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Post by Fawn on Jun 29, 2016 13:32:06 GMT -5
It was a gorgeous day. There was something perfect about the great fluffy clouds floating up there in the bright expanse of blue. The sun was hot, yes, but she enjoyed having her pelt warmed.
Greenleaf was so much better than leafbare; color had returned to the forest. Green and yellow and white and pink had come back to TreeClan's territory (easily the most aesthetically pleasing territory in the whole valley; egads, who would want to live in StoneClan?), and Appleshade couldn't have been happier about it.
She killed a mouse in a small field of wildflowers, and, not wishing to disturb the flowers by burying her kill in the field, Appleshade buried it instead near the stream. That should be enough hunting for one morning... Just until she warmed up a bit more.
Stretching luxuriously beside the stream, Appleshade began to groom herself (for the 2nd time), fastidiously washing her face with one dainty silver-sorrel paw, humming in a clear petal-soft voice.
Something black and yellow hovered in front of her face, making her go cross-eyed in surprise as she focused on the little winged thing. A bee? How quaint. It landed on her nose, its fuzzy legs almost making her sneeze. "Hello little bee~" She crooned, not at all bothered by the creature's surprise appearance.
She did rather smell delightful, rolling around in a meadow could do that to a cat.
Bzzt.
Appleshade leaped nearly out of her fur, her eyes watering, pelt fluffed in sheer indignation. You stung me! Oh that wretched little bee was going to rue the day it dared harm a single hair on her pelt, she was going to—
Just then, the TreeClan warrioress caught sight of her reflection in the stream. Her expression melted into pure, unfiltered horror. My face! It was swelling! Oh StarClan no, she was too pretty to be hideous!
Appleshade let out a wail and ran straight for TreeClan's camp, crying out for Littletimber's apprentice as soon as she spotted the blue-furred she-cat just outside the medicine cat's den.
Appleshade leaped over a pair of kits tumbling outside the nursery, and skidded to a panting stop in front of Bluejay. "Bluejay help, my face—it was a bee! A wretched, nasty, horrid little bee! It stung me right on the nose and now my face—" Her theatrical wails ended with a lamentation, Appleshade hurrying past Bluejay to seek asylum in the healer's den. I can't let anyone see me like this!
Oh StarClan, what if this left her permanently disfigured?
The she-cat nearly fainted.
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Word Count: 420 Words Tags: Insidious Notes: Haha she is so dramatic xDDD
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Post by Insidious on Jun 29, 2016 22:48:47 GMT -5
Bluejay had spent the majority of her morning organizing herbs in the medicine cat’s den. Littletimber had always struck her as particular, but since becoming an apprentice in the field, she had grown to understand why organization was so incredibly vital to their line of work. If someone came forward with a serious ailment, it was important to know where the needed herbs were located without sparing a second thought. Bluejay, for one, had always shown a deep, interpersonal concern for the well-being of those in and out of her clan; it mattered more to her than it needed to for her to know where each and every herb was placed, and how lasting quantities would be depending on various circumstances. When she surfaced from hers and Littletimber’s den, the hours flying right over her head, it was only after she was certain she had memorized their stock down to the very last leaf.
She took a deep breath, trying to enjoy the fresh, mid-afternoon air while it lasted, but her peace and quiet was cut short by a sharp, high-pitched wail. Startled, Bluejay leaned backward, ice blue eyes round with concern as she was met with Appleshade and her… swollen nose. Given the screeches that had filled her ears a moment earlier, she had been expecting far worse than a bee sting; however, she knew that Appleshade’s looks were important to her, so she ushered the pretty she-cat into her den with a polite, albeit tense swish of her tail.
Looks had never been at the top of the medicine cat apprentice’s list of priorities, but she could still sympathize with the fretful warrior seeking refuge in her den. She entered behind Appleshade, listening to her worries with patient, thoughtful tips of her head when it was appropriate, but her eyes were fixated elsewhere—she knew she had some blackberry leaves here somewhere. It was almost shameful that she couldn’t find them after she had dedicated such a large chunk of her morning to organization.
