[Fawn]

It was as he was taking a drink from a small puddle whose filament of ice had been easily broken, that Rookfrost decided a health-check was necessary. Having already seen to the dawn patrol, he had none-so-subtly insisted that, starting with the kits, queens and apprentices, everyone wait their turn as he went around, checking their condition like any halfway decent Medicine Cat should, this particularly plague-filled winter the surface reasoning behind the sudden precautions.

In actuality, Rookfrost was preparing for war.

As much fun as it would be for him to suddenly strike out on his own and start dissecting and collecting whatever he so pleased, Rookfrost was no fool. As long as LightningClan was strong, his position of power was secure, his secrets would stay secrets, he would have an entire Clan as his alibi. Though he was partways checking for any lingering or spreading signs of greencough, he paid particular attention to the warriors and the apprentices, knowing they would be on the frontlines should an attack - which he was certain was imminent - be on the horizon.

Breathing? Check.
Heartrate? Normal.
Eye sight? Decent.
Hearing? Acute.
Any recent injuries or things I should know about? None? Good.

"Next!"

Rookfrost's calm, cold tone rose up above the heads of the nearby cats, the white outline of Cherrypool disappearing into the nearby foliage even as he spoke, the she-cat likely to head out hunting after she had been given a clean bill of health. A sharp flick of the tail, the equivalent of a curt nod, signaled for the next cat to come forward.
"Snap to! There are still several I need to get to," was his brusque response with a slightly frosted edge, the ebony healer standing just in front of his den, black-tufted ears ever alert as though to catch wind of the slightest cough or weakest sniff from the small crowd nearby.

So far, most of the warriors are in full fighting condition, though markedly thin. Apart from having to save a few traveling herbs for he and Redwind when they journeyed to the Moon Tree, Rookfrost intended to start giving out a few particular, stalwart herbs to the warriors, wanting them to keep up their strength as they hit the peak of winter. Anticipating a battle, no, wanting one, Rookfrost was, to the naked eye, simply being a cautious Medicine Cat, but to anyone with a more calculating eye and a knowledge of the prophecy spoken (which he had gotten the whole story from Snowpaw), might be able to glean from his behaviors that he was preparing for battle.

That he was.
Cobwebs were hard to find in the winter, so he'd been searching of new ways to improvise, intending to use the pine sap as a kind of glue to hold the herbs and poultices to a menagerie of wounds, the once-warrior already stocking up on what little he could find. A couple trips to the mountain's base had proved a stroke of luck, not just in escaping Demon entirely but in actually finding some spare catmint growing in an unsuspecting little patch in the shelter of a few winter-hardy brambles.

With that, he should be able to stave off the rest of the greencough outbreak, but no promises. He was a healer, not a Miracle Worker.

Not that he even believed in miracles to begin with.

[Fate Admin]

Snowpaw had been out attempting to scavenge some herbs in the open woods, where there was a chance that maybe something was sheltered enough to survive. He did manage to dig up a few shoots of burdock root and pawed some cobweb from a low tree hollow, but that was about the extent of his success. Tawnyleaf had gone out with him as escort, though Snowpaw wasn’t entirely sure what good one warrior would do if any real trouble showed up. Tawnyleaf had answered him when he’d posed the question, that perhaps she could at least allow him to get away, back to safety… that there were numerous warriors but only he and Rookfrost were medicine cats, and the Clan could spare her more than it could him. It had made his fur stand on end to think about.

He’d come back to put the cobweb safely away before washing the burdock root off as best he could with snow and storing that away as well. After that was said and done he’d gone looking for Rookfrost, where he was holding checkups of the whole Clan. His ears pricked with interest. Why didn’t Rookfrost ever tell him about these things beforehand? While leaf-bare had so far given him plenty of experience with whitecough and greencough, he’d not had paws-on training with much else when it came to his Clanmates. He padded over, long fluffy tail swishing behind him, to stop a short distance from his mentor, “Can I help?”

He looked up at the dark tom hopefully, “We can get through the whole Clan faster together. Just tell me what to do and I’ll get to work.” He looked over to where Tawnyleaf was sniffing the general area where the freshkill was usually kept, frowning at the fact that there was nothing there. She’d been helping him… escorting him… most of the day, she probably hadn’t been looked at yet, “Hey Tawnyleaf, come over here so we can check your health!” His tail waved, beckoning, and she padded over hesitantly.

