LIKE THE DOG'S LOST THE LEAD | private

[RAVENSONG]

The meeting concluded with much to think about. He was not sure what to make of the discovery and was not so naive to think it was solely SkyClan's problem—but one thing at a time—he told himself. He was ashamed to think there was something more pressing at the front of his mind. As the medicine cats dispersed, he caught sight of Starlingheart's fur, pitch black as his own but spotted with white, almost exactly like her apprentice. If he had not known any better, one could have thought Magpiepaw were related to her. He could not speak ill of nepotism seeing his own leader and deputy were mated, but ShadowClan itself had a bit of a dynasty that hadn't yet died with Pitchstar.

"Starlingheart." The RiverClan medicine cat called out after her. The mountain wind brushed through his sensitive earfur and he waited so that she alone could hear his whisper instead of her apprentice.

"You've had experience with kitting, perhaps more than any of us." He was observant during gatherings and knew ShadowClan had gone through something of a kit boom, and Starlingheart herself was nursing her own. His bony haunches slowly folded underneath his lithe form. "Do you have anything you've found particularly useful to know during the process? I worry about one of our own and Beesong never guided me through the process."


@STARLINGHEART .

☾₊ ⊹ темная ночь — dark is the night

•  
• 
  RAVENSONG of RIVERCLAN
  — LH BLACK POLYDACTYL MALE (CARRYING CINNAMON, DILUTE) a tall, slender creature with pitch-black feathery fur, large ears, and a sharply angled skull held up in an aloof manner. smells of dried herb, speaks with a low and rumbly accent and walks with an elegant slinking gait.
  
  — born in twolegplace and orphaned at a young age, he joined riverclan at its inception and began training as a drypaw warrior known for a bitter temperment until beesong made him his medicine cat apprentice. after his mentor's untimely death, he had been named ravensong at the moonstone, young heart revitalized with anger and guilt. he is a somber and thorough medicine cat that guards every word spoken in the confines of his den.
  
  — secretly loves "the stars but not so much what inhabits them"
  — openly suffers from chronic migraines
  — single, but "it's complicated"

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[Starlingheart]

A mystery illness plaguing the forest.. The idea of such a thing frightens her and as selfish as it is she cannot help but hope that it stays in SkyClan's side of the forest. Of course she will say prayers for their health, but if it never touched ShadowClan's territory that would be best. With much on her mind, she turns away from the moonstone, preparing the head home with her apprentice in tow.

It would be fair to assume she and Magpiepaw were realated, his appearance was incredibly similar to hers and it would be fitting in ShadowClan's past theme. She is the only one of her family that remains in a position of reverance, however. It seemed at times that her family was cursed, that they could rise to power but that they could not hold onto it for very long. She does hope that the curse does not apply to her and, so far at least, she had held onto life with a firm grip. Perhaps it was good she and her apprentice were not of the same blood.

Her head turns as a voice calls out her name. Green eyes focus on black fur, surprised to see that it is Ravensong who is speaking to her. "G-go one ahead, I'll-I'll catch up" she murmurs softly to him before turning away, flicking his shoulder with her tail as she walks past him.

She does not have to wonder what Ravensong wants for very long, for the moment he catches her full attention he is asking his question. "Hmmm" she hums softly. For a brief moment she wonders, is she truly the most qualified to answer such a question? A certain queen flashes before her eyes that she is certain would say she is not. But then she thinks about all the kits and queens she had helped give birth and who had lived. Halfshade, Betonyfrost, Forestshade, Rabbitnose and of course, herself. Her heart warms when she thinks about the kits who waited for her back home, kits she was eager to get home to. She would not deny him this answer though, however bad she wanted to get back to her den she recognized the importance of knowledge. "I suppose I would be the one to uh to ask" she says, voice full of reflection as she thinks back to what she had done in the past. "Kitting is painful" she says, remembering her own. It was perhaps the worst and best thing that she had ever gone through. "First thing yuh-you want to uhm to grab is a- a stick for the queen to bite down on" it helped with the pain, as she had been told and as she had found out herself. "Ch-chervil chervil can be given as well." chervil was a plant of many uses, as she had found out over the moons of being a medicine cat. Infections, bellyaches, and kitting. "Let-let me know if you- if you need any. I uh I should have extra. It's a plant with-with white flowers and- and uhm large leaves. Smells sweet. Like honey." She hopes that her description was apt enough "You uh you'll also want the roots" She hated venturing into Carrionplace, for that was the only place she had found it growing thus far, but the plant was so versatile it made venturing into the dangerous place worth it. Besides, she had found a good clump of it growing on the outskirts and thus she didn't need to brave that dreaded place too much.

