Seeds of Friendship [Wrenspring]

Effect Dice Herb List:

Wrenspring had met Beechface as she'd left camp, and at his offer to go with her to find herbs, Beechface hadn't found herself wanting to refuse. Everything had been tense lately, there was still that fox roaming the territory, and it seemed like the clan as a whole was too tense to leave camp alone. It was a smart idea, and as frustrating as it might have been otherwise, Beechface was no fool. A decent fighter she might have been, but the foxes had killed yet another clanmate. Poor, kind, quiet Swansong was gone now, just like Dustpaw and Sagelight before her. The warriors were grimly determined to hunt the creatures down before they could strike again, and aside from the two that had already been killed, didn't seem to have much success in tracking down the third that had been suspected of the latest killing.

It was frustrating, and all Beechface could do was continue making sure the clan stayed healthy and continue to stockpile herbs before the cold weather and snow came back with a vengeance. Wrenspring kept a watchful eye on their surroundings just as she did, but his solid presence at her back was a welcome one. He had never provoked her ire in the way some other clanmates had, and while the feeling of enjoying their companionable silence was strange, Beechface found herself not minding even when he did decide to make conversation.

"Alright," she muttered as they crested the rise that overlooked twolegplace. "Hopefully I can manage to find some of the more useful herbs out here. The elders have been coughing more lately and while I know it's just the cold weather, I'd prefer to be prepared for anything worse than a mild cold." The words were said more to help herself focus than anything, but Beechface did glance over at Wrenspring. Still, there was a hint of worry in her voice. With the string of fox attacks and prey slowly becoming harder to find, a wave of sickness wasn't something the clan needed, especially after the stars-cursed greenleaf they had had.

"If you see anything that looks useful, I'll harvest it."

The news of Swansong's death had sent a chill down the warrior's spine and cause his gut to churn. Stinging loss had briefly ceased, but only for the most fleeting of moments. Now that he had a kit to worry about, the tom's mind was burdened with not only thoughts of the clan, but of Graypaw as well. This lack of content was marked with the occasional flickering of his crooked tail. He'd just finished a patrol but his frame was still taut with the preparation for a scarred, one-eared fox to come bursting through the entrance. His eyes were trained, watching patrol come and go. It was Beechface who caught his gaze. The newly named medicine cat seemed determined to leave camp.

Dutifully, the tom had risen to his paws again. He implored the she-cat to accompany her, and thankfully, Beechface complied. Wrenspring felt like some weight had been lifted from his chest. At least one of the cats who clouded his mind with worry, he would be able to watch over and be there should the situation arise. The warrior tried to relax and shook out his coat as they padded along together. Her voice broke the concentration of his eyes flickering about. It wasn't often that he traveled near the Great Ridge but supposedly it was a good place to look for herbs. Nodding, he began to look about without much knowledge on what he was looking for.

After a moment, Wrenspring padded up to tiny and delicate yellow flowers. He couldn't quite remember the name of the herbs but he remembered seeing it around the medicine den. The warrior looked back over his should, finding Beechface's pelt. It appeared she was already busied by her own search. Whatever reluctance had held her back from fully slipping into the role with ease hardly kept her from excelling at the role. Pride seems to bud in his chest as he looked at the younger she-cat. Not long ago they had talked over her uncertainty and sense of loss after losing her mentor. Moons ago he'd felt the same thing. It took time and reassurance to move forward and grow. He was proud to see how she had continued on in spite of the challenges and circumstances.

A soft smile crossed her maw. After a moment, he shook his head, realizing he'd gotten lost in his mind instead informing the medicine cat of his find. Embarrassment caused his ears to fall back for a moment with a sheepish grin. Then, Wrenspring finally called out, "Beechface, I think I found something. I'm not entirely sure I remember what it is... but I know you keep it around your den."

Wrenspring has found tansy!

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

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'Effect Dice' : 2

Wrenspring's presence had quickly grown familiar, and the newly-named medicine cat felt herself relax a bit at knowing he was there to keep watch. It wasn't that she was scared of the foxes still roaming the territory, she could handle herself in a fight. But it was nice to know a clanmate other than her more immediate family had her back, was someone she could trust. The warrior had always seemed kind and thoughtful, and their talk in the medicine den a while back had allowed her to finally sort through her own jumble of feelings a bit more.