“I need to go out hunting. You saw how the freshkill pile is empty didn’t you?” her tail twitched impatiently.

“You can go hunting right after, so long as there’s nothing wrong with you. You’ve been running around with me so I can’t imagine there is, but we should check anyway. It won’t take that long,” he assured her, nudging her toward Rookfrost. She sighed and sat before the medicine cat, ear twitching. Snowpaw looked up at Rookfrost again, expectant, “What first?”

[Fawn]

“Can I help?”

After a brief but thorough check-up on little Rubykit, who had an infected toeclaw, Rookfrost had subconsciously been aware of Snowpaw's eventual return. Though he had not pinpointed an exact time of arrival, his own intuition had him hardly surprised when that familiar voice rang out clear and innocent and hopeful just past his shoulder.

Rookfrost nodded curtly, icy eyes flickering like pale shadows as he wrapped his attention around Tawnyleaf, the warrioress brought forward by his apprentice as their latest patient.
"Check her vitals. Listen to her breathing, ask the right questions." As his instructions always were, his tone was cold and the kind that meant his words were 'not up for debate' or to be doubted. This was his process, if Snowpaw didn't like it, he would have to develop his own after he had earned his Medicine Cat name.

Check the chest for rattling breaths, check the nose for any crust build-up. Check around the eyes, how they smell, how they've been feeling these past few sunrises.

He would then have them walk around until he said stop, intending to assess if their balance was as it should be; though Rookfrost would prefer to do a more in-depth health assessment of every cat here, the shadowy patron of Medicine felt it would be suspicious or at least too attention-catching, if he checked over each Clanmate like a mother worried for her kits. His reasons for concern were not at all baseless, given the season and the calamitous snowfall; the army that would march to the territory of Stone would be a thin, meagerly fed army, but they would be strong. That was the important thing. Strong, fast, and with all senses working properly or up to a standard that wouldn't cost them their lives.

He addressed Tawnyleaf at last.

"When you are finished, a stack of herbs for strength -" he gestured with one sharp ear-flick, the black tuft indicating the small pile of herbs located near the entrance of his den, protected from escape into the wind by a small stone placed atop " - are yours."

The large black shadowy quietly took two steps back, though it did nothing to lessen the vampiresque, gothic aura he projected by way of nature. It did, at least, indicate that it would be Snowpaw taking control of their very first patient, the dark-faced Rookfrost having no intention of providing Snowpaw with the exact answers he should ask.

A Medicine Cat who did not use their brain was no Medicine Cat at all.
Healing was every bit about problem-solving as it was memory and application. Snowpaw would have to think for himself what sort of vital signs he should look for, what inquiries to make, and, of course, Rookfrost expected him to be chiefly confidential should any embarrassing or unpleasant medical issues come to light in his gentle interrogations.

[Deleted]

. : w e a s e l p a w : .

179

When Rookfrost had mentioned a Clan checkup, the skinny black tom knew he should probably be one of the first cats to be checked out. Less than a moon had past since he finally recovered from a long bout of whitecough. Even now, almost a half-moon later, he still felt a tickle in his chest every now and then. So, like a good apprentice, he lined up behind another cat.

Rookfrost checked over the kit in front of him, and then it seemed to be Weaselpaw's turn. The skinny tom sat patiently as Rookfrost spoke with his apprentice, who was to begin a checkup on Tawnyleaf. Weaselpaw's bright gold eyes flicked down to his paws, knowing that Rookfrost would likely take a more thorough check with him, as the dark medicine cat knew of his previous illnesses.

Once it seemed Rookfrost was no longer busy, Weaselpaw uncurled his tail and stood, taking a few steps closer to the medicine cat. Weaselpaw flicked his gaze from the ground to Rookfrost and back, just waiting for his checkup, silent and patient.

[Fawn]

Though rare was it that a cat would willingly come forward, demanding a check-up, having this many cats with various personalities could sometimes make days like these feel hectic and somewhat out of his control. As a result, Rookfrost always took notice when someone had the good sense to be patient - and better yet, silent.
Signalling Weaselpaw closer with the tip of his black-furred plume, the raven-shaded tom-cat began to discuss his patient's medical history, keeping one ear flicked in Snowpaw's direction should his apprentice desire help or somehow give an incorrect diagnosis.
"When was your last visit to my den? Is there anything you wish to tell me before I proceed with the health-check?" Even as he spoke, Rookfrost was already getting started with the examination, checking the apprentice's ears, staring fixedly into Weaselpaw's eyes for any signs of cloudiness or other ocular discrepancies, his poker-face world class.

