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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2014 3:42:06 GMT
( WORDS ) 421 ( TAGGED ) open ( MUSE ) Good Beyond the horizon, the sun began to make a slow decent downwards, dipping beneath the distanced ground. A small shape padded into the entrance of the WindClan camp, the dying light causing the blue tint of hid grey fur to stand out. His eyes skirted around and he could feel unease starting to flow through his body. For a split moment his gaze rested on the apprentice's den, his thoughts immediately jumping to Brackenpaw and wondering where the tom was. The only solace that the small apprentice could grunge up was that even if his brother was around, the tom wouldn't dare pick on him too badly in the middle of the camp. Taking a deep breath, he was reminded that he was holding a small rabbit in his mouth as the scent flooded his sensory gate. His mind was jumpy, but lack of sleep he's found could do that to a cat. Bluepaw thought back to the last time he had allowed himself to sleep even for the briefest of moments and realized it had been a good day and a half since he'd relaxed enough to call the moment 'sleep'.
Shaking his head and pushing the thoughts of his nightmares aside, the tom padded to the fresh-kill pile, dropping the prey there, and then headed over to the one place that he could feel at ease.
The den which belonged to the medicine cat loomed ahead of him and after taking a deep breath and giving his head a slight shake to clear it of some drowsiness, he pushed his way inside and as he did he was bombarded by the smells that as a kit he learned to savor.
He thought about the time he spent in here wit the medicine cat helping out as much as he could. He thought about how he never did have much interest in training to be a warrior and rather all his interests seemed to lie in figuring out what herbs were which and what they did. He enjoyed helping others feel better for he could never make himself feel better. His eyes slid shut as he took a moment to take in all the scents, for even the worst of the smells still did something to soothe his beating heart.
After a few moments, the tom opened his eyes again and called out, "Larchfrost? Are you here?" As he waited for an answer, he padded over to where some of the herbs were gathered and sat there, looking them over. Beep Bop Boop |
MADE BY VEL OF GS |
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Post by LARCHFROST on May 26, 2014 4:58:10 GMT
 WORDS: 1013 | TAGGED: @blueheart | NOTES: hahaha, larch is such a grouch!
The day had been a long one, like most every one he'd lived through since becoming a medicine cat's apprentice and eventually the soul medic of WindClan. Larchfrost was busied with foolish apprentices who'd somehow wound up with a thorn in their paw or some injury of some sort doing some feather-brained thing or another. Honestly, all the idiotic cats that surrounded the gray tom exasperated him. Did they have no sense, or did they just forget what stitch of it they possessed in their dens each morning? The answer to such a question was something Larchfrost would have loved to know.
Just an hour ago, with Pebblepaw up his arse per usual, the medicine cat had wasted a good paw full of cobwebs on some twit who'd thought it a wonderful idea to try and climb one of the few trees in WindClan territory. They'd not taken notice of how flimsy the limb they'd crawled no doubt unceremoniously onto and came tumbling down with it when it snapped. This had resulted in many splinters and scraps all over the bird-brained little idiot's face, shoulder, and side. Of course he'd not only had to listen to their sniveling, but their howling complaints that the herbs "stung and made their eyes water". And then, Pebblepaw thought it wise to butt in with the suggestion to be gentler in his application of the medicine. Larchfrost ended up tossing them both out quite literally, growling for them not to return with any further injuries or inquiries or else he'd give them a true reason for medical attention.
Huffing with frustration and trying to keep his pelt from fluffing ridiculously over such trivial matters, the tom had stalked to the elder's den to visit his mother, Lilacbreeze, chamomile and poppy seeds in tow. The poor elderly she-cat had been aching at the joints lately and that resulted in her being unable to sleep as well as she usually did. He was quite relieved to see the pale gray pelt of his mother and her bright green eyes so full of life. Old age had made her form wither from graceful to frail, but her spirit hadn't deflated at all. Actually, it was rather safe to say it'd grown fiercer. She often spoke of living into her hundreds and keeping his wretched father waiting as long as possible in StarClan just to irk him. Larchfrost honestly felt he deserved it, especially after the strain he'd put the whole of their family into.
"Still alive and kicking, I see. I'd be careful though, those joints of yours are weakening so much, they just may give out on you all together. After all, you are quite....aged, mother."
