a. HEALER'S WHIM

[Acez]

He was awake and ready to go. A little stiff in the joints, but slowly, Onefang got to his paws. He sat, debating if should get an apprentice to clean his den, or he should do it himself. He sighed, raising his shoulder to scratched behing his ear. After moons and moons of experience, Onefang had learned that if he tried to use his one back leg, at this point in time so early in the morning, he would only end up toppling. And it's not like his right leg could reach his left ear. The scratch not fully satisfied Onefang pushed himself upwards, before walking out of the den into the camp. A little past dawn, it could be oficially called morning. A few called greetings to the elderly cat and some nodded in his general direction in which the tom replied with a gruff growl. He wasn't anything worth talking to without something in his stomach.

One paw, then the other which was followed by a little hop from the one leg in the back. This was a pattern that Onefang had implanted into his brain, he often did this pattern in his sleep. He growled under his breath as a young apprentice scrambled past him, threatening to run over his tail. He turned on the young one who had stopped to converse with his mentor. Watch where your'e going you mousebrain! He snapped, whiskers twitching as he pulled his shabby, scarred tail closer to his body. He bent down to pull a plump shrew from the fresh-kill pile before pulling it aside to sniff the pile itself. Everything smelled nice, but his senses were sharper than ever in his age, and he detected something rank. He continued to search, sniffing delicately when a young kit came along, ready to pull a robin wedged between a mouse and crow when Onefang bared his teeth in a hiss. Don't touch that! He hissed, his sudden outburst of anger sending the kit scrambling. Lifting a wing with his paw, he saw the smallest hint of maggots. Crowfood. He spat, picking the robin with his teeth before hobbling off to bury it in soil away from camp.

It took longer than the older one wanted to spend, but if the kit had eaten the bird, then he would surely be sick and no one would know the cause. And Onefang hated to waste herbs when everything could avoided in the first place. Once he had trudged back into camp he had found his meal gone and curled his lips back, revealing the one fang that earned him his name chipped and ragged. Sighing, he picked a mouse, slightly skinny before turning to seek refuge in front of the medicine den, curling his tail tight around the stump that used to be his left leg. He twitched his nose once before slowly starting to his mouse, content with watching the other cats race around in preparence of the day.[/size]

[Ashcloud]

Sunlight filtered down through to the warriors den as the dawn warmed the coats of slumbering cats. Among them laid the deputy, curled up with her tail over her nose. She had chosen the nest in the far back reaches of the shadows, where the sunlight would take time to find her. This had been her nest from as far back as the old cat could remember, back when she first received her warrior name. A choice place to be sure, as the fickle feline could sleep in for as long as the light didn't touch her nose and wake her up.

Having gotten into the habit of assigning patrols the night before, everything would be sorted out long before she chose to grace the camp with her presence. Or rather, should be. If those foxheads knew what they were doing even half the time, she wouldn't have to remind them every morning of their duties. Nor would she have to listen to them complain behind her back of her so-called laziness. The fools wouldn't know what lazy was if it took the form of a mouse and bit their whiskers off. Things worked out just fine when they pulled their heads from their tails and listened to their deputy instead of gossiping like old queens.

It would seem, as she heard a timid voice calling her name from the den entrance, that this day would be exactly like all the others. The voice called out again, and Ashcloud blinked the sleep from her eyes, focusing a heated glare on the young warrior who disturbed her. She grumbled, raising painfully to her paws before forcing her way past him. His startled expression made her tail twitch and as she turned to face him, he slunk back a step. They exchanged information and she sent him away with a flick of her ears. It seemed that a fox had been scented in the territory by the field. As interesting as the news was, she wasn't surprised as the heat most likely drew it from it's den. The old she-cat doubted it would bother heading this way as far as the camp. The Clan was strong this moon, and their scents should be enough to frighten even a fox off. Even so, she decided that frequent patrols should be made for that area. If anything, it would serve to calm the queens and elders. StarClan knows how they tend to wail like kits themselves when the smallest badger moves it's set.

The elderly deputy turned her back on the den, padding across the clearing toward the fresh-kill pile. Her ears flicked and she narrowed her eyes venomously at how pathetic it looked. Granted it wasn't nearly sunhigh, there should be more of a sampling than this! What were those mousebrained apprentices doing? She wondered if the elders had even been fed yet. Anger welled up in her as her paws carried her to the place were the elders were resting.

Just as she'd guessed, they were hungry. While she controlled her temper in sight of them, she was a different cat as she returned to the food pile and picked out a few mice to feed them. Her ears were pulled back, and even as she carried them by their tails back to the tree stump and the hungry cats who waited there, she had her lips back in the makings of a snarl. Depositing their breakfast, she bowed her head and apologized to them, promising to make it right very shortly. She caught some of their temper as she turned to walk away, but allowed the jibes to roll off her back.

