SkyClan Medicine Cat's Den

[pomegranate]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

An inky black she-cat padded into the den and immediately the scent of herbs was pushed towards her. Her nose twitched as she adjusted to the scent of the healing resources. In her mouth was a vole, tightly held by her teeth. Her eyes curiously looked around, taking in her surroundings. Auroraflame was rarely in here nowadays. For one, she was able to take good care of herself so usually there was no need for her to be treated and for her other reason, well....she couldn't say that she and Shinefang got on particularly well. If anything, the she-cat tried to avoid too much interaction with the medicine cat. She knew that one day she would have to work alongside the tom closely, but even with this knowledge in mind, she found it hard to like the grouchy cat. At first, she had been cautious of him because she found out that he had pretty much appointed himself, but now she didn't care. Although she would never admit it aloud, she knew that Shinefang was capable of looking after the clan and there was no need to worry about him being incompetent. Nowadays, she was wary of him because of his attitude. The deputy had a bit of an attitude too at times, and Shinefang happened to be able to easily bring it out.

As soon as she spotted the medicine cat, she set the vole down and gently pushed it aside with a paw so that he could eat it later. "Shinefang," she greeted, giving a shallow dip of her head. Auroraflame didn't sound unfriendly, but nor did she sound excited to see him. Well, it wasn't as if she were here to see how he was doing anyway. "If what I've heard and seen is correct, then you've taken on an apprentice. Is that right?" She asked coolly. Word had spread around quickly and Auroraflame had been quick to hear about this news, wondering at first if it was true or not. Then she had spotted Shinefang talking to Grousestar with a young she-cat beside him and that proved that what she was hearing was true. The deputy wasn't really offended that he hadn't invited her over to tell her this important news. After all, she didn't expect that much kindness from the tom.

Her icy gaze then moved around until it landed on the young cat standing beside Shinefang. Auroraflame let warmth wash into her gaze and gave the she-cat a friendly smile. While she didn't like Shinefang, that didn't mean she had to be unfriendly with his apprentice. She let her hues run over the she-cat until a name clicked into mind. She didn't say anything however, and patiently waited for Shinefang to introduce this new cat, or for the cat herself to say her name.

Originally Posted by Charmer

Shinefang heard the Skyclan deputy enter and greet him, but he held up a paw without looking at her, signalling her to wait and spoke again to the smaller, calico shecat. "Noooooo," he said, drawing out the word and fixing his eye on his apprentice with a stern look. "Open your ears and listen. Not just if a cat is suffering. Every cat who enters the medicine den is suffering with something whether its a thorn in the paw or a broken leg. If we gave deathberries to every cat who was suffering, soon there would be no Skyclan left." The old tom leaned in and lowered his voice so that the younger cat would have to listen more closely. "One, if the cat has an illness or injury from which there is no chance they will recover. Two, you have exhausted all other methods to heal the cat's malady and they have not responded. And three, the cat's death is inevitable and will be so slow and excruciating that a faster death is the only relief left. And frankly, that's only my take on deathberries. Many medicine cats won't even use them then and will instead continue to try pain control measures that are not working in the hopes that Starclan will intervene. I just happen to be of the mind that it's better not to let a clanmate suffer in the hopes that Starclan will actually do something to help for once." Shinefang added this last point with a barb of spite in his voice. Using his paw, he began to fold up the leaf that held the deadly berries. "And besides, as long as I'm still alive, I'll be making the calls about when it's the right time to use these. In time, you'll be able to make up your own mind. For now, just make sure no kits get them." With the packet sealed, he nudged it closer to Ringpaw. "Now put them back where I got them."

Finally, he turned back to Auroraflame and met the deputies bright blue eyes with his only orange globe. "Auroraflame," he greeted, echoing her cool tone. "Sorry to have kept you waiting. You caught us in the middle of a lesson that was kind of important. Don't want any cats being accidentally poisoned after all. You heard right, this is Ringpaw. Ringpaw, you of course know Auroraflame here, Skyclan's deputy." Shinefang looked the deputy up and down in search of any signs of injury, but she appeared to be in good health. One of his shredded ears flicked in minor annoyance at being interrupted for what was likely no more than a social greeting. Couldn't she see that the medicine cats had work to do? Even so, he kept silent and let the introduction sit between the two shecats ans waited for them to make nice.