Beechface allowed a small smile as she looked up to see Wrenspring approaching a yellow-leafed plant, though she quickly ducked her head and busied herself with looking for other herbs, pelt feeling oddly warm. She shouldn't have been surprised that the warrior had found something useful.

Wrenspring's soft voice pulled her from her thoughts, and she nodded.

"Tansy has a variety of uses. Good find." She padded over, carefully plucking at the leaves to add to the pile of herbs she'd started. Lifting her head once more, yellow flowers growing close to the ground caught her attention, not far from where she currently stood.

Beechface padded over, sniffing. The scent of the marigold was strong, and it was almost surprising to find such a healthy specimen here. She gingerly harvested the flowers, happy to add to them the small pile of herbs they'd already found.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 2

"Tansy." The warrior muttered. It sounded like a familiar enough name, "I'll have to remember that." With a little effort, it wouldn't be difficult to learn an herb or two after this. Perhaps on patrol sometime he would be able to pick out some plants and bring them back to the she-cat, or at least let her know where they were out. Obviously, she was far more skilled in the art of harvesting them than he was. At the praise, his ears heated slightly and the warrior managed a broad smile. Wrenspring found himself enjoying being able to aid the medicine cat in some tangible way. Discussing matters of the mind and heart was one thing, but now he would be able to assist both her and the clan.

He had turned, the beginning of conversation on his tongue, but Beechface had already turned. She was engrossed in her medicine cat duties. Of course, the tom couldn't fault her for that, in fact, he had encouraged her. Smokefeather's daughter stepped wonderfully into the position, more than she could see. Wrenspring's gaze fell to the earth as he considered what might have been if the she-cat had never been chosen to succeed Sagelight. They would have patrolled and hunted together, far more often than a simple herbs hunt. The fact she put up with him provided familiarity; he enjoyed being around her. As his pelt began to warm, the tom shook it away. Nothing more than a good friendship. After all, he and Smokefeather were close, it was simply a matter of fact that she was a wonderful cat and medicine cat.

Shaking out his coat, the gray and white warrior turned away and sought out more plants or flowers. There had to be something else out here. But the efforts proved to be fruitless. His mind was strangely crowded, distracted. Wrenspring padded over to Beechface once more, curiously tilting his head at her find, "Anything useful? All I found was sticks and dead leaves. Leaf Bare leaves may be pretty but I doubt they do much healing." One forepaw darted out to scatter up some stray leaves that dotted the ground.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 1

Beechface couldn't help her own small smile at Wrenspring's words. Few warriors seemed bothered to come herb gathering, much less attempting to remember what a useful herb looked like. Most cats were naturally more interested in their own duties rather than the seemingly mundane life of a medicine cat. Beechface had been on one those that had scoffed at the idea, herself. It was only natural, she supposed, hunting food was far more important on most days than hunting plants that may or may not come in useful. Food was simply always useful. That the grizzled warrior made the effort showed his care.

Or maybe it was just that he didn't want to lose the clan's only medicine cat to the foxes haunting the territory. Beechface could be a hard cat to get along with, and definitely hadn't done much to improve that, but the clan still needed a medicine cat, as misguided a choice she might have been. That was the reasoning Beechface told herself.

Yet it felt completely wrong. Wrenspring had always been kind to her. He wouldn't go out of his way to be nice and accompany her on a herb hunt just for the sake of cold-minded practicality. His actions, and the occasional glances he snuck of her, if the feeling of her pelt was any indication, said that cold-minded practicality wouldn't be his main motivation. Was it just friendship? Maybe, probably. Wrenspring was a loyal, devoted warrior, after all, and their interactions had always been pleasant.

So why did her fur heat at the thought of him?

Beechface gave herself a quick shake, gaze seeking out more herbs. They'd come here to find herbs, not be distracted by each other's company... As nice as the company was.

Among the rocks was a tall-stemmed plant with fat, almond shaped leaves. Beechface began to carefully harvest them. These pre-leafbare herb hunts were proving to be useful. Hopefully she wouldn't have cause to use most of what she'd found recently.

