ShadowClan Medicine Cat's Den - Page 65

**TheNyanCatMinecart** · #**641** February 15th, 2023, 04:08 PM

~ IVYSNAKE OF SHADOWCLAN ~

Tall dark brown tabby she-cat with black stripes and amber eyes.

It was a cold morning. That had been apparent when Ivysnake slid out of the stuffy, herb-scented den to consume a rat. She was busy, so she ate when she was able to, though she never took more than her fair share from the pile, nor did she mind if a piece of fresh-kill was cold and stiff from being left there overnight. Prey was prey, and it provided the needed sustenance when it was eaten as long as it wasn't bad. Now she had returned, her pelt leached of warmth due to the frosty, misted morning chill, having just finished practicing a few battle moves after consuming said rat, when she was greeted with an interesting scene. Mirehound was standing there, letting the limp shape of Silverbird slide from her back. Silver clashed with rosetted black until the queen was lying on the dirt ground. Ivysnake hurried forward, standing beside her mentor, Elmshadow, who was already inquiring Mirehound about what had occurred. He was also observing the body. Ivysnake wanted to investigate, too, but she didn't want to get in his way, so she instead observed as Elmshadow went through the necessary motions. She saw no signs of wounds, and the gray-and-black tom didn't seem to find anything of interest.

"Where was she found?" Ivysnake wanted to know. Her voice held no emotion for Silverbird, no sense of pain or loss. Her gaze was intense but mostly curious. The death of a queen was unfortunate, but death happened, and Ivysnake saw no need to get emotionally riled up. This was just a case to be solved, similar to Smallleap's, though the last thing ShadowClan needed were traitorous warriors.

@Ravensong @daenerys

Ivysnake was briefly distracted from Dappledleaf as a flash of medium and pale gray caught her attention. Turning, she saw Elmshadow entering the den. Something odd flashed in his green eyes, which reflected in the shadows of the medicine cats' den, and Ivysnake took a moment to decipher it. It was odd, considering how emotionless and collected her mentor usually was. Was it some sort of concern? Why would he be concerned over Dappledleaf? They could be mates, though Cougarivy seemed a bit possessive, considering how she always sat with him at Gatherings, and Ivysnake didn't know what she'd think of him taking multiple mates. Or were he and Dappledleaf friends? Did Elmshadow have a soft spot for those who looked after ShadowClan's young? No matter. Elmshadow's life wasn't Ivysnake's business unless it put the Clan in jeopardy or undermined it in some way. As long as he can perform his duty as a medicine cat without any difficulties.

Ivysnake had put those thoughts aside, but Dappledleaf's snort of amusement made her incline her head curiously. What did the forever queen find so funny? If she's laughing, I highly doubt she's injured. Not that the dark brown tabby thought she was. There was no scent of blood, and Dappledleaf didn't appear to be in pain. She even tried using sarcasm. The usual? Her words was followed by a laugh that would've made Ivysnake cringe if she was inclined to such activities. Instead, she remained silent and stoic, the only sign of disapproval being the slight, almost imperceptible narrowing of her amber eyes. She listened to the rest of what Dappledleaf was saying, though it was predictable. She thinks she's pregnant. Ivysnake didn't know much about pregnancy symptoms, but Dappledleaf listing them off was useful because now she could store that knowledge for later. Nausea, fatigue... The lynx-point also gave Elmshadow a look. Ivysnake's head cocked again. Were they Elmshadow's kits?

Not my business. Ivysnake glanced at her mentor. "I'm not well-versed in detecting whether a queen is pregnant. I'm sure you'd have more experience, but I won't turn down a learning opportunity." Her gaze returned to Dappledleaf. "If nausea and fatigue are pregnancy symptoms, and you haven't done anything that would make them present, they may very well be pregnancy. You and Elmshadow would know more than me, but it's worth asking if you've eaten or drank anything that might be toxic or poisonous in any way, or if you've done anything to cause tiredness, such as not getting enough sleep or overworking yourself." "Overworking" was a concept Ivysnake didn't have much experience with because hard work was required in ShadowClan, but she supposed it happened to those who were too foolish to take care of both themselves and the Clan. Not eating, drinking, or sleeping enough and not stopping to sleep at night was what Ivysnake considered "overworking" oneself. Or I suppose some cats are more fragile than others. Oh, well. It was something to take note of, though she certainly didn't relate to it.

@/Ravensong @effervescent.

**zozelen** · #**642** February 20th, 2023, 02:44 PM

Autumnkit casually walked into the den, face blank as he looked around. Hm. There were many plants in here, that's for sure.