As she returned a third time to the pile, she caught sight of the medicine cat dragging a robin away. At first she shrugged it off as his breakfast, but when he took it away and buried it, she narrowed her eyes. She waited there, thrashing her tail until he returned and claimed a mouse for himself. She picked the crow up and followed him, but not before calling out to her apprentice, Smallpaw. If no cat wanted to do their duties, then she'd make damn sure her own kit did!

Settling painfully nearby his den, she meowed a greeting to the old tom. While she pulled the feathers off her meal, "crowfood in the fresh-kill pile, of all things. Wouldn't have happened if our cats payed attention. And I took a trip to the elders this morning. They told me they haven't been fed since last sunhigh!" She hissed, crunching the hollow bones.

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[♥Rösε]

Smallpaw was out in the forest his scrawny thin body was slightly noticeable with the patches of sunlight that streamed through the canopy of leaves from the pine trees above. His icy blue colored optics glowed an almost dim silver in the fade before him and dangling from his jaws was two magpies and a squirrel. Even though he was supposed to be asleep, order of an older warrior who refused to let him on patrol because he looked to over worked, came out anyways. He stopped as he heard the faint voices of the patrol and walked towards its direction, poking his head through the bushes he could see the other apprentices struggle at catching a squirrel. Smallpaw snickered behind his prey and slunk back unnoticed. They thought he was pathetic? Well maybe it was because Smallpaw worked harder then they had to. Shrugging it off the senior apprentice walked slowly back towards camp. His ears flicked forward and his tail swishing behind him like a snake, curling and uncurling with each passing step. He hated being so small, but that wasn't his fault! He was older than most apprentices and then treated as if he was younger.

The whole thing made the ebony tom angry and he lashed out his paw, claws unsheathed, and uprooted some grass while getting some pine nettles stuck in his claws. Dropping his prey he growled looking around before sitting down, he wouldn't want nettles in his tail now would he, that would be embarrassing. Lifting his paw he examined it a bit, using his teeth to pull out some of the nettles. Spitting them off to the side he stood up, feeling a sharp piece of a pine cone get lodged into his pad. "fox dung!"

he snapped, he was just not having any luck today, well besides the prey. Plopping back down he pulled this one out to, blood dropped onto the forest floor but it wasn't much. Licking at the wound, it stung a bit, but he managed to clean it out, whist spitting out bitter tasting blood. Keeping his paw elevated as he stood up on all threes, he leaned down getting the prey in his jaws before hopping back. This was just what he needed a reason for the clan to fret over his well being again, it was only a scratch for StarClan's sake!

He only limped because he didn't want sticky nettles to cling to it and get it infected. Then he would turn from Smallpaw to Nopaw, not a good image. He could see the opening of brambles that served as the camp entrance. Brushing his way through easily he could see his mother going towards the apprentices den. He was just in ear shot of her calling his name and blinked his ice colored optics. Rolling his eyes he trotted towards her. Stopping by her he dropped his prey. "What?"[/color] he mewed rather irritably, his slightly hurt leg still lifted. He wasn't in the mood to be all sweet and well sonly right now. Besides she did not seem to be very happy either. Sitting down he noticed Onefang over near Ashcloud. He nodded his head in greeting. "Morning Onefang."[/color] he mewed his voice was polite yet still not as nice as it could have been. Draping his tail over his three paws, he slowly lowered the other, lightly pressing it to the grassy floors of camp.It stung a bit, but he'd live. [/blockquote]
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[Acez]

He lifted his head, raising one eyebrow as Ashcloud approached him. It seemed the most important cats of Shadowclan were elderly or ready to pass into starclan, seeing as Onefang had reached his age of 72 moons. She was deputy, already having trained Yellowthorn who was known for her temper, which only seemed heritdary. He listened with his one eye shut, shaking his head.

The apprentices should be trained by more senior warriors to avoid this whole mess. That kit was lucky I got up this morning. He growled, shutting the other one in thought. He remembered when he and Runningbreeze had just entered shadowclan. Apprentices didn't just the fresh-kill freely into the pile, they carried their kill to the queens and elders first. And hunting patrols didn't eat in the morning, they went out first and thus when they returned their meal would be a prize for their hard work. He nodded, before opening both. The apprentices should deliver the food to the elders and queens first instead of just dropping it. And more hunting patrols. After all this is Greenleaf for starclan's sake.

He gave a tenative lick to his paw as another greeting reached his ears. He paused, not really liking the tone in Smallpaw's voice. He continued to lick with patient strokes, contemplating what had happened to make this kit so grouchy. He sniffed the air delicately in mid-lick, the very slightest hint of blood. He must have stepped on a thorn or a sharp stick and had limped back here to avoid infection what with the nettles around the hunting areas. Finally, the elderly medicine cat raised his head, tail flicking.

