Dennis' Only Hobby (but it's training so it's okay) [CLOSED for Downfive]

The late afternoon sky was a bright blue, grey Newleaf skies a distant memory. Clouds drifted lazily through the air as Dennis watched them with tired amber eyes. The view of camp from where he sat right outside the medicine den was quite nice when he had time to enjoy it; he could see everyone milling about and doing their jobs. Some, like Mountainheart, seemingly had no duties left to do and were taking advantage of the warmth by basking in the sun. Dennis himself wasn't doing much of anything, a fact that made his tail twitch restlessly. The only thing he hated more than being overworked was being underworked, and though currently the Clan's medicine needs were all met he couldn't help but want to go out and do something.

It didn't take much thought to come up with something to occupy his time. There was only so much a three-legged stickbug of a cat could do, and healing nonexistent injuries obviously wasn't an option. Herb hunt it is then. Heaving himself upright, he set off towards the camp's exit- only to remember with a jolt the very reason he had no work to do. He mentally kicked himself for almost forgetting. He turned back and peeked into the medicine den, giving Cloverpaw as bright a smile as his weathered face could muster. "Hey, kiddo, you wanna go on a herb hunt? Just to pass the time, I know we've got enough already- but a little training's never hurt anyone, hm?" His voice was full of cheer that he didn't really feel, but the last thing he wanted was to seem indifferent. Cloverpaw deserved an involved mentor, and that was what he was going to be.

Cloverpaw had been pawing idly at the herbs they'd had saved, counting and recounting them and muttering the names to herself. She felt like she was getting better, but there were still a few she had to pause over to remember what they were, what they did, and some still she couldn't think of a name for at all. It was busywork, really, but it helped her feel smart and useful. She liked to think she easily could've sat and done this all day, quizzing herself on every herb in the forest until the sun went down, but it was getting boring fast. Heaving a sigh, she lowered her head, scowling at a bunch of marigold she'd just pushed to the side. She had settled into being a medicine cat well, but being made out to be a calm, collected healer did nothing to satiate the restlessness that lived in her bones.

Luckily, Dennis was there.

Turning around, she returned his smile easily, getting to her paws. "Of course! Yeah, I'd love to come with you." It was an excuse to get outside, and Cloverpaw was sure that's what it was on her mentor's end, too. The age showed on his face, in his body, but she learned quickly he wasn't one to sit still for too long. She could appreciate that maybe more than any cat– he might drive her out of her mind if he planned on hovering in and out of the den all day long. Pushing past him into camp, she shook out her fur, the full warmth of the day finally hitting her. "So, what are we looking for today? Are we going down to the river again, or somewhere else?"

Dennis' smile brightened at his apprentice's enthusiasm. Clearly she was as desperate for something to do as he was, judging by how eager she was to be on her feet and not sorting herbs all day. He could relate, it felt like over a third of his life was spent just sorting herbs. As they exited camp and she asked him where they were going, he thought for a moment.

"Well... Hm. That is a very good question. We don't really need anything, per se, but..." He trailed off for a bit, thinking about it some more. "Okay, we'll be going somewhere drier this time. Somewhere more wooded, I'd say. You know how to find wetland herbs, but finding herbs in the underbrush is a little different so it's good practice. Gotta have a good eye to spot the useful stuff." He grinned at Cloverpaw and they continued to walk through the territory.

After quite a while of walking, the two finally found themselves in a small patch of woodland. The ground beneath their feet was overgrown with shrubs and ivy, so much so that any herbs were pretty well hidden. A good challenge for the talented apprentice, he figured. "Alright then Cloverpaw, same principles as last time. Use all your senses and try find anything out of the ordinary. Look up as well- if you see any nuts in the trees, chances are you'll find some on the ground as well." He could see some hazelnut trees, maybe there'd be cob nuts in the area. He was rather fond of cob nuts, them being the first herbs he'd ever used. Those had been good times.

Remembering why they were here, he lifted his head just a little and gave the air a deep sniff. He needn't have bothered with the sniffing, however, because as he looked up he spotted the signature pointed leaves of a hazelnut tree. Upon closer inspection, he could see a few nuts hidden among the foliage. Exactly what he'd been hoping to find, if only for sentimental reasons. Turning his head downward, he walked the perimeter of the tree and picked up all the fallen nuts in his mouth. The result was rather funny looking, with his mouth full of about 10 cob nuts. He put them back down by his feet and smiled. "Pop quiz, Cloverpaw. Do you know what these are used for? Bonus points if you can tell me how to apply them."
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1- Nothing or poison
2-3: Catchweed, Cobwebs, Stinging nettles
4-5: Oak leaves, Celandine, Cob nuts
6: Juniper berries, Dock leaves, Tansy

Forgot to roll again ee

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

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'Effect Dice' : 5

Cloverpaw followed along diligently, ears turned towardd Dennis as he spoke. She almost wanted to protest, ask to go to the river anyway, but it would be good for her. She'd have to learn how to find them on her own someday, anyway.

