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Post by Justice on Oct 17, 2018 16:27:54 GMT -5
LF Day 15, VY 5 ----------------- He felt off. And he'd felt off for a few weeks now. He knew his age was catching up with him, but this was more than the soreness in his limbs and the heavy limp that had come from old injuries. He was exhausted constantly, just getting up to go eat or drink wore him out and he found he was often short of breath and his chest felt heavy. He feared he was getting sick and so today he was heading to speak to Kindleflare. It would soothe him to have some answers, and at his age anything could steal what little time he had left. He was an elder now, no longer a warrior. But being Firestar's mate meant he got to sleep in her den where he belonged and could still at times watch over his growing kits. It saddened him to realize that he wasn't likely going to live to see them grown. But his life had been full and he had only few regrets. The graying fur of the russet pelted tom blended so well with the changing leaves around him. It was beautiful. Maybe after he spoke with their medicine cat he'd ask Firestar to go out walking with him to just enjoy the fresh crisp leaf-fall air and the changing colors of the leaves. They would both enjoy that, if she could find the time to go with him. He sighed and pushed the possibility to the back of his mind for now. First things first, he needed to see Kindleflare. He entered the medicine den slowly, minding the soreness on his legs with the changing of the weather. "Kindleflare are you in? I need to speak with you." He mewed into the den, not wanting to disturb her and silently hoping Tigerpaw was out gathering herbs or something. He didn't want to worry his family if there was nothing wrong with him. They all had their own lives to focus on, no need to fuss over him. BlooRey DVD@zen [tigerpaw mention, but would rather he not be there if possible.] Hellion [firestar mention] |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Oct 28, 2018 8:17:29 GMT -5
 Idly, she sorted through herbs scattered about at her paws. In truth, her current endeavour served no purpose; the ginger and white she-cat could scarcely think straight these days. Memories of the Gathering smothered her, even in the waking world. Though they were far more vivid in her nightmares, even awake she swore she could hear a renegade shriek of terror every now and again as a fox claimed another victim. Shivering softly beneath the lingering terror, Kindleflare felt relieved Tigerpaw was not present at the moment. She'd allowed the young tom to spend some time with his sister this morning, instead of needlessly milling about the medicine cat's den.
Siblings were an important support system for growing minds, and she hoped being around other cats his age might help distract him for a little while. Ginger ears flicked at the sound of an approach, barely picking up the sound through the flashes of waking dreams crowding her senses. For a moment, she expected to see Tigerpaw ducking back into the medicine cat den. But the gait wasn't quite right; too heavy, too stiff. She hardly expected to see Firestar's mate and her apprentice's father stepping over the threshold of the medicine cat den.
Leaving the herbs where they were, Kindleflare rose to her paws and moved closer to the entrance. "Y-Yes, I'm here R-Russetfall. P-Please, come i-in." She mewed, her voice tinged with surprise. With a sweep of her tail, she invited the older tom to sit, waiting until he'd settled down before settling herself. "T-Tigerp-paw is n-not here just n-now. He's w-with Lynxp-paw in the app-pprentice den." She stammered softly, tail curling over her paws. Deep amber eyes glanced over the aging tom, noting the slightest anomaly in the way he held himself.
Perhaps he hadn't come here to visit Tigerpaw after all. With a tilt her head, she continued. "I-Is there s-something I c-can do f-for you?"  |
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Post by Justice on Nov 6, 2018 14:02:54 GMT -5
"Thank StarClan for small mercies then." He told her when she informed him that his son was not in the medicine den at the moment. "I didn't want to worry my family for something simple. I think I may be getting sick. I know my age comes with aches and pains, and my leg is never going to work right again, but its something else. My chest feels heavy and I find myself easily exhausted by the simplest of tasks." His greatest worry was greencough, which at his age he doubted he'd recover from even with the proper herbs. Russetfall plopped down when invited to do so, his breathing ragged just from crossing from his den to the medicine den, which wasn't much of a walk at all. He ended up lying down so as not to compress his lungs and give himself more energy to focus on regaining his breath. It took a long time before he was able to speak again, and he was painfully tired from the effort. "This isn't normal. Kindleflare, what's wrong with me?" BlooRey DVD |
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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 Jan 31, 2019 21:14:09 GMT -5
Alarm crossed her features as the old tom relayed his current issues to her. She could see the struggle he was going through, his chest heaving as though he had passed through the mountains and back when she knew that was not the case. Russetfall was indeed one of the more senior cats in the Clan, but.. Even this seemed a little on the extreme side. Stepping forward, she flattened her ears worriedly but gave him a soft smile. "M-May I t-take a listen to your b-breathing?" She asked gently, waiting for an acknowledgment of her request. When the tom nodded, she moved forward.
