July Gathering

[Socks]

Originally Posted by Zero to Hero

"I'm excited too," Surgestorm meowed, his ears turning red at the compliment. He didn't deny it, taking a liking to the idea that it was true. The first moon make be a bit rough as he learned to really teach, but after that he'd probably be fairly good at it. He still remembered Turtleback's teachings, so all he had to do was to pass down that knowledge. Well, that and teach them how to listen to their ancestors - even though that is something they'd really have to figure out on their own with StarClan always being so vague and confusing. He starled a bit at the question, but perked up instantly once the intial shock was gone. Surge always liked to talk about his herbs. With a huge smile, he spoke: "I have a really good memory, and when you're around them all the time they really just stick in your brain. That, and they all look fairly different so if I'm ever confused on the scent then I just turn to sight." He caught sight of Daypaw and Geckoleaf and dipped his head to the two before turning back to look at the warrior.

Sageheart felr kind of silly for the question. Of course he had a good memory, and of course things looked different. She has just always wondered as too many scents made her head spin and at this point she spoke without much thought at all. She was still amazed by his talents, not every cat can memorize so much and it's rare a cat has a connection with starclan like that. "Is it fun, being a Medicine Cat? Surely it must be a stressful job seeing as at times so many cats rely on you and your saving lives and all that." After speaking, she looked up at the sky for a moment, thinking of how Surgestorm must receive messages from their ancestors and wondering what it's like to do stuff like that.

[graves]

Originally Posted by Clover

Just being with Daypaw helped, more and more; her tears began to dry up, her eyes clearing and her nose not running. She still sniffed slightly, sorrow still distorting her mind, but dissipating further than it had in a while. Her dark blue eyes seemed a little lighter; the apprentice was good for her, their more skeptical and removed outlook a reminder that sometimes practically should overtake emotion. Especially where religion was involved; Geckoleaf, as a medicine cat, believed deeply in StarClan. They were a large part of her worldview; every large life decision she made involved the clan of heavenly warriors to some degree. And to see them take away her espoused daughter, after a gruesome and painful death, had shaken her already fragile mind to the point of snapping, plus the obvious loss of Cricketpaw. But, despite their importance to her, StarClan had never been her rock in life; instead, it was always a person or people. First, her mother. Then, Marshsnow; after she died, it became Cougarstorm, her first love, then her first apprentice, Arcticpaw. Then Cricketpaw; Cricketpaw, who had come into her life without a word, and then burst into a whirlwind of color and life and love. And then, been ripped away. Slowly, Mistfall had begun to bridge the gap in her heart; but it would take more than one person to fix her. And maybe, Daypaw would help. "StarClan... You will learn, in time, are not gods or angels or demons, but just beings. And beings make mistakes; StarClan does make mistakes, my love. And maybe Cricketpaw was just that; a mistake, but a beautiful one nonetheless. But that doesn't mean we don't miss her," Geckoleaf whispered, ponderingly, her mind obviously wandering like that of a pensive elders's.

"I know enough about Starclan to know they are anything but god. Playing with cats lives like its a thread." their tone was grave, more serious. They had watched their father die when they were a kit. They werent close to him in the first place, and not with their mother either, but to watch Starclan take a cat for no reason. Stung. Everytime they closed their eyes they felt like it was another world. Everytime they slept they were faced with nightmares, visions, gore that distrbed them. They could only blame Starclan for that. They never have held Starclan above them, they never will find refuge in them, they would never respect them, they would never see them unless necessary. It made them feel out of place with the medcats. Once Cricketpaw had died, they felt they had no one left. Another thing Starclan had taken. "Cricketpaw was never a mistake. She was the only blessing that I could ever agree with Starclan on."

