flower picking [ shizuka ]

[Foxpaw]

FOXPAW
x - medicine cat apprentice - x

It had been moons since she chose the path of medicine, parts of her regretted that decision - to never have kits or mate. Her eyes often followed the couples of the cats or the kits prancing around the sunlit clearing with joy and their usual kit energy that leaves them running around for moons. Her ears flattened against her head with mild sadness and annoyance toward the warrior code, she had chosen the path of medicine because it was her destiny and she loved all of the clan being her kit. "Can't have it both ways.." she purred softly.

Pulling herself up from the sitting position by her nest, leaning onto her haunches to stretch her fore legs with her long tail flicking upwards to the sound of a satisfying pop of her back as her bones hit against each other. Glancing over her shoulder to the empty nest of Russetfur, her head titling "I wonder where she's gone off to." she muttered softly as she walked toward the neat stacks of herbs doing her daily check up - "Chamomile stocks are low." she mewed with a sigh as though fetching more herbs was a chore rather than her passion.

Stepping through the entrance, the sun of greenleaf lighting the camp with it's heat making her want to flop onto the ground and lay there for moons. "Russetfur!" she called out, not bothering if she irritated the clan, they'd all be better off with a full stock of herbs than not plus she needed permission to go out. Part of her hoped Russetfur would join her on the search for herbs though the other part wanted to be alone so she could prove her abilities and hopefully get her name.

tagged: Russetfur
ooc: I realised we had no threads with these two!

[Russetfur]

Russetfur was picking her way through the tall reeds that grew in Riverclan's territory, her mouth open as she searched for specific herbs and things that could be used to make healing remedies. She had noticed earlier this morning that a couple of the clan's herb remedy stock were low. Russetfur inhaled the many, soggy scents that wafted toward her, being lead to a small clump of watermint right beside a small stream leading into the river. She tore off a few fronds, and turned and trotted back to where she had set down all the other herbs she had collected.

She had let her apprentice, Foxpaw, sleep in this morning. The apprentice was progressing well, and deserved the rest. Even though Russetfur herself was young for a medicine cat, her own mentor's death coming too soon, she noticed that she and Foxpaw were somewhat similar, with their strong desire to be giving their all to help the clan in the best way they possibly could, and she was more than willing to help Foxpaw find her destiny in clan life as the medicine cat apprentice. This was especially since Russetfur had fondly watched Foxpaw following her around since she was a kit who had been brought into Riverclan and showed the enthusiastic kit all her herbs and their uses. Ever since day one, no cat who didn't know her origins would doubt that she was a true clan cat whose life was here in the forest by the lake. And Russetfur strongly believed in the fact that Foxpaw belonged here.

Russetfur bundled her collected herbs together in leaf wraps and carried them away in her jaws back to the camp. She quickly arrived by following the river and swimming effortlessly across, climbing up onto the land on the side of the camp where the medicine cat den was. Her fur dripped with water, but she didn't mind. Russetfur slid through the tall reeds that sheltered the camp until she was inside, letting the plants wipe away the majority of the water from her damp fur. She had heard Foxpaw's meow, calling her name, before she had climbed through the camp's wall of river plants.

Russetfur padded over to the fluffy apprentice of hers and put down her bundles to meow in greeting. "I'm here, Foxpaw. Are you ready to continue your training? It's going to be a little different today. But first..." Russetfur purred warmly at her apprentice, and she poked at the four leaf wraps with watermint, juniper berries, sorrel, and chamomile packed within. "Without unwrapping them, can you name these herbs? Go on, have a sniff." A quick memorization quiz. Foxpaw would need to, like she had, find herbs by their scent when searching the territory for stock.

---

tagged || Foxpaw
words || 465
ooc || ;DDD

Table (c) TornKitty of Fade Away ~ Character (c) Priestess Shizuka

[Foxpaw]

FOXPAW
x - medicine cat apprentice - x

The she cats head turned as the reeds ruffled with the movement of the medicine cats return. Foxpaw emerged fully from the den with her long tail brushing against the ground slightly irritated - 'She went gathering with out me.' she thought unhappily; it had been too long since she had gone outside the camp and had been looking forward to leaving. Her eyes followed Russet fur as she placed the covered herbs, looking back up "You should've woken me to help you." she mewed softly before gingerly sniffing the herbs.

"Chamomile." she mewed simply, amusement gleamed in her eyes as she lifted them to meet Russetfur's, "This was why I was calling you, I noticed we were low." Leaning to sniff again at the packaged herbs, trying to identify the sharp smells that hit her nose, the fresh and sweet smell of watermint was almost too obvious for the older apprentice, "Watermint,". The strong smell of sorrel mixed with yarrow? no, juniper berries. Sitting up proudly, "Sorrel and Juniper berries." she mewed with confidence.

