[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Ebonyheart,

Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams

The morning air was nice, especially since the recent days of Greenleaf had been hot and nearly unbearable for one with a coat so dark and long as the resident healer of Stoneclan. It was even less desirable with the lack of shade from the rocky scrublands in which they lived. Treeclan, however, held the perfect amount of shade and overhanging coverage that gave the cool morning an even more delighted relief.

Not that the proper molly would ever wish to live anywhere other than Stoneclan, but she wasn't about to refuse the undergrowth and bushes as a break from the beating sun while she searched for a particular set of herbs just within Treeclan's border in which she arrived through the mutual ground of Starclan's Claws.

A nub flickered as the large she-cat rooted around the familiar sight of hairy leaves and blue flowers of the Borage plant. Her stock was poorly low since the birth of Shadepool's litter near the end of Newleaf and unfortunately the heat was keeping it from growing nicely upon Stoneclan's territory. Though, it was sparse to find it there to begin with.

Granted, it could have also been found within Lightningclan or Rainclan as both were closer to her home rather than the long trek through the valley to reach the scents of those who lived within the heart of the forest. However, Lightningclan was once again at odds with Stoenclan and despite the ruling that Medicine Cats could go where they pleased, Ebonyheart was sure that Birdstar would prefer her not to venture towards that way. 

As for Rainclan, well the massive black she-cat figured that despite the raising of their herb ban it was probably best for her to seek Borage on a safer terrain rather than impose just incase they too were running short due to large litters or whatnot. 

A ear flickered at the sound of noise, curious as to if it were merely prey or perhaps native clan cats that were intrigued by the sudden scent of Stoneclan within their forested walls. The scent that touched her nose was faintly familiar and caused Ebonyheart to lift her head from with the splurge of plants she had been examining to find her pale gaze land on the bluish form of Falconstorm's new ward. 

"Sagepaw." Ebonyheart recited the name from memory, adding a respectful dip of her head towards the fellow healer. Though the black feline may have acted the age of a cat around Falconstorm's moons, she was in fact closer to that of the young apprentice near her. The ebony molly let her unreadable green gaze slowly wash over the youngster who seemed to be out and about by herself. 

"Are you alone out here?" Her question was sharp and proper as always, but her bark was far more menencing than her bite. Besides, it wasn't like the older she-cat had much to say as Falconstorm had once caught Ebonyheart herself wandering Stoneclan's property as a young apprentice driven purely by curiosity and the need to excel at the tasks placed before her.  

24 Moons StoneClan Medicine Cat 

KARAZHAL || Made by Fawn || 534 Words

[KARAZHAL]

The morning dawned loudly as Acornpaw and a couple of her buddies came to the medicine cat den entryway. They had all started their day with chores. They came past Sagepaw separating out herbs from not-useful debris. They were, of course, led by her sister, who approached Sagepaw to ask for some mouse bile.

"As if we keep that in here," the she-cat admonished. "Go to the fresh-kill pile and grab the mice yourself. Squeeze it over the fleabites." She wanted them out of the entryway as soon as possible before their raucousness caused Falconstorm to stomp down the branch-hall. Still, she exchanged grins with Acornpaw and continued her work. As she tucked away some stems of marigold, she saw that the borage space could use replenishing. Sagepaw tilted her head at the dry purple flowers, sniffing it enough times so the scent could stick.

Rather than yell down the hall, Sagepaw plodded up to where her mentor was in his own den. "Um... your borage is looking shorter than all the others. Whoever was at the border patrol didn't bring any back," she informed him. "I... can go for you?" She made a shrugging gesture. She wasn't sure how he'd respond. Falconstorm's face seemed to pucker up in thought until he finally just ordered her to take an escort, the blue Somali scampered off to find one and left him alone to do his work.

The fresh-kill pile was a popular spot. Besides her sister and her friends, a couple of warriors ate together. Sagepaw brightened at the sight of Glacierspring's beautiful pelt, so she approached the tomcat. Glacierspring's large baleful eyes swung in her direction, and his large ears swung sideways as he turned at her call. The tom, resembling a silver doe, was closer in age to her than the others.

"Would you care to escort me while I get borage leaves?" Sagepaw asked him. The stoic tom swallowed the rest of the squirrel; it bulged in his gullet before he strangely craned his head forward, gulping loudly, and he nodded silently at Sagepaw. Glacierspring pivoted in the direction of the camp's exit. "We're heading over by the river and StarClan's Claws," she explained. Falconstorm had pointed it out when they'd gone to their last medicine cat meeting.

From the back, the pair looked almost related with their sleek silver backs, but Sagepaw was shorter than the leggy warrior and fawn fur gushed down her front where Glacierspring was completely gray. Sagepaw, grinning, ran out of camp with her fluffy tail whirling around. She glanced behind her right side to glimpse Glacierspring loping across the flattened grass. Her eyes widened as she realized he had no problem keeping up with her--she thought she'd been fast! She tried to pick up the pace, but before she could even find her step, the warrior had bounded ahead of her. A slightly amused lip quirked upward as he passed her.

