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Post by Fawn on Jun 20, 2016 19:28:25 GMT -5
⇒Medicine Cat of LightningClan⇐
When the heat of the day met the chill of the river, mist hung in the air between. It clung like cobwebs to his pelt and whiskers as he walked into RainClan's territory. He was in search of burdock root, and with apprentice following behind him (or presumed to be following), Rookfrost waded through the mist and reeds like a predatory fish in murky waters.
RainClan had not been at the Gathering. Rookfrost had little concern or patience for Clan politics unless they directly involved him or his medicinal practices. However, even he had kept an ear out for mention of RainClan's current state of well-being. Like a wounded animal left to die in the forest, their water-loving neighbors were not doing well.
Rookfrost was not 'visiting' to administer additional aid or inquire about their state of unrest. He was here to address Swanfeather, if the she-cat was still alive, with the intention of procuring burdock root. He had brought with him a bundle of blackberry leaves to bargain with, and Kindleflare was made to carry them with the strict instructions not to eat a single leaf.
The black healer paused in his stride deeper into RainClan territory, glancing back with frozen-gray eyes to watch for the ginger-and-white she-cat entrusted to his... tutelage. Ensuring that she had not been swallowed up by the swollen riverbank or disobeyed him by eating the blackberry leaves, Rookfrost continued.
He detested RainClan's territory almost as much as he detested NightClan's. While the swamp muck tended to cling to the fur around his paws like nothing else, in RainClan it was less an issue with mud and more an issue with overall dampness. LightningClan cats did not experience much in the way of damp earth unless it stormed; Rookfrost was, partly, a product of his environment. And he enjoyed a walk through RainClan's sodden territory as much as the next LightningClan cat.
Pausing near a clump of reeds, he found himself in a wooded cove, having followed the fishy tang of RainClan to a place that was, surprisingly, not their campsite. Flooding so soon? There had not been nearly enough rainfall for that.
Something else was amiss.
One of the RainClan cats noticed him and hissed. He countered with a cold, unprepentant stare. "Where is Swanfeather?" he mewed to anyone within hearing range. It was less of a question and more of an order to fetch her. He didn't have patience for their wariness. He was a medicine cat, not, for the moment, their enemy.
No wealth no ruin no silver no gold. Nothing satisfies me but your soul.
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| Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Jun 21, 2016 19:57:14 GMT -5
[smear:f78216]Kindleflare[/smear:f3e4d7] ~~~~~~~~~
The air felt strangely thick around the ginger and white she-cat as she plodded along after her mentor. Soft ears were pivoted backward, warrior-trained muscles maneuvering the terrain adequately. Not once in her life had she been considered a graceful or elegant she-cat; she was nothing like her brother. It was a StarClan given miracle she wasn't staggering over some root or tangle of bushes, if you asked her. Bright amber eyes were very much focused on the ground at her paws, extra reassurance to LightningClan's medicine cat apprentice that she wasn't about to keel over face-first into the surrounding undergrowth.
Her jaws were clamped delicately over the bundle of herbs Rookfrost had instructed her to carry. Paw steps hesitated suddenly. Was that even possible? Clamped delicately? It seemed contradictory to her, yet it really was the only way to describe what she was doing. She did not want to lose these herbs, or eat them, since Rookfrost had specifically told her not to. This accounted for the clamp. Yet at the same time... She had no desire to damage the blackberry leaves in any way, hence the delicately. Basically? The she-cat had a bundle of herbs in her mouth that made her scared to even think about moving her jaws.
Deciding it was best she distract herself somehow, Kindledflare turned her attention to the herbs in her mouth. B-Blackberry leaves... She thought to herself, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. M-Method of application, che-chewed to a pulp. He-helps to... To ease the s-swelling cause by a b-bee's sting. After a moment's consideration, she nodded her head as assuredly as she could, as though she needed to reinforce the idea she had gotten something right. Her tabby-striped tail swished back and forth while she continued to pick her way along the unfamiliar territory.