Her long fluffy tail coiled tightly around her multicoloured body - twitching at the tip as she looked at her mentor, half expecting to be corrected on one of her identifications. "So.." she began looking at her paws with the confidence she once had now fading slightly, "How'd I do?".

[Russetfur]

Russetfur smiled sheepishly and purred, "I'm sorry I left without you. I thought you deserved the rest. You've been doing well in your training." as she observed her apprentice sniffing the leafwraps. She nodded as Foxpaw correctly identified the chamomile and glanced at her with amusement gleaming in her green eyes. Russetfur's whiskers twitched with satisfaction, and she meowed in reply. "That's right, it can get overwhelming to keep track of so many herbs at once, but it's important to notice immediately when one is understocked." Russetfur watched proudly as Foxpaw named the three other hidden herbs by scent.

Russetfur was very pleased with the confidence in the calico apprentice's conclusion. Though it seemed to almost begin to fade as she awaited Russetfur's confirmation of her accuracy in the second before Russetfur gave her answer. "You named them all correctly. Well done!" Russetfur chirped happily. "Now let's go put these away and begin with the training I was talking about." The russet medicine cat bend down and picked up the sorrel and juniper filled leafwraps and padded away to the medicine cat den where she began to store the herbs in each of their places in the roots of the thorn bush right beside the den. She had left the chamomile and watermint filled leafwraps for Foxpaw to store away herself.

When all that was finished, Russetfur made her way to the camp entrance and flicked her tail beckoning Foxpaw to follow, indicating that she was going to take the apprentice out into Riverclan's territory like she usually did when she took her apprentice out to show her the territory's herb sources.

---

tagged || Foxpaw
words || 282
ooc || :3

Table (c) TornKitty of Fade Away ~ Character (c) Priestess Shizuka

[Foxpaw]

FOXPAW !
x - medicine cat apprentice - x

A small purr of delight rumbled in the core of her chest at her correct answers, with a flick of her tail she gently lifted the leaf packages and brought them to their correct places, neatly placing them so they remained in their organised state. Sitting back onto her haunches to look at the organised herbs with satisfaction she heaved herself to all fours and padded calming after Russetfur.

She chirped with delight - 'Finally, freedom from the camp.' she thought with joy, her eyes flickering back to the cramped den she now spent most of her time in. Although Foxpaw had no interest in the warrior life she couldn't keep herself sane if she stayed in camp all day sorting herbs - which although she enjoyed the tedious task, it was frustrating at times. Pushing her lithe body through the reeds that acted as armor for the camp, she continued after Russetfur.

"So, what are we looking for today?" she purred, appreciating the warm glow of the sun her gaze looking up at the sky taking note of the lack of clouds. 'I wonder if that means Starclan is pleased with us.' she pondered, not daring to speak it aloud in case she was pulling signs from thin air, which seemed to be something she was good at. Her staring competition with the sky was broken as she felt a tug against her, stopping her from walking. Glancing back with annoyance she noticed her long fur caught on a broken branch, "Fox dung." she murmered before shaking herself free, "I would've make a terrible warrior with this thick fur! I'd never catch a bit of prey getting caught on bothersome twigs." she mewed, half irritated and half amused at  the situation.

[Russetfur]

Russetfur led the way out of the camp and across a somewhat shallow part of the river surrounding Riverclan's well protected camp. Looking back at her apprentice who was held up for a brief moment getting caught by a stick with her long thick fur, Russetfur twitched her whiskers in amusement. "Eat more fish and with enough daily grooming, your fur will be as slick as all fluffy Riverclan cats. Not even burs can get caught in your fur, and water passes over like air." Russetfur meowed matter-of-fact-ly, feeling a bit of pride in one of the special traits of all Riverclan cats' physique.

She continued to lead the way with her tail tip curled cheerfully across the marshy territory of Riverclan until they came to a place a moderate distance from the river where the ground was packed tight and sturdy under paw. The area was dry and several native plants lined the edge of the clearing This was a place where mentors took their apprentices to practice fighting techniques and sparring. "We are going to go over and practice your fighting techniques."

She knew the inquisitive Foxpaw would be vocal about Russetfur's unusual intentions, but she might be able to explain the gist of her reasons. Without waiting for a response, Russetfur immediately went on. "Even medicine cats must know basic fighting techniques, especially in self defense. When the clan or camp is under attack, you must be prepared to defend yourself because even a medicine cat could be a prime target for an enemy with no sense of honor." Russetfur sit with her fluffy brown-tipped tail wrapped neatly over her paws as she gave her opening lecture.