The thought gave her pause, stopping in her tracks for just a moment before quickly picking up the pace. It wasn't something she had thought about, but... eventually, Dennis would be out of the den, leaving her as RiverClan's sole medicine cat. It frightened her more than the idea of failing in front of her mentor. What if she made a mockery of her Clan, what if he left behind an incompetent apprentice. Besides, she quickly grew to like him. Not that it took much for her to make friends, but still. She didn't want to be without him.

Feeling more somber than when they'd left, she let Dennis lead the way, following close as they approached a grove of trees. Before she could ask any questions about what might be around here, he wandered off on his own, circling around a tree. When he turned back to face her, she giggled, spirits starting to lift.

"You look silly," she mewed, grinning as he set the nuts down. Wait– her ears flattened at his question, and she stared at them more intensely, rolling one underpaw. Maybe the nuts would just give her the answer themselves if she waited long enough, but she didn't have lifetimes to wait around for that. "Uh– well, you probably have to chew them. Or," she pressed down on one, and it refused to give way to her weight. "Or use something harder to.. to grind them?" She tried a smile, hoping acting happy would hide the sheepishness in her voice. "I don't know– well, don't remember –what they're for, though. Sorry," She shrugged, turning her gaze away. She didn't want to see it if Dennis looked disappointed.

Perfect. A distraction.

When Cloverpaw turned her head, she caught sight of a couple plants taller than the other, their leaves jagged and, as Cloverpaw bounded closer, she could see the little furs that covered them. This was something she knew. Careful not to let the leaves touch her too much, she bit through the stem, carrying it back to set with the cob nuts. "Nettle, right?" She pawed at the teeth-marks on the plant, looking at Dennis for approval.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3

Dennis chuckled at the comment. Had he been a year younger he would have been embarrassed, but he'd been made fun of for his appearance enough that the light-hearted joke did nothing but lift his spirits even more. It reminded him of his banter with Mistleshine. He missed being an apprentice, now that he could somewhat remember the experience.

He nodded a bit too enthusiastically at her answer, given that she'd only gotten one out of three things right. Still, to him, it was the most impressive thing in the world that a cat who had only been his apprentice for a tiny amount of time could remember even a little bit about cob nuts of all things. He hardly used them, they weren't that versatile, and so the fact that she knew a bit about how to use them brought an even bigger smile to his face. "Right! Chewing them is possible, but it's hard on your teeth and by the time you're done chewing the wound will have healed itself. So you grind them between rocks until they're a paste." He gestured towards the little scars on his feet, the culmination of a lifetime of treading through thorns with bare paws. "They're used to heal little wounds like these. Thorn wounds, porcupine quills, some insect bites, the list goes on." Once he was done talking, Dennis watched as she successfully found and harvested a nettle plant.

"Brilliant! That's nettle alright, good job on picking it carefully. The hairs on each leaf can sting through fur, and swallowing any part of a nettle can cause nausea. It's a touch more useful than cob nuts, but a lot more common. It can treat poisoning, moderate wounds and..."

He cut himself off when he spotted something in his peripheral vision: a cluster of bright green leaves. Nothing too exciting, but the herb-collecting bug in his brain got excited anyway as he limped over and picked the catchweed. A few leaves stuck to his nose and stayed there as he attempted to put down the herbs. He sighed, grinning. "Catchweed. Very sticky, good for keeping poultices on wounds. Like cobwebs, but considerably more..." He paused, rubbing the leaf off of his nose only for it to stick to his paw, "stubborn."

He gave up on getting the stuff off of his paw and looked around for more herbs. His attention was mostly focused on Cloverpaw though. "So, Cloverpaw... You're my apprentice, but I feel like we don't know each other that well. Uhh... Say we play a game? I say one thing about myself, then you, and so on." He waited for agreement before continuing. "Okay. Uhh... This one's pretty common knowledge, but it's a start, um. Before I was Dennis, my name was Spiderquill. Spiderkit, Spiderpaw, the whole shebang. I... don't identify with the name much anymore, though." He gave an awkward smile. He was horrible at making non-herb-related conversation.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3

Dennis' praise made Cloverpaw grin, and her smile only widened as he confirmed she'd been right about the nettle, too. Maybe she really didn't have anything to worry about– she was good at this! Her tail waved slowly, and she let out a soft purr. She needed to stop worrying so much.

Watching as Dennis padded away, she tipped her head curiously to the side. She couldn't make out what he was heading for, and she squinted to try and see what it was amidst the rest of the grasses. Even after he plucked it, Cloverpaw couldn't tell what it was, so she was grateful when he explained.