Lowering herself into position, the ginger and white she-cat pressed her ear to his chest. "J-Just breathe normally, I am l-looking to l-listen to the s-sound of the a-air in your lungs." She told him softly, closing her eyes to better focus herself. She could hear a wheeze in his rhythm. This was not uncommon for older cats, but at the same time it left her wary, because that could also indicate an illness. And illnesses were much more aggressive and much more devastating in a body that was no longer as young or as strong as it had once been.
After a moment or too longer, she shuffled back, shuffling into a seated position in front of him instead. "H-How l-long h-has this b-been happening? When d-did you first n-notice the d-difficulty breathing? A-And may I h-have your p-paw? I would l-like to check f-for any signs of fever you may have, s-so I can b-better f-figure out what i-is plaguing you." When he offered her his paw, she bent her neck to gently press her nose to the paw pad, though her mind was already flicking through the different herbs she might need to help him.
Strengthening herbs for certain. And juniper for his breathing. Perhaps some chamomile, to soothe his mind? There was lots to consider, but first she had to determine just what was plaguing him. |
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Post by Justice on Jan 31, 2019 21:55:25 GMT -5
Russetfall breathed as normally as he could, feeling his chest constrict almost painfully as he forced air through his lungs. He stayed still as the medicine cat listened to his breathing, trying his best to do as she asked even as it was difficult. Once she sat back and started asking him questions he laid his head on his paws to rest while flicking his hears towards Kindleflare to show he was listening to her. "A few weeks. Since the end of Greenleaf at least. At first I was just tired easily, which I just thought was my age catching up to me. It was gradual, small things slowly culminating into something more. I was tired, then my stamina failed me, and then most recently I find it much harder to catch my breath. My greatest concern is greencough. I don't want to bring it upon our clan again, and I don't want to scare my family." He gave her his paw when asked, lifting his head to make sure she could get to him easily. "My chest feels tight, like I can't take a full breath." BlooRey DVD |
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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 Apr 28, 2019 11:42:18 GMT -5
Following a series of checks, the LightningClan medicine stepped back to allow him a moment to rest. Her ears were still trained on the aging tom as he rasped out a response to her questions, though she padded deeper into the medicine cat's den in search of herbs. His breathing troubles were of greatest concern. For that reason, the healer reached for the juniper berries, collecting a few upon a leaf. Scanning her Leaf-fall stock, her maw twisted into a thoughtful frown. A logical explanation for his low stamina and easy exhaustion would be age, but.. Things seemed far more difficult for Russetfall than that.
Her ears tipped back slightly as she swallowed. The one thing she could not cure... Age. She'd been unable to do much but ensure her parents had been comfortable until old age had claimed them. The same fate would likely befall Firestar's aging mate. Carefully picking some chamomile in hopes of easing his mind and strengthening his heart, she hesitated on another selection. Her mind quickly flickered to the nursery, comparing her stock of ragwort with the number of potential births in the future. Deciding there was enough to spare, she picked a small portion to mix with the juniper berries.
The ragwort would give him strength, as well as ease any ache in his bones, which she knew came with old age. Lastly, she picked up coltsfoot leaves, to help as much as possible with his shortness of breath. Padding back to his side with the bundle of herbs, she sat next to him and lay the offering before him. Carefully separating the juniper berries and ragwort, she met his gaze with her dark amber one. "Ch-chew these t-together. They sh-should help with some of the tightness in your chest, and allow you to breath m-more e-easily." She instructed him softly.