When the black molly entered the medicine den, Ringpaw felt like a bouncy kit, wanting to jostle over to them and introduce herself. But, she held back. She instantly recognized the newcomer as Auroraflame, Skyclan’s deputy. She couldn’t just run over to her and act like best buds!
Another thing that held her back was Shinefang’s loud correction.
Ringpaw almost felt dulled by his reprimand.
But, Shinefang was right. If a cat wasn’t in suffering, why would they come to the medicine den? For a second, she tried to think of all the ailments that she might have to treat.
Sprained paws, thorns, even a gouged out eye! At first it had seemed fascinating, being able to help other cats, but what if she couldn’t save them? Using deathberries seemed a bit more foggy now. What if her judgement wasn’t right? What if she killed a cat who could have been saved?
The time for worry isn’t now. We'll cross that path when we come to it.
Ringpaw relished the sound of Snowbranch’s voice, soothing and sweet. Maybe she shouldn’t stress just yet over the little holes and tears that might litter her future.
As the yellow tom leaned in closer, she listened intently. She should open her ears more often, especially if she was supposed to learn everything she could! Even just being corrected right now was a part of the learning process.
Besides, Shinefang had just said that one day she would know how to use them correctly! But only if she remembered that deathberries were for extreme measures, only when a cat was dying and was in so much pain that it would be merciful to bring them to Starclan early.
“I can do that!” She exclaimed happily as he pulled away.
A task! Something easy! Putting the herbs back in their nook wouldn’t be hard.
She bent down to snatch the parcel, carefully testing the strength of the wrapping with her teeth. She didn’t exactly chomp down on it, more like gently picked it up, not wanting to damage anything inside. Or accidentally ingest the juices. She wasn’t sure wether the flesh inside was more poisonous than the juice, but she wasn’t going to experiment.
It wouldn’t be a very interesting story in her life if she died on her first day!
As she approached the small crack, she reared up clumsily to place her muzzle and wedge the bundle back into its spot.
When she approached the stores, she was eager to put it away so she could jerk back sooner. The smell was even stronger over here, and boy was she not ready for that surprise.
Blinking her green eyes, she then swung around and landed back on all fours.
Shinefang had approached Auroraflame, so Ringpaw came around his flank to peer at her.
She had never exactly been in close quarters with the deputy, but she certainly was impressive. Much bigger than Ringpaw would ever be, at this point! Ringpaw had been certain since her first days that she was a runt, and she never had been the biggest of the apprentices.
When Auroraflame’s eyes connected with her curious gaze, she tried not to flinch back. It wasn’t that Ringpaw was scared, but she was pleasantly surprised when the ivory shecat flashed a warm smile to her.
Ringpaw grinned back, trying not to look overenthusiastic or not enthusiastic enough.
“Hi!” She chirped. It wasn’t as... impressive as either of their greetings, but Auroraflame had looked friendly so she was certain it would be alright.
Grousestar had seemed big and astounding, if that was the correct way to describe it, but she had to remind herself that everyone here was a cat like her, and a Skyclanner at that.

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Charmer

Shinefang heard the Skyclan deputy enter and greet him, but he held up a paw without looking at her, signalling her to wait and spoke again to the smaller, calico shecat. "Noooooo," he said, drawing out the word and fixing his eye on his apprentice with a stern look. "Open your ears and listen. Not just if a cat is suffering. Every cat who enters the medicine den is suffering with something whether its a thorn in the paw or a broken leg. If we gave deathberries to every cat who was suffering, soon there would be no Skyclan left." The old tom leaned in and lowered his voice so that the younger cat would have to listen more closely. "One, if the cat has an illness or injury from which there is no chance they will recover. Two, you have exhausted all other methods to heal the cat's malady and they have not responded. And three, the cat's death is inevitable and will be so slow and excruciating that a faster death is the only relief left. And frankly, that's only my take on deathberries. Many medicine cats won't even use them then and will instead continue to try pain control measures that are not working in the hopes that Starclan will intervene. I just happen to be of the mind that it's better not to let a clanmate suffer in the hopes that Starclan will actually do something to help for once." Shinefang added this last point with a barb of spite in his voice. Using his paw, he began to fold up the leaf that held the deadly berries. "And besides, as long as I'm still alive, I'll be making the calls about when it's the right time to use these. In time, you'll be able to make up your own mind. For now, just make sure no kits get them." With the packet sealed, he nudged it closer to Ringpaw. "Now put them back where I got them."

