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"Well, you said you wanted to know where I got them, and that's it." Poppypaw chirped, coming to a halt. Of course there were better places to go and find the leaves. Ivy was hardly uncommon. She just figured she would make it as hard as possible on Graythorn in revenge for making her do this silly task. Plus, she liked exploring around the witch's house, there were always rare and unusual herbs scattered about it and she was just the perfect cat to get it due to her general lack of fear. Maybe she had been lucky so far but she'd never heard any cackling or smelled anything suspicious while on that side of the territory, "But I guess if that's too much for you we can wander around and see if we come across some in the deep lands or something. The problem with ivy is that it needs something to climb - like trees - but also needs a fair amount of sunlight. I know there's some at the witch's house, though."
Post by Whitemuzzle on Feb 27, 2020 16:54:29 GMT -5
It wasn't too much for him and he resented the insinuation he was old. Graythorn was twenty seven moons which is considered a young cat by anyone's standards. His tail waved iteratively, the only sign he was peeved. "I don't have time to go to the far side of our territory today," he said. "There are many things clamoring for my attention and I don't want to be away from the camp too long." Mudthistle's new kits topped his list not to mention Bonefang's aches and pains. The kits were just two days old and he wanted to be close by in case he was needed suddenly. "I didn't know you found them so far from here but there's got to be places where it grows closer to camp. The deep lands are much closer besides you shouldn't overtax your injured claw by traveling too far. You could lose it altogether if it gets worse. However a little exercise is good to strengthen it."
"Well, I can get the ivy by myself, since you sound so busy," Poppypaw suggested with a little smirk. She let the suggestion hang in the air for a moment before taking it back. She was going to be away from SummerClan for several moons very soon - if Graythorn did like the leaves, he aught to know an easy place to find them without her. See, Poppypaw could be reasonable sometimes, "But I guess it's useful for you to at least know a place to find them if I'm busy. Let's go east toward the river, I think I saw some growing on and around the oak trees over there."
With that, the flame point she-cat changed direction and took off toward the trees that marked the deep lands. Despite the name, they weren't going to have to go all that deep, this path was actually used regularly by cats who just wanted to get a drink of water or go fishing. It was actually quite the hot-spot in summer months although few really traveled it when the water was frozen. She remembered Graythorn's comment about overworking her claw and favored it to prevent any more damage. The result was a maybe too dramatic limp but she was still getting around pretty well, "Stay alert. The leaves are green but lighter around the edges and spade-shaped.
Post by Whitemuzzle on Mar 2, 2020 15:46:31 GMT -5
Graythorn took a deep breath and began to count inwardly. This she cat really got on his nerves! Perhaps SummerClan would do well if she left. He'd sure feel better. But no, he wouldn't wish any clanmate away from SummerClan, even her. He was about to say he'd find the right leaves on his own but with her helping, they'd be found quicker. He took in the comment about the appearance of the leaves and began to keep a sharp eye out. "Is that claw bothering you more?" he asked when he noticed Poppypaw limping harder. "There's some webs over there is it needs redressed."
Yeah but it's fine," Poppypaw shrugged away his concern and accented it with a flick of her half-tail, "If you're that concerned you can look at it again when we are done gathering the leaves. We should start seeing some soon..." She trotted on ahead with a markedly less dramatic limp before Graythorn had a chance to respond.
There was more snow beneath the shade of the leaves than on most of the territory. It was not terribly deep but it made her cute little toe beans a little cold. Poppypaw kept her eyes trained on the branches of the trees but didn't see quite what she was looking for, "We probably need to get to a place where the trees aren't so close together."
Post by Whitemuzzle on Mar 4, 2020 16:47:36 GMT -5
The gray tabby watched the apprentice limp less and he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. If it bothers her, he'd hear about it, that fact he was sure about. He trudged through the snow though the air wasn't as cold as it had been a quarter moon ago. Then a goofy thought came to his head - why couldn't they have snow in greenleaf when everybody's so hot. It would be a nice way to cool off on those hot days. Poppypaw's comment brought him back to the present. "You're right," he meowed. "It's much too shady here. It's a good place to find moss but not ivy. Let's try up there on the top of this hill. The trees are thinner there." As he looked he was pleased to notice some red buds that were forming on the tree branches. Newleaf will soon be here!
"Yeah that's probably a good idea." Poppypaw replied, heading in the direction that Graythorn had indicated. The medicine cat was being awfully tolerable today. He hadn't even yelled at her yet and they had been together, what, thirty minutes? That's got to be a record. Dismissing the thought, the cream-colored she-cat turned her eyes to the path ahead of her. She felt the snow beneath her feet fade into boggy, wet grass and then solid, dry ground as she trudged up the hill. It made sense the the hill was dryer than other parts of this area seeing as any rain that fell on it would be able to run off the sides and pool at the bottom. A natural drainage system. It made her think of practical applications for other Garden Keepers; if they planted flowers and herbs that were sensitive to water on hills, would they stand a better chance of flourishing? She'd have to speak to Lavendarblood about it next time he took her out training.
