#Catmint Responds

[sweetcatminteareblog]

I vaguely know the dinosaur movie you're talking about before and I swear I've looked it up to rewatch as an adult before

I didn't rewatch to check if the specific dino existential crisis is in it but I'm pretty sure this is it. Quickly jumping through the timeline immediately bought back the dread haha so I think we have a winner

#Catmint responds #in response to a tag game about nonhorror movies that freaked you out as a kid #This is not a fun-filled trip back in time #Thanks for the ask :)

[thoughtfulshepherdmongerkid]

Shall we treat this as a chapter one?

Status Quo

Emerie had made it a keen point to never keep her head down. That was what these foul males wanted and she’d be damned if she’d willingly give them that satisfaction. It was how she greeted every customer that walked through her door, the few that came anyway.

Some might call it definite, but she saw it as a way to begin leveling the playing field.

Even when it was the General of The Illyrian army and The High Lord’s third in command, The Morrigan. They had come in with a harsh gust of wind and cackles of laughter.

“What are you looking for Cassian?” She asked, disregarding his title and standing, much to the dismay of the golden high fae still clinging to his arm.

“Oh the usual Em. Gloves, scarves, coats and whatever else you can think of to keep warm in these winds.” He responded in a light tone, releasing his arm from The Morrigan’s grasp to go look at the stacks of blankets.

Emerie hummed an agreement tone as he picked up a charcoal grey and crimson red weaved blanket from a stack, “And this one for personal.” He said over his shoulder.

“Are you still trying to sway that hellcat Cas?” The Morrigan asked almost flippantly.

“And any books you’d recommend for a reclusive female.” He added, ignoring her comment as if she’d never uttered the words.

“A hellcat recluse. I’ll be sure to check the back. Personal as well?” She hummed with a raised brow.

He tried to maintain conversation but his golden companion was bemoaning the Illyrian land and winds every couple of minutes that Emerie finally snapped that he could come back to pick the book up later. She could see as red as his siphons with every flippant remark she’d make.

She managed to collect her feelings in time with with the assorted winter items the General bought on behalf of the High Lord for the window camp and any orphaned child without a roof to depend on. She kept collecting everything into nice neat stacks late into the night.

It surely was too late for her as she started to see threads of silver and emerald green in her peripheral vision. But when she look to the corner pointing southward she saw nothing.

When she finally crawled upstairs and fell into sleep she had dreams so vivid, she’d almost call them visions, of plants and flowers far too delicate for the harsh grounds of Illyria that all reflected the glistening light of the moon. Of threads the same shades of silver and greens she’d imagined earlier in the day making up a tapestry in progress of foreign mountains to her and a forest that shrouded around the peaks.

She woke confused smelling catmint and something she couldn’t quite place.

#my writing #acotar #elain acotar #elain archeron #elain x emerie #emerilain #emerie acotar #emerie of illyria #emerie #an emerie pov #I think I want to have each chapter in alternating pov #but don’t hold me to it #the moon is gay #and I’ll make sure they compare each other to her as much as I can #trust 🤝🫡 #also there will be ic slander but no archeron sister slander #I love them all too much to do so #well maybe a lil of fey fey #more so her naivety

[pinksparklelps]

Sparky adopts Tibbles

I trotted forward to the meeting ground, snow crunching beneath my paws. I do this everyday, yet I can never stop myself from shivering. Not from the cold, no, but the feeling of just… going. Whether it was excitement or nervousness, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s both.

Staring up with wide eyes, I stand before the huge being that is Nestor. His many blinding white eyes pierce my soul, and I bow my head before him. This was an everyday activity for a leader–meeting with Nestor, the large black moose that guards all of us not-cats. I go on behalf of the Starlit Hollow, to give him my greeting and prayer of thanks for the creation of this world.

In return, he always gifts an item for me to bring home and use for the village's benefit. I’ve come to learn that it would usually be something common, like scales from the river or rosemary from the gardens. It’s easy to get these on our own, but any gift from the Guardian of Not-Earth is always welcome. Sometimes, he would even give me something rare, like rose quartz or catmint; both of which are usually in short supply yet very sought after.

So as I gave Nestor my thanks, my tail twitches with excitement, wondering what we’d be given today.

“Mrrp?”

At the sound, I open my eyes. I found myself staring at a ball of fluff, who stares right back with its large amber eyes. Taken aback, I tilt my head up to let Nestor know my confusion, but he had already gone. Off to another village I assume.

I look back down at the kitten, who’s attention shifted to a silver firefly. This… is a situation. Scanning the area, I can’t find anything that would be a gift. No wintermint, no paper bark, not even seeds. It seems that this little not-cat is Nestor’s gift to my village.

Sitting down to regain my composure, I ponder what to do. All of my cats, including me, have no experience raising beans. More than half of us migrated from Earth, and the rest just never had a partner before. Besides, raising a single kitten would likely stunt its growth. We’re a social species, and beans need littermates or friends their age. But above all, I can’t just leave a kitten alone, especially when it’s so little. It’s probably not a little more than just a bean.

The little not-cat trots through the snow, and then rolls over to bat playfully at a flower. It grabs my attention. I walk over and sniff at the orange petals that are speckled with black. This is rare. Exceptionally rare. A tiger lily is the last flower I ever expected to see in Winter. I switch my gaze back to the kitten, who’s back to tumbling around in the snow.

I’ve made up my mind. I grab the kitten by the scruff, causing it to squeak while I haul it onto my back. I smile when it starts purring and nuzzling into my fur. I think I’m already getting attached. Walking a bit slower so the kitten doesn’t fall, I carry it back down the trail and to the Starlit Hollow.

We didn’t have to walk far before we were walking into the plaza, and my not-cats welcomed me back. They were just as surprised seeing the kitten on my back, and I laughed at the shared reaction. I crouched down, and let the kitten hop off. It tumbled forward once it landed on the snowy tiles and sneezed the snow out of its whiskers.

To my delight, everyone welcomed the kitten warmly, even offering some of their toys. It’s a better reaction than what I was anxious about. Wren even asked me where it came from, so I explained how Nestor gave it to me which everyone responded with shock, just as I had. But most importantly, I believe we all silently agreed that this kitten was a symbol. A sign that our village would grow, and Nestor believes in me to lead it.

Now, I can watch from afar as that same little kitten grows. I can watch as xey build their own family and friendships. Snowmelt is here, and my little kitten is all grown up and ready to race through the same fields that I do. Looking down to the tiger lily tied around my neck, smiling as I remember that day. And how ever since then, I would and will continue to adopt any kittens I am given.

#pixel cats end #pce #heehoo writing #woooo my pce lorreee wooooo

[careforcritters]

Vet Med in Warrior Cats: Whitecough, Greencough, and Yellowcough

Disclaimer

The two main respiratory infections in the warriors series are whitecough and greencough. Whitecough is less severe and can progress to greencough, which has worse symptoms and a graver prognosis. Vicky Holmes states in the 3rd Erin Hunter chat that whitecough is similar to a cough (likely an upper respiratory infection) and greencough is pneumonia (lower respiratory infection), but the specific diseases that each of these coughs represent is never mentioned. The name “greencough” comes from the green fluid that cats cough up when they are affected, whereas cats with whitecough are stated to cough up clear (serous) fluid. A third respiratory disease, yellow cough, makes an appearance in the A Vision of Shadows series. The disease presents similarly to greencough but does not respond to catmint.

There is no way to tell which pathogens each of these diseases might be caused by because the symptoms of each pathogen are very similar, so they are likely caused by several different pathogens and/or combinations. Feline respiratory disease complex (FRDC) is a major cause of upper respiratory infections in cats and is caused by any of the following pathogens, alone or in combination: feline herpes virus (FVR), feline calicivirus (FCV), mycoplasma felis, and chlamydia felis. Bartonella henselae and Bordetella bronchiseptica can also contribute to symptoms. FVR and FCV specifically cause 80-90% of the respiratory disease that is observed in cats. These pathogens are spread by respiratory droplets, direct contact with infected cats, or contact with fomites (objects that have come into contact with the pathogen). Previously infected cats can carry and spread FVR or FCV without showing clinical signs. Acute signs include fever, sneezing, nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, and rhinitis. “Coughing” is not a symptom of respiratory infections in cats, but it is frequently mentioned in Warriors. Cats cough when affected by a lower respiratory infection, laryngeal infection, allergies, or heartworms, but rarely cough as a result of an upper respiratory infection. Symptoms are often more severe in very old and very young cats, which is consistent with the books since kits and elders die the most often from whitecough or greencough. Cats that have respiratory infections in warriors are often shown to refuse food, which is consistent with findings that sick and/or feverish animals are often anorexic. Calicivirus causes painful lesions in the mouth, which can also contribute to cats refusing to eat. 

FRDC is generally self limiting and resolves itself in 5-10 days in mild cases, but can take up to 6 weeks to resolve completely in more severe cases. Because of this, mild to moderate respiratory infections could be treated with just supportive care. Medicine cats do this by providing food, water, and rest to infected cats, which is why most cases of whitecough or other nondescript respiratory diseases are resolved in the series. The bigger issue is when there are more severe cases or cases that have ocular involvement. 

Ocular involvement can result from almost any respiratory disease causing agent, and can range from discharge to severe conjunctivitis, ulcers, and even globe rupture. Conjunctivitis and other ocular symptoms of respiratory disease are never mentioned in Warriors besides some mild tearing. I will be talking about this issue more in an ocular section later on, as it connects to some broader issues. 

To treat more severe cases of respiratory disease, veterinarians often use antivirals, antibiotics, and/or antifungal depending on the pathogens present. Supportive care should also be provided, in addition to feeding tubes and/or treatment of corneal ulcers if necessary. Medicine cats provide supportive care to their patients by providing them with food, water, and warm, dry bedding. For many cases of respiratory disease, this should be enough to help the cat survive since disease is usually self limiting and will resolve with time. A variety of herbs are used in Warriors to treat respiratory infections, but the most notable is catmint. Catmint is also known as catnip, and it is famously known to have psychological effects on cats by acting first as a stimulant from the smell and then a sedative from ingestion. While its effects mimic pheromones, which can be calming, there is no evidence that catmint can be used to combat respiratory disease. Catnip can also be toxic in large doses, causing nausea and vomiting. Cats also become slowly more resistant to its effects with repeated use. Chickweed and Hawkweed are both less effective treatments for greencough. Chickweed has been shown to have some antimicrobial properties, though it is most effective against salmonella and E.coli, both of which are not respiratory pathogens. Hawkweed has been used in some European countries to ease respiratory disease and asthma symptoms, but there has not been research on this. In Long Shadows, tansy is introduced as a way to prevent whitecough from progressing to greencough. Though tansy has been used for various medical issues in humans, it has never been reported to be used for respiratory disease. Coltsfoot is an herb that eases breathing, so it is commonly used for respiratory distress. Coltsfoot was historically used for coughs and respiratory distress in people, and recent studies have proved its efficacy in reducing lung inflammation. Brighteye and lovage are also mentioned briefly in Mistystar’s Omen as another treatment for coughing. These two herbs have been shown to improve symptoms of respiratory disease and allergies in humans, but have not been researched sufficiently. Lungwort is the herb that is presented to Puddleshine by Starclan to treat the emergent yellowcough epidemic in Shadowclan. Lungwort has been used to ease tuberculosis and asthma in humans, but again, there is no substantial research to back this. In addition, Birchsap is briefly mentioned as another possible treatment for yellowcough, but it’s not seen being used in the books. Birchsap traditionally has various medical and cosmetic uses in some cultures, but no research has been done to prove its efficacy. 

Overall, the Warriors series gives a fairly accurate depiction of respiratory illness while leaving out some crucial details. The omittance of any ocular involvement, especially in young kittens where it is most prevalent, is a large oversight. The description of the disease process is mostly accurate, however coughing is not as common of a symptom as nasal discharge and rhinitis. Cats in feral colonies are often carrying these diseases without actively showing symptoms, which is why bouts of whitecough can appear suddenly in a clan (especially in times of stress and poor nutrition such as leafbare, which would suppress the cat’s immune responses). As far as treatment goes, medicine cats are providing adequate care to most cats but simply taking care of their basic needs. In more severe cases, medicine is needed. While none of the herbs listed can effectively mimic an antibiotic or antiviral, hawkweed, coltsfoot, brighteye, lovage, and lungwort seem like the most accurate treatments for infection used in the books. Coltsfoot specifically has the most evidence for easing respiratory symptoms, and would be beneficial for medicine cats to use in moderate to severe cases of respiratory disease.