Miss Ivysnake seemed to be doing some business. He watched her, silently, and began eating some leaves as a snack. Mmm. They tasted... medicinal. She probably wouldn't mind, he reasoned.

**Pitou** · #**643** February 20th, 2023, 10:30 PM

**Elmshadow**

@TheNyanCatMinecart

Elmshadow's suspicions were nearly confirmed as Dappledleaf listed her symptoms jovially. His green eyes closed lightly as he dipped his head in affirmation. He remained quiet as Ivysnake spoke and he nodded his agreement as he moved closer to the queen. He moved a paw closer to her flank and noted the lack of feverish heat coming from her. Feeling her belly, he also noticed it was not distended with sickness, though he assumed it'd be too early to really feel for any of the kits themselves so he wouldn't waste time or comfort searching. "As Ivysnake said, if there's no other potential cause for your symptoms, I'd say you're very likely pregnant. You don't seem to be feverish or have any other symptoms of concern. I'm confident you know what to do now? Be conscious of what you're doing and come to us if anything changes drastically. Once you begin to feel the kits move, if there are any changes in their movements come see us," he started listing off the usual instruction quickly, having little concerns that Dappledleaf was anything short of prepared and knowledgeable.

The dark tom moved casually through the entrance into his den, now accustomed to the sudden change from light and pine fresh to dim and herbal. His mind was drifting elsewhere as he moved through the din of habit until he balked, a kit standing inside the den...eating... His green eyes narrowed but otherwise his expression held stonily. He took the couple steps to bring him beside the kit, looking over the leaves that were scattered. It appeared to be nothing more than mallow, harmless as far as he'd been able to tell thus far but nonetheless the kit had taken a risk and disobeyed clan rules. He growled lowly then moved pointedly passed the kit. He slipped into the herb storage and grabbed out a single tiny dark green seed out of a cluster and sliced off a small sliver of the burdock root and carried them carefully back to the kit. Placing it in front of the kit, he growled, "Eat these if you don't want to wake up in the Dark Forest." He didn't elaborate, letting the assumption lie that whatever the kit had eaten would be fatal rather than his own disappointment. The burdock root had shown to likely do nothing besides taste foul and the stinging nettle would make the kit wretch until his stomach was empty. He decided the wasted herbs were worth the lesson in discomfort and a rough night to save the kit from continuing the make stupid decisions in the future that could easily get him killed.

**zozelen** · #**644** February 21st, 2023, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravensong

**Elmshadow**

@TheNyanCatMinecart

Elmshadow's suspicions were nearly confirmed as Dappledleaf listed her symptoms jovially. His green eyes closed lightly as he dipped his head in affirmation. He remained quiet as Ivysnake spoke and he nodded his agreement as he moved closer to the queen. He moved a paw closer to her flank and noted the lack of feverish heat coming from her. Feeling her belly, he also noticed it was not distended with sickness, though he assumed it'd be too early to really feel for any of the kits themselves so he wouldn't waste time or comfort searching. "As Ivysnake said, if there's no other potential cause for your symptoms, I'd say you're very likely pregnant. You don't seem to be feverish or have any other symptoms of concern. I'm confident you know what to do now? Be conscious of what you're doing and come to us if anything changes drastically. Once you begin to feel the kits move, if there are any changes in their movements come see us," he started listing off the usual instruction quickly, having little concerns that Dappledleaf was anything short of prepared and knowledgeable.

The dark tom moved casually through the entrance into his den, now accustomed to the sudden change from light and pine fresh to dim and herbal. His mind was drifting elsewhere as he moved through the din of habit until he balked, a kit standing inside the den...eating... His green eyes narrowed but otherwise his expression held stonily. He took the couple steps to bring him beside the kit, looking over the leaves that were scattered. It appeared to be nothing more than mallow, harmless as far as he'd been able to tell thus far but nonetheless the kit had taken a risk and disobeyed clan rules. He growled lowly then moved pointedly passed the kit. He slipped into the herb storage and grabbed out a single tiny dark green seed out of a cluster and sliced off a small sliver of the burdock root and carried them carefully back to the kit. Placing it in front of the kit, he growled, "Eat these if you don't want to wake up in the Dark Forest." He didn't elaborate, letting the assumption lie that whatever the kit had eaten would be fatal rather than his own disappointment. The burdock root had shown to likely do nothing besides taste foul and the stinging nettle would make the kit wretch until his stomach was empty. He decided the wasted herbs were worth the lesson in discomfort and a rough night to save the kit from continuing the make stupid decisions in the future that could easily get him killed.

autumnkit did not actually assume that the leaves were poisonous, and instead just thought that the senior medicine cat was giving him another snack.

taking the root and nodding his head in thanks, he began chewing, making a few scruched up faces as the nasty taste grew stronger. elmshadow did NOT have good taste in edible plants. he stumbled, suddenly feeling sick, and waved his tail to say thanks for the plant, but I have important things to do, goodbye.

as he walked out of the medicine den and into the clearing, he flopped over onto his side, grimacing. even if autumnkit was sure he had good intentions, he wouldn't be taking anymore snacks from elmshadow from now on.

