[Deleted]

Bumblepaw, who had spent the morning learning about the nursery, what it was for, decided to go and learn about the Medicine Cat's den next. He didn't know Kindleflare that well... but that was all the more reason to go and learn!

He made his way over to the den, stopping off to pick up some fresh-kill for Kindleflare. The life of a medicine cat must surely keep her busy. 

At the entrance of the den he stopped, placing the fresh-kill gently on the floor (it may be food, but it was once a living breathing animal, and therefore deserved to be treated with only the utmost respect.) He stood over it, to stop the worst of the rain waterlogging it and therefore making it less enticing to eat. His maw clear, he took a moment to smell all of the herbs that Kindleflare kept in her stocks. As the scent washed over him, he took a deep breath, simply appreciating the earthiness of the smell he was scenting. What a beautiful smell.

Realising he'd sat there for a while, he decided to make his presence known instead of lurking around. 

"Kindleflare, are you there? I've bought you some fresh-kill."

203/ BlooRey DVD

[BlooRey DVD]

She’d been near the back of her den, sorting through some of the less common herbs to check up on her stock. As such, she barely noticed the slight eclipsing of light as someone entered her den. Figuring it had been a play of the light, she continued to nose through blackberry and daisy leaves, counting as she went. Any hope of identifying another presence in her den was lost amongst the pungent scents of a wide array of herbs. Not that she really minded any of them. An ear twitched atop her head, drawn by the faintest of sounds. Deciding it had been a trick of the mind, she paid it no heed. That is, of course, until a voice broke through the quiet of her den, causing the ginger and white healer to hop into the air in alarm. Deep amber eyes stretched wide as she whipped around to face the entrance, before stumbling slightly on her hind paws and crashing back down into an awkward sit. Blinking in momentary confusion, Kindleflare allowed her gaze to focus after the shift in light. What she saw was Bumblepaw, standing in the entrance to her den over top a piece of fresh-kill. “B-Bumblep-paw!” She stammered breathlessly, dissolving into a small fit of giggles. “S-Stars above, you g-gave me a f-fright!” She mewed, dragging herself back to a stand to close some of the distance between them. “C-Come in, c-come in, y-you’ll catch yourself a c-cold standing out th-there in the rain.” The ginger and white healer scolded him gently. Clearing a spot for him to sit with a sweep of her tabby-striped tail, Kindleflare took a deep breath to steady her frantic heart. Smiling warmly at the young tom, she managed a shaky purr. “Th-Thank you for the p-prey, Bumblep-paw. I f-forgot to eat again today.” She admitted with a sheepish flick of her ear. “I s-swear, I’d f-forget my own t-tail it if weren't at-ttached to m-my rump!” With another soft laugh, she settled into a proper sit. “H-How is your t-training going?”

@calico
Note: 49 moons old

[Deleted]

Bumblepaw felt horrendous. Sure, he didn't mean to make her jump, but it wasn't as if he was being deliberately stealthy... He assumed that the gentle medicine cat was too engrossed in her work to notice his being there. 

Shaking his fur to rid himself of the worst of the wetness (after all, he didn't want to get any of the herbs wet, for all he knew they'd die if exposed to water), he padded in after her, stopping briefly to gently pick up the fresh-kill he had bought for her. Some apprentice he would be if he couldn't even remember to feed the medicine cat he would need if he (StarClan forbid) ever got ill. 

He shivered as he walked into the den, but quickly got settled in a comfortable position. The smell of herbs engulfed him, much stronger inside the den than outside in the clearing leading to it. The herby smell permeated his nose and maw, and even felt as if it was getting underneath his skin. It was a beautiful smell to Bumblepaw.

"I didn't mean to make you jump, Kindleflare... I came to ask you about your herbs. What do they do? Can you determine which herb is which just by scent? Are they tasty? Can I try one? Can you teach me?"