Sources:

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/respiratory-system/respiratory-diseases-of-small-animals/feline-respiratory-disease-complex?query=feline%20respiratory%20disease

https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/respiratory-infections 

https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk/feline-fine-the-benefits-of-catnip/ 

https://botanicalinstitute.org/eyebright/

https://botanicalinstitute.org/chickweed/ 

https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hawmou08.html

https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/t/tansy-05.html 

https://dsps.lib.uiowa.edu/roots/coltsfoot/ 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/lobaria_pulmonaria.shtml

#Vet med in warrior cats #vet med #warriors #warrior cats #long post #sorry to start off with an entire research paper but I think this one will be the longest section

[sweetcatmintea]

If you receive this, you make someone happy. Go on anonymous and send this to ten of your followers who make you happy or some that you think need cheering up. If you get some back, even better. Except..... I won't do this on anonymous and I'll openly say: YOU MAKE ME HAPPY 💙

Aww Thank you! I’m really happy to be able to make you happy :) 

I kinda needed this tbh, and I really appreciated it ^u^ Hopefully I’ll be able to continue for a long while

#CatMint responds

[yugogeer012]

With the new revealtion of MewMew there are 3 major questions that need answering. A) How do they respond to heatpats and scritches. B) What if you gave them catmint, and C) Laser pointer.

Those things turns her on~

[savebatsfromscratch]

WHUMPTOBER DAY 10 - We’re Out of Time.

-

Prompt: Hospital / flare-up / ice chips

-

Um... so the prompt was "Hospital / flare-up / ice chips" but I wanted Warrior Cats, so it's a medicine cat den now.

Yeah, greencough or something.

Jayfeather keeps his powers I don't care.

Wrote this while listening to "Deltarune Chapter 2 OST: 28 - Acid Tunnel of Love" on loop, so that is sort of the right song to read it with if you are going to read it while listening to a song.

READ THE Ao3 VERSION PLEASE!! (Under my same username.) NOTHING IS CHANGED I JUST WANT YOU TO READ IT!

Tws: Sickness, animal death

Words: 1,947

Ivypool coughed and shivered, fear floating through her as she watched Jayfeather pad out of the storage room, his ears back and tail tip twitching. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again, sightless eyes staring into hers in an effort to read her. (But she didn’t need his powers to see what he was thinking, for the growing pit in her stomach had finally been realised.)

“We’re out of catmint aren’t we.” She whispered, turning his face towards the soft moss of her nest when Jayfeather only sighed in response.

“Yes,” he meowed, but, hesitating slightly, reassured her that he would ask the other medicine cats if they had any.

This reassurance worked, but only a little bit. The reason being that Jayfeather had already asked the other clans if they could spare any, (after their leader had lost a life to the horrible sickness) but received a no in response. (What worried Ivypool about this was the simple fact that if they wouldn’t share some of the lifesaving herbs for a clan leader, no one in their right mind would share it for one or two sick warriors.)

Jayfeather began to walk out of the den, tabby fur spiked slightly against the grey-blue sky. She turned to face him, but to her dismay, the sounds of leaves shifting was accompanied by painful coughing, and she could do nothing but curl into herself in any small attempt to keep the greencough from spreading.

Once she was done with the little coughing fit, she looked up to Jayfeather, jaws open slightly to ask when he planned to ask for that catmint. (For at this point, she was really starting to think that she might die from this. There isn't much a medicine cat can do without herbs, even if they do happen to be one of the best your clan has ever known.)

But she cut herself off, noticing the fluffing of his tail as he responded to her not-yet-asked question. “I don’t know when I’m going to ask!” he screeched, shaking with sadness as he dealt with both of their emotions, “I was going to ask to go now, but Bramblestar might not allow me to.”

Ivypool shivered. “Would he really do that?” She asked in a small voice, “He has to want what’s best for this clan right?”

Jayfeather nodded, still not facing her as he answered her not completely genuine question, “I’m sure he does but-” he sighed shakily, “Sometimes asking for help can be a sign of weakness.”

And with that, he padded out of the den, leaving Ivypool with the unspoken end to their conversation, and with that now spoken weakness… With that weakness comes war.

- - - - -

Jayfeather stood outside of the den for a moment, taking the time to block out his own emotions to focus on those he had just left in turmoil. She was afraid, but accepting. And, with a strike of horror, he caught that she was accepting of her death. No! He thought, I can’t let her die yet! I won’t let it happen!

And, with a swoosh of his tail, he raced across the clearing, leaping over sticks that he could not see, and only stumbling once when his paw caught the earth strange. Of course, the pelts he brushed past, and their owners, bristled slightly, because it’s never a good thing to see your medicine cat running as if chased by foxes towards the leader’s den.

“Bramblestar-” he panted, clawing his way into the leader’s den, and hearing the shifting of moss meet his words. “I need to speak with you.” He sniffed the air and caught the scent of another cat, one he didn’t have the time or care to identify, before continuing. “-In private, it’s about the…” he paused, not ready to send the whole camp into even more of a scandal than it was already, “...the sickness.”

He felt Bramblestar’s interest peak and heard him apologizing to the other cat, and telling them that they could come back to finish the conversation later. Jayfeather gave his chest fur a couple of embarrassed licks as he noticed that the other cat was feeling distinctly annoyed. But I know how important this is, he told himself, I can’t let their annoyance get it that way of that.

Standing straighter, he felt the cat brush by him, their pelt radiating small sparks of worry as they noticed the determined look he must have on his face. That was normally a good thing, a determined medicine cat, but with the context of all the horror that had been happening recently… Well, they had the right to be afraid.

The two cats stood for a moment, Jayfeather waiting for the previous visitor to jump down into the clearing and Bramblestar licking a stray bit of fluff on his shoulder in the effort to keep it down. Once both of these not exactly equally important tasks were completed however, then Bramblestar was ready to ask what was going on.

“What in Star Clan was so important that you had to kick her out in the middle of our meeting?!” The leader asked him, though his tone was more worried than accusatory. (Something that Jayfeather was happy to hear, it might give him a bit of good luck in the answer he was going to receive.)

“Ivypool is sick.” He told Bramblestar bluntly, as if he didn’t already know, “And if your recent passing has taught us anything,” (Bramblestar flinched slightly.) “-this strand is strong. And I still don’t have any catmint to treat it.” (At that last part he looked from side to side and sniffed the air, making sure that no cat could overhear exactly what trouble they could be in.)

Bramblestar nodded uncomfortably, as if he knew what Jayfeather was about to say, and worse, knew he wouldn’t like the answer he received. However, the tabby medicine cat ignored this and instead took a deep breath. Then, he continued (though not after waiting a moment to figure out exactly what he was going to say), “I came here to ask you if I could ask the other medicine cats to spare some.”

Bramblestar opened his jaws to retort, but Jayfeather cut him off, “I know you don’t like having to show your clan’s weakness, but if we don’t share this particular weakness, the entire clan is going to die of greencough!” He flicked his ears, “And we both know the stores were destroyed by that recent frost, there is no way we will be able to cure ourselves without help. This sickness is simply too strong!”

He paused, reeling slightly from the unexpected terror radiating from the leader’s pelt, had he been too harsh? No. This was serious. And serious things demanded serious emotions. “You would know first paw how strong it is.”

Bramblestar flinched but did not answer, and as his emotions had now been blocked out, Jayfeather began to get worried. What if he didn’t let him ask for help? What would he do then? Of course, he knew the answer, he would go to the other territories to get the herbs, even if he had to beg. He wasn’t ready to just let his clan die like that! ...and, by the silence from the other, his leader knew this just as well as he did.

“Yes.” Jayfeather’s ears pricked up. “Yes, you may go to the other clans and ask for the herbs that you need.”

Jayfeather felt like yowling in joy, but was able to restrain himself long enough to dip his head respectfully and meow a quick, “Thank you Bramblestar.” before padding out of the den and into the cool leafbare air.

- - - - -

Ivypool cracked open her eyes, half restrained coughs having caused the moss of her nest to scatter as she slept, leaving her chilly in the light of a new day. She had noticed herself getting worse, and though she knew those realisations only made the fight harder, she couldn’t stop thinking about them.

Every day or two, Jayfeather would go to meet the other medicine cats, to ask them to please please please lend him some catmint. (Once she had heard him complaining that, honestly, it wasn't that hard to get some, and that “just one or two sprigs would do.” With no mind of course, to the fact that their clan had none at all.)

“Jayfeather,” She called, voice scratchy and tired from coughing, “Are you awake?”

There was a sound of shuffling leaves, “I’m here.” the medicine cat meowed, padding into her line of sight, “What do you need?”

“Could you get me-” here she broke off to hack her lungs out, “-some water p-please?”

“Of course.” he told her soothingly, and she watched as he dipped his head and picked up a ball of moss. (Subsequently carrying it to the pool in the back of the den, soaking it for a few moments, and then bringing it over.)

“Thank you,” she meowed, “I really need-” she coughed loudly, “-needed it.”

Jayfeather dipped his head again, sightless eyes full of sadness as he watched her drink. Calm floated on the air, and for a moment, ice cold water soothing her throat, Ivypool felt like all was okay again. But the moment the water was gone… that was the moment all the fears and sadness came back. Would she like Star Clan? …Would she even get to Star Clan?

“I don’t have much more time do I,” she asked bluntly, not looking at the medicine cat as she let her sadness flow free (with the occasional painful cough interrupting her), “It’s alright to tell me the truth. I already know.”

Jayfeather inhaled sharply, tail tip brushing the ground as he prepared an answer. (But she didn’t need his special power to tell was he was going to tell her.)

“You’re right.” He said quietly, padding over to the recently departed nest of her old denmate. (The owner of which she was hoping to be able to speak to soon. Even if they had to share tongues over Star Clan pre.) “I don’t have a way to fix this.”

She sighed and looked down, feeling all her emotions at once. Every hurt, every anger, every worry, every sadness… but also every smile, laugh, and friendship. She was lucky to have been born in Thunderclan. Lucky to have the life she was given. Lucky to help her clan survive battle after battle. Lucky to- she shivered- finally get to see her sister again.

“I knew it.” she whispered, blue eyes closing on stars.

- - - - -

“Jayfeather! Jayfeather!” Screeched Lionblaze, pelting into the den, “Mothwing gave us some catmint!” He dropped the plants onto the floor, panting slightly from his run across the territory, “We’ll be safe now!”

But, his brother only shook his head in response, blind eyes full of grief as he stared at the herbs. “Not all of us.”

Lionblaze inhaled sharply, suddenly noticing the still warm body lying in her nest. Grey and silver pelt still fluffed from the cold, and her last breath still lingered on the air.

“No-” He gasped, she couldn’t be dead, how could she be dead? She had been so young, so strong… “-she’s dead-”

Jayfeather wrapped his tail around Lionblaze’s shoulders and inhaled shakily. “But the rest of us have a chance not to be.” Lionblaze turned to his brother, meeting that sightless gaze with his own fiery one. “Tell Mothwing I said thank you.”

“I-” He shut his eyes, letting grief take him, “I will.”

#whumptober2021 #no.10 #warrior cats #tw: sickness #sickness #animal death #tw: animal death #greencough #No Beta We Die Like Firestar #my art #actual post #writing #cannon divergence #Ivypool #Bramblestar #Jayfeather #Jayfeather keeps his powers I don't care #Lionblaze

[errthel]

I have risen up from the dead for the holidays to give this gift (Route Two : Part 6)

Hey man, wassup, how's life? I dunno what to say, I'm a terrible Santa. I put in more time into this chapter than the other chapters (in the spirit of preholiday break procrastination) so I hope you like this gift. This is derived for the amazing @tri3tri 's SW AU and I just thank her for creating such vivid and lovely AUs which I can immerse myself in, I loved the recent AU, Dead MC, a very nice one indeed. So I guess I will leave now so you can enjoy your reading time in peace ♡♡♡♡♡♡

Lucien’s mind was a maze. Every twist and turn, every dead end taunted him, like a defenseless child taunted by their cruel relatives. His frustration knew no bounds when he failed to exit the maze, but that anger was soon replaced by something far more sinister.

