SkyClan Medicine Cat's Den

[Undercover]

Originally Posted by Charmer

The medicine cat was curled up in his nest, exhausted from a hard day. There were cats in his den that were staying the night because of injuries and he'd been running around all day tending to this and that. He barely heard the tiny, whimpering voice of the little kit who had stumbled into his den. His ear gave an involuntary twitch, and he raised his head with a snort, "Huh? Wha?" the old cat glanced around his den, eyes bleary with sleep and unfocused before deciding he hadn't actually heard anything and lying his head back down. A second later, he was snoring loudly.

Purekit jerked her muzzle up as she heard Shinefang's mumbling. Stepping toward the voice, tugged on my curiosity, the female approached what she assumed to be his nest; he was sleeping in it after all. "Um, Shinefang?" Purekit meowed, tapping his shoulder lightly with one small paw. Then, the she-cat hopped back, hoping he wouldn't be angry that she'd woken him so late. Although Purekit was a little overcurious, she hated it when her curiosity angered or frustrated other cats. Like the one time she'd poked around in the Warriors den in the middle of the night and earned a scolding from her mother. Oops, she wouldn't be going in there till she became a warrior. Swanheart would see to that.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

“No thank you. I ate earlier,” Auroraflame declined politely. She wasn’t hungry. Even though the tom probably wouldn’t be able to finish the rabbit, she didn’t want to waste it on a full belly. She’d much rather leave the den and find someone else to share the rabbit than to eat it herself. In leaf-fall especially, she did not like wasting prey. Prey always got scarcer in leaf-fall and anything that could be hunted was to be used wisely.
The inky deputy had to bite her lip from giving back a sarcastic retort. ‘Well that’s assuring’, she wanted to say. She wasn’t trying to be rude, and she didn’t want to say that specifically at Shinefang. She would’ve wanted to say those words at anyone who said that. ‘I chose me’, wasn’t quite the answer that she had been looking for, but it was the answer she had been given and there was nothing she could do about it. And now she had the reassurance that he had asked Grousestar for permission first, and if he approved of the idea, then that made things a little better. But who knew, Shinefang could make a fine medicine cat for all she knew. She just needed to have a little bit of faith in him. "I’m sure you’ll do great as the clans new medicine cat,” she said, not voicing her doubts aloud. Instead, she pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on staying positive. She had to have a little bit of faith. Everyone needed some faith and encouragement if they were going to succeed. Even if it wasn’t always completely genuine. She wasn’t doubting Shinefang’s abilities. Well actually, she kind of was. But she was really just unsure of whether he was right for the job if he’d picked himself. But then again, he’d said that he’d spent his fair share of days and night in the den. Her thoughts were conflicted and she wasn’t entirely sure of what to think about this situation.
“Oh yes. It’s an honour and a privilege. I mean, it can be a little overwhelming sometimes, but I enjoy it and I’m proud to be able to serve my clan like this,” Auroraflame replied, her icy hues quietly glowing with pride.

Shinefang shrugged off the deputy's decline. "Guess my patients are going to be well fed then," he said. He could easily divvy up the large piece of prey and the cats who came to see him would leave with healing herbs on their wounds and full bellies. What a half-hearted praise from her: 'I'm sure you'll do great as as the clan's medicine cat'. It was the more obvious than cold in leafbare that she was being polite but not fond of his answer, it was the truth though. Skyclan had needed a medicine cat and he'd stepped up to help. What was so wrong with serving his clan? The clan that she would be leading some day? How dare he make sure there were still cats left to lead by the time she got there. What nerve he had! He swallowed the bit in his mouth, "Well, I was a great warrior. Figured I'd add this to my expanding list of things I'm great at. Maybe next I'll take up mossball." If she was going to serve him up a load of mousedung, it was only fair he gave it right back. He'd be genuine when she was genuine. Her happiness at being the deputy seemed real enough though, and he grunted in affirmation. "Skyclan is a great clan," he said simply. He could feel tension crackling between them, but what did she expect? Maybe she'd remember to be more sincere the next time she spoke to him. If he wanted insincerity, he'd ask a shecat if his fur looked nice today.