At the top of the hill now, her wounded claw was finally starting to feel sore. It must have been due to a combination of her no longer putting it into soothing snow and also using it to climb the hill. Poppypaw observed some ivy leaves almost immediately after getting to the top, though. Most were high up in the trees but some were low enough that they touched the ground. She just knew that collecting this ivy would be tough with that paw especially since it was her dominant one. She glanced back at Graythorn to see how he was doing, "Hey, I found some, hurry up and help me tear these out!"
Post by Whitemuzzle on Mar 6, 2020 11:37:10 GMT -5
Graythorn appreciated the drier ground they were walking on. The cold snow was depressing helping him to keep more to himself. Funny thing though, Poppypaw wasn't her usual irritating self this morning, at least not as much. That was a good thing for sure, he thought as he neared the tree where she had spotted the ivy.
"Good," he meowed. He examined the leaves carefully. "I've seen these before but never knew of their use." He had categorized them with other plants that were neither harmful or useful. He looked up the tree and saw how far the vines climbed up the bark. "Since you have an injured claw, I'll climb up and bite the vines off while you can gather them up down here." He was pleased the bark was rough and good for climbing. With a jump, his claws sunk neatly in. Then he made his way up a few fox lengths. Carefully nipping off three of the leafier vines, he dropped them down to Poppypaw. "That should be enough for now."
"You make that look so easy." Poppypaw replied as the ivy vines fell around her. It would have taken her three, no, four times as long to complete that same task even if she was the picture of health. She would have probably fallen once, torn a few leaves, or something equally as unfortunate. It made her a little angry that Graythorn made it look so effortless and she pursed her lips, "Show off. Anyways... yes, these are the right ones, come down here and I'll give you a demonstration."
The hill was well drained, yes, but there were still little pools of water here and there. She submerged one leaf into the water and pulled it out. Nearly all of the droplets rolled right off and back into the puddle: It was totally dry after a quick shake, "See? Resistant to moisture. Great for long-term storage for sensitive herbs, but needs replaced more often than most because they dry out over time and become brittle. You probably won't have issues with that until dry months. These are also very stylish for flower crowns of all seasons."
Post by Whitemuzzle on Mar 8, 2020 12:52:15 GMT -5
Graythorn grinned when Poppypaw accused him of showing off. He took great pride in his climbing skills. Dropping lightly to the ground, he watched as the water rolled right off the leaves. "Yes, only you'd think of that," he replied referring to her affinity with making crowns. He prodded one of the leaves with a claw and was pleased how sturdy it was. "I can see why these would last so long," he meowed. "I just wished some cat had told me about these sooner. It would have saved me throwing out a lot of spoiled herbs, herbs that could have been used instead of being wasted."
He began to wind the vines up one at a time so they could be transported back the the camp more easily. "I'll take the leaves off once we get back," he said as he looked at the vines. Then a thought struck him. "You know, I bet the vine part can be used as a wrap to hold things together. I've used long grass in the past to bind sticks to broken legs but this stuff looks stronger and more pliable." He paused briefly. He knew he should thank Poppypaw but for some reason it was hard to get the words out. "Uh, thanks for showing me this," he finally said feeling a little vulnerable. He liked being in charge and knowing things. Probably a product of having to learn a lot of things on his own.
"Yeah, ivy is one of my favorites, I use the vines for crown bases all the time because they are strong yet bendy. But anyways, you're welcome, I guess..." Poppypaw's ears flipped back and she look away from the medicine cat in favor of studying the puddle she had used in her ivy leaf demonstration. She wasn't really used to having pleasant conversations with Graythorn but, just now, everything he said could be taken as a compliment at beast and praise at worst. The apprentice aught to feel prideful about it and to some extent she did, but she also felt, well, funny. She sighed and fluffed out her fur. The sooner they got the to camp, the sooner she would be free to go back to her usual duties, "I can carry at least one bundle. They aren't all that heavy."
Post by Whitemuzzle on Mar 12, 2020 13:34:38 GMT -5
"Yes, they do seem to be light but sturdy," Graythorn responded. The three vines laid coiled at his feet where he left them. "I'll take these two and you can carry that one." He indicated the one he wanted Poppypaw to carry with a wave of his paw. He paused and looked at the vines for a moment before speaking again. What was going on between the two of them? It was strange but not all together unpleasant. "Something's wrong here. Do you realize we've barely spoken a single cross word to each other all morning?" Was his efforts in anger management working or was Poppypaw suddenly growing up?
