Vanishing Point [C]

Outside of the courtesy summons that dragged Ebonyhaze into her presence, Cloverheart was near silent as they ventured across the half-frozen wetlands. A disgruntled huff here and there, or the occassional mutterance to herself, but she didn't turn to look at her apprentice once as they walked, and never rose her voice loud enough to address him. She was afraid, were she to turn around and look at him, one of the muck-drenched monsters that had crowded into their home would be stalking just behind; worse, Ebonyhaze wouldn't be there at all, and she would have risked talking to empty air.

Even worse still, Ebonyhaze would be one of those cats, pelt sodden and dripping with mud and stale blood. Poised to kill.

Cloverheart shuddered, quickening her pace, almost trying to outrun the ghastly creatures of her own invention. It stung, that Jaystar had invited these beasts into their home more willingly; or maybe she was just bitter over the rapid degradation of her own health. Either way, her stomach was starting to turn, and she wanted to return to camp as swiftly as possible. But she was still RiverClan's medicine cat, and Dark Forest or not, she still had an apprentice to train, still had work to do. The ground here was thin and soft, faint tributaries the only sign this was RiverClan territory at all. A gentle paw pressed into the mud, submerging itself into a thin, thawed pool of water. When she pulled her leg back, her toes were slick with grime, and she gave a quick shake to clear off what she could.

Abruptly, she spun around, tail curling as she looked to address her apprentice. Ebonyhaze was still there, and he was still just Ebonyhaze. It didn't look like anyone had followed them either. Good. "I don't want both of us away from camp for too long in case something happens, but we still need herbs," the medicine cat started smoothly, glancing around. A few stood out to her already– hopefully the dark-furred tom would catch them, as well. "You should know a few already, but of course I'll be here to help you. I'll be watching you and picking my own herbs when I find them, but this is... well, I don't need to hover as much as I would were I teaching you how to fight." She snickered, mirthless, then flicked an ear in the vague direction of a good start. "You're free to go, Ebonyhaze. Hopefully we find something."

Dice Roll Results!
6: Chicory root
4-5: Coltsfoot, comfrey root
2-3: Daisy leaf, feverfew, lavender
1: Failure or poison

Ebonyhaze never uttered a word as they walked. Cloverheart didn't seem too keen on conversation and he wasn't going to try and force one. What would they even talk about? The only thing occupying anyone's minds were the monsters lurking in camp like overgrown weasels. He would rather forget they were there whenever he had the chance, bringing them up of his own volition felt like biting into thorns.

But the silence was barely better, allowing his mind to wander and circle like a whirlpool of anxiety. He kept his eyes on the ground, keeping his attention on the scenery and low-growing plants that drew his interest. Sometimes he recognized the plant, others he didn't and wondered if it had a use, then he would feel guilty for trying to forget the dangers back at camp and halt his investigations. Cycle and repeat until Cloverheart stopped in front of him, his ears pricking as she gave out instructions.

His eyes followed in the direction she pointed. It looked like a nice place to find daisies and feverfew, though he still had an issue with telling them apart. One of them had shorter petals and smaller flowers, he could remember that at least. He would have to create a rhyme, rhymes always helped his memory. "I'm sure we will, I think we'll have good luck here." He offered a faint smile before turning to begin his search. With the dark forest in their camp, he douted Riverclan had much luck to go around, but he kept his cynicism to himself.

It didn't take long for him to find the patch of white flowers by the water, his paws wet and sticky from the saturated earth around him. Short petals, small flowers. Ebonyhaze furrowed his brow before hesitantly deciding to take the flowers, not the leaves. He had a feeling this was feverfew, they liked the water and soggy soil if he remembered correctly. He would look for something more distinctive next time to be more confident in his decision.

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

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'Effect Dice' : 3

"You're too kind, Ebonyhaze," Cloverheart responded softly as the dark-furred tom wandered off to begin his search. She followed in his pawsteps, tracking off in a slightly different direction as he found a patch of flowers to nose through. For a moment, the elder medicine cat just watched with interest, waiting to see if he would figure out the plant on his own. And he did, gingerly pulling the flowers from the boggy soil. "Good job! You're a natural. I knew you'd be a good apprentice." Something painful flickered against her skull, but she shook it off with a shiver. The words rang achingly familiar past her ears, but she couldn't place a name to them. One of the ghosts that haunted her then, possibly.

Tail twitching, she turned away, nose to the earth in search of whatever plants weren't bitten by frost. The days were getting warmer, but the chill was persistent, damaging the weaker herbs they could have brought back to camp otherwise. A spot of violet caught her eye, weeping flowers bent low towards the earth. It would be especially useful, with the Dark Forest cats hanging around. Something told her that, despite Jaystar's apparent allegiance with the shadows, warriors would be shuffling into their den day and night with mud-spotted wounds earned from any attempt at resistance. We need everything we can get regardless.

Gingerly, Cloverheart bit into the flower's soft stem, pulling it from the ground. Another bite, closer to the base, and she'd separated the roots entirely. Sweeping them into her apprentice's line of sight, she nodded towards the tangle of roots, pale eyes flashing with something close to liveliness. "Feverfew's a great start, I'll give you that. I'm sure we'll use it soon enough. But can you tell me what this is? Better yet, can you tell me what we're going to use it for?" She paused, drifting, then went on in a softer tone, "I learned most of what I know just from being asked, over and over. I... think, at least. I hope that helps you learn too, Ebonyhaze."

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

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'Effect Dice' : 5