Finally, he turned back to Auroraflame and met the deputies bright blue eyes with his only orange globe. "Auroraflame," he greeted, echoing her cool tone. "Sorry to have kept you waiting. You caught us in the middle of a lesson that was kind of important. Don't want any cats being accidentally poisoned after all. You heard right, this is Ringpaw. Ringpaw, you of course know Auroraflame here, Skyclan's deputy." Shinefang looked the deputy up and down in search of any signs of injury, but she appeared to be in good health. One of his shredded ears flicked in minor annoyance at being interrupted for what was likely no more than a social greeting. Couldn't she see that the medicine cats had work to do? Even so, he kept silent and let the introduction sit between the two shecats ans waited for them to make nice.

Originally Posted by Silver Fishie

When the black molly entered the medicine den, Ringpaw felt like a bouncy kit, wanting to jostle over to them and introduce herself. But, she held back. She instantly recognized the newcomer as Auroraflame, Skyclan’s deputy. She couldn’t just run over to her and act like best buds!
Another thing that held her back was Shinefang’s loud correction.
Ringpaw almost felt dulled by his reprimand.
But, Shinefang was right. If a cat wasn’t in suffering, why would they come to the medicine den? For a second, she tried to think of all the ailments that she might have to treat.
Sprained paws, thorns, even a gouged out eye! At first it had seemed fascinating, being able to help other cats, but what if she couldn’t save them? Using deathberries seemed a bit more foggy now. What if her judgement wasn’t right? What if she killed a cat who could have been saved?
The time for worry isn’t now. We'll cross that path when we come to it.
Ringpaw relished the sound of Snowbranch’s voice, soothing and sweet. Maybe she shouldn’t stress just yet over the little holes and tears that might litter her future.
As the yellow tom leaned in closer, she listened intently. She should open her ears more often, especially if she was supposed to learn everything she could! Even just being corrected right now was a part of the learning process.
Besides, Shinefang had just said that one day she would know how to use them correctly! But only if she remembered that deathberries were for extreme measures, only when a cat was dying and was in so much pain that it would be merciful to bring them to Starclan early.
“I can do that!” She exclaimed happily as he pulled away.
A task! Something easy! Putting the herbs back in their nook wouldn’t be hard.
She bent down to snatch the parcel, carefully testing the strength of the wrapping with her teeth. She didn’t exactly chomp down on it, more like gently picked it up, not wanting to damage anything inside. Or accidentally ingest the juices. She wasn’t sure wether the flesh inside was more poisonous than the juice, but she wasn’t going to experiment.
It wouldn’t be a very interesting story in her life if she died on her first day!
As she approached the small crack, she reared up clumsily to place her muzzle and wedge the bundle back into its spot.
When she approached the stores, she was eager to put it away so she could jerk back sooner. The smell was even stronger over here, and boy was she not ready for that surprise.
Blinking her green eyes, she then swung around and landed back on all fours.
Shinefang had approached Auroraflame, so Ringpaw came around his flank to peer at her.
She had never exactly been in close quarters with the deputy, but she certainly was impressive. Much bigger than Ringpaw would ever be, at this point! Ringpaw had been certain since her first days that she was a runt, and she never had been the biggest of the apprentices.
When Auroraflame’s eyes connected with her curious gaze, she tried not to flinch back. It wasn’t that Ringpaw was scared, but she was pleasantly surprised when the ivory shecat flashed a warm smile to her.
Ringpaw grinned back, trying not to look overenthusiastic or not enthusiastic enough.
“Hi!” She chirped. It wasn’t as... impressive as either of their greetings, but Auroraflame had looked friendly so she was certain it would be alright.
Grousestar had seemed big and astounding, if that was the correct way to describe it, but she had to remind herself that everyone here was a cat like her, and a Skyclanner at that.

The deputy made no comment as Shinefang held up a paw to stop her. Instead, she occupied herself by looking around the den. Packed away neatly in their rightful spaces were herbs. She narrowed her eyes to try and pick out the different herbs in the darkness, but she didn't see herbs in the same way that medicine cats saw them. To her and probably most warriors, herbs were just berries, leaves, cobwebs, bark and a few other things. She didn't see a difference and unless she was planning on leaving the clan to survive by herself, which she wasn't, she didn't see much of a need to be able to recognise the differences and memorise every herb and their uses. The basics were enough for her.

