|
|
Post by Shad on Nov 9, 2015 6:31:21 GMT
The black and white shecat padded into the Nursery as dusk settled over the grounds. She was a creature much changed from the gangly mess of ragged fur and burning eyes that had prowled the Medicine Den as of late. Ravenface was a very vain cat, in her own way, and her coat had always been a thing of beauty. Now that the sickness had ended and grooming could resume, in the span of hardly more than a day, the shecat's pelt had gone from a complete trainwreck to near perfect. The 'near' was only due to the fur's lack of shine, mind you. There was nothing to be done about that. Going over a month without eating, sleeping, or grooming properly and your fur would take time to heal too. Perhaps the only thing about the shecat that remained the same now that the pandemic had ended, was her eyes. Those pale blue eyes were watery and weary. It would take the shecat time to rebuild her inner fire after so much rain, but this was Raven. She could do it. She could do anything, because if she didn't, no one else would. "Hey scraps," the shecat greeted the kits. "Flickerkit says hello." That was a lie. Flickerkit had been moved back to the Medicine Den during the last week of the sickness after she tried to walk across the den and back, pushing her body too far and beginning to hyperventilate. Oh, and hadn't that been fun to deal with? Not. Since then she had not talked much. A little to Dawnkit once or twice -but now Dawnkit was not talking either! It was unnerving for the Healer, but she could do little about it. As she had said many times before, she only healed bodies. Minds she left up to friends and family because Stars knew she was not an expert in that category. Excuse me?!
What?
I've saved your tail more than once you ungrateful, uncouth bundle of plants.
Is that really the best insult you can come up with?
I am a lady! I have no need of insults -although you do require exception. Often.
My point still stands. I don't exactly have the most stable mind in the clan.Well if you would just let me-Raven mentally smacked the tendrils of thoughts away. Hey! she snapped. You stay in your corner and I'll stay in mine. When I want a fur-consultation I'll let you know.Mmmmmm, her voice purred dreamily. It does look beautiful doesn't it?
Do you have any idea how much sleep I could have already caught up on if not for you? That took all of day and night! It was dawn before you let me finish!
Oh but isn't it worth it, darling? Such beauty and grace we can once again brandish. No longer crude and filthy as a mongrel in the city sewers as these past weeks have reduced us to.With this, Ravenface dropped the line of thought cold. The past weeks... were still too raw. Too fresh. She could not think about them. Not yet at least. "Starlingfur," the Medicine Cat mewed sweetly, drawing back to the present. "You'll be moving back to the Leader's Den soon enough as I understand it. Would you care to walk with me? It might be nice to have a friend help air the place out a bit."Ahhhhhhhh yes. Just like climbing a tree. One never forgets.The ladylike consciousness flexed and stretched, reusing muscles that had been buried under the onslaught of the plague. The Lady only existed to serve Raven, a luxurious shell meant to keep the more vulnerable inner Healer safe from the cruelties of the world. While the plague had been raging, this shell had been all but smothered, the Healer refusing to leave her patients for even a moment. Now the crisis was over and the shell wiggled and slipped itself back into place like a cat settling into a nest after a long day. In the background of her mind, Raven rolled her eyes. |
|
|
A flaming sword of burning righteousness and also fire!
|
|
|
Post by ♏aple♢ on Nov 10, 2015 10:33:51 GMT
"Ma, Ravenface's here."
"If Mama won't wake up, I'll walk with you Ravenface."
"Oh no you won't. She's real tired, hold on a sec ma'am."
Why were the clouds talking. Starlingfur shifted her paws in the grass. It was warm. Green and glittering, emerald like she'd never seen. The height of Green-Leaf. The sun rested heavy on her back, a gentle breeze whistled through her ears, and- yes. The clouds were still talking. Starlingfur squinted. On a day such as this, clouds should not be talking. They had only ought to speak during storms, and the once every other new moon. Really, it was...
Something was touching her eyes.
Jerking in surprise, Starlingfur felt a pressure fall that she hadn't even realized was there. And then her eyes opened. Very heavily. Oh. She was in the nursery. The leader's head spun. What... Through the haze of sleep, she could see a little gray and white body in front of her. Shrikekit. And once her eyes focused, she could see him smiling. "She's 'wake miss Ravenface."
Ravenface...? Starlingfur looked up. More faces. Tabby and silver, one short and one tall. Hawkkit, and.. Ravenface, yes. Starlingfur swallowed, trying to blink the sleep away as best she could. But she was tired. Starclan, every hair on her pelt felt tired. Coat messy and ungroomed from both sleep and the ban placed on cleaing oneself. Slowly, the leader was brought back to the real world. Yes.. she was in the nursery. In Cedarclan's camp. And.. Ravenface was here. With a yawn, Starlingfur pulled herself into a sitting position. And promptly shivered at the draft presented to her stomach. It was getting so cold...