The numbing sear on his body felt as if his body was suffocated when he slept. His appendages were like cooked pasta, limp and unruly. Breaths that were like that of an athlete who had run a marathon filled the room at lightning speed. The degradation of his vision forced the boy to squint but even that proved to be ineffective when blobs of different colors was all that filled his vision. Lucien could no longer feel the beat of his heart, his lungs wouldn’t budge and supply him with air. He felt his eyelids droop lower and lower in an agonizingly slow pace until they finally reached their destination. The room fell into a hushed silence, like the prior noise never happened, it was peaceful like a field of flowers on a cliff.

~

For her, time wasn’t a constriction, she had lived long enough to no longer fear the obnoxious concept of time. She lives alongside time. She is time. As long as time exists, she will live and be indifferent to time. Her hourglass will forever be reversed again and again when the sand trickled to the bottom.

But her long life no longer gave her any thrill, she lives in a kingdom where war no longer ensues in its borders and she has been reduced to a routine of nothingness. Until the woman with flowing (h/c) hair and blazing (e/c) eyes came years ago. The woman who was her granddaughter-in-law was an untameable dog who very much was the one who her dear grandson loved with all his heart. 

The sour taste in her mouth left her itching to tame the woman until she was the perfect lover for her grandson.

The sour taste in her mouth was satiated when the woman was on her knees along with her daughters, her confidence was cracking.

She was almost perfect.

Maleficent looked back to those recent memories and scoffed, what was she thinking? (MC) hadn’t changed even with a decade of taming, she truly was an untamable dog. She  sat on a chair that was as black as the abyss of space. In her unlit room, she was like a viper ready to strike at anything that disturbed her.

Her peace however is disrupted by a wave of magic. Her eyes quickly focused on the magic and tried to discern what kind of magic dared to make its way into the Valley of Thorns. Once she figured out what magic it was, her cackling reached the throne room as her bright green flames engulfed her room. She called in a meeting with all the high ranking nobles of The Valley of Thorns.

~

Her room was as gloomy as it was large, floor to ceiling window panes let in as much natural light as the rainy day allowed. She sighed, he was having another tantrum from their one-sided conversation in the morning. 

Her black dress was almost as beautiful as the woman who wore it. The dress was a two piece dress consisting of a bodice and a skirt. The woman's bodice was luxurious, even if it was done in a black fabric, delicate embroidery in black thread was littered across the bodice, while her two layered scalloped bertha collar was created with a sheer black fabric. A large skirt supported by a steel crinoline accentuated her waist as the corset helped to hold up her large skirt. She also wore a black veil, as if she was mourning for someone.

“Mother, long time no see.” Sherry’s somewhat cheery voice announced her presence

“How are you Sherry?” hearing her mother’s question brought the teenager joy as she happily sat on the sofa and talked about how she was feeling

“Hello Mother.” a stoic voice called out to the woman as she walked into the room

Sherry’s green eyes flicked over to Renata who seemed like she walked to the depths of hell and back.

“Yo Renata! You look like you're about to drop.”

“I do very much feel like that.” Renata sighs as she plops herself down to the sofa next to Sherry

“When you’re tired, sleep my dear.” 

“Mhm”

“Renata, did you?” (M/c) asked the black haired teen who nodded in agreement

“Mhm, I already did.” Renata said, referring to a magic spell which allows nobody to eavesdrop on their conversations

“I can feel that something will happen.” 

Sherry and Renata looked at their mother with confused looks, “What will happen?” Sherry said breaking the confusion

“Lucien is here in Twisted Wonderland.” 

“You’re joking!” Renata said looking at her

“The kid’s finally here huh.”

“We still aren’t ready.”

“Don’t worry, where do you think we live? Even if the Valley of Thorns continues to invade countries near it, this kingdom will always be isolated.” 

But her statement was disputed with the wave of magic that engulfed the room and brought the three ladies to panic. The magic was like a hurricane that knocked the breath out of their lungs and gave them excruciating pain by doing so.

“This magic! How is it so strong!” Sherry said trying to breath 

“No way. This is a finishing stage of transformation magic!” Renata said making (M/c) look at the window with surprised eyes

“Lucien…”

~

His face was like an unkempt garden and cottage, bellflowers and catmint littered the ground, sullen from the cold atmosphere. The yellow straw of the cottage roof looked disheveled as if it barely survived a violent snowstorm. That was the appearance of Briar Rome as he sat on the intolerably cold and hard stool that seemed jutt into his tailbone. His purple eyes that seemed to always give the person staring into them the warm feeling of spring, instead looked dejected, regretful, downcast, miserable, and just plain sad. Briar’s wheat colored hair was like sad damp straw, a victim of the recent and sudden storm that glazed Royal Sword Academy for a few hours. 

His pale hands held a hand larger than his own, the nails were a menacing black that glossed under the light of the infirmary. His eyes trailed up to the person’s pale face, the person had (h/c) hair that was like the clouds in the great big sky and his horns were two skyscrapers that disrupted the beautiful view. His silk-like fringe was brushed to the side to reveal a threatening yet alluring pattern of black scales that started in between his forehead and hairline. The ornate design strangely complemented the boy. He looked at the white robe his friend wore and grimaced, he should have known that he was sick or hurting earlier, when he heard that Lucien was the one who had unconsciously casted the tragic storm while also suffering from his transformation, he felt like a thousand needles had pricked him at the same time.

A light groan felt like the bang of a sudden firework to Briar, it felt like seeing the light at the end of a dark and long tunnel. His breath hitched as if his mind stopped working for a moment and he stood up and shouted for a nurse when he finally had a grasp on what was happening. Like swifts, a pair of nurses entered the room, one ushering Briar out, to his dismay, while the other tended to the now semi-conscious Lucien. 

~

The room was like Antarctica to (M/c), frigid and deathly silent. Her eyes trailed to the imposing figure that sat upon a throne of thorns. Like a paperweight weighing down everyone with a rule of silence, Maleficent observed the court, everybody was here, save for the Crown Prince, he wasn't necessary.

She sat on a throne on the right of her husband while Bellatrix sat beside Maleficent on her left. Her children were separated from their mother as they sat on their respective chairs as the High Court Magician and Supreme General.

"I hope I wasn't the only one who felt it, I'd be disappointed if I was." she haughtily said looking at the court of high ranking nobles

Words of confirmation echoed in the large hall and Maleficent steadily raised her staff and pointed to Renata.

"High Court Magician, elaborate further." 

Renata stood up and explained, "The magic that came across the Valley of Thorns is quite unique." 

Some chatter was heard among the nobles, they weren't really surprised, if anything, they probably weren't listening. Why should they listen to a half-human princess? It was probably through pure luck that she was able to get that position, probably by asking the vile queen.

Renata silently clenched her teeth and sucked it in and continued, "The magic is transforming magic, more specifically, dark fae transformation magic."

Gasps were heard in the court while a noble stood up to object the sayings of the High Court Magician.

"Your Highnesses! How can we be so sure about what she says!"

Renata looked at the man and clicked her tongue, Muave Heighgroove. What a joke, she sat down, deeming it unnecessary to stand up 

"What do you mean?" Malleus said in a hoarse voice 

"Your Highness! We don't know for sure if she is lying."

"Faes can't lie." Malleus says passively 

The fact that the king didn't respond aggressively blew Muave up like a puffer fish with pride. 

"Well, with the princesses being half-"

His claim was cut short by Maleficent who just laughed, no cackled, like a dying goat. She was beyond amused. Maleficent looked Muave straight in the eyes.

"That girl is plenty capable in discerning what magic it was. Honestly, I wonder how you all are part of the royal court."

Clean and swift.

Renata stood up and displayed her utmost gratitude and explained the magic even more.

"The circumstances are very unique when we consider this case, in case you happened to forget, transformation potions and anything regarding transformation is illegal in most kingdoms unless it is their Unique Magic, not in the Valley of Thorns though. But even then, transformation magic, especially for a dark fae transformation, is still hard to obtain here as it's distribution is under the jurisdiction of the Former Queen. So Your Highness, were you the one who gave some without the court's knowledge."

Renata was as cruel as she was realistic, her eyes were gleaming as they stared at the great-grandmother's dragon eyes. She was only stating facts and asking the correct questions to the correct people. A perfect smile was displayed on her face, whether or not the smile had other motives was unknown.

"I see, no I didn't."

"Thank you for answering Your Highness. To be honest that was just a formality, I can say with the nature of the magic, the transformation wasn't necessarily done by a spell or a potion."

"Was it a Unique Magic?" Bellatrix said looking at the magician

"Not necessarily, you can say it was a late metamorphosis. Even so, the nature of this transformation is very unique, it may take months of research before a solid reason is formulated. Of course that's if I don't go there myself."

"!!!" Malleus looked at his daughter, her black hair was perfectly sculpted showing off her scaly pattern on her forehead

"The magic came from the north-west, very likely from the Royal Sword Academy region. So My King, My Queen, allow me to go."

"I will have to decline this request, Head Court Magician." Malleus said exasperated while (M/c) looked at Renata, her dark veil shadowing her features

"I will give my permission." 

Malleus shot a look at (M/c), who only scoffed and said, "It will be beneficial to the Valley of Thorns, if we nurture the transformed, they can do our bidding as a payback for teaching them how to control their powers as a dark fae."

"How will you know that they will be beneficial."

His only answer was a chuckle.

#draconia family series #tri3tri #twisted wonderland #twst malleus #malleus draconia #sherry draconia #renata draconia #bellatrix draconia #maleficent

[acovenofcaffineandchaos]

Herb - Catnip

In paganism and in Wicca, many herbs have magical connotations along with their everyday uses in the kitchen. As with the crystal of the week safety is rather important so if its not something that would be used in everyday cooking such as Thyme, Mint or other things, don’t use it without talking with a doctor -period- end of story.

This week its going to be Catnip, lets get into the scientific side of things:

Order: Lamiales

Family: Lamiaceae

Genus: Nepeta

Species: N. cataria

Catnip, or nepeta cataria, has also been known as catswort, catwort, and catmint throughout time and in different areas of the world. Catnip is a short lived, perennial plant that blooms from late spring into autumn. It resembles typical mints with its coarse-toothed leaves that range from triangular to elliptical in shape. This plant also has small fragrant flowers that are pink in color, or white with small spots of pale purple. This plant is rather drought resistant, and also seems to be rather deer resistant. However it prefers full sun.

A warning to those who decide to plant this in their own gardens: This plant grows fast and spreads quickly so it is best to plant it in above ground containers -lest it take over your entire garden. Catnip is also good for your garden as it helps to attract lacewing “flies” which eat aphids and mites. It also seems to repel mosquitoes, cockroaches, and termites. It does, however, attract butterflies and around 2/3rds of the worlds cats.

As with any plant this can cause allergic reactions so be careful with it. Its oil is sometimes used as an insect repellent. It has been used for human sicknesses and pains in the past in the forms of teas, juice, tinctures, infusion, or poultice, and has also been smoked for the same reasons. However use with humans has fallen off due to the growth of modern medicine.

Also as we know, this plant has a strong effect on cats. Truth is it only effects roughly 2/3rds of cats; However this has been shown to include leopards, cougars, servals, and lynxes -along with lions and tigers, however these last two aren't as consistent. About one-third of cats are not affected by catnip and this behavior is hereditary. Other plants that can have a similar effect on cats include valerian root and leaves; silver vine, or matatabi, which is popular in Asia; and Tatarian honeysuckle wood. Many cats that do not respond to catnip however, do respond to one or more of these three alternatives.

Now on to the more mythological and spiritual uses and meanings. While catnip doesn't seem to have any myths or legends to its name it can still be used in cooking by turning it into teas or as garnishes for food but what else can it be used for?

