(( How do I start roleplaying here? I'm med. cat apprentice... ))

(Lol, just have Strawberrypaw wake up and look around. Talk to some cats that are in the camp. She could check on Oakflight seeing as Oakflight's an elder and will need herbs for aching bones.)

Name: Oakflight Gender: She cat Age: 28 moons Rank: Elder Clan: Streamclan

Looks: Oakfrost was once a short furred queen with large paws and short claws. Now her fur has grown long. As a young cat she was known for her very accurate hunting skills in bird and fish. She was very graceful and always had her head up proud. Even in her old age she still takes pride in being able to sneak up behind youngsters and scaring the living day lights out of them. She has glossy white fur with several smudges of light brown and grey. Her old age has coursed her eyes to become blue once more.

Personality: She cares little for conflict and is very wise. She is a loving cat but tends not to show it. She loves messing with young cats minds. She is no push over. Her claws may be blunt but her teeth haven’t gone anywhere. Oakflight can have mood swings but has been around the block more then once in many areas and her knowledge is valuable.

History: Oakflight could feel herself getting older and chose to become an elder a little early. She knows a lot about the world but doesn't always talk in simple speach. Her parents had both passed away into starclan when she had first become a warrior.

Name: Marshpaw Gender: Tom Age: 13 moons Clan: Marshclan

Looks: His fur is a charcoal black with large dark brown smudges on his belly, front legs and forehead. His nose is black as well as is his pads making him blend in perfectly with his surroundings. So much so that he had on a number of occasions he ‘disappeared’ from camp a couple of times. His tail is shorter than normal.

Personality: He is adventurous and fears being captured by Twolegs more then anything else, even dogs. He hates enclosed spaces. When enraged he becomes deathly quite like the calm before a storm. Though he is very young he acts a lot older then he is. Marshpaw is of seemly gentle nature but he has a hidden tainted side.

History: A few weeks after he was born, his tail was bitten by a snake. To save his life, his mother bit off the end. For that reason his balance is now forever scarred but not horribly so. He can still run and leapt but he can’t perform the more difficult maneuvers so he made up some of his own. He can camouflage himself into almost any environment. He is very quick. He strikes fast and then vanishes leaving his opponent stunned.

(( Thanks! ))

Strawberrypaw awakened gradually. She rolled over on to her back and opened her eyes, only to close them against the bright sunlight. Her mouth opened in a cavernous yawn, and she reluctantly rolled over on to her feet and opened her eyes. Shaking out her pelt to get stray moss and leaves off she stretched her legs out luxuriously, one at a time, wiggling her toes. She twitched her ears and gave one lasts shake, and looked around the camp.

A several cats were in the camp. Queens chatted and a few toms wrestled with each other. They were apprentices, like her, but they were training for something much different than she was. They would hunt and fight, and grow up to have mates and kits. She felt a pang of loss. She had once wanted to settle down, find a nice tom, raise kits, but that was lost to her now. She shook the feelings off. She could never be a warrior-she knew that. But sometimes she wished for the things that she had abandoned when she chose this path.

Instead, she focused on the present. She went through the herb stocks. They seemed to have enough of everything. Then she realized; oh no, no no. She'd forgotten to get Oakflight the herbs she needed for her aches. Oh please no. She had a fervent hope that the elder had forgotten, but she doubted it highly. Oakflight was one of the stricter elders, and she was often sharp with kits. Strawberrypaw herself was only a few moons older than a kit, so she wasn't sure of Oakflight's opinion of her. It wouldn't be very high, if the elder had missed her herbs.

Strawberrypaw grabbed the herbs as fast as she could, counting out the leaves and berries she would need. Then she dashed across the camp, her tail flying out behind her. When she arrived at the elders den she was panting. One more reasong not to be a warrior: Terrible endurance. She laid the herbs down in front of the tricolored elder, dipping her head in respect.

"Here are the herbs for your aches, Oakflight. Eat them quickly 'cause they're bitter, but they work quickly after you swallow them. Is there anything else you need?" best to offer help, just in case. Strawberrypaw would have offered even if she hadn't forgotten the herbs before. She liked helping cats, and it hurt her to see them in pain.

Marshpaw is back!

But, it's kinda wierd for him to be named after the clan..

(Thats a great post loch. Do any of the med cats need herb lists whilst we are on the subject? Yeah didn’t mean for it to turn out that way.)

Sreamclan: The morning chill had already crept into the den. Sand blew in irritably from new cracks. Soft paw steps disturbed the wind blown ground. The old long furred she cat uncurled lazily to face the new comer. Oakflight opened one eye.

'You are late young miss.' She nosed the daisy leaves and comfrey with little interest. The morning was dull and boring. She didn't feel like making things easy. Strayberrypaw seemed to need a direction. 'I don't feel like eating them.' she yowled, rolling onto her belly. She bit back a snigger. She just loved making a pain of herself.

'Go get Treelicker. Someone needs to assign an apprentice to mud up the cracks. It’s colder then ice in here and the sand get in my ears.' She waved a lazy paw and rolled back over.

