Sitting in the dark of the Medicine Den, Lostspark realized while shuffling through herbs that she'd... missed something during her training session with Mossfreckle. Ah, yikes. She ought to note those down for him soon. Or, well, better yet, why not now?
Lifting her head, the amber-eyed feline sought her apprentice's form in the den's interior. "Mossfreckle," she called once she'd spotted him, and then gestured him over with a slender paw. "Come over here, please." Once he was at her side, Lostspark pushed the bundle of herbs she'd been sorting back into their respective spots. "I realized I missed a couple things when going over herbs and their uses with you."
That said, Lostspark launched into a medical spiel. "I forgot to mention mallow to you. When juniper berries cannot be found, there are mallow leaves. While obviously less palatable, it’ll do the same job. They’re generally found in clusters of long stems with round, wavy leaves at the end. During newleaf to leaffall you can also find them with purple flowers."
"With spring now in full bloom, this is a topic that'll make an appearance more; Pregnancy. Pregnancy is a bit difficult to diagnose, but not impossible. It’ll mostly be by a process of elimination. I myself am aware of some of the more personal signs but everybody experiences things a bit differently. We’ll be looking for nausea, sleeplessness, restlessness, lethargy, swellings, bloating, gassiness, personality shifts, increased or sometimes decreased appetite, among some less common others. You’ll notice that not every pregnant cat has all of the signs so a queen that comes with nausea and bloating it can be easily misdiagnosed as a belly ache. So you’ll have to rule other causes out in order to confirm pregnancy and even then it’s not necessarily confirmed until the kits are big enough that you can prod to feel the heads."
Nightshade limped into the medicine den, the scent of herbs filling her mind with the memories of blood and the little kit, but she needed those magic plant things from the cute boy that worked here so she stumbled in, her severely bruised head and neck aching. Extremely pale heather blue eye (the other was swollen shut) surveyed the den, hoping that kid’s mum wasn’t here. She was sure that it’d be easy to look that cat in the eye after what she did to the medic’s son.
”Pardon meeee-” She slurred out, feeling the ground slope beneath her as she slowly stepped into the den. ”I got a little hurt…. Would like some of your plants, please.” Sticky crimson stained her body, and she felt herself shaking. Ugh she felt so gross. ”Pretty pleaseeee…”
Deliria was so embarrassing. Especially in front of a cute guy. How utterly embarrassed she would be when she wasn’t a delirious, exhausted amnesiac.
｡ﾟﾟ･｡･ﾟﾟ｡
ﾟ。 Mossfreckle (ShC)
ﾟ･｡･ﾟ they/he ~ medicine cat apprentice
The moment his name settled on the sensitive hairs within his oriental shaped ears freckled form rose and diligent white tipped paws padded quickly over to Lostspark, ”Im ready when you are,” Mossfreckle purred, anxiety prickling his pelt and insecurity raking against his tattered heart - it wasn’t the lithe grey former enforcer that brought the tenuous feelings anymore, however, simply the fear of an inability to help his clan to the best of his abilities… well, it was the best of his ability but it wasn’t the best he could be. Nodding along the medicine cat apprentice took in the overlooked herbs as well as a briefing on what was to come as new leaf bloomed along with new love and with new love came new life, mallow was the first herb - a cluster of long stems with round, wavy leaves at the end - which could be used as a less potent and less palatable alternative to juniper berries. Second and last on the table was diagnosing pregnancy which was likely to become more common in the coming moons, the idea was simple but the execution was harder in the earlier moons than in the later moons - look for symptoms such as bloating, nauseous, mood changes, etcetera and in the later moons it became easier as one could simply prod gingerly at the possible queens belly to feel the heads of the little ones squirming within them. As the grey Somali shaped herbalist finished her spiel the freckled oriental shaped apprentice took a moment to commit the knowledge to memory before he allowed his own tones to slip from his maw, ”Yes Lostspark,” the tom began, ”I’ll do my best to be sound in my judgments of such.”
{ @Rose ~ Lostspark }
[ it’s so short but shhhhh /w\ ]
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 38 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and a pale green eye (left gouged out)] Purrks: Beefed Up T3, Shadow Fiend
· · ────────────── · ·
[Lostspark - @Rose ] [Chestnutfeather - @appariitiion ]
· · ────────────── · ·
The Enforcer shouldered her way into the den, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light. "Lostspark," she called, hoping to find the medicine cat here. "Chestnutfeather and I ran into trouble in the territory. A mink. We managed to take it down with minimal severe injury, but I don't want to risk infection." She sat down by the entrance, not wanting to take up too much space and gestured for Chestnutfeather to head further in so Lostspark could take a look at him first.
