Rising [closed]

Though time was indefinite, herbs definitely were not.

With leaf-bare settling in, the Clans were low on both prey and herbs, something essential in order for them to thrive. RiverClan had recently gotten a new medicine cat, and with Mistleshine sick, his training had fallen to Mossbloom. Though Ivybrook never held too much of a liking for ThunderClan, she was very grateful for Mossbloom's willingness to help. Today, the she-cat would be assisting in a herb patrol to help RiverClan get the herb stock that they so desperately needed, given the season. After a short time waiting outside of camp, Ivybrook welcomed the she-cat into camp and the medicine cat den, where Spiderpaw was waiting for them to begin. "Alright, Mossbloom. We greatly appreciate your help, and we're ready to set out when you are." She flicked her tail towards the stores that Mistleshine and Spiderpaw already had, relaying what Mistleshine had explained to her what they would be looking for today. "We need to be on the lookout for Dock, Chickweed, and Juniper Berries especially. Mistleshine said that Horsetail, Ragweed, Garlic, Chervil, Mallow and Ragwort Leaves, Feverfew, and Poppy Seeds are good to have, and easy to find, so look out for those as well." Nodding, she waited for Mossbloom to take the lead.

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Alright, for this herb hunting patrol we will be using the herb hunting system, found here. For a simple explanation, though, we will be using the effect dice to determine what we find. Once you know what you have rolled, you can look at the list below and choose from the available options based on the outcome of your roll. Once you have decided which herb your cat will be finding, you can edit your post accordingly. The herb list can be found here, have fun! :D

1: Nothing, or poison- try again next time!
Common herb- 2-3: Mallow Leaves, Ragwort Leaves, Feverfew, Poppy Seeds
Good herb- 4-5: Horsetail, Ragweed, Wild Garlic, Chervil
Excellent herb- 6: Dock, Juniper Berries, Chickweed

Spiderpaw greeted Mossbloom and Ivybrook as they walked into the medicine cat den, listening intently as the RiverClan deputy explained to him and the ThunderClan medicine cat what they were doing. When Ivybrook finished Spiderpaw nodded, feigning understanding. It wasn't that he didn't get the task, necessarily, but he hadn't yet had time to sit down and properly memorise the herbs. With his current knowledge, he was likely to poison himself before finding anything remotely useful. His heart beat just a little faster, nervous but just a little bit excited to do his first good deed as a medicine cat apprentice. He was really very grateful to both Ivybrook and Mossbloom for accompanying him, as even though Mistleshine was steadily getting better he was glad she was still getting rest instead of expending her energy on his training. "I'm ready!" He said with some confidence, looking expectantly at Mossbloom.

Mossbloom had been surprised, to say the least, when RiverClan had come and requested her help. They had explained that Mistleshine was ill, and a new medicine cat apprentice had been appointed by StarClan to help care for the clan and Mistleshine, but they had requested he train with her while Mistleshine recovered. After reassuring Oakstar that she would be fine taking on this now responsibility, she began juggling the training of the young apprentice, Spiderpaw, along with caring for ThunderClan and still attempting to make some of the night patrols. It had been much easier to train Sagelight, but Spiderpaw had promise in his youth.

Today, they were to hunt for herbs, and try to restock RiverClan before leaf-bare dug it's claws in too deeply. She joined the two cats with a tired, forced smile, the weight of her mother's death still hanging over her like a shadow. She listened to Ivybrook intently, nodding at the list of herbs she rattled off. Those we're all good choices, and they would hopefully have some good luck in finding them. When Spiderpaw spoke up she met his gaze, ear twitching in happiness. "Perfect, let's get going then. While you're still learning, just focus on searching for something that smells strong, or looks different from the reeds. In time you'll be able to name the herbs from their scents and appearance, just like your clanmates."

Mossbloom wasn't all too familiar with RiverClan's territory, but she did know herbs. From the list that Ivybrook provided, they would likely have the best luck somewhere by the river, since the water likely still held some warmth from the previous moons. Heading that way, she explained her reasoning to the young tom, encouraging him to look around while they traveled. Upon reaching the shore of the river, she raised her nose to the air and took a long sniff. A small shrub caught her eye, the ground under it littered with shriveled bell shaped flowers, and shiny black berries hanging from it's branches. She regarded it silently for a moment, a chill running up her spine before she called to Ivybrook and Spiderpaw.

"Spiderpaw, here's one of your first lessons. This berry is Deadly Nightshade. It's a very dangerous berry, capable of killing a cat quickly, although peacefully. We try to avoid using this at all costs, but... Well, sometimes there is nothing to be done, other than helping guide the cat to a peaceful sleep before they join StarClan. It will be up to you if you keep them on paw, but if you do keep a very close eye on them. Kits are curious little ones, and they don't know what herbs are capable of. Even if you don't, it's a good idea to mark where they are and keep track of their growth, and warn your deputy or leader so they can inform the warriors and apprentices to stay away."

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

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'Effect Dice' : 1

Spiderpaw, who had been carefully scanning the river looking for really anything other than snow or pebbles, looked up and trotted over to where Mossbloom was upon hearing her call. He listened, enraptured, as the medicine cat explained to him what the little berry was capable of. It was amazing yet terrifying how a small, seemingly innocuous little orb could kill any full grown cat. Others may have thought it strange, but Spiderpaw shivered not in fear or from the cold but from excitement. If this was the kind of thing a bad herb could do, imagine how beneficial the good herbs were! He reveled in the thought of being able to use those good herbs and be a benefit to everyone.

