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cobwebs & broom (brackenfang)
silverflower
ThunderClan
Posts: 14 
Rank: Queen
Age: 32 Moons
Gender: She-Cat
Crush: Starlingflight
Played By: Boggs
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Post by silverflower on Jun 14, 2015 23:42:29 GMT -5
With her tiny maw stretched wide with beech leaves bent and bunched, Silverflower hunkered low and wriggled her flanks to fit through the side entrance of Thunderclan's camp. With the unbearable silence of the nursery, she had gone out foraging for Brackenfang again, as had become habit over the last two moons. The pungent scent of dandelion and daisies wafted up her nostrils with each step. Just outside of the medicine cat's den, Silverflower had to pause and crane her neck to look down at the ground, eyeing the daisy root that had slipped free from the beech leaf bundle Silverflower folded. A soft hum of protest slipped free from her, and the dapple furred she-cat kicked at the stray bits of herbs.
She my have had the heart and desire to help, but with very little practical experience, the queen's assistance was questionable at times. Folding her ears back, she relented for the time being and slipped inside of Brackenfang's den. She kept her eyes pinned to her destination-- the herb stocks. Dropping her bundle, the she-cat's tail-tip quivered and waved a greeting to her friend, "Good morning, Brackenfang! Or, well, I suppose it's not morning anymore, but hello," she purred, turning about and stooping over to grab up the escaped piece of root. "I found a patch of daisies and dandelions not far out of camp, so I gathered some of the leaves and roots up for you..." she trailed off, pausing as she dipped her head down to sniff at the result of her foraging excursion.
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brackenfang
ThunderClan
he never performed with sadness or joy, he was just simply programmed to sing
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Post by brackenfang on Jun 15, 2015 3:31:12 GMT -5
brackenfang raised his head as he heard pawsteps approaching his den. he hadn't had any visitors yet today - a good sign so far, he thought, as injuries were of course never good - but now was not exactly the best time for an injury to suddenly occur. he'd been in the middle of starting on sorting his herbs, and so the corner he was currently in was quite a mess, old herbs dragged out of corners and crannies in an attempt to clean out and sort the stores once and for all. it would be unfortunate if he had to leave this to treat a clanmate - but alas. he would deal if that was the case...
and yet apparently it was not. as he turned and caught the scent of the approaching cat - though masked somewhat by the strong scent of daisy and dandelion - he blinked to see silverflower entering the den, a bundle of herbs clutched between her jaws. the cream-and-white tabby cat listened intently as she spoke, wrapping his tail around his paws and flicking an ear in acknowledgment of her own greeting, even as she went on to speak.
"hello, silverflower," the medicine cat greeted softly once she had finished, giving her a polite dip of the head. "that was very thoughtful of you; thank you." though his tone was mild and impassive as ever, his gaze was at least thankful (or so he hoped - he never was very good with expressing his emotions), and he rose to pad across to where she had set the herbs, giving her a brief and grateful flick with his tail as he reached her side. "daisy and dandelion," the medicine cat mewed as he looked down, seemingly appraising the offering. "well, it was very kind of you to bring them. daisy is good for both aches and traveling - though the leaves more for the former, and the roots for the latter. and i certainly wouldn't turn my nose up for some dandelion when cats start getting bee stings, especially when skyclan's expansion has taken our last source of blackberry..." his voice grew quieter as he went on, as if more and more speaking to himself instead of to her, until he finally trailed off, apparently deep - and lost - in thought. it took a few good heartbeats before he seemed to recover himself, dreamy stare that was so characteristic of him suddenly jolting to look at silverflower again, as if just remembering that she was there.
"ah, right," he murmured - then, louder, more so as if truly addressing her - "would you like to help me sort herbs, silverflower? i would very much appreciate it." as he spoke the offer, he swept his tail behind him in a gesture towards the somewhat scattered herbs. he knew that silverflower liked to get out of the nursery from time to time, although she was a 'permanent' queen, so to speak - not that he could blame her, as even he sometimes grew a little tired of being cooped up in his own den, even when he left it as often as he did to hunt for either herbs or prey. he was glad for the help that she often offered him, whether it was in foraging for herbs or in other areas - and though he didn't necessarily need her to help him sort herbs (he could, of course, manage just fine on his own), he wanted to make the offer to her regardless. after all, she was always so eager to help him; who would he be to deny her the opportunity, when she would not be hurting anything to help? besides, perhaps she could learn something. it never hurt to have more cats with herb knowledge among the clan, even if they were not medicine cats themselves.
if she were to accept, he would lead her where he had begun the sorting wordlessly, though direct her to the other end - where he had not yet started - with a wave of his tail. the herbs there were not yet as scattered as his own side, but they were still fairly intermingled, and not truly properly sorted - an influx of patients a few sunrises ago had left his stores somewhat of a mess, and one that he had not yet been bothered to fix. (until today.) "i'm mostly trying to clean out the stores and get rid of any too-old herbs, as well as sort whatever's left after," he would explain quietly. "it's greenleaf now, and there will be plenty of herbs to replace the ones that need replacing. if you could start just by sorting like herbs together, though, it would be a huge help - you should be able to tell by their scent, if nothing else. i can go back through later and get rid of the older things afterwards." he would turn away from her then, as if already intent upon his own sorting, though he would still glance at her before speaking one last time - "if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. i'd be more than happy to tell you what an herb is or what it's used for."