After a good hour or two of calming banter and stories, mostly on Lilacbreeze's part, Larchfrost finally took his leave, saying he'd best return to his store in case any curious kits or apprentices tried to paw something dangerous out because of stupid curiosity. He'd done it a few times as a young one and gotten a harsh scolding from both Lionstride and his parents for it. The memories made the silvery tabby shake his head a snort. Those were the days before he'd come to despise his father. Back then he'd respected him even. It was also a time when Stonestrike and he had been pretty close. All of that had ended far too quickly because of his asthma and his father's pig-headed opinions.
As he entered his den once more, the tom narrowed his eyes at a smaller blue figure seated in front of his herb store. From the scent, it was a young tom named Bluepaw. Larchfrost remembered the young apprentice from the time he'd spent caring for his mother during his kithood not too long ago. Bluepaw had showed blatant interest in the field of herbs rather than fighting and hunting. The medicine cat had always wondered why the other tom hadn't ever really mentioned becoming his apprentice. Larchfrost wasn't getting any younger and would soon need to take on someone so he could pass on his knowledge. To him, it didn't matter which fluff-brained child it was, so long as he could mold them into a suitable heir.
Coming up behind the blue apprentice, Larchfrost sat beside him with a frown on his face. It was a stern expression and pointed directly at the other tom. Irritation and exasperation had settled in his mint green gaze long ago, and it didn't dissipate at all in this moment; it rarely ever did.
"I don't recall you ever becoming my student, Bluepaw, so what in the Dark Forest are you doing in my den, checking on my store? You do not seem injured or ill, and as I've told all you children several times, my herbs are not to be touched or bothered unless I expressly instruct you to do so."
He paused, taking a better look at the tom. His eyes roved over the small cat's body with the look of a professional. Nothing appeared to be wrong with him. However, once Larchfrost looked into his fire-colored eyes, it was apparent immediately that something was in fact the matter. Bluepaw look exhausted. It wasn't the type of weariness that came from a day's hard work though. No, it seemed as if he hadn't slept in a good few days. This made the medicine cat's frown intensify, eyes taking on a new level of icy agitation.
"Oh, of all the foolish...! Bluepaw, exhausting yourself is quite unhealthy and dangerous. If you were to lose consciousness during a border skirmish or when faced with a predator set on killing you, your life would end rather quickly. In Clan life, you need to be aware at all times, and that means sleeping a healthy amount of hours a night. Now, what is it that keeps you from sleeping? I highly doubt someone as young as you isn't completely worn out after a day full of training, patrols, and chores...along with StarClan knows what else you young ones do these days."
LARCHFROST You left me here like a chalk outline |
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2014 16:43:21 GMT
( WORDS ) 759 ( TAGGED ) LARCHFROST ( MUSE ) Great The young apprentice had been absorbed in his thoughts that he wasn't paying attention to the signs that another feline was entering the den until the all too familiar tone of a grumpy old tom reached his ears. He smiled, thinking about all the times that he overheard apprentices talk about the aging medicine cat when he wasn't around. Bluepaw knew that there were plenty of apprentices that got annoyed by the tom's gruff tone, but over the time that Bluepaw had spent with him, he found a comfort hidden in Larchfrost's voice. Plus, he was amused when he heard his brother, Thornpaw, talk about the tom. After all, Thornpaw was the problem child of the four of them as he liked to be somewhat of a trickster and as such tended to get injured a little more than the others. The only time Bluepaw truly got hurt was when Brackenpaw messed with him and with those moments, he kept it to himself, doing what he could to hide the worst of it before returning to camp. He knew like many other things that he should probably tell someone, but he knew his brother. Ratting him out would only make things worse.
"Last time I checked," he mewed in response to Larchfrost, "I wasn't touching anything and the herbs haven't mentioned me bothering them, so I think I'm quite safe." He could feel an edge of his mouth twisting upwards into a slight smile. Normally he wouldn't talk back to a feline older than him in such a way, but he began to learn there was no reason to let Larchfrost's grumpiness win out. He needed a little challenge. Bluepaw found himself, at that moment though, thinking about what Larchfrost had said first: "I don't recall you ever becoming my student...." Bluepaw's eyes stayed trained on the herbs for a moment before gazing around at the rest of the den. He wondered if perhaps he should have asked Larchfrost moons ago about the possibility of being his apprentice. He had always assumed that the medicine cat would have approached him if the older tom thought he was capable of doing the job. Perhaps....
