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last online Oct 17, 2018 17:31:32 GMT
WindClan
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Jul 19, 2018 20:36:50 GMT
Post by sumashira on Jul 19, 2018 20:36:50 GMT
((OoC: Continuation of this thread.)) Valewhisper left camp quickly, checking to see that Eaglepaw was still behind her. Mentally, Valewhisper made a note of what they would need - there had been a lot of injury as of late thanks to the war with ThunderClan, and the Medicine Cat wanted to be prepared if there were a battle. She needed to stock up on whatever healing remedies she could find, from burdock to help heal and relieve to nightshade to ease the passing of the fatally injured.
But these were grim thoughts, and Valewhisper didn't need to think about them right now. For the moment she and Eaglepaw were well within ShadowClan territory, and they would be searching far from ThunderClan's territory today.
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Squirrelly
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RiverClan
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Jul 19, 2018 21:24:52 GMT
Post by Squirrelly on Jul 19, 2018 21:24:52 GMT
"I'm so excited to go get herbs with you! We're going to find so many," Eaglepaw envisioned, smiling brightly. A search of any kind was fun, but herb hunting would be even better. Valewhisper had promised to tell her what different herbs were used for, which was amazing. Now she would have the knowledge to pull off the best pranks ever. Just imagine, a bunch of cats itching their pelts off and having no idea of why. The idea itself almost made her laugh out loud. Somehow she managed not to, not wanting the medicine cat to change her mind. Eyes darting excitedly around, she looked for herbs. After what seemed like a long time of searching, she realized that she didn't even know what she was looking for. Well, that was embarrassing. But in a few seconds she had gotten over that fact. "What herbs are we looking for? What do they look like? What are they used for? I once saw a cat eat purple berries when they had a stomach ache. Or where they blue berries? I forget. Are those what we're looking for?" Eaglepaw didn't realize that she had a tendency to ramble on, so she her chatter didn't seem at all odd to her. All she wanted was for Valewhisper to actually tell her stuff so that they could get to the fun stuff.
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last online Oct 17, 2018 17:31:32 GMT
WindClan
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Jul 19, 2018 21:52:47 GMT
Post by sumashira on Jul 19, 2018 21:52:47 GMT
Valewhsiper laughed at Eaglepaw's barrage of questions. "We've still got quite a ways to travel before we get to what I'm after today," she chided playfully, "and there's plenty of time between here and there for me to explain to you what we're after." The black-and-white she-cat had nothing but patience for the Apprentice's many questions, however, and was more than happy to keep answering them.
They hadn't traveled far from camp when Valewhisper spotted a familiar, tall plant of thick, dark green leaves. "Oh, hello," she said suddenly, immediately changing her course to walk over to it, "I wasn't expecting to find burdock root so far from the ThunderClan border." The Medicine Cat stopped before it and turned to look at Eaglepaw, purring, "This is something that we can collect for camp. Watch how I gather it."
The she-cat used her paws to dig the roots out, slowly freeing the roots with her claws. The roots she gathered were thick, and covered with dirt. She brushed as much dirt away as she could, then wrapped the roots up inside one of the leaves. "I would suggest not using your mouth too much to gather burdock root. It's not poisonous, but it tastes awfully bitter." Valewhisper stepped back. "Would you like to gather some roots? I will tell you what burdock is for once we start on our way again."
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Squirrelly
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RiverClan
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Jul 20, 2018 16:14:33 GMT
Post by Squirrelly on Jul 20, 2018 16:14:33 GMT
"I don't see any burdock root. What does it look like? Oh, that's it. Looks, uh, cool," Eaglepaw commented, looking at the burdock plant with a puzzled expression. For whatever reason, she had expected herbs to be cool and exotic. This just looked like a normal plant. Watching Valewhisper gather some of the root, she quickly grew bored. Why couldn't herb gathering be more exciting? Listening to the medicine cat's description, it sounded just as dull. Except for one thing. It tasted really bitter. A smile spread across her face as an idea came to her mind. What if she hid some in a piece of prey, and watched someone take a bite out of it and then immediately spit it back out in disgust? That would be hilarious. Smiling, she went over to help gather some. But looking at the brown roots, she wondered if the prank was worth doing this tedious task. "How bitter does it taste? And I would like to gather some so we have enough, but it seems a bit boring what if I pretended it was an enemy warrior, and I was attacking it? Like this!" Without waiting for a response, she shot her claws out at one of the roots, quickly loosening it enough to fling it into the air. Imagining she had just done that to a ThunderClan warrior, she smiled, wondering how much that would hurt. While her claws ached like the Dark Forest, she did her best to ignore that. Nothing that was fun didn't come with some sort of price.