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

As SkyClan approached Seastones, the inky deputy paused from where she padded behind Grousestar and tasted the air. WindClan had already arrived. We’re probably second, Auroraflame thought, flicking her tail thoughtfully before she continued to walk. Although she would normally walk around for a bit and chat to random cats from the other clans, she decided to do something different instead. Rather than heading in any direction except for the one that lead to the spot beneath the large rocks, she padded straight to the spot where the deputies all sat. So far, no one was sitting there. Sighing in annoyance, she prepared herself to stand up again and find someone to talk to like she normally did, but she didn’t have to as a tom suddenly approached her. She was guessing that he was a deputy considering he sat down next to her. The she-cat had to quickly jog her memory to see which deputy was. She eyed the tom and took a seat next to him, all the while trying to remember who he was. As she curled her tail around her paws, she recognised him to be the deputy of RiverClan. Well, she didn’t recognise him, she was just assuming he was because she had watched him follow Russetstar. What happened to Blackgaze? Auroraflame thought, curiosity flickering in her icy orbs. She spent a few moments thinking of what she should say, but she didn’t need to as he started up a conversation for her. Fallenstream. Auroraflame was tempted to ask what had happened to Blackgaze but decided against it, for it may be information that RiverClan did not wish to share. “Nice to meet you. I’m Auroraflame, the deputy of SkyClan,” She responded, dipping her head in acknowledgement. He probably already knew her name, as she was pretty sure she had been deputy before any of the others, but she introduced herself anyway.
Honestly, the she-cat probably wouldn’t be saying those words to another deputy had it not been for the fact that recently, she noticed the lack of interactions between her and the other deputies. She’d decided to make a friend or two as she knew that one day, she would be standing up on those rocks alongside these cats, so she might as well get to know them. “How’s RiverClan fairing?” Auroraflame suddenly asked. This was the part where she would’ve asked what happened to Blackgaze if she were a more curious, but she restrained herself from doing that.

The onyx tom fixated his gaze to the leaders as the molly introduced herself, although he knew it was polite to look another in the face when they were speaking his mind was muddled with other...rules at the moment. When she finished he gave the Skyclan deputy a small smile and dipped his head in greetings once more. "I've seen you a few times at the previous gatherings. Nice to officially meet you." he said as politely as possible. The deputy still felt slightly uncomfortable around the higher ups, he wasn't sure what to make of them just yet although he himself had become one only a few moons ago. The black warrior returned his focus to the leaders above, his lapis colored orbs flickered with unease and xuriosity, he actually found himself wondering what it looked like from up there, the clans mingling, chatting happily, laughing, smiling, what did it look like from way up there? Fallenstream caugh himself wondering and scolded himself, he didn't want to become one of them, deceitful, cruel. That was when he felt icy optics boring into his pelt, it made him shudder. He turned his own cold blue gaze towards the other deputy and looked her over, and then it hit him "She was hit by a monster...her hind legs weren't paralyzed, she gave up her position." he stated, lifting his head a little. The deputy twitched his whiskers and once again turned his gaze forwards, a movement caught the corner of his eye, Shadowclan. Fallenstream let out a snort the name returned his focus to Arouraflame "Why didnt you just ask? Woulda saved e the trouble of feeling like I was being stalked by something." he stated. He lowered his head and flattened his ears, his shoulders haunched over. He was uncomfortable. He didn't like feeling different than his clanmates, not only was he sitting in a separate group than the rest of his clanmates that attended tonight, he was being stared at, being viewed as though he wasnt supposed to be sitting there. And in all honesty he agreed with them. He didn't belong here.

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by starfall

The onyx tom fixated his gaze to the leaders as the molly introduced herself, although he knew it was polite to look another in the face when they were speaking his mind was muddled with other...rules at the moment. When she finished he gave the Skyclan deputy a small smile and dipped his head in greetings once more. "I've seen you a few times at the previous gatherings. Nice to officially meet you." he said as politely as possible. The deputy still felt slightly uncomfortable around the higher ups, he wasn't sure what to make of them just yet although he himself had become one only a few moons ago. The black warrior returned his focus to the leaders above, his lapis colored orbs flickered with unease and xuriosity, he actually found himself wondering what it looked like from up there, the clans mingling, chatting happily, laughing, smiling, what did it look like from way up there? Fallenstream caugh himself wondering and scolded himself, he didn't want to become one of them, deceitful, cruel. That was when he felt icy optics boring into his pelt, it made him shudder. He turned his own cold blue gaze towards the other deputy and looked her over, and then it hit him "She was hit by a monster...her hind legs weren't paralyzed, she gave up her position." he stated, lifting his head a little. The deputy twitched his whiskers and once again turned his gaze forwards, a movement caught the corner of his eye, Shadowclan. Fallenstream let out a snort the name returned his focus to Arouraflame "Why didnt you just ask? Woulda saved e the trouble of feeling like I was being stalked by something." he stated. He lowered his head and flattened his ears, his shoulders haunched over. He was uncomfortable. He didn't like feeling different than his clanmates, not only was he sitting in a separate group than the rest of his clanmates that attended tonight, he was being stared at, being viewed as though he wasnt supposed to be sitting there. And in all honesty he agreed with them. He didn't belong here.