But just as he was about to open his mouth to perhaps say something, he heard Larchfrost as he began to speak again. "Now, what is it that keeps you from sleeping?" The question flowed through his mind, awakening him to remembering that he was tired. He sometimes forgot about to even acknowledge the full truth. He opened his mouth to respond, but a yawn slipped out and he shook his head. He wondered hoe many times he yawned without realizing it, how many times they just slipped out unwelcome and unneeded. As for the question itself, he had learned to skirt around it, though the felines that knew him the best could see right through his attempts to keep the truth buried deep within him. He knew that Greypaw was starting to see through his facade and he guessed that Larchfrost might be one of those felines as well. After all, when the nightmares started, Bluepaw used the medicine cat and doing what he could around here as an excuse to keep busy, to help forget bout the weariness that flowed through his bones. But he much rather preferred this drowsiness to the fear that haunted him as soon as his eyes slipped shut. The darkness he could never remember, but the darkness he knew wanted to kill him.
But, as usual, instead of speaking the truth, he merely mewed, "There's so much to do, Larchfrost. Between hunting, training, helping those around the camp...." he trailed off, thinking about the small rabbit he had caught earlier that day and chuckled to himself. Who was he fooling, really? He sucked at everything except perhaps helping out the elders or those around the camp. He was beat every time he tried to fight and he knew that even if he had the full amount of sleep he needed, he'd most likely still be killed in his first battle and he could only hunt the weakest, stupidest rabbits out there. Shaking his head, he knew that this was the very reason why Brackenpaw was so hard on him: he really was an embarrassment in every way. "Really," he tried to tack on, remembering what he was saying just moments before, "there is just so much to do and not enough time to do it." The young tom looked down at his paws, avoiding looking at the medicine cat. <3 |
MADE BY VEL OF GS |
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Post by LARCHFROST on May 26, 2014 17:40:59 GMT
WORDS: 815 | TAGGED: @blueheart | NOTES: wow, he got flustered. o-o'
It was rare that cats, even those older than himself, snarked back at him. Usually, his gruff attitude was enough to have them shrink back or at least shut up. Bluepaw usually listened rather well, so it was quite honestly a surprise when he talked back. Larchfrost studied the other again, and upon seeing his maw stretch into an expression of humor, let out a soft sigh. He shook his head for the umpteenth time that day and lifted a paw before aiming a good cuff over the younger cat's head.
"Don't get smart with me, brat."
The sentence was riddled with bitterness and his usual irate emotion, but a look at his eyes would show a small flame of humor. Having just visited his mother, the tom supposed he was in a better mood than earlier, so he decided to cut the tired little apprentice some slack. No one had to know, of course. Larchfrost wasn't known as an even remotely soft cat, and he wasn't about to start acting all warm and fuzzy because one kid was being a little less of a gnat than the others.
His eyes had not failed him in all his moons, and were still as sharp as thorns. He'd taken note of that look Bluepaw had; like he'd wanted to say something, but decided not to. That look made the medicine cat uncomfortable. Larchfrost wasn't fond of leaving things unspoken. He was the type of tom that liked to keep everything known and open. Secrets or buried feelings led to outbursts and drama, which led to the aging cat feeling even more unsettled. Life had given him more than his fair share of crap to deal with, and he didn't need some emotionally frustrated apprentice adding to it. No, now that he was coming along in his age, Larchfrost only wanted peace, quiet, and his herbs. Maybe he'd even find some quite little scrap to teach one of these days, but he'd not get tangled in something ridiculous because of unspoken words and muted feelings. The thought sent a shiver of disgust through his body, and his voice turned sharp again.
"If you have something to say; a question or something on your mind, spit it out. No matter how intelligent I am, I cannot read minds, and I will not tolerate drama later over words left unspoken. So whatever you've kept from me that you were about to say better come out of that maw before I toss you out like I did earlier with Pebblepaw and what's-his-face."
