Peaceful Gatherings

As Blossompaw made her way through the tall trees heading for the Great Ridge, she looked back towards Honeypaw with a smile. She had been tasked with accompanying the medicine cat apprentice to gather some herbs, a duty she was all too pleased to accept. This would be her chance to repay Honeypaw for taking care of her paw earlier that moon. It had healed rather well, and while the claw was still a little tender, it was slowly growing back to how it had been. She barely had a limp now, thanks to Honeypaw's careful tending to the wound. There was nothing she could have done better, it had been perfect in every way. As they reached the top of the ridge, sunlight filtering through the budding branches high above them and shining on the clumps of cool gray rocks, Blossompaw nodded to her. "Here we are! Sagelight said we should be able to find what was needed here. I'll keep watch right over here, if you need my help let me know!" She purred, motioning with her tail towards a nearby rock that would give the apprentice a little bit of leverage to see the area around. Luckily there wasn't much undergrowth, so she should be able to see anything coming up on them, and with the drop-off of the ridge to their backs something couldn't really sneak up behind them.

Stopping beside her new friend once the two apprentices entered the clearing, Honeypaw looked at her and nodded with a small smile. No words could express how grateful she was to Blossompaw for helping to keep her safe while she searched for herbs. She had been very nervous when Sagelight had asked her to search for more herbs for their store without him, but the moment she heard that Blossompaw would be accompanying her, she felt almost instantly at ease. Well, she was still nervous about being outside the camp without her mentor by her side, but she didn't feel as nervous. After all, Blossompaw had been the first cat of her own age she had talked to outside of her family. In fact, she even tentatively thought of the two of them as friends. "O-Okay. Thank you, Blossompaw. It, um, shouldn't take me too long." Once the gray apprentice positioned herself atop the rock, the medicine cat apprentice began her search for the herbs Sagelight requested for her to find.

Blossompaw grinned as she shook her head in a wide sweeping motion. "Take as much time as you need, we have plenty." As Honeypaw set to work, Blossompaw found herself keeping a sharp eye out for anything that seemed out of place. For a while, everything was calm, and things were okay, the warm rock under her and the sunlight streaming down onto her pelt was making her feel content and a little sleepy. She had done some practicing first thing that morning, maybe she'd be able to take a quick nap before Spottedstar needed her for anything.... Perhaps she could see if Wolfcall wanted to join. Just then, the sound of leaves rustling caught her attention, her ears swiveling towards the noise. She almost assigned the noise to the wind, but with a jolt she realized that she didn't feel a breeze in her fur. Now slightly concerned, she looked in the direction the sound originated, and was confused when she didn't spot anything at first. No fox, badger, or worse, dog, was sneaking through the forest, and eagles and owls didn't usually travel on the ground but even then there was nothing resembling them either. Just as she began to suspect that it was a rogue breeze, she saw it.

There, barely visible among the leaves, was a perfectly camouflaged snake. And merely a few tail lengths in front of it was Honeypaw, seeming completely unaware of it. How had the snake gotten here? With a jolt, Blossompaw realized just how warm the rock under her was, and felt sick to her stomach as she realized that was probably exactly what the snake was here for as well. She stood to warn Honeypaw, but her movement made the snake pause, and she saw its tongue flicker out momentarily before it turned its head to Honeypaw. "No! Honeypaw, look out!" She yowled, dashing forward to place herself between the snake and the medicine cat apprentice, hissing in pain as the snake launched itself and embedded its sharp fangs into her shoulder. Turning, furious and reeling from the shock of the pain, Blossompaw grabbed the tail end of the snake and yanked as hard as she could, ripping the fangs from her shoulder and tossing the snake to the ground in a pile, dazed.

Snake uses Serpent Strike, dealing 10 damage and costing 20 SP.
Blossompaw uses Tail Yank, dealing 2 damage and costing 10 SP. Snake is stunned for one turn.

Snake:
8/10 HP (-2)
60/80 SP (-20)

Blossompaw:
10/20 HP (-10)
70/80 SP (-10)

The member 'Mosspelt' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 2

The sudden shouting and movement from behind her scared Honeypaw into leaping high up in the air, her fur bushed out as far as it would go. Without a second thought, she bolted from the scene, dashing up a nearby tree, aiming to get as far away from danger as possible. Climbing onto one of the lower branches, the medicine cat apprentice deemed it safe enough to see just what had happened, and her eyes widened when she spotted Blossompaw tussling with a snake. She had just abandoned her friend to fight a snake all by herself! Still ... no matter how badly she wanted to help, she just couldn't work up the courage to join the fray. She felt bad, but there was nothing she could do about it. "B-Blossompaw, be careful, please!"

Not wishing to lose the chance she had, and with the snake distracted and dazed, Blossompaw leapt forward to batter it's head with an unsheathed paw.

Snake is Stunned. Blossompaw uses Front Paw Strike, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 SP.

Snake:
2/10 HP (-6)
60/80 SP (-20)

Blossompaw:
10/20 HP
60/80 SP (-10)

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The voice of Honeypaw above her made the apprentice raise her head, and she was relieved to see that her friend had safely escaped up to a low branch. When her attention returned to the snake, she crouched defensively as it's beast eyes locked into her. The two remained in a stare-off until the snake made the first move, striking out towards Blossompaw's throat. Sidestepping the attack, she aimed her paw at it's head hoping, begging that it would connect.

