private EASTWARD OF EDEN — COTTONPAW

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── It was Sunstride who kept a young Wolfsong from suffocating in grief's claws. Sorrow is never alone when it comes: it makes a nest of thorns with rage, confusion, loneliness, and terror. He could have screamed himself hoarse and opened fresh wounds throwing his body at the nearest, closest offense, but Sunstride drew him back, a comforting presence Wolfsong trusted. Perhaps Cottonpaw does not feel quite as deep a trust for him, and she certainly does not harbor the same concoction of admiration and enamoration, but her mother is...maddened by Weaselclaw's loss.

He will do what he can to be an anchor, however small.

"Cottonpaw," he greets as he returns to the medicine den, offering her a nod and a small smile. "I thought that I might teach you of traveling herbs." And assess your emotional well-being.

@cottonpaw ​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 38 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTRIDE (07/05/2023). BIOGRAPHY, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.

medicinal expertise med. part ii med. part iii med. part iv

• — ★★★☆☆ WOUNDS: You're (mostly) in safe paws. You'll know if he's less experienced if he asks for your permission to try a treatment. No wound can scare him away from knowledge.
  — ★★★☆☆ INFECTION: He can prevent most infections. If you feel feverish, let him know; he'll hum thoughtfully over herbs and sniff your wound before saying, "With your blessing..."
• — ★☆☆☆☆ ACHES & PAINS: If you complain to him of pain, he'll ask where. If it's a headache, you'll likely feel a bit better. For anything else, "Try this, if you'd like, and tell me how you feel."
  — ★☆☆☆☆ BROKEN BONES: At best. he can ask you to remain lying down in the den. He may try to distract you with conversation while he considers what herb to feed you.
• — ★★★★★ TRAVELING HERBS: Going somewhere? No worries; Wolfsong knows just what you need to stay hale and healthy during your journey. The rest is up to you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ KITTING: Thanks to Starlingheart, he's better prepared for the arrival of kits, but any complications will need a little faith and a lot of luck.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ POISONS: It's best if you avoid eating anything unfamiliar to you— it's probably just as unfamiliar to Wolfsong. The best he can do is offer you yarrow and sit with you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ ILLNESS: If it's white or greencough, you'll likely recover. Otherwise, prepare for odd concoctions and the usual request that you consent to a little trial-and-error.

​

 

[cottonsprig]

Cursed. Cursed.

She pries apart stalks of chervil, freshly plucked during her most recent outing, and uses the silence to replay what little her father said to her before his demise. Her thoughts swing wildly to wondering what he (and now, Sootstar, with her own warnings,) meant - to if she even remembers his voice correctly. Was it gravelly at all? Did it rumble like thunder in storm clouds like she remembers it to, or does she credit his cough for too much of his being?

Wolfsong's voice beckons from the entrance and Cottonpaw makes the conscious effort to not refute his offer, simply for the fact that he does not sound like her father. Her tunnel vision grows stronger with her grief but she knows better than to mistreat her third mentor. How would StarClan have me then, useless after three trainers? Maybe that is what her father meant by cursed.

"Sorry," she breathes finally, realizing how lengthened her silence had been, "I was... nevermind. Traveling herbs?" she repeats him in the end, naively deciding that the tom wouldn't care too much of her personal distress. "Where would we start with that?" she decides to ask, a small smile fitting her expression but not quite finding her eyes.​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── He inclines his head as a show of acknowledgment, and tugs a sweet-smelling herb closer to sit before them both. "This is chamomile," he says, and presses his paw to its stem. "As you can see, they have long stems, and the white petals encircle a yellow center." Wolfsong lifts his gaze from the delicate bud to Cottonpaw's face, her features dull and without the bright enthusiasm he has come to associate with her, even during the onset of yellowcough. It is not surprising, given her loss, and it is, after all, why he has truly called her here.

For the moment, however, Wolfsong continues with the lesson. "Cats visiting the moonstone, for instance, will eat chamomile for strength." He seeks her gazs to hold it with his own. "But it is also a soothing remedy for the mind and heart." Wolfsong presses the stalk toward her. "Eat. You are grieving, and your spirit deserves rest that time cannot yet give you." ​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 38 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTRIDE (07/05/2023). BIOGRAPHY, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.