"Well don't get too used to it." Poppypaw replied sharply, clearly a little embarrassed. She didn't want Graythorn going and telling everyone they were friends now, "I'm just really sleepy, okay? Whatever you gave me to calm me down yesterday must still be taking effect. I'll be the same ol' Poppypaw in no time! Let's hurry back to camp before you wake the dragon." She picked up her bundle of vines and somehow managed to wrap them around her neck almost like a scarf. She looked oddly fashionable although the shades of green didn't really match her flower crown, "You coming or what?"
Post by Whitemuzzle on Mar 16, 2020 18:42:06 GMT -5
"Same 'ol Poppypaw," Graythorn muttered under his breath. I guess nothing will change. "And don't go ordering me around. I'm the medicine cat here." He dipped his head through one of the coils on the ground and then the second one. It was bulky and uncomfortable but he would endure it to the camp. If one were to look at him they'd smile. Graythorn looked for all the world like a gray striped lion with a green leafy mane. And he had the disposition to match. Gone were the warmer feelings of comradery that had started just seconds before in his heart. He held his head high, whether from his attitude or from keeping the vines around his neck, one couldn't tell. With a quick pace, he swept past the apprentice and headed down the hill. She can follow me!
"What in the... old man! Wait up!" Graythorn had longer legs than her, it was so unfair, although perhaps a more reasonable cat would say he was at a disadvantage since he had twice the load to carry. Poppypaw took off after him and prompted tripped over her own paws right over the side of the hill. She rolled down the decline with a startled gasp and, although in reality it was only a few seconds of fall, to her it felt like hours. The cream colored she-cat - now more brown in tone thanks to the dirt and mud that now coated her fur - came to a halt in a shallow puddle. Naturally this meant that he wounded claw was totally submerged in it, which actually felt kind of good. Poppypaw herself was wholly unharmed but she moaned and groaned like she was. She was not sure if Graythorn was close enough to hear it but she was keen to put on a show for him.
Post by Whitemuzzle on Mar 22, 2020 15:07:05 GMT -5
Graythorn heard the crashing sound behind him and turned around in time to see Poppypaw end up in the puddle. With a sigh, he backtracked over to where the apprentice lay. "Come on, get up out of that puddle. You don't want to stay in my den for half a moon with greencough now do you?" The very thought of having her in his den for that long made him cringe. He knew that except from maybe a twisted paw and a few bruises, cats generally didn't get too injured from a tumble down a hill. "How'd that claw of yours make out after this?" He figured that was what all her moaning was about.
Poppypaw whimpered as she lifted her paw up for inspection. It was perfectly fine; there was hardly even a spec of dirt on it, evidently cleaned by the puddle. Honestly the only thing this she-cat hurt was her pride and a few of the ivy leaves. Oh, and her flower crown, it was strewn down the hillside in pieces. She looked a mess which in itself wasn't that big of a problem, but... she felt her stomach twist as she realized she was on her own this time. Poppypaw had been a klutz since brith and would often wander back to camp dirty with a few burrs in her coat. Ravenkeeper would groom her fur while Thistlemind would tell her stories while they tirelessly cleaned up the tangled mess she had created.
Not anymore.
She stopped her whimpering abruptly and shook her pelt, a very distant look in her eyes now that was unbecoming of the usually spunky she-cat. She picked up the ivy and wrapped it around her neck the same as Graythorn had, "Sorry, I just slipped, let's get moving before my entire day is wasted on this stupid task." Her voice quivered a little bit and she wouldn't look him in the eye.
Post by Whitemuzzle on Mar 25, 2020 13:17:10 GMT -5
What surprised Graythorn more than anything was the sudden change of attitude in the apprentice. The Poppypaw he had known for so long would have made up excuses about it not being her fault. He was silent for a moment as he tried to collect his thoughts. "Well stuff like that happens to the best of us. I'm just glad to see you're not hurt," he meowed then thought to himself, especially since I won't have to put up with her more in my den. Then feeling a bit remorseful for thinking that, he picked up a few of the flowers from her demolished crown and stuck them into the ivy vine around her neck. "There, that looks more like you. I don't think I'd recognize you without any flowers."
"We're almost back to camp," he said as he started walking again. "Then you can be free to do whatever you want."
Poppypaw gave Graythorn a quizzical look as he added flowers to the ivy but it did bring a ghost of a smile to her face. As much as the two of them bickered she was probably closer to the grumpy medicine cat than anyone else in SummerClan. He wasn't a shoulder to cry on, no, but she didn't need one. The simple fact that he picked up those ruined flowers for her was as good as a 'I'm sorry' even if that wasn't exactly what he meant.
"Thanks," She said solemnly as she began trotting after Graythorn, her pace matching his this time, no rush or competition like before, "I'm still free for awhile yet so I guess I can help you switch your herbs into these new leaves..."
--- (ooc: and I think that's a good place to end it :3 This was a lot of fun! I love the relationship that these two have)
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