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[RAVENSONG]

Starlingheart gives the information freely and without discrimination. Ravensong's eyes soften as the ShadowClan medicine cat continues on with her impromptu lesson. Sticks for pain—he had assumed that, but for some reason it had never entered his mind to use it for a kitting queen. "I have chervil." He assured her. ShadowClan had the peculiar trait of being rather unfortunate and far more likely prone to suffering from the elements. In good faith, he could not take Starlingheart's offer when he had a few doses himself. He remembers to her ready help to give out more herbs to the others as if she were bleeding dry.

"So it's eaten, then, right? As soon as the kitting starts? What does it do?" Perhaps subside the contractions, Ravensong wondered. Only distantly had he heard of what a queen went through during the birth. He had always assumed nature would take its course for the greater part of it and yet, so many things could go wrong. It seems insensitive to ask if Starlingheart lost anyone during the many processes she had witnessed, so he forms it in a different way. "And perhaps... any common difficulties?" He ventured.

After the business was concluded, he glanced up at the sky and then back down at the ShadowClan medicine cat. She was nearly his age and already a mother herself. He had not thought so much about kits until recently—the perspective changes, he supposes, as one grows older. "You have some of your own, yes?" He murmured. "How are they doing?"

☾₊ ⊹ темная ночь — dark is the night

•  
• 
  RAVENSONG of RIVERCLAN
  — LH BLACK POLYDACTYL MALE (CARRYING CINNAMON, DILUTE) a tall, slender creature with pitch-black feathery fur, large ears, and a sharply angled skull held up in an aloof manner. smells of dried herb, speaks with a low and rumbly accent and walks with an elegant slinking gait.
  
  — born in twolegplace and orphaned at a young age, he joined riverclan at its inception and began training as a drypaw warrior known for a bitter temperment until beesong made him his medicine cat apprentice. after his mentor's untimely death, he had been named ravensong at the moonstone, young heart revitalized with anger and guilt. he is a somber and thorough medicine cat that guards every word spoken in the confines of his den.
  
  — secretly loves "the stars but not so much what inhabits them"
  — openly suffers from chronic migraines
  — single, but "it's complicated"

​

 

[Starlingheart]

Any common difficulties? He asks and her vision immediately flashes red. Blood and screaming. A queen dead. "Y-yes chewed for the juices" she tells him, choosing to answer the easy question first. "As for- as for complications..." she trails off here, her gaze going unfocused for a minute, glazing over in grief before she swallows hard "Blood loss but I- I don't know how to- to stop that. There's more I'm- I'm sure" she thinks for a moment more "if the queen is uh is sick when they give birth then-then the kits muh-may be born with- with a strange look. I'm told its-its called fever coat but it doesn't seem to uh to harm them" she remembers Rabbitnose's kits. They had been born with a strange look to them but they had been fine. Her snow-capped paws shuffle but she says nothing else, there isn't much for her to add after all. It is all she had seen. Every other litter she has experienced had been healthy.

She noticeably brightens at the mention of her own kits "Yes. Nettlekit, Flintkit and Ghostkit" she tells him, her smile warm and her eyes growing soft as she thinks of the bundles of multi-colored fur she has waiting for her back home. Hopefully they were being good for Halfshade and hopefully they had just slept the entire time she was gone. "They are all uh all strong and healthy" she tells him, her pride evident in her voice. "I really should-should be getting back to them" she says wistfully, eager to be home. "It was- it was nice talking to you Ravensong" with that she gets up and starts to head for the moors so that she may catch up to her apprentice and rejoin him "Perhaps we could- we could exchange knowledge sometime?" she suggests before she goes. A different time, perhaps, when she did not have young kits to worry about returning home to.
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