WindClan Medicine Cat's Den

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive

---

Silence engulfs the medicine cat as she keeps watch over her precious, scant herbs. The lithe calico had been expecting for a move to be made. For the culprit to return to the scene of the crime and attempt to renew their poisoning of the herbs. It seemed the fiend was smarter than she had given them credit for, which... granted, she hadn't given them much brains to begin with. How could she, when it took an earnest idiot to poison the very herbs that might save your life. And in the middle of leafbare, when there is a well known shortage? No, the cat couldn't have been half as smart as they were sneaky, but then, neither were rats.

A voice breaks through her thoughts, yet Lightningstorm's eyes had already been narrowed, looking up the only way towards the herbs. The shuffling pawsteps had hardly been attempting to conceal themselves, and the faltering greeting let her know this was not a cat seeking her end, merely one that wished to use her services before they went on about their day. The better of the two options, she supposed as she stood, her dark limbs stiff from her sitting position, from the tension she'd been carrying ever since he'd left her alone to wonder everyday if it was the last. As she reached the entrance chamber of her prison, the healer's lapis hues met her patient's nervous orange and her suspicion mollified itself slightly, remembering them from their last patrol together. They had been the only feline in that patrol to not wish harm upon the loner, Grey. Stars... that felt like so long ago now. And yet... she remembered. The fact that violence was not their first instinct. She did not trust them, of course. Would never trust a cat from this clan again. How could she, when it had been made clear she was not one of them. But she at least trusted they would not grab her and toss her to the clearing to be mercilessly torn limb from limb by their clanmates.

And speaking of limbs... theirs seemed to be... not doing alright. Stars alive, had had happened? Who had bandaged that?! Most certainly not her! She'd been taking care of broken limbs since the beginning of her apprenticeship. Deathberries might have snuck past her, but she was an expert at bandaging that which was broken and helping it heal. She could tell Cowtuft hadn't worked here either. He'd been her guide in teaching her how to mend. True, her dainty paws were more accurate, but she would never call his work sloppy... which this most certainly had been! No... this was crudely done. As if the cat had done so with a clear lack of dexterity. If she had to guess, a single paw had handled the wrappings, which left little room to guess as to who the culprit had been.

Lightning seemed to flash behind the healer's eyes even as her gaze deadpanned, deceptively emotionless as it settled on Poppysong's orange once again. It was clear they were uncomfortable here, and while a part of her urged her to make a joke, to lighten the mood, between her paranoia involving the entirety of WindClan and her own anger at just how hare-brained this warrior had seemingly been it was simply impossible to joke. To keep the mask she'd once held to let her clanmates know she was alright. That no one need worry for her. It became of significantly less import to keep up such appearances when you learned no one gave a rat's arse about you in the first place, and evidently this one didn't seem to care much about themselves either. Oh... StarClan give her patience.

"How long?" she finally asked, her words clipped as she glared.

She needed to know how much damage had been done to the paw. How much time the bone had to settle so improperly. Lightningstorm couldn't even find it in herself to care for the why. Because no reason would be satisfying. No justification would make sense. For now she had to know how to fix this... assuming Poppysong hadn't just doomed themselves to a lifetime of pain and misery as far as that paw was concerned.

---

@MangofDoom [Poppysong]
| Normally treatment isn't so invasive that I ask for power play perms, but was wondering if you would be alright with Lightning checking Poppysong's paw in my next post or if they would not allow her to touch it? |

[MangofDoom]

╔ Poppysong ═ ✱
╚ windclan warrior║nb/demigirl they/them║21 moons║tags; @Alchemist Kitsune [Lightningstorm]

═ ═ ═

The air feels stale on Poppysong’s tongue as their mind whirls with shame and fear. They keep their eyes firmly on a little pebble across from them, shivering at the cold air washing up against their back. The icey air makes their poorly wrapped paw throb. Is this a good idea?

The memory of the warrior who keeled over and died right in front of them is so deeply burrowed in their mind, Poppysong can remember everything aboit the moment they realized the cat had died after eating the herbs. The color of the sky, the taste in their mouth, the strength of the wind-

But the repeating memory is interrupted by Lightningstorm appearing before them. Despite taking up a large portion of the entrance, Poppysong feels as though Lightningstorm is towering over them. They take a step back and flinch when they brush the paw against the ground. Their green eyes hesitantly meet Lightningstorm’s sharp blue eyes staring down at them.

“How long? Oh…” Poppysong swallows. No going back now.

“…A moon…”

Their fur bristles with heat, overpowering the cold wind behind them. They have never admitted this out loud. That they’ve been lying. The scent of herbs combined with the sick feeling in their gut makes it hard to swallow, but they do so anyway. Poppysong knows they cannot protect their clan if they do not get help. Or, so they’ve heard.

