forte
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started as lovers, don't know where it's gonna end
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Post by forte on Apr 4, 2012 17:23:01 GMT -5
Lichenpaw woke from a dreamless sleep feeling stiff and sore. It had been very cold the past few days and the medicine cat den was warm; getting up was the last thing she wanted to do this morning. But from the sounds that came from the outside she could tell that the bustle of the morning was already well underway. No doubt Hawkclaw was shouting orders, organizing patrols, and certainly the kits had been awake and tussling with each other for hours now. With a weary sigh, Lichenpaw rose from her nest, stretched, blinked her sleepiness away, and emerged into the camp.
The day, like the few previous, promised to be chilly, to say the least. There was only a thin layer of snow on the ground due to the shelter the trees and cliffs provided the camp, but the apprentice knew that out in the forest the snow was much deeper. Her breath formed thick clouds in the air around her head before rising and vanishing into the sky.
She glanced around for Cindertooth, wondering what he would want her to do today. Herb gathering was probably off the table, seeing as most herbs couldn’t survive during leafbare. Their stores would have to last through the season. Cindertooth was most worried about greencough and blackcough, and while Lichenpaw had never seen the illness, her mentor had taught her the symptoms so that she could keep an eye out. Each day she went to the nursery to make sure the kits were all breathing easy. “Might as well do that now,” she thought, and began to make her way to the nursery.
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epic
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Post by epic on Apr 5, 2012 9:57:41 GMT -5
Adderpaw Adderpaw's gold eyes were bright in the early morning. His brown tabby fur encrusted with ice crystals, he was ready to do, well, something. He padded out of the apprentice den. He looked at the measly pile of fresh-kill, and felt hunger gnaw at his belly. He was tempted by the idea to eat something, but decided to take it to the queens and kits in the nursery. His mouth watered as picked up a sparrow and sprinted toward the nursery entrance. He passed Lichenpaw and skidded to a stop, making snow fly. He cast a sightly mischievous look over his shoulder, at the medicine cat apprentice. He continued into the nursery, and set the sparrow down lightly. He was pleasantly surprised at the warm feeling in the nursery.
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forte
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started as lovers, don't know where it's gonna end
Posts: 25
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Post by forte on Apr 5, 2012 21:42:48 GMT -5
Lichenpaw weaved between the other cats as they went about their business, purring "good morning" as she passed each one. Her heart and spirits rose with each greeting she received. Her Clanmates were her friends and family: she shared a bond with every one of them, even those she didn't know well, that only ThunderClan cats could have.
She heard thudding behind her and glanced about just in time to have her face sprayed with snow by that tabby apprentice, Adderpaw. With a shiver she shook her fur free of snow and glared at him, but he was already walking away...toward the nursery as well, it seemed. He sometimes got on Lichenpaw's nerves, but it sure was nice of him to bring the queens some fresh-kill. She put on her brave face and entered the nursery.
Inside, it was very calm and warm and soothingly dark, and the clamor of the camp seemed a world away. Lichenpaw greeted the queens with a hearty purr; understandably they had at first been hesitant about letting an inexperienced apprentice examine their kits, but she had worked hard to gain their trust since and she would work hard to retain it. "Hello, kits," she said to the little ones as they greeted her, excited to get a visitor. "Let's get started."
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epic
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Post by epic on Apr 6, 2012 10:04:58 GMT -5
Adderpaw Adderpaw dropped the sparrow in front of the queen. He watched Lichenpaw in slight curiosity. He had no clue what she was doing, it looked perfectly odd to him. The tom sat down, still watching her. He wondered what it was like to be a medicine cat. Adderpaw didn't think he would like it. They seemed somewhat... distant. And it seemed like the pressure was always on them. He enjoyed being a warrior apprentice and couldn't imagine being anything different. "What is it like, Lichenpaw? Being a medicine cat?" He couldn't just of basing his opinions off of hunches, so he wanted to know what she thought.
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forte
Administrator
started as lovers, don't know where it's gonna end
Posts: 25
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Post by forte on Apr 6, 2012 22:57:55 GMT -5
The young she-cat chatted light-heartedly with the queens while she worked, which she found reassured them of her confidence and competence. She listened to each kit's breathing to be sure it wasn't raspy; she combed through their fur and checked for parasites and infections; she checked their mouths for tooth decay and inflammation; she checked their eyes and noses for discharge. They all seemed perfectly healthy and as she wrapped up her examination, she could spare some of her attention to listen to Adderpaw. She didn't answer him immediately, but said her good-byes to the kits and queens while she thought about her answer. Then she made her way through the dark and sat down next to him. "Well," she began, not quite sure about what she thought of the life of a medicine cat. She thought it was great, certainly, but she honestly didn't know how it was different from that of a regular apprentice. She couldn't know. "It's probably a lot like being a warrior apprentice," she said finally, then turned away and squeezed through the entrance tunnel and into the camp. She sat down again right outside and waited for Adderpaw to join her, then continued, knowing that he could still hear her. "We have our duties and our training and our codes, just like you do. They just consist of different things. Instead of learning how to hurt, we learn how to heal." The gray apprentice couldn't help letting a hint of bias into her voice as she spoke. Her belief that fighting other cats was barbaric was her own, and she wouldn't try to impose it on anyone. In fact, Cindertooth was the only other cat she could really talk to about it. "That's the biggest difference, of course. I've learned the names and uses of dozens of herbs and where to find them. I've had cats tell me they don't think they could learn it all, but it's really not that difficult. It's just memorization." She glanced surreptitiously at the tom, then looked down at her paws, then flicked her tail at a pine cone segment on the ground. "Of course, we learn how to hunt too," she said with more enthusiasm, "now there's a challenge. I've never caught so much as a shrew!" But Lichenpaw wasn't bitter about her lack of hunting ability; rather, it was a source of amusement for her. She laughed once and added, "Just, you know, ticks and fleas."
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epic
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Post by epic on Apr 8, 2012 17:31:48 GMT -5
Adderpaw Adderpaw followed the she-cat and sat down next to her. He was surprisingly intrigued in what she had said about being a medicine cat. He was interested, but he didn't think he would like being one. "I could help teach you, if you'd like. To hunt." Adderpaw said, not believing the words he had said came from his own mouth. The words were out there and there was no way to take them back. If she agreed, well, he would do it, but if not, he would be okay with it. He raised his gold eyes to meet hers in questioning.
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forte
Administrator
started as lovers, don't know where it's gonna end
Posts: 25
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Post by forte on Apr 13, 2012 12:42:07 GMT -5
Lichenpaw looked at the apprentice with surprise at his offer to help her learn to hunt. She was surprised that he was generous enough to be willing to do such a thing for her, but she was also surprised because he was an apprentice. Surely he couldn't know anything that Cindertooth didn't? Or any of the warriors? Adderpaw had only been an apprentice for as long as she had, two moons; one can only learn so much in that short time. Still, she was grateful for his unselfishness, and any amount of extra practice couldn't possibly hurt. She nodded once. "Thank you," she said. "I'd love to learn anything you can teach me. If you like I can show you a little about medicine, too."
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