"Hello Ravenface." she meowed drowzily, eyes slowly adjusting. She looked... well. Starlingfur blinked, golden eyes trailing over the medicine cat's pristinely groomed silver fur. Hers in comparison must look like.. a pile of fieldgrass. In sleep's delirium, Starlingfur nearly snorted at the idea. She had never cared about appearances anyways. She could feel the matts in her pelt. She hadn't yet cared to remove them. But the sickness, along with the preparation for Leaf-Bare... had taken its toll on everyone. Was taking its toll on everyone. Memory hit her like a wave as she shifted into a wakeful state. And immediately, she was overwash with grief.
Seeing Ravenface was a reminder. How she'd come to wake her, the day that.... Starclan. She still remembered how brightly those little golden eyes had glowed the day she'd been made an apprentice. The exhaustion that had lit them, coming home day after day training with Bluefang. The love as she watched her younger siblings. First Cicadakit, Mothkit, and Waspkit. And then the younger. The pure, unbridled affection as she'd watched Blackstar. And that defiace, lit by a flame in her heart that was now.. extinguished. Starlingfur.. couldn't bare the memories. She'd left camp. She'd wept. And she'd returned. But with each morning she was reminded anew. Ravenface was here, now. Raven, raven, raven. Emotion burned through her eyes like that same flame. Too hot, too quick, and then, gone.
Neutrality returned to the queen's face as she looked up at her medicine cat. She... had.... tried. And now... the sickness.. was gone. Starlingfur wished that she could say that she couldn't have been more grateful. She was grateful. She- pushed the thoughts down. For now. As always. Drawing herself into a sitting position, Starlingfur blinked slowly.
"I will." Starlingfur nodded. She... would not be a mother for much longer. No- she always would be. But within two moons.. her kits would be leaving the nursery, and Starlingfur would be returning to her duties as leader full time. No- returning.. might not be the most accurate term. Rather, she would be accepting them truly for the first time. She had created this clan as a queen. But soon, she would be leading it as.. a warrior. It was... Starclan, introspective as she was, Starlingfur just didn't have the energy to think about all of these things right now. She was too tired. Physically, emotionally, mentally. Just tired. And for all Ravenface's slick coat, Starlingfur doubted that it would be a far stone to throw to assume that she was just as so.
A walk. Starlingfur hesitated. Now that she was awake, responsabilities ran through her mind. She had patrols to set up. Apprentices to oversee training for. Dens to patch. Prey skinning lessons to attend. Kits to rear. She- right. Tired. Too exhausted, brain overloading. Bramblenose was right. She needed to take a break, and now, of all times.. would be good. "It would be.. Nice, to get back out into the forest, yes." The she-cat rose to her paws. Her joints were stiff.
"Can I come? I want to see the forest too!"
"Kits aren't allowed outside of camp."
Starlingfur looked down at Hawkkit and Shrikekit, shaking her head with a small smile. Ternkit still lay sleeping, but the kit began to blink drowsily at the noise. Her eyes may have been tired, but they warmed at the sight of her kits. Her family. Her family, with one missing. No- enough. "I'm afraid the three of you will have to stay. Perhaps one of the apprentices would be willing to teach you a move instead?" oh yes, that got their attention. The three were out of the nursery quicker than a hare from its hole, and Starlingfur watched them with a tired warmth to her eyes. They were getting so big. Yes... she would be leaving the nursery soon. She needed.. to spend as much time as she could with them, while they were still small. But for now.. She turned to Ravenface. "So eager..." She shook her head.
"Shall we be off?" |
|
|
|
Post by Shad on Nov 10, 2015 15:54:45 GMT
The silver shecat smiled warmly at the kits as she watched them run off, scampering across the camp like adorable little Warriors already. Argh. Bleh! Barf!
Too much?
Holy Holly Yes! Tone it down a notch. -Or ten. Even if the rest of the world has to deal with you, doesn't mean I have to.
You made me.
Yeah, well, tone it down before I unmake you, got it?
Hmph.