He considered baring his teeth, but thought better of it. Smallpaw. We were just contemplating on the methods being used to train our kits. He spoke with a frown, which wasn't uncommon on his face. Smallpaw was Ashcloud's apprentice, and didn't he have one of those? Yes, he did. Marshpaw. He turned his head over his shoulder, trying to remember if he had seen the apprentice still sleeping or if he had gone out already. Well, he had better not be in bed, or you can be sure Onefang would be dragging the kit out of bed and into camp.

He watched Smallpaw with a wary eye, harsh but unspoken. He may be old but he was thrice the age, with thrice the wisdom and had seen such horrible things from the time he was loner to the time he was a warrior that would make Smallpaw's blood freeze. Apprentices and kits he could do well without, even new warriors were hard on him. Squeeling like kits over a thorn in the pawpad. He doubted any one of them had the leg torn off by a fox did they. He snorted, as he pinned his ears to his skull as younger kits played around. Bah, everyone was kits in his age.[/size]

[Ashcloud]

As she pulled more feathers from the bird's breast, the old she-cat growled her agreement when he mentioned how the younger warriors lacked the comprehension to train their wards with more care to their discipline. "Let them earn the right to join us in our den. Mold them into true warriors, not let them get fat and lazy like kittypets while we do their work for them!" She grumbled, realized her hackles were raised in the heat of her rant, and flattened them. She made no outside effort to cover up her outrage as she finished half of the bird off and took a break to scout the camp with her eyes hard.

Seeing naught of her kin, she scowled at her meal with distaste on her lips. "Lucky nothing. The kit shouldn't have even been near the fresh-kill pile. We can't expect one so young to have any more sense than an old shrew. It's the apprentices' job to bring prey to the nursery." As much as she hated to waste her breakfast, the idea of picking through the mass of feathers made her tail twitch. Still, to keep up appearances, she forced herself to finish it. A pile of discarded plumage lay at her paws while the elderly deputy cleaned her paws and whiskers.

The apprentices should deliver the food to the elders and queens first instead of just dropping it. And more hunting patrols. After all this is Greenleaf for starclan's sake.

She paused her grooming, nodding to him even though he'd only echoed what she'd just said moments before. She rumbled, "I remember when Clan honor and a sense of duty came before a grumbling stomach. I was taught to put my needs second to my Clan." She returned to the task of cleaning up, licking along her foreleg in steady strides. Her kin's scent reached her while she had her head turned to groom her back fur. An ear flick asserted to the gathered cats that she was well aware Smallpaw had finally shown up. She ignored them for the most part, listening idly to Onefang.

Smallpaw. We were just contemplating on the methods being used to train our kits.

She purred, hints of humor making her whiskers tremble. She decided she'd cleaned her fur enough for one morning, lest she be about here at Sunhigh still going at it. She wondered if Onefang would offer her anything for a tired tongue? The very idea of her asking him made her eyes flash with amusement. She doubted that he'd take it well, having a no-nonsense way to his healing much like she had to her training. She knew there was a reason she liked the old tom.

Turning her face to appraise her apprentice, Ashcloud narrowed her eyes. She'd taken full notice of his favoring a paw. "Fall down?" She knew she was pressing him, but he deserved a little discomfort after such a rude greeting. Then again, she didn't expect him to come romping along to lick her ears like she'd seen some do to their mothers. While she wouldn't tell him, an ego was not something she wanted to feed to her son, she took pride in his dignity. She could see the makings of a fine warrior in his blue eyes.

[♥Rösε]

Smallpaw still slightly had his paw above the ground, though the grass blades irritated the cut if only barely. The skinny tom cat decided to lift that paw to his mouth and draw his tongue over it again, the massaging of his rough tongue seemed to help and he pressed on the floor more firmly. Flicking his lobes forward into a more alert position he could see as his mother shared a silent amusement with the other elder tom cat. Really the whole secrecy thing irritated him a bit, but as if it was an annoying bee he flicked the feeling away and remained neutral about it. His icy colored gaze flicked over to Onefang as he seemed to be deciding on whether or not he should cuff him over the head or not. Smallpaw knew his tone was not placed right but he couldn't help it, he wasn't in a happy mood he still wasn't, but he wasn't as fumed as before. Hs whiskers twitched a bit as he looked at him now, his inwardly groaned. He was going to say something to down size him, like he wasn't small enough as it was. Still he kept his face calm and emotionless as the older tom's lips began to move into words.

Smallpaw. We were just contemplating on the methods being used to train our kits.