She waited for the tom to finish talking and then let her gaze follow the younger she-cat as she put away the herb parcel. A small smile lit her face as she watched the young cat do her work enthusiastically. The smile then vanished as Shinefang spoke. She never looked forward to hearing the tom speak. As Auroraflame listened, she could detect the annoyance in his first few sentences. Clearly, he wasn't particularly pleased that she had come here without an urgent need. "I'm sorry about interrupting." The slightest traces of sarcasm could be detected in her voice. Of course, she didn't want to interrupt a lesson, after all it was important that young cats could learn. But Shinefang made it easy for her to be sarcastic. Shinefang then introduced his apprentice and her tail flicked, as if dismissing the sarcasm. Now it was time to be kind.
"Ringpaw," she repeated, purring the name as she looked at the she-cat. Ringpaw seemed to have a cheerful aura to her and Auroraflame knew that she didn't need to treat her in the way she treated Shinefang. "You chose an enthusiastic one, Shinefang," she remarked, her whiskers twitching in amusement as she took notice of the apprentice's chirpy greeting.

She took a step towards the pair when suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through the paw that she'd stepped with. "Ow!" She hissed, pain flaring in her icy hues. She lifted up her paw and there she saw a thorn embedded into her paw. Blood was welling up and stained the edges of the thorn. She stared in dismay at the thorn. It was large and she knew it was sharp. She didn't want to lick it, because she knew she might knock the thorn and hurt herself more. She shakily made her way closer to the medicine cats on three paws and stiffly stuck her injured paw out for them to see. "Well, you're the medicine cats. I trust that you can get this out?" She said. For once, she wasn't speaking to Shinefang with a....wary tone. All she cared was for the thorn to be removed, even if that meant it had to be removed by Shinefang.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Silver Fishie

When the black molly entered the medicine den, Ringpaw felt like a bouncy kit, wanting to jostle over to them and introduce herself. But, she held back. She instantly recognized the newcomer as Auroraflame, Skyclan’s deputy. She couldn’t just run over to her and act like best buds!
Another thing that held her back was Shinefang’s loud correction.
Ringpaw almost felt dulled by his reprimand.
But, Shinefang was right. If a cat wasn’t in suffering, why would they come to the medicine den? For a second, she tried to think of all the ailments that she might have to treat.
Sprained paws, thorns, even a gouged out eye! At first it had seemed fascinating, being able to help other cats, but what if she couldn’t save them? Using deathberries seemed a bit more foggy now. What if her judgement wasn’t right? What if she killed a cat who could have been saved?
The time for worry isn’t now. We'll cross that path when we come to it.
Ringpaw relished the sound of Snowbranch’s voice, soothing and sweet. Maybe she shouldn’t stress just yet over the little holes and tears that might litter her future.
As the yellow tom leaned in closer, she listened intently. She should open her ears more often, especially if she was supposed to learn everything she could! Even just being corrected right now was a part of the learning process.
Besides, Shinefang had just said that one day she would know how to use them correctly! But only if she remembered that deathberries were for extreme measures, only when a cat was dying and was in so much pain that it would be merciful to bring them to Starclan early.
“I can do that!” She exclaimed happily as he pulled away.
A task! Something easy! Putting the herbs back in their nook wouldn’t be hard.
She bent down to snatch the parcel, carefully testing the strength of the wrapping with her teeth. She didn’t exactly chomp down on it, more like gently picked it up, not wanting to damage anything inside. Or accidentally ingest the juices. She wasn’t sure wether the flesh inside was more poisonous than the juice, but she wasn’t going to experiment.
It wouldn’t be a very interesting story in her life if she died on her first day!
As she approached the small crack, she reared up clumsily to place her muzzle and wedge the bundle back into its spot.
When she approached the stores, she was eager to put it away so she could jerk back sooner. The smell was even stronger over here, and boy was she not ready for that surprise.
Blinking her green eyes, she then swung around and landed back on all fours.
Shinefang had approached Auroraflame, so Ringpaw came around his flank to peer at her.
She had never exactly been in close quarters with the deputy, but she certainly was impressive. Much bigger than Ringpaw would ever be, at this point! Ringpaw had been certain since her first days that she was a runt, and she never had been the biggest of the apprentices.
When Auroraflame’s eyes connected with her curious gaze, she tried not to flinch back. It wasn’t that Ringpaw was scared, but she was pleasantly surprised when the ivory shecat flashed a warm smile to her.
Ringpaw grinned back, trying not to look overenthusiastic or not enthusiastic enough.
“Hi!” She chirped. It wasn’t as... impressive as either of their greetings, but Auroraflame had looked friendly so she was certain it would be alright.
Grousestar had seemed big and astounding, if that was the correct way to describe it, but she had to remind herself that everyone here was a cat like her, and a Skyclanner at that.

