Despite the distracted look on her face, pressed close against Springy as she observed the herbs and the movements of her paws, little Poppypaw was listening, noting the questions being asked prior to herself. Bigcat’s question, for instance, revealed that poppy seeds – no more than two!!!! - could help getting sleepy mhm. Then, then, Springy moved on with more silly named herbs – elder flowers and leaves, and boneset and sunfuzzies… Oh! Poppypaw liked that name, and it made her giggle with glee.
Poppypaw smilled brighter, purring, when Springy placed her tail around her and Poppypaw nuzzled her side a little more in response; nodding vigorously when Springy gave an answer to her question. She could play scientist with them!
Oh, oh!! Elder leaves now!! (Did they grow on elders? Pfpf, Poppy has barely – if ever – seen an elder! Who knew…). Oh, oh? “What’s comfrey?”
Poppypaw asked as she poked the medic’s side with a curious look; what was the use of knowing that leaves that grow on elders are a replacement for comfrey when she didn’t know what it is? Oh, more big words! “What’s a fracture??”
She continued on, wide-eyed (unbeknownst to herself that she narrowly avoided a fracture just some fortnights ago). Okay, well, it was something that hurt – and sprains, they were the twisty foot thing, was it? Poppypaw twisted her paws sometimes. Okok, so elder’s leaves were broad and attached to… Elder flowers! Hehe, she wondered what they looked like – and they’re attached to elder bushes, what else are they attached to? She giggled to herself, imagining the long line of attachments. So, it’s a tall stalked plant and the flowers are white and in clusters; but you can’t eat the leaves! You can only wrap them around the owie-sprain-fracture (she was beginning to think a fracture is like a sprain but worse).
Ohhh, more mixable things! Elder flowers were mixed with boneset? Springy was explaining that boneset is a tall plant – a lot of tall plants – with long thin leaves (longer than her?) and that one too had little clusters of white flowers at the end, it sounded similar to the elder bushes! But this one can be eaten to treat a cold or early stages of whitecough or greencough (icky things)… Oh, oh!! She often had colds!! Mhm!! That’s how she met Springy!! Ohhh, and even lung infections, whatever that was, but it must hurt. Hmm, congestion was the stuffy nose, right? She tilted her head but mulled over the words, associating them to the definitions she knew and her own experiences – so elder flowers and boneset does away with the stuffy, fevers, aches, makes hungry (hangry);; the elder flowers like the warm and the boneset likes the warm and the kiiiiinda cold – and sun and water. “Springy, Springy!”
She whispered. “Does the elder flower mix-mix with the boneset leaves or flowers? Or both??”
Springy moved on, and she giggled. “Sunfuzzies! Pretty name, pretty!!”
Another marigold and yellow bell sibling; but this it is another tall plant – but still with bright yellow flowers!! Fitting, with the name. It likes aaaallllll seasons, and it cleans wounds and does the same as the other two. Nice, nice!!
[ Sorry sorry, very messy post >< busy with exams for a little while longer ]
Springlight answered Mudhound's question, but before she could continue teaching them an apprentice was at her side with a question. The innocence that radiated off her made a spark of jealousy light up in Mallowpaw's chest. She looked only slightly younger than her, so how had she kept her innocence? Mallowpaw's was long gone. It had been shattered when Mapleface sank her fangs into Violetfreckle's throat; it had been shattered when Sunglow lay dead at Bumblestar's paws; it had been shattered when everyone she loved disappeared. Had the she-cat not gone to those meetings? Had she not been there during the scene in the clearing? Had she lost no-one close to her?
Swallowing, Mallowpaw looked back to Springlight as she began explaining the next herbs. First was elder, which's leaves were used to wrap around sprains or fractures and flowers, combined with another herb called boneset, were eaten to ease congestion, fever and aches as well as stimulate appetite. On its own boneset was used to treat lung infections. Elder bushes were found in newleaf and greenleaf while boneset was found in every season except leaf-bare.
Next was sunfuzzies, which had a funny name, but Mallowpaw was more focused on the information about it. It was tall with yellow flowers, found all year round in the Thundergales and was used for the same purpose as marigold and yellow bells. Mallowpaw filed that information in her brain before looking at Springlight for the next herb she would teach them. She tried not to look at the cat next to her, at the innocence on her face as she asked Springlight a variety of questions. She was here to learn, not to mourn her kithood.
