what you left behind [c]

ShadowClan had been reeling from Heatherberry’s sudden disappearance.

It had to have been some sort of accident — Rookfire had the same thing happen to him a few moons back, not long after taking an apprentice himself. Heatherberry, despite everything she had gone through, didn’t seem like the kind of cat who would willingly leave ShadowClan behind.

The black tuxedo ducked into the medicine den to see Nightpaw sulking. He needed a mentor still. And Rookfire knew exactly what a medicine cat needed to know. Perhaps he could teach Nightpaw with Heatherberry’s absence.

”Hey, Nightpaw,” he said. ”I used to be ShadowClan’s medicine cat, moons and moons ago. I can teach you what you need to know to be a medicine cat, while Heatherberry’s… missing.” He had gotten caught by Twolegs before, and other cats had been caught by them, too. It was very possible that Heatherberry was still alive. Until I see her dead body or her spirit in StarClan, she’s alive, trying her hardest to get home.

OOC: Mobile post, so no fancy boy template


Nightpaw startled as an unfamiliar voice broke the crushing silence of the den. It was familiar in the way that ShadowClan cats spoke, but not much else about it was recognizable. He looked over his shoulder to find himself face to face with a tom who very easily could've been his kin - he had the same tuxedo pelt and green eyes that Nightpaw did. The apprentice's gaze softened; this cat wasn't a threat. He was a Clanmate, and from his words, he'd even held this position himself once.

"I... I'm sorry, I don't know your name," Nightpaw admitted. His voice was tired - plain and lacking his usual nervousness. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what the tom knew about him. While his gaze didn't hold the judgment he was used to his Clanmates wearing, Nightpaw still didn't know if he was completely safe to open up to. But his offer was so kind, how could he refuse? He didn't exactly have other options. And the tom had said while Heatherberry was missing. That meant he held onto the hope that the medicine cat would return, too. Nightpaw wasn't alone in that, at least. "If you're busy, you don't have to. I'd feel bad taking up your time... but, ah, I would appreciate it."

His weary green gaze studied the warrior. He wasn't quite old, but he was definitely seasoned. Nightpaw knew of two of ShadowClan's medicine cats - no, three. Burdockroot had mentioned her mentor during one of their meetings. Fuzzybelly, was it? But he didn't know who Fuzzybelly was. This cat didn't look like a Fuzzy. And he wondered why anyone would choose the life of a warrior over the life of a healer, but maybe that was just personal bias. Instead of asking any of his questions, Nightpaw nodded to the bundles of herbs behind him, his expression faintly curious. It was still hard to throw himself into his duties when he couldn't help but keep a loyal eye peeled for Heatherberry's return, but he'd have to try. "If you have time... do you mind going over the basics? Like how to treat cuts and scrapes, and anything that might be - be common occurrence?"

Rookfire blinked. He had never talked with Nightpaw before, so it was reasonable that Nightpaw didn't know his name. "Oh, right," he said, chuckling. "I'm Rookfire. It's nice to meet you." Nightpaw seemed to be a quiet tom, so Rookfire tried reading the room. He hoped that he could help foster the tom's self-confidence while teaching him how to get herbs

"Don't worry about taking up my time," the black tuxedo said. "I'm not busy." Even if he was, to be honest, he'd put what he had aside to train Nightpaw to be ShadowClan's medicine cat. It was only a matter of time until Leopardstar formally asked him to step in for Heatherberry, anyways, so he wanted to give Nightpaw a start.

As Nightpaw asked a question, Rookfire sat back. Common occurrences... there was getting thorns out of a cat's paw, treating flesh wounds, herb packets for moonstone journeys, bee stings, rat bites, and  a ton of other things Rookfire didn't even remember right now. "Well, there's a lot to cover," he said. "I don't think I could go through everything here." That wasn't the most helpful, so Rookfire quickly added: "I could teach you some of them, though."

"The most common thing you'll have to deal with is someone getting a thorn in their paw. First, you'll have to be able to pull it out with your teeth. But after that-" The black tuxedo scanned the medicine den, before padding over to the dock in a nearby corner. "You'll need this." Grabbing one of the large green leaves with his jaw, he showed it to Nightpaw. "This is dock. You chew it thoroughly and put it on your clanmate's paw. It helps prevent infection and helps heal up cracked pads, too."

"As long as I'm around, ShadowClan's far from vulnerable," Rookfire replied, smiling at Nightpaw. When Nightpaw asked him where he could find dock, the black tuxedo felt... pride. "Great question," he said, nodding. "The best place to get dock would probably be... right on the edge of the Thunderpath. It grows well there, and it's the only plant that can, so it's very easy to find. But it can be found all across the territory wherever it's muddy and grassy." It was a lot to dump on an apprentice, but if he worked one herb at a time, it would probably be okay.

"You get all that? I can go through it again if you want."

Rookfire grinned. "Yeah, I'd love to do that sometime!" he said. He would love to give Nightpaw his knowledge that he had acquired over the years - both from experience and from what he had learned from Iniko. "I can take you out to gather stuff sometime, for sure!" With Nightpaw's question, the black tuxedo spotted the leaf just underneath the dock - if his memory served him right, that must be-

"That's an elder leaf," he said, smiling back at Nightpaw. "When chewed, it's good for minor injuries to the wrist, elbow, knee, that sort of thing. It can help make an elder's day - or anyone that needs their joints soothed, for that matter. You'll find them most often as bushes in the Pine Grove in ShadowClan - they have white flowers earlier in greenleaf and grow black berries right about now." The black tuxedo smiled at Nightpaw. "The berries do not taste good, by the way. They just make you feel nauseous." Perhaps they could be a substitute for yarrow if needed, or if someone had trouble making dirt, but he didn't think it was worth keeping in the medicine den for.

"If you ever want to go look for herbs across the territory, let me know! I'd be happy to look for things with you."