Camp LIKE SUGAR ON MY TONGUE [ bingo free space | herbs! ]

This thread takes place inside the clan's camp.
160
14
Freshkill
45
Pronouns
she/her
Played by
Nya
[ this is after the recent skirmish but before... aheemp aheemp.... yk... ]
[ for a little fun, use the site's herb scavenger!! just remember to set it to thunderclan :) ]

Serpentberry doesn't like enlisting just any ThunderClan cat to help retrieve herbs from across the territory - but she also doesn't like treating idiots who've started unnecessary fights. It's still difficult to say who truly won the skirmish, but the medicine cat feels as if she can say that if it's their victory, it was a rotten one. Too many cats got injured for it to have been worth it. In any case, the molly sent out any and all ThunderClanners she could to find whatever they thought useful or viable. It's only now that they seem to trickle back in with whatever they've retrieved.

For the ones that are injured... "Do me a favor, dear, and make sure you're pulling the leaves off of the stems, and not shredding them altogether...!" they are left with preparing their own herb bundles (or helping one another in the activity.) Serpentberry does well enough to supply each cat with what they may need, and even goes as far as to instruct them how to apply it. But all the chewing to make salves? That's on them now, as she isn't in the business of making her own jaw sore. And if they can't do it right... well, she hopes StarClan can welcome them with open arms.
 
————————————— The melody sings what the words can't say. ✦


There was a quiet shame shrouding the oversized apprentice, stooped over a pile of cob nuts he'd been given charge of cracking. The grey tom curled about himself a few tails' length from where Serpentberry paraded about, talking down at them all with narrowed eyes. He could understand on one paw, just how many of the herb stocks had been used in the battle, how so many of the clan had to be called to arms to help replenish the stocks; but on the other, Skyclan had attacked them first, were they to run with their tails between their legs? Was he meant to leave his own mother to fight against brutes who would have laid her to rest before her own kin?

He did not make his frustrations known; he knew better than to talk back to Serpentberry. She was the one telling him how to treat his wounds. But even so, as the apprentice stooped down to pick up a cob nut in his powerful jaws, between his tusks and teeth, he managed to effortlessly crack the shell as the white flesh of the nut rolled to the floor between his paws. He had to wince, the dull ache of the claw mark salved over on his cheek, only a breath away from clean taking his eye out. Boarpaw had never been in a true fight; it was only proof he wasn't ready to be a warrior, not like Shimmerstone. He would have to train harder to match his dearest friend.

Thought, Boarpaw cringed visibly, the sharp edges of the cob nut shell scratching at the inside of his maw painfully. He spluttered as the remnants fell from his maw, looking down at the things with exhaustion. He'd been given the cob nuts to crack for his strength, but admittedly, the apprentice was already sick of it. Exhaustion and pain tugged at his form, wanting nothing more than to curl up and sleep away the day. The apprentice's gaze flickered about, settling on a nearby rock.

A too many-clawed paw reached for the thing; the upside of too many toes seemed to be that the apprentice had an uncanny ability to grasp things in his paws. While the rock was sharp, hard to keep steady, with a swing of the paw, he cracked it down on a cob nut, the thing splitting open with ease. But, even so, it stung his paw the rough edges of the rocks, and looking down at his pile of work to finish, only now did Boarpaw start to regret his part in the fight....

  • 𖧧 Coin Flip: Heads - Success
    𖧧 1d7 Roll: 1 - Wound & Infection
    𖧧 Herb Found - Cob Nuts

    Open to interactions!!! He's malding about cracking the cob nuts someone keeps him company
  • Boarpaw
    ✦—Thunderclan apprentice | 10 moons
    ✦—He/They
    ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
    ✦—A long-haired, dark grey tom with a prominent underbite and blue eyes.
    #AFBCC1
 









Fawnkit had never seen so many injured cats at once. Sure, sometimes accidents happened or an argument ensued, but nothing at this scale. So many of her clanmates had been tasked with scavenging for herbs and she felt an itch to help - not particularly because she felt like helping out, but she wanted to look for things too! Unfortunately, she was not permitted to leave camp on her own.