Alright, moving swiftly on then. Springlight answered Mudhound’s question. Only two seeds and no more. Then it was going on to elder flowers, elder leaves, boneset, and sun fuzzies. What a strange name and it was probably his favorite that he’s heard about thus far, sun fuzzies, just sounded fun for some reason. Anyways back to focusing. Elder leave meant for wrapping, sunfuzzies same as marigold, elder flowers good for cough and beginnings of lung infections, boneset is a misleading name and assists elder flowers for helping relieve cough like symptoms. That was all easy enough to remember right? Totally yep. The ginger tom took a while to think over all the new info before finally throwing in a question of his own, “Just making sure, sun fuzzies work fine with marigold and yellow bells, right? So I’m sure there’s all sorts you can mix safely and should but is there anything you shouldn’t mix in the slightest?” That was a lot broader view than just the herbs they went over but it’s fine probably.
- SPRINGLIGHT
long-furred, scarred, oriental-shaped, gray-and-orange calico molly with blue eyes; torn right ear
active purrks: herbal knowledge - tier 2 | the collector | mind reader | skip the steps she/her | thunderclan medicine cat | 20 moons
As if she had almost expected it, Mudhound was the first to always ask the questions. Thankfully, after the tripod, everyone else seemed to pipe in and ask a question or so as well. It was more than enough to fill in the medicine cat’s staggering disappointment with the last few herbs she had explained. Driving into more complex and complicated herbology wouldn't be easy for everyone to understand so simply. However, before deciding to answer their questions, she was quick to note about the fact that nearly everyone was confused by her mentioning of the herb, comfrey. Her pelt immediately flushed up in embarrassment, and the calico flashed her clan-mates a quick grin. “Right… I should’ve… left comfrey… out of… the mention… before then… but I… will explain it… here in a minute… I promise you.” Springlight made sure to assure the tripod before moving towards the next furry of questions that they threw at her, one of them being relatively easy to explain, while the others were more complex and a little harder to explain. “The only… thing… elder leaves… are used… to… aid… sprains… and fractures… or a broken… bone… to be… explained… more simply… they don't… bear any… another sort… of medical… purpose… as far… as I am… aware.” It would be decent if they did, though.
“As for… your other question… both yes… and no… only… one of… them both… can be… used separately… on its own… the flower itself… cannot… do anything… while boneset… is good… for treating… a cold… or early stages… of whitecough… or greencough… or other lung infections… as I have… explained earlier… if you… use one… without the… other… like if… you are… trying to… stimulate… appetite… during… a stage… of a specific… cold… It won't… provide… any sort… of effect… and you… will remain… the same… which is… why you… would need… both… for that… specific alignment.” The calico allowed her words to be processed through Mudhound’s brain, while also giving herself a brief break from her long range of speaking. It hurt her throat like the absolute devil from her consistent talking about the importance of different herb types and how they worked, but she was sincerely used to the pain that made itself known through her careful and intricate explanation of such. It was a tricky process due to her frequent pausing and stuttering, but she still tried along the way.
Poppypaw’s chipper voice caught her attention and the calico focused down toward the brittle feline as she heard her question what comfrey was. Again, Springlight felt bad for mentioning the herb when these students hadn't bore much of a clue about what comfrey even was. Before she could say anything, she was quick to be bombarded with another question, asking about what fractures were. The herbalist couldn't hide the smile crawling its way through her facial features. Hearing her innocently ask it did something to her heart that she didn't know if it could be undone. “Well… a fracture is… a broken bone… basically… a prime… example… of a… broken bone… would be… a broken tail… paw… or a limb… but not… all fractures… can be… fixed… as they… could be… permanently damaged… and that… would lead… to you being unable… to use it… anymore… in life.” The thought of her little sister possibly gaining some sort of permanent lame limb in life made her heart ache tremendously in her chest. She wouldn’t be certain if she would be able to forgive herself if she had to withstand the sight of her little sister breaking a possible bone in her tiny body. She was just too innocent for the world. Her thoughts were distracted by her little sibling’s question and gentle pokes, only making her lips curl up into a cheeky grin.
“Both… of them… of course… it helps… keep anyone… from getting… too sick… and it… gives off… a reasonable… balance… for the… dosage.” Hopefully that was reasonable for Poppypaw to understand completely. The medicine cat didn’t know how to simplify her explanation for the younger molly to comprehend for the fact that she explained it as simply as she could possibly make it sound. She couldn’t hide the purr of amusement that rumbled through her chest from her little sister’s shared amazement with the name of sunfuzzies. To be fair, Springlight was certain that the herb held a more natural name than what Cowtuft had given it, but she didn’t know when she would learn of its natural name and origin before then. It was a heavy shame, though. The tom-cat was really nice to be around and was a big change of pace for the calico herself. Lightly poking her younger sister’s shoulder blade with the tip of her tail, she overheard Orangeblossom beginning to speak and she found herself staring up to focus herself onto his deep, emerald green eyes. She didn’t know what it was, but something about this tom-cat felt different, somehow. She didn’t know how to put it into words, but his over-optimistic attitude and tone gave her a feeling that she wasn’t sure how to muster properly. Shaking her head from the thoughts, she poured herself to pay attention to his words and merely nodded her head in rebuttal to his question.