The SkyClan deputy awaited his response patiently and took the time to think about the moments before. When she was talking, he hadn’t been looking at her. Rather, he had been looking at the leaders perched on the large rock. Normally, Auroraflame would be angered quite easily when it came to rude actions, but strangely enough, the she-cat didn’t consider lack of eye contact rude. Not only that, but there was some sort of strange aura around this tom that made her even less likely to frown. It was as if something was bothering him. Was it her? Was she making him feel uncomfortable? Or was it something else? Auroraflame hated making cats uncomfortable. It always made the atmosphere more awkward and she hated having a conversation, unless she was confronting someone about something. Although she didn’t normally do that. As he replied, the ebony she-cat gave him a warm smile in return for his small one. If it really was her that was making him uncomfortable, then she was going to try to be as friendly as possible. But she wouldn’t try to hard, or she might become too overwhelming to deal with. As he spoke again, Auroraflame’s icy orbs lit up in surprise. She certainly hadn’t been expecting those words to come out of his mouth, but maybe she had been a bit too obvious. She was normally alright when it came to hiding her curiosity, but this time it had just been too hard. “Oh gosh….” Auroraflame trailed, eyes wide with horror. Of all reasons to resign, it had to be that one. “I hope she’s okay,” the deputy murmured quietly, eyes lowering to the ground briefly before she looked up again. The inky she-cat was very doubtful that Blackgaze was alright, but she should at least hope that the former deputy was handling the injury. “Sorry. I didn’t want to ask in case you didn’t wish to share the news,” Auroraflame said with an apologetic look in her icy gaze. Despite the situation, the she-cat couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle at his words. “Don’t worry, I don’t stalk others,” Auroraflame said, eyes lighting up in amusement. Noticing the way that his shoulders hunched and his head lowered, the amusement quickly vanished. “Are you okay? You seem….uncomfortable,” She said hesitantly. Maybe she should’ve just ignored it and pretended that everything was alright, but it wasn’t alright. She was going to find out what was bothering him and if it was her, she would just give up on socialising with the other deputies and find someone else to talk to.

[goddess of ducks]

Originally Posted by Fern

Ashpaw jumped back slightly at her surprised voice, shocked she was so excited about trees. "Yeah, Thunderclan and Skyclan cats climb up trees more often." He mewed. He listened as she started talking more, wondering when they could meet at the border. "I don't know, soon...it would have to be a sunny day though. It has just been raining a lot, so I don't think it would be safe if the trees are wet. You could fall and get hurt real bad." He mewed, worried for a moment. He would hate himself forever if he caused Peachpaw harm because he was trying to teach her to climb.

Peachpaw, naive and dumb as she could be, looked to the skies, thinking more along the lines of 'You mousebrain it's not raining' but she then fully processed what he had said and then gave a coherent nod. "Yeah, I imagine that trees can be some what like the moors when it rains. Very slick and dangerous. Lots of the ground turns to mud and trust me it's not fun unless you're playing in it." She told him, the hesitantly added on. "Cause I know how that feels." She grinned a bit, figuring she couldn't leave him hanging on a story, so instead of waiting for a reply she continued. "It was at the beginning of new leaf and me and my sister were in the camp playing. It had rained like, all night long so there was lots of mud, and then he just played in it, had fights with it, and even when sliding in it. Best day we ever had together." She giggled again, recalling the day.

Originally Posted by monfang

{ ha so will she }
{ so since pathos left, should we presume sagekit dead? }

She nodded, thinking it would be better for the both of them. Somewhere in her mind, she knew he knew she was in pain, but she also knew he was in pain too. It bothered hernythat he could see that she hurt, not in a bad way though. She was used to putting others first, now she had someone who put her first, just like she did with him. It was odd. But she knew she couldn't change it. He wasn't changed easily. And she was glad he was. She would never want him to ever change. "Alright, love." She said, and watched as he took lead. She gave a smile, and she sat next to him. She gave a small, quiet sigh, half relief, half pained as her sitting seemed to add more pain, but it faded after a few seconds. She felt him press up against her and she gave him a smile. "Your leg isn't bothering you too much, is it?" She asked. She didn't want him hurting, and if they had to go back, she was sure that Grousestar and Auroraflame would understand. Her muscles were tense and sore, but she insisted Ebonyfrost she was fine, that she could go. "The kits told me to tell you, they said hi. They were wanting to play this morning but I told them we had to get ready for the Gathering. Strikerkit said he'd come." She chuckled, though her eyes filled with sadness. She thought about her son, and tears filled her eyes. She wiped them away, only for them to be replaced by more. She blamed herself, though she knew somewhere it wasn't her fault. No one's really. But being the mother, she felt she had a part to play. She lowered her head, trying not to let him see her cry. She knew he would, but she tried.

