Stormy Seas in the Milky Way [Private]

**Abyssopelagic** · #1 February 23rd, 2024, 06:49 PM

¤— Coldamber : Death, Upright : she/her
Purrks- World Weaver [T1], Herbal Knowledge [Tier 2] : WindClan Ancestor —¤

Coldamber waited until nightfall in the living realm, occasionally peaking through the border between her and her intended students for the night. Lately, RiverClan and the chaos surrounding it had taken up the vast majority of her focus and attention, especially with the disappearance of.... What was her name again?
She'd only met the Medicine Cat once, and their meeting had been disrupted, only for her to disappear. Tansypaw, was it?
It sounded about right.
But Birdsnow had yet to even put in place a replacement in her Medicine Cat's absence, and with the battle that just took place.... Well, she figured it would be time for her to take the initiative and step in herself rather than waiting.
The misty furred ghost waited a few moments longer, waiting for the last of her intended students to nestle down for sleep. And then, she pulled them all into her carefully crafted dreamscape.
She'd hoped that by making the landscape around them look similar to their home, it would subconsciously make the group feel more at ease.

She allowed the group a moment to catch their bearing before she spoke. It would undoubtedly be a stressful experience for the lot, given they've no reason to suspect they'd be pulled into a dream and she'd prefer not to spook them by hastily promising they aren't dead.
"I apologize for the abruptness of this meeting," she began, keeping her voice soft.
"I am Coldamber. I was once a Medicine Cat many seasons ago, and it is because of my experience I have brought you all here. RiverClan has been without a Medicine Cat for awhile now, and while I do not have the authority to name a new one, I do not wish for you to be without healing for much longer."
She gave them all a soft smile, and gestures for them to approach.
"I have selected each of you to teach, because you show an aptitude for healing, or at least an interest. My hope is that with the knowledge I impart tonight, your group can tide the Clan over until a new Medicine Cat is selected."

//Struggled to think of a title lol\\
[ @poppy. , @Bean , @Theraphosa , @starry , @Katiethewolfchild , @finley.exe ]

**Katiethewolfchild** · #2 February 24th, 2024, 09:27 AM

Wishkit was a bit confused when she saw the starry landscape, though it did otherwise look similar to RiverClan. Was she in StarClan? But... she was only six moons. She was too young to have died in her sleep. Wasn't she? She saw some other cats that she recognized. Then the only cat she didn't recognize spoke. Apparently she was Coldamber, a former medicine cat who had pulled them into a dream because RiverClan didn't currently have a medicine cat. Well that made sense and wait she was going to learn about herbs?! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!! She was silent despite her excitement. @poppy. @Bean @Theraphosa @starry @finley.exe @Abyssopelagic

**Bean** · #3 February 24th, 2024, 09:30 AM

II She/Her II 23 Moons II RiverClan Warrior II
[ Herbal Knowledge T1 ]

The Bengal warrior had settled into her nest. The recent battle had posed a threat with RiverClan's lack of a medicine cat. She looked around the warriors den, the moonshine peering into where she rest. She closed her eyes and let herself fall to her dreamscape, which often included nightmares from her past. Spottedstream's recent interest in healing had caused her to have more nice dreams, prehaps because she had moved on from the past, and focused on the now. She expected to be greeted with her dreams, but was instead welcomed with an unfamiliar cat, and... her clanmates? Spottedstream was confused for a moment before realizing that the strange cat must have pulled her into a dream. Spottedstream's face showed interest in the strange cat as they started talking.

The Riverclanner did not expect it to be a former medicine cat, to say the least. Spottedstream was excited that she would get to learn healing herbs from a former medicine cat. She was glad that someone had noticed her interest [and not-so-great skill] of healing. She did amputate a cat's tail for stars sake, and Spottedstream felt like a ghost. But now she was learning from one. She dipped her head in greeting to Coldamber once they finished speaking. "It is an honor to be here, and I am glad you will help RiverClan in this time of need," she said calmly, sweeping her spotted tail to cover her paws.

[ @Abyssopelagic - idk if i was supposed to mention others or not soooo ]

**Dolomedes** · #4 February 24th, 2024, 09:51 AM

Seabreeze suddenly found his paws hitting solid floor and with a gasp his eyes snapped open. The world was light, blinding against his eyes compared to the world of dreams he was usually sent. Movement caught his eyes and the Riverclan warrior whipped his head towards it.

A medicine cat of long past, some of his clan mates waking in this new space….was this Starclan? Well of course it was, don’t be dumb Seabreeze, the medicine cat introduced themself as a dead cat. What other options were there? His traitorious mind supplied him with a few but Seabeeze winced and shook his head against the thoughts.