(Isn't he just delightful?)

Originally Posted by Undercover

Purekit jerked her muzzle up as she heard Shinefang's mumbling. Stepping toward the voice, tugged on my curiosity, the female approached what she assumed to be his nest; he was sleeping in it after all. "Um, Shinefang?" Purekit meowed, tapping his shoulder lightly with one small paw. Then, the she-cat hopped back, hoping he wouldn't be angry that she'd woken him so late. Although Purekit was a little overcurious, she hated it when her curiosity angered or frustrated other cats. Like the one time she'd poked around in the Warriors den in the middle of the night and earned a scolding from her mother. Oops, she wouldn't be going in there till she became a warrior. Swanheart would see to that.

Shinefang's limb's gave a violent jerk as he sat bolt upright with a harsh snort, "Wha? Where? Is it dawn already?" His one eye swept the inside of his den, groping in confusion as took in the scene. He still wasn't quite used to living in the medicine den and it took him a second to remember where he was. "Oh right," he said to himself, the fog of sleep beginning to clear a little from his brain. That's when he noticed the little kit sitting beside him, looking nervous as he turned to face her with his scarred up face. Well, can't blame her. That's probably how I'd look if I had to see my ugly mug right after waking up. "Cleankit?" he muttered, sitting up in his nest. "What is it?" The old tom gave a wide yawn, shaking his head to clear his mind.

[Charmer]

@Shoes

@woly
@AbsurdJinx


Shinefang's ear gave a twitch as the sound of birdsong flitted into his den. He sat up with a groan. "Is it that late already?" he meowed to himself. He was surprised that Acornpaw hadn't woken him up. Surely, the apprentice's head must still be sore from that spill the other day, but glancing from his own nest he could clearly see the young apprentice still sound asleep in the nest. Grunting, Shinefang got to his feet and gave his limbs a good stretch, wincing at the discomfort in his joints. Leaffall was here all right. The old tom groggily shuffled over to his herb stores, snagging a mouthful more comfrey for Acornpaw's head. For a minute, he debated leaving the younger cat alone for a few more hours to let him rest. After all, it was probably the best thing for his recovery. Plus it would be a perfectly legitimate reason to crawl back into his own, warm nest and catch a little extra sleep while he waited for the apprentice to wake up. He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Acornpaw would need fresh herbs applied to his head to prevent infection. Plus it would give him a chance to see if the little tom still seemed confused and off like he had the previous day. "Wakey wakey, Acorn. It's well past morning. Time to get some new herbs on th-" Shinefang had reached out his paw to give the apprentice a good shake to wake him up. The apprentice was cold to the touch. "Acornpaw!" Shinefang gave the tom a frantic shove, trying to wake him. Then he knelt down to check his breathing. There was none. The old medicine cat took a step back, noticing for the first time how deathly still Acornpaw was. Deathly was right. The apprentice had died in his sleep.

"...No"

"I, um, wanna be called, er, Acorn... c-claw, like my uncle."

"No."

"Only, like, 3 moons."

"No! No NO!!!"

Shinefang's pelt bristled as he marched back and forth in his den, gritting his teeth and he sucked in hissing breaths. Starclan had done it again! Could they not be happy just taking his mate and kits from him? They had to take innocent apprentices just three moons away from becoming warriors!? Were there no lows to which the foxhearts wouldn't steep!? He had taken this job to help his clanmates stay alive, to keep them out of Starclan altogether and here with the cats who cared about them, and here Starclan had snatched this poor kit away from Skyclan, for what? A bump on his head?! Shinefang clawed at the ground, loosing a yowl filled with rage, huffing wildly like a cat in the throws of battle. He stomped over to his herbs stores and with great, sweeping motions of his paws he began to knock them all to the ground snarling as he did. When there was nothing left to bear the force of his anger, the medicine cat stood panting, looking at the floor and the mess he had made, seething as he stewed in the utter betrayal by the glimmering foxhearts in the sky... and his very own mate who walked among them. Shinefang didn't even notice the small group of younger cats approaching his den.

