Hawkbite waved his tail with delight about killing two birds with one stone here. The Commander would glance around the brightly lit forest around them and inhale to take in the scents surrounding them. "Well, this is one of the newest parts of our territory. It's been pretty safe so far, but predators love to hide around here so we must be careful. However, I brought you here for something different. An herb," Hawkbite spoke, pinpointing the scent he was searching for.
The Commander led the apprentice further along, his tail tip twitching with anticipation at the treasure ahead of them. Then, a patch of the sweet scented catmint came into view and Hawkbite picked up his pace. "This is catmint. It's my favorite herb to look for," Hawkbite spoke, coming to a halt at the patch of herbs. His gaze shifted over to Bitternpaw, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Take a sniff," Hawkbite gestured, giving the apprentice a moment to do so. The scent was intoxicating to the tom.
Then, the Commander broke his stoic character and dove face first into the herb patch. He sprawled out, twisting and rolling over the patch of herbs with a deep purr erupting from him.
Would Bitternpaw join?
Hawkbite would pause and gesture for the tom to join him.
Then, after a few minutes, the Commander would get back up on his paws and gather up a few of the loose herbs to bring back to the medicine cats. "And of course, we don't waste them!" He chirped, suddenly more chipper than he'd been in a while.
What a more pleasant part of the territory. It was a bit drier than the rest of the somewhat marshy terrain of Shadowclan and the trees climbed up high into the sky, tempting him to just try to climb them. But more training wasn't what they were out here for. Hawkbite tells him that they were out here for something specific... He tilts his head at the eager way the Commander moves through the foliage until they happen upon a patch of sweet smelling herbs.
Bitternpaw had never seen or smelled this kind of plant before. But before he knows it the older warrior is diving headfirst into them and rolling in their scent with a pleased purr. Not... At all what he was expecting. Never had he seen Hawkbite act like this. Was this herb some kind of miracle plant or something?! Did it cast some kind of spell-- or rather a curse-- on the tom to cause him to act like a playful kit?
When the invitation is offered out to him he's hesitant. Nervous that he, too, would lose himself to the magic of this 'catmint'. But Hawkbite did seem to be enjoying it... And if it were something to be brought back to the medicine cats then maybe it wasn't so bad after all? Approaching the patch slowly, tall ears perked and at attention just in case any nearby predators wanted to take advantage of the calm moment, he sniffs at a leaf. A delicious, sweet, wonderful smelling leaf. Almost at once his pupils blow wide and he can't help but rub his face against it's pleasant scent. The first rub is where it all ends.
Though he's not as cheerful as the Commander, he's obviously more lax. Flopping onto his side and continuing to rub his cheek up against the lovely smelling leaves. It's almost as if all his worries were just melting away. It was scary but at the same time... It was nice. Not having to worry so much about everything for once.
Oh, he was delighted to see Bitternpaw partake in the rolling. His tail waved in a pleasant manner before he'd gesture for the apprentice to grab ahold of some of the herbs. "Grab some and we can head back, yeah?" Hawkbite spoke in a friendly manner through the mouthful of herbs he had. His pupils were still dilated with the scent fresh in his nose. The herbs in his mouth held a sweet flavor that his tastebuds couldn't ignore, but he tried his hardest not to chew on them or swallow any of it.
Once Bitternpaw had grabbed some of the herbs, Hawkbite would turn and lead them back to the camp.