In the past catnip has been used for stress relief and aiding in digestion. Its commonly known as “Cats best Friend.” Its currently used in:  

Friendship or Family Spells

Feline Magics 

Attracting Friendly Spirits

Luck, Happiness, Beauty, Dream, and Tranquility Spells  

It can also be used in sachets for protection and dream work  

Psychic work  

Offerings to Bast or other Deities associated with felines

As you can see it is a rather useful herb for any witch or pagan. These days it is generally associated with water, Venus and the feminine. However every path and practice may view it differently as no path is truly identical.Join us next week with Sage.

#HerboftheWeek #GardenFiller #GreenWitch #HedgeWitch #Paganisim #Pagan #Witchcraft #Witchyvibes

[leafpool-loves-ashfur]

Sorrelkit > Sorrelpaw > Sorrelpelt > Sorrelstar

Kit > Apprentice > Medicine Cat > Leader

She-cat - WindClan

Apprentice: Reedseed

Sorrelpelt knew from a young age that she wanted nothing more than to be a medicine cat and serve her clan. She loved interpreting signs from StarClan, the sweet smell of herbs, and the joy of helping sick and injured cats get better. Meetings at the half-moon were always the greatest, and she loved the other medicine cats at the time; Poolfire, Brindlefin, Fishberry, and Mothstorm. Sharing knowledge and ideas was always both helpful and a blast. And then, of course, sharing tongues with StarClan was amazing! She adored the starry grounds her ancestors walked on.

But her wonderful world came crashing down as a terrible bout of greencough spread throughout camp, infecting not only the very old leader, Graystar, but the deputy, Darkfang, too. Many suspected Graystar would not live, but Sorrelpelt would do her best to save him. She was like a father to her, as he was to every cat. He was a kind, fair and understanding leader any cat could admire. But the harsh leafbare chill made supplies short and dry, and of course Graystar insisted the catmint go to the kits and apprentices first. As leafbare began to fade away and the sun shone bright down on WindClan camp, Sorrelpelt had found a new, freshly grown batch of catmint and rushed to give them to Graystar as his condition worsened, only to arrive to him peacefully dead in his moss bed. The clan mourned him, and as night came, Darkfang was firm to insist he head to the Moonpool and receive his nine lives as quickly as possible. His condition, too, had gotten worse, as much as he tried to act strong and brave. Sorrelpelt was against this- he needed rest first, he could barely walk. But, Darkfang made the smart point that if he had nine lives he could die once and still have eight more lives to go. Sorrelpelt agreed, and at midnight they set off.

The trip was slow and cautious, despite Darkfang wanting to get there as fast as possible. Sorrelpelt didn’t want him to push himself, and insisted on many breaks, even if the Moonpool wasn’t that far from WindClan territory. When they finally reached the Moonpool, the unthinkable happened, as Darkfang collapsed and coughed his last breaths. Sorrelpelt was quick to try and pull him towards the Moonpool in hopes StarClan could revive him, just like they did Tigerstar the Second of ShadowClan in the tales! But, no such thing happened, and Darkfang remained as one-lifed and lifeless as ever. Shocked, and terrified what this could mean for her clan, she lapped up the water of the Moonpool to ask her ancestors what was happening. There, in StarClan, Graystar greeted her, while new spirit Darkfang was chatting with his deceased family nearby. Sorrelpelt desperately asked why they didn’t revive Darkfang and give him eight lives, like they had done for cats in the past, to which Graystar and other StarClan cats replied that StarClan no longer had that power. They had grown weaker since the eras of Firestar, the Great Battle, and the great mediator Tree’s spiritual powers. Sorrelpelt inquired why, and they responded that less cats seeked StarClan out for help these days. The less cats that needed them, the less powerful they were. The less cats that believed in them, that had faith in them, that trusted them, that thought of their ancestors and starry kin- the faster cats would fade, and the less StarClan could interfere with the living world. They were stuck to the basics of giving nine lives, covering the moon with clouds when upset, and giving prophecies, which even now had become scarce.

Sorrelpelt wondered if there was a way to restore StarClan’s powers, and the only way that seemed possible was restoring the clans’ faith and trust in their ancestors. But how could she do that? When StarClan had failed to save their leader and deputy, and left them helpless, defenseless, cats would be angered by their ancestors, when it wasn’t their fault. So, she made a decision. To become leader, and enforce the Warrior Code, and restore StarClan to their glory days. She received her nine lives, became Sorrelstar, and headed home with a dead Darkfang on her back. WindClan, of course, was shocked, as their medicine cat appeared with the corpse of their deputy, just as morning struck. She explained to them what had happened, and told them that from now on they should remember to praise StarClan for every piece of prey they hunt, for every peaceful sleep they have, and every patch of sunshine they bathe in. That they would resurrect the old traditions, such as having apprentices visit the Moonpool. And, of course, they needed a new deputy and medicine cat, least Sorrelstar become like a Tribe’s Healer. So, Sorrelstar appointed young, but not inexperienced, and eager to please, Nimbleleap, afraid to appoint an older cat in case greencough caught them just like Graystar and Darkfang. As for a medicine cat, Sorrelstar began training obedient Reedkit, one of two healthy kits, when she became only just five moons.

When the Gathering came, and Sorrelstar was in place of Graystar, the other clans were confused, and she explained the situation. She told them they all needed to respect the Warrior Code (with a side-eye towards Daisysky, who had switched between RiverClan and ThunderClan along with his half-clan kits), and pray to StarClan more often. Some warriors didn’t like being told what to do, some scoffed at the idea that they didn’t already praise StarClan enough, and others agreed that they needed to do more. Echostar of ShadowClan agreed hesitantly, Tanglestar of SkyClan claimed his warriors were already doing so, Berrystar of RiverClan said they would never not have faith in StarClan, and Branchstar of ThunderClan meowed that any of his clan was welcome to respect the Warrior Code and StarClan more if they wanted. As the clans started to leave, Sorrelstar confronted Branchstar on his odd choice of words. Did ThunderClan not respect the Code and StarClan? What was she saying- ThunderClan practically encouraged half-clan relationships! They lazed about all day in their “golden age of peace!” Branchstar told her that some of his cats might not believe in StarClan, but he respected their decision to, and that those who did are free to praise StarClan more. Sorrelstar insisted he needed to at least try and make his warriors more loyal to the Warrior Code. He told her that his warriors were loyal to their clan, and that they respected the other clans, and that’s what mattered. Sorrelstar reminds him of WindClan and ThunderClan’s alliance before they part.

All seems to be going relatively well, even if she had to push both ThunderClan and RiverClan a little harder to respect the Code and StarClan. But, when the ThunderClan deputy, Elmclaw, appears at WindClan camp and asks to join WindClan to be with his mate, Nimbleleap, all hell breaks loss. Sorrelstar is shocked that what she viewed as her loyal deputy would do this- and that Branchstar would willingly let his deputy leave to join another clan! She kicks them out of WindClan- no, ALL of the clans, and rushes over to ThunderClan. She tells Branchstar that he must not let Elmclaw and Nimbleleap back into his clan, and when he asks her why he shouldn’t, when they’d done nothing wrong, she nearly loses her cool, before she collects herself, and tells him he wouldn’t want a war on his hands. Branchstar is shocked the once kind-hearted medicine cat he had been friends with as just a warrior had become the cold, bossy leader in front of him. Still, he accepts Sorrelstar’s terms. She then has some of her warriors go to the other clans and warn them of the code-breakers that had been banished from the clan territories. Sorrelstar appointed Birdspirit, an older, more stern warrior, as her new deputy. Next Gathering, Sorrelstar is further shocked as Branchstar has appointed Cedarsun, son of Daisysky and therefore a half RiverClan-half ThunderClan cat, as the new deputy. She confronts him about his, and he bristles and responds that Cedarsun has been nothing but a loyal warrior, and that his blood means nothing compared to his loyalty! And what right does Sorrelstar have to act like she’s leader of his clan? Sorrelstar threatens war again, to try and get him to do what she wants, but he calmly responds for her to try it, and that she’ll be surprised that his clan isn’t as soft and untrained as she thinks it is.

Sorrelstar never actually thought she would go through with fighting Branchstar and ThunderClan. She just wanted them to listen to her. Leaders ruled with power, and might, not with the sweetness and kindness of a medicine cat, and she had made herself more powerful through fear. So, not willing to back down and seem like the weak one, she launched an attack on ThunderClan camp. To her clan’s surprise, they were ready. They fought with everything they had, and WindClan was not used to fighting in the forest too, so they were forced to retreat. But, the next battles became more and more even as Sorrelstar abused the old tradition of WindClan’s tunnellers to have them tunnel into ThunderClan territory. They tried involving the other clans, but ShadowClan and RiverClan had just finished fighting each other and came to an alliance between Echostar and the new RiverClan leader, Pebblestar. SkyClan, as well, did not want to get involved. One battle, Sorrelstar tore at Branchstar’s belly, and watched him collapse. It was not like the great wound of Tigerstar the First, all nine lives gone at once, but it was a painful, deep one. She watched it take one of his lives, and when he remained on the floor, the signs of another life being lossed occuring, her medicine cat instincts screamed at her to help him.

But she did not. She gathered her warriors and they yowled in victory while ThunderClan’s medicine cat, Fishberry, tended to Branchstar, and sent a hate-filled glare Sorrelstar’s way, as if questioning how she had become the monster before him. Sorrelstar pretended not to notice. She thought this was it, victory. Surely, after having killed ThunderClan’s leader, twice, technically, this meant her demands went through? But, no, ThunderClan did not back down or give up their more “relaxed” ways. So, she attacked again, but she didn’t know what to do. Take all of Branchstar’s lives? …Could… Could she? Would she? If she had to… If there was no other choice, then she would do it, to restore StarClan to their glory. But that battle did not go how she expected, as Branchstar came at her with rage and power that he hadn’t had before. He realized how far she would go for this, and he wasn’t going to let her do it. That day, he was the one who got off a nasty bite on her throat, nearly, even if by accident, identical to the infamous killing bite. She thought she would lose her first life then, and see just what it was like for Branchstar when he lost his. But… no. When she opened her eyes again, Branchstar was patching her up and stopping the blood flow. Confused, startled, and slightly terrified, she asked him why he was doing this. He responded that he didn’t want to kill any cat if it was preventable. Yes, in war, death was inevitable, but if there was even a chance he could save one cat, even a cat with nine lives, he would do it. Sorrelstar was shocked, and then questioned why he didn’t become a medicine cat, as that was how medicine cats thought. He then, humorously, remarks that perhaps he should, seeing as she had gone from medicine cat to leader. He explains that being a medicine cat had never interested him. He didn’t need to be a medicine cat to have morals. But apparently, she did, because when she became leader… she lost all hers.

After that battle, Sorrelstar was left to rethink a lot of things. She called off the war with ThunderClan and realized how many wounds her warriors had. She dedicated her time to helping Reedseed treat their clanmates, and apologized to both her clan and StarClan. This wasn’t what she wanted. Yes, she still wanted the clans to adore StarClan as much as she… but there were other ways that would shed less blood to do that. And even if it took some time to find them, she would. Because she had a first rule for her new morals: If there was even a chance she could save one cat, even a cat with nine lives, she would do it.

“Tortoiseshell she-cat with one blue, one green eye.”

Wiki Page.

#she had a crush on branch btw #warriors #generations #ocs #warriors ocs #sorrelstar #sorrelpelt #sorrelpaw #sorrelkit #windclan #leader #medicine cat #medicine cat to leader #apprentice #medicine cat apprentice #kit #she-cat #tortoiseshell #starclan #heterochromia #mentor #fishpaws time

[signs-of-the-moon]

Moon Rise Chapter 40

Warning: this chapter features depictions of an illness that may be considered similar to Covid-19, and could potentially upset those effected by it. Reader discretion is advised

Relief remained just out of reach of Grassclan in the following half moon. So many in the clan were ill, and the path to self recovery seemed long off. Every kit in the nursery had caught greencough except for Lightkit. Two queens managed to keep well. However, Cricketsong and Ashwhisker were miserable. They were working themselves just as tirelessly as the remaining warriors. They had to, if not for the clan, then for their young kits.