Eyes are clear. Ears are clean.

Lowering his head near the front of the young tom's chest, Rookfrost pressed an ear near Weaselpaw's heart, listening to the quality of his breathing as well as the rhythmic beating of his head. For such a feline who was almost statuesque in appearance (like black marble sometimes, for how little he could move whilst concentrating on something), placing his head lower than an apprentice's did nothing to lessen the strength of his intimidating aura, which had momentarily been brushed aside for the sake of a healer's brusque, all-business one instead.

Heartbeat regular. Breathing regular.

[Fate Admin]

Snowpaw listened with ears perked sharply forward, alert, as if he was afraid to miss any sound his mentor uttered. There were times when Rookfrost seemed fond of long lectures and others when he seemed to say only the bare minimum. No matter what his response would be this time, paying attention to every word was key. Rookfrost was not keen on repeating himself. Snowpaw wasn’t sure he could even remember a time when he had. But it was okay, Snowpaw enjoyed the challenge Rookfrost presented as his mentor. It would be boring if he just gave all the answers all the time… Snowpaw would feel like a ball of moss thrown into a puddle, sitting there uselessly without a thought of his own as he absorbed only what Rookfrost told him. He enjoyed puzzling out what to do after Rookfrost gave him his general direction. He LIKED thinking for himself rather than having someone else think for him, thank you very much.

His curiosity was as strong as it was when he was kit, but it was more under his control now and he no longer babbled constant questions at everyone that passed by. He thought Rookfrost might be mostly to blame, but also perhaps his growing up a bit. Rookfrost pushed him toward coming to his own conclusions rather than simply being given them, and he was glad for it now, though it had frustrated him when he’d first started his apprenticeship. So when Rookfrost gave him basic directions and stepped back to let him take over with Tawnyleaf, his tail twitched behind him excitedly and he turned back to the she-cat, blinking up at her briefly, Vitals….

He stepped forward to press his ear against her side, closing his eyes against the commotion about camp to better focus on the sounds within the she-cat. Her heart sounded fine, strong and regular. He could detect no signs of fluid or anything in her lungs. He opened his eyes again and asked her to lower her head so he might see her ears and eyes better. Her eyes seemed clear and clean as he peered into and around them, the insides of her ears a healthy pale pink. His ears perked forward as she breathed and detected no hitch in her breath, no rasp or wheeze, which he was certain he should have caught when he was listening at her side but thought he would double check anyway.

Questions…. He thought a moment, “Have you been feeling all right lately?”

The she-cat twitched her tail impatiently, “I’ve been fine, other than being hungry, like everyone is… because there’s hardly any prey on the fresh-kill pile and warriors are being detained in camp for check-ups like kits… can I go now?”

Snowpaw purred softly, trying to lighten Tawnyleaf’s annoyed mood a bit, “No cat is going to starve if we keep you a few more heartbeats.” What else should he do? “Would you lie on your side so I can check your paws over quickly? You warriors have been doing so much hunting lately I want to make sure your poor paws aren’t overworked too badly.”

With a snort, Tawnyleaf complied and Snowpaw touched his nose to one pad, judging her temperature before looking for any cracks or other signs of damage. When he’d finished Tawnyleaf sat up and shook herself, fur puffing out slightly, “Is that all?”

Snowpaw tilted his head slightly, unsure if there was anything else he should do before letting her go, but seeing as Tawnyleaf had been with him all morning and hadn’t seemed to display any sort of health issues he supposed he might as well let her go now, and nodded, “You seem as healthy as one can be,” considering how little everyone is eating. She turned, tail flicking, and padded over to the herbs Rookfrost had pointed out, eating them quickly before she trotted out of camp, clearly still annoyed at being held back from hunting. Snowpaw looked over at where Rookfrost was looking over one of the other apprentices and shifted on his paws. He wanted to know if Rookfrost would have anything to say about how he had conducted his first check-up before he called another cat over. Yes, he enjoyed thinking for himself, but that didn’t mean he always came up with the right answer, he was still learning after all, and he wanted to do things right.

[Deleted]

. : w e a s e l p a w : .

Weaselpaw continued to wait patiently until Rookfrost motioned him forward. The skinny black tom stood in silence, flicking his tail tip absently.

