camp THE DAWNING OF IT ALL — MORNING SICKNESS

[WOLFSONG]

── .∘°°∘. ── //just a lil cw for mentions of death/sickness

Dawn is still waking slowly when Wolfsong returns with tansy. He holds it carefully, wrapped in moss and cobwebs brought specifically for the task of hunting its sweet petals. He does not wish to risk his kits, knowing that a dose of tansy could jeopardize their safety, and he cannot say whether carrying them in his mouth is enough to do so. Taking precautions seemed best, and it is not a task he feels he can delegate to a warrior.

His mind is, in truth, split between worry for the unborn lives he carries and the news Dawnglare brought at the meeting. WindClan should not have to go begging to another clan for herbs that would doubtlessly be denied to them, and the thought of watching Sunstride leave for another skirmish, the thought of watching WindClan return without him— raises bile in his throat. It is so sudden and violent that he drops the tansy altogether, leaning hard against the outer wall of the medicine cat den. His ears flatten with distress and he crouches low, belly roiling until he fight it no longer and he retches loudly.

It is only water and the burning of stomach-bile, but even after he's finished, the nausea remains. He feels abruptly hot and presses harder into the wall, hoping it might cool him. Wolfsong does not know that he can manage the walk yet, does not want to vomit on the sand inside the den while searching for cool moss. Through the sickly haze of queasiness, he knows this is merely a symptom of pregnancy. Not for the first time, he realizes how much heavier he feels. It will only progress from here. I had thought I could manage alone for a little longer, but I must speak to Sootstar about an apprentice.

He's forced to retch again, afterwards exhaling heavily and closing his eye.
​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 36 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: He doesn't remember what it was like to be born. Coincidentally, that is the extent of his familiarity with kitting. At least he won't leave you without moral support.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ 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.

​

 

[Spiderbloom]

Spiderbloom knows morning sickness when she sees it. It's awful. Ruins your day. Your vibes. And when she sees Wolfsong lean against the wall of the medicine den, she knows. His vibes are being ruined. What do you do when the medicine cat is sick??? And also pregnant?????? Just run with whatever happens, she figures. Thats what she did before coming to Windclan. You were sick or hurt? Better hope you can outlive whatevers got you down.

She pads over to him to offer some kind of support. She can't just sit and watch, after all.

"I see you've met my friend, morning sickness." She says. " Perhaps you should.... Consider taking it easy for now? Maybe get a little minion to help out?" She suggests. Working with kits is awful. You feel heavy and get tired quicker. Just terrible. Eventually Wolfsong was going to need the help, anyways. She couldn't help but feel a little excitement, though. It was ABOUT TIME Sunstride and Wolfsong decided to have kits. She was so excited to see little golden kits running around.​

 

[SEDGEPOUNCE]

The minutes between dawn and morning are some of the only throughout the day that don't suffer the stringent heat of the blazing sun overhead. The sun, now, rises slowly over the horizon—red and cold and quiet, reaching rosy fingers across the cool, gray sky. Most WindClanners are still asleep in their nests, clustered together beneath the lingering traces of Silverpelt. Others slink silently through the drowsy camp, rubbing the sleep from their eyes and attending to their morning duties, unlucky enough to be saddled with chores before sunhigh.

Sedgepaw has been up for a while. Not hours, per se. He'd awoken when the sky was still dark and the thrushes hadn't yet started singing. Laid there for a while under the veil and stared at the shifting, indescribable shapes of shadows moving and warping in the distance, eyes lidded and unfocused. Then the first rays of sun peeked out over the horizon, drawing him up to brave the starting day.

He passes by the medicine den, but by now that is hardly a surprise. He's lucky that Wolfsong has humored him for so long, even though his time is dwindling—soon, Sedgepaw will be a warrior, and he won't have time to dawdle around camp, sniffing at herbs and chatting with patients. He'll have borders to skirmish, traitors to catch. He'll be one of WindClan's finest. Or so he hopes.

This morning, however, he's glad for his hovering. Proximity to the medicine den means the rather abrupt realization that someone's sick—not an unusual occurrence, except for the startling glimmer of lion-gold fur hunched outside the den. Sedgepaw sees this and startles. He's cold all over when he takes a few tentative steps forward, voice small as he calls out: "Wolfsong..?"

Thank StarClan Spiderbloom is there. She, abrupt but not unkind, gives Sedgepaw the clues to piece together what's happening, and the relief that washes over him when he realizes that Wolfsong is not sick and dying is unparalleled. It's just a...kit thing.

"Oh," Sedge says, taking one stiff step backward. He doesn't want to crowd the guy or anything, especially now that he understands that Wolfsong is not liable to drop dead at any second. "I can go get Sunstride?" he offers, frowning still.​

 

[Bluepool]

She comes to stand next to Spiderbloom, blue tabby pelt twitching uncomfortably and she adverts her gaze so as not to watch Wolfsong loose the contents of his guts. She only has to wonder for a moment what is wrong with him before someone else confirms it. Morning sickness. That meant the kits were in his stomach, wriggling around making him puke. Way gross. She feels uncomfortable at the thought. "You want me to fetch you moss soaked with water?" she offers. With Sedgepaw running off to get Sunstride it was the only thing she could think to offer that would allow her to escape.