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silverflower
ThunderClan
Posts: 14
Rank: Queen
Age: 32 Moons
Gender: She-Cat
Crush: Starlingflight
Played By: Boggs
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Post by silverflower on Jun 15, 2015 12:07:48 GMT -5
As the days passed and turned into weeks, and those weeks turned into moons, Silverflower could feel the intensity of the expectant stares increasing steadily over time. Thunderclan needed every warrior it had, especially with Skyclan’s arrival and the tensions crackling between the other clans. With their alliance with their new neighbors, it placed them in a sour position with the other three clans—especially Windclan. While she had never been particularly vicious, Silverflower was a decent enough warrior and hunter. In the eyes of others, there was more that she could have been doing for the clan, now that her kits had grown into apprentices; there was little reason for her to remain in the nursery. It was common knowledge that Lynxclaw’s attentions had drifted elsewhere many moons ago. And still she remained, tucked away within the nursery, seldom venturing very far from camp.
The gentle twitching of her nose and whiskers paused as Brackenfang approached, and the dappled she-cat dipped her head when her greeting was returned. She didn’t think it was all that much, really—she had to do something to be useful… she just felt such dread when thinking of the warrior’s den. A dainty forepaw stretched out to nudge the wrinkled edges of the beech leaf out of the way to give Brackenfang a better view.
”I remembered Duststorm using dandelion to help me when I got stung as an apprentice,” she murmured, a soft sigh leaving her as she recalled the old cat. Always relative shy natured in comparison to her peers, it was no surprise that Silverflower had never grown close to their former medicine cat—though she remembered him fondly. It was the same for many of their lost clan mates.
”I wouldn’t scratch them off entirely, I’m sure Skyclan would be willing to trade herbs from time to time… It’s not the end of black berries,” Silverflower purred, letting her tail quiver in a happy, friendly manner. She was glad for the alliance between Skyclan and Thunderclan, even if it was tenuous at times, and even if many of the other clans disapproved. At least one of their major borders was safe for the time being… It meant one less dangerous place for her kits to be roaming on their patrols. As Brackenfang trailed off, Silverflower smiled faintly and dipped her head down to nibble at the very edge of the broad beech leaf, dragging it closer to the edge of a gnarled wall in the ginger and white cat’s den. Over the last two moons, she had grown used to the often times distant moments that plagued Brackenfang.
The offer to assist with sorting herbs saw another smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, and Silverflower’s whiskers strained forward with interest. Nodding her head, she followed after Brackenfang, keeping her tail curled around one of her legs to keep it from getting in the way or brushing cobwebs out of their hiding places.
”With the way everyone has been acting, I don’t blame you for wanting to get everything situated before things get… worse,” the short-furred she-cat shrugged her petite shoulders and hunkered down on the other side of Brackenfang’s storage nooks and crannies. Her neck strained forward as she sniffed at bits of bark with widely varying textures. ”Is this alder bark?” she tilted her head, then gently flicked it to the side on its own. ”I can’t even remember the last time we traded with Shadowclan for alder bark…” a soft laugh escaped her, and Silverflower shook her head as she set herself back to work. Resisting the urge to sneeze had grown easier the more she visited with Brackenfang.
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brackenfang
ThunderClan
he never performed with sadness or joy, he was just simply programmed to sing
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Post by brackenfang on Jun 18, 2015 0:12:19 GMT -5
when brackenfang became absorbed in his work, it often took him longer than usual to note that which normally should have been obvious; in this case, it was the fact that silverflower was speaking to him again that took the medicine cat a heartbeat to catch. (inwardly, he grimaced; he hoped his brief lapse in concentration - or rather, increase in it - had not made him miss too much.) "...don't blame you for wanting to get everything situated before things get -- worse," silverflower was telling him. brackenfang did not turn to look at her, but he acknowledged her words with a dip of his head; his herb sorting had paused now, for the moment at least, as he seemed to be trying to focus a little on his guest instead of the task at paw. (sometimes brackenfang found it difficult to keep concentration on both, after all, were he not to keep them separate, at least part of the time.)