Chestnutfeather walked behind Mistlewhisker, waiting for her to tell the medicine cat what had happened before entering to show Lostspark his injuries. He gave a nod of thanks to the enforcer as she made a motion for him to be seen first. He did appreciate that. "It's not horrible, but as Mistlewhisker said, risk of infection," he said as calm as he could be while hurting. "It bit me here," he turned to show the bite wound on his flank, "and scratched me pretty bad on my belly. That's the wound I'm more worried about."
Freckled nose twitched as the heady, metallic, bittersweet scent of crimson life blood filled the den as a battered molly entered the den on shaking lilac tipped paws… stars she looked horrid and scared and worn out… a pale, shockingly lapis hue swollen shut and her dark pelted belly coated in sickly sweet crimson liquid that oozed and leaked from deep gashes that had been raked as a warning or a lesson or a story into the large Birman shaped molly. In his short time she had yet to have seen such a morbid scenes past that of Swanpaw who had not been his to heal but as mossy hues flickers to the silvery form of his lithe Somali shaped mentor he knew this was his to handle, Amber fire clashed against verdant earth, as Lostspark’s glazed hues seemed to tell him she was watching, waiting, that she was there if Mossfreckle needed her but she trusted that the knowledge she had passed down and sought to instil in him remained firm and wholly compiled within the annals of his starry mind. Oriental shaped feline rose from his nest and padded forward on diligent white tipped paws… focus, focus, focus, focus… the sole incantation that whispered and wisped as calm waves washed away the abysmal voids of the herbalist’s starry reeling mind… disconnect… a disconnect between body and mind as necessity washed away his sins, smoothing his anxiety prickled pelt and mending his tattered heart that still stung as insecurity raked small crimson rivers down his aching, scared heart, the simply was or was not in the moment and he was real… this situation was real and it a was his duty to heal the shredded molly standing raw and bare as her delusioned pain was laid out before him in l stark reality shadowed tones. An outreached paw, white stained crimson as Mossfreckle placed a petite paw gingerly against Nightshade’s pelt to shepard her way to a mossy down nest that in the belly of the den, settling her down with subtle, caution fuelled movements the freckled feline finally allowed calm tones to rise against the nervous, bitter bile in his white throat and slip from maw, [B]”What caused this,” he inquired as he moved to gather herbs from their ample stockade, he spoke curtly but without malice and both oriental ears stayed perked in the direction of the Birman shaped feline that reminded fixated in his mossy hues even as his attention split between the molly and the herbs he was acquiring in the moment.
Trained medical gaze had acquired all the medicine cat apprentice needed as they cleared the space between the mouth of the den and the belly with the nest within it and Nightshade’s wounds where as follows: bruising and swelling throughout her dark pelted form - most notably a shockingly pale lapis hue swollen shut and puffy - and a gash that spattered dangerously in a mangled tapestry of tattered flesh woven in contrasting shadows and glinting crimson with hints of lilac painting the morbid picture in a soft, gruesomely beautiful shape. A push there and a pull here as quick, diligent paws shuffled and grabbed herbs from their meticulous piles - Celandine for her eye, marigold and cobwebs for the gashes and an oak leave to mix within the paste destined for the deep weeping gashes on the mollies stomach, the bruised would need to heal on their own but Mossfreckle pawed out two seeds from a dried poppy flower to help ease the searing pain that Nightshade must be in. Herbs delivered to his work space Mossfreckle padded on diligent white tipped paws to the small natural pool of water the trickled up from deep bent the earth providing water for the den and angular head dipped to pick up a moss ball seeped with water to clean the wounds first and foremost, ”Take these, please, it’s to numb the pain,” the medic meowed politely as one paw nudged the two seeds forward, ”Im going to start by cleaning out your wounds, let me know if I push too hard,” he added as the verdant blue-silver moss began to turn crimson in in his muzzle, gentle strokes cleaning away grin and crusted blood, cautious motions carful not to smear around the blood of the still goopy wounds that had yet to ease their weeping.