"We will spar lightly with sheathed paws to get a feel for combat. But you only need to focus on one thing: self defense. I'm going to attack you as if I were the enemy, and you will defend yourself and ward off and avoid my every attack. Do you have any questions?" Russetfur blinked warmly at Foxpaw.

---

tagged || Foxpaw
words || 345
ooc || :3

Table (c) TornKitty of Fade Away ~ Character (c) Priestess Shizuka

[Foxpaw]

F O X P A W
x - medicine cat apprentice - x

Foxpaw brushed the ruffled fur from the stick down with a few rushed licks, glancing back up at Russetfur as she gave her advice, responding with a snort, "I eat fish every day, you'd think Starclan is torturing me with this long fur." her voice was dramatic fluctuation in noise level as she spoke, moving forward in large dramatic steps until she was beside Russetfur. Her eyes shined bright with amusement after her small performance as she padded along the soft earth under her paws, her pelt close enough to her mentors that they'd be brushing together if she took one step toward the she-cat. Foxpaw's mind began to wonder where she was being taken - of course she knew this part of the territory but Russetfur continued to point out new places where herbs grew on a daily basis.

Gazing up at her red toned mentor with pure admiration burning deep within her eyes, although she teased and got annoyed at the old cat at times, she appreciated her presence more than any other cats in the clan. Her tail ruffled along the grass hanging low, as she looked down to her paws with the thought of one day not having Russetfur's guidance - Foxpaw could've sworn her heart felt as though it had be stabbed by a single claw at the thought. Looking back her to the cat as they walked in silence with slow blinks of appreciation as she shook away the vile thoughts that occasionally cursed her mind. She wanted to thank Russetfur, but even with her constant bad wording she knew it would just sound weird. 'The day I become a full medicine cat, that's when I'll thank her for everything.' she thought firmly making a vow to herself.

As they slowed to a halt in a clearing surrounded by nature, Foxpaw didn't blink as she survey the area. 'What in the name of Starclan are we doing here?' she thought, already aware that this was where the apprentices trained with their mentors and she was no ordinary apprentice who fought and she could've sworn medicine cats didn't fight. Sitting in front of her mentor with an expression that clearly demands and explanation after looking forward to find new herbs for their stocks. Foxpaw let out a snort of disbelief as Russetfur told her they would be practicing their fighting skills, "I thought - " she didn't get to finish as Russetfur carried on with her explanation. Foxpaw held her tongue until she was finished.

"I'm happy to learn these skills but, what kind of cat would hurt us though?" she mewed with her head tilted and ears perked with curiousity. "I thought medicine cats weren't to be involved in clan affairs and fights? Like how we can offer our services and share our herbs with other cats, the borders don't bother us as much?" she continued her voice soft with wonder, "Is it not against the warrior code?" she finished her large green eyes blinked with confusion, she was happy to learn how to protect herself but she didn't understand how any warrior could hurt a medicine cat. "I suppose if rogues attacked they'd have no knowledge of Starclan or our code that keeps the peace.." she muttered so quietly that it would've been hard for Russetfur to hear as she figured out the mystery that was this lesson.

words || 579
tagged || Russetfur
ooc || :'D

[Russetfur]

Actions. "Listening". Thoughts. "Speech."

"A cat with no honor is the kind of cat that would hurt us." Russetfur repeated and purred with amusement that she had predicted Foxpaw curiously questioning her motives. It was very good that the apprentice asked questions, which showed she was keen on learning and sought knowledge. "And it has happened before. In the past, clans have been attacked in their own camp for various reasons, and sometimes the medicine cat was attacked and killed, or the medicine cat died protecting the nursery.

"And sometimes it was not even another clan that attacked a camp, but a group of rogue cats or some wild, dangerous animals." Russetfur meowed in a calm, neutral voice as she went on answering all of Foxpaw's questions one after another. "The warrior code doesn't mention medicine cats in particular in this area, but it has always been understood that medicine cats are to be respected, specifically because they have a special bond with Starclan, and Starclan is usually the most respected entity out of all rankings to every cat.

Russetfur blinked warmly at Foxpaw as she meowed, "You may have gotten used to the respect every clan cat owes a medicine cat, but not all cats do what they know is right." After finishing up with that philosophical point, Russetfur stood back up, flicking the dust from her feathery tail. "Well, are you ready to start? Just defend yourself; focus completely on self-defense. A medicine cat never needs to make a goal of hurting another cat, only protecting his or her clan-mates and herself."