Lashing his tail, Larchfrost cast a stern glare at Bluepaw. His spiel had been rather unceremonious, but he tended to panic when it came to deep emotions and possible confrontations with them. His brain went into overdrive and made him reel. Even now, when the threat of such a scene was merely a theory of his, the tom's heart was threatening to leap into his throat and strangle him. In an attempt to calm himself and his irrational fears, Larchfrost closed his eyes and breathed deeply. His frown had deepened even further and could now be classified as an intense scowl.
What am I, some juvenile fussing over whether he'll be screamed at by his one-night lover or not? These rotten apprentices have the worst effect on me...
Growling at his companion, Larchfrost let loose a vexed hiss. He was mumbling about how little time he had to sleep?! The medic laughed frostily and stood, stalking to his nest across the den. He batted at it, realizing the apprentices had neglected to freshen it with new moss, feathers, and bracken. It was the perfect pretense for a moment of escape from the odd cat in his presence, so he slunk toward the mouth of his den and glared out at the sunny camp in search for the small form of a trainee to command.
"Ridiculous! They can't even spare time from jesting around to freshen my nests...do they not know used nests are the most common cause for infection?! One of these days I'll have their mothers notified just how insolent they've been."
The medicine cat rumbled mostly to himself and narrowed his eyes at the figure of an approaching apprentice. With a simple gesture toward the inside of his den, he had the cat bounding toward him as quickly as possible and soon staring at him nervously, awaiting their orders.
"Clean out these nests your peers have neglected to freshen, and swiftly!", turning back to Bluepaw, now back to normal, Larchfrost continued. "And you, when they're finished, you will rest in one of them for the rest of the day. I'll have your mentor told that I've given you the day off and if I see you so much as a whisker out of my den, I'll have your pelt lining my nest by tomorrow evening."LARCHFROST You left me here like a chalk outline |
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2014 19:45:43 GMT
( WORDS ) 920 ( TAGGED ) LARCHFROST ( MUSE ) Great The gray tom made a quick glance in Larchfrost's direction and couldn't help but allow the amusement to color his orange gaze as he noticed that he had managed to throw the older tom off guard a bit and his small smile grew further. He watched as humor started to overtake the surprise on the tom's face and he flicked his tail, taking the moment in. It felt good to relax for a few moments without any worries. Bluepaw couldn't help but let out soft chuckle when he felt the medicine cat give him a swift cuff to the head.
"Don't get smart with me, brat."
The tom merely shook his head and grinned slightly as he turned his body uin order to fully face the older tom now, feeling as if the atmosphere between them had lifted slightly. He knew that for many felines, they got this feeling wit their siblings or even their friends, but there weren't very many felines that he truly talked t. Friends weren't common and his siblings were, well, they were different than he. His father was probably a tom that he could talk to, but Smokeclaw was busy between doing his warrior duties and checking on all four of them. Greypaw was more like the sister that made sure he was safe rather than the sibling he could talk with about anything and Brackenpaw and Thornpaw, well, they were them. There wasn't anyone he could truly just relax around.
When Larchfrost mentioned the fact that Bluepaw had stopped himself from speaking about something, the tom shook his head, the smile clearly present on his face. Sometimes he wondered how it was that a tom his age was still as quick as a rabbit when it came to catching the slightest things. He knew that the tom he spoke to now was a tom that wouldn't allow anything to be out of place and would catch even the smallest infringement. For a moment he wondered why it was that Larchfrost couldn't read minds - he seemed pretty dang close to being able to.
When the tom opened his mouth to speak again, he wondered how to phrase his words,. The only problem with lacking a lot of company was that words didn't always come easily to him, especially when it concerned something this important. He closed his moth for a second, taking the moment to gather his thoughts together through the fog that coated his mind. After he let out another small yawn, he gave it a go and mewed, "I was just wondering...if you were interested in getting an apprentice at all." He supposed that he could have gone on, saying how he never felt like being a warrior was what he wanted to be, that even though he knew he needed to learn the basics of fighting in order to help defend his life and the life of others, that he never felt like he could actually fight in a real battle as a warrior was expected to. He just couldn't see his claws being used to draw blood. And plus, even though his mentor had done their best by him this past moon, it just didn't feel right. He saw the way his siblings talked about their training with enthusiasm coating their words, but he just couldn't get there. Out there, he felt out of place.