"Chickweed, which treats greencough." She mewed in answer to his question, a smile tugging at her lips.

"They don't have any practical purpose, no." Still, her paw twitched out, sending a few leaves scattering in Wrenspring's direction. The action was decidedly not adult-like, nor was the way Beechface's whiskers twitched. She'd been born in the heat of greenleaf, and the leaves she'd played with as a kit were nowhere near the reds and golds as they fell from the trees now. And after the fire, there were precious-few leaves on the ground. They still made a satisfying crunch as they were stepped on, though, and were far more delightful to flick her paws through.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 6

"That sounds good for Leaf-Bare." He meowed, as she told him of the chickweed and it's use. It took a moment for the warrior to notice the easy grin that kept flickering across his maw. The fact that his ears kept heating and his pelt felt warm was unusual and he tried not to think much of it. This was a simple herb hunt with a medicine cat and nothing more.

Wrenspring shook his head, eager to focus on something else. But her smile prevented him from padding away and seeking out more herbs. And then, she kicked up the leaves in his direct. They danced past his nose and tickled it, drawing forth a sneeze. There came an unintentional laugh that bubbled up from his chest and left the sides of his maw. Something crossed his mind. There was already a pile of herbs and it was a decent day.

He raised a forepaw, flashing Beechface a cheeky grin as he crouched into a playful gait, the warrior's rump wriggled like he was a much younger cat. Wrenspring darted forward, spraying the few leaves and enticing them further with flailing paws. More laugher was drawn from his lungs as he rounded on her with heaving sides and an inquisitive look, "Suppose you're brave enough to take me on? Medicine cat life hasn't made you soft, I hope." The teasing nature behind his words was obvious in the depths of his gaze. For a moment, he forgot his hesitation, the strange sensation of the moments... after everything they had been through, perhaps one moment could be afforded to the warrior and the medicine cat.

Beechface's whiskers twitched in amusement as she watched Wrenspring sneeze, then laugh. The laugh was almost infectious, and she found herself grinning as his demeanor turned more playful.

"Soft? I'll show you 'soft.'" She mock growled at him, eyes bright with cheer and the effect further ruined by a stubborn leaf that seemed to have stuck to the top of her head. Leaping lightly away from the leaves still fluttering in the air, it didn't take long to find another pile, and a quick flash of her paw sent them in the warrior's direction.

For a few brief moments it seemed like her worries had faded, and Beechface welcomed it. Welcomed the closeness between herself and a clanmate. Moments like these were so rare, how could she not?

Seeing her playful, joy across her normally malcontented features, it warmed his heart. The sensation was deeper than the one that prickled his pelt and blossomed in his chest, more carnal and honest. Wrenspring caught sight of the leaf that caught on her head and he sound himself laughing again. He paused for only a moment, a dream-like smile on his maw as he tried to remember that picture. Genuine and pure happiness. What a rare and precious thing it was to see her like this, only made sweeter by the fact that not long before he had witnessed her world crashing down on her shoulders.

He only had a moment to think before she was throwing a scattering of leaves in his direction once again. The warrior ducked his head to avoid any from hitting his eyes. But they clung to his coat, dappling the gray and white with red, yellow, and brown leaf-fall hues. A mischievous look danced in his head as he shook out his coat, "You won't get away with this, Beechface." His haunches wriggled once again and leaped forward, bowling her over with a mock battle yowl. Great Starclan, he felt like a kit again. The sensation was a good one, though, he noted. It seemed that everything else drifted away for a moment as he looked down at her.

The broad smile only widened as the tom found her eyes, labored breathing causing his sides to rise and fall from the swift effort. His breath tickled her whiskers. Wrenspring's tail flickered about easily when he looked down at Beechface, "It's nice to see you so happy." After a moment, the tom found himself a moment of self-consciousness and stepped away, his pelt heating up once again when he stepped away. His head ducked, "Sorry it just makes me happy too, I guess. We should probably get heading back. I think we found quite a bit. I'm probably not the best herb finding partner if I distract you, huh?" There came another soft laugh and he exhaled, turning back to help gather the bits of flowers that they had harvested.