“Yes… that is… correct… sunfuzzies… is the same… as both marigold… and yellow bells… and therefore… and potentially… be mixed… with the both.. of them… as for… herbs… that you… should avoid… mixing together… well… that’ll be… any poisons… that… you will… eventually come across… which I… will be… explaining… later on… in this… lesson and… how to… avoid them.” In terms of anything specific that should be avoided at all possible outcomes for any mixing privileges, she wasn't all that certain about that. She hadn't had the chance to experience any of that yet, nor did she think that it would result in anything too specific that would assist anyone in particular. Maybe there were herbs that could be mixed together to help in more ways than one, but Springlight couldn't be too certain of that. With a sharp shake of her head, the warm sun beating down her back pulled her back into focus on the lesson occurring in front of her. It was better for her to start explaining the next set of herbs that she had been wanting to explain to them, even if she didn't have a proper example of the herb right in front of her. Clearing her throat, she peered her focus back towards the small group as a smile grew prominent along her facial features. “Well… if that's… all of… the questions… for now… then… I will… continue this… lesson.”
“First… and foremost… I noticed… that a… couple of… you… asked about… what comfrey… was… well… comfrey is… a tall plant… with long green… leaves and… drooping purple… flowers and… grows from… newleaf to leaffall… it's a plant… that we… would mainly… take the… roots from… but the… leaves are… useful… as well… the roots… are chewed… into a poultice… to soothe burns… itchiness… and wounds… the leaves are… to be wrapped… whole around… broken bones… or wrenched joints… to reduce swelling… and inflammation… and promote healing… but if… you cannot… find comfrey… that is… why elder leaves… are a… suitable… replacement… for… the herb.” Her throat ached like hell after explaining the properties of what comfrey did, but she hoped that it would be enough for her clan-mates to understand properly. There was a bit of complicated wording, but she hoped it would be better for them to understand it than how it was explained before with the other herbs. She was specifically worried about how Poppypaw would understand it given she was the youngest of the group. It wasn't hard for Springlight to note that her little sister looked distracted during the explanation. Maybe it was due to her consistent talking? It would be easier if she had a prime example of comfrey so they could see the herb snf she could label it out, but that wasn't the case.
With that out of the way, now it was onto one of her personal favorite herbs to talk about. Honey. “Now… moving on… onto one… of my… favorites… and I… am pretty… sure… you lot… have heard… about it… before… honey… now… unlike other… herbs… which are… naturally… plants… honey comes… from beehives… up… in the… trees… it has… a use… in almost… any situation…. for wounds… it can… be added… to poultices… to keep… the wound… from drying out… too quickly… and promotes… healing ... eaten by itself… or added to water… it can… help soothe… sore throats… and reduce… coughing… it can… also be added… to other herbs… to make it… more palatable… especially for… fussy kits… it is also… high in sugars… so it can… help to promote hydration… when added… to water for sick… patients or queens… and it can… help give a… little boost of… energy to… queens in labor.” It may be a lot, but it was an assortment of information that she felt like would be necessary for her clan-mates to know about the purposes of honey. She wouldn’t be certain if they would use it for the purpose of assisting queens, but Springlight felt like it was necessary to mention the purpose that it gave them. Before she could explain anything else, she wanted to keep going into the details of honey before she moved onto anything else. Speaking of honey, the calico was quick to note a nearby hive above them from the low, distant hum of the working bees.
Pointing her nose up towards the hive, the calico gave off a dismissive smile. Well, maybe she would be able to show off a physical example at all? Maybe not of honey itself, but of the overall hive itself and an explanation of how to get the sweet nectar itself. “As… I was… saying… about finding… hives… themselves… it can… be quite… a chore… to find… the exact one… that… you will… need… but the… first thing… to know… about harvesting honey… is that… it is created… by bees… and stored… in their hives…. you will find… these hives in… trees… usually where… there are… plenty of… flowers in… the vicinity… up there… is what… a hive… looks like… it’s better… to collect… with a second… pair of… paws… and have them… wait… at the… bottom… while you… go up… to break… the hive… with a… sturdy stick… to avoid… any bee stings… find yourself… some thick, clay-like… mud and roll… in it… once you're… comfortable with… your new armor… you climb… the tree and… knock the hive… down… it will… break on… the ground… and expose… what you… need… the comb." She pointed with a forepaw to a stray piece of comb that seemingly fell out of the hive while it was in development, the messy piece of honeycomb dripping its nectar onto the bright, leprechaun green ground.
