I'm Not Looking for Trouble (Open)

The fragrant scent of flowers and spices reached Clearkit's nose. It was possibly the best thing he had ever had the pleasure of smelling. It came with the promise of beautiful, vibrant, flower buds, and wonderfully smelling shoots of herbs. Nature's finest plants must be waiting to show him their elegance wherever the scent was coming from. So he just needed to find them. Twitching his nose, he did his best to follow the scent, though his untrained self had a rather had time. Finally, after tripping over the prey pile and accidentally visiting the apprentice's den, he reached his destination. A bush lush with inky berries concealed the small cave, already a sign of what wonders must lie inside. And as the small tom kit stepped in, he knew his entire journey across camp was worth it. Shelves of stone held bright red and yellow flowers, sending off delightful scents and bursting with bewitching colors. A mouth-watering purple flower caught his attention briefly, before a white bud distracted him. Mouth opening, he inhaled every scent around him, eyes bathing in the sheer beauty around him. Before he could stop himself, he rubbed his paw against a soft and fuzzy leaf, comparing it to another nearly as downy, but more jagged, one. The brown nuts felt smooth against his nose, and his stared, dumbfounded, at all the bell-shaped blooms that's loveliness could not be rivaled. Plump, juicy, red berries just begged to be eaten, but he resisted, knowing that even the smallest taste could ruin its glamour forever. For a long time, he could do nothing but marvel about the paradise he was in. Why was all of this hidden behind a bush inside of camp? What was its use? Even at his young age, he knew enough to be able to tell that nobody appreciated nature's work like he did. Other cats interest them more than natural awes. The footfalls of another cat reached his ears, and he turned around to face them.
"Isn't this all so beautiful?" Clearkit whispered, hardly managing to go a few moments before returning his gaze to the flora around him. "Like a cat took nature in its finest form, and created paradise. A beauty that cannot be forgotten, a treasure to the eyes and nose. Nothing short of perfection." Right then, nothing could tear him away from stunning sight that he needed to soak in. Something he could never forget, but all the same wanted to stay there forever. In here he was away from the ignorance of his clanmates, and the grief surrounding his father's death. In here, everything was perfect.

Having been enjoying the day by the freshkill pile, every so often taking a bite of a squirrel he'd caught earlier, Tinylegs noticed a kit wandering into the medicine cat den. Of course, the kit could've been instructed to go into the den to see Mintwhisker, but its mother wasn't accompanying it to the destination which sat across the camp, so the deputy took some curiosity into the young cat's motives were. Standing up and giving his short pelt a shake, he decided to check out the situation and padded over to the den.

Entering, the it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the slightly dimmer lit area, but looking around, he soon spotted the kit's figure. "What might you be doing in here little one?" the abnormally short tom mewed softly, his usual soft and cheery smile sitting on his white muzzle as he stood behind the kit, waiting for a reply.

"I'm admiring all of this hidden beauty. Why isn't this displayed for everyone to see and smell? Vegetation of all kinds, the ravishing colors of these, the magnificent scents of spices and herbs. How does something with such unsurpassable splendor exist in this harsh world?" Clearkit explained, eyes still drinking in every color and every shape. StarClan themselves must hav created this, he realized. Nothing else could make such a paradise where everyone could go, but only some had the want too. That was what separated the wise from the ignorant. Appreciation and observation. A star-shaped flower enraptured him, and he spent quite a few moments staring at the periwinkle blossom. It's leaves just begged to be felt, and he nuzzled them with his nose, gasping at how fluffy they were. For a while, he forgot he was in the presence of another cat. Looking at the short deputy, he finally realized that it was Tinylegs. Did this tom love nature's gifts as much as he did? It seemed unlikely, but he was in there with him. Maybe the deputy could even teach him a thing or two! Having a cat like that to help lead the clan was exciting. "Do you see the grandeur in each and every plant like I do? Do you know what they're called? Do you know why they are all here?"

Watching as the kit observed and admired the medicine cat's plan collection, Tinylegs couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle when he was asked questions about them. He'd never really thought much about what most of the herbs did individually, seeing as most of them were just used for healing, but he guessed that knowing their purposes could come in handy someday, though he couldn't imagine remembering all of their names and didn't understand how medicine cats did it.