"When was your last visit to my den? Is there anything you wish to tell me before I proceed with the health-check?" Weaselpaw knew the answers to the questions, and only hesitated for a half-second as he considered lying. But he decided it would be better to be totally truthful, even if it might mean another delay in his training, just as his apprenticeship was delayed for about a moon due to whitecough.

"A half-moon ago. Whitecough delayed my apprenticeship. Still feel a tickle every now and then, and the occasional cough, but nothing more." It was more words than he wanted to say, but whatever. At least he was being honest with the dark medicine cat. Most cats found Rookfrost eerie, but Weaselpaw was more intrigued by the aura that seemed to surround the medicine cat in everything he did. For a moment, he almost wished Snowpaw was a regular warrior apprentice, so that he could have a chance at being Rookfrost's apprentice, if only to spend more time with the intrigue that surrounded the medicine cat like a storm cloud.

But Weaselpaw brushed those thoughts aside. It wasn't going to happen, so there was no reason to dwell on such thoughts. Instead, he remained where he was, waiting silently as Rookfrost finished up his check up.

[Phoenix]

He was not brought there by the not-so-subtle order hidden in the mention of a mandatory check up for every cat, though he thought it was a good idea on Rookfrost's part. Or had his brother thought of it? Ever since Snowpaw had joined the older black tom in the medicine cat's den, Icepaw had had very little time to talk to his brother. Rookfrost kept his apprentice busy - thankfully, it seemed as though most of the jobs took place outside of the den, or else he would have to worry about Snowpaw's fur turning black too - and with Rapidwind as his own mentor, he found that he had little free time as well. And so, with the health check as an added perk, he had decided that he would remedy the silence that had fallen between Snowpaw and himself.

As he was about to enter the den, he narrowly dodged an agitated Tawnyleaf, stepping to the side right before she brisky strode by. Blue eyes turned to follow her route to the exit of camp, and only when she had disappeared into the open expanse of LightningClan territory did he redirect his attention toward Rookfrost's and Snowpaw's den and continue forward. It had been a while since he last visited the den, and as he entered it, he found a memory of a previous visit rising to the forefront of his mind. They had all been kits then, and he had chosen to wander into Rookfrost's den, only to be met by the black nightmare himself. After being pestered about his hearing, he had come to the conclusion that perhaps the medicine cat couldn't smell. Now, of course, he knew better. Smell was probably a good way to identify herbs, just as he could identify different types of prey using his nose; however, he still could not understand why a cat would purposely subject himself to spending days in a dark den surrounded by the strong, tangy scents of plants. Perhaps he could ask Snowpaw about that.

"Hi Snowpaw, Weaselpaw, Rookfrost," He announced his arrival pleasantly, nodding at each of them in turn as he lingered in the entrance way. Blue eyes flitted from the two black toms to the other white one, and he began to drift toward his brother. Weaselpaw and Rookfrost were nice, but he was there to meet with one cat in particular. When he stood in front of Snowpaw, oblivious to the potential awkwardness of the situation, Icepaw instigated the conversation. "How've you been, Snowpaw? We have't gotten to talk much lately."

[Fate Admin]

Snowpaw’s ear twitched as he turned toward a familiar scent wafting his way. His brother had appeared and was heading over toward him, greeting the other two cats briefly before turning to him. He’d always gotten on much better with Icepaw than Frostpaw; his fiery sister could be a bit much to handle in his opinion and while she had reveled in the excitement of the warrior life she would lead, Snowpaw could never relate. Icepaw was much more laidback and much easier to get along with, even if he was also leading the warrior life. He hadn’t been as much into playfighting and roughhousing like Frostpaw had when they were kits. Snowpaw found a sort of further kinship with his brother in their shared curiosity, even if it expressed a bit differently in each of them.

His plumed white tail waved happily as his brother addressed him. He supposed while he waited for Rookfrost to check on Weaselpaw, he could chat with his brother, and maybe check up on him in the process so Rookfrost couldn’t complain too much about him wasting time or anything like that. “I’ve been great, Icepaw. I wish we’d been apprenticed in a warmer season so more herbs were growing for me to learn about properly, but it shouldn’t be too much longer before the growing things come back I guess.” He flicked his tail dismissively. He would have plenty of seasons to learn about all the herbs in the valley. Rookfrost might not be exactly young but he wasn’t all that OLD either; Snowpaw was certain he would be around for moons and moons to help him learn.