With the wounds as pristine as a mess could be, Shadowclan’s oriental shaped herbalist set the crimson stained moss off to one side and began to chew the marigold buds into a fine paste, brushing a paw over the cold stones the freckled to rid a space of fine powdered earth and spat the paste casually before separating two thirds out from the rest and crushing an Oak Leave in the later of the two piles which he then applied to the still bleeding bites and gashes that ripped through the dark pelted Birman shaped mollies belly, following the paste was delicately applied cobwebs that bandaged the wounds to keep the poultice on and the germs out. The remainder of the golden paste was generously applied to the more minor scratched and abrasions that peppered Nightshade’s pelt, white tipped paws quick and diligent working gingerly around the swollen bumps and bruises to avoid creating any unnecessary pain and strife - once the smaller ailments were coated in marigold, Mossfrekcle added small bandages of cobwebs at his own discretion. Stepping back the medicine cat allowed his mossy hues to flick up and down the feline in a silent assessment of the work he had finished a moment before… check, check, check… each gash to the smallest of bumps had been noted and taken care of, next on the table was the swollen lapis hue. Mashing the Celandine gently beneath a petite paw the medic spoke once again, ”This may hurt a little but I want to prevent any injury to your eye directly from worsening so I am going to press a little on the swelling so that I can get your eye to open up enough that I can drop some of the juice for the herb in, it should hopefully help ease the pain as well,” warning out the way Mossfrekcle pressed with gentle firmness on the swollen side near the closed startling blue lapis hue, to his luck the lid protested little and popped up enough for him to drop the Celandine juice within before he took his white tipped paw away, ”I think you should rest here for now, I would like to keep you in the medicine den for a few days so that I can monitor the swelling and some of the more severe gashed and bites,” the freckled feline added with a soft smile before moving away to tidy up his work area and dispose of the blood seeped moss that he had left off to the side for after his task was done - with a cautious glance he turned his mossy hues to meet Lostspark’s milky amber orbs as if to say did I do okay… he hoped he had…
{ @poppy ~ Nightshade } { @Rose // just so you see this )
[ let me know if anything is wrong ]
Lostspark frowned down at Hawkbite as she noticed his dazed expression. Had he heard her? Would he heed her? Her first thought was, 'I'm going to have to restrain him, aren't I?' Fortunately, to both of their reliefs, Hawkbite had a sound head on his shoulders. Well, technically, he had almost lost said head, but that was beside the point.
"Shadefrost knew what he was getting into if he agreed to go with you." Lostspark said simply, blinking down at the tabby in front of her. "You cannot blame yourself for his death." Attentive amber eyes peered at the Enforcer Commander, but Lostspark decided to leave it at that. "ShadowClan cannot lose you, too."
Lostspark quite liked Mistlewhisker. The warrior didn't beat around the bush. She got straight to the point, treated Lostspark like what she was - ShadowClan's damned Medicine Cat.
There was one problem in ShadowClan that irked Lostspark greatly. It was that if you were on the younger side and in power (or even without, in some cases), cats tended to look down upon you, as if you did not deserve the rank you'd earned. Lostspark had noticed it when she was Larkkit, a freshly joined outsider with no family to call her own. An outsider looking in on something she could never have. She had noticed it when she was Larkpaw, and had been named ShadowClan's first apprentice Enforcer at eight moons. She had noticed it again later when she'd been named Larkfire, a warrior at nine moons. And then again, when she'd been named Elmshadow's Medicine Cat Apprentice, and one of the queens had complained in the midst of the meeting that Larkfire herself had kits in the nursery and that it would be unfair if she were to become one of the Clan's herbalists.
And then she had been blinded by a ThunderClanner, and the Lostspark renaming had happened, and then she had been looked down upon even more. No one said it to her face, did not deliberately voice their distaste, because if they did, it would finally give Lostspark a reason to shred their faces, but... Cheers!
In the end, it was the disrespect that grated on Lostspark's nerves. It was one thing to be disrespected by the Clan, and another entirely to be disrespected... or better worded, to be undermined by one's ex-mate and kits. Or, kit, to be specific.
Because if there was one thing Lostspark had always yearned for, it was a family filled with mutual love and understanding and affection and recognition. Twenty-one children, she had, and she still felt all alone. The only familial cat Lostspark suspected harbored even a little affection for her was her mother, Dawnstar, and the leader was not even her biological parent.
Which circled back to the reason Lostspark had gone over this mental rant in her head (it'd only been a total of a couple seconds in real time, but still) - she liked Mistlewhisker, platonically speaking. Appreciated the Enforcer, because Mistlewhisker was one of the few who genuinely respected and recognized her position in ShadowClan. Who realized her job was just that - it saved lives. It wasn't something frivolous she'd picked up to ignore the world.