At least…at least he wasn’t in that dreadful dead space anymore. The tom’s ears flicked in the direction of speaking and sighed again. The fur along his spine finally, slowly starting to lay flat.

Seabreeze sat down and took a deep breath, air that he couldn’t access just moments before filling his lungs nicely. Looking down at his back paws and flanks, there were no claw marks. But it felt so real…Seabreeze whined in his mind.

The sandy grey-blue feline looked to the others. Medicine, yeah, he thinks he could do that. He would, he wanted to learn but also anything was better than that dreadful place.

Breathless still, Seabreeze nodded to Coldamber, “I will…do my best. Thank you…thank you for the opportunity.”

Though if this is Starclan, perhaps he could see his sister….

(Forgive me on quality, it’s really not good right now /w\ I am on mobile right now) @Abyssopelagic

***starry*** · #5 February 28th, 2024, 12:48 PM

~ Mistypaw ~
She/her // RiverClan // 36 moons

The silver tabby drifted into sleep, breathing deeply in and out. She was expecting to just slumber peacefully, or perhaps have some sort of dream about current events, but no. A starry landscape began taking shape in front of her, and immediately shock was evident in her one deep amber orb. It couldn't be her damn mother again.. no, why would Gorseflower be so cruel to her.. She squeezed her eye shut and prayed to StarClan the voice that sounded wouldn't be the one of her "mother". If she could even call her that.

...It wasn't. Mistypaw looked up in surprise and realized there were some of her clanmates here. Birdsnow, Wishkit, Spottedstream, Seabreeze and Cobwebpaw... what was this supposed to be? She didn't recognize the starry cat that had summoned them. However, that was made clear to her pretty quickly. So this was Coldamber who was once a medicine cat. The molly's head tilted curiously. Oh.. she'd be teaching them some herbs? That was nice! Mistypaw nodded eagerly. Herbs and healing had been quite interesting to her recently, and she was always happy to add to her knowledge. She only knew horsetail and poppy seeds, those weren't even the bare minimum. All the others were expressing their gratitude for this opportunity, so she supposed she should do that as well.

Mistypaw gave Coldamber a respectful dip of her head. "Many thanks for this opportunity, I'm always happy to learn more," she mewed with a small flick of her tail. Then, she settled into a more comfortable position and waited until the lesson started.

[ @Abyssopelagic ]

**Abyssopelagic** · #6 February 28th, 2024, 11:23 PM

¤— Coldamber : Death, Upright : she/her
Purrks- World Weaver [T1], Herbal Knowledge [Tier 2] : WindClan Ancestor —¤

Coldamber surveyed those before her, gauging their reactions to being brought into a dream by a stranger. She did not see any animosity, and instead seemed to be met with genuinely grateful chattering from those in attendance.
Though, it seemed her final guest was not feeling talkative. That was alright, she wouldn't push if she didn't feel the need to speak.
She let out a soft breath, preparing to give one of the long speeches, only to decide against it. Today, perhaps, she'd need to keep it simple.
It was quite different to get long winded when it's the job of the individual she's speaking to, to remember the information. It was quite another to overload an entire group of warriors.....
So, she opted to keep it as simple as she could. She wasn't sure she was good with simple, but she'd try.

She'd start with dandelion.
Without another word, she outstretched a paw toward the ground at her audience's own paws' and between herself and them, a small meadow of low growing and flat headed yellow flowers grew from the ground. The petals were vibrant, and simple, and could almost be described as being puffy where it wasn't flat.
"This is dandelion. It is to be chewed into a poultice and applied for skin based pains, such as bug bites and burns, as it numbs the area of skin it's applied to. It is exceptionally good for bee stings."
Coldamber didn't let her gaze leave the crowd, carefully studying each of them, looking for someone who might need help or be confused. She gave them time to voice their questions, if they had any, before moving on.
"They are very common and quite plentiful. You will find them just about anywhere, but the banks of waterways would be a good place to begin any search for them."

Once it seemed the group was ready to move on, she had the dandelions retract back into the ground. Moments later, distinctly star shaped flowers bloomed in their place, its stalks tall, with many long, broadly ovate leaves, and tufts of multiple flowers at the end of each stalk.
They appeared in a variety of blues and pinks, each colour peppered in among the loose cluster so the others knew it came in both colours. Smiling, she continued.
"This is borage. Unlike dandelion, it comes in several colours, like the pink and blue ones shown here. Its leaves are eaten by your patient to help ease fevers. The most potent leaves are about halfway up the stock and have a distinct and zesty scent."
Describing where to find them was a harder task. Technically, they were found where recent Two-leg activity could be found, but she didn't want to unintentionally be the reason one of these cats risked their lives or were captured. She mulled over in her mind what it was about these sites that the plant seemed drawn to.
"You will find borage where the soil has been recently disturbed on a large scale, most likely because they enjoy the loose dirt. Woodlands work well for this search, as there are often many burrowing animals that will leave suitable earth for these plants, or old and abandoned sets once dug by badgers and foxes.... But I do not recommend going alone, in the event something has made a nest of the old nest."