Amber eyes flashed up to her mentor as the dark spectre moved with ease among the reeds. Rookfrost always seemed to know what he was doing or where he was going, even if no one else in the Clan could exactly devise what he was up to. This might have been what Kindleflare was most afraid of when it came to her mentor. She had never been successful at reading others. But when it came to Rookfrost? Meeting his soul-less, grey stare was like meeting the stare of a corpse. A fleeting thought crossed her mind. D-Does h-he e-even have a s-soul..? IS HE DEAD?!
This time, the ginger medicine cat apprentice was left to give her head a definite shake. D-Don't b-be stupid. Of c-course he does... A-And he's a-alive. ...R-Right? Any further contemplation surrounding the potential lack of Rookfrost's soul and/or life was interrupted by a hissing sound. Her head shot up just in time to see she was on a collision course with the black tom's backside. Somehow managing to skirt around him (and only stumbling a paw step or two), Kindleflare forced herself to a stop at his side by... Well, by collapsing her hind legs into a sit.
Big amber eyes glanced about in alarm as Rookfrost countered the RainClanner's hiss with disinterested words. Sitting stock-still and awkward, Kindleflare remained at her post by Rookfrost's, carrying out her purpose as a glorified servant to the strange LightningClan medicine cat. She just hoped no one paid her any attention. Fawn Hellion |
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Post by Hellion on Jun 22, 2016 5:04:28 GMT -5
Swanfeather
Days had grown long for the black-pointed she-cat. The longer her small band of purists remained outside of camp, the weaker they became. The makeshift camp they had cultivated in the wooded cove was starting to ruin their chances for survival.
It was at Swanfeather's orders that the small clan not hunt near those who followed Timberstar. Which left very little for them to actually hunt on. Not only were their hunting grounds growing smaller but also the fact that the longer their scent lingered in the cove, the less likely prey animals would venture close.
Her small clan had to venture further and further away and nearly into loner territory in order to avoid Timberstar's followers.
Leopardyowl had become a sort of deputy and often took charge in running the small group. She often left the tom-cat in charge while she hunted for herbs and intrusted him to serve her will, despite his recent injury. This day was no different.
Swanfeather had left early before dawn to seek out more herbs. Praying that her scent that often was muddled with herbs would be disguised for the task. For the most part it worked and the she-cat allowed herself to be lost in her work.
It wasn't until the soft pants of a cat behind her caught her attention. Whirling around Swanfeather was prepared to lash out in defense but relaxed. In front of her was Petalfall, a she-cat loyal to her cause and mate of Leopardyowl.
"Rookfrost and some other cat are waiting for you, Leopardyowl sent me to find you," She reported quickly. Swanfeather's eyes narrowed at the thought of the LightingClan medicine cat and likely his apprentice were waiting for her. Had they learned of RainClan's problems and wish to exploit them. Had Rookfrost come to offer his help? The ice-cold tom had an eerie feeling and often made Swanfeather uncomfortable if ever she was the focus of his gaze.
She didn't what her unexpected guest to linger too long and gathered up her marigold before taking lead and returning.
Her arrival at their makeshift camp was uneventful. There were only two formal dens, one where all of them slept and one where she stored her herbs. Normally the she-cat would give an apprentice the duty of storing the herbs, but instead she passed the herbs to Petalfall. The warrior was able to place the herbs inside the den before standing as backup along side her mate.
"What bring you here Rookfrost? Swanfeather did not wish to waste time with such a cat, choosing instead to get to the point and be rid of the demon in a cat's pelt.
all the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me forever and forever
And I know it's only in my mind
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Post by Fawn on Jun 23, 2016 22:08:50 GMT -5
⇒Medicine Cat of LightningClan⇐
Due to the unusual circumstances of seeing RainClan so clearly not in their camp—and being only a limited number of cats, no less—Rookfrost turned his scientific mind onto the task of uncovering the truth. It was merely practice in sharpening his already knife-like observational skills, and he scraped away the epidermis, punctured the corium, and had a look at the heart of it.