What was it the cats were looking for anyway? Herbs? Did that mean flowers? Fawnkit wasn't sure what help flowers really were, besides being pretty and smelling nice, but she wasn't about to question the grumpy medicine cat. If it was flowers the healer wanted, flowers she would provide! There was a patch of weeds growing behind the nursery - dandelions, if she remembered correctly - in the shade where rarely anyone ever looked, with pretty yellow flowers. She hoped some of the injured warriors would appreciate it, for the bloom shone like the sun, reminding her of its warmth.

Trotting happily with her tail high, she made her way to the back of the nursery, and sure enough, the weed was still there - jagged leaves and a fluffy yellow flower, just as she remembered. She tried to claw it out, but it wasn't working, so Fawnkit stooped low and attempted to grab the weed with her mouth. She immediatelly stuck out her tongue and spat out in disgust - the weed was so yucky! It tasted bitter and made her teeth sticky. Fawnkit started to reconsider her plan, for the taste made her want to go wash her tongue in a puddle and abandon this quest altogether. But then she recalled the medicine cat's scornful gaze and she braced herself for the taste, as she reached to grab the weed once more.

Fawnkit was successful in picking the flower up, but she felt disgusting - her ears drooped and nose scrunched, as she made her way back to the medicine cat den and almost spit out the plant multiple times on her way there, the taste making her gag. Finally at the entrance to the den, she half dropped the plant, half spat it out. "Here you go Serpentberry... hopefully this flower is still pretty enough, though it tastes awful!" She quickly turned around and ran back into the nursery, before anyone could give her another, gross task. This was enough for one day!





 
BRINDLEFEATHER ──
thunderclan | forager
Padding into camp, Brindlefeather carries a clump of yellowish-green weeds, nodding politely as he weaves around the small crowd of wounded cats. Stopping in front of Serpentberry, he gently lays it on the ground near her paws.
"I found these near the RiverClan border," he explains. "It's ragweed, I'm pretty sure… hopefully you'll have a use for it." He honestly can't remember for the life of him what ragweed actually does, but he knows he's seen it amongst the herb storage in the medicine den before, so he'd grabbed it as soon as he saw some growing near the river.

Worriedly, he glances back out at those who'd fought against SkyClan; Brindlefeather loathed violence, having personally sworn off of it unless he or his loved one's lives were on the line. On one paw, he knew it was foolish of them, especially Owlbark since he'd insisted on leading the border patrol; he didn't think any less of the deputy for that, but it was common knowledge that SkyClan hated him specifically because of the warrior he'd slain for trespassing (he had thoughts about that too, but he'd rather keep them to himself…). Would they have been less likely to pick a fight, had Owlbark not been there?
On the other paw, it had been SkyClan who'd started the fight at the border; not only that, but many of those who'd left camp to run to their aid had been cats wishing to protect their Clanmates, or even family members… his almond eyes flick to Boarpaw, who is tiredly cracking the shells of cob nuts. His mother had been on that patrol… Brindlefeather could respect his need to protect his family, at least.

He pushes his thoughts aside for now - dwelling on it won't reverse what happened. Padding up to the dark-furred apprentice, he offers a patient smile as he lays next to him, draping the tip of his tail atop the younger cat's shoulder in an act of gentleness.
"How are you holding up, Boarpaw?" he asks. "That was your first time in battle, wasn't it?"
maybe we'll turn it all around 'cuz it's not too late

  • ooc: 𖧧 Coin Flip: Heads - Success
    𖧧 1d7 Roll: 7 - Travel
    𖧧 Herb Found - Ragweed

    speaking briefly to @serpentberry / approaching @Boarpaw
  • "speaking" | thinking | action
 
————————————— The melody sings what the words can't say. ✦


Tired blue eyes dragged up from his dreary little task to notice Brindlefeather had joined him, a sympathetic smile laced on the maw of the friendly tom. He met the warrior with a watery smile of his own, pawing absently at the stone underpaw as he struggled to maintain the line of sight. Usually, a little sympathy was enough to soothe the itching discomfort under his pelt, but this time? It seemed to just drive the sensation to something impossible to stifile. Like he was seen as weak - and, well, maybe it wasn't a wrong assumption... Just the thought made the oversized apprentice droop visibly.