So yes, perhaps he could have explained that to the medicine cat, made a point about why he really wanted to be Larchfrost's apprentice, why he thought he'd make a good one, but the truth is that Bluepaw had spent time with the older tom and so the older tom knew him better than a lot of other felines in the Clan. If the medicine cat wasn't interested in having an apprentice yet or didn't think Bluepaw was a good fit, then Bluepaw would respect his choice, either way. Even so, he hoped, and he kept his gaze pointed upwards to the other tom's.
His eyes drifted over to the nests when he started complaining about the lack of good help from the apprentices and he was just about to go over and help them when Larchfrost managed to flag down a different apprentice to do it. Bluepaw straightened upwards when the medicine cat rested his eyes ion him after giving the other apprentice orders. "And you, when they're finished, you will rest in one of them for the rest of the day." His eyes widened when he gazed back at the nest, fear clawing its way through his body and without realizing it, he shook his head. He didn't want to be rude or ungrateful, but id he was going to sleep, he couldn't do so in the camp. He just couldn't. He thought about all the nights that he had woken up when the moon was still high in the sky in a cold sweat, his mouth open in a silent yowl. Sometimes, especially in more recent times, those silent yowls weren't so silent.
"I-I...," he stammered, trying to think of something, anything, to say. Eventually he just looked down at his paws and said weakly, "If I promise to sleep tonight, can I do so elsewhere?" His tail wrapped itself around his small frame and his ears flattened against his head. He didn't want to disappoint Larchfrost, but he couldn't see how sleeping where others could see him wrestle with the demons he couldn't even remember the moment he woke up. poor bkluepaw. x] |
MADE BY VEL OF GS |
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Post by LARCHFROST on May 26, 2014 20:29:01 GMT
WORDS: 607 | TAGGED: @blueheart | NOTES: bloop~! :3
Larchfrost stared at Bluepaw. He'd told him what he'd been about to ask a moment ago without much a fight. That was good; however, it had made the older cat pause a long moment and visibly mull over it. An apprentice of his own? It seemed the subject had come up quite a lot recently, especially in his own musings, so why not? Why wouldn't he consider taking on someone he could train in his ways? The truth was, the medic just didn't like the idea. Having to dumb things down for some snot-nosed novice? Please, he was far above that. Having trained nearly thirty moons to perfect his knowledge in herbs in all ways, then thirty moons of exercising them freely without someone over his shoulder, he was far superior in the medical field than any of his fellow medicine cats. Aside from Pebblepaw no one had even taken to herbs in his seasons of treating the sick and injured. Well, aside from Bluepaw as well.
Would he make a suitable student? He isn't half as infuriating as others his age, and even had the guts to talk back to me...but is that enough?
Shaking his pelt of the uneasy prickling it had taken to doing, Larchfrost stared at Bluepaw for an even longer moment. His cool green eyes were calculating and thoughtful; unsubjective. The little feline hardly looked the part of a warrior; he doubted he was all that great at sparring or throwing his weight around. And with those StarClan awful sleeping patterns of his, he'd learn much slower than everyone else his age. Perhaps that was his ancestors' way of telling him Bluepaw was meant to be the one to pass on his vast knowledge. The silver tom couldn't be for sure just yet though. StarClan had a way of being quite clear in their decisions when it came to high-ranking positions in the Clans.
"Well...I've not gotten any signs that you were meant to be my apprentice...aside from your physique and sleeping habits...which tell me you'll make a rubbish warrior. But, I cannot name you my pupil until StarClan states their intentions concerning you clearly. So...as long as you keep up moderately well in your training and your mentor consents, I'll speak with Dawnstar about letting you sit in here and watch me tend to patients a few times a week. I'll question you on a few things you observe, of course, so stay sharp."
The tom's words were hesitant, and he gave his soft fur a few licks afterward to relieve the prickling that had started up again. Larchfrost glared icily at Bluepaw when he panicked about sleeping in the den. Abandoning his fur that had ceased its antics, the medicine cat padded closer to the apprentice. The nerves were practically dancing off the young scrap's hide, which made the older tom's brow arch questioningly.
"No, you must stay here. I'd like to keep you under observation so I can find out the reason you haven't been resting well. It troubles me to see this happening in such a young cat."
The other apprentice had finished cleaning up the nests and nodded respectfully to Larchfrost, asking shakily if there was anything else he needed. Shaking his head, the medic shooed the jittery feline out then gestured to the nest closest to his own. He looked expectantly at Bluepaw, obviously demanding he settle in the nest he specified that very moment.