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last online Oct 17, 2018 17:31:32 GMT
WindClan
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Jul 20, 2018 23:31:24 GMT
Post by sumashira on Jul 20, 2018 23:31:24 GMT
Valewhisper chuckled soflty at the Apprentice's somewhat disinterested reply. "Don't worry, Eaglepaw," the black-and-white she-cat promised kindly, "the herbs I'm really looking for today are much more exciting than burdock. Still, it's good to have around." The Medicine Cat watched Eaglepaw examine the plant curiously. A barrage of questions immediately followed, but before Valewhisper could even process the first one the Apprentice began clawing furiously at the ground.
Valewhisper stifled a grimace, since damaged roots spoiled faster, and instead mewed encouragingly, echoing the kit's thoughts, "If that burdock were a ThunderClan Warrior, he'd be running back to his mother crying like a kit now. I think we've gathered enough of this - it's good to know where to find it." The she-cat added Eaglepaw's "kill" to her leaf of herbs and grasped it gently between her teeth.
The black-and-white she-cat began to pad off, looking expectantly at Eaglepaw to follow. Speaking around the bundle of roots, Valewhisper said, "Burdock is quite bitter. I've been working with it for quite some time but it's not pleasant." She scrunched her face up and grumbled, "Just thinking about it makes my stomach turn. However, if you can get past the taste it's wonderful for easing the pain of rat bites and other sickly wounds."
The pair headed in the direction of the abandoned Twoleg farm located to the Northwest of ShadowClan's camp. It had held strange four-legged creatures ages ago, but now the fences were crumbling, the barn itself was toppling, and the weeds - and herbs - were overgrowing the former Twoleg habitat. She expected to find plenty of herbs for treating wounds here. "Be on the lookout for small yellow flowers - we're looking for two different types of yellow flower, so you're likely to find one of them.
"And near the barn, check for any small, stocky plants with sticky green leaves - the Twolegs used to grow lots of herbs to take for themselves, but since they've stopped coming here the plants have been allowed to flourish." Valewhisper paused and sighed peacefully. "That means the Clans can, too."
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Squirrelly
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RiverClan
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Jul 21, 2018 12:38:19 GMT
Post by Squirrelly on Jul 21, 2018 12:38:19 GMT
"Yeah, I'm a pretty good fighter for my age. I guess Echoflower taught me well. Wow, that just smells bitter, it must taste even worse. I'm glad I don't have to eat it," Eaglepaw remarked as they walked, refraining from talking anymore so she wouldn't risk spilling out her true intentions. Valewhisper was a good and kind cat, but spoiling the prank would completely ruin it. Besides, she doubted she would approve of wasting herbs. But if she was the one who gathered them, it wouldn't really be stealing. At least, that was what she believed. Following the medicine cat further, she was surprised to see they were going towards the abandoned Twoleg Farm. Strange; she usually wasn't supposed to go there. Well, there was nothing she loved more than doing what she wasn't supposed to. Unless it was breaking the warrior code, which just just be horrible. "Small yellow flowers? Alright, I'll keep my eyes peeled. Why is that an expression? I'm not actually peeling my eyes, so it doesn't make any sense. And stock sticky plants too, got it. Why did the Twolegs leave if there were still so many herbs growing? All creatures must need to use herbs to heal. I mean, great for ShadowClan and we get to thrive, but I'm just curious." Looking around, Eaglepaw did her best to find some yellow flowers. Bright yellow should stand out among all this green. Running through the garden, she looked a bunch of place very quickly, from the barn to the fence. That's when she realized a tiny leaf had stuck to her foot, and she couldn't peel it off. Following the line of trampled plants back to where the leaf had come from, she discovered a plant that matched Valewhisper's description. "Valewhisper! I found your stocky sticky plant!"