“How’s your warrior training with Rapidwind going?” He figured now would be a good time to start looking his brother over before he wasted much more time standing idly while he chatted, “He hasn’t been overworking you at all, has he? As a kit I always thought he must spend all his time fighting to have so many scars,” he purred, slightly amused as he thought fondly of the scarred up tom who had been something of a second father to him and siblings. Cloudflight had always tried to be in their lives, but now that Snowpaw was older he realized how some other cats had tried to keep him away from their mother, Rapidwind for one, and their mother’s littermate Sleetshine for another. Dovesong had explained to him, when he’d asked not long after becoming an apprentice, what all that was about. She said how she had been in love with Cloudflight once, and he with her, but it just didn’t last, and that was okay and she was still friends with their father, but some cats were angry about it. Snowpaw wasn’t sure what there was to be angry about if Dovesong and Cloudflight were still friends, but it all seemed more complicated than it was worth and he was glad, as a medicine cat, that he was removed from it all.

As his brother would speak, Snowpaw would listen for any hint of a rasp or wheeze and look into his bright blue eyes, checking for any cloudiness or build up around the outside, but they looked the same as he always remembered them being, clear and blue as a cloudless sky. He glanced over at Rookfrost, still wondering if he had done everything correctly with Tawnyleaf, before turning his attention back his brother. He would wait for him to stop talking before giving his heart and lungs a listen.

[Fawn]

"A half-moon ago. Whitecough delayed my apprenticeship. Still feel a tickle every now and then, and the occasional cough, but nothing more."

In light of this revelation, the ebony-pelted tom leaned back to get a better look at Weaselpaw overall, studying the younger dark tom with a practiced, experienced eye, glassy orbs of ice scanning for any visible signs of lingering illness. "Take care not to expose yourself to the illness again - cats often make the mistake that just because they have caught it once and survived, that it makes them invincible or no longer subject to a second wave." He had yet to meet a cat who had built up a strong enough immunity against whitecough and the like that after getting it only once, he could stroll past the sick and failing without catching it himself.

There was a reason why they quarantined those afflicted. There was no definite way to ward off the sickness other than lack of contact, and for a tom so young to have caught it and overcome it, Rookfrost suspected that while Weaselpaw's body would be a bit stronger against a resurgence, his age combined with his rather lithesome body type could prove a disaster should he get it again. Still, Rookfrost had noted no signs of whitecough when he continued to inspect Weaselpaw, this time he moved around to the tom's left flank, dark tufted ears swiveling so that he might press it against Weaselpaw's side and listen as the tom breathed.

Even, maybe a little mucus in there somewhere, but it could have more to do with the season than anything else. Straightening, the tom brusquely moved in front of Weaselpaw again, holding up his tail so that he might signal him to wait. Disappearing into the dark hole in the earth that was his den, Rookfrost rose up onto his hind legs to reach the herbs he had stored higher up on the 'shelves' dug into the walls, selecting a single leaf of catmint, the familiar, sweet-tasting herb tickling his tongue as he once again stepped onto the light, setting the leaf down in front of weaselpaw with his final instructions. "The whitecough appears to be out of your system, though eat this as an added precaution. If your cough gets worse, if you feel any signs that it might be returning, you are to come here immediately." The seriousness with which he spoke conveyed just how intently Rookfrost took this job.

No one could ever call him a bad medicine cat. Unorthodox, yes, with secrets so dark he'd look more like one Dovesong's kits by comparison, but he was no fool. If Weaselpaw chose to heed his words, then excellent, if he chose to ignore them and carry on even at the first sign of the illness's return, then that was on the apprentice and the apprentice alone.

Departing from Weaselpaw with a sharp nod, Rookfrost's frosty gaze swiveled and fixed upon the small fluffy white form of his apprentice, Snowpaw, dealing with Tawnyleaf, his acute hearing picking up on the warrior's impatience and the proper check-up Snowpaw was conducting. Rookfrost was neither disappointed nor impressed, as Snowpaw was preforming exactly as he had assumed the tom would. He was intelligent, yes, a hard worker who could use that brain of his for more than just 'yes sir' 'no sir' answers, but Rookfrost had not quite discovered that spark he had seen so often in himself. It would truly take Snowpaw a medical miracle to earn the genuine respect of the tom who trusted only in science, but that did not mean he had any negative feelings towards his apprentice.