"Since they are now all fresh, go ahead and lay down. You do not have to sleep just yet, but I do want you to relax."
LARCHFROST You left me here like a chalk outline |
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2014 22:51:04 GMT
( WORDS ) 750 ( TAGGED ) LARCHFROST ( MUSE ) Great The way the Larchfrost stood there, looking at Bluepaw as he pondered the question that Bluepaw had posed to him made Bluepaw a little nervous, but what had he been expecting? For Larchfrost to start jumping around with glee immediately? One, that image horrified Bluepaw more than simply waiting for answer did and two, he knew better than that. He always knew that there was a reason that Larchfrost had gone this long without an apprentice. There was a reason why apprentices were nervous around the tom. Even with those reason though, Bluepaw knew there was a chance. There needed to be someone. Larchfrost would be looking for something special and although Bluepaw couldn't see that something special in himself, it didn't hurt to ask. After all, he's already been given a warrior mentor had been training for a moon. It's not like he was a kit that was thinking there was a chance he'd never have to train as a warrior, that he could jump straight into the lifestyle of a medicine cat. Bluepaw knew life didn't work that way - that nothing was easy. If life was easy, their mother wouldn't have died from a disease when she was still young and they wouldn't have lost her when they were kits. Bluepaw wouldn't have been dealt a brother like Brackenpaw to deal with and he wouldn't have nightmares that made him weaker than he aught to be. No, life wasn't easy. If there was one thing that he learned over his short life, you dealt with whatever it was you were dealt and you did what you could to make it better.
Bluepaw perked up slightly when he heard Larchfrost speak and absorbed his words, nodding now and then as the words flowed up to him. For a first time in a while, Bluepaw felt a flicker of hope. He never thought that this would be easy, but at least he had a chance to prove himself, but he also wondered about something else. Larchfrost had a point, there had been no sign from their ancestors that he was meant to take up this lifestyle, but he supposed time would tell. There wasn't anything else that he could do other than go along with that plan an hope for the best and do what he could to prove himself capable of being what Larchfrost expected in an apprentice. Taking a deep breath, the tom nodded, smiled, and mewed, "Of course."
When the medicine cat insisted that he stay there in the den and sleep so that he could watch Bluepaw, the apprentice looked at the nest that was close to be freshened up, worried. Bluepaw had strong ideas that there what was going on with him wasn't a physical issue, but something mental. He wanted to object for he didn't think that there was anything he could do to help Bluepaw with an issue that resided fully in his mind, but what was it that Bluepaw knew, really? Larchfrost was much older than him and knew a lot. Maybe there was something that the other tom could do to help him. Besides, what could Bluepaw really do? If the medicine cat insisted, the fact was that there was nothing he could do but listen. Listen and prey that the dreams were not that bad tonight, but he knew that was a long shot.
"Since they are now all fresh, go ahead and lay down. You do not have to sleep just yet, but I do want you to relax."
Bluepaw looked nervously at the nest as the other apprentice scurried out of the den before looking back at Larchfrost and then back to nest. There was a part of his mind that begged him not to do it, but his entire body was begging him to do it. He could feel a fog drifting over his mind, becoming strong and already began to relax his body and mind at the very thought of sleep. He knew he needed it - staying up wasn't at all good for him, despite becoming accustomed to it over the past moons. His tail flickered back and forth and he padded slowly to the nest, his legs shaking - whether from tiredness or from nerves, he wasn't sure. But, with one last hesitant look, he lay down on the nest, took a deep breath, laid his head on his paws, curled his tail around him, and tried to force his body to relax. <3 |
MADE BY VEL OF GS |
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Post by LARCHFROST on May 26, 2014 23:31:44 GMT
WORDS: 525 | TAGGED: @blueheart | NOTES: terrible post, sorry. >.<
Now that the pesky problem of unsettled feelings in the air was settled, Larchfrost felt much better. He was pleased to see Bluepaw obey him and curl up in the nest he'd motioned to. The way the deep gray cat's legs trembled did not go unnoticed, and the tom figured it was from exhaustion. It then occurred to him that perhaps he should give the apprentice herbs to calm down and sleep deeper. It'd make his slumber deeper and more rejuvenating for sure. So, the silver tabby pawed through his stores deftly and pulled out some chamomile and a few poppy seeds. He set them gently in front of Bluepaw.
