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INVENTORY
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Post by Ginger on Aug 8, 2019 21:57:30 GMT -5
Breezekit made her way around the pine needle clearing, taking in every scent, feeling every new texture, resting her eyes on new sights. While most of the clan was upset about having to move, Breezekit saw an opportunity. She, unlike her siblings, had never left Nightclan's camp. Her great sense of self-doubt had caused her to not seek to catch up with her siblings as they explored Nightclan's territory with great warriors. Instead, she had been focusing on the basics; trying her best to stalk and pounce on the various non-living things around camp. She had even tried to pounce on the lizard she was eating. It didn't work.
While this was just a temporary camp to most of Nightclan's members, to Breezekit it was the great territory of Nightclan! Everything was different, and it was so cool!
As Breezekit scanned the clearing, her golden eyes settled on on dark brown figure. Shadowchaser! He seemed to be busy with something, so the tortoiseshell kit scampered over to him, determined to find out what it was.
As she approached him, the young kit realized that he was digging up something. Seeing as he was a medicine cat, it could only be one thing: herbs. This would be a great chance to prove her worth. "Shadowchaser," she began sheepishly. "May I help?"
Breezekit 3 moons she-cat nightclan "Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness." |
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Post by Fawn on Aug 10, 2019 16:59:12 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser The dens were makeshift at best, the sudden and roughshod camp not very well planned out. Cats were getting under paw as areas were slowly being designated for certain groups. Shadowchaser tried his best to stay calm and patient - but the near constant flurry of activity and the trampling of many paws through places he'd set aside for patient nests and herb stores was enough to flay anyone's nerves.
Shadowchaser left the busy camp on muddied paws, feeling the tension slowly withdraw its claws from his neck as he was able to find some breathing room. NightClan had lost the use of half their territory - and an overwhelming number of herbs. There had been no way to save more than the few mouthfuls he and Smokefur had carried between them. More horsetail, he had set his mind to gathering a plant that was native to NightClan's area of the forest.
It thrived in marshy areas. Shadowchaser would not have to go far to collect some.
So intent upon his task, the pitter patter of tiny kitten feet through wet earth didn't alert him to Breezekit's arrival. Instead, it was the butterfly-soft voice breaking through the muted sounds of digging.
"May I help?"
Shadowchaser retracted his paws, turning to his niece with a fond purr. How could he say no to such an earnest wish? The kits were especially active since the relocation. No doubt the constant tread of warriors going in and out, every cat lifting their weight to do their part - it could be felt from the oldest to the smallest Clanmate, the desire to help.
"Yes, you may." Shadowchaser gently pawed one of the long stemmed plants he'd already dug up, the leaves still hearty and in tact. It was longer than Breezekit from nose to tail-tip, but light enough that the kitten shouldn't have any trouble grasping it between her teeth. "Do you mind holding these horsetail stalks for me? I'll show you how to bundle them all together to bring back to camp."
Movement behind the kitten stole Shadowchaser's gaze briefly - it was Thornscar looking for her missing kit; the siblings' eyes met and Shadowchaser smiled to show that everything was fine. She would be safe by his side. Thornscar nodded and returned to the rest of her litter. medicine cat of nightclan |
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| I will not be like a bird bred in a cage, I thought, too dull to fly even when the door stands open. |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Ginger on Aug 12, 2019 11:25:18 GMT -5
Breezekit looked on in awe as Shadowchaser pushed an incredibly long plant her way. How on earth would she be able to pick it up? Refusing to show her weakness and risk the safety of Nightclan, however, Breezekit bent down and clamped her jaws around the stalks. As she lifted her head back up, the tortoiseshell kit was surprised to find that it was rather light.
"Horth tail ith ligh," Breezekit stated, her mouth full of the precious herb. She tried her best to curl her lips into a smile, but the large bundle of Horse tail was preventing the sweet kit from moving her mouth more than a bit.
On top of the bundle of leaves and stems in her mouth being light, Breezekit also felt a certain lightness from this task. She was helping her clan. Not by killing, not by hurting, but by healing. Well, at least carrying some herbs so that the real healer could get the actual work done. But still, it was something. And it felt great.
