Can You Hear Me? (CLOSED)

{ Spottedfawn | Medicine Cat | RiverClan }

Paws tipped the color of snow gently brushed against the grass, still damp with morning dew and soft to the touch beneath worn pads. Spottedfawn was always walking, always wandering, and had feet as well-worn as the average warrior's. Who needed patrols to sully one's paws when they could simply walk as they pleased, enjoying private views and merely returning with a bundle of herbs, if that? She did not need to hunt for squirrels. She did not need to fiercely pace the borders and hiss at her enemies. Spottedfawn hunted for the yellow blossoms of a marigold flower or the sweet scent of watermint, and chased away the birds who threatened her stock. In her own way, she imagined herself a kind of warrior, though admittedly not the type she had always wished to be since a tiny kit. Yet it was rather morose to dwell on things that couldn't be helped, so of course she didn't.

Sunningrocks was absolutely splendid at this time of year, and Spottedfawn knew it. She caught the scent of the familiar rocks, tainted by both ThunderClan and the daring RiverClan paws, fairly quickly on the humid breeze. Quickly after her eyes sought out the gray she had come to associate with the piled boulders, and swiveled her ears to listen for other cats as best as she could. So far, so good. Though it was frowned upon for a RiverClan cat to come near the rocks that ThunderClan held so dear, many did anyways, and Spottedfawn could be counted amongst them. With one last check, she bounded down the slope and towards the river- eyes seeking out watermint.

As soon as she found it she began to harvest the herb best as she could. It had been proven for bellyache relief by the innovative she-cat herself, which was especially helpful considering the plants grew best in water- and RiverClan territory was in no shortage of that. Spottedfawn twitched her tail in satisfaction as she worked, her only company that of the playful breeze.

Soft light filtered through the treetops as a small figure made its way through the forest, treading lightly and skillfully through the winding shrubbery and undergrowth that threatened to catch at the figure's paws. As a beam of light struck down on the cat's back, it was seen that the figure was just a small ThunderClan apprentice, with a regal brown pelt and bright eyes that showed excitement for adventure. Bright turquoise were the eyes that peered through the undergrowth, tiny pink nose twitching as to smell cautiously, the closer she got to the border. This was Owlpaw's way, already comfortable in the territory of ThunderClan.

Through the territory she went, getting closer and closer to sunningrocks. Perhaps if I catch something on my way back I can spend a few minutes in the sun looking at the river. I've always loved the sound of it, Owlpaw thought with a soft sigh, though she paused in her tracks, her constant scenting coming in handy as she crossed the scent path of a mouse. Swiftly crouching down, the young apprentice glanced about, and opened her mouth to help her scent. Turning in the direction of the smell, she crept forwards, and stopped suddenly as she heard a light scuffling in the grass ahead of her, not far from Sunningrocks now. With a small smile of triumph, she stalked forwards, not making a sound, and suddenly pounced on top of the wavering patch of grass, her paws slamming onto the hidden mouse. Smacking it into the air to stun it and to give her a better chance of killing it, Owlpaw reared up, catching the mouse in her jaws.

But as she looked up from her catch, she realized she was already at the Sunningrocks, and there was another cat here. Her catch dropped from her open jaws as she realized this cat was not someone she recognized, and suddenly the scent of the foreign RiverClan hit her muzzle. Bright gaze opening wide, Owlpaw abandoned her catch, hackles raised, and padded cautiously over, nearer to where the stranger cat was. "H-hello? Hey, what are you doing here? Can you hear me?" the young apprentice inquired bravely as she stood, staring at the cat, her ears pricked and her eyes slightly narrowed. "What are you doing? Picking flowers? Hey!" she meowed a little louder, raising her voice.

{ Spottedfawn | Medicine Cat | RiverClan }

The sunlight played off of her vibrantly-colored fur as Spottedfawn continued to work, a slight sheen of sweat collecting across the bridge of her nose and in the crooks of her joints at her task. It was a good, honest sort of work, and Spottedfawn was glad to do it. Though she had always dreamed of being a fierce warrior for her Clan, she now had come to respect the true honesty that herb-gathering and healing gave to one's self. When she was pleased with her bundle, she began to roll the flowers together, taking care to nip away excessively long stems and to toss them aside into the undergrowth alongside the ravine. More food for the squirrels. She paused for a moment, suddenly certain that she had heard something, but with a twitch of her good ear she reassured herself that it was nothing. You must be growing paranoid in your moons alone.

But no, there it was again! She wasn't imagining it, she was- oh.

Spottedfawn's head whirled up to stare into the wide turquoise eyes of a bristling young apprentice.