"Eat those, they'll help you sleep...and if this is psychological, it'll soothe your mind as well."
Larchfrost also set aside some ragweed for when the apprentice woke up; it would give him more strength and energy. After he'd finished with that, the medic had turned around only to be faced with a limping warrior. A scowl replaced his once relaxed, focused expression. Slinking over, he roughly shoved the warrior into a sitting position, glaring at them when they opened their jaws to protest.
"What's happened now, Cottonflower?"
The fluffy white she-cat let out a sigh and went on to explain how she had been joking with her elder brother, Slushfang when she'd slipped and cut her shoulder open. Examining her shoulder, he did notice a rather nasty cut leaking blood into her pristine coat. Telling her to clean the wound, Larchfrost slipped back to his store and grabbed dock, marigold, and willow bark, assembling it into a poultice and smoothing them over with cobwebs. All the while, the tom grumbled, green eyes boring into Cottonflower's. She winced and bit back complaints as best she could, because the moment she uttered any cry, he'd hiss for her to stop behaving like a kit.
"I used dock and willow bark to sooth the pain, and marigold to stop any infections and get the bleeding to slow. Of course the cobwebs are to keep everything clean and together since warriors tend to rough house just as idiotically as apprentices."
His explanation was expressly for Bluepaw, but the silver medic didn't turn toward him at all; he was too busy wrapping the cobweb to Cottonflower's shoulder and making sure it'd stay on. The tom had considered rubbing honey in as an adhesive, and just to make the foolish warrior look even worse, but that would only mean him having to clean up an infection. That would waster herbs, his time, and his patience. So, Larchfrost simply finished his treatment and turned away from his patient with a tired sigh.
"Tell your brother I'll make the both of you accompany me on a little herbal hunting trip if you waste my herbs on foolish games again."
Cottonflower nodded and scurried out as quickly as possible without making her shoulder worse. When she'd left, Larchfrost padded over to his nest and settled down in it, casting a glance at Bluepaw.
"A little nap never hurt any cat; I think I'll accompany you. It's been far too long of a day."
LARCHFROST You left me here like a chalk outline |
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2014 3:43:54 GMT
( WORDS ) 1459 ( TAGGED ) LARCHFROST ( MUSE ) Great Tingles seemed to floe through him, causing him to be on edge, even as he willed the drowsiness that consumed the corners of his mind to take over. The only issue was that at this point, he'd gotten too good at trying to keep it away. If it didn't force itself on him, he had troubles dragging it out of the hole he put it in. Well, or at least that's what he thought. He wondered if it also had something to do with the fact that even if he did want to allow it to, there would always be part of him that begged it to stay away, that pushed and pushed it away until it could no longer stop the tides of the ocean.
His head rose as he heard Larchfrost's voice and watched as the tom put some herbs down beside him, explaining what they were for. He recognized poppy seeds immediately, though if he had been told what the other ones were called before, it was slipping his mind at that moment. But, as it were he did his best to keep track of the scents in his mind in order to try and pinpoint them at a later date.
When he herd the other tom speak again, this time to another feline altogether, Bluepaw came to the realization that he had been staring at the herbs for quite a bit of time. The gray tom's head swiveled to look over his shoulder at the she-cat as she spoke to Larchfrost and explained to him what had happened to land her here in the den. His gaze followed the medicine cat as the large, fluffy shape went to grab a few herbs and Bluepaw tried to figure out if he already knew what they were. He smiled as he thought about how even when he was out hunting, when he came across a plant he thought he might knew, he tried to dig up the name and the use. He may not have been trained to be a medicine cat, but he sure did have the instincts of one. The thought made him shake his head as he let out a sigh, turning to look back at the herbs that Larchfrost had instructed him to eat.
And just as he was about to, he herd the tom speak again, this time explaining the herbs used and why they were used. Bluepaw took the knowledge and immediately stored it into his mind, tucking it someplace where it would be safe and hopefully rather accessible. Dock and will to soothe pain. Marigold for infection and to slow bleeding. And cobwebs, well, that should already be stored back there, but the young tom couldn't help but grin at the medicine cat's jib concerning warriors. Bluepaw took one more glance towards the two felines and watched as Larchfrost finished applying the cobwebs, intrigued.
