Evening Light [Open]

Henpaw sat just outside the medicine den, gazing at the sunset. She’d always liked sunsets. They bathed the lad in golden light and made everything slow down. Now that she was a medicine cat, she had an excuse to stare at sunsets. However, she didn’t expect any omens from StarClan anytime soon. From the little she’d seen of StarClan, they only gave omens when absolutely necessary, so she hoped she didn’t get one anytime soon. Her paws fidgeted with the herbs she had just finished sorting. She’d moved outside for the sunset, and also for a different reason- she was going to hammer some herbs into at least one cat’s brain. From what Thrushflight had told her, the Asylum were brutes, but even a brute comes up with a good idea, once in a blue moon. Teaching everycat the basics of herbs was a wonderful idea. Henpaw’s eyes narrowed as she glared at the camp entrance. The warriors should be returning now and she could pounce on them at her leisure. Not literally pounce. Well, maybe. It really depended on who, exactly, was about to stray into her line of vision.

Basic herbs, she’d decided, like cobwebs and poppy seeds, but also the important ones like catmint, the useful ones like comfrey root, and the poisons. Just so no cat would eat them by accident. She didn’t worry about the potential… side effects of teaching cats poisons. If she found anycat poisoned she’d know who to suspect, and those cats would know that she knew. At any rate she knew which of her Clanmates she trusted unconditionally, and those she didn’t really know. Come on, you mouse-brains, she thought with narrowed eyes. Get over here so I can be responsible for saving your lives.

Spotlake padded through the camp entrance, a rabbit in the firm grip of her jaws. She had been on three patrols that day, as she was one of the few Windclan warriors who wasn't terribly hurt from the battle with Skyclan, and she wanted to be of assistance for her clan. It did make her awfully tired though. Spotlake padded towards the fresh-kill pile, setting the rabbit down in it, before taking a quick glance around the camp. She noticed Henpaw, the cat Smallbean would be training to become the next medicine cat, and waved her tail in greeting at the young apprentice.

Henpaw’s head snapped up as soon as she heard paw steps. Aha, Spotlake, a cat she didn’t know too well. Smallbean’s… mother? She thought? That must make her awfully old… at least in Henpaw’s eyes. Anyone born before the Asylum was ancient to her. Like, very ancient. Ancient or not, Spotlake needed to know about herbs. It was fairly likely she knew quite a bit already… but… Henpaw did not function on fairly likely or quite a bit. She waved her tail at Spotlake, gesturing the senior warrior over. If she wasn’t busy, that was.

Henpaw moved the herbs a bit, putting the simple ones that Spotlake probably already knew (cobwebs, poppy seeds) to the side. If anyone else came over, they were more than welcome, but for now she only had one target- student. “Hope you’re not busy,” she called as soon as the warrior was close enough. “Just a few herbs I want everycat to know about. You already know about cobwebs, I gather. Ya know this one?” She pointed out a plant with thin spiky leaves. If Spotlake knew this one, Henpaw would let her leave, because she obviously knew more than she herself did.

Henpaw waved her tail back, seemingly beckoning for Spotlake to come over. Padding over, Spotlake meowed in greeting. "Hey Henpaw. No I'm not too busy, what do you need?" Spotlake plopped herself down next to Henpaw, eyeing the herb in front of the young she-cat."Oh this herb?" Spotlake thought for a moment. It looked rather familiar. It must've been one of the herbs Smalbean showed her a moon back. "Hmm, looks like... blackberry leaves? My memory's a little fuzzy on this one. I believe Smallbean showed it to me before." Spotlake pondered out loud.

Henpaw withheld a smirk. Alright, so she was kinda picking on Spotlake. Hey, at least the older molly didn’t know the fennel- if she had Henpaw would’ve been taken aback. It was almost a trick question. It looked a bit like blackberry leaves, true, but it was used to treat hip pain. They didn’t have many elderly cats in WindClan so they didn’t use much fennel. “It’s fennel- grows well in… sandy places near water? Or dry places near water? Anyways, helps hip pain. Now, this is one everycat should know. ” She nudged a tall stemmed plant with almond shaped leaves.

