'correctly' the silver kitten stopped her digging to bap Bravekit, not that she was strong enough to do any sort sort of damage, and whine. "Loud! I dont like loud so be quiet or you leave me and digging alone. Inside voice, like Song-Mama says."
None of the other kittens seemed to dislike noise so much but Rainkit was unique like that. Loud noise was bad unless it was her noise and disobey and you got dirt bapped with dirt left on your head.


Rainkit was also a total baby so its not like she knew to hold grudges yet or really was too upset, kinda glad she had someone here to witness her finding a cool thing.


"Im digging. Found something cool! Help me get it out."
Bravekit helping dig would mean Rainkits would not get so dirt too, so that was a plus.

"This IS my inside voice!" Probably. Who was counting? Not Bravekit! She didn't mind the bap, taking it as a sign she could bap at her in return! Bap fight! "Jus you wait, Ima be the loudest cat in allll WimndClan!" Leopardmama was fine n all, but how else would she make sure Twilightmama's eyes were on her? Screaming, naturally.

She'd already been working on the dirt - albeit probably not the most effectively. "I gottt youuu!" It took some work, and maybe Rainkit would've been better off alone, but after scraping and pulling the object began to pull lose from the earth. It was an off-white color but not quite stained, and longer than one of them - but maybe not both together. "What you think it is?"