Bumbling with excitement at the thought of learning how to help her uncle out more, Breezekit practically bounced around Shadowchaser. "How elth cahn I hellp?"
Wow, Bramblekit and Hollowkit would be so excited to hear about how much she was helping out Nightclan in her own special way. A sense of pride filled up the young kit to the brim.
Breezekit 3 moons she-cat nightclan "Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness." |
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Post by Fawn on Aug 15, 2019 9:02:18 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser Golden eyes followed the light-footed, bouncy trajectory of Breezekit, the horsetail wobbling comically on either side of her mouth. He suppressed a chuckle, instead laying the tip of his tail on the she-cat's head to still her. "Make sure you don't shake the leaves loose. They're no good covered in mud and they'll shrivel faster."
The eagerness in Breezekit's eyes was enough to soften even the hardest warrior's heart - and Shadowchaser was neither gruff nor a warrior. He found himself purring again, surprising himself with how much he enjoyed the company of Thornscar's little ones. It was nice to see them outside of check-ups. "Two more stalks," said Shadowchaser, returning to his digging, "and then I'll need your help collecting cobwebs. It's going to be hard to walk through all this mud, but I believe in you Breezekit."
It's good to see at least one cat in this Clan isn't always thinking about violence or pettiness. His encounter with Blackwolf at the last medicine cat meeting was like skunk-spray; just when he thought he'd gotten rid of it, made peace with the encounter and moved on, he caught a whiff of his fear and unease all over again.
Shadowchaser shook excess dirt from his paws, laying the two stalks down near a piece of vine he'd collected earlier for the purpose of bundling. The medicine cat gestured for her to lay hers on top. "I want you to pretend you're soil," the medicine cat's whiskers twitched with mirth, "and clamp your front paws around the horsetail so they stick straight up in the air. I'm going to wrap this vine around the horsetail stalks to keep them all together. Watch closely," Shadowchaser's eyes glowed as he took the vine with his teeth and began to wind it around the stalks, careful not to trod on his niece's tail as he moved. medicine cat of nightclan |
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| I will not be like a bird bred in a cage, I thought, too dull to fly even when the door stands open. |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Ginger on Aug 18, 2019 13:24:43 GMT -5
Breezekit tried her best to suppress her excitement, standing as still as she possibly could. What if all of her bouncing led the horsetail to become muddy and useless? What if a dying clan member desperately needed horsetail, but all the stores were ruined because she had been bouncing so much and ruining them? The thought itself was rather sobering.
However, upon looking at her uncle's warm face, happy thoughts flowed through the tortoiseshell kit once again, and she felt a quiet purr in the back of her throat. That purr only grew more and more muffled as Shadowchaser handed her the last two stalks. Breezekit's mouth was completely full, and it was rather funny looking. It was okay though, for Breezekit was doing something noble for her clan. She could never feel awkward or uncomfortable when doing something that didn't cause any pain yet still helped the clan.
With no small amount of caution in her step, Breezekit made her way over to where Shadowchaser was. The mud threatened to swallow her whole, but Breezekit was so light on her paws that they only slightly sunk into the mud with each step. The horsetail had a small amount of mud on it from when she had been bouncing around, but the second she decided to take it more seriously, no more mud got on the long stalks.
At Shadowchaser's instructions, Breezekit tilted her head and stood the horsetail upright, holding it steady with her paws. I'm soil, and this is the great tree I am bringing to life. The thought itself gave Breezekit a little more confident, and she held the horsetail tight even as Shadowchaser maneuvered about, tying the vine around it. The horsetail would not fall to the ground! Not on my watch!
Golden eyes fixated on Nightclan's medicine cat as he wrapped the bundle up. How cool it was! Breezekit wanted desperately to learn more about everything Shadowchaser was doing, but she knew she was destined to be a fierce warrior like the rest of her siblings, no matter what her heart was aching for her to do. But no one would hear about her inner desires. She already was having a rough time with Roachkit, who often noticed her weaknesses and picked on her for that. It would only get worse if cats like him knew that she was scared to be a warrior and do all the things that came with it.