A headache blooming behind her eyes, the former enforcer let out a puff of air. "Right." She said finally, snagging what she needed from the herb store and immediately setting to cleaning out, disinfecting, and patching Chestnutfeather's wounds after he'd neared.
Their cobweb store was running low, which was a hindrance, but at least Lostspark was aware of the supply's lacking now. She could fix it, that way. Once Chestnutfeather's injuries had been dealt with, Lostspark moved on to treat Mistlewhisker's. "Thank you for coming in. These would have been more effort to deal with later if these had gotten infected."
──────────╮ Tom | He/him |
⚜ The air was still, the usual clamor of camp was slowly dying down as the the day drew to a close. Peace at last. The small and dainty paws, silently made their way over to the medicine den. Gift in tow, the perfectly timed procedure advanced as he passed the threshold. No one was here. Just as he planned. Making his way through the den he walked up to his destination. Lostsparks nest. Giving a quick glance over his shoulder, he remembered the events that he accidentally heard. He remembered the pity he felt as he heard the folks that were supposed to love the medicine cat no matter what, berraided her. Such a shame.
⚜ While not perfect, he knew she tried her best. And considering the amount of duties she was gifted, he'd say she did her job better than most. Especially being a busy mother. She was doing her best, but it seemed her beloveds reached their patience. Throwing their own sorrows on already weak shoulders, quite a pitiful display if you asked him. Nonetheless, if they wouldn't show their appreciation, he would. Dipping his elegant head low, he dropped a single flower onto the moss. White Petals slightly wrinkled, the small gift was something that didn't seem like much, but they say it's the thought that counts. It was beautiful like her, all the small scars mattered not, in the end of their days, they would still be a lovely display of nature.
⚜Gift on full display, the elegant tom turned and exited the den.
Lostspark frowned down at Hawkbite as she noticed his dazed expression. Had he heard her? Would he heed her? Her first thought was, 'I'm going to have to restrain him, aren't I?' Fortunately, to both of their reliefs, Hawkbite had a sound head on his shoulders. Well, technically, he had almost lost said head, but that was beside the point.
"Shadefrost knew what he was getting into if he agreed to go with you." Lostspark said simply, blinking down at the tabby in front of her. "You cannot blame yourself for his death." Attentive amber eyes peered at the Enforcer Commander, but Lostspark decided to leave it at that. "ShadowClan cannot lose you, too."
Lostspark quite liked Mistlewhisker. The warrior didn't beat around the bush. She got straight to the point, treated Lostspark like what she was - ShadowClan's damned Medicine Cat.
There was one problem in ShadowClan that irked Lostspark greatly. It was that if you were on the younger side and in power (or even without, in some cases), cats tended to look down upon you, as if you did not deserve the rank you'd earned. Lostspark had noticed it when she was Larkkit, a freshly joined outsider with no family to call her own. An outsider looking in on something she could never have. She had noticed it when she was Larkpaw, and had been named ShadowClan's first apprentice Enforcer at eight moons. She had noticed it again later when she'd been named Larkfire, a warrior at nine moons. And then again, when she'd been named Elmshadow's Medicine Cat Apprentice, and one of the queens had complained in the midst of the meeting that Larkfire herself had kits in the nursery and that it would be unfair if she were to become one of the Clan's herbalists.
And then she had been blinded by a ThunderClanner, and the Lostspark renaming had happened, and then she had been looked down upon even more. No one said it to her face, did not deliberately voice their distaste, because if they did, it would finally give Lostspark a reason to shred their faces, but... Cheers!
In the end, it was the disrespect that grated on Lostspark's nerves. It was one thing to be disrespected by the Clan, and another entirely to be disrespected... or better worded, to be undermined by one's ex-mate and kits. Or, kit, to be specific.
Because if there was one thing Lostspark had always yearned for, it was a family filled with mutual love and understanding and affection and recognition. Twenty-one children, she had, and she still felt all alone. The only familial cat Lostspark suspected harbored even a little affection for her was her mother, Dawnstar, and the leader was not even her biological parent.
Which circled back to the reason Lostspark had gone over this mental rant in her head (it'd only been a total of a couple seconds in real time, but still) - she liked Mistlewhisker, platonically speaking. Appreciated the Enforcer, because Mistlewhisker was one of the few who genuinely respected and recognized her position in ShadowClan. Who realized her job was just that - it saved lives. It wasn't something frivolous she'd picked up to ignore the world.
A headache blooming behind her eyes, the former enforcer let out a puff of air. "Right." She said finally, snagging what she needed from the herb store and immediately setting to cleaning out, disinfecting, and patching Chestnutfeather's wounds after he'd neared.