She had, of course, seen pregnancy before. Her sister had been afflicted with it twice now. But still, she couldn't get over how weird the whole ordeal was. Soon, their would be little Wolfsong's and Sunstride's running all over the camp and that idea alone was simply the weirdest thing to her. She wonders, would the kits be just as weird as their parents? Looking at her sisters kits the answer was probably.

​

 

[SOOTSTAR]

SOOTSTAR ♀​

Sootstar had been trying to politely ignore the sounds of retching that emerged in the direction of Wolfsong. The worst thing that could be done to a queen when they were not feeling well was to surround them, Sootstar knows she had gotten snappish with her clan-mates during both pregnancies due to it. Yet when the sounds died off and cats begin to offer aid, Sootstar approaches with her tail held high in the air. ”You should eat a lizard’s heart.” Those who had known Sootstar while she was expecting would not be astonished by this outlandish suggestion. She had always practiced strange methods, insisting it would help her kits grow stronger in the womb. ”It’ll give you a break from all of… this.” She implies the throwing up.

 

[Badgermoon]

Hare's hearts, lizard's hearts...it seemed WindClan was intent on feeding their medicine cat an organ-intensive diet. Badgermoon grimaced as he heard Wolfsong's retching, pausing in his wrangling of warriors for a morning patrol to cast a sympathetic look towards his friend. He himself knew nothing of the experience of morning sickness, but he could imagine it was rather like the queasiness which came after eating a less-than-fresh piece of prey. At least this sort of sickness is for a good cause? thought the black-and-white cat with some uncertainty. The children of the two warm-furred toms would surely be strong, loyal, and healthy: welcome additions to the Clan and, hopefully, ones which would arrive before leaf-fall began to put too large a dent into their prey and herb stocks. From where he stood some fox-lengths away, Badgermoon called, "If you need to commandeer an apprentice to help you with anything, I'm happy to lend you one or two." An extra set of paws could be handy if one was busy, pregnant, and sick - or so he assumed. Perhaps Wolfsong is ready to take on a proper apprentice, a student of his own. Hopefully that would break the cycle of medicine cats with questionable temperaments and short tenures.​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

He’s not unfamiliar with the sound of an expecting cat’s morning sicknesses, and in truth, he’d expected this dawn when Sunstride and Wolfsong had performed their ritual brought with them from their homeland. A lead warrior and a medicine cat’s kits would only bring good fortune and strong blood to WindClan. Weaselclaw pads beside his mate, briefly touching his pale muzzle to hers and giving a mrrp of agreement. “The lizard heart worked for Sootstar, and all five of our kits were strong and healthy.”

Badgermoon and Sedgepaw offer assistance in various capacities, and Bluepool, her face twisted in a grimace, asks to get moss soaked with water for the medicine cat. Weaselclaw notices her disgust and smiles. “It’s natural,” he insists. “If you ever have kits, you’ll see, too.” He sits a little taller, briefly enjoying the memories of Sootstar embanked in snow, sure it would make their kits strong. Against all odds, no one could deny she’d been right—all five of their children are fierce and credits to their Clan.

✧ INFO.

•  
• 
  — weasel . weaselclaw
  — he/him ; lead warrior of windclan
  — heterosexual ; taken by Sootstar
  — short-haired chocolate tabby with white and blue eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Oliver

​

 

[WOLFSONG]

── .∘°°∘. ── His gaze lifts from the ground to Spiderbloom, and though her presence is kind and supportive, he is reminded of the obstacles she faced during her pregnancy. Her kits have never known their father, and she did not have him with her through moments like these. He does not dare imagine it for himself and the kits he carries, so he forges on, smiling slightly. "Indeed," he agrees, his voice roughened by retching. "I have been thinking the same."

Following Spiderbloom is Sedgepaw, and he is surprised the apprentice was not the first to find him given how often he frequents the medicine den. Today, Wolfsong eyes him thoughtfully, weighing. He does not immediately answer his offer, a brief debate fighting for leverage. Eventually, he shakes his head and smiles again. "No, let him rest, but thank you for the thought." He shuffles slightly, adjusting, and closes his eye once more while another wave of nausea passes.

He cracks it open slightly at Bluepool's voice, who looks...uncomfortable, to say the least. Had he the energy, and his stomach were less tenuous, he might have laughed. "If you would not mind. Please do not wake Sunstride if you mean to fetch moss from the den." Though he would not be surprised if this ruckus has already woken him. It's possible he is simply so fatigued his body has refused to wake— fatigued from hunting only the most resilient of prey for Wolfsong's benefit, and though he has seen the results of Sootstar's pregnancy, a lizard heart does not sound as...formidable. Even Weaselclaw's endorsement does not reassure him fully. "I will consider it when the sun is higher and my appetite returns."

He sighs slowly as the nausea eases further, ebbing to near-absence. Enough so that he can chuckle when Badgermoon offers up apprentices. "And if I want to have you fetching herbs for me, would you? For morale, of course." He winks at the deputy, as much as a cat with one eye can.
​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 36 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: He doesn't remember what it was like to be born. Coincidentally, that is the extent of his familiarity with kitting. At least he won't leave you without moral support.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ 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.

​