But for now, Breezekit was happy in to share a moment like this with her loving uncle. She looked to him, eagerness brimming in her eyes. "Where do we find the cobweb? I bet I can get enough for a whole moon!"
Breezekit 3 moons she-cat nightclan "Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness." |
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Post by Fawn on Sept 7, 2019 10:19:25 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser "To find cobwebs," he announced, "we need to find spiders. Where do you think spiders would like to live, Breezekit?" While she pondered this question, Shadowchaser looked over his handiwork with the horsetail bundle. It was tied securely enough, and the stalks were in good condition. With care, the medicine cat tilted his head and bit the vine knot, using it to carry the bundle back towards the pineneedle clearing.
A slender black-brown tail swept around Breezekit's body, gently herding the she-cat by his side, not wanting her to get jostled in the crowded clearing. Cats were stepping on each other's paws, no two ways about it. The clearing was not designed to hold all of NightClan, and the openness bothered Shadowchaser; the solidity and dark sanctuary of the cavern was sorely missed.
Nearby, a pack of kits went tumbling through the needles, batting at each other excitedly. At least the kits are having fun, thought Shadowchaser with a purr. It took the work of moments to drop off the bundle, and when he turned, whisking Breezekit to the outskirts of the clearing, he regarded her with avuncular warmth. "Have you thought of an answer?"
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| I will not be like a bird bred in a cage, I thought, too dull to fly even when the door stands open. |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Ginger on Sept 24, 2019 21:29:16 GMT -5
Breezekit amicably followed Shadowbreeze towards Nightclan's makeshift camp, watching him carefully as he carried the horsetail between his teeth. Funny how teeth, which Breezekit had only thought were supposed to kill with, could carry something so gently. Queens carried their kits with those jaws of "death."
Were the sharp incisors inside of her mouth capable of good? Were the deadly claws that stuck out of her paws capable of making things better rather than worse?
The young tortoiseshell found herself getting lost in her own thoughts, only jolting out of them at the touch of Shadowchaser's tail, guiding her towards the edge of the camp.
"Have you thought of an answer?"
To what?
Breezekit thought long and hard before realization dawned on her face. Shadowchaser had asked her where spiders are! Breezekit knew that answer -- she had often run around camp looking for spiders to befriend. Most of them didn't want to be her friend, instead scurrying off, but the kit always playfully scampered after them, no harmful intentions whatsoever.
"You have to promise you won't hurt the spiders, that's their home!" Breezekit's gentle voice was laced with genuine concern. What if they ripped away the spiders' homes, just as the flood had ripped away Nightclan's? It hurt the young she-cat too much to think about.
But Shadowchaser was a healer. Why would he want to hurt the spiders? Slowly but surely, Breezekit came to the conclusion she could trust him. Leaning in, Breezekit brought her own voice down to a hushed whisper. "Trees, roots, and even in some dark rocky areas! They're everywhere!" Breezekit 3 moons she-cat nightclan "Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness." |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 23, 2019 21:11:03 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser Shadowchaser's paws abruptly halted, the healer stunned by her soft-spoken yet borderline fierce compassion.
Compassion for spiders. Nostalgia flared inside of him, strong and warm, and he purred, hardly hearing her actual answer as he regarded his niece with great affection. "You're just like I was when I was young, Breezekit." Conscious of eavesdroppers, Shadowchaser beckoned her further into the forest, moving slowly to give them enough time to talk and so her much shorter legs would not tire so quickly.
Cobweb-collecting could require a lot of wandering. Best that they pace themselves.
"You have my word, Breezekit. I won't hurt the spiders. It's just like when Smokefur and I gather herbs. We take only what we need, and we do not hurt the plants to get what we want." Well, some cases involved uprooting the whole entire plant because its roots or the entire thing was of use. Shadowchaser wasn't going to get knitpicky, though. Part of the medicine cat's code was to do no harm, and he fully believed that extended to all forms of life besides feline.