She was tempted to poke at it, but looking at Dennis, she wasn't sure she wanted it getting stuck over her. "You look silly again," she mewed warmly as she crouched down, sniffing at it. The weed shifted, and she startled backwards like she'd been bit to avoid its leaves.

She was still trying to figure out a way to touch the weed without getting stuck to it when Dennis started talking again. Sitting back upright, Cloverpaw tilted her head, blinking slowly. He wanted her to... talk about herself? She really didn't know what to say. She listened to his fun fact and nodded, smiling. "Right, I knew that! But you, uh–" She paused, looking briefly confused, then quickly finished, "you make a good Dennis." Guess now it was her turn... but what would she say? Maybe she could talk about Tarot? No, that'd get her in trouble... she shifted around, absently rolling around the cob nuts.

"Uhm... Hm. I guess I get really nervous really easily. I just sorta overthink, I guess," she huffed, looking at anything around her except her mentor. "I just think too fast and then it freaks me out really bad." This was probably oversharing, wasn't it? She curled her tail protectively against herself and shrugged, like that would lighten what she said.

Dennis snorted, whiskers twitching. A good Dennis. That was a funny way of phrasing it, but he liked it. If he couldn't be a good Spiderquill, at least he was a good Dennis. "Thank you," he purred.

He watched as she thought of something to say in response. He opened his mouth to tell her that she didn't have to- it had been his idea, if she didn't want to share that was okay- but before the words left his lips she began to speak again.

He really hit the jackpot with this apprentice, huh? She was smart, actually enjoyed the job and she was relatable. He was leaving the Clan in capable paws. Cloverpaw's posture was defensive, reminding him of his own. "You know, you sound exactly like me as a 'paw. And now, I guess. Some things never change." He grinned a little, realising a second later that maybe 'you'll be like this forever' wasn't the best pep talk he could've given. "Um, th-that is to say, you're not alone. And uh- if you're ever feeling freaked out or anything, you can talk to me. I have ample experience." He inclined his tail towards her, though didn't quite touch her out of awkwardness.

"Well. Okay, next fact... Uh..." Funny, so many things had happened to him and yet he couldn't think of a single one. For some reason Softbreeze came to mind, but he wouldn't even admit that particular fact to himself, let alone anyone else. "Right, here's one! I went to war with StarClan once. I insulted one of them and got this for my trouble." He gestured to his cheek, three faint clawmarks visible on his bare skin. "I definitely got off easy- I mostly healed from the sidelines. I wasn't very g-good though." Oddly vivid memories of Ivystar, lying dead in a pool of her own blood, surfaced in his mind. He'd been useless then. He shuddered, hoping Cloverpaw wouldn't notice the drop in his facial expression.

Cloverpaw laughed, some of her tension leaving her at his reassurance. "Thank you," she purred, reaching with her own tail to meet his. "You're a good mentor, too. Good everything." She was grateful she had decided to follow this path: even with all her doubts, Dennis was kind to her, always around to remind her she was good at this. Anxiety still clung to her, but she felt like she could relax a little more, now. She was goint to be fine.

Her ears perked as he went on, eyes widening as he displayed his scars. Suddenly, her usual pep came quickly back to her, and she nearly shot to her paws in excitement. "With StarClan? Really?! How– or, uh, well, why, I guess. You insulted someone?" Her eyes were bright and searching for answers, but she failed to find them in his weary expression. Shaking her head, she pressed, "But they're– well, they're there to look over us. Not–" she paused, snorting a quick laugh, "not go to war, Dennis!"

Dennis was grateful for Cloverpaw reaching out her tail, otherwise his gesture would have been entirely awkward. "Likewise- I mean, not the mentor part, but you're a wonderful apprentice. I couldn't ask Starclan for better." Cloverpaw looked like she was relaxing a little more. He was glad she could, he knew how horrible self-doubt could be sometimes.

Dennis spluttered indignantly at her next remark. "Yes, with StarClan! They started it! Besides, it wasn't all of StarClan. Just... Uh, just a select few. It wasn't the... Happiest part of our history. Um." He coughed. Why did he have to ruin it with his... Melancholy? "I uh, I called one of them mean or something? Or like, unable to love? Something about a resistance... Here's a tip, never yell at an angry purist. Especially if you're two mice tall." Despite the subject matter, Dennis' whiskers twitched in amusement. He could only hope Cloverpaw wasn't as... mouthy as he'd been.

"Say, Clover. Can I ask you a question? What kind of medicine cat do you want to be? I barely remember becoming an apprentice, let alone why. I just kind of... Grew into it, so I don't think I ever had a real reason for it. But you... You were already an apprentice. So why choose this? I-if there's a reason at all, I mean, I'm not pressuring you or anything, just, y'know..." He trailed off.