"They'll be grown and out of the Nursery soon," the shecat mewed thoughtfully. "Are you looking forward to returning to your old duties?"The two had started walking now, their paws sliding over the territory with a worn familiarity. Starlingfur had known this land far longer than Ravenface, but the Medicine Cat had combed over every inch in the past moons, finding every nook and cranny that might possibly hold the golden herbs she needed to cure the raging sickness. Ravenface easily pulled back on her steps ever so slightly to allow Starlingfur to take the lead. It was not a natural motion for the fiercely independent shecat, but a calculated one. Letting the leader lead and choose where their path took them tonight would ease her mind, even if she did not realize it. It was a not a leader attribute, but simply one all cats possessed, even the most meek. They would drift to familiar places even without thinking, places that brought them comfort, and comfort was something the Medicine Cat knew her leader would require copious amounts of before the night was out. "I don't think Flickerkit will take her siblings being apprenticed while she is left behind very well," the shecat commented sadly. |
|
|
A flaming sword of burning righteousness and also fire!
|
|
|
Post by ♏aple♢ on Nov 10, 2015 20:23:15 GMT
"They will. In two moons time, they'll be apprenticed."
The warmth of the nursery was behind them, now. Out into the forest's chill. Tabby fur fluffed absentmindedly, though it did little for her size. After the weaning of her kits, her weight had shrunken considerably. Starlingfur nearly resembled her warrior self now- mess-furred and thin-bodied. Not quite there yet, but nearly. She hadn't taken the time to look into any pools lately. But now, as they moved through the wood, Starlingfur wondered if a good grooming might help her keep a bit warmer.
The walking did, certainly. Getting the blood flowing. Starlingfur almost wanted to run. As if she could outrun the cold itself. But this was good enough. It had been... a time. Since she'd been able to leave the camp. The scents of the forest around her once more felt good. The feel of frost-bitten leaves crunching beneath her paws. Starlingfur took a deep breath, allowing the cold wind to cleanse her lungs. Better.
"It will not be returning to my old duties, so much as finally beginning them." the she-cat meowed thoughtfully, looking around the forest. It put her at ease to walk the wood again, cold as it may be. Her home. But- her duties. Ravenface had joined the clan after it had been formed. She.. likely wouldn't have known. "I was already carrying while Cedarclan was being formed. A queen when taking leadership. It will be.. a change of pace, to assume my position fully. But a welcome one." She nodded, copper eyes distant. Going on patrols again. Checking the borders herself, and taking more direct control over the parts of the clan what had been left to her deputy and senior warriors. Leaving the nursery, taking up her den in the cliffside. Alone, most likely. Starlingfur couldn't remember the last time she'd slept alone. Clan life.. made it odd, for a cat. It would be even odder to be the one giving her kits their mentors. Their names.
All but one.
Starlingfur shook her head, eyes lowered. "No- I doubt she will." she sighed. Flickerkit.. Starlingfur wanted so badly to give her her name alongside her siblings. As did her siblings. Shrikekit asked often whether she would be becoming an apprentice. Whether she was well enough yet. And Starlingfur.. never knew how to respond. She had always- always fought. First for Dapplefall, and then for Fogface. Cats couldn't help what fates befell them. They deserved just as much of a chance as their peers. And in Flickerkit's case.. Perhaps selfishly, Starlingfur wished that chance on her twiceso. But if wishes were prey, cats would never starve.
"She is recovering... isn't she? Do you think that she will ever become an apprentice?" Starlingfur looked to Ravenface- to her medicine cat- for guidance. She could see how hard Flickerkit tried. Starlingfur wanted to see her earn her name alongside her siblings. Both as a warrior, and as a mother. But as a leader... she feared that her vision may be clouded. |
|
|
|
Post by Shad on Nov 10, 2015 21:53:12 GMT
The silver Medicine Cat hesitated. This was what she had come out here to speak of, but she knew how hard it would be for Starlingfur to hear, as both a leader and a mother. If it had been Ravenface's own kit... she was not sure how well she would take it either. Probably very badly. The shecat swept her tail over her belly thoughtfully... "No," she mewed finally. "If Flickerkit was going to get better on her own, she would have done it by now. It seems for the rest of her life, the most her body will be able to handle is walking across a den. I'm sorry."Ravenface touched her tail to the queen's shoulder, a gesture of comfort, and to help steady her from the blow. "As she is now, Flickerkit can never become an apprentice. She is doomed to the Elder's Den, as much as she might hate it.""-But she is not on her own," Ravenface added after a moment. "There is still one more thing we can try. If her heart is too weak, I have herbs that can make her blood easier for her heart to handle. If she takes enough, frequently enough, she could overcome this. She would need time to learn her limits, time for me to get the dose right, and time to rebuild her muscles, but... she might be able to hunt when she grows. I'm not sure of battling, but that is still something. Whether it is enough to earn her an apprenticeship would be your choice when that time came, but it is better than nothing."Ravenface looked out at the barren landscape, at the patches of snow that clung to the ground and killed her precious herbs. "...It will come at a cost if we do this, Starlingfur."Pale eyes met amber. "I have three herbs I can use to thin Flickerkit's blood and give her the chance to heal, and you, by contrast, have four choices."