Ah, the daisy....
It had been awhile since she last told someone about these plants. They were cute in their simplicity, and she was more than happy to clear out the borage and replace them.
The small flower, with delicate white petals, a soft yellow center, and spoon-shaped, oblong incised leaves that formed a rosette at the base of the plant. Single stemmed, and growing close to the ground..... The more she thought about it, perhaps the reason she liked daisies was for how much they resembled her.
Not that she'd ever admit it.....
"Daisy leaves are to be chewed and applied to areas with excessive swelling or stiffness or pain in the joints.
They thrive in short grasslands and meadows, and grow in rather large clusters despite being single flowered plants."
She paused, and allowed herself a break, and her attending students to ask any questions they may have, and a few moments extra to absorb all that she'd laid before them.

//Next teaching post will be sometime on March 3rd\\
[ @poppy. , @Bean , @Theraphosa , @starry , @Katiethewolfchild , @finley.exe ]

**Dolomedes** · #7 February 29th, 2024, 12:06 AM

Seabreeze
He/him | Riverclan Warrior | Moons: 15 | Purrks: Sweet as a Flower | The Collector | Ultimate Predator |
“Ocean waters rising above your neck
You feel the glass start to crack.”

Seabreeze quickly turned to the Windclan molly as soon as she started to speak. The information that was to be given was valuable in a time such as this for Riverclan. As she spoke, Seabreeze muttered a summary of each plant beneath breath, attempting to commit everything to memory as well as he could. It would do Seabreeze well to go on herb patrols whenever he could and recite the information to narrow it down in his scattered brain.

While practical training and applying the information would likely only come as a last resort, other cats were much better for the role of medicine cat than he was. Though in things like battle or accidents away from camp there was no telling how much tme a cat had until it was too late. Like Cloverpaw.

Seabreeze tried not to physically wince at the harsh reminder of why he needed to be hard on himself when it came to what Coldamber was teaching. Seabreeze wouldn't know what he would do with himself if he let another young soul die out just because they weren't able to make it back to camp in time. With a shake of his head, Seabreeze turned his attention to each of the plants and where they grow.

"Dandelion, found most places, especially river banks. Poultice to be applied directly to skin, good for numbing pain. Bee stings, burns, bug bites." After repeating the knowledge, Seabreeze pondered a moment before opening his eyes, though he didn't remember closing them,
"Excuse my interruption, but..." Seabreeze started in a slow, nervous tone. No, this was okay, Coldamber was likely expecting questions, given how much information she was throwing at them. "I can't help but notice that for your description of dandelions that the examples you gave were closed wounds...well you didn't fully describe burns, but they tend to be more closed, right? Does that mean applying dandelions for their numbing abilities would harm or otherwise not affect open wounds like scratches or cat bites?"

After a moment the tom added onto the question swiftly, adverting his gaze away from the medicine cat and the rest of the group, his claws digging into the floor beneath them in a nervous habit, "S-sorry if that's uhh- silly. I just...don't know a lot about herbs."

While waiting for a reply, Seabreeze went over the rest in his head as well. Ah, he sould've reviewed all the information first so he could ask all his questions at once versus being all broken up and disorganized, "Actually, if- if you could, let me think on the other herbs first so I can ask all my..silly...questions all at once. Sorry." Ducking his head and watching the floor intently with his eyes sheepishly, Seabreeze quickly went through the rest of the information given to him.

Okay, after dandelions was....borage! Yes, the pink and blue plants. Coldamber said that they are good for fever right? Seabreeze took a moment, humming his eyes as went through his memory. Yes, fever sounded right and the last one was daisy leaves for swelling...pain? Swelling, stiffness, and pain in joints. That sounded right. Subconsciously, the tom wagged his nub of a tail in a brief flash of happiness in response to remembering everything. Though questions flooded his mind for them as well.

When Coldamber explained daisy, she said daisy leaves, leaves specifically. Then said that borage was most potent in the leaves, did that specification mean that other parts of the daisy have no effect or that it can be harmful. Anxiety built in his chest, bubbling and threatening to spill out his eyes in the form of tears. The warrior bit his tongue, he was such a mess right now, worse than normal. He was allowed to ask questions.