**puppeteer** · #**645** February 21st, 2023, 05:45 PM

dappledleaf

{ @TheNyanCatMinecart @Ravensong - no need to reply, just wrapping this up! }

Confirmation. That's all she wanted. She was having another litter. She wouldn't let these ones pass away or go missing. The queen dipped her head to the two medicine cats before standing and padding out of the medicine den. Next stop was to inform Dawnstar.

**TheNyanCatMinecart** · #**646** February 23rd, 2023, 08:32 PM

~ IVYSNAKE OF SHADOWCLAN ~

Tall, angular, dark brown she-cat with distinctive black stripes and piercing amber eyes.

Ivysnake's piercing amber eyes shifted to Elmshadow as he moved closer to Dappledleaf, inspecting her. Her paws twitched with impatience; she wanted to be doing what he was doing, fulfilling her duties as ShadowClan's medicine-cat-in-training and learning paws-on. It was clear her mentor was more experienced than she was. A familiar rush of annoyance and frustration made her pelt twitch, but she forced it to lie smooth, instead studying Elmshadow's movements. He felt Dappledleaf's flank, his black paw contrasting her long white fur, then inspected her belly. He must be looking for signs of sickness or pregnancy. That made the most logical sense. She'd ask him about it as soon as they were done with Dappledleaf. We were appointed together. We should have a similar range of knowledge. Elmshadow is older than me, so it's expected that he should know more; however, his age doesn't have to do with everything. The familiar thought crept into her intelligent, fast-paced mind, courtesy of the annoyed and frustrated feelings she'd had hardly a moment before. The medicine cat apprentice kept her attention focused on Elmshadow and Dappledleaf, but she couldn't help the familiar thoughts, the familiar emotions.

You've been over this, she told herself firmly. You didn't do as much learning as you should've because you expected something different. Partly her fault, partly Elmshadow's. But what if she was losing her touch? Losing- No. The thought came intensely, echoing around her head and drowning everything else out. I'm a loyal ShadowClan cat, strong, bloodthirsty, deadly, and willing to learn whatever I need to so I can serve my Clan. While she'd been having these thoughts, her outward appearance had changed surprisingly little; her fur remained as sleek as always, and her face was a solemn mask. The main difference was the narrowing of her eyes, flashing in the herb-scented shadows of the medicine cats' den. You don't like getting off to a bad - not bad, but not perfect - start because you know you should've. You may have been foolish as a young cat, but you were always better than the crowd, always willing to learn and fulfill your role. That was all true. Ivysnake still wasn't as well-versed in her medicine cat position as she'd been in her warrior's despite having been a medicine cat apprentice longer than she'd been a warrior apprentice, but she was going to carry out her duties and do them more than well. That was a promise, made in the name of the Dark Forest and, most importantly, Dawnstar and ShadowClan themselves.

It was funny how many thoughts could flit through the dark brown tabby's mind in a matter of moments. Elmshadow's dialogue, which had been spoken during this mental resolution, had only just concluded by the time she returned to the present. And she'd processed it - she'd been watching and listening the whole time. Ivysnake's eyes widened back to their normal state - which wasn't very wide, considering their naturally narrower almond shape - and her gaze grew more intent on the two cats before her, not that it had appeared to drift off much. Only a little. But I was focused, as I should be, and I didn't miss a thing. Elmshadow had confirmed her previous statements. Good. Ivysnake nodded in agreement. Hopefully, these kits will grow up to serve their Clan well. They did not need any more cowards, weaklings, or frog-brains. As long as Dappledleaf doesn't soften them, they should be fine. She still didn't know much about the forever queen, but she hoped Dawnstar would be keeping an eye on her. At least I have a paw in their future. I get to teach the kits how to act properly. And Ivysnake would be having kits of her own eventually, once she found a good cat to sire them with.