Marshclan Marshpaw crept out of the den. He liked the nursery better as the stone in this den was cold on his paws. He had only just become an apprentice and had planned to just keep a low profile. He had no wish to get under other warrior’s paws. His whiskers twitched back and forth, his long adapted eyes saw through the fog to the fresh kill pile. He trotted over and picked out a small fish. He sat himself down and with nimble paws began to expertly open it up.

(( Yeah, I do kinda need an herb list. I have the guide with all the herbs, but I can't find it DX ))

Strawberrypaw groaned inwardly, but made sure the complaint didn't escape through her mouth. "I'm sorry I'm late, Oakflight, and I'll get someone to patch up the den. But first you need to eat the herbs. And the chill isn't going to make your aches any better. I'll get you a piece of fresh-kill to put the herbs in so they'll go down easier," Strawberrypaw offered, biting her lip against a stinging reply. She had a million things to do today, and the grumpy elder wasn't making it go any quicker.

The apprentice ran and grabbed a vole from the fresh kill pile. Slitting it open with a claw, she carefully tucked the herbs inside so that the Oakflight wouldn't notice the taste as much. "Do you need some more moss for bedding?" she added. "The apprentices just brought in a fresh pile, and it's nice and dry."

Strawberrypaw walked out of the elders den up to Treelicker. "Treelicker? Sorry to bother you, but Oakflight is complaining that there are cracks in the elders den that needed to be mudded up. She wants to know if you could get an apprentice to do it. I would but I have about a thousand things on my paws today and I'm already behind schedule because she won't eat the herbs she needs for her aches... Never mind." The young medicine cat went back into the elder's den to make sure Oakflight took her herbs, and in case the old she cat wanted to make conversation.

Dolphinsplash heard a faint sound in the elder's den. She knew Oakflight was pretty picky, but she came in to make sure she wasn't complaining too much. If there was a such thing.

"Oakflight, you don't need to get Treelicker. We should go get Violetpaw; I here Wolfpaw and Shadepaw are begging to go on the patrol; I don't want to ruin their oppurtunity." She chuckled. "Strawberrypaw, don't worry, if you need to help with herbs I'll talk with Bluespot. Could you get Violetpaw please? And remember to lend her your tail." she saw the little apprentice panting. "And maybe I can ask Bluespot to ease up on your work, you know, so you can rest."

Even after Bluespot's tiring working Violetpaw still turned out blind only about a moon ago. Dolphinsplash wondered if Strawberrypaw would remember.

"Never mind!" Strawberrypaw called to Treelicker as she dashed off to the apprentice den. Thank Starclan for Dolphinsplash's intervention, Strawberrypaw would probably been held up all day by Oakflight if the leader hadn't helped her out.

The apprentice prodded the blind cat gently with her paw. It made her sad whenever she was near Violetpaw; she had seen with her own eyes how Bluespot had tried and failed to restore the gray apprentice's eyesight. At that point Strawberrypaw was only a new apprentice, having knowledge of a few basic herbs and treatments. All she did to help was fetch herbs for Bluespot, and she had always felt guilty about it. "Violetpaw? It's me, Strawberrypaw. Dolphinsplash wants you, I think to patch up the elder's den. Oakflight's been complaining of chills. Of course, she won't take the herbs that would help with them." She purred with amusement. "Here, you can grab my tail." She held out her tail helpfully so that Violetpaw could reach it.

Streamclan Oakflight mumbled. She took a bite of the fresh kill, the bitterness of the herbs washing down with it. 'Waste of good kill that is.' she yowled, whiskers crinkling. She made be getting old but she still had good hearing. So Violetpaw would be patching up her den. Good, she would have someone to tell the old stories to. There was one in particular that had been on her mind. A story about an ancient clan of cats that had come one moon from the darkness.

Marshclan Wildtalon bolted over another shallow sandbank and back into the silver coated water. Hollyfeather felt like yowling in frustration. Why must her friend never run out of energy!? 'Why don't you start looking for herbs, I can take care of myself.' Wildtalon called back over her wet flank. Hollyfeather urged herself to keep up.

'I promised Cloudstar I would keep an eye on you.' she panted. Wildtalon made a face. She would keep swimming until Hollyfeather was too tired to keep up. If that didn't work, she would resort to guilt work.

Strawberrypaw left to go placate Oakflight. The grumpy elder obviously needed it, or she wouldn't be yowling like she was. Besides, Violetpaw knew the way to the elder's den.

"I'm sorry, Oakflight. Would you like me to get you another mouse? I could use the bile if you have ticks, too. I noticed you scratching when I came in here before. Don't worry, Violetpaw will be here soon to patch up your den."

She looked around for Dolphinsplash to come rescue her from the distasteful chore of removing ticks, with no success. She felt a pang as she thought about Wolfpaw. She knew she shouldn't, but she had some feelings for him besides just friendship (Is that okay?). She had no idea how to tell him or anyone else, though. And she couldn't disgrace herself by falling in love. Being a medicine cat was the path she had chosen, and she could never abandon it nor did she ever regret choosing it.