The tom looked up at the medicine cat, meeting her gaze, and immediately his confidence crumbled and he glanced away before mumbling his questions,
"You said daisy leaves and borage that the leaves are the most potent, is there any part of the plants that could be dangerous for a cat to ingest? Also what is the best way of separating the daisy leaves from the stem, I am not used to plant work, forgive me. Th-then also my, um, my dandelion question. S-sorry, again."

(Anyways I am eepy, I will check for editing errors and the such tomorrow o7)

**Abyssopelagic** · #8 February 29th, 2024, 01:39 AM

Coldamber looks up as Seabreeze asks a question.
She gives a reassuring smile as she mulled over his questions and how best to answer them.
"It's hardly a silly question. I'd rather you ask than stay quiet."
Her smile faded as she thought about the burns mentioned by him. She'd never seen a burn that left an open wound, but she could only imagine the immense amount of pain such an injury would cause, and it was not one she wished to see. Or one that she wished for anyone to see.
"Dandelion simply numbs the pain, and does not address or heal the root cause. Poppy seeds are generally better for treating injuries that are caused by trauma to the skin, especially when paired with marigold. Dandelion can cause stinging in open wounds, and in my experience does not prevent or treat infections. As for burns, specifically, especially a burn that causes an open wound, initial treatment should be cool water. Not cold, not warm if you can help it. Allowing the affected cat to lay in a stream or pond would be best, but a water moss is a suitable substitute.
The paste would be applied to numb the pain while treatment is performed to less the pain of your patient."
She gives him a small nod as she finishes.

She smiles once again as Seabreeze asks about borage and daisy. She liked him, she found.
"Fret not, these are marvelous questions. I am more than happy to answer.
All of the borage plant in particular can be used, the flowers are simply less potent than the leaves. I also recommend simply harvesting the leaves rather than the whole plant, as the leftover plant will be able to replinish it's leaves by growing more. Some plants you can't avoid this with, as you need the whole plant.
Daisy is similar in this way. However, as the leaves are smaller and aren't simply eaten, it doesn't hurt to chew the flower to make it easier to spread the poultice. It is also easier to harvest if you take the whole plant. As they are hardy plants that propagate swiftly, it does not hurt to take the flower as well.
To address a concern you did not specifically ask, none of the herbs I will be teaching you today have the potential to be harmful. I opted to impart the simplest remedies for this reason."
And now, the whole class has now learned more than they would have if Seabreeze hadn't asked his questions. She actually couldn't remember the last time she had someone actively engage in her lessons.
She found it rather refreshing to not simply be parroting her memories at people.

[ @Theraphosa ]

***starry*** · #9 February 29th, 2024, 03:37 AM

~ Mistypaw ~
She/her // RiverClan // 36 moons

So - first was dandelion. Surprise filled her eyes as the flowers grew out of the ground, and it made her smile a little. StarClan was a beautiful place, actually, if the dream visit was with the right cat. Not her horrible “mother”. Anyways. She made careful note of the plant’s appearance - it had yellow petals and was flat headed. The dandelions were pretty low growing. Mistypaw nodded along as Coldamber spoke, making a note of everything. It could be used for skin-based pains, like burns and bug bites. It numbed the area of skin it was applied to and was exceptionally good for bee stings. Dandelion was a common plant, but the banks of waterways were a helpful place to start the search for the flowers. Right, she had no questions here!

Seabreeze appeared to have some, though. Mistypaw curiously turned towards him. So he was asking if burns were closed or not, and if applying dandelions would harm or not affect open wounds? Coldamber’s answer provided the group of them with a lot of extra information, that was for sure. So dandelions only numbed the pain but didn’t heal the root cause. So, poppy seeds were better for that, especially when paired with marigold. Dandelion could make open wounds sting and didn’t prevent or treat infections. So, when a burn was an open wound, the first treatment should be cool water. Not cold and not warm. Letting the cat sit in a stream or so was the best, but if not, soaked moss could be used. The paste would then be applied to lessen the pain of the injured while treatment was performed.

Alright, that seemed sensible enough. After that the dandelions seemed to be swallowed by the meadow, and other flowers took their place. They were tall with many long leaves, and a bunch of flowers were at the ends of each stalk. She noticed they had a star-like shape where they bloomed. They were blue and pink in color. Mistypaw carefully listened as Coldamber explained. So, this was borage, which came in many different colors. The leaves were eaten to help against fevers, and the most powerful leaves had a distinct scent and were halfway up the stalk. Borage was found where the dirt was looser and where the earth had been recently disturbed, so woodlands were good as well as old and abandoned sets from badgers and foxes. It was a good idea not to go alone. Right, she would remember not going on a search for borage by herself then - even when she was a warrior. Putting her life at risk for a herb was not a good idea.

