It was good to see Drizzlecloud didn't mind her nickname and upbeat attitude some cats were sticks in the mud! She didn't like them to serious for her taste! So the medicine cat's similar mood was a pleasant treat!
Wincing slightly as her paw was lifted Nightgaze didn't dare to hiss she found it unesscesssary and rude which was quite strange as she didn't have very good manners anyway not that she was mean or curt just laid back anyways she was quite for a while until Drizzlecloud spoke again.
Flashing enthusiastic grin the small black she-cat did her regular response when given orders or such "Ya got it!" she mewed as she waited for Drizzlecloud to return peering at her lost claw herself before snapping back suprised "Yeesh...nasty" she thought not expecting to see such a gruesome thing.
Her attention was snapped back again as she saw Drizzle with a few interesting herbs, cocking her head curiously she innocently questioned for information "Woah dat's quite a lot ya got there what they do?" her tone was still light and unformal still but she did genuinely want to know she liked knowing new things it made her stronger.
A soft whimper escaped her muzzle as she listened to Cherrypaw’s cries–for a moment, she was at a loss, unsure as to what she could do. Was it the pain that was making her cry, or something else? Perhaps both? Her gaze shifted to Springpaw, nodding thankfully towards her when she offered to discard of the… Well, the ear on the ground. “Thank you, Springpaw.”
Back to the task at hand, though. She was about to pluck a wad of cobwebs off of the ground beside her when she heard Cherrypaw’s words–her brows furrowed together in confusion. Who was she talking about? By the sounds of it, there seemed to be someone else at work here. Someone else who had been feeding Cherrypaw lies. Her tail lashed back and forth behind her, frustrated for a moment, before the fiery emotion faded away into concern once again.
“Cherrypaw, darling,” She began softly as she carefully kneaded the cobwebs with her paws. “Who are you talking about? Who is 'she'?”
For a moment–and only a moment–Drizzlecloud watched as Sourpaw and Yarrowcrest applied the cobwebs to Sparrowfur’s wounds. It seemed like they had the gist of it, pressing the webbing to her open wounds with enough pressure to hopefully promote blood-clotting. She hummed softly, more-so to herself, though, “Good job.”
Snagging the last wad of cobweb nearby with one of her claws, she carefully–but quickly–kneaded at the webs to create a sort of bandage before she plucked it up off of the ground to press it against Sparrowfur’s shoulder. Leaning over slightly, she placed a few licks between the molly’s ears–in hopes of comforting her and dragging her back to consciousness.
Oh, she just couldn’t help but be… Really, really amused. Sprucepaw was such a character, after all, it was hard to pat down the laughter that was bubbling up in her throat just from witnessing his sour attitude. Even if he had only said one word, it was obvious that he was pretty pissed due to his current circumstances.
Ah, it was a mole bite.
“Goodness, a mole nipped you?” She asked quietly, head tilted to the side, offering him a small, teeny-weeny smile. Her gaze shifted to Springpaw for a moment, grinning at her apprentice, showing her just how amused she was by all of this. “Mhm, off I go,”
And with that, she toddled off to go and snag a bit of cobwebs. Not too much, since it really wasn’t that dire of an injury, but enough to completely wrap around Sprucepaw’s paw and to keep the poultice in it’s place. When she returned, she was just in time to hear half of what Springpaw was saying. “There’s no shame in having prey fight back sometimes, kiddo. Like Springpaw said–you can just learn from this experience, that’s all. That’s what being an apprentice is all about, right? Besides, it’ll be a funny little story in a couple of moons from now.”
As she spoke, she sat beside Springpaw, beginning to knead the wad of cobwebs that she had brought over.
Drizzlecloud tipped her head to the side as she listened to Dreampaw’s explanation. Well, being completely honest, she liked the smell of lavender, too! It was probably her favourite herb for that simple reason–and the scent relaxed her. She wasn’t sure if that was a medical thing or just a her thing, though. “Does the scent relax you, too?”
“Whenever I need lavender I usually send a patrol out to Firefly Cove–lots of flowers out there, after all, so it’s pretty easy to find out there.” Drizzlecloud explained softly–it was her favourite part of their territory, too, fun fact!
A quiet chuckle escaped him when he turned to display his growing belly–funny, and very cute–but not fit for an apprentice who was looking to become a warrior. What if someone accused him of being lazy? That would be no good at all! “Ah, not fat. Chubby, perhaps–it’s cute, though, kiddo.”