[The_10th_Doctor]

@Charmer

(Sorry about not replying I didn't have internet for a few days)

Petalstorm padded into the medicine den, gruntin in pain. She settled down in the entrance. She winced as pain lanced through her wounds and she waited for Shinefang.

[AbsurdJinx]

@Charmer @woly


Juniperpaw was first to slip into the messy den, an excited look on her face that quickly faded away at the sight before her. She swiftly scanned the floor of the den, a thin blanket of leaves and berries that she was certain should not be there. But then again, this was SkyClan, and they were known for doing things which were considered odd to the other Clans. Juniperpaw's gaze was drawn to the older tomcat standing over the mess. He was panting heavily, his fur bristling; obviously, the older medicine cat was angry. But why?


She stepped forward cautiously, careful to avoid stepping on the herbs littering the ground. Juniperpaw was sure the herbs could still be used, so long as she didn't tear apart any leaves or crush any berries. ``Shinefang?`` Her head was tilted slightly, a concerned gleam in her dark green eyes, and a frown was stretched across her muzzle. Before she took another step she noticed an limp lump nearby, large enough to belong to a feline around her age. Juniperpaw gasped, eyes widening and jaw dropping. She realized Shinefang had lost a patient.


``Oh, Shinefang!`` She murmured compassionately, maneuvering her way towards the elder tom. Juniperpaw could certainly relate to the older tom, having lost her first two patients to death. Her first patient was a three moon old kit who she had to feed deathberries in order to numb his internal pain. Her second patient was an elder she-cat who she also had to feed deathberries in order to end her internal pain. Juniperpaw attempted to comfort Shinefang by pressing up against him. She knew the older tom had already lost so much to StarClan; she couldn't imagine what he was going through!

[Undercover]

Originally Posted by Charmer

Shinefang's limb's gave a violent jerk as he sat bolt upright with a harsh snort, "Wha? Where? Is it dawn already?" His one eye swept the inside of his den, groping in confusion as took in the scene. He still wasn't quite used to living in the medicine den and it took him a second to remember where he was. "Oh right," he said to himself, the fog of sleep beginning to clear a little from his brain. That's when he noticed the little kit sitting beside him, looking nervous as he turned to face her with his scarred up face. Well, can't blame her. That's probably how I'd look if I had to see my ugly mug right after waking up. "Cleankit?" he muttered, sitting up in his nest. "What is it?" The old tom gave a wide yawn, shaking his head to clear his mind.

Purekit's eyes narrowed as her brows contracted in confusion. Cleankit? That was most definitely not her name. Hmm, maybe he was a bit groggy after he woke up. It happened to a lot of cats. Well, probably. Another spasm grabbed her stomach, reminding her again why she was here. Not that the kit could forget; it happened al too often. This wasn't the first time she had to appeal to Shinefang for a few herbs, though. "My stomach is hurting." She meowed, stepping closer. "I think I ate a bad mouse." She stifled a whimper as pain wracked her body.

(In a hurry, sorry for length)

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Undercover

Purekit's eyes narrowed as her brows contracted in confusion. Cleankit? That was most definitely not her name. Hmm, maybe he was a bit groggy after he woke up. It happened to a lot of cats. Well, probably. Another spasm grabbed her stomach, reminding her again why she was here. Not that the kit could forget; it happened al too often. This wasn't the first time she had to appeal to Shinefang for a few herbs, though. "My stomach is hurting." She meowed, stepping closer. "I think I ate a bad mouse." She stifled a whimper as pain wracked her body.