"One: I can give her peppermint. It is the strongest and has a pleasant smell. It will work the best and require the least amount of herbs, but peppermint is rare. If it had been Newleaf and I knew in advance, I could have collected more, but it's not and I didn't. We run the risk of running out. It is mainly used for treating fevers. If we get another bout of sickness, I will have to rely on our dwindled supplies of Feverfew to do anything... Which essentially means any cat that gets a fever this Leafbare could very quickly find themselves in hot water."
"Two: I can give her Ginger. It is also strong, although the taste is strange. It is not as effective and would use up my stores faster, but it is not as rare so I have more of it gathered and pressed. Plenty, in fact. Except, I have more of it because I use Ginger to treat most Leafbare colds. Everything from mild headaches to Greencough to infections requires just a touch of ginger. It is a powerful herb and multifunctional. It will take longer for us to run out, maybe even last us until Greenleaf when I can harvest more, but if it runs out, we will be in trouble. The clan will suffer. No question."
"Three: I can give her Thyme. This is weaker, but still effective. It would take more herbs, but thyme is hardly rare and I often use it as a pain reliever. If I run out of Thyme, there is no cause for concern. I can get by with Poppy Seeds. I also use it for infections, but unless someone gets an incredibly rare one, which with our luck this past moon I would not be surprised by in the slightest, the clan will be fine. It will be more difficult for Flickerkit to recover though and, since it is a pain reliever and calming herb, it will addle her mind slightly. It will be difficult for her to concentrate. She might get confused about where she is or what is going on. She also might hurt herself if she pushes her body too far and her pain senses are too dulled to stop her."
"Four: Your final choice. I can do nothing. Flickerkit will survive, in the exact same state she is currently in, without any herbs from me. There will be no loss of herbs to the clan, and your daughter will not die, she simply will not live either. She will be trapped in my den for the foreseeable future. I can start giving her these herbs any time, although I cannot stop once I have started without endangering her. I can wait until Greenleaf to give her the plants she needs, but that is six moons away and it will take her a minimum of another eight moons to recover enough to even think about apprenticeship. Her siblings will be Warriors by the time she is relearning how to walk."
"As a Healer, I say toss the risks to the wind and let me give her the peppermint. She is my patient and I want her healed, but there is an entire clan that very well might suffer for it. Fevers and chills in Leafbare are as common as snow. Taking large risks is the way of a loner, not a clanmate. I understand that. So I am posing the question to you, Starlingfur. She is your daughter and this is your clan. Whatever you choose, know I have not told Flickerkit any of this, nor will I. Whatever you pick, it will just be between the two of us." |
|
|
A flaming sword of burning righteousness and also fire!
|
|
|
Post by ♏aple♢ on Nov 10, 2015 22:45:02 GMT
As Starlingfur listened... her heart sank. Flickerkit.. would not recover. Copper eyes lowered. She'd- she'd been doing so well. No... not well. That was a lie. A lie she'd been telling herself. A lie she'd been telling their kits. She wanted Flickerkit to get better. But wanting it would not make it so. But she'd thought- with her... learning to walk again, and... maybe with the sickness gone, that... No. She would be.. confined to the elder's den for the rest of her life. That weight... was heavy. She had seen.. what such a weight could do to a cat. And for a kit- another of her kits to have to undergo such suffering... It hurt. She would never earn her name. Never take place in the warriors den. Never have a family, never see the territory, never train an apprentice, never...
There was an alternative.
Immediately Starlingfur whipped to face Ravenface. "Tell me." she mewed quickly. Herbs. Herbs that could help her. Herbs that could bring her through this. The leader listened to Ravenface's words with intensity, copper eyes dire. If there was anything- anything that could be done, she would do it. Anything to give her daughter the life she deserved. Anything to make her happy.
Peppermint. The leader latched on. She knew nothing about herbs.. But if what Ravenface said was true- and she would have no reason to doubt her- then.. It- it would hurt the clan to lose it. But if it was rationed.. and if they kept their warriors safe- cleaning out bedding regularly, double checking prey... There would always be sickness in Leaf-Bare, but if this herb could help Flickerkit.. Starlingfur was ready to take that risk. Everything that she had done, she had done for these kits. For the future generations of Cedarclan. If they let their young fall ill and die like crows, what future generations would there be? No. Illness be damned. Starlingfur had lost one daughter this season. She would not lose another. Not to death, and not to the elder's den. Copper eyes narrowed in determination.