“Ah, here we are.” Bluejay mumbled, mostly to herself, turning towards her patient with a small jumble of blackberry leaves in her mouth. “Don’t worry, Appleshade. It was only a bee sting. Far worse could’ve happened.” Her words were warm, heartfelt, and dragged out from the bottom of her heart, meant to wrap around her patient like a fuzzy blanket and quell her anxieties. Once the leaves were chewed, she placed them in her paw, and then motioned for Appleshade to lean forward so she could apply them to her nose. “These blackberry leaves are the very best that TreeClan has to offer. Once it’s applied, your swelling will die down in no time. You’ll be back to yourself in no time, I promise.”
Tag: Fawn Words: 460 Notes: Bluejay sitting here like "your pain is my pain even if it's just you worrying about your face"
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Post by Fawn on Jul 6, 2016 16:04:00 GMT -5
To say she felt absurd acting in this manner in front of a she-cat nearly half her age, was an understatement. But Appleshade could not help her vanity, and any lingering damage to her looks—her confidence—was a frightening reality she did not want to manifest in any way.
With an anxious smile, Appleshade listened intently to the reassurances TreeClan's young healer provided. Yes, that is exactly what she wanted to hear. "Oh Great StarClan, Bluejay. I'm so glad I bumped into you and not Littletimber!" She shook her head, unaware that she wasn't helping much in the application of the poultice with all this moving about, but her nerves wouldn't help it. "That cat would just rub some leaves on my nose and then tell me to get out!"
Or not speak at all. How rude. How very, very rude—especially for a tom.
But she was fairly convinced their... medicine cat, either lacked the ability to find anything attractive, or she was of the wrong gender. Difficult to say, really, and if Littletimber hadn't been so creepy, Appleshade would've tried to find out.
Her heart still thundered like a rabbit in a tunnel, but she concentrated on taking deep, calming breaths. Panic didn't look very good on her.
This is all fine. I will be back to myself in no time at all, Bluejay even said so. She talked her nerves down from the high bough they'd gotten themselves on, and slowly some of the tension left her shoulders.
That is, until Whiteclaw—handsome, quiet Whiteclaw—appeared in the den entrance holding a squirrel for the medicine cat.
Appleshade retreated to the far end of the den as if her tail had been set on fire, her dignity unable to bear witnesses to her horribly swelled up nose! NO no no no you mustn't look at me! Why did it have to be Whiteclaw of all cats? Why?
She inwardly lamented her terrible luck, calling out in a cheery voice as if she wasn't a patient and was just here to help; "I think I've found the chickweed you were looking for, Bluejay!" Appleshade strategically kept her back to the tom, and pretended to rummage delicately through the assorted herbs.
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Word Count: 369 Words Tags: Insidious , BlooRey DVD Notes: xD She is so much fun to write posts for, hahaha
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Post by Insidious on Jul 17, 2016 23:55:36 GMT -5
Thankfully, Bluejay was a patient cat. She could do nothing but smile, poultice damp in her paw, as Appleshade whipped her head from side to side in exasperation. She needed to apply it, and soon, if Appleshade wanted her nose to heal as soon as possible, but she couldn’t find the nerve to quiet her down. She was nervous, that was all, and Bluejay would let her fret for as long as she needed. Her head bobbed up and down in silent agreement with a handful of Appleshade’s comments, trying to suppress a small bubble of laughter when she mentioned Littletimber; her clan-mates seemed to largely prefer her social mannerisms, but she was learning from one of the best, she was sure, so she wouldn’t belittle the work he put into his job.
She noticed Whiteclaw a moment after her patient. She wouldn’t have had to look to know someone was there what with the way Appleshade nearly toppled her over in her race to escape his line of sight. Amusement flickered in the medicine cat apprentice’s eyes, watching the bee-stung warrior rummage messily through her supply of chickweed; she had worked all morning to organize her herbs in a way that made sense to her, but she couldn’t fault Appleshade for being embarrassed. She supposed she wouldn’t want to be seen, either.
“That’s wonderful, Appleshade. Thank you so much for your help. I think there’s some thyme buried beneath that pile of chickweed that I misplaced if you wouldn’t mind finding them for me. It might take a minute or two.” The bluish-gray she-cat didn’t want to trick Whiteclaw by any means, but she was certain Appleshade would never forgive her if he saw her in her current state. She’d play along just long enough to thank him for the meal and then to see him off.