As far as apprentices went, Snowpaw was both keeping up and taking initiative, and that was enough to make the shadowy black tom content. Well, as content as he could be without slicing anything open.

"Keep working, Snowpaw." Called Rookfrost, his lack of criticism to show that Snowpaw's performance had been satisfactory, the older tom trusting him enough to carry on without supervision. "Talk and work at the same time, if you feel the need to catch up." That comment was directed at the arrival of Icepaw, whom, if memory served him, was Snowpaw's littermate. Now all they needed was-

"Icepaw! Snowpaw! How long has it been since I've seen you two in the same place?"
Frostpaw scampered over to them at the speed of light, nearly crashing right into Weaselpaw in the process. "Sorry!"

Rookfrost closed his eyes and counted down from ten.
There were a few things in this forest that he felt he could tolerate, no matter the volume or repetition, and Frostpaw's hyperbolic enthusiasm was not one of them.

[Deleted]

. : w e a s e l p a w : .

Weaselpaw sat in silence as Rookfrost leaned back to look him over again. "Take care not to expose yourself to the illness again - cats often make the mistake that just because they have caught it once and survived, that it makes them invincible or no longer subject to a second wave." Weaselpaw gave a sharp nod at Rookfrost's words, knowing that he wouldn't put himself at risk, as he hated the possibility of his training being delayed even more. Rookfrost moved to his left, again pressing his ear to the apprentice's body. Weaselpaw stilled and breathed normally, knowing noise would irritate the dark medicine cat, not allowing him to accurately hear was he was trying to.

Rookfrost extracted his ear from Weaselpaw's flank and moved toward his den, signaling him to wait. Obediently, Weaselpaw waited, small paws shifting only slightly. The medicine cat returned, carrying a leaf of something in his mouth. He dropped it as his paws, along with a set of instructions. "The whitecough appears to be out of your system, though eat this as an added precaution. If your cough gets worse, if you feel any signs that it might be returning, you are to come here immediately." Weaselpaw nodded again, this time with a little extra. "Yes, sir." The apprentice ducked his head and ate the leaf, looking up one last time at Rookfrost as he departed.

"Icepaw! Snowpaw! How long has it been since I've seen you two in the same place?" Weaselpaw's ears flicked back at the sound, barely managing to hop up and skid backwards to avoid being run over by Frostpaw. Weaselpaw bit back an angry hiss, instead offering the slightly older apprentice an angry glare. "Sorry!" Weaselpaw offered no acceptance of the apology, only held his glare and flicked his tail tip angrily. The night-furred apprentice stalked off, attempting to smooth the fur along his spine, with little success.

[Phoenix]

A smile spread across his lips at his brother's first words, pleased that Snowpaw seemed content with his own training under the somewhat intimidating medicine cat. He supposed that Rookfrost wasn't completely bad, but he didn't know how well he would fare if those gray eyes levelled a glare at him everytime he spoke like they had before. Perhaps the ebony tom was more lenient on his own apprentice, though he had a hard time imagining Rookfrost going easy on anyone. In a moment of realization, he found himself infinitely grateful that his brother had filled the position of medicine cat apprentice instead of himself, and his fondness toward Snowpaw only grew. It said something about a cat who could remain so upbeat after endless days of constant exposure to Rookfrost's less than welcoming attitude. Icepaw paused. He wasn't being too harsh in his judgement, was he?

"Training's going well," The apprentice replied a moment later, blue eyes brightening at the thought of Rapidwind. His mentor was definitely of a different mindset than himself - that had been obvious in the first few days of training - but they got along well and had figured out how to work around it. "He does have a lot of scars, doesn't he," Icepaw mused, a small grin touching the corners of his mouth as he sat, unconsciously mimicking his mentor's stance. "I wonder how he got them. They can't all be from fighting a different clan, can they? We don't fight each other that much." It was a question he hadn't asked himself in a while, and the only explanation he could think of was that he was too distracted by training to do so. Due to the number of scars that littered the older tom's pelt, he had often imagined that the warrior was a brave and accomplished fighter. He had never asked though. Perhaps he would do so the next time he saw Rapidwind. Icepaw had always thought it rather special that such a close friend of his mother's had become his mentor. His mentor! "I work hard," He conceded honestly, "But it's not that bad. What about you? Is life as a medicine cat all you thought it would be?"