There were cats, some in varying stages of hostility, staring at him as if they expected at any moment he would bring trouble upon them—an ambush, perhaps—swift, bloody trouble.
Alas, he had not brought Whiteshade with him. Not this time.
Hostility was a common trait among cats of this valley; it was a survival mechanism, as innate in each cat as was a rough tongue and a set of claws. However, there was a line, even he could perceive, when that hostility was fueled by desperation. Without a sound, Rookfrost's gaze slowly turned, eying the terrain in search of dig marks where they might have buried a cache of food, or even the fresh kill pile itself.
He found it, and the pile looked meager. A few voles, and a bird of a size that was nothing to boast of. So, that begged the question; what was wrong with their campsite that led them to settle in the wooded cove?
The question seemed difficult to glean an answer to without asking a living source; he had not noticed graves nearby, and the cats looked (for the most part) dry, so he did not suspect a flood. The division had been sparked internally, Rookfrost deducted.
Before he could follow the white rabbit of deductive reasoning any further, Swanfeather had appeared, and wasted no time in getting an answer of her own.
"To trade," said Rookfrost. And, as if properly thawing, he turned to address his apprentice, indicating that she set the bundle of herbs down. "Blackberry leaves for burdock root, if you have enough."
Rookfrost would have preferred to take the burdock root whether they had enough for their own cats or not, but that was not how fair trade worked between Medicine Cats.
It came to the black cat's attention just then, that the thin tom she had stood next to during last half-moon's meeting was not present. "You seem to have fallen on hard times." He spoke dryly, with the kind of distant, orderly voice of a cat who was not very good at empathy.
No wealth no ruin no silver no gold. Nothing satisfies me but your soul.
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| Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Jun 27, 2016 17:55:37 GMT -5
[smear:f78216]Kindleflare[/smear:f3e4d7] ~~~~~~~~~
With all previous considerations concerning Rookfrost's state of being aside, the ginger and white she-cat was able to focus on the world around her. Kindleflare was rather taken aback at the state of the RainClan cats she saw before her. Though she had never seen the camp with her own eyes, the scent this area carried was not that of a true camp; it lacked the scents that accompanied the constant presence of warriors in its midst. Yes, it smelt like RainClan, and yes there were nests and shelters built among the surroundings. But something told her this had not always been the case.
She started slightly as a set of cold eyes landed upon her. Obviously an indication for her to step forward, Kindleflare all but sprung to her paws, taking two steps forward before depositing the bundle of blackberry leaves before the RainClan medicine cat. With her task finished, she retreated back to Rookfrost's side, to await further instruction from the black tom. In the mean time, the medicine cat apprentice allowed herself to return to her observation, albeit a little more discreetly. She began with a timid and brief glance at Swanfeather, just as her mentor commented on what she'd noticed prior.
S-So.. I'm n-not just m-making it up..? R-Rookfrost notices it t-too..? This knowledge only sparked her shy curiosity further. Even if some cats were not present, it wasn't hard to discern that the RainClan cats were somewhat lacking in number. What on earth could have happened among RainClan to cause this group to live apart from the rest? Apart from their leader? The LightningClan medicine cat apprentice had no ideas surrounding the potential whereabouts of a good portion of the Clan. Were they alright? Had something happened, an attack perhaps? If so, why wasn't Swanfeather busy treating the wounded?
All that Kindleflare knew for certain was that something had happened, and something of importance. Would Swanfeather keep the situation a closely guarded secret? Despite medicine cats living within a slightly different code than the rest of the Clan cats, it didn't seem quite right to think one medicine cat would divulge the state of their Clan to another. All that was left for the ginger and white she-cat to do was wait...
Baby cease fire, fire, fire
Throw down your weapons, your weapons, your weapons
I'm on your side, on your side, on your side.