He nodded and began to make his way closer to the river. "Okay, I think I'm ready to try find a herb as well!" The rather small apprentice stayed close to his companions, mimicking Mossbloom and sniffing the air alertly. After a moment of searching, a scent different from that of the rest of his surroundings hit his nostrils. He followed the odd smell, finding its source; a clump of tall, rigid stems with fine bristles on them. He racked his brains for its name. He had seen it in the herb stores earlier, Mistleshine had pointed it out to him. Something with a H... Horsehair? No, not quite... Then it hit him. "Horsetail! I found horsetail!" He announced ecstatically, proud of his discovery.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 4

Following the two healers out of camp, Ivybrook was careful to listen to Mossbloom's words. She assumed that finding herbs couldn't be too difficult, and she could leave identification and sorting to the medicine cats unless they truly needed her help. Truly, the names of the herbs she'd rattled off earlier meant absolutely nothing to her, other than poppy seeds. She knew from her many times visiting Mistleshine that they were used to ease pain, and also induced drowsiness. As she was told, she kept her eyes out for anything that looked different than the wet terrain around them, staying alert to the many smells around her as well.

her ears swiveled to Mossbloom when her tone changed, eyeing the berries she spoke of tentatively. Nodding her head at the last bit, she made a mental note of what the ThunderClan medicine cat had explained. "Thank you, I'll be sure to let our Clanmates know to keep their distance." Looking around, she attempted to find a significant landmark to memorize where the small shrub was located. After Spiderpaw made his first find, Ivybrook attempted to nod encouragingly, focusing more on the other side of the river. She wasn't too worried about them being attacked, but she was no stranger to the hostility that the other Clans sometimes held. While she was walking around the sides of the River, a small bush nestled between several larger rocks caught her eye. It was speckled with small white flowers, and she knew immediately from the smell that it wasn't just some other flora. "Mossbloom, Spiderpaw," She called out, flicking her tail towards her find.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 5

Spiderpaw's gaze was intense as he looked at the berries, listening to her warning and explanation of it's effects. Feeling a flicker of pride and warmth, her eyes met Ivybrook's for a moment over the young tom's back as she nodded slightly in acknowledgement. "Thank you, I would hate to see any cat meet an early end... If they do eat anything like this, try to scoop what you can out of their mouths and get them to throw up the rest. Stinging nettle and yarrow are both really good for that, but you'll have to work quickly." Her warning having finished, she watched as Spiderpaw went in a different direction, following a scent that his nose had picked up. For a moment he disappeared, but then his voice sounded and she smiled.

"Well done! Pick the longest stems, and leave the smaller ones to hopefully grow some more. Then try to cover it with reeds to protect it, like a tiny nest that goes over it. Do you know what horsetail does?" Mossbloom called to him as she moved towards Ivybrook upon hearing her call. As she stopped at the deputies side, Mossbloom turned towards the plant that she pointed out and chirped to herself quietly. "Ah chervil! I'm happy to see there's still some growing, we've had a couple litters recently and it seems there's only more to come!" Plucking the leaves delicately with her teeth, she got a decent bunch before setting it gingerly at her paws, looking for Spiderpaw to meet them with the horsetail so she could go into chervil's uses.

Spiderpaw, still grinning, did as he was instructed and plucked the longest stems from the bunch out of the snow. Looking around for reeds, he covered up the rest of the herb and mentally mapped its location. It was sure to be useful later on when it grew. Taking the stems delicately between his teeth, the little cat padded over to Mossbloom. He placed the herbs at his own paws, again mimicking the older medicine cat. He faltered a little at her question. Did he know the uses of horsetail? Just like he had done for its name, he scanned his memories for anything about the plant. This time though, his search yielded no results. A little bit disappointed with his lack of knowledge on the topic, Spiderpaw shook his head. "N-no, sorry. I must have forgotten to ask Mistleshine earlier. He looked up sheepishly at the dappled she-cat. "Could you tell me?

Nodding her head, Ivybrook flicked her tail as she tried to keep up with both of the medicine cats. "If it's any consolation, I don't know what horsetail does either," the silver tabby mentioned quite seriously. "I suppose now I know what chervil is generally used for, though that won't help me much." Ivybrook had only ever gone on herb patrols with Fallowlight and Mistleshine, so actually picking up on what she found would eventually end up doing was interesting to her. Looking back to Spiderpaw, she waited patiently for Mossbloom to continue.

Watching the young tom, she purred and rested her tail on his shoulder reassuringly. "There is no need to apologize, Spiderpaw, there's a lot to learn, it will take time. Of course I can!" She purred, pulling the horsetail in front of her to show Spiderpaw. "Horsetail is chewed up to make a poultice, which we put on open wounds. It helps stop the bleeding, along with the help of cobwebs and moss, and it also treats infections. It's a very useful herb to have on paw, since we see many cases of infected wounds thanks to stubborn warriors and apprentices who don't want to admit they're injuries or pain. Usually, it only takes once for them to realize how miserable it is and they'll never do it again, but... Well, some are more mouse-brained than others."

Setting the herbs down next to the rest, she then nudged the chervil with her nose lightly, smiling softly at the scent. "Chervil is good to have, especially when a queen is expecting kits. It's one of the herbs we give queens during their kitting, it helps ease the pain. There are other herbs we give to queens during and after kitting, but we'll get to those later. Chervil is during, to help ease the pain. It's also great for treating infections, like horsetail, and will help settle a cat who has a belly ache. Don't give them too much though, or they'll get more sick. Just a couple leaves will do, and see how they take it. If they're throwing up, you won't want to give them any herbs, otherwise they'll just regurgitate them. Willow leaves will help prevent that, so you'll want to be sure they can keep those down before giving any more herbs."

Looking back up, she met Spiderpaw's eyes with a sheepish smile. "I know it's a lot to take in, but you'll do great, I know it. I'll help however I can!"