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

The deputy made no comment as Shinefang held up a paw to stop her. Instead, she occupied herself by looking around the den. Packed away neatly in their rightful spaces were herbs. She narrowed her eyes to try and pick out the different herbs in the darkness, but she didn't see herbs in the same way that medicine cats saw them. To her and probably most warriors, herbs were just berries, leaves, cobwebs, bark and a few other things. She didn't see a difference and unless she was planning on leaving the clan to survive by herself, which she wasn't, she didn't see much of a need to be able to recognise the differences and memorise every herb and their uses. The basics were enough for her.

She waited for the tom to finish talking and then let her gaze follow the younger she-cat as she put away the herb parcel. A small smile lit her face as she watched the young cat do her work enthusiastically. The smile then vanished as Shinefang spoke. She never looked forward to hearing the tom speak. As Auroraflame listened, she could detect the annoyance in his first few sentences. Clearly, he wasn't particularly pleased that she had come here without an urgent need. "I'm sorry about interrupting." The slightest traces of sarcasm could be detected in her voice. Of course, she didn't want to interrupt a lesson, after all it was important that young cats could learn. But Shinefang made it easy for her to be sarcastic. Shinefang then introduced his apprentice and her tail flicked, as if dismissing the sarcasm. Now it was time to be kind.
"Ringpaw," she repeated, purring the name as she looked at the she-cat. Ringpaw seemed to have a cheerful aura to her and Auroraflame knew that she didn't need to treat her in the way she treated Shinefang. "You chose an enthusiastic one, Shinefang," she remarked, her whiskers twitching in amusement as she took notice of the apprentice's chirpy greeting.

She took a step towards the pair when suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through the paw that she'd stepped with. "Ow!" She hissed, pain flaring in her icy hues. She lifted up her paw and there she saw a thorn embedded into her paw. Blood was welling up and stained the edges of the thorn. She stared in dismay at the thorn. It was large and she knew it was sharp. She didn't want to lick it, because she knew she might knock the thorn and hurt herself more. She shakily made her way closer to the medicine cats on three paws and stiffly stuck her injured paw out for them to see. "Well, you're the medicine cats. I trust that you can get this out?" She said. For once, she wasn't speaking to Shinefang with a....wary tone. All she cared was for the thorn to be removed, even if that meant it had to be removed by Shinefang.

Shinefang stared back at her, nodding the slightest bit and grunting in acknowledgement. "It was an important first thing to go over, I thought. Don't want any accidental poisonings." If Ringpaw picked on any of the tension at all between himself and the deputy, she didn't show it. She greeted Auroraflame with all the enthusiasm she had when talking to any cat, even an old sour tom like himself. And Auroraflame saw it to. It was clear she appreciated the warm greeting the younger cat gave her. When she commented on his apprentice's energy, her couldn't hold in his throaty chuckle. They must have looked like an odd pair: him, a matted and battered, one-eyed tom with a reputation for being about as pleasant to talk to as an angry mongoose, and the little calico ball of joy that was Ringpaw. "Um hm, maybe her youth will rub off on me and I can live forever," he croaked. Not a moment later when the shecat took another step, the deputy made a painful sound and lifted her paw. His shredded ears flew upright light a queen hearing a kit squeal. He didn't know what happened at first until the black warrior limped forward and presented her bleeding paw. Carefully, with the deft paws he'd acquired from his time in this den, he cradled her paw and looked at the blood that was welling on the pad and clicked his tongue. "Looks like you tried to grow a fifth claw out of bramble. Ringpaw, remind me to sweep this den floor today and check the moss in the patient beds." Singfang opened his mouth again, about to get started treating the deputy's paw, when he suddenly realized this would be an excellent first task for his apprentice. "Ringpaw, how about I walk you through how to remove thorns. Go ahead and take her paw like I did," he instructed, waiting for the younger cat to get settled. "As she did so, he leaned in and whispered in the deputy's ear. "It's her first time, so if she nips ya, try not to yowl. I don't want her confidence squashed." He and Auroraflame were not on friendly terms by any means, but he hoped she heard the sincerity in his request. He did want his apprentice to feel she was doing well. There would be time for tragedy and defeat later. Now, she was just learning the basics. He leaned away from the deputy's head and closer to Ringpaw, eyeing the thorn as he spoke to her. "Ok, now what you want to do is lick her paw right were the thorn is. As you do so, try to hook the thorn with the barbs on your tongue to pull the thorn out just a little. Sometimes that's all you need to do you get it out, but at the very least, it will loosen it and clean off the blood so that we can see properly." As it turned out, this thorn required a bit more persuasion than that, but the medicine cat could clear see the offending barb now. "Alright, now, when you are ready, take your teeth and very careful grab the thorn's base and pull it out. Careful not to bite her pad by mistake. She won't thank you for that."