[oml why do I never hear anything XD but pathos left? I didn't know that lol but yea we can presume him dead u less Path gave Sage away to someone]

Cliffheart smiled gratefully as she seemed ti comply with him on where to sit. He didn't want to argue with her, though he never really had. But he knew since they were both trying to care for the other, then they ran a higher chance of butting ways. He then looked over at his leg. He waited a moment, seeing how bad it was still throbbing. "It's been better. But it's been worse. It's about like it was last time I made the trek here." He explained. "But how are your sores? I can see you have them. You don't fool me." He purred, nuzzling her softly. Then he pulled away, looking at the cats swarming around the,l they al, seemed tense tonight, or at least a lot of them did. "It's alri- oh my Star, shhhhh. Don't cry." He used his paw to pull her head into his chest, where he rested his chin on her head. "It's alright." He told her, knowing he could say much else. Their kits had been through so much already and they were only about four or five moons old. All of them had been left motherless for a while, while Scorchedoetal stayed in critical condition with Ebinyfrost. Beachkit had nearly been kidnapped and stolen by the Syndicate, and now Sagekit and left. Yea, left. That's all, because he didn't want to acceot the true meaning of it.

[Clover]

Originally Posted by woly

"I know enough about Starclan to know they are anything but god. Playing with cats lives like its a thread." their tone was grave, more serious. They had watched their father die when they were a kit. They weren't close to him in the first place, and not with their mother either, but to watch Starclan take a cat for no reason. Stung. Every time they closed their eyes they felt like it was another world. Every time they slept they were faced with nightmares, visions, gore that disturbed them. They could only blame Starclan for that. They have never held Starclan above them, they never will find refuge in them, they would never respect them, they would never see them unless necessary. It made them feel out of place with the medcats. Once Cricketpaw had died, they felt they had no one left. Another thing Starclan had taken. "Cricketpaw was never a mistake. She was the only blessing that I could ever agree with Starclan on."

Once again, tears began to pick her eyes; how could she have called Cricketpaw a mistake, even a beautiful one? Cricketpaw had never been anything but perfection; calling her less than what she was was an insult. But she managed to hold them back, glancing over at Daypaw with a strain of guilt coloring the blue of her eyes a darker shade of sadness. Swallowing her emotion, Geckoleaf listened to the words they spoke, far wiser than their years, but just as filled with genuine emotion. Without saying anything, she rested her head lightly against the apprentice's, who was already almost as tall as the orange tabby herself. "You're right, Daypaw. Of course, you are. Sometimes I wonder how ShadowClan came to be blessed with the best medicine cat in the five clans. Cricketpaw was anything but a mistake. She was our companion; my apprentice, and your friend. She made your life better; I can see what losing her did to you. I just hope you can forgive me for not getting to her fast enough, sunshine," she murmured, gently, musing, tone lilting and airy. It was obvious she was tired and becoming more detached from their conversation with the apprentice; the term of endearment was second handed, off-chance, and made her only hope that Daypaw wouldn't look at her funny.

[graves]

Originally Posted by Clover

Once again, tears began to pick her eyes; how could she have called Cricketpaw a mistake, even a beautiful one? Cricketpaw had never been anything but perfection; calling her less than what she was was an insult. But she managed to hold them back, glancing over at Daypaw with a strain of guilt coloring the blue of her eyes a darker shade of sadness. Swallowing her emotion, Geckoleaf listened to the words they spoke, far wiser than their years, but just as filled with genuine emotion. Without saying anything, she rested her head lightly against the apprentice's, who was already almost as tall as the orange tabby herself. "You're right, Daypaw. Of course, you are. Sometimes I wonder how ShadowClan came to be blessed with the best medicine cat in the five clans. Cricketpaw was anything but a mistake. She was our companion; my apprentice, and your friend. She made your life better; I can see what losing her did to you. I just hope you can forgive me for not getting to her fast enough, sunshine," she murmured, gently, musing, tone lilting and airy. It was obvious she was tired and becoming more detached from their conversation with the apprentice; the term of endearment was second handed, off-chance, and made her only hope that Daypaw wouldn't look at her funny.