So please, cease fire, fire, fire
Cease fire, make it stop. |
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Post by Hellion on Jul 3, 2016 3:11:19 GMT -5
Swanfeather couldn't stand Rookfrost despite having worked with the tom to drive out StoneClan. She didn't bother to consider him an ally when she saw the ice in his eyes. The black pointed she-cat had a feeling that if Rookfrost saw an advantage in her demise he'd see to it. Her fellow purists shared in her uneasiness but it was new found for them. Rarely did they interact with Rookfrost and not to extent she had. Leopardyowl gave off a sense of uneasy that fed easily into his mate. She too watched Rookfrost as if he was a viper in the nursery. Her ears rotated focus more on Rookfrost at the word 'trade'. It was common among medicine cats to do so, but she hadn't expected Rookfrost to come so far. Perhaps tensions were high between LighitngClan and their neighbours. Firestar had recently climbed upwards to be leader and there was a kind of aggressive nature within the small she-cat. Her own light blue eyes glanced downward as the blackberry leaves were presented to her. The offer was fair. She had a spare amount of burdock root. Not very useful to the water-based healer. Rats rarely made any kind of nuisance within RainClan's borders. She turned to glance back at her makeshift den half wishing Ottersplash was there to bring forth the root, but knew he wasn't. Instead she flicked her tail as a signal for him to wait before retrieving the root. Two sizeable roots were presented to him. As she returned his words reached her ear which didn't quell the tense mood. "What happens in RainClan does not concern you Rookfrost," She told him, nudging forward with her paw the root and pulling toward her the leaves. She paid no attention to the she-cat behind him but kept her eyes keen on him. Fawn BlooRey DVD |
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Post by Fawn on Jul 4, 2016 21:14:43 GMT -5
⇒Medicine Cat of LightningClan⇐
"No," he agreed coldly. "It doesn't." Whatever little tunnel of professional reciprocity between the two of them was promptly filled in, and Rookfrost's interest in the situation waned considerably. He flicked his tail at the burdock roots, gesturing for Kindleflare to carry them; her role for the next few moons would be to keep her mouth closed (unless she had a very good question) and her ears open, and just perhaps he could make a healer out of her after all.
Rookfrost curtly dipped his head. "May StarClan light your path." It was a goodbye that meant the equivalent of a raindrop to Rookfrost. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. But he must keep up appearances, and it served somewhat to diffuse a little of the tension hanging in the air so thick, it was threatening to condense into a fine mist.
It would remind the wary, watchful eyes of the cats around him that he was still bound to the code (even if he did not consider himself so); a bit of false reassurance.
Without further word, Rookfrost pivoted and swept back the way he had come, one tall black tufted ear swiveling to catch any telltale sounds of his apprentice tripping over her own paws. With a small seed of ire planting itself in the fertile soil of his mind, he willed her to quell her clumsiness at least until they were clear of RainClan's territory.
She could stumble her way into their camp at any point after that; but he would not tolerate embarrassment in front of cats of another Clan.
In a way, he did not care about their opinions; it was less about them and more about his own intolerance for clumsiness. Rookfrost accepted awkward movements as a result of either a sustained injury, or the event of still-developing motor-skills in the very young.
Kindleflare had neither. There was no excuse for her bumbling.
Rookfrost kept up a quick, streamlined pace; his strides long and unhurried. He covered the ground like the shadow of a cloud, seemingly blown by the wind back the way they had come. In truth, RainClan's predicament still intrigued him. Perhaps... He cast a stare at Kindleflare, the she-cat almost stopping as if she'd crashed into an invisible stump. When it became clear that he had nothing to say and the stare did not last for any definite length of time, she started moving again.
Perhaps he could use her to uncover RainClan's... current situation. Swanfeather had an apprentice. And what was it that apprentices did? As far as he could observe over the many moons of service as LightningClan's medicine cat, apprentices liked to socialize.
Kindleflare, if nothing else, could listen.
Only one problem remained; could she ask the right questions?
No wealth no ruin no silver no gold. Nothing satisfies me but your soul.
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