“Chickweed, helps greencough.” Henpaw tilted her head at the spotted molly. “I’m guessin’ you already know more than most cats, eh?” Apart from being Smallbean’s mother, Spotlake hung around the medicine den on occasion. She ought to know at least some herbs.

"Ah fennel." Spotlake softly realized. Yea now that she was looking at it, and remembering, it didn't look exactly like blackberry leaves.

She then turned her attention towards another herb, staring at it. She's seen cats take it before, but never herself. When she had Greencough when she was younger, Spotlake was sure she couldn't bring herself to swallow many of the herbs. "Chickweed eh?" Spotlake paused for a moment, to let Henpaw speak, before answering. "Yes, I guess you could say that. Smallbean, and by extension Softbreeze, before she retired, did tell me about few a herbs. I also did provide some help for them, whenever they called for it." Spotlake then felt herself reflecting a bit. She had known Softbreeze and Smallbean they were kits, with Spotlake having played with Softbreeze and her brother, when she was an apprentice, and Smallbean was her son, who she Crowspirit raised, along with his other siblings. "They both really matured in wonderful medicine cats, as I believe you will Henpaw." She thought aloud, turning towards Henpaw during the last bit.

Softbreeze rung a bell in Henpaw’s head. She didn’t really remember what the molly was like, but was pretty sure it wasn’t good. Hadn’t she babied RiverClan’s medicine cat? At any rate, Soft- and -breeze were names Henpaw didn’t quite like. A name could tell you a lot about a cat. Smallbean was small. Dayspring had a spring in her step- when her leg wasn’t splinted, that was. Ashfall had ash colored fur. It was pretty simple. Hopefully the trend would continue.

Oh. Oh stars. Spotlake was one of those, eh? Henpaw liked her mentor, but… she didn’t want to be like him. She respected his knowledge of herbs… but… nothing else, really. It wasn’t that he wasn’t nice- no, Smallbean was nice. It was that he didn’t, not quite, represent WindClan well. Spotlake doubtlessly meant it as a compliment, but… yeah, no. Henpaw was gonna be WindClan’s best ever medicine cat. She was gonna show those fox-tails what WindClan could do! They-

She realized suddenly she’d paused for… a suspiciously long time. “Uh, thanks, Spotlake. Really- really appreciated.” Hopefully somecat else would come and rescue her from this molly. Spotlake was nice, yes, yes, but at the moment Henpaw did not want to be compared to cats of dubious remembrance. If they even were remembered. Henpaw was going to be remembered. Cats would recall her for moons upon moons as the best medicine cat WindClan had ever had. And once she got to StarClan she wasn’t going to stop poking her snout in other cats’ business- oh, no. WindClan wouldn’t get rid of her that easy.

Spotlake simply smiled at Henpaw, completely, and utterly unaware of what the young one was thinking. She was just glad to be spending time with one of her younger clanmates. With the warrior duties piling up, she hadn't had a chance to talk much with the cats around her, and that made her feel sad. "So Henpaw, got any more herbs you want to show me?" Spotlake asked.

“Nah. Can’t expect you to keep too much in your head, you got plenty of herbs up there already. Ya cats got enough on ya minds. If you see any young, hare-brained cats send them my way. Or hare-brained cats of any age, heh.” Hare-brains came in all shapes and sizes. Which reminded her, she wanted to talk to- but she was distracted by the sun glinting in her eyes. Hopefully Spotlake would remember- but she was mainly concerned about the younger cats, ones who thought they had nine lives. She wouldn’t put it pass them to do something totally hare-brained. Who knew, burdock root might save their lives one day.

She turned her attention back to the herbs, mentally gauging which would be needed in which circumstance. They might need blackberry leaves for bee stings, yes, but yarrow for poisons was more important. This conversation was over and she showed it in her body language- although she meant no disrespect to the senior warrior. She did hope some young cat with things to learn would come over and be educated. Important, like.

Spotlake quickly noticed that the conversation was over, and briskly nodded. "Ok then Henpaw. If you ever want to some cat to talk to, I'm always open." She meowed, her tone friendly. She then got up onto her paws, and padded over to her nest. It was rather nice discussing herbs with Henpaw. Spotlake hoped she'd get to talk to the young cat again sometime soon.