Russetfur did not look at all like the sort of she-cat who could switch into battle mode, but as she did so, the warm ever glowing kindness in her amber eyes dimmed a bit, and her lithe body tensed in preparation to spar. When Foxpaw was ready, she, striking with a flash of speed, pounced at the younger cat, claws sheathed safely behind her soft, small paws. Her pounce aimed her body at the apprentice's shoulders in an attempt to knock Foxpaw off balance and gain the upper hand right off the bat.

---

tagged || Foxpaw
words || 359
ooc || ^w^

Table (c) TornKitty of Fade Away ~ Character (c) Priestess Shizuka

[Foxpaw]

F O X P A W
x - medicine cat apprentice - x

The she cat sat with her paws tucked neatly under her chest with her paws barely visible under the long dappled fur that covered her shape, her long tail lay curled loosely around her  paws as she listened to the kind tone of her mentor as she spoke - answering each other her questions with efficiency that Foxpaw admired. Her olive green eyes watched the red toned she-cat as she explained who would attack a medicine cat, her eyes widened with shock - thanking her stars that she had not met one of these warriors without honour or respect for those close to Starclan. She suddenly felt foolish at forgetting of the creatures who weren't cats that would threaten cats, mindless beasts such a dogs. She had heard tales of the animals with long snouts with powerful jaws and yellow teeth rotting with age against their dark dirty pelts, way larger than any cat of the forest with long tails with matted fur coating their thin but powerful bodies. The elders always spoke with a fear of dogs and the hawks that lived in the mountains with enough strength to pick up a full grown cat and have them for their lunch. Foxpaw looked down with a nervous expression as the thoughts of  these monstrous creatures flooded her mind making her tail twitched with an undisguised anxiety.

Her mind was distracted when Russetfur rose to her paws, the she cat stepping up mindlessly, not knowing what was about to happen. As the she-cat pounced forward toward Foxpaw the apprentice blinked up in shock remembering where they were training today as the body hit her shoulders pushing all the air out of her lungs. Foxpaw toppled over under the weight of her mentors body, rolling to the side with short breaths escaping her in pants, "Warn me next time!" she mewed with a shocked expression from her place on the ground not realising that she had in fact, been warned. The smaller cat slipped out from underneath her mentor, pulling her body to her paws as she looked down at her dusty paws still trying to catch her breath from the tame attack. She glanced back at her long fur now coated in a fine layer of dirt with a grunt before turning on her mentor with a wide stance grounding her with her long tail held firmly behind her, her body stiff and read for the next attack from her mentor. "Come at me! I'll get you back for that!" she mewed confidently, no malice could be detected in her words, she spoke with a challenging tone like a kit playing with it's sibling outside the nursery. She was excited with the idea of being able to fight, after choosing the medicine cat path she had never expected to learn such skills that all cats seemed to adore learning, but here she was attempting to take in all the knowledge from her apprentice as moss would collect water like a sponge.

words || 504
tagged || Russetfur && Priestess Shizuka

[Russetfur]

Actions. "Listening". Thoughts. "Speech."

Russetfur realized when her first pounce knocked Foxpaw effortlessly off her paws that the apprentice must not have paid attention to her last words. "Warn me next time!" Foxpaw had mewed with a look of shock. She halted the pretend assault and let Foxpaw scramble back to her paws as she stepped back and let out a murrr of amusement. She felt her own heart already beating fast with the thrill of battle, even though she had never liked fighting herself. Battle was not something Russetfur did often, so she was typically out of shape in terms of her fighting prowess, but when forced to, Russetfur was perfectly capable of putting up a feisty struggle.

"I believe I did the first time." Russetfur meowed, her whiskers twitching as she swished dust from her tail in preparation for her next move. Foxpaw's pelt was dirtied, but it would get messier still by the time this training session was done, and then it might be worth washing off in the river.

Russetfur's own body tensed in response to seeing Foxpaw doing the same in preparation for the next attack. "Come at me! I'll get you back for that!" The fluffy apprentice mewed with confidence and positivity. Russetfur gave a small smile and a nod, then with the same lightning fast speed as before, sprang at her apprentice with front paws outstretched, claws sheathed safely, aiming a quick swipe at Foxpaw's chin from below before swiping with the other paw at Foxpaw's feet, attempting to unbalance the younger cat should she take the bait and recoil aways from the first swipe.

---

tagged || Foxpaw
words || 273
ooc || ^w^

Table (c) TornKitty of Fade Away ~ Character (c) Priestess Shizuka