She seated herself in front of him, lifting her paw and hoping that he would mimic her action and do the same. “Alright, let’s see how you’re healing, shall we?”
Drizzlecloud huffed at the sudden weight when Lotuspaw–who was now unconscious–slumped against her. Shifting to carefully guide her to lay down in a moss bed, she stood up tall again once she was certain that Lotuspaw was in a comfortable position–and as soon as she stood up, she noted the nasty fox bite on her lower back. Her lips curled in a silent snarl–frustrated, confused–Lotuspaw was so young, why was she out on that fox patrol?
“It looks like a really bad bite, Springpaw, but I don’t see any other injuries other than that one.” She explained briefly, scooping up the marigold that her apprentice brought over to chew it up in her mouth. While she made the poultice and Springpaw cleaned up the wound with the water-soaked moss, she began to knead the cobwebs that she had brought over to make an effective bandage.
Drizzlecloud had been sorting out the herb storage–ah, they were really low on marigold after… Well, everything. She couldn’t help but sigh, shaking her head. No good at all. She’d have to send out some more patrols soon, that was one thing that she was certain about. Her nose twitched when she smelled something off–the scent of illness, to be more specific. Twisting around, she watched Burnetkit–a kit that she was familiar with–and presumably his parents came walking in.
She was quick to stand up, padding over to meet them, and as the kitten began to explain how he was feeling, she crouched down to be on the same level as him. Goodness.
“Mhm, it’s good that you came here. Right where you were supposed to go, kiddo, very good.” She spoke slowly, her words especially articulated so as to make sure that Burnetkit would be able to understand what she was saying before she nodded her head towards an empty moss bed. “C’mere, let’s get you comfortable before we get to work, okay? I promise, we’ll get you all fixed up and feeling better soon.”
Drizzlecloud’s left ear twitched at Nightgaze’s question, humming softly as she glanced over her supplies. Well, surely telling her what she was going to be doing wouldn’t hurt, right? “Well, cobwebs are just to wrap up wounds. I’m going to be wrapping your paw, as well as your leg. This yellow flower here is marigold–we only need a little bit of it today though, so I’ve only brought out half a head. It’s used to fight infections, so I’ll be making a poultice with it to apply to your paw.”
She poked at the sturdy stick with a claw, flashing Nightgaze a grin. “This here is going to help mend your leg–it’s broken, so we gotta wrap it with the cobwebs and align this stick here with your leg to keep it straight. That way, the bone will be able to heal more effectively.”
And… There was more sickness. When Mushroomkit came stumbling in, vomit dripping from his jaws, she couldn’t help but let out a mewl of distress. She was quick to appear at the kitten’s side, carefully nosing at his shoulder to guide him over to sit in an empty moss bed. “Oh, goodness, come, lay down. I’ll get you cleaned up, okay?”
She gave him a gently nuzzle between the ears before she bumbled off to get some water-soaked moss to clean up the vomit from his jaws.
“Springpaw, Mushroomkit’s feeling under the weather, too! I’m gonna clean him up, it seems like he’s been vomiting. I don’t know what other symptoms he’s experiencing right now, but… I’m assuming this is because of what Bumblestar told us about before, too,” She called out, sounding kind of like she was speaking aimlessly but she was just hoping that her apprentice would be listening to what she was saying.
Mushroomkit exhaled with a shudder as Drizzlecloud came to him. He let out a silent purr when she nuzzled his head. The black kit spit the vomit out if his mouth as the medicine cat cleaned with mouth with wet moss. He looked around for Springpaw. @eris @something.
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My characters thoughts and actions are not my own. They are simply roleplay characters and reflect nothing of my person and who I am.
She kept her head down, lightly crying, as Drizzlecloud started doing something with cobwebs, the medicine cat's words make the blood in the apprentice run cold.
"Cherrypaw, darling... Who are you talking about? Who is 'she'?"
"Uh..." Cherrypaw didn't know how to answer this. Lie! Just lie! Say it's nothing! Screamed a part of her. No, tell her the truth! You don't want to suffer like this anymore, to know if they care or not? Argued another part of her. She didn't know what to do or say.
"I... She is... Um... A cat who... She, um... D-dark..." She tried to find a way to not say the truth. But... But it was Drizzlecloud asking...
Her lip quivered as she pouted, chest obviously heaving through her stuffed nose, not quite realising that she could breathe through her mouth instead. After all, Poppykit was far too distracted to realise that! her nose was stuffy and it made the brittle-boned kitten feel icky like she couldn't breathe, and mumzie hadn't been able to help. Hazel eyes turned pleading as she looked up at Springpaw, ears angling back until the apprentice spoke.
