[williams]

SORRELPAW

STONECLAN

The tabby apprentice could not remember who had finalized her volunteering into a plan. Sorrelpaw felt that it was probably her mentor's doing, committed to give her apprentice a full breadth of training after her leg healed, and even as kits came into her world. Learning the territory was her first lesson, but it would not hurt to be reminded of the land her clan owned. Especially to learn it from a different angle, from the medicine cat's side. That is where this whole plan came from. She had spotted their medicine cats, the newly named Sandblaze, and his mentor Dawnblossom working hard at stocking herbs for leaf-bare. She had called out to them, asking if another set of paws would be beneficial. They appeared to be bringing in the herbs that required the most gathering for leaf-bare, probably helping coughs and aches that the cold weather always brought along. Jaws full, a nod was given in return. Then her mentor had beckoned to her today, the wind finally calm, saying they would go with Sandblaze and gather herbs, and Sorrelpaw would get a lesson on their territory.

So here they were, paws light among the new collection of leaves, searching for the remaining herbs to complete a full stock. Sorrelpaw hoped quietly they would be able to hunt afterwards, ears catching all the creatures scuttling among the undergrowth. Letting Sandblaze take the lead, Sorrelpaw felt her heart fill with pride as she watched him, and equal parts envy towards him. The ache to be a full warrior had grown when she heard their medicine cat had returned with his full name. He had obviously completed his training with flying colors, his name was well earned. But she was stuck still as an apprentice. Soon she thought, focusing back on the task at hand. "What should we keep an eye out for?"

310 | Silver Fawn | territory thread for sorrelpaw c:

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[Silver]

Sandblaze - and wasn't that name still unfamiliar to him in its newness - raised his tail in greeting for the Apprentice and her Mentor. He was glad to see Sorrelpaw doing so much better and getting stronger everyday. He was pleased that she'd offered to help with herb gathering since there was so much to do with leaf-bare just around the corner and many herbs beginning to die off as the days got colder. His voice rose so others could hear him as he scanned his surroundings. "I want to thank you for coming to help us today. We're looking for a few very specific herbs to get us through the coming leaf-bare. If you aren't sure if you have the right herb, call either Dawnblossom or myself over and ask before you touch it. We don't need anyone accidentally getting poisoned, after all." His tone was lightly teasing before going serious again as he pulled himself up into his full height.

He seemed much more confident in his own skin at last, but his eyes were still troubled even as he kept focused on the task at hand. "We're looking for things for fever and joint aches mainly for the coming cold. Our stores are running low. Feverfew is a small bush and has lots of white flowers, lavender is another plant that should grow around here. It's got purple flowers so it's easy to spot. Finally we're looking for ragwort; which is going to be harder to spot. It's a small pale green plant and the leaves are thin and long. Keep an eye out for these and let us know if you need help." Done explaining what was needed, the young Medicine Cat moved around the area searching himself for the things that were needed. They needed a lot of these things and it was easiest to find the herbs he'd chosen as they grew in abundance throughout the territory.

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Tags | williams Fawn

[Fawn]

Frozenrain
73 Moons // Warrior-Queen // StoneClan

"I'll see what I can find," Frozenrain mewed calmly, remembering the scent of lavender well. Unfortunately, many a medicine cat had used the fragrant plant as a funeral plant, laying it on bodies to keep the smell of death away long enough for the fallen cat to be buried. Frozenrain also knew of a pawful of cats who kept a sprig of it in their nests, finding the scent soothing despite it's negative associations.

Frozenrain smiled to Sorrelpaw, a hint of humor in her voice. "I'll leave the harder-to-find herbs for you two, your eyes are younger than mine." Yes, the seasons had kept right on turning for the cats of RainClan. Frozenrain was a little over her seventieth moon, and while this was a cause for celebration, it was also good enough reason to worry.

She was carrying her third and last litter of her lifetime. It was because of this that Frozenrain's already smooth, elegant gait projected a sense of caution as she stepped over rock and fallen branch, delicately picking her way through the territory. She would do absolutely nothing to endanger the lives she was carrying in her belly; they deserved every chance she could give them to be born and grow into maturity. Thus, they were exploring the territory today, and collecting herbs. A task where the hardest part was finding the right plants.

I'll have a word with Vipertail, perhaps he can help with the battle portion of Sorrelpaw's training. Frozenrain mused, lowering her soft gray muzzle to a clump of plants wedged between two rocks. The leaves looked thin and long, just as Sandpaw had described. "I believe I found ragwort," Frozenrain waved over Sandblaze, wanting to observe him collect the plant so she knew how to gather the herbs without damaging the stalk.

301 Words // Silver williams // Notes

[williams]

There was a change in Sandblaze, Sorrelpaw could see it now. He didn't exactly walk with more confidence like a swagger, though she had seen that change in warriors before, but it was there. In his voice, giving instructions easily to the small band of cats. He gave clear directions, a selection of herbs that would help Stoneclan remain strong in the coming moons. Leaf-bare had never been Sorrelpaw's favorite season, and she realized that it helped ease her mind to help her medicine cats prepare for it.

She gave a noise of understanding as the medicine cats started their search, then gave Frozenrain's side a gentle tap with her tail. "You are always helpful, Frozenrain." Sorrelpaw said with respect, knowing how much her mentor had already done for her clan. With one last smile, she put her focus on finding the herbs. She repeated in her head what they looked like, scanning high and low through the growth around the trees. 