(In a hurry, sorry for length)

Shinefang stood up with a grunt, "A bad mouse, Cleankit? What makes you think it was bad? Did it smell funny to you?" The older tom asked the kit, sniffing the air around her in search of the sharp tang of infection. If a bad mouse was all that was going on, Shinefang was in luck. For the life of him, he could not remember which herb was for bellyaches. The tom had never had formal medicine cat training. He just happened to get injured enough during his lifetime that he knew how to bandage a wound and prevent it from getting infected. Scratches, bites, those were a breeze! But bellyache wasn't something that had bothered him enough as a kit for him to remember what herb would help. A bad mouse, though, he may know how to ease the kits digestion, but a paw-full of yarrow flowers would bring that mouse right back up. Can't hurt her stomach if it's not inside her stomach.

[graves]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

@Charmer @woly


Juniperpaw was first to slip into the messy den, an excited look on her face that quickly faded away at the sight before her. She swiftly scanned the floor of the den, a thin blanket of leaves and berries that she was certain should not be there. But then again, this was SkyClan, and they were known for doing things which were considered odd to the other Clans. Juniperpaw's gaze was drawn to the older tomcat standing over the mess. He was panting heavily, his fur bristling; obviously, the older medicine cat was angry. But why?


She stepped forward cautiously, careful to avoid stepping on the herbs littering the ground. Juniperpaw was sure the herbs could still be used, so long as she didn't tear apart any leaves or crush any berries. ``Shinefang?`` Her head was tilted slightly, a concerned gleam in her dark green eyes, and a frown was stretched across her muzzle. Before she took another step she noticed an limp lump nearby, large enough to belong to a feline around her age. Juniperpaw gasped, eyes widening and jaw dropping. She realized Shinefang had lost a patient.


``Oh, Shinefang!`` She murmured compassionately, maneuvering her way towards the elder tom. Juniperpaw could certainly relate to the older tom, having lost her first two patients to death. Her first patient was a three moon old kit who she had to feed deathberries in order to numb his internal pain. Her second patient was an elder she-cat who she also had to feed deathberries in order to end her internal pain. Juniperpaw attempted to comfort Shinefang by pressing up against him. She knew the older tom had already lost so much to StarClan; she couldn't imagine what he was going through!

Originally Posted by Charmer

@Shoes

@woly
@AbsurdJinx


Shinefang's ear gave a twitch as the sound of birdsong flitted into his den. He sat up with a groan. "Is it that late already?" he meowed to himself. He was surprised that Acornpaw hadn't woken him up. Surely, the apprentice's head must still be sore from that spill the other day, but glancing from his own nest he could clearly see the young apprentice still sound asleep in the nest. Grunting, Shinefang got to his feet and gave his limbs a good stretch, wincing at the discomfort in his joints. Leaffall was here all right. The old tom groggily shuffled over to his herb stores, snagging a mouthful more comfrey for Acornpaw's head. For a minute, he debated leaving the younger cat alone for a few more hours to let him rest. After all, it was probably the best thing for his recovery. Plus it would be a perfectly legitimate reason to crawl back into his own, warm nest and catch a little extra sleep while he waited for the apprentice to wake up. He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Acornpaw would need fresh herbs applied to his head to prevent infection. Plus it would give him a chance to see if the little tom still seemed confused and off like he had the previous day. "Wakey wakey, Acorn. It's well past morning. Time to get some new herbs on th-" Shinefang had reached out his paw to give the apprentice a good shake to wake him up. The apprentice was cold to the touch. "Acornpaw!" Shinefang gave the tom a frantic shove, trying to wake him. Then he knelt down to check his breathing. There was none. The old medicine cat took a step back, noticing for the first time how deathly still Acornpaw was. Deathly was right. The apprentice had died in his sleep.

"...No"

"I, um, wanna be called, er, Acorn... c-claw, like my uncle."

"No."

"Only, like, 3 moons."

"No! No NO!!!"

