[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

"I think I just might!" Purred out the tom as he thought about it before seeming to nod his head in confirmation. The next time he caught sight of the Shadowclan medicine cat he would be sure to thank them, after all, he's hardly met Daydream and it is truly a kind act for them to be teaching Shinefang a few things. Marking it down on his mental 'to do' list, he pushed it to the back of his mind to make way for the current conversation he was having. "That is good, I'm sure they'll be able to teach you well then." While Shinefang wasn't one much for giving praise, Grousestar was the complete opposite. He believed giving praise to others was a quintessential thing when trying to keep moral and spirits high, while also just keeping everyone in a generally happy, good mood. It improved performance; not only that but, big surprise here, he was just a kind cat who couldn't help but give kind words where he saw fit. He saw nothing wrong in giving praise to others where it was due.
As Shinefang thanked him, he dipped his head with a bright smile. "No need to thank me Shinefang. And yes, I think I understand you with that bit.
I don't think I quite new what I was signing up for when I stepped up to take Lemonstar's place." He chuckled out quietly, shaking his head, his gaze shifting to look in front of him instead of over at the other tom. He was much more naive when he was deputy and while he did still hold some of that characteristic, it has been dulled down.
"Oh? That's a fantastic idea!" The leader paused as he heard what the older tom mentioned next, his smile faltering and his eyes glancing over to look at him. Don't say that... His mind whispered in a painfully pitiful voice. Grousestar hated the pain that came with losing someone, hated the grief that tore at his heart. It always hurt him, even if he hardly knew the cat. It hurts him when a member of Skyclan dies. Shinefang continued on before he could get too saddened by the idea, but the fear that one day Shinefang would pass on to Starclan was still tugging at him. He didn't want to think about it, didn't want it to happen. "You still have plenty of seasons left in you my friend." He meowed in a quieter tone, looking back ahead. The thought of losing the tom next to him brought him back to the time when his life was the darkest. When his parents passed on, in the elders den, right next to each other. His throat tightened slightly and he could feel a slight stinging in his eyes.
Clearing his throat as his attention was brought back to reality, he looked around for a moment before taking a scent as Shinefang noted the apparent sweet smell of chervil. The smell really didn't hit his nose right away and it took a bit of straining before he could pick it out from beneath the distant smell of squirrel, of dead leaves and other various forest smells. "Why yes, I think I do!"

Shinefang didn't respond to Grousestar's polite comment about his many seasons. He didn't doubt it. He'd got to Starclan when he was good and ready and not before if he had anything to say about it. And they'd be in for a fight if they tried to take him before he was ready. And besides, now he was focused on scenting this herb. He sniffed the air ahead, as he watched the wind stir the blanket of leaves on the ground to see which way the wind was blowing, following the scent with his nose held high. "Around here somewhere," he muttered, looking around. "Ah! Here we are!" The golden-furred tom padded up to a fern-like plants growing in a cluster in a patch of sunlight between two younger-looking trees. He sniffed the fronds one more to be safe and nodded. "Chervil. It's good for infected wounds. To be honest, I'd forgotten about it until Daydream came around and mentioned it. I've been using Burdock root. Burdock is quite a bit more potent, though. And it stings a little." Shinefang bit down on the base of one of the thick, twiggy frond and began to try and pull up to dislodge the root at well. "The root it also good for helping queens with kitting," he said through gritted teeth, straining to pull the root loose. The frond ripped with a sudden snap that nearly made Shinefang fall over backwards. Now only a small green stem remained sticking out of the earth. The old tom let the frond in his mouth fall to the ground with a sigh and padded up to the stem. He began scratching at the earth, trying to make the root easier to remove. "I wanna make sure I have this. There are some queens in the nursery that could kit any day now. Specklespring is pregnant with her third litter and she'll pop any day now," he said, chatting casually, as he tried to dig. Specklespring had been his third warrior apprentice and his late mate's sister. He knew that she'd successfully had kits before, and the old tom had picked up a few things while keeping his mate company in the nursery before the kits came. And... well, Grousestrar knew how that had ended. He was nervous about helping queens give birth. He was sure it would go smoother. He realized on some level that what had happened with his mate was a rare occurrence. But still...