—
(Yes! Totally go ahead with power perms. Poppysong would freeze in fear like a deer lol)

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive | Mind Reader - Active

---

She heard movement up top. It was... troubling. No one had said a word. Had called for the medicine cat. What were they doing up there? At the den's entrance? It wasn't until she heard a voice calling out to her that she flattened her ears, leaping to action. The words chosen didn't tell her much. Didn't give her information on who was injured, or what the injury was. Permanent. That sounded foreboding, but not enough to go on. Gritting her teeth as she stared at the pitiful amount of herbs at her disposal, Lightningstorm groaned. They were not ready for a harsh injury. Most the patrols she had sent had failed her. And those that had come back had understandably floundered, finding it hard to find herbs in the midst of leaf-bare. There was at least one more moon of this frozen hell, however, and WindClan would have to make do with what they were willing to do to ensure their survival.

Reaching the entrance to her prison, she saw the three cats and could instantly spot the injured one. His eyes. They had been all but gouged out. Mistyfalls - the warrior she now assumed had been the one to call - had been right. This was permanent. She could ensure Thriftfall's survival... maybe. But his vision? Not even StarClan could help him regain it now.

The patrol as a whole looked fairly well for having just been in a fight with... ShadowClan, was it? Odd. The two clans had just gotten an alliance, had they not? Perhaps some hare brain from ShadowClan had decided to forgo Dawnstar's word. She'd have to have Mistyfalls report this to Twilightstar, too... Stars above, she was getting a headache. This was not a priority, however. The priority was stabilizing the warrior. Making sure he would survive his injuries. Considering the state of the rest of him, she now had no doubt he would... it would be a simple matter of staving off infection while he healed. Celandine would have been her preferred herb here, but marigold would work just as well.

Without a word, Lightningstorm fled towards her herb storage, swiftly grabbing a marigold, cobwebs, and two poppy seeds. Thriftfall would do well to sleep off the worst of the pain. Especially while he came to terms with his sight being gone. Not all cats were built the same. Some adapted better than others, but the shock of the pain would not help him any now. It was best to cope later. When he'd had his rest.

Quick as lightning she was back with her patient, a slight glint of suspicion in her eye as she glared at the warrior and apprentice with him. Normally she would have tossed them both out of the den by now. Neither seemed injured. In fact, aside of the eye injury on the tom, there seemed to be no injuries worth noting on any of them. Lucky, really. With the few herbs they had, she worried about their chances if the whole patrol had been decimated. Unfortunately for the medicine cat, she would need help taking Thriftfall to one of the patient burrows once she was done treating him. She would need to keep him in observation. Ensure he wasn't in too much pain while he recovered, and potentially change his bandaging as the days went on. Too many variables to trust the warriors of his clan to keep an eye on him. This of course meant that the skinny calico would have to hunt double now, and the idea made her stomach churn. Could she really afford to leave the herb stores unguarded with the poisoner still running lose?

"I dunno who the arsehole you lot met up with is, but if you caught a good glimpse of him, you might want to tell Twilightstar. Your clan and ShadowClan have an alliance right now. Doubt Dawnstar is going to let some hare-brain get away unharmed going against her word like that," Lightningstorm mewed plainly as she placed the two poppy seeds before Thriftfall, some concern escaping her almond gaze despite herself as she studied the tom. "I need you to eat those for me. It'll help with the pain while I patch you up."

---

@Ravenswings [Mistyfalls] | @Spookez. [Thriftfall] | @Katiethewolfchild [Birdpaw]
| Unsure if Birdpaw is in the medicine cat's den or not right now? Will continue without her if present if you prefer for her to dip out for now, Katie. |

[Spookez.]

Thriftfall


Pain, pain, pain, pain. Thriftfall's entire body was ablaze. He couldn't tell if it was real or just his imagination, now that his vision had gone. He wondered if he still had his other senses - hearing, smell, taste - but they too seemed to have vanished. The only thing that gave him hope was the familiar calmness of the medicine den that he knew well. However, his mind still felt hazy, and his body trembled with exhaustion. He longed to sit down and rest, but he was unsure of his surroundings. What if he accidentally bumped into a wall or sat on some important herbs? That would only make things worse.

His claws were still unsheathed as he dug them into the ground, his tail tucked between his legs. Although he knew that it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help feeling guilty and like he was a burden to others. The thought of it made him feel sick all over again. Adding to his discomfort was the throbbing pain in his head; he had taken a heavy blow to the forehead. Not to mention his eyes...

Upon hearing the voice of Lightningstorm, Thriftfall felt so overwhelmed that he almost felt nauseous. Everything sounded muffled and distorted as if he had something clogged in his ears. Was she telling him to... Eat something? Eat what? What was she saying?