Shinefang's pelt bristled as he marched back and forth in his den, gritting his teeth and he sucked in hissing breaths. Starclan had done it again! Could they not be happy just taking his mate and kits from him? They had to take innocent apprentices just three moons away from becoming warriors!? Were there no lows to which the foxhearts wouldn't steep!? He had taken this job to help his clanmates stay alive, to keep them out of Starclan altogether and here with the cats who cared about them, and here Starclan had snatched this poor kit away from Skyclan, for what? A bump on his head?! Shinefang clawed at the ground, loosing a yowl filled with rage, huffing wildly like a cat in the throws of battle. He stomped over to his herbs stores and with great, sweeping motions of his paws he began to knock them all to the ground snarling as he did. When there was nothing left to bear the force of his anger, the medicine cat stood panting, looking at the floor and the mess he had made, seething as he stewed in the utter betrayal by the glimmering foxhearts in the sky... and his very own mate who walked among them. Shinefang didn't even notice the small group of younger cats approaching his den.

the scent of death in the air was familiar to daydream. it was the same scent that they were forced to smell when cricketpaw died. it was the same scent that they smelled when their father died. they stood at the entry way of the den while juniperpaw comforted him. they were never good with these sort of things, of loss. they had lost so much yet they didnt know how they even handled it. they numbed it, and of course like any other healer, they had lost a patient too before. but they never weeped and cried, instead, they stayed silent and let it build up. they could understand was shinefang was feeling, the sense of loss that he had felt in his life before. but they couldnt wrap their head around emotion and how it worked, how the brain would react to things and how to grieve properly. they were never good with those things. so they did the only thing they knew how to do, to heal. padding into the den they passed by shinefang and juniper quickly, eyes grazing where he kept his herbs, nose twitching. soon, they came upon what they were looking for: mint leaves. a common strong smelling plant that masks the scent of death. padding over, they bent to the limp body on the floor, placing mint leaves on the body and rubbing the leaves into their fur with a paw. ¨it masks the scent, itll make it more bearable to handle.¨ they mewed softly, trying their best to be empathetic. ¨theyre in a better place.¨ where ever that was.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

@Charmer @woly


Juniperpaw was first to slip into the messy den, an excited look on her face that quickly faded away at the sight before her. She swiftly scanned the floor of the den, a thin blanket of leaves and berries that she was certain should not be there. But then again, this was SkyClan, and they were known for doing things which were considered odd to the other Clans. Juniperpaw's gaze was drawn to the older tomcat standing over the mess. He was panting heavily, his fur bristling; obviously, the older medicine cat was angry. But why?


She stepped forward cautiously, careful to avoid stepping on the herbs littering the ground. Juniperpaw was sure the herbs could still be used, so long as she didn't tear apart any leaves or crush any berries. ``Shinefang?`` Her head was tilted slightly, a concerned gleam in her dark green eyes, and a frown was stretched across her muzzle. Before she took another step she noticed an limp lump nearby, large enough to belong to a feline around her age. Juniperpaw gasped, eyes widening and jaw dropping. She realized Shinefang had lost a patient.


``Oh, Shinefang!`` She murmured compassionately, maneuvering her way towards the elder tom. Juniperpaw could certainly relate to the older tom, having lost her first two patients to death. Her first patient was a three moon old kit who she had to feed deathberries in order to numb his internal pain. Her second patient was an elder she-cat who she also had to feed deathberries in order to end her internal pain. Juniperpaw attempted to comfort Shinefang by pressing up against him. She knew the older tom had already lost so much to StarClan; she couldn't imagine what he was going through!