As soon as he noticed the warrior scurrying away, Bluepaw turned his gaze back at the herbs and when he knew that Larchfrost was approaching him, he took one last deep breath and ate the herbs that the medicine cat had given to him. "...if this is psychological, it'll soothe your mind as well," he remembered Larchfrost telling him and he had no doubt that the tom was right. He could use a good night sleep, but the thing that worried him was that it would work. After all, if he did sleep soundly with the help of the herbs, would that mean that he would only be able to sleep with their help? Part of him hoped that he would still get the nightmares, that he could say that there was nothing out there that would help him, but that possibility scared him just as much as the former.
Bluepaw nodded as Larchfrost laid down in a nest beside him, but the world was already starting to become hazy and his eyes were already beginning to droop shut. He let out one long yawn before his head moved downwards to rest between his paws and his eyes closed safely shut. Darkness swarmed through his mind and he was dragged down into a world the sleep.
Darkness rested all around him - it surrounded him. He could feel it tightening around him, but for the first time in a long time, the apprentice didn't feel threatened by the darkness, by the shadows that he could feel wishing to consume him. Feeling a desire burning inside him to move forward, the tom took a step forward, pushing his way through, urging his body to remain control of the calm that he held. The more steps he took, the more the shadows began to dissolve into themselves. In front of him, an image began to form, one that he often refused to think about for he always believed it to do more harm then good.
It was an image of a day when he was a kit where his father had taken the four of them to the medicine cat's den. It was the first time that Bluepaw remembered entering the den that smelled like herbs. But on this day, those sweet and bitter scents were not the only ones that rose in the air. There was also an undercurrent of death and sickness as a she-cat, only twenty-one moons of age, rested in the back of the den, barely breathing. Bluekit was behind his siblings, peeking around Greykit as he tried to look towards where he knew his mother lay, trying to get a look at her. "She's not doing well," he heard their father say. "Larchfrost says there is nothing more that he can do. It's up in StarClan's hands now what happens to her. I just thought you kits might want to say your good-byes. Just in case." They were only three moons old, barely old enough to understand exactly what was going on. All they understood, or at least all Bluekit understood, was that StarClan was made up of felines that couldn't talk freely to the living. If his mother left to join that Clan, then they'd never get to see her again.
"She can't leave us," he mewed softly, though no-one seemed to hear him. He watched as one-by-one, his siblings went up to give their mother one lat good-bye. She hadn't been sick for long, but apparently it had been long enough. When it was time for Bluekit to approach her, he shook his head. He didn't want her to go, didn't want to see her leave them. "Please don't go," he begged her, but he could see the life draining from her eyes. The corners of the kit's eyes were quickly stained with tears as he took a few steps back and rejoined his family. He looked at each one of them, taking note of what they looked like in their innocence, but in that moment, Bluepaw realized each of them changed in their own way. He looked into Brackenkit's eyes and saw them starting to break, that the innocence in him was tearing itself away and that he saw this as a moment he'd keep as a reminder of what weakness was. Thornkit's innocence was strengthened, wanting to keep whatever instance of love he could gain. Greykit, well, she saw innocence as something to protect for as long as she could. And when Bluepaw looked at himself, gazing as deep as he could, he saw that the innocence inside of him was something that he was meant to lock away from and forget about. It was something that would haunt him, just as he knew this moment would - the moment everything changed.
With a start, the apprentice's eyes burst open and he could feel himself breathing hard, a cold sweat had broken out. But this time was different then the others. Not only did he remember the darkness, but he remembered the nightmare that had plagued him since the moment of his mother's death. Or at least, what he thought had been a nightmare. Instead, he realized at that moment, it had been a memory. Something he had forced himself to forget, but something he needed to remember. He could feel his body shaking, but even as it did from fear, he felt no fear this time through his mind. It was almost like his body was going through the motions that it was use to, but his mind was no longer able to comply. For the first time in a while, he felt a peace flood through him. He pondered on that, wondering if now that he knew, if he could stop himself from fearing it all, but part of him doubted it, but only time would tell. Well, that was a fun post. :3 |
MADE BY VEL OF GS |
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