Dappledleaf did not reply with words. The flame-point simply dipped her head before leaving the medicine cats' den. Ivysnake, not bothering to waste time watching her go, turned to Elmshadow. "I saw you feeling Dappledleaf for sickness and/or pregnancy," she meowed. "I know the basics, but is there anything specific I should look out for when doing so? I know fever for illness and bloated stomachs for either pregnancy or illness, but what's the difference between pregnancy bloating and sickness bloating? How early into pregnancy are you able to feel the kits inside?" It was a decent number of questions, but to be a better future medicine cat, Ivysnake needed this information. I'm assuming this knowledge comes with both age and training. Even if they'd had to learn together, Ivysnake would've figured it out and not relied on her mentor to teach her everything, but in this case, asking was the most logical thing to do. Still, although it didn't show outright, the thought of Elmshadow belittling her for knowing less despite the age difference made her want to swipe her claws across someone's face. Maybe his, but she was far smarter than that.

@effervescent. (Just so you know Ivysnake responded!) @Ravensong (We can end this RP soon; Ivysnake just wanted to ask Elmshadow these questions. Also, since you finished the RP with Autumnkit, I see no need for Ivysnake to respond. I know Autumnkit's RPer mentioned her in the post, but we can just say Autumnkit watched her leave the den before going in and eating the leaves or something. That could be the "business" she was doing. @zeebles )

**Pitou** · #**647** February 24th, 2023, 04:07 PM

**Elmshadow**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNyanCatMinecart

~ IVYSNAKE OF SHADOWCLAN ~

Tall, angular, dark brown she-cat with distinctive black stripes and piercing amber eyes.

Ivysnake's piercing amber eyes shifted to Elmshadow as he moved closer to Dappledleaf, inspecting her. Her paws twitched with impatience; she wanted to be doing what he was doing, fulfilling her duties as ShadowClan's medicine-cat-in-training and learning paws-on. It was clear her mentor was more experienced than she was. A familiar rush of annoyance and frustration made her pelt twitch, but she forced it to lie smooth, instead studying Elmshadow's movements. He felt Dappledleaf's flank, his black paw contrasting her long white fur, then inspected her belly. He must be looking for signs of sickness or pregnancy. That made the most logical sense. She'd ask him about it as soon as they were done with Dappledleaf. We were appointed together. We should have a similar range of knowledge. Elmshadow is older than me, so it's expected that he should know more; however, his age doesn't have to do with everything. The familiar thought crept into her intelligent, fast-paced mind, courtesy of the annoyed and frustrated feelings she'd had hardly a moment before. The medicine cat apprentice kept her attention focused on Elmshadow and Dappledleaf, but she couldn't help the familiar thoughts, the familiar emotions.

You've been over this, she told herself firmly. You didn't do as much learning as you should've because you expected something different. Partly her fault, partly Elmshadow's. But what if she was losing her touch? Losing- No. The thought came intensely, echoing around her head and drowning everything else out. I'm a loyal ShadowClan cat, strong, bloodthirsty, deadly, and willing to learn whatever I need to so I can serve my Clan. While she'd been having these thoughts, her outward appearance had changed surprisingly little; her fur remained as sleek as always, and her face was a solemn mask. The main difference was the narrowing of her eyes, flashing in the herb-scented shadows of the medicine cats' den. You don't like getting off to a bad - not bad, but not perfect - start because you know you should've. You may have been foolish as a young cat, but you were always better than the crowd, always willing to learn and fulfill your role. That was all true. Ivysnake still wasn't as well-versed in her medicine cat position as she'd been in her warrior's despite having been a medicine cat apprentice longer than she'd been a warrior apprentice, but she was going to carry out her duties and do them more than well. That was a promise, made in the name of the Dark Forest and, most importantly, Dawnstar and ShadowClan themselves.

It was funny how many thoughts could flit through the dark brown tabby's mind in a matter of moments. Elmshadow's dialogue, which had been spoken during this mental resolution, had only just concluded by the time she returned to the present. And she'd processed it - she'd been watching and listening the whole time. Ivysnake's eyes widened back to their normal state - which wasn't very wide, considering their naturally narrower almond shape - and her gaze grew more intent on the two cats before her, not that it had appeared to drift off much. Only a little. But I was focused, as I should be, and I didn't miss a thing. Elmshadow had confirmed her previous statements. Good. Ivysnake nodded in agreement. Hopefully, these kits will grow up to serve their Clan well. They did not need any more cowards, weaklings, or frog-brains. As long as Dappledleaf doesn't soften them, they should be fine. She still didn't know much about the forever queen, but she hoped Dawnstar would be keeping an eye on her. At least I have a paw in their future. I get to teach the kits how to act properly. And Ivysnake would be having kits of her own eventually, once she found a good cat to sire them with.

