Posts by HEATHERMOON

( hearing a lot about people not feeling welcome, being looked over, etc. so me and lil heather are trying to help with that! old and new welcome in this thread - post with your character and also if you'd like, post a little snippet about yourself <3

my name is hopey and i'm about to turn nineteen, i'm a biology major and i play heatherpaw, the medicine cat apprentice here! i love everything lion king, game of thrones, puppers, etc and i love talking about all of the above! feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about anything at all c: )

It was nicer weather today, finally, and Heatherpaw was seated out in the sun, organizing her herbs somewhere other than the dim shelter she was residing in. She would pull a pile out, separate and count them, and then return the piles to their respective places in the den before pulling another large pile out. It wasn't hard work, just rather time consuming since she was the only one doing it. Every once in a while someone would pass by and nod to her in greeting and she would give a shy smile in return - nothing special. But she could feel herself growing confident and more social with every passerby and every minute that she sat in the open. A thought struck her - she didn't know any of her clanmates on a personal level. Some would rather keep to themselves, she knew that, but she hadn't really been immersing herself in the Clan and getting to know them, either. She felt that it was not only her job to heal, protect, be the spiritual buffer, but also to be a friendly face that her clanmates could come to if they needed anything.

You can do this. After a small pep-talk, Heatherpaw pushed herself onto skinny and shaky legs, gazing around at the idle bodies of her peers. Anxiety coursed through her body and she could hear her heartbeat thumping in her furry ears. Swallowing the lump rising in her throat, the blue point called out, "ThunderClan! Gather here for a meet and greet!" The announcement was loud and powerful, not what she had expected to come out of her mouth, but it was still shaky with the fear and it was accompanied by continuous paw taps. After a few gathered around her, the medicine cat apprentice cleared her throat, trying to sound confident. "Um, I just wanted to get to know everyone a little better and we have some new members that I'm sure would like to get to know everyone as well. Just introduce yourself and we'll go in a circle asking questions. I'll start and then the next person can ask a question and so on. So, my name is Heatherpaw, I'm the medicine cat apprentice, and I would like to know something interesting about all of you."

""

( psst heatherbloom died so if you need a medicine cat just tag heatherpaw because she's the only one left! c: )

Small paws were organizing in her den, trying to remember the names and the uses of the many herbs Rootlegs had been teaching her in the wake of Heatherbloom's death. There was a lot to remember, and though young, she was a fast learner and she was getting things done for the sake of her Clan. Currently, she was making little emergency kits like Rootlegs did back in RiverClan when she heard voices approaching. It wasn't that unusual - someone popping by for minor things like a thorn stuck in the paw, or something of the sort; sometimes it was to just say hello. Blue ears lifted on her head, swiveling in the direction of the opening and she quickly stepped out to meet them.

"O-oh, hello ..." There was a stranger with Rosewater and Shortpaw and the point's mouth opened in shock at the injuries of the she-cat in front of her. "Hello dear ... Can you tell me what's going on?" At a quick glance-over, there were a few external wounds and there seemed to be something wrong with the back right leg but she wasn't sure what had exactly happened. While she waited for a response, Heatherpaw darted into the den and came back out with a few of the herbs she knew would help just with a basic knowledge of what was happening: cobwebs, poppy seeds, comfrey root, and goldenrod. She also glanced at Shortpaw softly and murmured to the apprentice, "Can you get some soaked moss for me?" She might need to clean the girl up and she was pretty sure she wouldn't make it to any water source.

( can you give me a brief description of her injuries? <3 )

As Heatherpaw examined the she-cat, her mouth threatened to gape open, but she composed herself and stayed calm despite the obvious panic she felt brewing in her blood. Nodding thankfully to Shortpaw, she took the moss and gently began cleaning the open wounds that she could see with half of the moss and then lay the other half of the soaked moss gently by the newcomer's head. "Try to drink some of this," she commanded softly, knowing she would be thirsty and tired.

The leg was clearly not going to be salvageable and the young medicine cat had to question how Shroud had survived this long with her limb hanging on by a thread. Due to her inexperience, she wasn't sure how to handle something like this. It did not appear as if it would take much to just ... pull the rest of the leg from her body, since it wasn't attached by much but Heatherpaw wasn't confident in her abilities to do so. Turning to a NPC, she gently urged them, "I need Rootlegs. Now." Hopefully the RiverClan medicine cat would be there soon and would know how to help.

In the mean time, she pushed some poppy seeds towards the she-cat. "Poppy seeds, for the pain." She began to chew both the goldenrod and comfrey root into a poultice and applying them to the wounds softly before covering them in cobwebs.