[NightWarrior4Life]

@Okapi
GorsePaw dropped the last rock on the pile and shook off all the moss in her fur. "Let's patch up this draughty tunnel then shall we?" The brown apprentice was trying to take her mind off the fact that ShineFang was right inside the den with Ringpaw and he could come outside and stumble across them at any moment and she's have to explain herself. no, it'll be fine...he asked me to do this after all. But I suppose it was quite a few moons ago. I hope he understands

[Mango]

Originally Posted by NightWarrior4Life

@Okapi
GorsePaw dropped the last rock on the pile and shook off all the moss in her fur. "Let's patch up this draughty tunnel then shall we?" The brown apprentice was trying to take her mind off the fact that ShineFang was right inside the den with Ringpaw and he could come outside and stumble across them at any moment and she's have to explain herself. no, it'll be fine...he asked me to do this after all. But I suppose it was quite a few moons ago. I hope he understands

Cranberrypaw gave a small nod to Gorsepaw and nodded,” Yeah. I guess we should, but do you know how to patch up a wall of a den?” Cranberrypaw was only a kit the last time a storm required the patching up of a den.

[NightWarrior4Life]

Originally Posted by Okapi

Cranberrypaw gave a small nod to Gorsepaw and nodded,” Yeah. I guess we should, but do you know how to patch up a wall of a den?” Cranberrypaw was only a kit the last time a storm required the patching up of a den.

GorsePaw hesitated "umm...it seems easy enough. Find the gaps and holes and find the right sized rock and shove it in there then patch up the last little bits with the moss. That's how I assume it goes anyway. I haven't had a mentor for a long long time so no one's really taught me anything." She explained sadly.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by NightWarrior4Life

GorsePaw hesitated "umm...it seems easy enough. Find the gaps and holes and find the right sized rock and shove it in there then patch up the last little bits with the moss. That's how I assume it goes anyway. I haven't had a mentor for a long long time so no one's really taught me anything." She explained sadly.

She nodded in understanding and began to work shoving rocks in place and patching it up with moss.

[pomegranate]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

The deputy made no comment as Shinefang held up a paw to stop her. Instead, she occupied herself by looking around the den. Packed away neatly in their rightful spaces were herbs. She narrowed her eyes to try and pick out the different herbs in the darkness, but she didn't see herbs in the same way that medicine cats saw them. To her and probably most warriors, herbs were just berries, leaves, cobwebs, bark and a few other things. She didn't see a difference and unless she was planning on leaving the clan to survive by herself, which she wasn't, she didn't see much of a need to be able to recognise the differences and memorise every herb and their uses. The basics were enough for her.