The forest bathed them in rich shades of green and brown, their coats mottled by sunlight sifting through the pine needles. The needles created shadows with prickly edges, giving NightClan's territory a sharper, more unfriendly aura than the mapled woods of TreeClan. He wouldn't have it any other way, though. This was home, even if it was more wetland than woodland for the time being.
"A short time after I was made a full medicine cat, a friend came to me in need of some help." Shadowchaser's whole being seemed to soften at the warmth of this memory, thawing him in places he hadn't realized had needed it. "Only it wasn't for him. It was for a little bird that had broken it's wing. Now... a voice in my head told me I shouldn't use herbs for creatures that aren't my Clanmates." He looked at Breezekit gently, aware that she would understand his dilemma. "But a voice in my heart wouldn't let me stand by and watch an animal suffer. My friend cared about the bird, and I cared about my friend. The bird should have been prey, but I don't regret the help I gave it. I got a friend out of it."
A great friend.
Shadowchaser breathed in, letting fresh air try to soothe the funny feeling in his chest that popped up when he thought of Newtstripe. He had cobwebs to collect, not memories. medicine cat of nightclan |
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| I will not be like a bird bred in a cage, I thought, too dull to fly even when the door stands open. |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Ginger on Dec 7, 2019 23:32:05 GMT -5
Breezekit looked up to Shadowchaser with wide eyes as he directed her deeper into the forest. The more the pair moved, the darker it seemed to get around them. It seemed that Shadowchaser's duty as a medicine cat literally had him chasing shadows. How fitting.
A gentle sigh escaped Breezekit's mouth as her uncle reassured her that no spiders would be harmed. She couldn't be the cause of more suffering. There was enough happening already at the hands of nature. It was nice that what she was doing would harm absolutely nothing.
At Shadowchaser's story, Breezekit smiled. She wasn't alone. Not only was Shadowchaser dedicated to saving all life, but there was also another cat somewhere in NightClan who felt the same compassion she felt. If she wasn't alone in her care for other creatures, then was it really a weakness?
Rejuvenated, Breezekit walked with more of a bounce in her step. Until she ran face-first into a cobweb. The sticky and silky web was everywhere: her mouth, her eyes, her ears. Despite how uncomfortable all of this was, there was only one thing on her mind: where was the spider who made the web? Had she just taken away its home that it had spent so much time building?
"Uncle, where is it?" Breezekit felt her eyes well up as she frantically looked for the spider. It was nowhere to be found. She must have killed it! Hopelessness began to take effect throughout her entire body. "I-I murdered it!"
Breezekit 3 moons she-cat nightclan "Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness." I figured it could just be am empty cobweb? No spiders to be found
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Post by Fawn on Jan 24, 2020 2:15:27 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser The kitten walked face-first into a cobweb. Shadowchaser swallowed a chuckle - he should have anticipated this, she was still fresh from the nursery after all - but that chuckle evaporated at Breezekit’s sudden wail. ”You didn’t murder it, Breezekit.” Shadowchaser’s kindly face moved closer to his niece’s, examining the cobwebby mess clinging to her ears and around her muzzle.
A gentle paw wiped the whisker-thin webbing from the she-kit’s eyes. ”The spider wasn’t home. It could have been an old web, or the spider could have gone out, doing other spider things.” It was a simple explanation, but Shadowchaser felt it was the right one to give. He couldn't know the behaviors of spiders without actually sitting still and observing them from dawn til dusk, but no cat - save an elder - had that kind of time, and even less had that kind of patience.
"Maybe once you're an apprentice, you can find out what it is that spiders do when they're not in their nests." Shadowchaser smiled, leaning down to gently lick the soft kitten fur between her ears. "Just remember, Breezekit, the cobwebs we're finding will be used to heal wounds on our friends and family. Until cats can learn to spin their own webs"-- he chortled at the imagery --"we need them a bit more than the spiders do. Webs can be rebuilt, but some wounds can be hard to fix if we do not have enough herbs and cobwebs to fix them."
Her heart was big. Larger than most NightClan cats, even. It was important to keep her focused on life beyond spiders and how everything had purpose.
medicine cat of nightclan OOC: Done? Feel free to wrap up this post with your reply, or leave it as it is!  |
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