Poppykit wasn't sure what Springpaw meant. The patched tabby never had heard of an 'extra special treatment' and by all means, she should perhaps be screaming stranger danger. But somehow... There was something about Springpaw that made her only tilt her head as she contemplated Springpaw's words. Her eyes cast down and for a moment the little poppy wasn't certain what to say, until she finally gave a slow nod. If miss knew how to help her, then what could go wrong?
"Poppy is Poppy... What is you?"
She awkwardly pushed herself up, first slipping and falling before she could manage to stand on all fours. But when the patched classic tabby did succeed, her warm and round eyes came to inspect the medicine cat apprentice again, curiously asking for her name. She'd never seen Springpaw before - mainly because she'd rarely left the nursery up until now, and a lot was still very new to the young kitten. Plus, how could one expect her to remember everyone when there were so many of everyone?
But with that said and done, she didn't complain when Springpaw led her out of the nursery, only sniffling all along the way. She couldn't quite walk in one straight line; she never had managed to, though she had yet to realise it. The kitten, as always, stumbled and fell along the way more often than one could count, her paws just never quite where she wanted to - sometimes forming an awkward V-shape - and her balance dragging her towards the ground. Even so, as she always did, Poppykit did reach her destination. And what a destination it was! She couldn't quite make out any scent, courtesy of her stuffed nose, but everything looked so different.
"Poppy never gone this far."
She uttered in a nasal tone, her eyes roaming around the den as she fell onto her hind, now safely sitting on the ground. It was true, Poppykit had never gone beyond a few fox-lengths from the nursery. But surely it was fine, right? Pap always went super far away, and so did Mumzie sometimes. If anything, she could tell them all about what she saw when she got back! "What... sup..er, ehm.... extra.. special..? Treat..ment... is?"
No matter how much he ached. How hard it was to walk. How hard it was to breathe. He had to get Poppykit to the medicine cat den. Shaking paw steps drag him across the clearing to the den of herbs and he doesn't waste any time stepping inside. It was already so busy in here... Was there some kind of illness going around? Was Starclan punishing them for something again? If he had to venture a guess, perhaps they were angry with Bumblestar for her most recent stunt. No matter-- it was too much effort to even think right now. Stumbling toward an empty nest with his small bundle of fur scruff-lifted by his maw, he collapses, releasing his daughter so he can suck a raspy breath in through his mouth.
He was dying. Or at least, that's what he assumed. His vision swam, his head was heavy. Everything felt so far away. But at least he could rest easy knowing that Poppykit would get the care she needed. Head resting against the soft moss, he stares at her through cloudy eyes, a prideful smile on his face. Even through all his pain. All his suffering. He was still proud of them all. The pain of leaving his little ones behind stings at his eyes as he inspects the kit, the expression on her face hazy through the fog and swelling tears. His Poppykit... His brave little warrior... How proud of her he was. How far she had come, despite all her challenges. Such a strong little girl. Tears finally spilling over, he uses a weak paw to draw his daughter into his chest. Against the chest that struggles to breathe, as if each breath is more painful than the last.
But he couldn't look weak in front of her. Not now. Not when she was already feeling sick. There was a lot she would have to fight through and his sorrow shouldn't be added to the heavy pile. Lifting his head slowly, he leans down to lick at the top of her head, uneven purr in his throat. He was dying. For what he had done to deserve it, he didn't know. But at least he wasn't alone.
Dreampaw nodded eagerly. "When you gave it to me the other night, I fell asleep just like this:" He gave her an exaggerated blink. The light-brown apprentice pricked his ears and listened carefully as Drizzlecloud told him where he could find the herb. "Firefly Cove," he murmured, committing the name to memory. He would need it later.
Drizzlecloud lifted her paw, and after a moment of confusion, when he started to examine it, he realised that she wanted him to do the same. He raised his paw, trying to keep it still so she could see it.
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Ain't much that I know what to put 'ere...
"And that, my friends, is how a revolution dies." - Haymitch
Last edited by MockingRabbit; October 20th, 2023 at 02:39 PM.