Next was a small flower with many thin white petals and a yellow center. It had only one stem and grew close to the earth, having long oval shaped leaves. So daisy leaves were helpful against swelling or stiffness and pain in the joints. Daisy was found in grasslands and meadows, and it grew in large clusters. That didn’t seem too complicated. However, she wondered if it was okay to apply daisy to open wounds or if the herb was like dandelion. First though, Seabreeze had another question. Was there any part of the plant that could be dangerous if ingested? And what was the best way of separating daisy leaves from the stem? Yeah - those were both helpful questions. Mistypaw turned to Coldamber and wondered what the answer would be.

So, all of the borage plant could be used, but the flowers were less strong than the leaves. It was possible to just harvest the leaves and they would regrow. For daisy however, it was better to just take the whole plant. None of the herbs Coldamber was teaching could be harmful - that was good to know. She supposed it was time to ask her question now, even though it felt a little ridiculous and too simple. “Is daisy like dandelion, in a way that it should not be applied to open wounds directly or is there no worry there? Say, we have a really swollen open wound - is it good to use daisy for that or no?” The medicine cat didn’t seem to be annoyed by Seabreeze’s questions so Mistypaw hoped she would answer hers as well.

[ @Abyssopelagic ]

**Dolomedes** · #10 February 29th, 2024, 09:10 AM

Seabreeze
He/him | Riverclan Warrior | Moons: 15 | Purrks: Sweet as a Flower | The Collector | Ultimate Predator |
“Ocean waters rising above your neck
You feel the glass start to crack.”

As Coldamber's reassuring tone made its way to the tom's ears, Seabreeze relaxed a fraction and gave a small smile. Well, his questions went well received and allowed him plenty of new information. No, dandelions do not work well with open wounds, they can cause stinging and don't treat the root issue at hand. Though, what does, would be poppy seeds and marigold. Ah, she didn't mention how they are applied and which one does what thing. She said that poppy seeds are good replacements for the dandelion, does that mean the poppy is the painkiller?

Seabreeze thought back to his experiences at the med den, pointedly ignoring some of the memories, but based on that limited knowledge, poppy seed is used as a pain killer as well as other things…that he can’t remember right now. That means that the marigold is likely what treats the infection. Without knowledge of their means of application, Seabreeze certainly wouldn’t even be thinking of attempting any sort of use of knowledge, but maybe he could ask some of the others here. The warrior looked over to the rest of the other cats here, some he recognized and others that he didn’t. Shaking his head, Seabreeze returned his focus to the task at paw.

Burn treatment, if light, rinse with medium water then use dandelion poultice directly on skin. If horrid, continue to soak the wound with water logged moss or by having the cat directly at the stream, then apply the paste for pain ease during treatment. Perhaps marigold is also used as a poultice, that makes sense, but it was dangerous to assume in a field where one mistake can cost a life. Seabreeze winced as a shiver went down his spine at the thought. Hopefully, though unrealistically, he wouldn’t need to use this information at all.

The molly began to answer his next questions and Seabreeze quickly looked at her. All of the borage is usable, but the leaves were better than the flowers. Best to only harvest the leaves, as borage would make more leaves later. That would be helpful given what Coldamber said about the dangerous spots you could find borage in, maybe Riverclan can protect one or two spots and keep animals away so that borage would be safer to find. He had no idea how much was used daily though, so maybe one or two plants wouldn’t be enough. Well…it certainly wouldn’t be enough during leafbare. Seabreeze! Focus!

Daisy is used in a poultice, leaves have stronger effects, but chewing the flowers helps with the poultice as well. Harvest the whole plant, they bounce back swiftly. That was all good information! The Riverclan tom smiled slightly, happy that his questions received such thought out answers and he mewed his thanks to the medicine cat with a respectful dip of his head before flicking his ears to Mistypaw as she spoke another question.

Seabreeze tilted his head, that was also a great question. In the tom’s, inexperienced opinion, knowing the dangers of each herb could be just as important as knowing the benefits. You can only attempt to prevent things you don’t know but can prevent things you do know, for the most part. Seabreeze purred slightly at Mistypaw, she was so confident but anyone can get nervous while talking to Starclan so he tried to wordlessly comfort her just in case. After that, the warrior turned his attention back to Coldamber.

Seabreeze was happy that the she-cat informed them that none of the plants taught can have any terrible uses as well, it eased his anxiety just a bit. His tail twitched, his memories swirled, ones he didn’t want but Seabreeze continued to keep his focus.