"Hey! I'm fast too! I beat Acornpaw all the time!" Sagepaw protested in vain. She knew she'd been bested. When she slowed up, Glacierspring came back for her patiently and stayed vigilant as her escort. As they neared the border, he sank closer to the grass and moved snake-like with his belly touching the ground.

"Time for a perimeter. Call if you need me," he murmured in soft tones.

Sagepaw watched him stalk into the bushes and she hunched up her shoulders, grinding her teeth together. She had never been "alone" this far from camp so she felt a little nervous watching him go and feeling foolish for not opening her mouth quick enough to say she wanted him to stay. Still, she wanted to be brave and also to prove to Falconstorm that she could be trusted to run a simple errand. She wasn't a simpleton after all.

Suddenly jolted out of her reverie by a voice, Sagepaw's fur stood on end and she puffed out, jerking around at the sudden smell of StoneClan. Sagepaw. Are you alone out here? "No!" she whined, sounding guilty even though she was telling the truth. Trying to come back from her uncool flinch, the apprentice let out a sheepish laugh. "E-ebonyheart, right? I remember you from the meeting. You spooked me right there. What are you doing here?" Sagepaw took a moment to glance around and saw a variety of herbs in different spots. Her expression suddenly grew curious; there were a few plants around that she didn't know the names of but had seen a dried version of in Falconstorm's care.

Ghost the Undead Goddess

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Ebonyheart,

Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams

The larger molly watched with an unreadable expression as the youngster before her practically leaped from the blue shade of her soft coat. She'd be wise to learn to use her nose even with being in the safety of her own clan's territory, though that was not a lesson the Stoneclanner figured was her place to teach. Though, if what she said was true, there was a warrior lurking around to keep her safe. 

An ear flickered as the black feline lifted her head, parting her jaws to indeed catch the fresh scent of another Treeclanner nearby, though he had the wits to keep himself hidden and the smarts to know better than to confront her. Medicine cats were not bound by the same rules as warriors to the clans they lived, healers were freely allowed to travel the whole of the valley if needed in search of herbs or conversation with those within their similar rankings.

A flicker shifted the large she-cat's nub, though it went practically unnoticed since it hide within the length of her fluffy coat. Pale green pools examining Sagepaw before her with an unreadable expression, curious as to what all she had been taught up to this moment in time, curious as to what the youngster was doing out with a singular warrior rather than that of her mentor. 

Though, knowing Falconstorm's rather... temperamental nature...

"Treeclan has a large supply of Borage that Stoneclan sparsely has, if it even happens to grow within our land." The rocky terrain and near barren landscape made it hard for green rich herbs to grow in large quantities, so traveling as she could made it easier for her to collect when her supplies were shorter than she enjoyed.

"I'm sure you are aware that we exist outside the normal restrictions of the warrior code?" She asked in a proper yet sharp tone, both questioning and in a way, quizzing the apprentice to see if she had been taught such a thing. Though Ebonyheart was not one to undermine Falconstorm and his teachings, she was not about to leave the open opportunity to age Sagepaw in her learning moons.

After all, she herself had learned from several healers aside from her red coated mentor, Sandblaze. Falconstorm and even Skyteller of the Tribe had given her lessons and teachings that molded her into the proud Medicine Cat she was today. Even then, Ebonyheart gladly took any extra knowledge that was tossed her way.

One could never learn enough.

"Tell me Sagepaw, do you happen to know the properties of Borage, or even what to look for?" Though she was practically jumping into the comfortable position of teaching, Ebonyheart was more of less personally curious to see if the young Treeclanner was knowledgeable to answer such ponderings. And of course, if she wasn't, then the Stoneclanner would have no problem aiding her until she was well rounded in the herb of choice.  

18 Moons StoneClan Medicine Cat Apprentice

KARAZHAL || Made by Fawn || 510 Words

[KARAZHAL]

She felt stupid jolting like that, but Sagepaw never could rein in her kitten-ish reactions. Even Acornpaw pouncing on her from behind caused her tail to poof out at full volume. Her ears bent back, for she was fully expecting Ebonyheart to call her a useless moron or loud mousebrain or any of the other choice words Falconstorm liked to use. Still, she remembered from her training with her sister and her mentor Minktoes that a warrior challenged any foreign cat out in the territories. Sagepaw's question was far gentler and friendlier than one she'd direct at a rogue or unfamiliar warrior.

"Oooh, we do? That's cool!" Sagepaw said brightly. "Falconstorm's never run out. I guess I take it for granted." She wondered about what kind of plants were rare enough that required Falconstorm to journey all the way to the far reaches of other clans' territories just to get it.