There were only ten cats left able to hunt, not including the medicine cats. Cloverpetal and Bumblethroat had died a quarter moon ago from starvation. Rosebloom and Beetlepatch were barely clinging on to life. And worst of all, there wasn't enough herbs to heal everyone. The Gathering this moon proved to be unhelpful. Every clan was suffering the same as Grassclan; even Treeclan who they'd aided earlier in the season. There was nothing left in the Land's Star for anyone to spare. Or at least, that's what the clans had claimed. A distinct memory had seared itself into Swiftcloud's mind. The looks on the medicine cat's faces at the Gathering were guilty. It was anyone's guess as to why. Some of Grassclan had speculated it was because the medicine cats were not permitted to share their herbs. While more sympathetic cats believed it was because they felt helpless.

At home, Snowfrost was being stingy with the last bit of the clan's catmint. Mistyleaf suggested giving the herb to the kits. And Goldensong insisted the catmint go to Rosebloom. But none of those options seemed to be good enough candidates. Snowfrost kept making excuses, reasoning that the catmint would be better used on those who weren't so weak, and cats that didn't wish to die in order to be reunited with their dead lovers. Although angry, cats didn't seem willing to argue about this. Snowfrost was the clan's most senior medicine cat. She'd handled bad Leafbares before, she knew what she was doing. But Swiftcloud felt a pang of doubt inside of her. She wondered if Snowfrost was holding onto the herb in case anyone she cared about might become ill.

One day, when the sun briefly decided to shine, Swiftcloud sat out in Grassclan's clearing. In the morning she had gone on a hunting patrol, with a bit more success than normal. In a little while, she would go out to hunt again. But for now, the white and black patched molly would enjoy some free time, sunbathing by Tall Stone. A few other cats settled around nearby, but a silence remain between them. From the peace and quiet surrounding her, Swiftcloud began to hear harsh sobbing coming from the nursery. In response she jumped to her paws, jerking herself into that direction to find out what the wailing was about. She crouched, peering beneath the honeysuckle bush's branches to get a glimpse of the cats inside. Cricketsong was sitting in her nest, head bowed and shoulders quaking. Snowfrost was in front of her, her silver tail swaying against the wool lined floor. It seemed the medicine cat had some grim news to share.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, "there was nothing I could do to save them. The last of your kits has passed on."

Hearing the words only seemed to make Cricketsong cry more. Snowfrost remained in place as the grieving queen collapsed under the weight of her sorrow. Her cries seemed to echo through the whole of Grassclan's camp. Swiftcloud could feel the eyes of her clanmates on the back of her head. They must all be wondering about the news.

"You took my kits away from me, you fox-heart...!" Swiftcloud caught Cricketsong saying, pausing to catch her breath. "Why would you let this happen..? You have the herbs. Why couldn't you use them? Because your kits were taken away from you? Did you want others to understand how you feel? Does it bring you pleasure, to be so cruel?"

Swiftcloud's ears pricked immediately. Her kits..? Snowfrost was a mother?

Snowfrost's ears flattered against her head, a paw raised up to her chest in shock. Though her eyes narrowed, the medicine forced herself to be calm. "I have done nothing wrong," Snowfrost's voice was sure. "I did all I could with the resources that I have left." The medicine cat went out of her way to avoid making mention of her own kittens. Nor did she properly respond to Cricketsong's accusations. Or perhaps it only felt that way to Swiftcloud. She wanted to learn more about this new information. How had she not known before that Snowfrost had a litter? Maybe it was a secret kept among the queens? Swiftcloud knew they had their own Code to follow. Maybe hiding secrets like this was part of it. Still, curiousity burrowed itself into her brain like a tick to an elder's pelt. She needed to know more. But before she could even think about listening in to discover further information, Swiftcloud was spotted. Snowfrost locked eyes with the younger molly, a darkness within her icy gaze. Swiftcloud gulped, backing away from the den almost immediately. Her pelt burned hot with embarrassment. How could she let herself be so obvious?

With a rough shake, Swiftcloud was able to help the feeling mostly fade. But to cure her fluster completely, and to gather together her thoughts, Swiftcloud decided to take out an early hunting party. She called for the apprentices, Pollenpaw and Tulippaw. Then she padded over to speak with Frostfeather, who stood in front of the medicine den.

"Hey Frostfeather, wanna come with us on a hunting patrol?" She asked.

"Sure! Oh, but Im waiting for Rabbitstorm to finish getting his exam. He was feeling a little under the weather today, and mama forced him to get a check up. She actually dragged him over here herself, can you believe that? Sick with greencough and still stong enough to carry a fully grown tom by the scruff across camp!"

Frostfeather seemed to be in high spirits today, although that was how she normally behaved. However it was unusual to see her so cheerful during such a grim time. Most of her family had caught greencough; Pansypaw and Quailbelly too. And now, there was the possibility that Rabbitstorm was also sick. How wasn't Frostfeather freaking out or depressed? Maybe being happy was how she coped. Or perhaps it was all a facade, put on to keep cats from worrying. Swiftcloud wished she could figure out what the case might be. But she didn't want to press the matter. Every cat handled hard times differently. Swiftcloud didn't want to judge.

Out from under the medicine den tree, Rabbitstorm emerged. His eyes were a bit sunken, fur dull, but his head was held high. It was hard to tell if the lynx point tom was ill, or just tired.

"Hey!" Frostfeather greeted her brother with a gentle head bump. "How'd it go? What did Goldensong say?"

"Goldensong's not here," Rabbitstorm grunted. "She's in the elder's den with the rest of the sick cats... So apparently, Snowfrost's taken over as head medicine cat."

Swiftcloud and Frostfeather gasped in unison. Did that mean Goldensong had caught greecough too?

"Snowfrost said I'm fine though. I just have to take it easy," Rabbitstorm finished speaking.

"Are you well enough to come hunting?" Frostfeather queried, worry hidden behind her sing-song voice.

"Should be. I'll make sure I don't do a lot of running, so I don't become fatigued," Rabbitstorm reasoned with a nonchalant shrug. Swiftcloud and Frostfeather exchanged a glance but didn't try to pursue further conversation on the matter.

With a flick of her ear, Swiftcloud led her patrol to the bramble tunnel, down the hill and out into the frozen meadow. Their destination was yet to be determined, but wherever they would go, Swiftcloud hoped the area would be rich with prey.

In Rabbit Gorge, it seemed that her prayers had been answered. Today, the sun had drawn a few of the rabbits out from their warren. A couple of their kits frolicked in the snow, their paws crunching on the icy surface. An older pair laid out soaking in the sunshine, a content look on their yummy faces.

Swiftcloud could feel her belly rumble. The sight of the rabbits made her realize she'd forgotten to eat again. But her hunger gave her drive. If her patrol could catch all of this prey, every cat in the clan could have a chance to eat today.

"Tulippaw, Pollenpaw, come with me. The three of us are going to flush the rabbits out. Frostfeather, Rabbitstorm, be ready. Don't let any of the prey escape."

The cats of her patrol nodded agreeingly. Frostfeather bounced lightly in place, flicking her tail against Rabbitstorm's ear. Rabbitstorm was slow to respond, glancing at his sister to give a playful but tired glare. The littermates stalked off to hide behind a mound of snow, ready to ambush any rabbits who'd skitter into their path.

Swiftcloud made a motion with her head, prompting the apprentices to follow her lead. The three of them drew close to the rabbit's warren. Swiftcloud turned briefly to speak with the apprentices in the Silent Language. She instructed each molly to hunt in different a direction, herding the rabbits towards the same path. Swiftcloud then planned to give chase, scaring their prey towards Rabbitstorm and Frostfeather, where they'd be caught and killed.

Tulippaw and Pollenpaw grinned with excitement, scurrying off to complete their tasks while Swiftcloud lay in wait. The soft thud of paws scrambling through the snow alerted her to the prey's approach soon after. Quickly, the rabbits came into view. Swiftcloud struck out like a bolt of lightning, scaring the prey more. One sperated from the group, leaving it vulnerable and easy to catch. Swiftcloud pounced on the unfortunate creature, snapping it's neck, painlessly ending it's life. The pitiful squeals of the other three rabbits rung out, before being swallowed up by the meadow's silence. Swiftcloud grabbed her catch by the scruff, carrying it over to the rest of the patrol.

Rabbitstorm and Tulippaw worked together to catch and kill one particularly large rabbit. Pollenpaw and Frostfeather, meanwhile, had finished off the other two on their own. Swiftcloud smiled behind her prey. Their hunt had been a complete success. Tonight, the clan would feast, better than they had in moons.

The journey home took longer than it should have. While the mollies trotted on ahead, Rabbitstorm kept falling behind. Swiftcloud guessed it was because he was tired. Tulippaw eventually fell back to help the young warrior. She allowed him to lean against her, while she helped grab hold of his prey. Rabbitstorm glanced at her gratefully, able to keep pace a little better with the assist.

It was a relief when the patrol was finally able to return home. Swiftcloud's paws felt numb from the cold, and she could use a warm meal to restore her strength from the hunt. With her companions, she delivered her catch to the fresh-kill pile. Accomplished, Swiftcloud could begin to relax. That was, until a cat came to interrupt.

"What in Starclan's name do you think you are doing?!" Snowfrost snapped. Swiftcloud twisted around to look at the angry medicine cat, disturbed by her yowling. "Why isn't Rabbitstorm in the elder's den like I instructed?"

"Was he supposed to be?" Swiftcloud questioned, a brow raising.

"Wait wait wait-" Tulippaw interjected. She turned to Rabbitstorm. "Does that mean you're sick??" She gasped, backing away three fox-lengths. Her ears lowered, green eyes round with fear.

Rabbitstorm sniffled. "It's just a chill. I'm not as sick as the rest of the clan. I was still able to hunt."

"But you are still sick. You shouldn't have been out of your den. Muchless out in the meadow catching prey." Snowfrost padded up to the fluffy lynx point tom, flanking him. She grabbed him by the scruff, tugging on it to try and lead him away.

Rabbitstorm pulled himself from the medicine cat's grip, fixing her with an icy glare. "I'm fine Snowfrost," he insisted. "There isn't anything wrong with m-" before he could say more, the fluffy tom broke out into a coughing fit. His eyelids drooped, head lowering with fatigue. Clearly, he was far from alright. In fact, Swiftcloud feared their hunting expedition might have made Rabbitstorm worse.

Snowfrost lifted her muzzle, "Uhuh," she responded snobbishly. "As I'd diagnosed earlier, you have whitecough. Come along now, you braisen kit. Let's get you inside where it's warm." Once again the medicine pressed her flank against Rabbitstorm. This time he did not recoil against her touch. He allowed himself to be guided away, silently admitting his defeat.

"Frostfeather, Swiftcloud. See to it that the prey Rabbitstorm brought back is disposed of. We don't want anyone eating that rabbit. Starclan forbid another cat fall ill from it," Snowfrost commanded before they'd walked too far away.

"Yes, Snowfrost," both mollies meowed in unison. They watched as Rabbitstorm and Snowfrost disappeared from sight, turning their attention to the fresh-kill pile afterwards. The rabbits they had brought home looked too similar to distinguish. Finding the one Rabbitstorm had carried would be tricky. Swiftcloud leaned down to give each one a sniff, hoping scent would reveal the hunter of each piece of prey. But between the fresh smell of warm meat and the snow, it was hard to detect any cat-scent. Frostfeather lended her nose to the effort, standing straight once she'd given up.

"I think it might have been this one." The silver and white tabby pointed at one of the rabbits with her tail. It was obvious that she was guessing. But a guess was better than nothing at all.

"I don't know, Frostfeather. Maybe we should discard them all. Just to be safe."

"No way. The clan needs this food. Throwing away four decently sized rabbits in Leafbare would a crime! And a huge waste." Frostfeather twitched her whiskers, a look of confidence crossing her features. "Besides, I'm positive that I've chosen the contaminated rabbit. I'm a very good guesser. Plus I'm pretty sure the spot that it's in is the place Rabbitstorm placed his kill."

Swiftcloud's fur prickled with discomfort. "I don't know..." she wanted to protest against her friend's logic. But as she thought of what to say, the words seemed to escape her.