Turning her attention to the two different leaves, she continued. "O-Once finished, ch-chew these leaves t-together. They w-will help r-return some s-strength to you b-body. Until th-they start working, I th-think you should r-rest here. You c-can m-move to a nest further back i-in the d-den if you prefer." She mewed softly, fully prepared to help him move if he wanted some privacy. Although rest was important, she had an ulterior motive to keeping him here. While he remained in her den, she would better be able to monitor his breathing, and check for any signs of something other than simple old age.
"D-Does a-anything e-else h-hurt, or... F-Feel different th-than you're used to?" She asked, inviting him to pose her any questions or concerns he might have. |
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Post by Justice on Apr 28, 2019 15:44:29 GMT -5
He did as he was told, though made several hilarious faces at the taste of the herbs as he chewed them. If they helped then he'd do what he had to, and didn't complain. As he went through the herbs his breathing did become easier and some of his strength returned. So he tried to get up to move a little further into the medicine den and out of the way, only for his legs to literally give out from under him and sending him with a loud 'umf'back to the nest with his heart pounding so hard he couldn't hear anything else. The aged tom lay there dazed for the longest time before he was able to start hearing the world around him again, and then slowly it also came back into focus. He was breathing hard again, though much easier. "My heart is pounding as though I've just run from a long way back home." He told her, shifting so he could lay on his side and not be sprawled out awkwardly with his paws on all sides of him. "When I tried to stand I felt my body shake then my heart raced and pounded then I was flat on my belly back in the nest." What exactly was going on? BlooRey DVD |
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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 Apr 29, 2019 8:40:22 GMT -5
The flurry of movement happened so quickly, the ginger medicine cat had no time to react. Russetfall was flat on the ground just as rapidly as he'd attempted to stand, sending her heart into a panicked thudding just as it must have done to his. Though for him, it was much more dangerous. Forcing her breathing to steady in hopes of it aiding him in calming down, the timid medicine cat listened to his words with concern etching itself onto her feature. Dark amber eyes flicked over his body as she settled closer to him. Moving might not be a good idea for him after all, at least not yet.
Instead, she collected some bedding from a nearby nest and bunched it under Russetfall's head, for added support and to help keep his airway more open. "C-Can you r-remember f-falling? Or w-were you unc-conscious for i-it?" She asked, while one of her paws gently worked over his side, kneading first at his belly, and then along his chest. "T-Tell me if a-anywhere I touch h-hurts, or i-if you f-feel relief." Sometimes, massaging could help the flow of blood or air through a cat's body. The difficult part was finding the right place, if said place was reachable at all.
With a thoughtful tilt of her head, she glanced toward Russetfall's face once more, ginger tail curling over her hind paws while her forepaws continued to work softly. "H-How has your a-appetite been, and w-when and what was the l-last thing you a-ate?" As her parents had aged, they'd complained about a lack of appetite. Without an appetite, they ate little food, and without said food, their energy dwindled a considerable amount. If Russetfall wasn't eating enough, he certainly wouldn't be helping his already failing body. Herbs could only go so far in lending him some strength.
She was already building a regime in her mind to help him stay comfortable over the next moons. She'd have to go out herb collecting with Tigerpaw before Leafbare hit, but... Kindleflare was fairly certain it would be possible to maintain it over the colder season. With a silent prayer to StarClan, the ginger coated healer awaited an answer to her questions. |
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Post by Justice on Apr 29, 2019 23:53:05 GMT -5
As she got closer to his chest and started kneading against his chest Russetfall's eyes bogged out slightly and he started coughing violently until a foamy pink tinted bit of mucus came up. He let himself rest there and focused only on his breathing even as their medicine cat asked the questions she needed to know to help him. He feared greencough honestly. "Its hit and miss, but I'm forcing myself to eat, which has made me nauseous. I ate late last night and it came back up so I haven't eaten since then. But I am drinking allot." He contemplated the fall he took, still concentrating on his breathing and the rapid beating of his heart to try and slow it down. "I remember starting to stand, then suddenly my paws were out alongside my body and I'm hearing my heart roaring in my ears like I've overexerted myself." He winced. "Chest hurts really badly now, please stop kneading it. I know you're trying to help but it hurts." BlooRey DVD |
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