-[ Fennelspots and Badgerpatch heal from their conditions]
-[Honeypaw -> Honeytide, honored for his insight.]
-[Mousepaw -> Mouseheart, honored for his justice.]
Rainflick wasn't what he would call flashy. He was a simple, humble thing, preparing the food and creating the leathers. Someone had to, and so the older tomcat did. The heat of the camp's oven was a welcome respite from the chill of morning Spring. New Leaf?
Rainflick grew up in Downyclan, where kittypet words mixed into clan words like salt and water. When Juniperstar- then Juniperstrike- took cats from all three neighboring clans, Rainflick was asked, and swiftly siezed that chance. Rainflick wasn't allowed to become a Cook in Downyclan.
He was born from two Tree Builders, cats who made the dens, tools, crafts, and the like from wood. Downyclan was a hard caste system of ruling- no cat was able to change their fate once born. Medics birthed medics, fighters birthed the fighters that would replace them, and thus left little to personal growth.
Rainflick hated woodwork. He hated the splinters and the sticky glues, the hammering and the demands... he'd rather cook and make something that others could enjoy, even if they weren't privy to the finer details. Cooking brought life back into Rainflick, just like it would others. He was taught by two lovely older cats, a pair inseparable even in death- Foxmoon and Brocketprance.
Foxmoon was the older of the two, but only by a moon or two. She was the cook of many generations, the one who agreed to show little Rainflick how to do her magic, on the side of his woodcraft apprenticeship.
Brocketprance was a metal worker- one who was as fierce as she was rebellious. His love for her wife broke the laws of the clan, but little was actually done to punish them. It didn't hurt his own blood- her uncle- was the leader-to-be. Rainflick taught Erminelilac about cooking, oven care, and about tanning hides into pelts and leather. She was more enthusiastic about hides and skin, taking to the skinning knife instead of the meat preparing.
Rainflick didn't mind- he was more inclined to the flesh and herbs than what was around it. ... that sounds creepier than he intended. The insides matter more to him? There. That sounds better. Of course Rainflick would show everyone how to wood work, seeing as most of the clan slept in an overturned, human boat. Hammers and nails forged from Downyclan were simple enough to trade for, no one else could get easy access to salt. And salt tastes GOOD. Especially in a tuber and meat dish.
Mmmm... tubers <3 He's getting off track. Wood work! Honeytide, Mouseheart, and Shimmerprickle were given many lessons on wood, and how to keep it from rotting as quick. Some pieces of the boat were too far gone, but were easy enough to repair, scavenging other wrecks futher along the coast were fruitful, if a bit exhausting. The haul was another thing Rainflick will never miss.
Mouseheart took up the bulk of woodworking. Shimmerprickle liked it well enough, doing carving and painting, but kept her duties as a fighter. Honeytide hated it just as Rainflick did. But he held his tongue and kept training it like his mom, dear sweet Meadowshade had asked. Such a mommy's boy. Speaking of... Meadowshade was an apprentice when they formed Nettleclan... he never had the chance to ask what clan she came from, because she wasn't from Downyclan.
Perhaps Quietclan? If so, she had no reaction to The Quiet's Slaughter. All those poor cats... Murmurstar or whatever she was called never showed up for any of the gatherings, it was only ever Ospreyhaven, the medicine cat and Heatharch, the mediator. Eventually even those two stopped appearing, being replaced by a skinny kittypet named Tabbytha, apparently she was made deputy. Rainflick held no ill will against human's pets, but it was clear that the shecat wasn't fit for the job. Rainflick didn't blame Mothleaf for leaving. He never blamed anyone.
Speaking of Mothleaf, she'll be ecstatic to find out Rainflick keeps being visited by ghosts in his dreams. At least, he thinks that's what's happening. They're weird, he's always warm in them, and feels as if he's falling. He's never able to land, before being woken up with a startle. It's nothing he can't deal with, but Billowspot always looks at him weird when those dreams happen, which seem to come and go like water.
~💖~
Billowspot called him for patrol, one chilly evening, along with Lavenderstep (a former loner who was good friends with Juniperstar before forming Nettleclan) and Badgerpatch. Every cat had to patrol, kept the mind sharp and the body healthy. That was present in every clan, not just Nettleclan. Billowspot wanted to bring everyone for sparing, just off the coast.
Learning to use the water as your ally in a fight, even leading attackers closer to the beach, was vital in Nettleclan fighting. Lavenderstep and Billowspot were the attackers, while Badgerpatch and Rainflick were going to be the ones ambushed in the mallow field.
"... Badgerpatch, do you ever dream?" Rainflick made small talk as Billowspot and Lavenderstep headed to plan their attack. Badgerpatch stretched out his chubby hind legs and sighed.
"Well, not too awful cert'n. I only ever dream of cats I knew from b'fore I joined the clans, my old home... did I ever tell you me and Jupitermask were neighbors?" Badgerpatch flopped over and purred, getting his pelt nice and smelly. Rainflick sat down, and started grooming out the mats from the dense furred tom. Poor guy was apparently bred with the idea of having nice, thick fur.
"I... guess that makes sense. I meant more of... Starclan, or- or your ancestors. Do you think you get... dreams from them?" Rainflick spat out a clump of fur that was too tight and had to be chewed off.
"Nah, I don't. I'm not a huge believer 'n stuff like that, no offense, so I don't see why they'd want to send ol' me anything important. Ain't that what Perch an' Mothleaf are for?" Rainflick rested his nose in Badgerpatch's belly as he thought, deeply.