@Alchemist Kitsune @Ravenswings @Katiethewolfchild |

[Katiethewolfchild]

Birdpaw was behind the two warriors. When they arrived in the medicine done the young apprentice wasn't sure what to do, so she just stood there, waiting for the medicine cat to either ask her to leave or tell her what to do. @Ravenswings @Katiethewolfchild @Alchemist Kitsune

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive | Mind Reader - Active

---

She could hear the intruder before she could smell them, shuffling about at the entrance. They didn't speak, but the metallic scent of blood told her everything she needed to know. There had been a scuffle. A border skirmish of some sort, or perhaps someone had gotten a little too sure of themselves and tried their paw at a predator. There was a time the healer would have curiously poked and prodded. Made sure Twilightstar found out. But after everyone had remained quiet... allowed the death berries to run rampant in the clan without a word despite everyone suddenly being a herb expert when it was discovered, she found herself uncaring of any further knowledge the rats of her former clan held. She was here to heal, and nothing else.

Almond shaped eyes narrowed as she grabbed a few herbs, taking note of the scant amount of cobwebs in storage, knowing she would have to find more. Much like herbs, however, cobwebs weren't plentiful in the leafbare. Spiders seemed to flee the cold, preferring to store energy. Stars knew if the cats she sent out this time would even bother with returning. Unwilling to dwell too long on this any longer, she went upwards, meeting face to face with her silent patient with a pointed glare on her face. He had still not spoken a word, but he didn't have to. The wounds on his face told her plenty.

Dropping the herbs she had brought along, the medicine cat picked a goldenrod and cobwebs, before turning her attention on the tom. Other than the scratches across his face, his body seemed to be relatively injury free. Perhaps he had angered a clanmate? Closing in on him, Lightningstorm took an apprehensive, clinical look, failing to find any other injuries of note. Satisfied with her lack of findings, she turned towards her moss, wetting it so as to be able to clean the tom's face. It would do him little good if she left it covered in potential dirt and debris before applying the poultice and cobwebs on it.

"Aside of that gentle caress on your face, they leave you any other parting gifts? Any pain I should know about? I'm not above poking your flank to find out on my own," the lithe calico mewed, quirking an eyebrow as a ghost of her former, cheeky nature leaked through the callous, cold shoulder she reserved for WindClanners after the proposal of the hunt.

---

@RoboPrism [Hollowfoot]

[RoboPrism]

Hollowfoot mumbled, "just something they're to uphold."
Clearing his throat, he spoke evenly his ever-present growl rattling his voice. "This is all, I should be fine..."
The large tom paused, examining the ground for answers before he ever asked the cat before him. Coarse ground stared back, with little to say. Gazing cautiously at Lightningstorm, he ventured into asking.
"...I've... been wondering. The Dark Forest, do you know much about it...? It's only a kits-myth, but I'm finding myself curious about where it came from?"

[Indy]

Pumpkinpatch
☀···· big boi ····☀···· warrior ····☀···· windclan ····☀
▸infosheet◂

A soft purr whispered from the tom's throat as he opened his eyes. For a brief moment he worried of rolling down a step hill, but luckily the spinning in his vision quickly subsided. Much unlike the throbbing pressure in his head.. Pumpkinpatch recalled foggy memories of being dragged over the floor by a small group of cats - hence why his fur was so dusty. Eventhough every thought felt like needles, he could still put together that he'd probably hit his head somehow. And.. aside from his own name that's pretty much where his knowledge ended.
From the corner of his eye the warrior sensed movement and he heard unintelligible mutters, prompting him to lift his head ever so slightly, as to not disturb the headache further. Near the light shining through a den's entrance stood two cats, one a pretty calico, the other a broad gray tom.
It was odd.. their faces seemed familiar yet somehow Pumpkinpatch couldn't identify much about them, not even their names. Strangers with an ally's face. Standing in a place that smelled like safety and reeked of misery.

The tom's eyes hesitantly jumped around the den before fixing back on the cats. He didn't want to bother them, but should he announce his presence? Was he even meant to be here? Though Pumpkinpatch was pretty sure he wasn't a prisoner, he could tell this wasn't just his usual bed either.
He stood up and- woah woah woah.. immediately sat back down again. Sitting is nice, let's sit. Lowering his head slightly the warrior fixed his gaze on a spot on the wall near the conversationalists, waiting patiently for them to finish their business.

mentioned ☀ lightningstorm & hollowfoot
addressed ☀ none
@Alchemist Kitsune

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive | Mind Reader - Active

---

A moon.

The words echoed about her mind, tossed and tumbled violently as lapis hues stormed with ire, hackles raising as she realized the implications of the matter. A moon... A moon ago, the supposed plague had hit them. Cowtuft had still been with them. Cowtuft had been the head healer, with her still learning his ways. True, she had already earned her name, but she would never stop seeing the gentle giant as her mentor. There was always so much more to learn. Case in point... just how idiotic a WindClanner could be!