Her ears flicked when her mentor found ragwort, gaze turning to watch how it was gathered. What did he say ragwort was for again? For joints? Realizing she didn't know, Sorrelpaw huffed to herself. A warrior couldn't know everything, but it was frustrating. She turned back to her own searching, before stopping with a skid. "I think I have feverfew over here too." She called, awkwardly backing out of the bush she almost walked through. focus Sorrelpaw! She chided herself, We need these herbs in good condition. 

notes | sorry no table, feelin' lazy
tags | Fawn Silver

[Silver]

Sandblaze's eyes were focused on his task even as his ears kept track mentally of his companions as they went. When Frozenrain called him he moved over to her and gently sniffed the herb she'd found. It was definitely ragwort. He purred warmly to her in thanks and showed her how to carefully remove the herb from the ground without damaging the useful leaves. It just took patience and a bit of gentle handling. He set the herb off to the side, thanking the Queen before heading off to where Sorrelpaw had called him to. He again sniffed the plant in question and abruptly sneezed before backing away from the plant. He shook his head and chuckled at himself before nudging the plant in question again.

Sorrelpaw had indeed found feverfew but it was nestled inside a plant that tended to make some cats sneeze; including Sandblaze himself. He showed Sorrelpaw how to gather the plant since she didn't seem to be affected by the surrounding sneeze-plant and moved onward to continue his own gathering. "Very good, both of you. Now that you know what you're looking for we should have an easier time gathering as much as we need for leaf-bare. Frozenrain, stay away from the plants near Sorrelpaw though. They aren't poisonous but some cats have been known to have a bad reaction to it. Since Sorrelpaw isn't sneezing, she should be fine  but I don't want to risk your health now that we know it's there." His words were calm and quiet, not worried but simply offering a warning. That was his way.

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Tags | williams Fawn

[Fawn]

Frozenrain
73 Moons // Warrior-Queen // StoneClan

The young healer's patience and thorough explanations were appreciated. He had a way of communicating with others that didn't rub their fur the wrong way; not every cat was fortunate enough to have such a good nest-side manner. Sandblaze did not speak to her as though she were an apprentice just starting out, because of the difference in herb knowledge (his being superior to hers), and Frozenrain was in better spirits for it.

"Thank you. I'll try to avoid them." Frozenrain returned to her work, gathering the leaves just as Sandblaze had shown her. After a brief while of searching, Frozenrain made tracks for Sorrelpaw, wanting to check up on her student. "An unusual experience, collecting herbs - but valuable nonetheless." The matronly figure smiled. "What have you learned that you can apply to hunting or fighting?"

Yes, they were walking over the territory, and it was a good refresher of their home, but that was not all it was. In Frozenrain's clear blue eyes, it was a little lesson in 'awareness'. Being aware of her surroundings. Being aware of stepping carefully and picking herbs carefully to avoid causing damage. An important thing to learn for a young she-cat who sometimes had trouble being light-footed.

209 Words // williams Silver // Notes

[williams]

SORRELPAW

STONECLAN

The sneeze caught Sorrelpaw off guard, her tail fluffing up as her medicine cat explained what she had found. A plant that makes you sneeze? How odd! Smoothing her fur down with an embaressed smile, she set to work after the instructions were given. She appreciated Sandblaze's quiet yet commanding words. He knew how to get to the point, but said it in such a way that she felt taken care of. As she worked, teeth gently breaking stems, setting the gathered herbs to her side, she pondered what it'd be like to be a medicine cat. Which made a laugh bubble up. They had to remember so much! And take care of their sick clanmates, even if they got sick. She enjoyed fighting, taking care of her clan through defense. It wasn't Starclan's path for her, and as the plants tickled her nose, she was thankful Sandblaze had found his calling like she had.

"An unusual experience, collecting herbs - but valuable nonetheless." Sorrelpaw flicked her ears back to her mentor, turning towards the older she-cat after carefully using her sharp claws to keep the herbs in a neat pile. "What have you learned that you can apply to hunting or fighting?" Ah! Here was the lesson for today! The tabby apprentice thought, staring at what she gathered, then over to the two medicine cats, working diligently. "We have to be careful when gathering, like when we catch prey." She responded, slow at first as she found her words. "No one wants to eat a piece of prey you've squashed or damaged with clumsy paws. Oh! If we're fighting, we need to watch where our paws land. My plant was inside another bush, that'd be easy to miss in a battle if you didn't know where to look. Even if we're fighting on enemy territory, no clan deserves their healing herbs trampled." Her last sentence was stated with a very clipped, matter-of-fact voice. Sorrelpaw had great pride for Stoneclan. She knew they were the best clan around the valley. But, she knew Firestar had launched a revenge attack on her clan over the death of her daughter. Each clan had their own stories to tell. And the medicine cats worked hard. She might have lost her leg if they had lost their herbs in a fight, and that was something she wanted no cat to experience.

401 | Silver Fawn | sorrel has many thoughts on the clans dynamics haha

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[Silver]

Medicine Cat of StoneClan

Sandblaze

There's a spark inside us, That we can all ignite

Sandblaze listened quietly as Frozenrain turned the herb collecting expedition into a chance to teach Sorrelpaw something new. He smiled gently as he continued to look around for the things he needed. He was sure they were almost stocked for what they needed for the moment; though he knew he'd have to go out again sometime in the near future before the frost set in for leafbare. 

He moved to the plants that had made him sneeze and carefully held his breath while gently shifting the herbs around with his paw so that it had more room to breathe and grow without the sneeze-plant surrounding it choking all the life out of it. He offered his own quiet advice once he moved back from the sneeze-plant to join his fellows. "Being considerate of herbs when out and about is a good thing, but it can also save your life. As I said, that plant can cause a reaction in cats; the least of which is sneezing. It grows throughout the valley and could offer a distraction in the event you need to duck out of a situation quickly."

The plant also tended to mask the scent of anything near it; something useful in evading the larger predators that made the valley their home just as the clans did. It wasn't something he liked to think about, but it was a truth just the same.

And all that's dark inside us, Will flicker into light

Tags | williams Fawn
Notes | Do we call this done?