Springlight cautiously stepped forward, scooping up the stray piece of comb and exposed it to her students, laying it at their paws to inspect it. "This is… what you… are looking for… and where… your game… of tag team… starts… once you have… it… run… pass it off… as quickly… as possible… towards the closest… body of water… to wait them out… or, if you're… feeling rather… brave or confident… you could also... just continue… about your day…. they will stop… following you… eventually… and while… this all seems… like a lot… of work for some… honey.... this stuff really… doesn't go… bad unless… you get something… in it… and a comb will… last you… quite awhile… if you use it… wisely… after all.” It was a lot of explaining for her students, but thankfully for every other herb that she was going to explain to them, it won’t be as complicated as it was for a piece of honeycomb. Now, next, wasn’t as complicated, as it was something simple. Drawing her tongue along her paw to pluck any stray honey off, she focused her attention back towards the group before moving on. “Now… another herb… I will… be explaining… to you… is called… burnet… it usually… likes sunny… areas but… you can usually… find it… at any point… through the year… it’s a meadow… herb, tall and grass-like… with purple blooms… at the top…. burnet is considered… a traveling herb… as it bolsters strength… but can also… be good… for queens… during a…difficult kitting."
There was also an alternative to burnet called ragweed, but she wouldn’t be so quick to mention it given that they wouldn’t know what exactly ragweed is in the first place. Now, this next herb was one that Springlight herself was still unfamiliar with, but it was something she knew well enough that it should be shown to her students before anything else. “This… next herb… is one… that I… am not… as familiar… with… as you… are… but it… would… be wary… to know… the knowledge… of its… capabilities… it is… called… sunset roses… in par… of its name… it is… a rose… with beautiful… shades of… of red and… orange… like a… proper sunset… when the light… hits them… just right… it is… used… to cure… a mysterious… illness… called snow fever… and chills… nausea… and fever… however… the illness… itself… it progresses with chills… and… then spreads… quickly… like a… wildfire… that herb… is the… only way… to cure… the disease… during its… starting point… but any later… it is… considered fatal.” This was information she thanked both Cowtuft and Lightningstorm for, and maybe a little bit much for her students to take in, but it would be good for them to know at a later time. “I… apologize… that the… information about… It is… brief… but it’s… all that… I can… counter for… with sunset… roses.”
“Another… herb… all help… you with… fevers… is borage… it can be… found most… places where it's… sunny so… you’ll generally… only find it during… the sunnier moons… from late newleaf to early… leaffall…. it’s a fairly tall… fuzzy plant… with large leaves… and pointed blue… flowers… eating the flowers… or leaves… can treat and… reduce fevers… as well as… increase a queen’s… milk supply… it’s often bitter… so it’s best… to take… honey with… it… to make it… more tolerable” Springlight gestured her paw towards the piece of honeycomb in front of her clan-mates as she mentioned the sweet-tasting comb. “Are there… any questions… before I… move on?”
- May 5th; marigold, yellow bells, cobwebs, and poppyseeds - May 13th; elder flower/leaves, boneset, and sunfuzz/goldenrod - May 24th; comfrey, honey, burnet, sunset roses, and borage
- May 26th; catmint, juniper berries, sorrel, and tree sap
- May 28th; burdock root, chickweed, celandine, chamomile, and chervil
- May 31st; daisies, mushrooms(glowing ones will be excluded until the 6th), ragweed, spider egg sac, and feverfew
- June 1st; oak leaves, parsley, lavender, rosemary, and lady's mantle
- June 4th; blessed thistle, coltsfoot, dock leaves, yarrow, and stinging nettle
- June 6th; foxglove seeds, water hemlock, glowing mushrooms, deathberries, and meadow saffron
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Springlight is one of ThunderClan’s current medicine cats.
She has a semi-closed den policy.
Feel free to DM or VM me if you have any questions or concerns!
Please know that my character's personal thoughts and opinions do not reflect my own.
I am simply playing as their character.
My writing often depends on my motivation and therefore due to having autism, I struggle with maintaining focus for writing.
I hope that's understandable.
Re: Helping & Healing Paws [ Healing/Herb Lessons ]