Without a word, Lightningstorm heads forward, grabbing at the feline's forepaw unceremoniously. Despite her anger, her touch is gentle. Expert. She might not trust this clan to not turn on her at the first mistake. At the first death that is out of her control. But that doesn't make her any less a medicine cat. Try as much as she wants, she cannot turn her back on these hare-brains who hurt themselves in the most convoluted of ways, eternally ruining something that a mere visit could have fixed in as long as they had been avoiding the damn visit in the first place.

The paw's injury was out of her control. It appeared to have been broken. A simple break. One that rest and a proper set would have healed in time. But there was nothing she could do now. In their refusal to visit the healers they had doomed themselves to live a life full of pain. Their twisted paw had healed wrong. Even as she peeled back the layers of bandaging that the feline had used in an obvious attempt to hide away the injury she could see it, and the sight did little to soothe her mood. She wanted to reprimand them. Demote them to kithood. It's what they deserved for their incompetence. If they wanted to act like an immature kit still dependent on their mother's milk, they should live like such as well. Would certainly keep them safe from any more blunders like these.

"You're a fool. I hope you realize that," the she-cat stated bluntly, eyes flashing dangerously as they turned from Poppysong's paw to their own gaze. "Gratefully for the clan, your bloody blunder only hurt the cat involved in it."

A sigh escaped Lightningstorm, equal parts irritation and disappointment. The one thing she trusted WindClan to do was to look out for themselves. The warriors of this star's forsaken clan had proved one thing to her time and time again. That they didn't care for anything as long as it didn't directly affect them. However, once their own interests were on the line? The lot of them were suddenly the most loyal, involved felines to have ever lived. The fact that Poppysong had not come around to have their paw checked out by Cowtuft gave her a few ideas of what could have possibly happened, but none painted the warrior in the best of lights.

Had they known about the poisoned herbs and not wanted to get poisoned themselves? If so, how dare they keep quiet about it... unless... they were the ones doing the poisoning. Knew what herbs would kill them. It was doubtful, considering the easiest solution would have then been to find fresh herbs, offer them to the medicine cat, and have those used on themselves. Which probably meant that they had simply been scared. Either by shyness, idiocy, or worry. None of which the spotted lass was particularly empathetic towards. Really... it all boiled down to a terrible mistake on their part. One that they would painfully carry for the rest of their lives.

"I can't help you. Not anymore. If you'd come when this bloody well happened, I could have fixed it. Left it good as new. I don't know what possessed you to keep this to yourself, love, but it's been too long. The bone's almost fully healed by this point. Had you kept quiet about this... helped somebody else hide this sort of injury, I'd be shredding your ears about now... Seems to me the paw's punishment enough, though, wouldn't you agree?" Lightningstorm mewed, her voice cool as she spoke. Her gaze softened mildly as she continued. "Hare-brain as you are, you're still my patient. I'm not enough of an arse to leave you like this... I'm not like your clanmates. How much pain are you in right now? Can you put your paw down at all?"

---

@MangofDoom [Poppysong]

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive | Mind Reader - Active

---

The lithe calico flattened her ears, the tom's behavior clear that he was in no mental condition to cooperate. Gingerly, the medicine cat crushed up the seeds, closing in on the tom and offering them close to his maw, attempting to force them down if need be. While the young she-cat was never a fan of forcing medication to any cat, this one needed to sleep off the worst of whatever was going on in his head. Never mind the obvious pain he had to be in. There was something more going on for certain, and she couldn't afford to have him get even worse than he already was due to her neglecting her healing instincts. Mistyfalls had been quiet in her time here after their initial talk. Perhaps in equal shock? The spotted lass hadn't a clue, but she had no time to waste. Turning instead to the apprentice, her paw still offering the poppy seeds in the hopes the tom would eat them of his own volition, she lashed her tail, attempting to gain her attention.

"Listen love, I've no idea what the lot of you went through, and I honestly can't be bothered to care much right now. It gets in the way of making sure he lives, you understand? I'm going to need your help then. To move him to one of the private patient dens. Don't relish the thought of keeping him in the warriors' den unattended until I get a better read for his condition," Lightningstorm explained, her gaze cold as she spoke. "Think you can handle that much?"

---

@GoldenRavenWings [Mistyfalls] | @Spookez. [Thriftfall] | @Katiethewolfchild [Birdpaw]
| Requesting power play permission to force feed Thriftfall the poppy seeds if he is unable to eat them himself and further treat him once he falls asleep? Should be a fairly straightforward patch after the fact!

Also, apologies for skipping Mistyfalls! Was not certain if she had left offscreen or still present but wanted to move this along, so left it somewhat ambiguous just in case. |