"not to mention that badger," he murmured, a hint of worry crossing his face as he spoke. he had faith in his clanmates, certainly - but he could never help but feel concern for them when it came to things such as this, especially as their medicine cat. he only hoped he would have his herbs sorted and ready for when he was inevitably needed. before he could think too deeply on it, his ears twitched as he heard a question posed towards him - "is this alder bark?" the medicine cat turned to look briefly as silverflower sorted the bits of bark to the side, going on to lament how long it had been since they traded for it. "it's the best thing there is for toothache," the fluffy tabby told her, angling his head back to the herbs he was meant to be sorting - ragweed. "though mint can do in a pinch, as well. normally that's an herb used only to hide deathscent, but chewing the leaves can numb the pain of a toothache some as well. alder bark is better, though." his tone was matter-of-fact, even when referencing the ceremonies used to send clanmates to starclan - though of course this was not a matter brackenfang meant to make light of.
it dawned on him then that he had likely missed a great deal of what she had been saying to him, before, in his intent to get to the task; not wanting to be rude and seem as if he had ignored her completely, he searched back through his memory, wondering if there was anything she had brought up that he could still address. silverflower... had mentioned skyclan, hadn't she? that the blackberries might not be unattainable forever, what with their alliance.
blinking, brackenfang stole a brief glance at her yet again as the words finally seemed to sink in; he had gotten away from himself a bit, it seemed. "you're right about the blackberries, of course," he mewed politely to the queen, though perhaps his words might have seemed abrupt. "i don't know skyclan's medicine cat all too well, but what's a friendly trade between allies?" the cream-and-white cat returned his gaze to his work, narrowing his eyes a sliver; he did not think extremely highly of skyclan, if he were honest. in fact, he had not even considered the possibility of a trade for herbs - simply because he, like many others, still resented them a little for their imposition in the territories. he supposed he would have to get over himself soon enough; starclan had willed them here, after all, so clearly they were meant to stay. it did not mean that he had to like it.
ah well. it was all said and done anyway. they were allies now - even if he did not often think on it. they would have to stick together, if they were to weather whatever else might come their way. after all, the other clans were not so pleased with their decision. and brackenfang was certainly not so foolish as to doubt his leader's choice in any sort of public forum. those sorts of opinions were best kept to one's self, he found.
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silverflower
ThunderClan
Posts: 14
Rank: Queen
Age: 32 Moons
Gender: She-Cat
Crush: Starlingflight
Played By: Boggs
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Post by silverflower on Jun 23, 2015 19:19:35 GMT -5
Silverflower’s tiny paws batted against the floor of Brackenfang’s den as she cleared out the last bits of debris, herbs, and cobwebs from her current corner. With her brow wrinkling with focus, she did her best to differentiate between the pungent smelling roots and pieces of bark. With only two moons of practice, she lacked confidence in her abilities.
To her credit, though, for the most part she did well at sorting through different types of herbs. It was knowing when they had aged past their usefulness that she struggled with still.
Not to mention that badger… Silverflower’s ears folded back, and her head nodded gently as the medicine cat referenced the ongoing patrol to rid their territory of its resident foul tempered badger. It wasn’t the first such patrol that her brother had led for Thunderclan, but she found herself worrying every time. It was just another reason to busy herself gathering supplies and helping Brackenfang.
For a few moments, at least, it might settle the anxiety plaguing her, threatening to give her shivers that would last long hours into the night.
”At- at least Coalgaze is experienced,” she said, mostly to reassure herself, though if Brackenfang drew any comfort from it, it was simply a bonus granted by happenstance. ”I’ve seen him squaring off against foxes and raccoons since he was an apprentice… you’d never guess it by his size—we’re both a little on the smaller side, but… well..” Silverflower cleared her throat, trailing off and eventually falling silent. When nervous or anxious, the dapple-coated she-cat had a tendency to babble.
it’s the best thing for toothache, Silverfower slowly let out a relieved sigh, hunkering down low as she moved farther along her part of the clutter, delicate whiskers wiggling to sweep up stray strands of cobwebs that dangled from bits of roots and branches.
”Is it safe for expecting queens?” the she-cat prompted the ginger furred tom, head tipping to the side as her paws worked to bundle up a small wad of cobwebs. She didn’t want to be the one to say it, but the likelihood was that they were going to need some prepared for when Coalgaze, Cougarstrike, Redfang, and Sparrowfoot returned. She couldn’t guess what the extent of their injuries might be. It had been so long since she had seen a badger in the forest or witnessed the damage that they could inflict… she wasn’t eager to find out what Starclan had been sparing her from for several moons.