For a moment surprise was all that she managed to register, and she stared at the other she-cat with eyes round enough to equal the apprentice's. She noted a thick, brown tabby pelt and a confident stance that told her this was no brand-new, out-of-the-nursery 'paw. And in another heartbeat the sharp intake of breath she had previously taken swirled ThunderClan scent over her tongue, and Spottedfawn quickly snapped her jaws shut, composing herself. "Hello," she mewed as politely as she could, forcing her feathery pelt to lie flat as it could. "I'm- I'm sorry, did you say something? I think I misheard you." Her heart began to pound as she wondered how long this cat had been standing there, calling into her deaf ear. How embarrassing this was...her paws sought out the bundled marigold stems and worked at them nervously. Not because she was afraid of being accused of trespassing- which she technically wasn't- but that this apprentice would pity her for her weakness.

Owlpaw nearly jumped out of her skin as the she-cat whirled towards her, her claws scraping the earth below her on accident as she tensed up. As the strange RiverClanner spoke, Owlpaw pricked her tufted ears, and tilted her head slightly to the side.

"Yeah I said something. I said why are you picking flowers on ThunderClan territory?" Owlpaw asked slightly louder, her still-bristling fur showing that she wasn't going to just sit there and let another cat waltz onto ThunderClan territory, but the slight concern in her eyes showing that she wasn't just going to up and kick a cat out without asking them what was wrong first. "Do you collect them or something?" Owlpaw asked. She wasn't really used to Clan ways, especially medicine cats, since she was only a few moons into her life in ThunderClan such far.

With that, Owlpaw leaned forwards slightly on her petite paws, her pink nose twitching as she sniffed at the she-cat, wondering idly what she was doing at the Sunningrocks. Owlpaw's turquoise gaze flickered to the river, then back to the she-cat, as she wondered if she spoke loud enough. Is she deaf? Half-deaf? Is she confused? Why's she here? Owlpaw wondered with genuine curiosity, her bushy tail curling over her back as she surveyed the cat in front of her.

(sorry if this is a bit shorter. I am running on little sleep and couldn't think much else to right x3. I'll do better on the next one!)

{ Spottedfawn | Medicine Cat | RiverClan }

"I...I believe you've got it curved, miss," Spottedfawn managed to say, blinking quickly as she snatched back her usual composure. She allowed a tiny, wry smile to twitch at her maw before adding carefully, "Technically, I'm not trespassing, if you may." Her freckled tail flicked towards the flowers, only a pawstep away from them both- conveniently sprouting right along the border. A single blossom drooped slightly towards the RiverClan side under the breeze, and she deftly pawed at it to catch the apprentice's attention. "The ravine is split territory- and therefore, these marigold flowers are on split territory, meaning that I and your own medicine cat are free to pick them as we please to."

She studied the brown tabby for a moment, and then smiled slightly. "And yes...I do collect them. Though not in the sense as in gathering wildflowers simply to gaze at them. Marigold flowers can save lives." Her white paw patted the bundle of stems confidently. "I'm a medicine cat, as they say. And I'm guessing that if you asked, you'd be training to be a warrior, no?"

Pale, intelligent eyes scrutinized the smaller cat's pelt, and Spottedfawn seemed to glow with approval. This young apprentice certainly was up to standards, and even if Spottedfawn was not one for combat or hostility, she knew this one would make a wonderful warrior. Though she regrettably was not one for RiverClan, Spottedfawn still found great appreciation in a good cat all the same. Perhaps one would call it senile, even if she wasn't old yet...just growing 'soft,' pittering in the medicine cat den by herself. It hadn't always been that way, but Spottedfawn wasn't about to dwell on that, or anything before it, when another cat was present. It was both rude and foolish to bring up sorrows in the company of another.

"I must apologize if I startled you," Spottedfawn added, noting how the apprentice had spoken a little louder towards her than necessary. She swiveled her ears as if indicating that she had noticed- though only one had. "I had no intentions to disrupt anyone's morning walk."

(It's perfectly fine, don't worry about it! I thought your post was excellent <3)

Owlpaw's gaze flickered curiously as she listened carefully to Spottedfawn's words, her translucent white whiskers twitching once or twice. "Oh," Owlpaw mewled with a slightly confused expression, curiosity piquing her gaze though she still held her defensive stance, even though the medicine cat seemed more relaxed and calm than at the beginning of the encounter. "Why did you look like you were sneaking around then?" she inquired with a flick of her bushy tail, ears pricked for the she-cat's response as she eyed the petals at her paws.

"And yeah, I'm gonna be a warrior. The best warrior ever!" Owlpaw meowed with pride, puffing out her light brown chest and giving the she-cat a small, proud smile. "I'm gonna learn how to fight and hunt and stalk better than any cat in the forest," she informed her brightly and almost matter-of-factly before continuing. "You must be a really practiced medicine cat then. What do the flowers do? Do you eat them? Roll in them?" she asked curiously. The thought that surely one cat couldn't know what every flower does to save a life was preposterous to Owlpaw. She had no idea how even ThunderClan's medicine cat got on, having never had to take a visit to their den before thus far. "I saw Sweetwater doing something with some herb of some sort once but never thought to ask," she admitted as well, followed by a small shrug.