Despite Ebonyheart's sharp tone, Sagepaw beamed at her question because she knew the answer. "Yes, I know, but my sister's mentor told me we have to ask every cat what they're doing if they're on our territory. It's part of a proper patrol propo--protocol!" She stumbled over the tongue twister but still gave Ebonyheart a hopeful look, desperate for praise never given at home. The black she-cat's question, however, caused her sunny expression to cloud up. "...even what to look for?" Sagepaw's tail curled around her paws and she shrank, wilting like a plucked flower. Oh.... 'Do I even know what to look for?' Might as well tag on 'you useless loudmouth' too... Ebonyheart hadn't been condescending, but Sagepaw had misinterpreted it as such, too used to Falconstorm talking down to her for her lack of abilities.

She knew the answer. She knew what borage was and what it looked like, how it had the furry leaves and pretty tiny flowers that always got caught in Acornpaw's belly fur, but a big lump formed in her throat, metastisizing anxiety to the tip of her poofy tail. Without looking Ebonyheart in the eye, she said, "...... Yes. I know. I was... here to get some too. Um, I'll just get it and go. Sorry for annoying you." Lowering herself submissively, she moved to slink away.

Ghost the Undead Goddess

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Ebonyheart,

Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams

"Sagepaw."

The fluffy black she-cat's tone was stern but not harsh by any means as she called to the young apprentice that seemed to be attempting to scurry away in shame as she pressed herself low to the ground. Such a submissive measure, the possibility of what caused actions in such a youngster was a curiosity that swam within the older healer's head. 

Unreadable, pale green hues stared down at the young Somali as the Stoneclanner studied her closely. The way her ears laid back, her tail was twitching and her fur seemed to prick ever so slightly as if she were waiting for some harsh snap of Ebonyheart's tongue. The fluffy nub of a tail that the healer had twitched slightly before she parted her jaws once more. 

"You should be more confident in yourself." Her voice fell in a more gentle tone this time, though the emotion still had yet to reach her well worked poker face. "And you should learn to stand up for yourself, no healer should be okay with being padded over." Finally a small smirk touched Ebonyheart's lips for just a brief second. 

"If anything, remember that you are a Molly that deserves respect, even if you are an apprentice." She added after a moment, the words of her mother constantly echoing through the rather diplomatic healer's head. The black feline had come from an aristocratic family line, it was practically ingrained within her to be such. 

"Now, as for our Borage situation." Ebonyheart returned to that naturalized sharp tone of hers as she padded closer to Sagepaw. Her lengthy coat brushed against the young Treeclanner in a moment of reassurance as she passed by. "My duty as an older Medicine Cat is to aid the younger ones. I was trained by more than just my mentor." 

It was fond memories that Ebonyheart had, learning from Sandblaze within the comforting den of their own clan. Taking a lesson from Faconstorm after she had left camp without any warrior protection during her apprentice moons Even Skyteller of the Tribe told her about some of his particular practices with herbs and seeds. Knowledge was important, and it was better to learn from as many cats as possible.

''I did not mean to make you feel inept." Ebonyheart glanced over a broad shoulder to view Sagepaw. "I was merely curious if you held the proper information." Giving a small dip of her head out of respect, the larger of the two she-cats waited to let Sagepaw take the lead within her own territory towards where the Borage was hiding about. 

18 Moons StoneClan Medicine Cat Apprentice

KARAZHAL || Made by Fawn || 454 Words

[KARAZHAL]

The sound of her name caused Sagepaw's fluffy ears to bend down. Her tail swept around her legs, almost hugging herself, creating a shield between herself and whatever shortcomings she possessed. Sagepaw's whiskers twitched. I am! she wanted to protest. I did! But what does that earn her? No respect from Falconstorm, just a cuff and a snappy reminder that her attitude wasn't warranted. It was like he was always right, and she always wrong. Ebonyheart didn't understand. Just because she said Sagepaw deserved respect didn't mean she got it. As far as Falconstorm was concerned, he didn't want or need a scruffy apprentice getting underfoot while he worked.

"I suppose so," Sagepaw sighed, just to fill the silence that had sprouted up afterward. All she could do was learn all her herbs and the aid techniques to the best of her ability. Even grumpy Falconstorm couldn't deny her abilities if she became the best medicine cat in the valley. As Ebonyheart mentioned she'd been trained by the other cats, Sagepaw's golden eyes went round. Her smile returned as the big furry she-cat brushed up against her, and quickly, Sagepaw returned to her usual bouncy self, prancing after the StoneClanner.

"Really?" she asked. "That's the way to be the best, right? Hey, how come we didn't see a Tribescat at the medicine cat gathering? Don't they have someone to dream with StarClan?" Sagepaw's underlying thought was if she could learn from all five present at the last meeting, and she recalled never seeing one of those mountain foreigners. Their mysteriousness made them all the more alluring; Sagepaw wondered what kind of techniques they had.

Ghost the Undead Goddess sorry i took so long to reply to this