“That’s just what I was hoping for,” she purred, placing her paw over top of the squirrel and dragging it towards her, “thank you, Whiteclaw. I would love to have you stay and chat for a while, but I’ve put Appleshade to work, and we have a ways ahead of us yet before we’ll be finished.” She dismissed him with a polite, apologetic smile, brushing the tip of her tail across his paw in thanks as she turned to address Applshade. Later, after she was finished with her patient—who required every last bit of her attention and then some—she would seek out the white warrior to properly express her gratitude for his thoughtfulness. Being the medicine cat apprentice condoned gifts like that, but it still warmed her heart each time.
After she was certain he was gone, she beckoned Appleshade to turn around with a quiet cough. “It would appear you’ve done a number on my chickweed supply, so you might as well follow through and bring me the thyme I was talking about.” Bluejay, of course, never told a full lie; she had told Whiteclaw that Appleshade was bringing her some thyme, and that’s exactly what she was going to have her do. “We’ll be sure to get a small bundle of that into your system to calm your nerves so I can finish applying this poultice. You do want your nose to heal, don’t you?” She asked with a light laugh, fairly assured of what the warrior’s answer would be.
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Post by Fawn on Jul 21, 2016 21:52:43 GMT -5
The timely cough of Bluejay was enough to make her turn around, and Appleshade listened with mounting sheepishness as Littletimber's apprentice mentioned calming her down. "Sorry Bluejay, I know I must be acting absolutely absurd. It's Whiteclaw—I couldn't let him see me like this!" She did not need to gesture to the horrible red swollen bump on her nose to indicate why.
Any cat could see it from a fox-length away!
Glancing to the herb piles she had disturbed in her haste to appear a helper and not a patient, Appleshade delicately sifted through the chickweed to recover the thyme. "I apologize again, Bluejay. I seem to have made a mess of things..." If the younger she-cat hadn't been so even-tempered, Appleshade likely would've been apologizing for quite a while—oh she hated to think of how Littletimber would react to her making a mess of the place over something as... as silly as not wanting to be seen by a certain tom.
You're a senior warrior in age only, Appleshade. Sang a voice inside her head. You've still got the heart and mind of an apprentice!
Before now, Appleshade would have considered that a positive thing. Realizing that Bluejay possibly had a leg up on the competition when it came to maturity, Appleshade smiled meekly, dipping her head in respect as well as to deposit the thyme at Bluejay's feet. "I don't know how you manage to stay so calm. I'd be such a wreck if I had to be the calm one in every situation. You really are very good at what you do, don't let any cat tell you otherwise."
Appleshade had always been generous with compliments. This might've seemed like empty flattering, but that was the thing about her; she always meant them. She gave compliments and praise freely, because she saw so many things worthy of it.
Promising to be very still this time—provided there were no more... tall, handsome interruptions—Appleshade resisted the urge to throw a furtive glance at the entrance to Littletimber's den, half-expecting Whiteclaw to reappear as though summoned by her anxious, vain, silly little heart.
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Word Count: 355 Words Tags: Insidious Notes:
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Post by Insidious on Jul 31, 2016 22:22:58 GMT -5
Truthfully, she had no clue how she managed to stay calm in every situation. Pinkcloud’s death had been the only thing in her short life thus far to break her, but she had recovered—if not solely because she knew her sister wouldn’t want to see her suffering—and recognized that she had become a better, patient, more nurturing version of herself because of it. She loved to help others. She lived and breathed her line of work, and hoped that she would be able to not only save lives but make them happier. That was why she was able to stay calm. The cats under her care didn’t need a frazzled, uncertain medicine cat, but a medicine cat with a level head on her shoulders and genuine compassion for those she helped.
“Thank you, Appleshade.” She purred with a smile on her face. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to hear you say that. It’s nice to know that what Littletimber and I do is appreciated and respected.” Of course, there had never been a doubt in her mind. Medicine cats were largely revered, but to her, the influence that the job gave her was of no importance. She didn’t want anyone to think they had to be tip-toeing around her simply because of what rank she held.
“Now, before there’s any other interruptions, let’s get your nose fixed up, hm?” Bluejay tilted her head to the side, as if inviting a response from Appleshade, but she wasted no time in applying the poultice she had prepared. It had taken longer than she would’ve liked, but she wasn’t worried about the swelling getting any worse. If it did, Appleshade would be more than welcome to stop by again—but the medicine cat apprentice had a funny feeling she wouldn’t leave in the first place until it was back to normal.
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