Springpaw long-furred, oriental-shaped, gray-and-orange calico molly with blue eyes; torn right ear
purrks: herbal knowledge - tier 2 | the collector | mind reader[all perm. active]
Her eyes by instinct dragged down towards the dirtied, crumpled pile of white flowers along thin, green stems. A rather sharp, sweet smell quickly touched her nostrils, and she almost felt her whiskers curl indignantly in response to the sudden sharp smell. It was almost tempting, but she was quick to ignore the bitter urge, eying the flowers skeptically as her large ears swerved up towards the direction of Bumblestar, her stomach jolting as a wave of unbridled shock and anger pulsed through her system. RiverClan sent this herb to Cattail Pond? Why? Did they ask for a deathwish? Where did they even find something like this? Huffing, Springpaw pulled herself back up onto all fours as her nose remained scrunched, her brows furrowed as she felt her brain wander throughout the distances of places to try to configure her leader’s words.
Has she ever seen this flower before? Definitely not, but that didn’t mean that she was going to want to see it again. It was dangerous and definitely lethal from what she found out from Wolfpaw’s constant retching and gagging as the poor tom-cat had randomly felt feverishly ill, which was almost quickly resolved from the fact that they found this herb along Cattail Pond. Hopefully he remained confined to camp and kept resting so that he didn’t risk worsening his stomach-bug. Clearing her throat, the calico looked directly up at Bumblestar’s deep green eyes and shook her head, a frown worming its way to her lips. “Unfortunately, no, I have no clue what that plant is as I haven’t seen it with my own eyes before. However, I do feel like we should search around Cattail Pond, or anywhere in particular in any sign of the herb; it could help us know to stay away from those areas and try to avoid it at all costs. If someone finds it, they quickly pick it up and discard it, or just stay away from that area. Either way could work, but we would have to send out patrols to see if we could find any other flower like this. We don’t want to risk anyone else growing sick from a deadly flower like this.”
Hopefully Bumblestar agreed with the decision she was making, given Springpaw’s current age and willpower, she would be willing to send out any patrols if she wanted. Hell, she would even lead one if she wanted. Which, speaking of leading… “Maybe in the morning I can lead a patrol to try to see if we can find any other herbs like it? I can tell anyone that I bring with me to tell me if they spot anything like it to absolutely avoid it at all costs. Afterwards, we can come straight back to camp to tell you where they are mainly located at and where to avoid running into it. If it works out smoothly, we might be able to figure out what exactly its name could be and what it could be called, but that’s just me,” Springpaw explained, focusing her gaze on her leader as she outlined her plan. Could it work? Potentially. Would Bumblestar agree? Hopefully. It was the most that the apprentice had in mind and if it worked, then that would mean that they would know where not to go and avoid any potential catastrophic problems such as Wolfpaw’s sudden illness.
Poison. Drizzlecloud’s ears flattened against her head at the word, and she narrowed her eyes at the flowers that rested on the floor–dirty, their petals slightly tattered. This could be what made Wolfpaw sick? Her gaze shifted for a moment, intending to find Wolfpaw’s sleeping body in one of the extra moss beds in their den. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the topic at hand.
“I… Can’t say I have a clue what this is.” Drizzlecloud would have sniffed at it, toyed with it in her paw a little bit, but she didn’t want to risk it, honestly. Instead, she turned to look at Springpaw, falling silent at the plan that she had laid out. It sounded.. Like a fair plan, yes.
Her thoughts soon returned to Wolfpaw, though. “...I’m thinking of asking Wolfpaw if he can recognize these. I’d like to keep them, but they’ll be tucked away–nobody will know where they are except for us. If Wolfpaw can give us a definitive answer, that might be able to help us in figuring out if your suspicions are correct.” Worst case scenario, Wolfpaw said that he didn’t recognize these flowers. In that situation, they’d have to take another approach to figuring out what these flowers were and.. What they did. Not that she would do anything to her own clanmates, goodness, no–but she’d figure something out.
[ apologies for how long this reply has taken, got lost amongst everything else. don't need to respond if you don't want to, just wrapping it up ]
So neither of them knew what this was. "Wonderful," she muttered. Distress and disappointment evident, Bumblestar nodded at both of them. "Do that, yes. Don't want any others getting ill 'cause of this crap. I'm havin' a word with RiverClan about this later. Just be careful. Keep this-" she pointed to the poison with a claw "-for reference, at least 'till it rots. Maybe keep stocking up on it, if you can possibly find it. Maybe 'round Smallpines."
Running her tongue over her jaws, she stood up and flicked a scrap of moss off a claw. "Gonna go wash off. Keep an eye on Wolfpaw."
Re: ThunderClan Medicine Cat's Den
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