"It'll be fiiine, I promise. Look, I'll prove it." Frostfeather snatched up the supposed bad rabbt, pushing it away from the fresh-kill pile. She then grabbed another, pulling it towards herself. She dipped her head and pulled away at the creature's fur. And before Swiftcloud could say a word, Frostfeather had already taken a bite. The silver and white tabby chewed slowly. She swallowed her food leisurely, licking her lips with a satisfied smack.

"Mm. See? There isn't anything wrong with this food!" Frostfeather purred out. Swiftcloud was still skeptical. She observed her friend for a while, waiting to see if she'd start to feel unwell. But by the time Frostfeather had finished half the rabbit, nothing had happened.

Swiftcloud was satisfied with that result, moving over to share some of the prey.

"Yeah Swiftcloud!" Frostfeather cheered as the patched molly took a bite. The meat tasted fine, and smelled as delectable as ever. Perhaps their guess was correct after all. But only time would tell. After the mollies had finished their meal, the pair moved on to warm up in the warrior's den.

A while passed. The den grew dark as the sun finally set for the evening. The remainder of the clan's healthy warriors returned to the calm of the shelter. Shadowfang was the last cat to appear. He climbed into his shared nest with Swiftcloud, licking her muzzle in greetings. He appeared to be recently fed, by the smell of rabbit on his breath.

"Did you have a good day today?" Swiftcloud asked.

Shadowfang nodded. "Ashwhisker's doing well. I went to check on the kits for him today. The three of us shared some prey, and I gave them a good wash while they fell asleep. They're such good kittens. I only pray that they survive all of this. They'll be excellent warriors some day."

"I'm sure they'll recover," Swiftcloud assured. A flashback of earlier in the day crossed her mind; the news of Cricketsong's litter dying. Swiftcloud spressed a shutter, and pushed the memory away, silently hoping the same fate would not meet these kits. Her worry did not dissipate however, and she decided it was best not to discuss any more of their clanmates right now. "How about we get some shut eye, hm? You must be pretty tired. I know I am."

Shadowfang nodded in agreement, letting out a loud yawn. The mates pulled themselves closer, curling their bodies around each other's to warm up. The comfort of one another's presence was enough to lull both warriors into a comfortable, peaceful slumber.

The next morning, Swiftcloud was woken by the sound of groaning. Shadowfang still laid beside her, separated from her grasp. His body was curled, his paws pressing into his head. He trembled slightly in their shared nest, and his breathing sounded irregular. A worrying sight.

"Shadowfang?" Swiftcloud sat up. "What's wrong?"

"I..I think I need to see a medicine cat," he confessed. The tom blinked up at his mate with dull eyes, pain clear within them.

"Oh Starclan, alright. Come on, I'll take you to the den."

"No," Shadowfang countered, forcing himself onto shaky legs. "I don't want to risk you getting sick. I can walk myself."

"We've been laying together since sunset. I've already been contaminated. There's no point in trying to stay separate now," Swiftcloud pointed out, standing up to support him. Shadowfang let out a defeated sigh, padding along with his mate to the medicine den.

Upon entry, Snowfrost and Mistyleaf could already tell there was something wrong. Snowfrost stood, swaying her tail.

"Stars. Not another one." Swiftly she brought herself to Shadowfang. She gave him a good sniff, pushing a paw against his flank. "Lay on the ground for me," she instructed. Swiftcloud took a pace back and sat down to observe as Shadowfang followed orders. Snowfrost sat down by Shadowfang's belly, placing a paw on his chest.

"Take a few long, deep breaths."

Shadowfang did as he was told. With every inhale the medicine cat put her ear closer to the tom's flank. After every exhaled she moved her paw slightly. After one final large breath, Shadowfang began to wheeze.

"Mhm, I knew it. Greencough. We'll need to move him into the elder's den right away."

Snowfrost spoke to Mistyleaf, standing back up. Shadowfang lowered his ears, and Swiftcloud resisted the urge to wail. Oh my poor Shadowfang...

Mistyleaf left no time for the mates to mour or worry. She herded Shadowfang away to the back of the den, where another sick cat was staying. Frostfeather was in a nest, laying on her back. Crust formed around her nose and her usually perky personality was dull, almost silenced. The newly sick warriors greeted each other, awaiting instructions from the medicine cats. But before she could direct them to the elder's den, it seemed like Snowfrost had some investigating to do. She turned, approaching Swiftcloud.

"Did you or did you not throw away that contaminated prey yesterday?" The medicine cat questioned accusingly.

"We did!" Frostfeather insisted hoarsely from the back of the den."Or at least..I think we did? We uh..we weren't sure exactly which one was Rabbitstorm's..."

Snowfrost glared at the tabby molly crossly. "And you didn't think to get rid of all the rabbits?"

"We couldn't," Swiftcloud defended. "The clan needed prey."

"It's-it's better for a cat to eat and catch a curable disease than to leave them hungry and gaurentee death by starvation, right?" Frostfeather chimed with a sniffle. Mistyleaf shook her head slowly, resting her tail on Frostfeather's shoulders.

Snowfrost stared at her niece, emotions unreadable. "That logic makes about as much sense as a flying hedgehog." She sighed. "Well, no use crying over past decisions. What's done is done. We need to focus on the present. Shadowfang, Frostfeather, it's time we move you to your new den." Snowfrost moved to herd the sick cats together, helping each to their paws and making them use each other for support.

"Swiftcloud... would you mind staying here for an extra heartbeat?" Mistyleaf requested softly as she approached the other molly.

"Uh..sure," Swiftcloud responded nervously. She moved to touch her nose to Shadowfang's forehead. It already felt warm, which only served to worry Swiftcloud more. "I'll come visit you soon," she promised.

"You better." Shadowfang smiled weakly, flicking his mate's ear with his tail-tip. Snowfrost passed each sick cat a bundle of wool then escorted them out of her den. Swiftcloud watched on longingly. She didn't want to leave Shadowfang. But she knew if she spent to much time around him, she would get sick too. And she knew her mate wouldn't want that. And what would Mistyleaf think? Though she wanted to be with the cats she loved, Swiftcloud knew she had to take care of herself first.

The medicine den felt quite spacious today, with only Swiftcloud and Mistyleaf left within its confines. Swiftcloud resisted the urge to look away bashfully as she caught the medicine cat's eyes on her.

"Tell me, Swiftcloud, I'm curious. When you lived with the Twolegs, did they ever take you to see the Cutter?"

"The Cutter?" Swiftcloud parroted, unfamiliar with this clan term.

"I think Snowfrost said kittypets call it the vet," Mistyleaf elaborated, twitching her whiskers.

"Oh! Well, um, yes, actually."

Mistyleaf hummed thoughtfully. "And what did they do to you when you were there?

Swiftcloud shuffled her paws. "When I was there, the vet gave me an exam. Then they jabbed me a few times with a long silver thorn before putting me back into my cage."

Mistyleaf perked up. "Ooh. Very interesting... I think I've figured out why you haven't been affected by greencough, like the rest of the clan. Its seems that you might have an immunity to it. At least for this season."

"How are you sure?" Swiftcloud questioned. The news was to good to be true.

"This may sound strange. But I believe the vet injected you with something; some kind of liquid Twoleg herbs. The thorn might have been more like a mosquito's mouth, able to take and transfer things in and out of a cat's body. In this case, it would be a preventative herb for disease."

"So I... can't get sick?" Swiftcloud asked.

Mistyleaf nodded, eyes twinkling. "That makes you a great asset during this time," she responded, taking a step closer to the other molly. "Swiftcloud, I would like to ask you for a favor. Would you be willing to act as a temporary medicine cat's assistant? Mind you, I don't make offers like this lightly. But Snowfrost and I could use the extra help."

Swiftcloud's mouth gaped slightly. She didn't know exactly what to say. But as she thought about what this job may mean, it began to grow more appealing. Becoming a medicine cat's assistant would allow her to visit sick clanmates. And it would also mean she could be more useful to the clan. After careful consideration, she was ready to give her answer.

"Of course I'll help you, Mistyleaf. It'll be an honor to assist you and Snowfrost however I can."

Mistyleaf smiled brightly. "Excellent. In that case, we'll start training you right away! The sooner you know what you're doing, the better."

#warrior cats #warrior cats ocs #wc ocs #wcs #Signs of the Moon: Moon Rise #Moon Rise #Chapter 40 #happy holidays guys #I might not be finished the book yet but I'll still provide new chapters

[sweetcatminteareblog]

hiiiii so i saw the tags on your rb of my art post (im nenestansunthings! this is just the main i never use) and like THANK YOU SO MUCH...... genuinely made me so happy seeing that

Hello! You're very welcome!! Your art was really beautiful and I hope you're super proud of yourself for how much you've improved ^u^

[Image description: a cutely stylized illustration of two people, the one on the left giving a 'good job!' star sticker to the one on the right. The palette is monochrome with pops of purple on the person on the left and yellow on the person on the right. Description end.]

#Catmint Responds #I'm happy that my comments made you happy! #Your art is great; keep it up ^u^

[rivers-children]

Chapter 5

The two mollies walked in silence as the mountain grew closer, neither wanting to risk alerting another cat. The air was tense and filled with the biting cold wind coming from the other territory. Soon they came within view of the gathering place, the trees that circled it were already empty of leaves, only adding to the biting chill running through Speckledpaw. At least the sun was still up, even if it trailed through the trees, casting long, harsh shadows across them.

Finally, they had reached the official start of their shared border with Cloudclan, and they hurried into checking it, not willing to miss a single mouse-length of territory they could push. Thankfully they had yet to run into any fresh scent, and there wasn’t any obvious attempt to push into the neutral path. Everything was fine and checked up on, now they just had to get out of there. Especially as the sun was setting, the shadows getting longer and the air colder.

“Let’s go. We can still put plenty of space between ourselves and the border before long.” Palepelt stood, gesturing with her tail for them to start going. Speckledpaw nodded, standing up as well, looking towards her mentor before something caught her eye. The bush rustled for less than a second before someone lept out towards Palepelt, and only a second more before the apprentice hurled herself at the attacker, sending the both of them rolling past the white warrior, who was frozen in complete shock.

When they came to a stop, Speckledpaw was pinning the cat by the shoulders, hackles raised. Her paws sunk far into the tom’s dense grey fur, barely able to reach the actual skin. She could only catch a glimpse of his cold yellow eyes before he lashed at her, striking her eye hard, sending her flying back against the ground as he fled. There was a heavy ringing in her ears as she struggled to get back up. Her right eye was flooded with red, no matter how much she tried to wipe away the blood. With her left she could see Palepelt consider chasing the tom further, before turning back and rushing to her apprentice.

“Speckledpaw! Are you alright? We need to get back to camp, Now!” The grown molly nudged the apprentice to her paws, guiding her back to camp as fast as they could go. Speckledpaw kept her right eye closed, pain starting to seep in as her initial burst of adrenaline wore off. “Did… did you see who that was? Was that a Cloudclan cat? And… and they really were trying to attack us…” Her tail flicked rapidly as everything sunk in. She couldn’t tell if her mentor had responded, everything sounded hazy and she only then realized they had gotten back to camp.

The next thing she knew, she was being hurried towards the medicine den, by who she couldn’t tell who since they were on her right, and Leafpaw applying a cold poultice to her eye. She could vaguely hear Palepelt explaining what happened to her aunts, before settling down into the nest at Elderbark’s request. Thankfully she fell asleep easily, pain in her eye becoming nothing more than a dull throb now.

Speckledpaw slowly stirred, blinking open one eye as she looked around in the soft morning light filtering in. Everything was still a bit hazy, but she took the time to actually get a good look at the medicine den. It was bigger than she always saw, there was a section leading further back that she had never noticed. Was that where the medicine cats were supposed to sleep? Her question seemed to be answered almost immediately as Elderbark slowly made her way out, stretching before noticing Speckledpaw.

“Good, you’re up early. That means well.” The elderly cat padded over to check on the injury, humming quietly. “Heard you were fast on the draw last night. Looks like this’ll scar over, but it will certainly give you a tale to tell.” She changed out the webs for clean ones, applying a thinner layer. As the molly turned to toss out the grimy materials, Speckledpaw spoke up slightly.

