A Wolf in the Cats Den (Open)

Daypaw felt her heart glow with joy at his response. She silently thanked StarClan for his forgiveness. "Thank you Rainpaw," she purred gratefully. She paused, ears twitching as she listened to him continue. Would she really be able to receive medicinal information? Not many warriors knew about medicine. And she had never heard of a foxglove seed before.

"Okay!" The cream-colored apprentice swished her tail in delight. She turned see the Clan's stockpile of herbs. They were in neat bundles of leaves. She examined, eyes squinting, to see what Wolfkit had vandalized. A few tiny black seedlets had been scattered on the floor. Those must be the poppy seeds, Daypaw mused.

Rainpaw straightened up the pile of poppy seeds. He had been trying to find a better way to store the things. Mainly, shells but, he didn't really know where to find good ones for the task. Maybe he'd take a patrol tonight and try to get one. "It's rather difficult to differentiate between poppy seeds and foxglove so we tend to keep the poppy seeds in their pod still if we can. Foxglove seeds are a little browner and flatter than poppy seeds. Poppy seeds are black and round but if you don't pay attention, it's easy to mix them up. You can also tell by the scent. If it doesn't smell like a poppy, it's best left." The tom meowed, kinking his tail. "That's why you can't just go eating anything in here or out in the territory. Knowing this could save a cat's life. I don't really know why all apprentices aren't taught about poisons."

Daypaw nodded as she listened to Rainpaw's explanation. Brown, flat, foxglove. Black, round, poppy. she repeated in her mind. Hopefully, she wouldn't forget it. She craned her neck to sniff at the poppy seeds. It had an earthy smell, she noted. Daypaw's whiskers twitched in excitement. It was as if she were a medicine cat apprentice herself!

Facing Rainpaw, she dipped her head thankfully. "Maybe I'll tell Wolfkit sometime," Daypaw chuckled. She then tilted her head. There was still a question lingering in her mind about the seeds. "If they're poisonous, why do we have them?" the tabby asked softly. Surely there was no reason to have such harmful herbs?

"Well, unfortunately, sometimes a cat isn't able to be saved or would suffer too much. Other times, it's the last resort of a punishment. Personally, I think we should only keep nightshade. It's a peaceful death unlike the other poisons. But, I'm not a full medicine cat so, I don't make that decision." The tom frowned softly. He knew there was no secret regarding the punishment of death being very relevant in his family even if Specklefang's death was long before his birth. "Well, ah... What else is there to show... Oh, here. Wild garlic is great for preventing infections and treating rat bites. Your denmates may not like it but, rolling in a patch you find after a scuffle is always a good idea. Infections are dangerous in many ways."