He let out a dry laugh, adjusting himself a little to continue cracking open the cob nuts as he entertained the kindly warriors' conversation. "Y-yeah, it was..." Crunch, the sound of the dull thunk of the rock against the hard shell, soft flesh peeking from beneath the hardened shell, picking away the shell with a careful claw. "I went rusthing out after Webpaw told usth there wasth a fight on Sthkyclan boarders, I wasth the firstht there from camp."

Boarpaw had never run so fast; he never needed to. He'd never been in such a state of fear and fury. He had been scared so many times. On the edge of the thunderpath as a kitten, stood in front of the highrock being given his apprenticeship, seeing Juniperstar bleeding out... But never had he felt such fear on behalf of someone and being able to something about it. And yet.

"Y'know, I wasth talking with my friend from Riverclan, Sthimmersthtone." Crack. Another cob nut crunched underpaw, the rock starting to hurt his paw more with every rise and fall. "She just graduated and she asthked me when I would be a warrior too and-" As he tried to pick the shell from the thing underpaw, the shell was too stubborn this time, thick and still barely cracked, that irritated, crawling feeling under his skin only seeming to flare. "I-I. I'm no stho sure how much I destherve to be a warrior after that. I..."

Boarpaw blinked hard, the flash of claws and fangs, watching Dewshine helplessly as he floundered like a kitten in his own fight, the stinging of his face, his legs, his paw- Crunch The apprentice brought the rock down too hard against the cob nut, the thing crumbling helplessly under his paw, the shell utterly shattered the the flesh inside splattered against the stone in his paw.

Immediately, shame burned at the apprentice's face, stomach turning as he blinked harder. "I'm sthorry, I think Stherpentberry wanted me to take thesthe to the medicine den." He tried to collect the cracked cob nuts into the makeshift leaf bundle; some cats needed them for their salves, and he didn't want to waste any more - or take up any of Brindlefeather's time with his pity party.

  • Talking with @brindlefeather
    Feel free to stop him or let him leave! Big fella is in his feels
  • Boarpaw
    ✦—Thunderclan apprentice | 10 moons
    ✦—He/They
    ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
    ✦—A long-haired, dark grey tom with a prominent underbite and blue eyes.
    #AFBCC1
 
BRINDLEFEATHER ──
thunderclan | forager
Brindlefeather frowns as Boarpaw speaks, a look of concern falling over his features. He's taking it harder than I imagined…
"Hey now,"
he says gently, "there's no need to talk down on yourself that way." Sitting upright, his tail motions for Boarpaw to stay a moment - to hear him out.
"It's as you said - you were the first of the reinforcements to arrive. You knew there'd be SkyClan warriors with moons of experience on you - but that didn't matter, did it? You still ran to protect your Clanmates, and your family. That kind of bravery, in the face of such danger… if that doesn't show you're growing into a fine young warrior, then I don't know what does." He offers a reassuring smile to the large apprentice. "Be proud of what you've accomplished, Boarpaw. You're going to graduate in no time. And I, for one, am glad to have such a capable cat as you here in ThunderClan. I mean it."
Hauling himself to his paws, Brindlefeather glances down at Boarpaw's collection of cob nuts.
"Now, would you like some help bringing these to the medicine den?" he offers with a playful glint in his eye - "unless you want to look like a chipmunk walking across camp carrying all that."
maybe we'll turn it all around 'cuz it's not too late

  • ooc: talking with @Boarpaw
  • "speaking" | thinking | action