“Will… Will I still be able to see out of it?” She sat up, trying to not make too much noise as her paws rustled the bedding. Everything was a little weird to try and orient herself, and she must have stumbled a bit, as Elderbark looked back at her with a look of concern she’d never seen directed at anyone but Briarpaw.

“Yes you’ll have full vision still, though you may end up with recurring headaches.” Elderbark lightly shook her head and went back to sorting herbs. “You’ll be fine to leave the den, but you should stay in camp for at least today to make sure everything is fine.” Speckledpaw nodded, standing uneasily at first, before heading towards the rest of camp. “Um, do you… want me to bring you anything to eat?” She looked back at the medicine cat, wanting to do something to show she appreciated what the older cat did, even if it wasn’t in words.

“... Just bring me something small. And tell that Blackfoot he needs to send out one last patrol for catmint. Hopefully this time it won’t be crushed by the time it gets here.” She grumbled a little, turning her head to hide a faint smile. Speckledpaw grinned, hurrying out as fast as she could. Blackfoot was usually taking a walk around the outside of camp during the morning, she’d tell him before grabbing a fish. Thankfully, most everyone else seemed to be asleep still, especially Riverback. Otherwise her aunt would never let her leave her sight again.

She had been so focused on watching the nursery that she almost walked squarely into the deputy. “Easy there! Wouldn’t want you to poke the other eye out.” His voice was soft, like he was also trying to avoid waking anyone. “You shouldn’t be headed out of camp right now anyways.” “No, no, Elderbark wanted me to tell you something. She uh…” Speckledpaw blinked for a moment trying to remember the exact wording. “She wanted you to send out one last patrol for catmint and also not crush it this time.” The yellow tom snorted slightly, shaking his head. “I’ll see what I can do, I’ll try not to send Cinderstream on it though.”

“Thank you Blackfoot! I gotta go grab her a fish now, I’ll see you later.” She spun around, quickly trotting towards the fresh kill pile, already eyeing the various fish to pick from. Nothing too fatty, and nothing too big, Elderbark asked for a small one. Oh, there was a fresh minnow on top of the pile! Perfect. Speckledpaw gently picked it up and started back, just as the camp started waking up as a whole.

Only half a moon later, Speckledpaw had completely healed, both from the eye injury and the headaches that accompanied it. Her aunts had practically smothered her to death with concern of course, but the problem stood. They had no clue who had attacked them yet, other than most likely a Cloudclan cat was the culprit. Sprucestar had upped the amount of cats minimum on border patrols, and had already talked to Bearstar to warn the other leader. But now was the quickly approaching gathering. There they would have to directly confront Cloudclan about this, and just hope to avoid war.

“I need to go! I’d be able to see if it was someone there!” Speckledpaw was currently trying to argue her case with Riverback, who was adamant the apprentice not go, in fear she’d get hurt again. “And even if they Did wanna fight us, they wouldn’t do it at a gathering, no one would start a fight with the Ancestors watching so closely!” She gently nuzzled her aunt, trying to comfort her. “Besides, you need to relax, Elderbark says the stress is gonna make you sick again.”

Riverback let out a low sigh, shifting slightly. “Alright alright I just… don’t want to see you hurt. Just keep yourself safe, ok?” She gave her niece a swift lick on the head before settling down. Snailpatch made his way into the den, carrying a large bird. “I can take over from here Speckledpaw. Dear, look what I brought! Redwind says Springpaw tracked this down all by himself!” The two warriors chattered excitedly between each other as Speckledpaw left.

“Are you sure you want to go? You were both attacked, how do you know it won’t happen again?” Redwind was fussing, not that he’d call it that, over Palepelt, as Coppereye shook her head. They had clearly just gotten back from hunting, the fresh-kill pile was a few birds larger than before. Springpaw and Rustpaw were a bit further away, talking as Springpaw looked proud of himself.

“Redwind, Redwind, I’ll be fine. You, however, should be more worried about keeping Springpaw occupied in camp tonight. I know he’s already said he’s ok with not going, but something tells me he’s going to get antsy without his nightly walk.” Palepelt nudged her fellow mentor, shaking her head. When she spotted her apprentice, she hurried over. “Speckledpaw, I take it Riverback is letting you go then?”

Speckledpaw nodded. “Yeah, I told her I’m the one who got the best look at the guy so I should be the one to go and identify him.” She shifted slightly, a pang of phantom pain hitting her. “And I do want to be the one to point him out.” Her tone grew determined as she thought of the cat that had attacked them. She wished she had been able to get just one swipe in on him.

“All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below High Point!” Sprucestar’s voice rang out across camp as she looked over the clan. Her gaze was steely, and everyone hurried to the meeting. “As you all know, the first full moon of Leaf-Bare is here, and so the time of the gathering has come. I will not be bringing many cats due to the recent… incident.” Her voice dropped a little, her pelt bristling ever so slightly. “The cats coming with are Blackfoot, Hazeltail, Palepelt, and Speckledpaw. I ask everyone staying at camp stay in camp, and stay alert. Clan dismissed.” There was a small murmuring as she lept down.

The cats announced clustered over to the camp’s entrance, none of them saying a word. Hazeltail gave Speckledpaw a concerned look, looking as if she wanted to say something, but chose to look back at Sprucestar. “Is everyone ready to go? Be prepared for a possible fight with Cloudclan.” The group murmured in agreement, the five cats making their way out of camp. Not a word was spoken as they made their way to the gathering place, Palepelt resting her tail on Speckledpaw’s back quietly.

At any other time, Speckledpaw might have been more in awe of the blackened ground of the gathering place, radiating out from the large rock in the middle. Instead she was focused on the cats already there. As far as she could tell, they were all Pineclan, and none her attacker. Her ears perked as she spotted the large figure of Bearstar quickly approaching. “Sprucestar, it is good to see you well-'' She stopped, noticing the healing wound on Speckledpaw’s face. “What happened?”

“There was an attack. We are hoping to identify the attacker tonight. Hopefully Skystar will be cooperative, though why she broke the treaty is something else I want to know.” Sprucestar responded. “We should get ready though, they should arrive soon. Speckledpaw would you… be alright with sitting up close, so you can see the crowd better?” Her voice softened slightly.

“I’ll be fine auntie. Let’s just go, so they don’t think we know anything.” Speckledpaw started towards the stone, tail held high as she walked. She found a good spot, she could see almost the entire clearing while still being in clear sight of Sprucestar in case anything happened. As she settled down, she tried to hide the anxiety that was hitting her like a monster, not wanting anyone to worry.

The moon was almost at its peak when Cloudclan arrived, and for a second Speckledpaw grew worried. They all looked so similar, she had thought there would be more… differences. But as she looked closer, she realized none of them had the same distinct eyes as her attacker. All but… One. Panic filled her body as she realized her attacker was joining the other deputies just below the rock. Cloudclan’s deputy had been the one to attack them? 

There was some confusion on Bearstar and Sprucestar’s faces as well as they were joined by a near perfectly white cat with eyes that sent shivers down Speckledpaw’s spine. Was that not Skystar?

“Cats of all clans, gather now!” The white tom’s voice was shrill and nasally, the apprentice already didn’t like him. “As I’m sure some of you have guessed, Skystar is no longer with Cloudclan. She and her deputy Clifftongue have been exiled.”

“Exiled? Why on eart-”

“Don’t interrupt me! They were exiled for being weak. I, Coldstar, and my deputy Striketalon have taken over to bring the clan back to its former glory. As such, any treaties made before my leadership no longer exist. We demand the both of you give us part of your territories to feed ourselves this Leaf-Bare, and maybe we’ll consider letting you stay.” Coldstar was cocky, looking at the other leaders with a smug smile. Sprucestar could only gape in astonishment, before Bearstar burst with fury.

“ARE YOU INSANE? GIVE YOU OUR TERRITORY AT THE BEGINNING OF LEAF-BARE? PINECLAN WILL DO NO SUCH THING! ESPECIALLY AT THE WHIMS OF AN USURPER WITH AN ATTITUDE!” Her voice roared across the clearing, claws digging into the rock. Sprucestar, finally processing the demand, nodded. “Neither will Marshclan. Especially after one of your cats attacked two of mine on our side of the border.”

Sprucestar glanced over at Speckledpaw, the apprentice quietly gesturing to Striketalon with a paw. The leader's eyes went wide with fury. “In fact, now that I look at your clan, the attacker sticks out like a sore thumb. What kind of leader has their deputy break the first law our ancestors put down?” She towered over the Cloudclan leader, who snarled.

“You have no proof that any of my clan did such a thing. And the law was put down by cowards who couldn’t see that we were in the right. We Deserve the extra territory!” He hissed. “And if you won’t willingly give it to us, then we’ll take it.”

“You want war Coldstar? You’ll get your war. This gathering is over!” Sprucestar called, tail lashing. The Cloudclan cats quickly retreated back to their territory, a few hissing as they passed. The air felt cold and stale, the fact of war seeping into the remaining cats pelts like ice. “Bearstar, I wish to extend our personal peace treaty. Marshclan offers its support wherever it can.” “And Pineclan does the same. I can only hope they’ll be cocky enough to try and fight us in the trees. But something tells me this war will only get worse.” The two leaders shared a concerned look at the sky, new storm clouds seeming to wrap themselves around the moon.

#warrior cat #warrior cats #book 1 #chapter 4 #long post

[monsterkinkmeme]

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Stories Rated Citrus - Lime

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Simon (Male Half-Gorgon/Female Reader) by zarcake-writes

Soulmates (Male Vampire/Female Dragonborn) by smolwash

Blanket Snuggles (Male Naga/Female Reader) by impatientpandersrevised

Big Bad Wolf (Male Werewolf/Female Reader) by a-lonely-dragon

Vincent Price (Male Vampire/Female Reader) by rootbeergoddess

Temporary Blindness (Male Naga/Female Reader) by mio-parasite

The Beast Known as Scoobert Doo (Male Orc/Female Reader) by rootbeergoddess

Failed Assassination (Part 2) (Male Elf/Female Orc) by sarabat85

Family Halloween Costumes (Male Werewolf/Female Human) by otherworldly-creatures-blog

Male Monster & Genderless or Nonbinary Reader

Fluffy the Direwolf   (Male Orc/Reader) by elizabethtarington

The Bike Ride (Male Monster/Reader) by whitewolftati

Speed Date (Male Fae/Reader) by zarcake-writes

Date Cafe (Male Werewolf/Reader) by lovestoriesforthemonster

Housekeeper Wanted - (First Person Male Lich) by monstersandmaw

Burnt Cookies - (Male Demon/Reader) by strange-quiet-love

The Betrothal - (Male Moth/Reader) by your-monster-romance

The Leash - (Male Werewolf/Reader) by impatientpandersrevised

Catmint - (Male Demons/Reader) by love-and-monsters

Messy Hair - (Male Rakasha/Reader) by featherednutcase

The Trade (Reaper, Reader) by zarcake-writes

Craigslist Date (Dragonborn/Reader) by tiny-yan-anon

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark ( Male Shadow Monster/Reader) by blacklioness15