"I can't say that I do," the small tom began, a smile on his slightly grey muzzle. "And I only know what a few of them are for, seeing as though I'm not a medicine cat," he purred and pointed his tail to a pile of long green leaves with purple lines down their middles. "This is dock, it's used for soothing the pain from scratches," he began and then pointed his muzzle at another pile, this time of small, pointed leaves that had light blue berries attached to their branches. "These are juniper berries, they're used for bellyaches, I think," the tiny tom finished, hoping that he wasn't saying everything wrong and giving Clearkit false information.

"Wow," Clearkit breathed, as if his mind was too blown to talk any louder. Suddenly the world was beginning to make more sense to the young kit. "So beauty is not the only virtue that these herbs provide, they also work miracles on the diseased and wounded." Though he didn't show much interest in wanting to know how to use them, this information meant everything to him. Now he could finally give other cats a reason to love nature as much as he did! Finally his dream would be shared among the more practical of cats. Looking at Tinylegs, he couldn't help but feel an immense surge of gratitude within him. Not only could he put even more reason behind fondness of nature, but he could even point out what some particularly spectacular plants were called. The juniper berries were just delightfully delicate and smooth, and the dock was so intricate and soft. "You have blessed me with your knowledge. I will forever be grateful for this information."

Glad that he was able to assist the kit in gaining some form of knowledge, Tinylegs let out a purr from deep within his throat. "You're welcome," the small white tom mewed in reply, a cheery smile on his muzzle. "Are you wanting to become a medicine cat?" he then asked, wondering as to where the young tom's curiosity for all of the plants and herbs came from.

"A medicine cat?" Clearkit spoke aloud, trying to remember where he had heard that word before after a few moments of thinking before his memory was jogged. Yes, those were the cats that healed others. Judging by what Tinyleg's had said, they probably used these flowers and spices to do so. Though the idea of that was very appealing to him, he couldn't imagine ruining the beauty of these plants by covering them with blood of chewing them to pulp. No, he would rather admire them for what they were without the assistance of cats. But how would he have the chance to use these if he became a warrior? Maybe the deputy would have an answer. "No, the idea of altering the beauty of these herbs for the sake of a cat does not appeal to me. But neither does the idea of turning a blind eye to them, or causing them to have to be used. Is there a way to be a warrior without produces violence or diminishing the alluring looks of the nature around us?"

OOC: holy shortness, forgive me ;;

IC: Thinking about the question, the little deputy didn't actually know a very straight forward answer, or if there even was an answer to what the kit had asked. "I'm not going to lie to you and say yes," he began softly, looking at the kit with a smile on his muzzle. "Because in all honesty, I don't think there is a way to avoid violence. No warrior really wants to fight, but your duty as a warrior of the clan comes down to protecting your friends and loved ones, then it's something that just must be done," Tinylegs finished with a soft sigh.

"Why can't all cats just speak instead of fight? Violence doesn't cure wounds, or end war. On the contrary, it is the sole cause of those things. Why don't cats just see that?" Clearkit couldn't understand this. There was no way to get rid of violence in this world? That couldn't be true, when he had seen miracles everyday, like the hatching of a bird, or a younger kit playing with their loving parents. Why was Tinylegs saying that the only way to protect that clan was to fight? As he thought about it, he realized the idea was more than plausible. Nobody ever cared about his appreciation for peace and beauty, so why would they care about his philosophy on fighting? Coming to the conclusion that most cats were simply unreasonable, he sat down and stared at the deputy. "No creature can be perfect. Yet cats claim to be wise, and cannot see the solution right in front of them."

”I don’t know the answer to that for sure, but I agree. Sadly, not everyone can be so simple and peaceful, so things have to work out a different way, even if it’s not for the best,” he began and listened as the kit spoke once more. Was Falconkit implying that he was claiming to be wise, but unseeing something? No… that couldn’t possibly be it. Besides, he only had the clan’s best interest at heart, so he didn’t know exactly who the younger tom was talking about, but the small deputy decided to not take it too personally. "I supposed you're somewhat right," he mewed softly.