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Post by Loving/Insane Mom on Dec 24, 2007 11:11:01 GMT -5
Silentnight sat down under one of the few trees of the moor. Moorland was always peaceful; not crowded like a forest or dank as a marsh. The black she-cat gave her paw a lick or two and then looked up. Where is that crow-food of a tom? Starclan is going to kill me for allowing this, but at least I"m not taking him to the Moonstone. She wanted to give hin some practice with herb hunting. There were a few herbs scattered at her paws. She brought them with her to teach Mellowpaw the basics and then he'd had to find his own.
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 17:19:38 GMT -5
Mellowpaw grouchily paced out onto the moor. He was late, he knew, but he'd had to try and find Luna before she went out to train. He hadn't even had time to swipe his tongue over his felt, leaving his fur uncharacteristically disheveled. What had he done so wrong?
A she-cat of black and white hues became visible, and he felt dread within himself. At least, he thought, I don't have to worry about the others thinking I'm weak. I'm the only one learning the ways of a medicine cat. As he approached his mentor, he flicked his tail in a half-hearted greeting. No use saying anything; she'd claw his ears off! Contrary old Silentnight.
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Post by Loving/Insane Mom on Dec 24, 2007 17:31:40 GMT -5
Silentnight glared at the tom. "You're late! AS usual! Can't you do ANYTHING right?" Mellowpaw was looking terrible, but she didn't care. "Today I'll be teaching you different herbs, but first I'll tell you what a Medicine cat is all about. We find herbs and cure other. We interpet signs from Starclan and must believe in them. We also love and care for every cat, no matter what the clan. THis is also a reason mates and kits are forbbiden. Not that you'll have to worry about that." Her bright yellow eyes looked at the brown tabby to make sure he knew what being a medicine cat was all about.
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 19:04:01 GMT -5
Mellowpaw listened dully, glaring rebelliously at the criticism. Then Silentnight told him kits and mates were forbidden. He thought back to Luna's avoidance of him and his eyes widened. "Luna knew..." he murmured out loud, then slapped his tail over his mouth, nodding quickly. "Okay, herbs, stars, and Clan," he repeated. "Got it."
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Post by Loving/Insane Mom on Dec 24, 2007 21:52:06 GMT -5
Silentnight took note of her apprentice's sudden notice of the forbidden mate part of the speech and the mentioning of Luna's name, but for now she woud focus on the training. So she acted as though she didn't hear the words he had been so foolish to accidentally speak. The black-and-white she-cat pushed forward a leafy plant with her white muzzle. "This is catmint. Take note of the sweet smell. It's often found in Twoleg nests, though they have no need for it I must say."
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 21:56:25 GMT -5
Mellowpaw nodded and got close, his nose right up to the leaves, and sniffed. Coughing, he took a step backward. He'd never smelt a plant so tempting. "Scent noted. What's it for?" he asked impatiently.
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Post by Loving/Insane Mom on Dec 24, 2007 22:14:40 GMT -5
Silentnight wanted to laugh as she saw Mellowpaw get up close and personal with the herb. "It's one of the few cures for greencough." Then her paw moved another plant toward the tom. It was a pink star-shaped flower with hairy leaves. "This is Borage leaf. It is to be chewed and eaten. It is for nursing queens to help with their milk supply and for fever." Let's hope this time isn't a complete waste.
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 22:17:42 GMT -5
Hate crossed the apprentice's face. "Queens can't even make milk without herbs? They're as useless as mouse-dung." His dislike of queens and their kits wasn't something he was going to bother to hide, especially not from a she-cat he was forced to be with. "At least catmint is useful."
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Post by Loving/Insane Mom on Dec 24, 2007 22:59:19 GMT -5
Silentnight patted Mellowpaw with her paw, claws sheathed. "You wouldn't be here without a queen! Remember that! Yes, they can make milk on their own, but sometimes only a little or none comes. Borage helps with that, but not all the time. Gosh!" Then she brought her paw back and moved yet another herb in front of Mellowpaw. It was just a dried leaf. "This is a dried oak leaf. It is good for infections and must be harvest in the leaf-fall. Don't forget that they must be kept dry at all times!"
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 23:03:32 GMT -5
Mellowpaw ducked from his mentor's touch, but listened intently. He'd show her he didn't need a queen. "What happens if a medicine cat falls in love?" he asked casually, like he was asking about the uses of poppyseed. His eyes grazed the horizon beyond Silentnight's head, and he had on a perfect mask of innocent curiosity.
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Post by Loving/Insane Mom on Dec 24, 2007 23:23:56 GMT -5
Innocence. Shield my eyes. "They are punished by Starclan, of course. It's been so long since of heard of it happening, so I"m not sure on whether they punish the medicine cat, their mate, the kits, or all of them for the matter. No one knows until it's happened, but it's usually always a terrible price." Silentnight pondered the thought for a minute. "I can't recall a medicine cat whose done it though, but there has been."
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 23:29:48 GMT -5
"That's mouse-brained." Mellowpaw scoffed. "If love is such a great thing, why are those closest to StarClan denied it?" He remembered how he had felt giving Luna the butterfly, how nice being close to her had been. What could a medicine cat's life give him that could equal that? No amount of saved Clanmates or shared nights with StarClan could be worth that.
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Post by Loving/Insane Mom on Dec 24, 2007 23:43:35 GMT -5
"Did you not listen to what I said earlier?" Silentnight rolled her eyes. "We loved ALL cats; fellow clanmates, other clan cats, and non-clan cats. We care for all of them and love all of them. If we had a mate then that means we love them indidvidually and our focus would be on them instead of everyone else. Honestly, I say it's kinda crappy, but hey, that's the life of a medicine cat." She shrugged her shoulders. Somethings can never be changed like rules for instance.
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Post by Unwanted Step-Child on Dec 24, 2007 23:48:54 GMT -5
Mellowpaw nodded. He understood now, why Luna had left so abruptly. She'd known about this. He felt betrayed, but it wasn't a new feeling. "When do I get to go to the Moonstone? I want to see StarClan." He brightened up at his own question. Seeing dead cats was way more fun than herbs and rules. Still, he wondered what Luna was going now in her training. Maybe she'd be done when he did and he could find her. His eyes burrowed into his paws, his mind gone in thought.
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Post by Loving/Insane Mom on Dec 25, 2007 22:07:04 GMT -5
Siletnight wiggled her nose for a minute or two after this question. The silence proved she was thinking about what she would say next. "You're not going any time soon! You're barely fit to be at the apprentice age. I believe it will be long before you should be allowed to go to the Moonstone." Or never. Her eyes narrowed at him. "And, kit, don't question my judgement." She knew being called a kit would irritate him profusely.
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