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last online Oct 17, 2018 17:31:32 GMT
WindClan
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Jul 22, 2018 15:39:01 GMT
Post by sumashira on Jul 22, 2018 15:39:01 GMT
Valewhisper rather liked Eaglepaw. The black and white she-cat remembered when the young kit had come into the world, and even as a small ball of no fur Eaglekit had been the wriggliest, most playful of the kits. She had gotten into mischief once or twice - that the Medicine Cat knew of - and Valewhisper didn't expect that to change any time soon. Eaglepaw was a free spirit, and Valewhisper certainly didn't want to discourage it. Better to steer it in the correct direction with love and support to ensure that the young Apprentice didn't end up hurt.
"It is an odd phrase," Valewhisper managed to squeeze in before the Apprentice sprang off to go on her own hunt. The Medicine Cat chuckled warmly to herself and went straight for an overgrown garden bed. She didn't want to be too conspicuous out here; while Twolegs didn't frequent the area anymore, there were any number of other creatures that made their way through occasionally. She kept her ears perked as she dug near some stout clumps of green leaves, revealing the bulbs of wild garlic hidden in the dirt. Some were a little thin, likely since they no longer received regular watering, but they would do.
She had gathered several stocks before she heard the young Apprentice's call from a short distance away, in another section of garden. "Oh, wonderful," she purred, her tail flicking up as she made her way towards the Apprentice. Sure enough, there was the thyme plant - that Eaglepaw had stepped through, unfortunately, but there were plenty of plants, and the leaves that had come off would still be good for a day or two.
"This," Valewhisper mewed, biting through the stalk of one of the plants and setting it with the rest of her collection, "is thyme. This is wonderful for calming nerves, like an Apprentice after their first battle or an elder if they've fallen and broken a bone. It's good to keep around. You chose an unconventional way to collect it -" she paused to chuckle "- but you've done an excellent job finding it. Will you gather me a couple more stalks?"
By now the sun was nearing its peak; Valewhisper noted that to herself but continued her search for tansy and tormentil - the yellow flowers she had mentioned to Eaglepaw.
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Squirrelly
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RiverClan
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Jul 22, 2018 20:08:58 GMT
Post by Squirrelly on Jul 22, 2018 20:08:58 GMT
"So you just bite the stalks off? Kind of like a killing bite on prey, but on this thyme. Huh, sounds like time, as in time of day. That's odd. And sorry I trampled over it, if that was unventcuntional or whatever you called it. I really didn't see it!" Eaglepaw explained quickly, eyes wide and containing innocent excitement. Valewhisper's explanation of what it was used for seemed boring to her, and it didn't actually taste bad enough to work for the same prank as the burdock root. Thyme might have an interesting name, but it wasn't something that interested her in any way. Biting off the bottom of a thyme stalk, she had to shake it a few seconds before ripping it off and adding it to the medicine cat's pile. Spitting out a few leaves that had stuck to her tongue, she repeated the process on another stalk of the sticky plant. After removing a second stalk, she realized how boring it was. Exploring was way more fun! Why didn't she get to do that now instead of gathering some weird plant? Rolling her eyes, she snuck away from the thyme, continuing to search. After a long, long time (also known as a few moments) of searching, she gave up and looked curiously at the crumbling barn. To her surprise, the roof of the old Twoleg building was covered with soil and moss, and growing there was none other than a small group of small yellow flowers. Little did she know that this was dandelion, and not either of the kinds the medicine cat was looking for. "Valewhisper! I found some yellow flowers on top of the barn!" Voice brimming with joy and excitement, she shot towards the crumbling wall, launching herself onto it. Her claws dug in, and she flung herself upwards as quickly as possible. No ShadowClanners were particularly talented at climbing, that was for ThunderClan and SkyClan, but she still found this terribly exciting. Anything that required a lot of physical energy and was potentially dangerous was the kind of thrill she sought. Considering her lack of ability, she got a considerable distance up, about three fourths, before slipping. One her her paws just didn't meet the wood in time, and she fell backwards, heading back-first towards that ground at high speeds. Upon hitting the ground, rather than cry out in pain, she jumped to her paws with a look of pure ecstasy on her face. "That was so amazing!"