That particular path had never really interested him, as the cats he would have to heal were far more interesting than herbs needed to do so. Rookfrost and Snowpaw, however, obviously thought differently. The former's voice carried to his ears, barking out an order, and blue eyes flicked to the black form standing off to the side, suddenly reminded of the other reason he was there. Right. Turning back to Snowpaw, he mused quietly, "I wonder how Frostpaw's doing. Do you think she'll co--" And then she appeared, nearly bowling Weaselpaw over in her haste to reach them. "Hey Frostpaw!" He greeted his sister warmly, rising and striding over to meet her. "I was just wondering when you'd show up. How are you doing?" Despite sharing a den, they did not often have the chance to speak together, since the only thing on an apprentice's mind after a hard day of training was the proximity of his nest. "You know, maybe we could suggest to Rapidwind and Sleetshine that we could train together sometime," He suggested lightly, continuing his train of thought verbally. "That would be fun. You could come too, Snowpaw. It might be helpful to know something other than healing others, in case of self-defense or something."

[Fate Admin]

Snowpaw gave his brother’s pelt a look over even as he spoke of Rapidwind’s scars, looking to see if Icepaw had gained any of his own, but it didn’t seem like he had, yet. He shrugged as Icepaw mused over how Rapidwind might have come by all of his own scars, “Well, maybe he’s one of those warriors who wants to make sure the other Clans don’t think we’re weak. You remember that story Dovesong told us once, about how a long time ago NightClan’s ancestors chased us out of our home and away from all the other Clans. She said a lot of LightningClan warriors are more aggressive than they need to be to make sure the other Clans don’t get any ideas about chasing us out again.”

He couldn’t imagine being chased out of camp, out of their territory, into the mountains where that awful monster cat lived and StarClan only knew what else…. His fur rippled uneasily as suddenly the words of the prophecy came back to him. Five fall to four and one falls to flight…. Ravenstar had brought that part up at the Gathering too, saying how StarClan regretted bringing StoneClan back…. How would she know? She wasn’t a medicine cat…. Had Smokefur gotten a message that he and Rookfrost hadn’t? He shook his head slightly. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about the prophecy, it wasn’t something he could discuss with his brother… he didn’t want Icepaw to be under the same stress he was, thinking about what the prophecy hinted was going to happen, all the time.

Icepaw was moving on anyway, asking him about being a medicine cat. He pushed the prophecy to the back of his mind for now. “Well… leaf-bare is the worst season for everyone, including medicine cats. There are hardly any herbs to be found and with less food to go around coupled with cold, so many cats have been sick… though at least we’ve been able to give everyone the herbs they need and haven’t run out just yet…. Still, it’s great to see a cat who came in sick make a full recovery, thanks to your help. It’s great to heal and make cats feel better rather than having to hurt them in battle.” He paused to nod affirmatively, “Oh, and the Moon Tree is so cool! It’s giant and completely white without any leaves… well of course there’d be no leaves since it’s leaf-bare but I’m pretty sure it NEVER has leaves, and it sparkles like new snow. And at the medicine cat meeting I met the StoneClan medicine cat apprentice, Ivypaw. She seems really nice and we were apprenticed at about the same time so we’re pretty much learning everything together, even if we’re not in the same Clan, and I just think it’ll be fun to compare everything we’ve learned every moon.”

He realized he was rambling and not getting anything done, and perhaps Rookfrost had noticed too because it was then that his mentor’s voice rang out, telling him to keep working. His ears twitched in Rookfrost’s direction and he dipped his head slightly. Oops. Before he could say anything else a familiar voice called out his and Icepaw’s names and he turned to see Frostpaw racing toward them. His ear twitched as she almost bowled over Weaselpaw, the other apprentice did not seem too happy even though she apologized. He shook his head again. His sister was way too hyper for her own good, but she could be entertaining sometimes. He cast another glance over at Rookfrost and after a moment of letting his siblings chat briefly he figured he’d better take control of the situation and get some work done.

He wrinkled his nose distastefully as Icepaw suggested he come learn some defensive moves with him and Frostpaw sometime, “I dunno… maybe. I’ll talk to Rookfrost about it.” Logically, he knew he should learn some basic things to defend himself, that not everything he came across would not try to hurt him and that he was pretty helpless currently, he just didn’t like the thought at all. “Anyway, I should get on with checking your health. We can still talk, just let me hear your heart and your breathing first.” He stepped forward and pressed his ear against Icepaw’s side, brushing his fluffy tail over his brother’s mouth to remind him to be quiet while he listened. After a few moments he backed up again, “Sounds good to me. You can talk now, but would you lie down for a moment so I can look at your pads?” Leaf-bare weather was not exactly kind to a cat's paws.