Dappledleaf did not reply with words. The flame-point simply dipped her head before leaving the medicine cats' den. Ivysnake, not bothering to waste time watching her go, turned to Elmshadow. "I saw you feeling Dappledleaf for sickness and/or pregnancy," she meowed. "I know the basics, but is there anything specific I should look out for when doing so? I know fever for illness and bloated stomachs for either pregnancy or illness, but what's the difference between pregnancy bloating and sickness bloating? How early into pregnancy are you able to feel the kits inside?" It was a decent number of questions, but to be a better future medicine cat, Ivysnake needed this information. I'm assuming this knowledge comes with both age and training. Even if they'd had to learn together, Ivysnake would've figured it out and not relied on her mentor to teach her everything, but in this case, asking was the most logical thing to do. Still, although it didn't show outright, the thought of Elmshadow belittling her for knowing less despite the age difference made her want to swipe her claws across someone's face. Maybe his, but she was far smarter than that.

@effervescent. (Just so you know Ivysnake responded!) @Ravensong (We can end this RP soon; Ivysnake just wanted to ask Elmshadow these questions. Also, since you finished the RP with Autumnkit, I see no need for Ivysnake to respond. I know Autumnkit's RPer mentioned her in the post, but we can just say Autumnkit watched her leave the den before going in and eating the leaves or something. That could be the "business" she was doing. @zeebles )

After returning Dappledleaf's gesture, Elmshadow's green eyes turned to Ivysnake. No sooner had his eyes settled on her than she was asking questions. He was reassured at the she-cat's interest and questions. He nodded and sat down, listening to her questions before he got into answering them. As she finished, the tom began, "I've had my share of experience around pregnant queens and the symptoms generally include everything Dappledleaf listed off: some nausea, fatigue, as well as bloating, increased urination, mild cramps, and a general increase in moodiness. The catch is not all pregnancies have all of those symptoms and, as you must know, they're also vague symptoms that are similar to many other illnesses. I don't yet know of any way to accurately check for pregnancy other than to simply rule out any other causes. I don't know everything to check for, I can only check for what I know could cause the symptoms. So generally, I check for fever as that's a clear sign of illness and, as you figured out, ask them for any changes in their habits or potentially suspicious freshkill or water. The bloating from pregnancy is generally soft and not painful, bloat will make their stomach stiff and painful if pushed. Of course there is just natural bloating, that's much more similar to pregnancy bloating. So bloating on its own does not necessarily mean pregnancy." For as much time as he'd known pregnant queens, he knew what came with pregnancy but he couldn't say with certainty how to accurately decipher between pregnancy and some underlying illness with no error room. "The most important part is for them to come back if anything changes drastically. If the symptoms stray from pregnancy symptoms then we know it needs to be addressed." He thought over Ivysnake's question and tried to recall during Goldenstep's pregnancies and Cougarivy's previous one how long between feeling the kits moving and kitting had been. "The queen will be able to feel them kicking before any prodding from the outside would detect them. Generally they aren't able to be felt until at least the queen is showing."

**fishy** · #**648** February 24th, 2023, 07:53 PM

[ @Ravensong @TheNyanMinecart ]

Starlingpaw stepped out from the den she had been in for the past moon or so, she had felt a lot better these past few days and decided to inform the medicine cats. "Excuse me, Elm'Shadow, Ivy'Snake, My sytoms have decreased from my whitecough, can I go back to my training yet?" She asked

***occultation*** · #**649** March 1st, 2023, 01:15 PM

[ @Ravensong @TheNyanCatMinecart ]

Shadowfur waited patiently outside the medicine den until all of the other injured cats had been seen to. He was rather disappointed in the outcome of that battle. Yes, it seemed that ShadowClan had won, but he himself hadn’t had any good fights. Roosterflame and Foxflurry hadn’t been anything special, and his fight with Sparrowstar had been cut off all too soon.

Once it was time, he rose and padded into the den. “Elmshadow, Ivysnake,” he greeted them. “I’ve got scratches under my chin, but nothing else.”

———————————

After reporting to Dawnstar, Shadowfur headed into the medicine den to get his wounds treated. Vulturefang had put up a great fight. Shadowfur would never admit it to the tom, but ShadowClan was lucky to have such a skilled and intelligent fighter.

Ducking into the dark medicine den, he called out to the medicine cats. “Elmshadow? Ivysnake? I’ve got wounds from Vulturefang’s final assessment. Scratches on my shoulder, and my face.”

**CrazyCat4481** · #**650** March 1st, 2023, 07:50 PM

~VIXEN'DANCE~

He stumbled into the den as his snout was covered in his own blood. his only eye was tired and almost was closed as he breathed heavily and kept his back straight. it was impressive how he could keep going even after he ripped his eye out. he shivered as he goofily sat on a bed
@Ravensong @TheNyanCatMinecart