[Fate of Five Staff]

Dawnblossom

Like a wildfire, greencough had left its mark upon StoneClan this newleaf. Greenleaf, fortunately, brought with it a respite from the sickness. The last of it was gone from camp, and StoneClan's two healers, Dawnblossom and Sandpaw, had been allowed to return to their den.

The den had gone neglected in their absence. Dawnblossom did not blame the apprentices for forgetting to change the bedding; they had families and friends and loved ones likely ill, and were carrying out other duties for the past half-moon or so. Dawnblossom began to wad up the old bedding, collecting it near the den entrance to be taken out of camp later.

Having a good look at their stores, Dawnblossom beckoned Sandpaw to her side, bushy tail making a gentle sweep. "Our chickweed and catmint supply is all but gone. What should we use in its place, if a Clanmate comes in complaining of a fever?" They had used it plenty of times in the moss meadow, if only to spare their chickweed and catmint supply for the most deadly cases of greencough. A few dry, shriveled white flowers with yellow centers lay neatly on a stone ledge, the stems limp but still bright green.

201 Words - Silver - Medicine Cat Herb List

[Silver]

Sandpaw walked slowly next to his Mentor, body still sore from the after-effects of greencough. He was healthy again, but he still felt like he'd gone a few rounds with Hawkstar and lost badly. Still, the young tom forced himself to concentrate and listened attentively to the elder she-cat next to him. He had the feeling this was a training moment and wanted to learn all he could so that he could help care for the clan just like Dawnblossom did. At the mention of their depleted stores of herbs, his ears swiveled and the grew quiet for a long moment as he thought. Then he realized he knew the answer, having asked this question long ago when he was still too full of energy and lacking in anything resembling enough things to keep him busy. "Well, lavender and feverfew grow in abundance here in StoneClan territory. And barring that, if we needed to we could look for borage leaves. They're harder to find but can also be used to bring down a fever. Lavendar and feverfew are easier to find though, and probably better to use unless we just happen to have the borage leaves."

He paused and took a  breath, pelt flushing as he realized he'd babbled like a tiny kit. Still growing into himself, Sandpaw felt acutely the changes in himself since beginning his training. He'd gotten taller and more lithe like his mother Silverglade, and he didn't quite know what to do with his paws now which often caused him to trip. It was embarrassing, but he knew he'd get used to it eventually Now then, back to the present. He shifted his gaze back to Dawnblossom, ears perked attentively and tail twitching in barely constrained curiosity as to what else he would learn today. He was also happy to have had an answer to her question. He liked knowing that he was learning how to be a shield for the clan even though fighting was abhorrent to him.

--

Fate of Five Staff

[Fate of Five Staff]

Dawnblossom

"Well done!" Praised Dawnblossom, smiling to help build his confidence. As a kit, he'd been a very talkative, inquisitive soul; now that he was older, and had weathered a few storms of his own, he had become no less inquisitive - just quieter about it. Like plants in newleaf, Dawnblossom intended to nurture his curiosity and his talents for healing as best she could. "I would use borage as a last resort; there are a few different herbs that will soothe a fever—but only one herb that we know of that will increase a she-cat's milk supply. You're doing well, Sandpaw."

"Now that it's Greenleaf," Dawnblossom began again, this time gesturing to the withered remains of chervil and dock leaves, "We need to replenish our stores of the herbs that do not grow throughout the other seasons. Apart from chervil and dock, can you think of anything else we need?"

150 Words - Silver - Medicine Cat Herb List (XD he can answer with anything)

[Silver]

Orange tipped ears twitched and he purred lightly at the praise from his Mentor. He liked knowing he'd done well, even if he had babbled a bit. He thought about the question though and immediately something came to mind more because it was tedious to prepare than anything else. "Well, what about some burdock root? It takes more time to prepare and might be better if we have some ready just in case since it's really good for infections and a lot of cats that are still recovering from greencough are more susceptible to secondary infections because their bodies used up a lot of strength fighting off greencough." He nodded to himself, sounding confident of his answer and of himself for the moment.

He worried about the acceptance of others, but less now since he gone and conversed with StarClan at the meeting. He wondered though, maybe he should ask Dawnblossom about what he'd seen that day. Would she have an answer for him? Or maybe it was something he had to figure out on his own. It bothered him still, that dream from before. What had it meant, he wondered? His mother held such faith in StarClan, and so did he. And yet, he wondered what they had in store for him and just what lay ahead on his path that had been chosen for him. He shook himself to clear his mind and focused again on Dawnblossom, hoping she hadn't noticed his distraction.

[Fate of Five Staff]

Dawnblossom

Dawnblossom listened to the answer flowing out of Sandpaw's mouth like a stream; her eyes glowed with the soft touch of humor. His babbling was endearing; sometimes his head worked faster than his tongue, didn't it. In any case, he was right. "Right again, Sandpaw. Part of being a medicine cat is thinking ahead—trying to prepare for as many outcomes as we can."

The tortoiseshell turned from their herb store, pelt gently brushing past his as she made her way to the den entrance. "Now that we know what we're looking for, let's go out and find some." Dawnblossom left him briefly to seek out two warriors to act as escorts. StoneClan's open territory could be dangerous sometimes. She had heard all about her sister's frightening encounter with an eagle a pawful of seasons ago, and she did not want a repeat, especially not with Sandpaw - who was still young enough to make easy prey for an eagle.

"Graniteclaw, Hailstrike, a moment please." She beckoned the former apprentice-mentor pair to her side, and explained what she needed them for. To her contentment, they were both willing to act as look-outs while she and Sandpaw searched for herbs. If they had to wander into another Clan's territory, however, they would have to leave Graniteclaw and Hailstrike at the border.

Though perhaps an exception would be made for LightningClan. It was going to be many moons before Dawnblossom ever felt safe setting foot on the moorlands again.

245 Words - Silver