While he waited for his brother to comply, he waved his tail in greeting to Frostpaw, “I’ll look at you next, if you can be quiet for a few moments for me to listen to your heart and lungs,” he purred softly, teasing her. “Icepaw and I have been talking about our training. How’s yours been going with Sleetshine? I imagine you’ve been running her ragged, eh?” More teasing, as he turned back to Icepaw.

[Fawn]

Frostpaw did not often get the chance to watch her brother Snowpaw at work or even have much of a conversation with Icepaw, so upon hearing Rookfrost call a big Clan check-up was, in her pretty blue eyes, the perfect opportunity to catch up with her siblings. Already forgetting about the health assessment, she purred and brushed against each of her brothers' pelts, smiling, the only ginger-patched feline amongst the winter trio, as well as the only she-cat.
"Ooohh I'd love that, we should all definitely go do a bit of sparring. I heard Rookfrost was a warrior before he became a Medicine Cat, so he'd come too?" Mewed the ever-energetic Frostpaw, stretching her front limbs forward in a silly playbow, eyes glittering. It was only when she was in the presence of her own family that she could ever be so fearless, so...impractical as to think Rookfrost would actually want to go with the trio of apprentices and their members to a little sparring match. He would probably claim to be much too busy, and despite having called this big get-together, everyone knew that Rookfrost disliked crowds.

All thoughts on the subject already cataloged for later, Frostpaw watched with wide eyes as Snowpaw went about treating Icepaw, momentarily skipping right over his inquiry about her training to make an inquiry of her own about his. "How did you learn to do all of that? Is it hard being a Medicine Cat? Is he mean? Does he punish you for silly stuff? Do you think Icepaw and I can go have a peek inside his den?" Her eyes burned with curiosity, the ginger patches on her coat quite a good representation of her overall personality. Unlike her quiet, introspective brothers, Frostpaw had a few wild streaks, and sometimes those wild streaks got the best of her.

b9daff.

[Phoenix]

Snowpaw sounded like he loved every moment of his training, and for that alone, Icepaw would be forever grateful to Rookfrost for taking his brother on as his apprentice. Despite the different paths they had chosen to walk, the other apprentice was still his family, and he had as much right as any of them to be happy. If happiness was brought to him through becoming a medicine cat, then it was not his place to argue. And it seemed as though Snowpaw had made the right decision, Icepaw mused, reflecting on his lack of enthusiasm in response to the suggestion of warrior training. Frostpaw, on the other hand, was all for it, and he grinned at her. Opening his mouth, he prepared to respond, but the other white tom cut across him. Switching into medicine cat mode, Snowpaw requested that they get started on the check up, and unopposed to the idea, Icepaw complied. Falling silent, he stood still, breathing evenly and holding back the sneeze he could feel forming as Snowpaw's tail tickled his nose.

"Alright," He meowed, settling down on his side as he somewhat awkwardly lifted a paw for the medicine cat apprentice to check. Craning his neck, blue eyes found his sister's ginger-patched pelt and grinned, continuing the conversation, "But can you really picture Rookfrost sparring with us?" That was an amusing, if not unrealistic, mental image, and as he watched Snowpaw continue with his duty, Icepaw distracted himself with the thought of the formidable black tom fighting them. Letting his mind wander into the hypothetical, he considered the best tactic to defeating the gray-eyed feline. Rookfrost was definitely a large opponent - and more experienced as well - but if they all teamed up against him, surely they could at least pin the older tom for a moment. That in itself would be an accomplishment.

Ears flicked as he caught the tail end of Frostpaw's questions, and he shifted slightly to glance at her. It wasn't as if he was completely against the idea of an adventure, but he had known his sister far too long to believe that pure curiousity drove her desire to see the inside of Rookfrost's den. As a fairly unusual request, he thought he had the right to know the reason why, particularly since he had never felt any real desire to attempt to understand the medicine cat, and being caught inside his den would do nothing but irritate the black feline. Partially amused and partially suspicious, he questioned, "And what would you want to be inside Rookfrost's den for, Frostpaw?"