”I remember when I was carrying my kits, my gums and teeth were always so tender… it was hard to eat anything that wasn’t fresh, wet, and soft,” she explained, trying to fill the silence so that her mind didn’t have time to turn in on itself with worrying thoughts and troubling fears. Her brother and the rest of his patrol were going to be fine, she was sure of it. How could they not be? She had heard that it was a younger badger, not even in the prime of its life…
”Y-you’ve got enough cobwebs and, and, um…” Silverflower’s whiskers began to quiver as her eyes tracked down the piles of herbs and other natural remedies that her friend maintained, ”Do you think they’re alright?” she couldn’t help it.
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brackenfang
ThunderClan
he never performed with sadness or joy, he was just simply programmed to sing
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Post by brackenfang on Jul 3, 2015 2:16:26 GMT -5
oh. perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned the patrol. silverflower seemed anxious, even as she continued to busy herself with the herb sorting; he could sense the worry crawling in her pelt, almost as if it was casting off of her in waves. "at-- at least coalgaze is experienced," she mewed. "i’ve seen him squaring off against foxes and raccoons since he was an apprentice. you’d never guess it by his size -- we’re both a little on the smaller side, but… well..." gradually, she trailed off, clearing her throat, and brackenfang frowned. out of the corner of his eye, the medicine cat watched the slight shifting of her body and the quickness and precision of her movements as she continued to sort, trying to determine if he was reading things wrong. he supposed he should have been more sensitive - her brother was leading the patrol, after all. she had much more reason to be concerned than he.
at least there were other matters to discuss, to try and get the tabby queen's mind off of her worries. "alder bark is technically safe for nursing queens, but one does have to be careful," he answered her question, returning his gaze fully to his own sorting as he spoke. "the fresher it is, the more risk there is that it may cause vomiting and sickness. usually it's better to only give the driest bark to queens or elders or kits - any cat who may have a weaker stomach. it isn't likely to cause illness, but the risk does still exist." he paused, seeming thoughtful. "some queens might prefer to skip it, and merely opt for mint instead." not that he would particularly advise it - alder bark was of course better - but he would not blame a cat for worrying. some were just more prone to it, after all.
finally, his attention was returned to the matter that truly seemed to be bothering silverflower, even now - the conflict with the badger. as she voiced her persisting concern, he turned to face her, blinking blue eyes at his friend in what might have been meant to be a serious expression for once, instead of just his default (which appeared fairly serious anyway.) "they'll be fine, silverflower," he told her, no doubt in his tone. "you said it yourself. coalgaze is a fine warrior, and a fine deputy at that. he will lead them well, and thunderclan will be victorious." he tried for a smile, though it was quite small and a little tentative, and might have looked a little odd on the cream-furred tom. "as we always are, of course."
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silverflower
ThunderClan
Posts: 14
Rank: Queen
Age: 32 Moons
Gender: She-Cat
Crush: Starlingflight
Played By: Boggs
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Post by silverflower on Jul 18, 2015 7:39:04 GMT -5
Starclan, her head was beginning to hurt. Silverflower’s pelt shifted over her ribs with each shortened breath, and after struggling with staring at the same two pieces of bark for several moments, the she-cat shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. Now that she had started thinking of the patrol and the badger, she couldn’t stop. All she could imagine was this bristling monster of a beast lumbering after the cats she shared tongues with each day and had known since kithood.
Fresh waves of anxiety swelled inside of her, and the petite she-cat shuffled back half a step from the herbs she had been trying to sort.
”I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Brackenfang, I’ve…” her ears folded out to the sides, and Silverflower’s chin pinned itself to her chest. She just wanted to go back to her nest in the nursery and to know everything would be alright. ”I should go, I just—I’m getting in the way of things,” she forced a sheepish smile and a tiny laugh, ducking away, trying to smile and nod at Brackenfang’s attempts to reassure her. Swallowing roughly, Silverflower’s fur prickled with unease. Would they always be victorious?
It seemed that, lately, Thunderclan had been asking for trouble, and she couldn’t understand why or how. First they lost portions of their land, land used to feed their kin, and now with their supposed alliance—what would become of them when the other three clans banded together to route them out? It appeared that so far, their only saving grace was that the other clans hated each other just as much as they hated Thunderclan.
”Starclan willing,” she responded weakly, her true feelings clearly elsewhere at the moment. ”I-I’m going to go and… and lie down for a little while,” Silverflower murmured, backing up a few more steps, accidentally stepping in a wad of cobwebs. She mrrwled softly as an apology, kicking it free from her foot before she finally managed to exit Brackenfang’s den before doing any further damage. Just as quickly, her paws took her back to the nursery, and to the same spot that she had been nesting in for more than ten moons.
It was one of the only places in the world that it seemed troubles couldn’t enter. She missed the days of sharing it with someone she loved.
Silverflower has left the scene and can no longer be interacted with in this thread: great rping with you!
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