private SWEET HONEY // wolfsong

[cottonsprig]

Cottonpaw makes her way into the medicine den with ease, although anxiety prickles her paws. Her short venture into the soot ridden moors was meant to be, at most, a scouting mission. To see what plant life survived the burn, and what seems to be growing back despite it. She comes back successful in some ways (she's able to procure some thyme and rush, after all,) and unsuccessful in the rest (it seems the smoke has chased off the bees in the local hives. She hopes it's not permanent.) She feels, however, that there is an important evil that she and her mentor may have to discuss - and unfortunately, it seems to be what she found most of.

"Wolfsong," she speaks, and she tries to be gentle although she's only known her mentor to be hardy and tough. He lost his son, and she likely will never know what that feeling is like (and for once... she's not jealous.) "I was able to find some herbs - and others, too, have begun to sprout up, but..." she reveals the water hemlock, ears folding back. He's expressed what the poison looks like several times, and how to be wary of it - it's dangers are plentiful, after all. "I found this... There's more out there, I didn't harvest more than a pawful to show you. I know it's dangerous to have here," especially with so many wayward kits, "So I'll be rid of it over the gorge cliffs before the day's end, but... if it's growing out there, we should tell the Clan. I... an apprentice as curious as I once was -" still is, truthfully, but now she's controlled by knowledge rather than whimsy... mostly, "- may be dumb enough to chomp on a few stems. A simple lesson, maybe... if you're feeling alright enough for it."

[ @WOLFSONG ]​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── He has already counted every herb twice today, with the exception of lavender, which Wolfsong refuses to touch. It is not a productive use of his time. He should be searching for what herbs remain after the fire, should check on their warriors who have inhaled so much smoke that they still struggle to breathe properly, but instead he has hidden away in his den, obsessively counting what will not change. The dull, droning monotony deadens his numbed mind even further, though he knows it will only be a brief reprieve until he sleeps, when even exhaustion is not enough to escape the images of his dead son.

Cottonpaw's voice —tentative, no doubt uncertain whether Wolfsong is in a state for such discussions— briefly draws his gaze from the marigold. It lingers on the poison she presents (though surely, he thinks, no more dangerous than I have been) and he frowns. What she proposes is reasonable, of course. The unlearned and well-intentioned may believe the plant could be of some use to Wolfsong. WindClan is not without such cats, after all, even as vocal as the likes of Snakehiss are.

"It would be wise," he agrees, looking back at the marigold. Then he meets her eyes gravely. "Though I wonder...do you think such knowledge may be used for ill? Can we trust our clanmates?"
​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 42 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTAR (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 and his own pregnancy, 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]

She feels that she must handle Wolfsong as if he is broken glass, when his one-eyed gaze pulls towards her, and all she sees is disorderly sadness and fear. Cottonpaw worries that she is not taking things slow enough for him to mend and repair, but fears that trying to go any slower would stall their operations entirely. Suddenly, for a moment, she understands; the tom before her is so distraught after losing a child, that he struggles with his work. Starlingheart foretold a moment like this, and she dismissed it in favor of herself, and yet...

She tries to obscure her disappointment and discard the remnants of understanding. Cottonpaw holds onto the threads of selfishness that her mother has woven into her skin, and focuses on the matter at hand instead.

"I trust them," she says, but her lips pull into a thin line, and his wavering makes her uncertain. "Snakehiss... it was a mistake to allow him a second chance. The rest that've stayed haven't shown any signs -" and she falters, for she cannot lie to his face. Her own sister nearly stepped out of line, nearly joined Snakehiss. They all saw it. She rolls her shoulders back, "Would you prefer we harvest every last stem, and heave it over the gorge before any cat can find it?"​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── He watches her struggle to arrive at an answer that she does not doubt. Much of Sootstar's legacy may have fled the moors, but it is not gone entirely. Even the exile of Snakehiss has not guaranteed them relief from her shadow. "Hm." Wolfsong turns from her and closes his eye for a moment, and shakes his head at her suggestion. "I wouldn't. One or two plants I doubt could harm the river, but more than that I do not know— and I'd not risk it." He's certain their clanmates would catch on eventually, if they notice their medicine cats choosing a specific plant to toss away frequently, and ignorant curiosity has spelled the end for many.

"If you trust them, then we will share the dangers of water hemlock, but perhaps..." He hums again, and shifts to stare at the wall and the faded, muddy lines left from his pregnancy. "We should endeavor to keep count of how many grow. And emphasize to our clanmates that they should not even try bringing it to us, lest they poison themselves— maybe that will dissuade any sinister plots." No doubt Sunstar would be a target of them, if any lurking loyalist to Sootstar remains, and Wolfsong glances at Cottonpaw to avoid remembering the fire and blood. "Have you spoken with your sister?"
​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 42 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTAR (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 and his own pregnancy, 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]

He denies her suggestion, and though she feels the childish need to pout, she holds fast. His reasoning is easy enough to understand - and although she's not the biggest fan of RiverClan, she doesn't necessarily wish to poison their waters, either. Cottonpaw nods her gentle agreement, pawing the bushel away from herself for a moment, lest she become too interested in fidgeting with it.

He agrees with her initial idea - something she finds pride in - with the additional caveat that they should remain wary of the content of their lands. He's reasonable with what they are capable of, whereas she... not so much. Cottonpaw cannot help her own fantastical thoughts, sprawling the cheapened idea of fixing every problem just by saying it's fixed. Alas, he is her mentor no matter how broken. And she would never question Wolfsong, at least not in situations like this. "You got it," she murmurs, cheerfully, "I'll worry about that next, and keep these... on a high shelf," metaphorically speaking, of course.

As she shuffles to hide the water hemlock, he speaks again, and she finds her paws glued in place. Her hesitation was noticeable, she knows, and Wolfsong is keen even with his lone eye to see where she struggled. She tests it, however: "Moorblossom? She's kept her head down, ever since news of Harrierstripe reached us." Cottonpaw holds his blue gaze for a beat, two, before she willingly relents, "Bluefrost, once or twice. She's.. remorseful," her tail sweeps around her hind legs. "For what cause, I'm not certain. She didn't follow Snakehiss, however, so maybe..." and she trails off, unsure how to even finish her thoughts.​