Ginger. Useful, but she would have to use too much. A good herb for Leaf-Bare. If they had that- they wouldn't need the peppermint. The mint could go to Flickerkit. And Thyme- thyme was completely out of the question. Starlingfur shook her head as the subject of the herb was broached. If it was weak and would take even more herbs- along with the added effects of an addled mind.. No. It wasn't worth the risk. Peppermint. Peppermint was worth the risk. It was worth the illness, and it was strong. If it worked- Starlingfur would use it.
Or, they could do nothing.
Let her live out her days in the elders den. Let her be as unhappy as her second eldest sister. Let her live a life that, young as she was, she was clearly unhappy with. They would have to wait six moons to begin her treatment, were they to allow her to live as she was without the herbs through Leaf-Bare. Her siblings would nearly be warriors by then. No.. Starlingfur... she couldn't. She couldn't let her daughter go through that, when she knew that there were better alternatives. When she knew that she could be helped. She... she couldn't live with herself.
"Use the peppermint." Starlingfur meowed firmly, eyes hopeful but hard. Ravenface agreed. She said it was the best option. And Starlingfur trusted her medicine cat. "What will it say of us if we let our kits suffer when we know we can bring them peace?" she paced, tail flicking. There were risks. Large risks. But Starlingfur- try as she might, for once in her life couldn't think ahead. Not so soon after Ravenmist's death. Not... Not so soon after this illness. She could not- would not stand to see her daughter suffer like this a moment longer than need be. "If we run low on herbs, we can go to Marshclan. They owe us, after all they've done." she nearly snorted. They would give them the herbs if they ran out. And if not... Well, they would find a way.
"If there's any way to help her... please." she looked to her healer now, copper eyes deep. "Do it. Whatever you need, do it." |
|
|
|
Post by Shad on Nov 10, 2015 23:36:31 GMT
Ravenface took in Starlingfur's response with a thoughtful look on her face. She had an idea and while she had not planned on mentioning it before, Starlingfur's stark adamacy in protecting her kit made the Medicine Cat reconsider. "Well, herbs are all I can offer but... Flickerkit needs more than that. Starlingfur..." the shecat hesitated, a very un-Ravenlike thing to do. "It's not really my place," she mewed cautiously, "But... have you thought about having a second litter?"
It was not her place, and the question was extraordinarily out of the ordinary for the secluded, feisty shecat. She might be friends with Swanstrike and kind to the kits when they were present, but any mother could pick up on the slight stiffness and hesitation in her gestures which showed her disdain for the things. Ravenface was an amazing actor, but somethings mothers simply knew. She did not mind queens, but for her to ask such a personal question about a topic she held no love for was decidedly odd. "I'm thinking of Flickerkit," the shecat put in quickly, at the shocked look from the leader. "She and Dawnkit have been talking, when they think no one can hear them, as kits do. Flickerkit feels alone in the world now. She thinks being an Elder for life is worse than a death sentence. She..." the shecat gave a rueful grin, "has some very colorful descriptions of the Elder's Den. These plants will take time to work, time that is only going to hurt Flickerkit and there is nothing I can do about that. Condemning her to my den or the Elder's would only make her more hurt and angry, especially as she watches her siblings become apprenticed without her." Ravenface sighed. "She thinks you have abandoned her, Starlingfur.
She thinks that your leader duties are an excuse not to look at her, even though I know that can't be true. I can hear it in the way you talk about her how much you love her, but Flickerkit can't see that. She has closed herself off from the world."Ravenface shook her head sadly. "Even if my herbs do their job perfectly, they cannot heal the mind. Flickerkit will still be resentful and angry and lost. But... perhaps..." The shecat blushed as she spoke, her ears flattening slightly in embarrassment. "As I said, it is not my place, but, if... if you had a second litter, Starlingfur, and let Flickerkit raise them with you... I think it would help her heal, not physically, but emotionally. It would give her a chance to see you trust her, and that your leadership duties really do take you away even when you do not want them to. That kit acts so tough and cold when anyone is around, but she's not really. Not yet at least. She needs to know she is still important to you, and her family, but there just are not a lot of important things her body can handle doing currently. If you had a second litter, and made Flickerkit a part of it, brought her in, had her watch them, raised her siblings with her... I think it help her from taking the blow too heavily when her siblings are apprenticed before her and... well... it might give both of you a second chance." |
|