medicinal expertise med. part ii med. part iii med. part iv

• — ★★★☆☆ WOUNDS: You're (mostly) in safe paws. You'll know if he's less experienced if he asks for your permission to try a treatment. No wound can scare him away from knowledge.
  — ★★★☆☆ INFECTION: He can prevent most infections. If you feel feverish, let him know; he'll hum thoughtfully over herbs and sniff your wound before saying, "With your blessing..."
• — ★☆☆☆☆ ACHES & PAINS: If you complain to him of pain, he'll ask where. If it's a headache, you'll likely feel a bit better. For anything else, "Try this, if you'd like, and tell me how you feel."
  — ★☆☆☆☆ BROKEN BONES: At best. he can ask you to remain lying down in the den. He may try to distract you with conversation while he considers what herb to feed you.
• — ★★★★★ TRAVELING HERBS: Going somewhere? No worries; Wolfsong knows just what you need to stay hale and healthy during your journey. The rest is up to you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ KITTING: Thanks to Starlingheart, he's better prepared for the arrival of kits, but any complications will need a little faith and a lot of luck.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ POISONS: It's best if you avoid eating anything unfamiliar to you— it's probably just as unfamiliar to Wolfsong. The best he can do is offer you yarrow and sit with you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ ILLNESS: If it's white or greencough, you'll likely recover. Otherwise, prepare for odd concoctions and the usual request that you consent to a little trial-and-error.

​

 

[cottonsprig]

"Cham-o-mile," she repeats shortly after it is presented to her, ears tilted towards the tom whilst he continues to speak. Wolfsong points out its petals, its center, and she neglects to suggest that they have just about three-thousand other flowers lying around that fit a similar description. Her sorrow should not become bitterness, she knows, so she keeps the thought inward and simply nods along.

For strength, he says, and her mouth opens to ask if they offered any of it to their traveling cats. Surely the youth, such as Scorchpaw and Luckypaw, would've needed it. She would even go as far as to say that Scorchstreak herself may need it, for her family was torn apart so soon before the journey, and grief is a powerful pain. Yet Wolfsong passes her the stalk and repeats her thoughts and she can't help the hollow laugh that leaves her maw.

"No, no - I'm okay, Wolfsong," she lies, nudging the chamomile away. Her smile drags into a thin line, and then to a frown, and she tilts her face away from his as if to hide it. "Is... is it that obvious? I thought I was holding up well." She wants to cry like she's done several times before, however in front of her mentor she tries to steel herself. She tries to be strong. He would have no use in an apprentice crumbling beneath her own grief, though Cottonpaw notes to herself that he's making an effort to help and understand her, rather than nudge along a dragging lesson instead.

"Have you lost someone before?" she asks, quietly, unsure if she truly wants him to answer.​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── The many phases her expression shifts through betray Cottonpaw. It is natural to grieve and struggle, but he knows that WindClan is not an environment which...permits weakness, and emotional distress is certainly considered one. Wolfsong had believed that StarClan's existence would gentle mourning; if their loved ones are in the stars eternal, they are not truly gone— merely distant, and waiting for a reunion. In this case, however, he does not know how StarClan responds to curses and rejection.

Weaselclaw's spirit may have been condemned to wander without an anchor.

"You have lost your father," he says slowly. "Cottonpaw, if you were not struggling, I would doubt the warmth of your heart." Truly, her mother should comfort her, but Sootstar is...unfettered, and he has never seen great affection pass between her and her children. She is his apprentice, and he will do what he can to be a guiding presence in mourning as he is in learning.

He sighs softly, head inclining in a small nod. "Yes," Wolfsong tells her, and he does not allow himself to fall back into the memories. "My parents were killed when I was slightly younger than my kits. I lost my eye to the same dogs." Another exhale and he seeks her lowered gaze. "There was nothing I could have done, but I blamed myself for moons. The only reason I stand whole before you now is Sunstride— he ensured I was never alone." He shifts closer, once more shuffling the chamomile toward her. "You are not alone either. I care for you and I will not see you drown."​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 38 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTRIDE (07/05/2023). BIOGRAPHY, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.

medicinal expertise med. part ii med. part iii med. part iv

• — ★★★☆☆ WOUNDS: You're (mostly) in safe paws. You'll know if he's less experienced if he asks for your permission to try a treatment. No wound can scare him away from knowledge.
  — ★★★☆☆ INFECTION: He can prevent most infections. If you feel feverish, let him know; he'll hum thoughtfully over herbs and sniff your wound before saying, "With your blessing..."
• — ★☆☆☆☆ ACHES & PAINS: If you complain to him of pain, he'll ask where. If it's a headache, you'll likely feel a bit better. For anything else, "Try this, if you'd like, and tell me how you feel."
  — ★☆☆☆☆ BROKEN BONES: At best. he can ask you to remain lying down in the den. He may try to distract you with conversation while he considers what herb to feed you.
• — ★★★★★ TRAVELING HERBS: Going somewhere? No worries; Wolfsong knows just what you need to stay hale and healthy during your journey. The rest is up to you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ KITTING: Thanks to Starlingheart, he's better prepared for the arrival of kits, but any complications will need a little faith and a lot of luck.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ POISONS: It's best if you avoid eating anything unfamiliar to you— it's probably just as unfamiliar to Wolfsong. The best he can do is offer you yarrow and sit with you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ ILLNESS: If it's white or greencough, you'll likely recover. Otherwise, prepare for odd concoctions and the usual request that you consent to a little trial-and-error.

​