To distract herself she looked around for Bluespot but didn't see her. She sighed. She was a little bit worried for her mentor, who had been having strange nightmares involving large birds lately and waking up yowling. Strawberrypaw understood that when the medicine cat was a kit her two littermates had been carried off by hawks. That must have been hard, but it did seem strange she was still having nightmares. Omens, perhaps? She hoped not.

OCC: It's fine. :P

BIC:

The large gray apprentice glanced over at Strawberrypaw as she looked around the clearing. Probably for her mentor or maybe the new leader; he really didn't know. He fidgeted uncomfortably. The medicine cat apprentice often looked at him in a different way besides as friends, and he didn't know how to think of it. She was the medicine cat apprentice, after all. She could never fall in love, and he respected that.

Just then, the blue medicine cat scurried out of the medicine cat's den and ran over to Strawberrypaw. "Good morning, Strawberrypaw. Can you go out and collect some new herbs? Take a warrior with you. I'll take care of Oakflight, don't worry. We need some more cobwebs..."

Strawberrypaw sighed in relief. Gathering herbs was much more... pleasant than taking care of an elder's ticks.

"No problem, Bluespot. Do we need more catmint, too? We don't want an outbreak of greencough and I think the stuff in that twoleg's garden should have grown back by now."

She glanced around the clearing again, looking to see if any warriors jumped to offer. She didn't really like going around asking other cats to go gather herbs with her, since it was kind of embarassing. A patrol was about to leave, but she didn't want to hold them up...

She half-hoped, half-feared that Wolfpaw would ask. Hoped because she really, really enjoyed his company, and feared because she enjoyed it too much. Why couldn't medicine cats mate? It was completely unfair. Everyone else could... she shook the thought out of her head. A medicine cat was a medicine cat, and they couldn't be distracted from their duties by mates and kits. She was lucky to have been chosen for this path, and would never choose any other if she was given the choice.

(( OOC: Perhaps start the patrol and Strawberrypaw could go too? Just a suggestion ))

(( Strawberrypaw is in Streamclan ))

(( OOC: I thought Dolphinsplash was ))

(Cloudstar is Marshclans leader. Loch be careful. The WHOLE point of this rp is the marsh. Streamclan doesn't no the territory any more. There are no humans. They are surrounded by five metres deep black water. There are alligators/crocodiles that they don't no about. There are osprey, and swamp bird that they don't know about as well as water snakes. Marshclan know and love the marsh. They have adapted to it.)

(( 'Kay. I didn't know about all that stuff before, thanks =D ))

Strawberrypaw wandered around camp, looking for someone who could take her on patrol. She wasn't having much luck. She was looking over her shoulder for other cats, considering just going by herself, when she bumped into another cat. She whipped her head around and almost jumped ten feet in the air. It was Shadepaw, another apprentice, but training to be a warrior. She could have a really, really bad temper.

"S-sorry." Strawberrypaw muttered, backing away with her ears laid back. She hadn't had any fight training yet, and she didn't need to make enemies within her own clan. She was a medicine cat, for Starclan's sake! "I didn't mean too, um, run into you. It was an accident."

Two pools of yellow glanced over at Strawberrypaw, Bluespot, and Shadepaw, eyes filled with interest about the recent event. It looked like the medicine cat apprentice had bumped into Shadepaw, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the young she-cat. Shadepaw could have a vicious temper, and would let it out on anyone; he had experience of that.

Without waiting for something else to happen, the apprentice rose from his seat and walked over to the small gathering of cats, a frown creasing his brown. "Shadepaw, before you say anything, don't bite her head off. Don't ask how I knew what you were going to do, I just know." He smiled slightly, then turned to Strawberrypaw. "If she tells you anything, tell me. But I don't think that she will." His smile widened, then the apprentice walked away as fast as he was there.

Bluespot chuckled softly, shaking her head. That Wolfpaw is a charming young fellow when he himself is not biting someone's head off. She mused silently, glancing over at Strawberrypaw, then Shadepaw. "Strawberrypaw, why don't you go ask Cloudstar if you can take a few warriors out with you to gather herbs. Shadepaw, just go train. Please."

(( OOC: I just checked the allegiances and I swear that Dolphinstar is the leader of Streamclan. But everyone says Cloudstar is... is confused ))

Strawberrypaw's heart beat a little faster when Wolfpaw came over to stick up for her, and she felt a blush rising and thanked Starclan that it couldn't be seen through her pinkish pelt. He'd even smiled at her. She mentally slapped herself in the face for even thinking that. She. Was. A. Medicine. Cat. She. Could. Not. Fall. In. Love.

"Um, Bluespot, is it okay if I go with the patrol that's about to leave?" she asked. She didn't really want to have to go talk to the leader. This could help her avoid the embarassing task, AND Wolfpaw was going on the patrol. No! That was NOT why she wanted to go! But she knew it was a lie. On the other hand, Shadepaw was going, too. But Wolfpaw... He'd stick up for her if the bad-tempered apprentice made trouble. She hoped.