"I... suppose that's right. They're the ones most connected to Starclan- most if not all Herbalists have some form of attachment or way of communing... I just... have strange dreams, is all. My sleep is... fraught with the feeling of falling through air, and... well, not to speak of the dead as if I knew them well, but that's how two of our dearly departed have gone. Pebblespeck, that poor darling, he fell... and Longriver... dear sweet Longriver..." Rainflick sighed and shook his long snout out. "I shan't. You get the point. I just... feel as if it has to mean something. Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong perspective." Badgerpatch hummed, deep, and made Rainflick shiver with warmth.
"Y'might be onto somethin'. Maybe it could be Pebblespeck askin' to be buried next ta Long'n? Don't know if that's possible, heard there ain't no way out once yer inside one 'a them caves." Badgerpatch stretched his front legs and allowed Rainflick to detangle the fur in his armpits, then under his colorful collar. Rainflick pulled away, a long strand of fur sticking to his tongue, and scanned the horizon.
"Unless we get a metalworker and a lot of courage, than it'll be impossible. I doubt that's what they're asking, anyhow. My dreams... they're black, no seeing. Only feeling. They also feel warm... not hot, or burning... just.... warm."
He saw a splash of bright ginger against the blue-grey sky, and felt excitement prickle his paws. "Quick, Billowspot and Lavenderstep are making a move. You get closer to the water while I lure them there!"
Shimmerprickle was babysitting the kittens, as was her duties as campkeeper. Sporekit was snoozing lazily under the shade cast of the Herbalist's rocks, while Sorrelkit and Chasingkit wrestled. Larkkit and Warmkit were both fearfully taking turns putting their little paws in the tide pools that made the outter border of camp, right next to where Shimmerprickle sat. She was always there to be a big sister to the little balls of nervous floof, especially now that they were up and walking. She hoped to mentor one of them when the time came- Sorrelkit, especially. He was spunky and would go along great with her prima donna attitude.
She barely felt the bite when the snake sank its teeth into her. She blinked and looked over to the small snake, a bright orange-yellow thing, with pink-red eyes. It had darker yellow spots, and a scoop shaped nose. It dug into her fur more, like she was a mouse, and it hit skin. Only them did she hiss in pain, and bit at it. Warmkit and Larkkit looked over as she tore it off her, leaving a gnarly looking wound in her right shoulder, and began crying- loudly. They ran straight for Greydrizzle, babbling and talking over each other. Shimmerprickle rolled her eyes and followed them, the snake making a foul smelling musk as she walked. Gross.
Greydrizzle began making a bandage and herbs slop mixture when Mothleaf and Perch got a good look at the snake that bit Shimmerprickle.
"Oh, thank Starclan, that's not a rattlesnake!" Mothleaf sighed, watching as Shimmerprickle set it down. The snake, oddly, turned belly up, stuck out its tongue, and stopped breathing as heavily.
"How do you know?" Shimmerprickle asked, flipping the snake over, to which it flopped back over and musked. Again.
"Well, for one, it's really small, and the tail has no big segments on the end. And for two, that behavior! This is what Quietclan calls a 'Puff Adder'! They're huffy little things, only mildly venomous. You'll be fine with a bit of poultice, you might get a bit of irritated skin, or like you've been stung by a bee. We'll have to monitor you for any allergic reaction- Murmurstar had- has... a pretty bad reaction to Puff Adder bites." Mothleaf morosely looked at the adder as it refused to participate in the conversation. Perch put a paw on its neck and it wriggled around.
"I wonder how a snake like this got here. It's too... bright. A hawk or... some other critter would've already made it their lunch at this point." He picked it up gently, making sure to keep his mouth over its neck, so it couldn't move its head to bite.
"Twolegs sometimes keep them things as pets." Badgerpatch said, leading in a tired looking patrol of Slipgoose and Meadowshade. "By the way, Perch, next time you an' yer," he cast a scathing look at Mothleaf, "ladyfriend, wanna go rollin' th' clovers, TELL US WHAT THE NINE HELLS TANSY LOOKS LIKE!" Badgerpatch hissed, hackles raised. Perch held his jaw open as he scoffed, face red. Mothleaf hid her face in her fur, as Meadowshade put a paw over the snake Perch accidentally dropped.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I HAVE A MIGRAINE!" A weak but still feisty voice screeched back. Poor Fennelspot. Greydrizzle lead Shimmerprickle over to an empty nest, close to Honeytide, who was still stricken with a mangled tail. His heat exhaustion had left him, along with Rainflick's heat stroke. Shimmerprickle settled down nicely as Greydrizzle began dressing her bite, two little sets of eyes watching.
Warmkit was the first to approach, ears and tail tucked as she waddled up to Shimmerprickle. "S-sorry I din't tell you sooner..." She sniffled. Shimmerprickle just smiled and pulled the kitten closer, and licked her wild fur calm again.
"It's okay, baby girl, you're not the one whose supposed to keep the camp safe by her lonesome. I was the one who should've been watching out." She cuddled Warmkit close as Larkkit scrambled over, huddling into her left side. "Same goes for you, little sunbeam! I'm not mad at either of you." Larkkit didn't say anything, but his body untensed. Shimmerprickle laid down fully, 'trapping' Warmkit in her paws and under her chin, as she began to give the baby a bath.
~~~
Outside the medicine den, Sorrelkit found an opening in the walls of camp, a tunnel just barely kit sized, that he could squeeze through. Nobody knew, and he always made sure to come back home before too long. But his confidence grew more and more with each visit. Soon, he thought, he'll try catching his own prey! That'll make him a warrior even before his siblings! Maybe next moon, when he's three whole moons? That was the age a big bad leader from a long forgotten clan made kittens like him apprentices, but it'll be all right!