Rootlegs

""

When Laurelpaw came to get her, Heatherpaw groaned lightly. Leafbare had been taking its' toll on ThunderClan and the young she-cat prayed every night to StarClan to give them a break. It seemed she was constantly running around, tending to those and keeping them alive. At least though, today, it was something as easy as a kit fainting. Not that it was good - just better since it was something she could handle on her own and not run to Rootlegs for.

Stepping into camp, she approached her 'uncle' with a tired smile. He seemed to be okay now, though she could see why he had lost consciousness. The kitten was terribly skinny and was clearly exhausted. "Russetkit, what's going on?" A purr was laced with her words as she sat by Rulindil. She cared for these kits like they were her siblings and it worried her to see them to weak.

"You need to start eating more. You're the future of ThunderClan - we can't have you fainting on us, now can we?" Heatherpaw

Though it seemed like a friendly, familial gesture, she was checking for a fever. When she found none, the blue point turned and walked swiftly back into her den and emerged a few moments later with a soft-looking green plant.

"This is lamb's ear. It will keep your strength up," she murmured softly to him, setting the plant in front of him. It wouldn't taste good but they were short on honey at the moment and couldn't spare it. Her gentle words were informative for him - so he knew what he was taking - but also for her, as she talked herself through her actions. "This will help but not much if you don't eat."

""

Heatherpaw felt as if she hadn't had a break in moons. Her paws were meticulously working, rushing to take care of things and be available whenever she was needed. The only times she ever left camp were to search for the herbs in the melting snow, but even those were quick trips, for she was terrified of leaving the camp unattended. There was still so much to do, but she was feeling more confident every day, especially now that leafbare was coming to a close. The young medicine cat apprentice hoped her job would get easier in the coming moons.

Blue eyes were trained on the various herbs in front of her, as she tried to memorize and organize them in her new den. What a task. A familiar voice broke Heatherpaw's concentration, the blue point welcoming the distraction with a smile. Moonwatcher - quite possible her favorite cat in the world. Her mother had been through a lot, but always came out stronger. There was no one else the young molly looked up to more than her beloved mother. If Asphodelpaw was still around, it would be a close tie between the two, but without him, Heatherpaw was able to give her full heart to her mother.

"Momma!" An excited purr left her maw, and she turned on her heel to approach the silver and black she-cat. The young girl aimed to gently rub her chin against her mother's shoulder, content with being in her presence. "I miss you!" It was true, they were both so busy. The Clan depended on the two of them so much that there seemed to be so little time to relax and enjoy being with each other.

""

Heatherpaw approached slowly, looking worn and disheveled. Being the only medicine cat in the middle of leafbare had taken quite a toll on the young she-cat, and it was obvious she hadn't been taking care of herself. Truthfully, the stress had been getting to her but she knew she would be alright as long as she continued to take things one day at a time.

When she heard Rulindil call a meet and greet, she padded over on soft blue paws, hoping to get to know some of her clanmates better. Being holed up in her den, or out searching for herbs really left her with no time to talk to those she lived with. That was something she had promised herself she would do as a medicine cat - make a genuine effort to be personally friendly with as many clanmates as possible. Her job as their medic was much more than just keeping them healthy physically. She considered herself a mental help and a friendly face and she was disappointed that she had been slacking in the latter.

"Hello!" Her paw tapped twice against the ground. Although she was much better, her fear of talking to others was still there. Every day she worked to be less afraid. "You're Rulindil, right?" Six more paw taps. They had spoken a few times, if she could recall, but never held a meaningful conversation. Turning her head to the ginger she-cat, she gave her a small smile. "It's nice to meet you Mangle." More paw taps. "I'm Heatherpaw, the medicine cat apprentice."

""

For a moment, it felt like the stress was physically melting away from her body. Within her mother's touch, Heatherpaw could almost forget the panic that she was usually drowning in. A flashback to her kithood pressed upon her mind - reminding her of the simpler times when she and her mother would cuddle all day. When Asphodelpaw would visit every few hours to play with them. Everything was so easy. Even when she had been promoted, it still hadn't been that hard. Heatherbloom was there and it was all pretty easy on the young she-cat. When her father and her mentor passed, mostly every good thing went with them. But this ... this was still good. These brief moments with her mother were still cherished. They were one of the only good things left in her life.

So when Moonwatcher began to pull away, Heatherpaw fought the tears threatening to come. The tabby didn't go far, though, and when she looked up she saw her mother's face gazing down at her affectionately. A purr rumbled in her chest in response. "A gift?" Blue eyes lit up for a moment before the small she-cat jumped to her paws, tail waving around in excitement.

""