She waited for the tom to finish talking and then let her gaze follow the younger she-cat as she put away the herb parcel. A small smile lit her face as she watched the young cat do her work enthusiastically. The smile then vanished as Shinefang spoke. She never looked forward to hearing the tom speak. As Auroraflame listened, she could detect the annoyance in his first few sentences. Clearly, he wasn't particularly pleased that she had come here without an urgent need. "I'm sorry about interrupting." The slightest traces of sarcasm could be detected in her voice. Of course, she didn't want to interrupt a lesson, after all it was important that young cats could learn. But Shinefang made it easy for her to be sarcastic. Shinefang then introduced his apprentice and her tail flicked, as if dismissing the sarcasm. Now it was time to be kind.
"Ringpaw," she repeated, purring the name as she looked at the she-cat. Ringpaw seemed to have a cheerful aura to her and Auroraflame knew that she didn't need to treat her in the way she treated Shinefang. "You chose an enthusiastic one, Shinefang," she remarked, her whiskers twitching in amusement as she took notice of the apprentice's chirpy greeting.

She took a step towards the pair when suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through the paw that she'd stepped with. "Ow!" She hissed, pain flaring in her icy hues. She lifted up her paw and there she saw a thorn embedded into her paw. Blood was welling up and stained the edges of the thorn. She stared in dismay at the thorn. It was large and she knew it was sharp. She didn't want to lick it, because she knew she might knock the thorn and hurt herself more. She shakily made her way closer to the medicine cats on three paws and stiffly stuck her injured paw out for them to see. "Well, you're the medicine cats. I trust that you can get this out?" She said. For once, she wasn't speaking to Shinefang with a....wary tone. All she cared was for the thorn to be removed, even if that meant it had to be removed by Shinefang.

Originally Posted by Charmer

Shinefang stared back at her, nodding the slightest bit and grunting in acknowledgement. "It was an important first thing to go over, I thought. Don't want any accidental poisonings." If Ringpaw picked on any of the tension at all between himself and the deputy, she didn't show it. She greeted Auroraflame with all the enthusiasm she had when talking to any cat, even an old sour tom like himself. And Auroraflame saw it to. It was clear she appreciated the warm greeting the younger cat gave her. When she commented on his apprentice's energy, her couldn't hold in his throaty chuckle. They must have looked like an odd pair: him, a matted and battered, one-eyed tom with a reputation for being about as pleasant to talk to as an angry mongoose, and the little calico ball of joy that was Ringpaw. "Um hm, maybe her youth will rub off on me and I can live forever," he croaked. Not a moment later when the shecat took another step, the deputy made a painful sound and lifted her paw. His shredded ears flew upright light a queen hearing a kit squeal. He didn't know what happened at first until the black warrior limped forward and presented her bleeding paw. Carefully, with the deft paws he'd acquired from his time in this den, he cradled her paw and looked at the blood that was welling on the pad and clicked his tongue. "Looks like you tried to grow a fifth claw out of bramble. Ringpaw, remind me to sweep this den floor today and check the moss in the patient beds." Singfang opened his mouth again, about to get started treating the deputy's paw, when he suddenly realized this would be an excellent first task for his apprentice. "Ringpaw, how about I walk you through how to remove thorns. Go ahead and take her paw like I did," he instructed, waiting for the younger cat to get settled. "As she did so, he leaned in and whispered in the deputy's ear. "It's her first time, so if she nips ya, try not to yowl. I don't want her confidence squashed." He and Auroraflame were not on friendly terms by any means, but he hoped she heard the sincerity in his request. He did want his apprentice to feel she was doing well. There would be time for tragedy and defeat later. Now, she was just learning the basics. He leaned away from the deputy's head and closer to Ringpaw, eyeing the thorn as he spoke to her. "Ok, now what you want to do is lick her paw right were the thorn is. As you do so, try to hook the thorn with the barbs on your tongue to pull the thorn out just a little. Sometimes that's all you need to do you get it out, but at the very least, it will loosen it and clean off the blood so that we can see properly." As it turned out, this thorn required a bit more persuasion than that, but the medicine cat could clear see the offending barb now. "Alright, now, when you are ready, take your teeth and very careful grab the thorn's base and pull it out. Careful not to bite her pad by mistake. She won't thank you for that."