Words: 222
Tags: BlooRey DVD

[BlooRey DVD]

The ginger and white medicine cat tilted her head slightly as Bumblepaw finally moved into the den. She blinked gently at him, jaws parting to speak when he first started. But it would seem the young tom had a lot more on his mind, for he continued and left Kindleflare with a rather bewildered expression on her features. To her surprise, all his questions surrounded herbs. In a way, it made sense? She was the only one who truly knew what these herbs did. And yet… It still came as a surprise to her, for not many approached her to ask about herbs in the first place. For most, simply knowing the herbs worked for whatever was ailing them at the time was enough. Yet here was Bumblepaw, with an actual desire to know. Heartbeats extended between them, dark amber eyes staring without seeing. And then something stirred her from stupor, the she-cat sitting visibly straighter as her tail flicked behind her nervously. “Oh s-stars…” She mumbled, the barrage of questions a lot for the timid she-cat so suddenly. “U-Uh, it’s n-not often someone a-asks me about h-herbs…” With a steadying breath, the tabby she-cat tucked her tail against her frame to comfort herself. She started at the beginning, doing her best to proceed methodically through the questions so she didn’t miss anything. “W-Well… First, th-the first answer is… Is v-very broad… They a-all do s-something… Something d-different. S-Some cure belly aches, s-some stop infection.. Th-There is s-something for almost a-anything you could imagine!” She smiled, her tail tip twitching as she contemplated it. “I… I think that’s wh-why I find them so fascinating.” She purred happily. “Th-Through training I h-have learnt to… To identify them all b-by scent. Each one is d-distinct. It’s really a-amazing!” She added. “A-As for tasty… A-Again, it depends. S-Some are, while others… N-Not so much.” Her gaze shifted over her shoulder as she pondered his next question. “I-I’m afraid that… W-With the recent f-fire and with Leafb-bare coming up… I d-don’t have much t-to share… But I suppose I c-could let you try…” She rose to her paws, moving toward her stores without hesitation. Whatever she was looking for, it was clear she knew exactly where it was kept among the dim light of her den. She returned with a small leaf bundle, forming a pouch for whatever was inside. When she set it on the ground, the leaf unfurled to reveal two purple-blue berries. “Th-These are… Juniper b-berries. They’re u-used to soothe b-bellyache, but a-also work to h-help those with sh-shortness of breath.” With a nod and a smile, Kindleflare invited the young tom to try them. She knew from experience they were a tad on the bitter side, though they held a fruitiness to them still. The strongest of their flavor was reminiscent of pine, almost like a portion of NightClan’s scent. She couldn’t help but wonder just what Bumblepaw’s reaction would be to the strange little berries.

@calico
Note: 49 moons old

[Deleted]

Bumblepaw paused to gently sniff the two berries that Kindleflare had laid down in front of him. They smelled like the earth. 

She could really distinguish which herb was which just by the smell? To his untrained nose, they all smelt the same. They all smelled of earth. 

He made a mental note to himself to remember what these berries looked like and what they did, in case some cat ever came with a bellyache or shortness of breath and Kindleflare was busy helping another cat. Even if she wouldn't take him on as her apprentice, it would always be helpful if Sunnyheart was taking him out and came down with a sudden bellyache, or couldn't breathe properly. 

If he couldn't breathe properly, then juniper berries would only hold him until he had gotten whoever they were patrolling with to run back to camp to get Kindleflare. He didn't want to mess with Sunnyheart's life out of thinking he knew best or anything. It was obvious how devoted Kindleflare was to her herbs.

No time like the present... He lapped a berry up with his tongue, bit into it thoughtfully.

There was a slight bitterness to it, but that wasn't the whole flavour. It was much more than that. It was tasty (though he was sure not many other cats would agree with him!)

He ate the other, purred up at Kindleflare. "They tasted delicious. Bitter, but so much more than just that taste. I don't know how to describe it other than that! Thank you, Kindleflare!"

257 / BlooRey DVD / Bumble likes em apparently