They were stiff when Geckoleaf leaned against them for a moment. But after a moment, they leaned against her too. They werent anything but the best, especially the best medcat of all five clans. They could name any other cat that was better then them. "Theres nothing to forgive you for, you didnt know that it was her time. None of us did,Geckoleaf." their voice was only above a whisper, they closed their eyes. It made their blood boil that a cat would murder another. What was the purpose? What was the point they were trying to prove? "I promise I wont let her die in vain," Daypaw rarely showed emotion, rarely did they cry or even show a notion that they were sad. But their voice cracked,"I promise I'll find her killer and punish them myself." Nothing would bring back Cricketpaw, no ounce of revenge could bring life into her buried body. But it passed the time. Instead of grieving Daypaw often lead the path of anger and revenge. For every claw mark that was ladi upon their friends body, they would return.

[Clover]

Originally Posted by woly

They were stiff when Geckoleaf leaned against them for a moment. But after a moment, they leaned against her too. They werent anything but the best, especially the best medcat of all five clans. They could name any other cat that was better then them. "Theres nothing to forgive you for, you didnt know that it was her time. None of us did,Geckoleaf." their voice was only above a whisper, they closed their eyes. It made their blood boil that a cat would murder another. What was the purpose? What was the point they were trying to prove? "I promise I won't let her die in vain," Daypaw rarely showed emotion, rarely did they cry or even show a notion that they were sad. But their voice cracked,"I promise I'll find her killer and punish them myself." Nothing would bring back Cricketpaw, no ounce of revenge could bring life into her buried body. But it passed the time. Instead of grieving Daypaw often lead the path of anger and revenge. For every claw mark that was laid upon their friend's body, they would return.

She relaxed against them, muscles slackening and loosening. She felt calm, comfortable, for the first time in what felt like moons, but in reality was only mere sunups from Cricketpaw's demise. Her eyes closed, again, the blue orbs shifting lazily around, still unfocused and nearly blind. Daypaw was already beginning to make an impression on her; they were logical and sassy, harsh almost, yet retained an air that, deep down, they truly did care about others. Geckoleaf listened intently to their words; they spoke of avenging Cricketpaw, of inflicting injury on the killer, whoever it may be. The medicine cat herself was a pacificist, and deeply against violence, towards animal or cat, but in this case, her emotion overrode her beliefs; whoever killed an innocent, defenseless medicine cat apprentice deserved to receive the same pain in tenfold. Especially because Cricketpaw had never received so much as a battle preparedness lesson; even Geckoleaf herself could do some defense against an opponent, despite her small size and considerable lack of muscle. "When you find them... don't kill them. As much as we may want them dead... they should live with the knowledge that they killed her, and the scars to mimic what they did. But leave them in a physical hell; do whatever needs to be done," she muttered in return, growling softly, an unusual tone of aggression and anger coloring her words. It was so unlike Geckoleaf, that most would think her truly insane. But she knew that Daypaw would see the truth; she was truly livid, and any revenge was something to her.

[graves]

Originally Posted by Clover

She relaxed against them, muscles slackening and loosening. She felt calm, comfortable, for the first time in what felt like moons, but in reality was only mere sunups from Cricketpaw's demise. Her eyes closed, again, the blue orbs shifting lazily around, still unfocused and nearly blind. Daypaw was already beginning to make an impression on her; they were logical and sassy, harsh almost, yet retained an air that, deep down, they truly did care about others. Geckoleaf listened intently to their words; they spoke of avenging Cricketpaw, of inflicting injury on the killer, whoever it may be. The medicine cat herself was a pacificist, and deeply against violence, towards animal or cat, but in this case, her emotion overrode her beliefs; whoever killed an innocent, defenseless medicine cat apprentice deserved to receive the same pain in tenfold. Especially because Cricketpaw had never received so much as a battle preparedness lesson; even Geckoleaf herself could do some defense against an opponent, despite her small size and considerable lack of muscle. "When you find them... don't kill them. As much as we may want them dead... they should live with the knowledge that they killed her, and the scars to mimic what they did. But leave them in a physical hell; do whatever needs to be done," she muttered in return, growling softly, an unusual tone of aggression and anger coloring her words. It was so unlike Geckoleaf, that most would think her truly insane. But she knew that Daypaw would see the truth; she was truly livid, and any revenge was something to her.