Ringpaw nodded furiously, her hearing muted for a second in the movement.
“I can do that!”
Reminding Shinefang about doing his chores won’t be very hard. She mused in her head, purring as she imagined Shinefang as a crabby apprentice, picking ticks off the elders.
She normally wasn’t very snippy, but she had to bite her tongue to remind him right now. The yellow tom wouldn’t appreciate her humor.
When he suggested that she extract the thorn, she looked up confused at Shinefang, but eagerly responded. “Okay!”
Quickly, she settled her rump on the floor so she wouldn’t have to stand forever. As she finished, she saw Shinefang pull away from Auroraflame’s black ear, and she briefly wondered what they were talking about.
The thought was soon diminished as she saw the tears of pain in the black deputy’s eyes, and Ringpaw quickly sorrowed. She hadn’t been so unlucky just yet as to step on a bramble, but if it was just as bad as when one got stuck in her side it would be very painful.
Her mint eyes widening as he brought Auroraflame’s paw closer, she stared down at the brown claw-like stick wedged thoroughly in her paw pad. There was a small drip of blood coasting leisurely down the skin, and Ringpaw couldn’t decide wether to gag or watch, fascinated.
Obeying his instructions, she tested the paw with a flick of her pink tongue, recoiling at the stench of blood that snaked up her nose and the metallic taste.
Letting out a haruuumpphh she deftly tried to wrap her tongue around the base, not enjoying the taste but if she was going to clean off the blood she would have to do it somehow.
When she felt it was all clean, she reached her head back to examine her work. There were still traces of red, but she could see the thorn clearer now.
Dipping back down she tried to ease out the piece of wood-like plant with her tongue, trying not to scrape Auroraflame with her teeth.
When she felt it give a bit, she let go and looked up towards Shinefang. When she saw his expression, she turned back to the thorn and realized that it was still a good way in her paw. In fact, when she had nudged the thorn it had only resulted in more blood welling up.
“Could thorns get infected? What happens if you can’t get the thorn out? Would we have to get rid of her paw?” Ringpaw chattered, a hint of dread in her voice when she thought about Auroraflame, with only three paws.
I like her name. Grousestar wouldn’t change it to Stumpyflame, right? She thought, panicked.
When Shinefang spoke again, she calmed and carefully tried to seize the thorn.
“Okay!” She mouthed around the thorn in her mouth. “I’ll try my best.” She finished, before clamping her front teeth around the base and tugging. She felt something squishy, and felt bad. Hopefully it hadn’t been the deputy’s paw!
When she tugged, she was frustrated with how it didn’t come out right away but kept on tugging.
Soon, it popped out from the skin and Ringpaw’s head snapped back, before she triumphantly raised her maw to show off the chunk of sharp plant.
Ringpaw’s eyes drifted down to where the thorn had been extracted, and found herself infatuated with the way it had come out. It was a bit sloppy, but when the thorn had finally given up it was... satisfying.
Dragging her gaze away from the paw, she met Auroraflame’s eyes.
“Did I bite you? Did it hurt?” Snapping around, she met Shinefang. “Did I do it right?”

[Branch of Life]

Oaksplash walked into the med den his right ear bleeding heavily. He hissed in pain “Shinefang? Are you there?” Blood gushed out his torn ear Why did I have to sleep so weirdly? Ugh. His ear hurt a lot it tore deep in.While he was waiting he thought he would bleed out so he thought Starclan if I pass on please let me come to Starclan. Have everyone not morn me please. @Charmer sorry this took a while!

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Oakkit

Oaksplash walked into the med den his right ear bleeding heavily. He hissed in pain “Shinefang? Are you there?” Blood gushed out his torn ear Why did I have to sleep so weirdly? Ugh. His ear hurt a lot it tore deep in.While he was waiting he thought he would bleed out so he thought Starclan if I pass on please let me come to Starclan. Have everyone not morn me please. @Charmer sorry this took a while!

Shinefang's back had been turned to his den at the very moment the younger tom called out to him from inside the medicine den. He had just been about to pluck a particularly juicy mouse right from the top of the pile, but with a sigh, he closed his jaws and swallowed the shallow pool of saliva. "What?" he grouched as he re-entered his den. There he saw Oaksplash, a relatively young warrior with brown fur, white feet, one white ear and one very very red ear. "Oh Starclan, what did you do?" he asked, leaning in to get a sniff of the younger cat's ear. The wound smelled older than he might have expected considering all the blood. The old, battle-scarred tom narrowed his only orange eye, "And why didn't you come to me sooner?" he snarled, trouncing toward his herb collection. "Lie down in one of the patient nests," he said flatly, pulling swiping a stem of yarrow onto the den floor and carefully taking a branch with plump-looking, purple berries and setting them down gently.