Their cobweb store was running low, which was a hindrance, but at least Lostspark was aware of the supply's lacking now. She could fix it, that way. Once Chestnutfeather's injuries had been dealt with, Lostspark moved on to treat Mistlewhisker's. "Thank you for coming in. These would have been more effort to deal with later if these had gotten infected."
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 39 moons
[Large black cat with a half-white muzzle and pale green eye (left gouged out)] Purrks: Beefed Up T3, Shadow Fiend
· · ────────────── · ·
[Chestnutfeather - @appariitiion ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker nodded, slipping out of the den while Lostspark tended to Chestnutfeather only to return a moment later, a mouse clamped in her jaws. She had seen the medicine cat's less than stable health recently, and while it was not her place to comment on it, she would reach out with the offer. "Caught this before the mink attacked. Consider it thanks for saving Hawkbite." She flashed a very small, very wry grin towards the medicine cat before realizing she probably couldn't see her. She wiped the expression from her face.
She was silent and still as Lostspark took care of the various scratches on her flank and shoulders, the enforcer stoic even as the marigold stung slightly. Once she was done, Mistlewhisker dipped her head again. "Thank you. Should you need any herbs, let me know." Mistlewhisker was always anxious--she didn't get anxious, but it was a similar enough feeling--to get out of camp and be useful. She had been getting a bit bored until she incident with the mink just today. Though it was hardly excitement she would justify since her clanmate was injured because of it. If Lostspark had no more requests of her, she padded out after giving a nod to Chestnutfeather. "Recover well."
──────────╮ Tom | He/him |
⚜ The air was still, the usual clamor of camp was slowly dying down as the the day drew to a close. Peace at last. The small and dainty paws, silently made their way over to the medicine den. Gift in tow, the perfectly timed procedure advanced as he passed the threshold. No one was here. Just as he planned. Making his way through the den he walked up to his destination. Lostsparks nest. Giving a quick glance over his shoulder, he remembered the events that he accidentally heard. He remembered the pity he felt as he heard the folks that were supposed to love the medicine cat no matter what, berraided her. Such a shame.
⚜ While not perfect, he knew she tried her best. And considering the amount of duties she was gifted, he'd say she did her job better than most. Especially being a busy mother. She was doing her best, but it seemed her beloveds reached their patience. Throwing their own sorrows on already weak shoulders, quite a pitiful display if you asked him. Nonetheless, if they wouldn't show their appreciation, he would. Dipping his elegant head low, he dropped a single flower onto the moss. White Petals slightly wrinkled, the small gift was something that didn't seem like much, but they say it's the thought that counts. It was beautiful like her, all the small scars mattered not, in the end of their days, they would still be a lovely display of nature.
⚜Gift on full display, the elegant tom turned and exited the den.
Her life had fallen apart, but Lostspark was strangely calm. Not the calm of contentment, no. The calm before the storm. Her thoughts whirled a mile a minute, buzzing like angry bees, wanting for attention. And funnily enough (note the sarcasm. she found nothing about this situation amusing), all she had was attention to give. And she gave it to those who demanded it. Her Clan demanded it, she complied. Her thoughts demanded it, she resisted, but they won out in the end anyway. Her family… if they just reached out to demand it, she would eagerly reciprocate. But all she could do now was sit back and wait. She had done her part.
So when Lostspark wandered back into her den one day, heading for her nest, tired limbs preparing to collapse under her with the burden of constant pressure on her shoulders, the Medicine Cat stopped in her tracks at the sight of the white flower in her nest. Her heart lurched against her will, soaring with newfound hope that one of her family members had dropped off the flower. Pawsteps tentative, as if the minuscule gift may disappear and it turned out she’d just imagined it, the herbalist crept over to her nest as if approaching a spooked animal. She lowered her head to the plant, inhaling its floral scent and hoping she could scent which of her family had left it.
Luck was against her this day, however, as it had a habit of being, and while Lostspark could not identify the cat behind this thoughtful present, her heart thrummed with happiness, amber eyes misting with stupid tears for the trinket. For the first time in moons, she felt appreciated. Curling up in her nest, Lostspark tucked the white flower not into her nest, but into her fur, on full display. Maybe whichever of her family had given it to her would realize then how much she appreciated that sentiment. She would wear this flower until it withered away, its use having been worn out well.
Re: ShadowClan Medicine Cat's Den
Mossfreckle is Shadowclan’s Medicine Cat Apprentice 
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