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last online Oct 17, 2018 17:31:32 GMT
WindClan
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Post by sumashira on Jul 23, 2018 2:24:30 GMT
Valewhisper watched Eaglepaw gather the first stalk, but as the Apprentice began to bite through the second one the Medicine Cat turned and walked towards another patch of garden, searching hopefully for the flowers she was searching for. She had had plenty of luck with gathering the flowers she was looking for in past visits; where had all of those plants ended up? She sighed, feeling frustrated, but she reminded herself that she had found burdock root when she hadn't expected to, and that on its own would be plenty.
The Medicine Cat's attention was brought back to reality when she heard the Apprentice's voice call from a distance away. The green-eyed she-cat immediately turned to see Eaglepaw trying to scramble up the side of the crumbling barn. "Eaglepaw, don't--" Valewhisper called, but she cut herself off knowing it was too late, watching with panic as the Apprentice scrambled and fell back from the barn. Valewhisper immediately sprinted towards where Eaglepaw fell, her breath caught in her throat, and as she reached the Apprentice she began to meow fearfully, "Eaglepaw, are you alright?"
However, her worry was interrupted by the sound and sight of Eaglepaw getting to her paws and exclaiming excitement at the experience. Valewhisper's shoulders heaved as she let out a relieved sigh, mewing, "You scared me, Eaglepaw. That was very risky." The black and white she-cat looked up, then back to the Apprentice, smirking, and said, "That was very impressive considering how little climbing practice we get here, however." Valewhisper padded past Eaglepaw, flicking her tail for the Apprentice to follow. "You're going to be a Warrior someday, and being a Warrior means knowing when the most obvious path isn't the best path."
Valewhisper rounded the corner of the barn to reveal a large gap where the wall of this side of the barn had caved in completely, revealing a staircase inside that led up to the roof. Valewhisper purred, "You act quickly, and someday that may save your life, but you need to think quickly, too." Valewhisper made her way into the barn and up the stairs, clambering onto the roof and towards the yellow flowers that Eaglepaw pointed out. Upon arriving at them, the she-cat grimaced only momentarily before mewing, "Ah, it appears I was not entirely correct - there are three types of yellow flowers here!"
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Squirrelly
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RiverClan
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Jul 24, 2018 22:29:24 GMT
Post by Squirrelly on Jul 24, 2018 22:29:24 GMT
"Oh, there's an actual way up. That would have been helpful to know," Eaglepaw mewed, secretly not at all upset that she had attempted to scale the crumbling wall instead. It had been fun! "Okay, I'll try to think quickly. But sometimes my legs move faster than my mind. That may make becoming a warrior hard. I promise I'll work on it. What are these flowers used for? Do they make you sneeze? Heh, just kidding. What are they used for actually?" Following Valewhisper up the barn, she looked curiously at the flowers. They seemed normal enough, and she was fairly certain she had seen them somewhere else in the territory before. They seemed fluffy, but had too many leaves on the bottom. Enough to hide all the moss that surrounded it. Remembering how she had once been told not to jump onto wet mossy rocks because they were slippery, she looked over the fragile roof, wondering how slippery it was when not wet. Well, there was only one way to find out. Ask! Just kidding, of course she was going to try it. Getting a running start, she attempted to slide on the moss. Skidding a little ways, it was not nearly as fun as she had anticipated. Now she just had to sit and wait for the medicine cat to explain what this flower was used for.