The Farrier (Male Centaur/Reader) by tiny-yan-anon

Ice Cream (Male Orc/Reader) by strange-quiet-love

The Doll (Fairy King, Reader) by seidrstoryteller

Cute Doctor (Male Demon/Reader) by blog-of-complete-trash

Bad Date (Male Demon/Reader) by blog-of-complete-trash

Beached Seahorse (Seahorse Merman/Reader) by mr-dr-riverstein

Kindness (Male Werewolf-ish Monster/Reader) by keep-it-quiet-here

Cookies (Male Orc/Genderless Reader) by a-lonely-dragon

Cookies (Male Orc/Reader) by keep-it-quiet-here

Soulmates (Male Alien/Reader) by zarcakewrites

Purloined Pastry (Male Merman/Reader) by delllonggone

Broken Nose (Male Orc/Reader) by beastborealis

Puppy Love (Multi-headed Puppy, Reader) by starlling-writes

Fairy Dolls (Fairy King, Reader) by featherednutcase

Hex (Male Orc/Reader) by exophilix

You Are the Chosen (Male Demon/Reader) by mardi-nah

Hoof of a Deal (Male Centaur/Narrator) by amorphousfurrysnakething

Thrill-Seeker (Male Hornet-Person/Reader) by featherednutcase

Tea-Leaf (Male Dragon, Reader) by crazycat-88

Don’t Look Behind You (Male Angel/Reader) by they-a-freak

Njord (Whale Merman/Reader) by keep-it-quiet-here

Vampire Roommate (Male Vampire, Reader) by blog-of-complete-trash

Vardelk (Male Goblin/Reader) by kim-monsterlings

Steaks (Male Werewolf/Reader) by mercurialmechanisms

The Violin Teacher (Male Fae(?)/Narrator) by grouptalekindnesssoulstories

Mr. Piddles (Multi-headed Puppy, Reader) by lunarreaper12

What’s the Price? (Male Fae/Reader) by blacksheep28

The Mysterious Dr. Web (Male Demon/Reader) by creaturefeatures-and-mysticyarns

In the Garden (Male Harpy, Reader) by featherednutcase

Goldfish (Merman, Reader) by strange-quiet-love

Magic Lessons (Male Dragon/Genderfluid Human) by amorphousfurrysnakething

Final Boss (Male Monster, Reader) by featherednutcase

Pay It Forward (Male Cervitaur, Reader) by featherednutcase

Bad Day (Male Werewolf/Reader) by itsbiordiebitch

Memories (Male Fae/Reader) by love-and-monsters

Forbidden (Male Angel/Reader) by mischief-over-matter

Bedsheets (Male Orc/Reader) by terato-ghosties

Spring Formal (Male Orc/Reader) by strange-quiet-love

King of Uiw’ete (Male Alien/Reader) by mardi-nah

Surprise Minotaur (Male Minotaur/Reader) by agwitow

The Hunt (Male Vampire/Reader) by demonsigh

Quarantined with a Tiefling (Male Tiefling/Reader) by love-and-monsters

Invasive Questions (Male Dragon/Reader) by blog-of-complete-trash

Stolen Pen (Male Fae/Reader) by luckipunk

Howling with Laughter (Male Werewolf/Reader) by acreepqueen

Stories Rated Lemon - Grapefruit

Touch Starved & Famine’s Lament (Famine/Female Reader) by aelia-likes-monsters & thetravelerwrites

The Forgotten Lunch (Vampire King/Female Reader) by elizabethtarington

In Heat (Male Werewolf/Nonbinary Reader) by boringid

Demon Best Friend (Male Demon/Female Reader) by khinoix

Submissive Orc (Male Orc/Female Reader) by succu-bi-sexual

This Old House (Male Monster/Female Human) by collective-laugh

Penpals (Male Tiefling/Female Human) by succu-bi-sexual

Nell & Kal (Male Troll/NB Reader, mlm) by khinoix

The Angel (Male Angel/Masc NB Reader) by Atlantits

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(Updated through Nov 30, 2022)

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[saijspellhart]

"It's not lavender... it's catmint"

This takes place early on in the AU, probably after Take My Hand but before Bully Me with Kindness. I tried to use a bit of each prompt.

The trapdoor made a startling noise when she threw it open, making her balcony visitor jump. 

“Hi, Chat.” Marinette poked her head up through the opening, smiling at the bristling akuma. His tail was completely fluffed out, ears curled back like horns as he fixed her with wide demonic eyes. 

He wasn’t on all fours like she would have expected, but his posture was still very hunched, arching the middle of his back and baring his side and shoulder to her. Very much like a cat trying to make itself look bigger and more intimidating. 

“Whatcha doing up here?” she asked, managing, but just barely, not to laugh at his dramatic display. Tikki had been the one to inform her that he was prowling her balcony. He normally didn’t poke around her house, or hang out, preferring the isolation of his own place where he would be less likely to have a run in with Ladybug. 

Chat Blanc didn’t respond to her question, still too preoccupied with his posturing. Of which she was not the least bit intimidated by. In the warm afternoon light he looked a lot less scary than how he normally appeared. 

A few scattered leaves and flower petals caught her eye, and Marienette’s attention was drawn to the carnage that befell all her balcony plants. 

All of them. Every single plant had been destroyed. Stems chewed, stalks stripped, a few pots were overturned, and the leaves that didn’t get eaten lay scattered on the ground in puddles of green stained saliva. 

“You ate. My plants.” 

Chat seemed to finally compose himself, his fur smoothing out as he relaxed against the railing. 

“I was hungry.” 

“You could have asked me for food!” 

“Or I could have stolen some food,” he countered, and shook, making his ears slap the sides of his head and sending a cloud of white cat fur into the air. He moved to hop up on the lengthier stone ledge that lined the side of her balcony. After a deep stretch he flopped down across the stone. “You should be pleased that I didn’t. How kind of me, maybe I’ll cough up an akuma because of all my selflessness,” Chat finished in a mocking tone. 

Marinette pulled herself up to sit with her legs still dangling through the opening of the door. “Oh, I’m so proud of you~,” she muttered sarcastically. “Now I don’t think you deserve this present I picked up for you.” 

That got his attention.

Chat’s entire posture went from insouciant to attentive in a manner of seconds, ear perked up and tail raised in interest. What he didn’t express with words his body expressed in It’s own language, and it continued to surprise her how much more expressive he became with his body language since becoming an akuma. 

“I didn’t destroy all the flowers,” he finally amended. “I left the lavender alone.” 

“Oh good,” she rolled her eyes. “The plant I planted to deter you, and you politely sparred it.” 

“Reward me for being so merciful,” he rumbled, rolling onto his back to expose his belly. 

“Well,” she dipped back into the room just far enough to snag a bottle off her bed using her toes. She also snagged a scarf, and dragged both things back onto the balcony with her. “I picked this up from the pet store. It’s liquid catnip.” 

Chat Blanc had the audacity to look offended. “That stuff won’t work on me, Princess. I’m not some pathetic house cat.” 

“That’s sounds like a challenge, Kitty.” Marinette held up the scarf and aimed the spray bottle at it. 

“Are you hoping it will make me play with that?” He eyed the green fabric with indifference, before turning his eyes back to her. “What if I shred it?” 

“I made this for Chat Noir, so it’s yours regardless.” Marinette smashed down the top of the nozzle and a cloud of liquid sprayed her in the face. “Shit!” 

She dropped the bottle and Chat Blanc started howling in laughter when she began furiously scrubbing at her eyes. 

“Shitshitshitshit.” 

“I was wrong, Marinette,” he snickered from nearby. “I am enjoying this.”

Marinette scooped up the bottle of nip and threw it at him. Clearly missing when she didn’t hear it connect with anything, and realizing she was probably going to have to clean it up from the street below. “Leave me alone. God damn, it burns so bad!” She tried to mop tears from her eyes, but the stinging pain kept them running. 

Chat felt a lump of guilt settle in his gut as he watched her scrub in pain. After a second of deliberation he hopped up from the ledge, and crawled down onto the lawn chair next to her. “Are you alright?” he snatched the neglected scarf from the ground, lifting it to her cheek. 

Something in the air tickled his nose, and Chat sniffed to clear it. 

“I’ll be fine,” she spat and swatted the scarf away. “I just need to wash this stuff out of my eyes.” 

He felt something rush in the base of his skull, and sniffed again. This time his pupils expanded, black almost overtaking the magenta. 

Rational thought seemed to fall away from his mind, chased out by a flood of something else, something that made his head swim and suddenly all he wanted was to rub his face all over that delicious smell. 

It hardly seemed an obstacle anymore that the delicious smell was all over Marinette’s face. 

Chat seized her hands, pulling them away from her eyes, and when she sputtered in protest he chuffed to shush her. 

“Let me,” he rumbled, moving closer until he was practically on top of her. “Let me… I can do it…” 

“What are you—“ 

Chat Blanc pressed his cheek against hers, nuzzling gently and causing Marinette to trail off into stunned silence. Then he did it again, and again. Each time pushing his cheek a little harder, and brushing his large floofy ears over her stinging eyes. 

Smells… Smells good…

A purr shuddered in his chest, bubbling up from his throat as he continued to nuzzle her. The urge to cover himself in that scent almost too intense to resist. 

He felt her shift in his hold, attempting to disentangle herself from him. “Ch-Chat, I don’t think we should…” Chat’s claws dug into the back of her shirt, causing Marinette to hiss. 

He was conscious enough to register that he hurt her and retracted his claws, but continued to mop the catnip off her face with his ears. 

A small lick, a sharp intake of breath.

The tingling urge to nip her cheek. 

His lips parted, canines brushing against sensitive skin, and he could hear Marinette sharply inhale. 

No! He jerked away, and chose to lick her forehead instead. What did people call that sort of cat behavior? A love bite? I won’t be caught dead doing that.

He made a huffing noise, more to himself than to anyone else, and continued to rub his face all over her face. He bumped his nose against her closed eyes, before dragging his tongue over one of her brows. Once that brow was clean he rubbed his ear over the spot, then continued with the next one. 

Marinette giggled when his fur tickled the inside of her nose, flinching away to tease, “I thought you said it wouldn’t work on you.” 

Chat pulled her back and nipped the tip of her nose in warning. He let out a noise like a sigh and growl, that hardly had any affect because he couldn’t seem to stop purring. “If you tell anyone about this I promise I will kill you.”

A little drabble I wrote for my Floofy-eared Chat Blanc AU, based on prompts people sent me. For more, please check out all the rest of the stories in the AU. 

#mariblanc #marichat #miraculous tales of ladybug and cat noir #akumatized chat noir #floofy eared chat blanc #chat blanc #chat noir #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #catnip #saijspellhart writes #saijspellhart answers #ask answers #prompt drabble

[starsong-dragonheart]

As a small devotional offering to Freya (or Freyja, if you prefer) on this fine late spring Friday, here's some fascinating new research about the evolution of catnip, also known as catmint!

For those curious - yes, catnip is in fact a member of the mint family, but sadly, cats don't generally have that wonderfully silly reaction to any mint but catnip.

Bonus info not in the article!

Some dogs respond to catnip, too! Most dogs don't, but it's easy to find out - just offer some to your dog and see! It's not toxic to dogs or anything like that, so as long as your dog doesn't have a documented allergy to another form of mint or one of the other plants listed in the article as containing similar compounds, it's generally considered safe enough. (obligatory but very emphatic IANAV)

Also, if you wanted to give an offering of catnip to a deity associated with cats but find yourself mysteriously nipless, you could consider making some peppermint tea, hot or cold or burning some dried mint as incense, or tossing some fresh or dried mint onto a big campfire.

If you wanted to make or do something for Freya with mint as an offering or devotional act, you could make a very strong tea with whatever kind(s) of mint you have on hand, strain (or boil for a while to concentrate it down, then strain), maybe add a little aloe gel, put it on a little spray bottle, and keep it in the fridge. As the northern hemisphere heads into summer, that will feel lovely to pull out of the fridge and spray on your face, chest, and arms (regardless of gender!) when it's hot and sticky out, and it will help care for your skin - double bonus, because not only have we linked back to Her through the mint family and catnip, She seems to deeply love self-care as a devotional act, especially from those of us for whom it does not come easily.

Remember, this stuff is water based and will go bad eventually, even in the fridge, so keep an eye on it!

In the opposite direction, I've heard that catnip (in this situation sometimes called catmint) makes a very tasty herbal tea, like most mints. Haven't tried it myself, but I'd like to! I imagine that making a cup of catmint tea and sharing it with my Lady would be rather delightful.

Hail Freya, Beloved Goddess who puts stars in our eyes and fire in our brains,

Hail Freya, Beloved Goddess who puts words in our mouths and creation in our hands,

Hail Freya, Beloved Goddess who teaches us to breathe and share and sing and fly,

Hail to you, Beloved. Hail, and be ever welcome.

#pagan #paganism #research #science #science side of tumblr #catnip #cats #catmint #peppermint #peppermint tea #mint #mint tea #evolution #Freya #Freyja #Norse Freya #Norse Freyja #norse paganism #norse polytheism #devotional polytheism #devotional post #small devotional acts #Hail Freya #my lady