Snake uses Serpent Strike, dealing 10 damage and costing 20 SP.
Blossompaw uses Dodge and Fight, negating the last attack and costing 15 SP. Counter-attack is successful, dealing 3 damage. The snake can no longer fight.

Snake: DEAD
-1/10 HP (-3)
40/80 SP (-20)

Blossompaw:
10/20 HP
45/80 SP (-15)

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Panting, Blossompaw staggered as the snake fell, unmoving. It's fangs were still bared, frozen in it's final moments. After stumbling around the area for a little while, she called duo to Honeypaw in a shaky voice, blood dripping from the fur at her shoulder to the ground. "It's... It's all clear, Honeypaw. Looks like... That was the only one." Looking up to her friend, she couldn't help the tears forming in her eyes from the burning pain in her shoulder. Her chin quiver slightly before she steeled it, and herself, against the pain. "Should we... We should get back, in case more come this way. I don't know that I can fight any more off."

The member 'Mosspelt' has done the following action : Dices roll

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#1 'Effect Dice' : 4

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#2 'Effect Dice' : 2

Honeypaw's fur began to flatten slowly once the snake finally stopped moving. She let out a shaky breath and bundled her muscles before pouncing down to the ground, landing safely on her paws in a pile of ferns. Immediately, the scent of blood wafted through her nose, and in the next second she could see specks of blood dribbling from Blossompaw's bite. "O-Oh, Blossompaw! You're hurt! U-Uh.... O-Okay, let's g-get somewhere safer. I-I'll tend to your wound."

A brisk trot away from the clearing later, Honeypaw had Blossompaw lay down on a patch of moss she had quickly assembled for her. She had chosen an open space, near the border to Twolegplace, so that neither molly could be sneaked up on. After a soft promise to return as soon as she could, the medicine cat apprentice moved quickly to find any herbs and other medical materials nearby. Thankfully, it didn't take long for her to return with a wad of cobwebs bundled around a paw, along with a small clump of tansy and yarrow in her mouth. Depositing the herb next to the makeshift nest, Honeypaw pressed the cobweb gently against Blossompaw's wound to soak up the blood and stop the flow. "U-Um.... D-Does the snake bite burn? I-I know it hurts, but does it burn?" She needed to be able to tell if the snake had been venomous so she could use the yarrow to extract the poison from the wound. She knew tansy could already cure a cat of poison, but she figured an extra layer of security wouldn't hurt.

Blossompaw had followed Honeypaw as quickly as she could, trying and failing to ignore the sharp, burning pain in her shoulder. Laying gingerly in the moss that Honeypaw beckoned to, her tail tip twitching slightly as she realized how close they were to Twolegplace. If a twoleg or their dog came for a jaunt in the woods, they would be in a bad place. Honeypaw disappeared with a soft promise to return soon, and Blossompaw winced as she sat up to try to keep an eye on her friend. Slumping in relief when the other she-cat returned, she suppressed the hiss that involuntarily left her throat as the cobweb touched the wound, squeezing her eyes shut tight as the blood flow slowed and came to a stop. Her gray eyes opened to meet Honeypaw's as she asked about the wound, and she tried to focus. It hurt, yes, and it burned when something was applied to it or the air hit it, but nothing further than just the surface burning. "It only burns when something touches it, or the air hits it." She hesitated, eyes lowering to the ground. "I'm sorry, Honeypaw.... I was supposed to keep you safe, and that snake almost got to you... I let you down, and now you're having to take care of me....." She whispered, head lowering onto the moss that was her temporary nest.

"O-Okay, good, it doesn't sound like it was venomous," Honeypaw meowed, much to her relief. She didn't want one of her only friends to die so soon all because of her. She would never be able to live with herself if that happened. Gently pushing away the yarrow from the tansy with a paw, now knowing she wouldn't need it, she chewed up the latter herb into a poultice, concentrating on not wincing at the bitter taste. Spitting it out into her paw, she gently pressed it into Blossompaw's wound, squeezing the juices into the bite marks.

Honeypaw used Minor Heal on Blossompaw, restoring 3 HP and costing 10 SP.

Honeypaw
35/35 HP
80/90 SP

Blossompaw
13/20 HP
45/80 SP

Blossompaw bit her tongue as the sharp pain the herbs initially brought caused a quiet hiss to force it's way through her jaws, her whole body tensing as the poultice soaked into the wound. Soon after though, the pain started to ebb, and slowly Blossompaw relaxed. The wound still hurt, but it wasn't as sharp a pain as before, and as she turned to look at her shoulder she saw the herbs that Honeypaw had plastered to it. Looking to her friend next, she gave a small smile. "Thanks, Honeypaw.... We should get back to camp, and quickly. I'm nervous, being this close to Twolegplace, especially when I'm already injured... If something were to happen, I wouldn't be able to do much." Her legs shook as she struggled to stand, the pain in her shoulder growing with the effort of doing so. That make-shift nest of moss looked so soft... Shaking her head, she looked in the direction of camp, setting her jaw in determination. "I'm afraid if I stay here much longer my shoulder will get stiff and I won't be able to move.... Come on, Honeypaw, let's go! We have to let Spottedstar and Sagelight know about the snake." Starting in the direction of camp, she looked back only to make sure that Honeypaw was following.