OOC: Sorry for shortness
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last online Oct 17, 2018 17:31:32 GMT
WindClan
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Post by sumashira on Jul 25, 2018 2:06:03 GMT
Valewhisper chuckled warmly at the Apprentice's new batch of questions and statements. The Medicine Cat had learned not to try to answer them as they came anymore or else she'd be talked right over. She made a mental note of each question and comment as they came, and when finally the Apprentice stopped to take a breath, Valewhisper spoke up. "Our bodies always want to move faster than our minds," she mewed reassuringly, "That's how we've stayed alive so long - instinct and gut reactions. As we get older we get better at finding the balance between thinking and acting. You will, too, I'm sure."
Valewhisper paused to grab a dandelion plant in her mouth, giving it a slow but steady pull. The roots gave way quickly, as they had little to dig into. "These are dandelions," Valewhisper said as she dropped the plant over the side of the barn to the ground below. "The leaves are a good painkiller, and the juice from the stem is wonderful for bee stings." She smirked as she watched the Apprentice skitter off to try to slide on the moss, though her heart skipped a beat with irrational fear that Eaglepaw would fall off the edge. It wasn't too far, but if the young she-cat fell wrong she could get pretty badly hurt.
"Admittedly, they're more fun when they're left to mature," Valewhisper told Eaglepaw, her eyes now sweeping their surroundings below. Several more dandelion patches caught her eye, but those weren't what she needed. 'Come on,' she thought, now feeling frustrated, 'I know you're around here somewhere.' She continued, "Grown dandelions turn into white puffs from the yellow plom they are right now. If you bat it with your paw the little tufts fly into the air. They're very fun to chase." She smiled playfully at the young Apprentice, then looked up to the sky.
"We're going to finish looking around the barn and then head home whether we find those flowers or not," Valewhisper informed the Apprentice. "Let's head back down to the ground and keep going."
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Squirrelly
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RiverClan
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Jul 29, 2018 12:08:52 GMT
Post by Squirrelly on Jul 29, 2018 12:08:52 GMT
"Oh, painkillers. I have the feeling that sounds more cool than it is. Painkillers!" Eaglepaw laughed, amused by how threatening the word sounded when said in a deep voice. What if that was somebody's name? Painpaw becomes... Painkiller! That would be hilarious! Continuing to listen to what Valewishper was saying, her ears perked up at the sound of the word fun. White puffs that you could bat at and chase? That sounded like something you could give a kit and they would be occupied for an entire moon! And even she, the tough apprentice that she was, could do with some practice chasing stuff. "When do they become like that? It sounds pretty awesome, and could even be useful! How long until they change? Do they look like clouds then? I just imagine little tiny clouds growing on stems, which is pretty funny to think about. Imagine if they grew to the size of real clouds! I've always wanted to explore the clouds. Being able to fly would be awesome!" So many pictures came to her mind while speaking, mostly that of bounding from cloud to cloud and not wanting to ever fall off or come down. That would be fun, and she would be so free in the sky. At the medicine cat's words, she narrowed her eyes, taking it as a challenge. She would find that flowers if it was the last thing she did. "Don't worry Valewhisper! I will find those flowers!" Leaping over to the staircase, Eaglepaw hurried down it as fast as she could, while still stepping on ever step she could see. It was fun, moving her legs very quickly but with only small movements. Not at all like how she usually ran. Once she reached the bottom, she started running around the field of herbs, thinking she would start at the sides and spiral inward. There was no way she would miss them that way!
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last online Oct 17, 2018 17:31:32 GMT
WindClan
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Jul 30, 2018 19:49:09 GMT
Post by sumashira on Jul 30, 2018 19:49:09 GMT
Valewhisper replied, making her way back towards the stairs, "They'll be puffs before the next full moon, I believe. More flowers will show up and become the puffs once again in time." The black and white she-cat chuckled and mewed, "Well, I think they look like clouds. They float away on the breeze like the clouds do."
The Medicine Cat made her way down to the ground floor again, with Eaglepaw in the lead. The young Apprentice seemed to really enjoy these lessons. Perhaps Valewhisper would need to give her another sometime. She chuckled at the young she-cat's enthusiasm, walking much more slowly than the Apprentice. She was not feeling optimistic; perhaps the Twolegs came back, or maybe the root system didn't survive the winter this year. Whatever the case, they could survive without them if they had to.
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