The tone Geckoleaf surprised Daypaw. When they first met, when Daypaw had their apprentice ceremony, she had seemed so cheerful, kind, soft even. That was before Cricketpaws death. Now, she seemed broken. Torn apart emotionally. They rested their head ontop of the mollys,"I will." Daypaw was training to be a warrior before this. They were skilled at what they were going to be. They had no empathy for whomever killed Cricketpaw, and mentally promised to find her killer. After her death Daypaw had never felt so alone in Shadowclan. They werent close to Halestar, they had hoped to have a bond with her. Bit nothing, it seemed the leader was to busy being paranoid over he clan to notice anything else.Their siblings were training on a different path then Daypaw, they were going to be warriors. Day was left behind. They refused to accept their mother into their life. She was never there for Daypaw as a kit when dealing with the nightmares. Not one whisker of sympathy. They had no mentor to train under. Kestrelberry giving very few tips, they mainly trained off of older patients telling them what herbs Kestrel used. Northpath stopped visiting them. They had no body. They felt so small, so lonely again. "I can sleep in my den anymore. It feels to empty, to know I let another cat I loved get away."

[Clover]

Originally Posted by woly

The tone Geckoleaf surprised Daypaw. When they first met, when Daypaw had their apprentice ceremony, she had seemed so cheerful, kind, soft even. That was before Cricketpaws death. Now, she seemed broken. Torn apart emotionally. They rested their head ontop of the mollys,"I will." Daypaw was training to be a warrior before this. They were skilled at what they were going to be. They had no empathy for whomever killed Cricketpaw, and mentally promised to find her killer. After her death Daypaw had never felt so alone in Shadowclan. They werent close to Halestar, they had hoped to have a bond with her. Bit nothing, it seemed the leader was to busy being paranoid over he clan to notice anything else.Their siblings were training on a different path then Daypaw, they were going to be warriors. Day was left behind. They refused to accept their mother into their life. She was never there for Daypaw as a kit when dealing with the nightmares. Not one whisker of sympathy. They had no mentor to train under. Kestrelberry giving very few tips, they mainly trained off of older patients telling them what herbs Kestrel used. Northpath stopped visiting them. They had no body. They felt so small, so lonely again. "I can sleep in my den anymore. It feels to empty, to know I let another cat I loved get away."

Quickly, her mood changed, as she realized Daypaw's own struggles nearly outweighed her own. They had no physical mentor, probably disapproving parents, and a never-ending flood of patients. And, just by guessing, she assumed crippling nightmares; she'd had them after losing Arcticpaw, and Cricketpaw. Her eyebrows furrowed with concern; could Daypaw keep going like this, overworked, underloved, and used as nothing more than a slave. Their words stung Geckoleaf; their den wasn't even a place of refuge. Gently, slowly, she began to groom their fur, licking clean the mats and picking out pieces of leaves. The fur on their head was smoothed quickly, and she began working on the neck, until that, too, was pristine and golden. The fiery molly then stopped, sighing, nuzzling the ticklish fur of their cheek, before pulling away a little bit. "Oh, sunlight, it's not your fault; the only one at fault is the killer. Cricketpaw loved... loves you like a sibling; she wants to see you succeed. So moping around... I don't think either of us is doing a favor sitting her crying over her. And, Day, if you need help, my den is always open." Geckoleaf paused for a moment, let out another sigh. "In an emergency, have packets of herbs prepared in dock leaves for general battle wounds. In mine, I have cobwebs, as binding, along with ferns to clean them, goldenrod and gumweed for healing, marigold as a disinfectant, and poppy seeds to relieve pain. Clean it first with the ferns, then chew goldenrod, gumweed, and marigold into a paste. Apply it liberally; don't be afraid to pack it. Bind the wound with cobwebs, and hold the cobwebs down with catchburr. Make sure to only give them as many poppy seeds as they are tail-lengths long; adjust per patient, for body-weight and age." The words were automatic and soft; she hoped that they'd be some small help for the apprentice. She couldn't suggest much more unless they asked.