Yup he didn't like it, it was always the apprentices fault wasn't it? Oh well he didn't really care he was practically a warrior now anyway. All he needed was a final assessment and he would be through with being an apprentice. To seem at least vaguely interested in what he was saying Smallpaw lifted his eyebrows slightly. "Oh? And what were those methods..... lack of experienced mentors?"[/color] he guessed knowing that was probably right, they always complained about new warriors not being able to teach right. Well he sympathized with the new warriors they gain experience teaching from teaching, if they never got an apprentice then they wouldn't know how. He couldn't tell them that though they would just start ranting on how feeble they are and how stupid apprentices were. Though he did notice some inactivity in some of the newer apprentice lately. Well at least he wasn't like that.

"Fall down?"[/color] Smallpaw's ears did a little twitch at his mothers voice and turned to look at her. She didn't seem pleased by his tone either, he didn't care much she shouldn't talk she never expressed any other emotions besides anger and disappointment. Both he was pretty used to by now though some acknowledgement that he was in fact her kit and she cared would suffice. That would not happen however and he learned quickly to forget about all that family stuff. His gaze narrowed slightly but not in a rude way more of in an' are you serious' type of look. He knew she secretly pitied him for his size, somewhere, at least thats what he thought. "No, it was a piece of a pinecone. No big deal."[/color] he stated rather blandly, no lace of emotion what so ever. He didn't like to show his emotion much it just seemed to get him in trouble, if he was happy he would be told not to give himself a big head if he was sad he would be told to suck it up if he was mad he would be told to let it go. So he just gave up on feeling anything, since it wasn't allowed. Though secretly he did. [/blockquote]
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[Acez]

Pah, attitude. Every cat had some, although they should learn to keep in front of their seniors. He deserved a good smack around and hopefully, Ashcloud would give it to him in battle training. He probably shouldn't think it, any harsh battling and it would result in someone coming to his den when he could be doing something better with his time.

He flicked his ears, nodding. Exactly. One word, no need to explain anything else, why waste precious breath? Oh, he was an old cat, and he needed all the breath he could get. He listened as Smallpaw explain it being a pinecone and Onefang raised an eyebrow. He snorted under his breath as he moved upwards, from a laying position to a sitting position, eyeing the apprentice. At least you had the sense to pull it out. Onefang growled, getting to all three legs before hobbling into the burnt log that was his den.

It seemed Marshpaw was out and about, the den having a stale scent to it. He turned, sniffing the air, searching the air for particular scent of marigold. He would need just a little but the nettles that surrounded the area of Shadowclan territory would terribly infect the wound. He found it and took just the smallest he could, chewing it with grim determination as he hobbled back out. He thrust his head in the direction of Smallpaw's foot, chewing slower.

He waited, before nodding again, impatient to get the marigold from his mouth to Smallpaw's paw. He flicked an ear, whiskers twitching. [/size]

[Ashcloud]

"Oh? And what were those methods... Lack of experienced mentors?" The old queen-turned-deputy gazed across at her apprenticed son. Her eyes scrutinized his small form with interest. Instead of being tempted to put him in his place, being so candid when in full company of both his mentor and deputy as well as his Clan's trusted medicine cat, she let out a raspy purr. Laughing. She wondered if Smallpaw would question her sanity- he probably already did. But still the she-cat's sides heaved from the effort of controlling her growls and gasps.

"How easy for the apprentices to blame their mentors when they suffer from such laziness to put a kittypet to shame, huh my young apprentice?" She narrowed her eyes, her laughter breaking into quiet gasps for air as the elderly cat wheezed. She pressed him, her whiskers twitching, "tasks being left undone. Small fresh-kill piles with hardly enough to leave a dent in the hungry bellies, during Greenleaf mind you. And let's not forget the careless steps our little apprentices make." She flicked with her tail toward his paw, drawing attention to his wound.

When Onefang disappeared into his den, she looked back to Smallpaw and something he probably didn't expect flickered across her face: compassion. She may not admit it, but this was her kit and by StarClan's fur, she was proud of him. It was nearly time for him to be made a warrior. Perhaps one last task could be asked of him? One last hunting trip maybe? She made a plan to ask Darkstar for permission to hold an assessment for Smallpaw tomorrow at sunhigh. As soon as she was finished here.

He returned, and Ashcloud watched in silence as the chewed leaves lay pungent at Smallpaw's paws. She twitched her nose at the scent, pleased that she hadn't been chosen to follow the path of medicine cat. Chewing odd, sour, bitter leaves into a pulp for another cat to eat or slather themselves in made her belly flop.

She waited a moment longer, but a grin pressed itself across her jaws and a growl rumbled in her throat. "So imagine how pleased I am that my apprentice has risen above the rest. I'll be talking to Darkstar tonight about your naming ceremony. I think it's high-time you took your warrior name, wouldn't you agree?" He was the eldest apprentice in ShadowClan, and truth be told, he did show strength in not only having to deal with her as a mentor, but in all the odd tasks she had so vilely placed in his paws.