Truth be told Owlpaw found the knowledge of lifesaving herbs and dreams with StarClan a little intimidating. She thought her own mind's capacity was nothing compared to the medicine cats' vast knowledge of everything to do with the stars, and that made her feel a little, well, confused. Confused to even try to think of anything that the medicine cats knew of herbs, and confused to even think of the messages that they must get from the dead ancestors above. It was true, warriors had to know how to fight and hunt and know the Warrior Code, but in Owlpaw's mind, t'was nothing compared to knowing that as well as knowing life-saving concoctions of herbs, and conversations with the Clans' ancestors.

{ Spottedfawn | Medicine Cat | RiverClan }

This apprentice was certainly not ignorant, but Spottedfawn wasn't very worried. She was right in the accord that the ravine was split territory, though some ThunderClan warriors refused to acknowledge that fact. Thank StarClan this apprentice seemed open enough. It could have been trouble if she wasn't. "Well," sighed Spottedfawn, struggling internally to find a way to state her thoughts, "some cats would say this is technically stealing herbs, though Sweetwater and I know better. Medicine cats don't view borders and hostilities the same way a warrior would. Rather like the dove and the crow both look at a mouse differently. The crow will fight with talon and beak for it, though the dove is perfectly fine with sharing." She went back to rolling up the marigolds, completely untroubled by her rather strange- but accurate- representation.

Spottedfawn swiveled her good ear to listen, trying not to tilt her head to obviously to catch all of the younger cat's words. "I'm sure you'll be an excellent warrior," Spottedfawn promised sincerely, eyes sparkling as she gave the apprentice an approving nod. She certainly had enthusiasm. "As for marigolds, they're to prevent infection in a wound and to help it heal faster. I've only ever tried chewing up the petals or leaves into a poultice- and I find both to work just as well, though the leaves chew easier- but the stem may just have some qualities of its own." Her gaze began to wander as she drifted into a daze, pondering it. Spottedfawn was known for trying new things, but only if the situation was dire. It was, after all, how she had discovered watermint helped with bellyache. For a moment she was quiet, pale gaze clouded, before seemingly coming back. "My apologies, I lost myself for a moment."

The ginger-furred she-cat swung her head around before spotting a large, round oak leaf that had drifted to the ground seemingly that morning. It was still nice and springy and perfect for a herb wrap. She plucked it up on a delicate claw and began to expertly bundle the marigolds away, taking care not to destroy the petals before she could get them to camp. They had to dry, after all, to help keep shelf life longer. Glancing back to the apprentice, Spottedfawn noted a look of confusion in her turquoise eyes. "I wouldn't trouble yourself too much," she purred. "It's not as hard as it looks. Either way, they call me Spottedfawn...might I ask your own name?"

"Bleh," meowed the apprentice as the medicine cat described chewing up the petals and rubbing them on wounds. "I wouldn't wanna chew up leaves and shove my paws in cats' blood. You must have a strong stomach to be able to do that," Owlpaw decided aloud as she watched what Spottedfawn was doing. "What if one day you chew up something that doesn't work and it kills you or the cat you're trying to heal for ingesting it? Wouldn't that be, like, really bad?" Owlpaw remarked with genuine curiosity. "How do you know what plants are gonna help? Do you just chew up a bunch of stuff and hope for the best?" Owlpaw inquired enthusiastically, obviously curious as per usual.

With that, Owlpaw leaned forward, careful not to intrude on that cat's personal space by staying where she was currently standing, and eyed the parcel of leaves that the medicine cat was raking together, confused how she could be so delicate and confused as to how the leaves weren't already ripped to shred by some rogue claw that slipped out or something. Owlpaw herself realized she could never do such an arduous and careful task as gathering, sorting, and finding the uses of herbs.

As the cat, now identified to Owlpaw as Spottedfawn, spoke her name, Owlpaw blinked. "The name suits you," Owlpaw meowed with a small smile. "Mine is Owlpaw. I used to be called Daisy before I met ThunderClan, but now I'm Owlpaw. I hope I get a nice name like Spottedfawn some day. Like Owlwing or Owlheart or something," Owlpaw confided proudly. It was true, Owlpaw could have gone off of her loner name of Daisy when she joined the Clans, for it was a common prefix, but it just didn't seem to suit the cat that she wanted to be anymore. Daisy was for a kitten, whereas Owlpaw was for a she-cat who wanted to be a warrior. One who would do anything for the cats of her new home and new family. "Oh well. I'm sure Thunderstar will pick a good name for me when I'm all grown up and I know how to hunt really well and fight like Lionclan," she added happily, her bushy tail tip twitching once or twice.