Originally Posted by woly

the scent of death in the air was familiar to daydream. it was the same scent that they were forced to smell when cricketpaw died. it was the same scent that they smelled when their father died. they stood at the entry way of the den while juniperpaw comforted him. they were never good with these sort of things, of loss. they had lost so much yet they didnt know how they even handled it. they numbed it, and of course like any other healer, they had lost a patient too before. but they never weeped and cried, instead, they stayed silent and let it build up. they could understand was shinefang was feeling, the sense of loss that he had felt in his life before. but they couldnt wrap their head around emotion and how it worked, how the brain would react to things and how to grieve properly. they were never good with those things. so they did the only thing they knew how to do, to heal. padding into the den they passed by shinefang and juniper quickly, eyes grazing where he kept his herbs, nose twitching. soon, they came upon what they were looking for: mint leaves. a common strong smelling plant that masks the scent of death. padding over, they bent to the limp body on the floor, placing mint leaves on the body and rubbing the leaves into their fur with a paw. ¨it masks the scent, itll make it more bearable to handle.¨ they mewed softly, trying their best to be empathetic. ¨theyre in a better place.¨ where ever that was.

Shinefang flinched in surprise as he felt a warm body press against his flank that felt like it was suspiciously close in size to the apprentice lying dead in his den. He recognized that ginger spot on her head the instant he looked down. "Junebug?" What could the Riverclan apprentice be doing all the way up here in Skyclan? In his den? He turned his head to see Daypaw was here as well. He watched the Shadowclan medicine cat rub mint on Acornpaw's body and heard but didn't really register the sentiment about better places or some mousedung. Still he nodded. He was drained from the embarrassment of the scene he'd made. You'd think he'd never seen a cat die before. As a warrior, he'd seen it plenty. But this was different. The little tom had only had a bad bump on his head. He was sure he would be ok. And worse yet, the medicine cat had told him that he would be ok. Now he was among the foxhearts, and he'd gone and made a liar out of himself. "You too, Daypaw. I'm guessing you came to get herbs?" he asked, his voice hollow and flat. He pulled away from Juniperpaw and strode up to Acornpaw's body. "Help yourself. There's some over there, and there, and there," he muttered, pointing his tail every which way across his den floor. He bent his neck down and grabbed a gentle hold of Acornpaw's scruff and began dragging him backwards toward the den entrance, making some effort not to drag him over and leaves and ruin them as he made his way to the clearing to present the young cat for his vigil.

Nightpaw was sitting outside the den, peering inside at the scene with green eyes wide with shock. Her heart ached as she watched the old tom dragging along the apprentice. It must be so hard being a medicine cat, she thought to herself, moving aside to give the tom room to get past her. She'd never seen the Skyclan medicine cat before. He was quite a bit older than Juniperpaw and Daypaw. And bigger. And just covered in scars. And... was he missing and eye?! Shuddering, she moved into the den as soon as there was room. There was a splat beneath her paw and she lifted it to see a crushed blue berry. "Uh... sorry," she said, backing against the den wall and away from the herbs. They were here to retrieve herbs for Shadowclan, not squish them!

[AbsurdJinx]

@woly @Charmer


Juniperpaw smiled softly up at Shinefang when he looked down at her, referring to her by the nickname she oh-so-loved to hear from him. She quietly watched as the older tomcat slipped away from her side, approaching Daypaw who was tending to the young cat's death-scent. She frowned at the sight of the young feline who seemed to be just around her own age. A sad look formed in her green eyes, and she shook her head, meowing gently, ``Shinefang, we'll help you clean up.`` Juniperpaw didn't want to leave the elder tomcat quite yet. She backed away as Shinefang gripped the apprentice's scruff between his jaws, carefully maneuvering his way through the maze of herbs. Juniperpaw managed to scrape a pawful or so of leaves and berries out of the way, solemnly watching on as the limp body was carried past her. Welcome him into your ranks, StarClan. Let him find peace among the stars.


She looked to Daypaw for guidance, uncertain as to what to do next. Juniperpaw, however, was quick to realize that the ShadowClan feline wasn't exactly the best at comforting, and instead, Juniperpaw began to quietly pick at the herbs littering the ground while waiting for Shinefang to return. She wasn't exactly aware of which herbs were which, but she was able to pile a few of them based off similar appearances and smells. She carried the bundle over to what she assumed was Shinefang's herb store where she rocked back on her haunches and began building piles for the different leaves and berries, hoping she was placing them in their correct piles.