Herb Hunting {Cloudpaw & Heatherflower}

HEATHERFLOWER
Sweet as a flower.

Heatherflower stepped out of the brambles behind Cloudpaw. She lifted her head, enjoying the sunny weather after all of that rain. Turning to Cloudpaw, she meowed "We should be able to find it all in the forest patch." she meowed as she started in the direction. Her mind filled with the memories of coming out here alone most of the time looking for all of the good places to find herbs as the other clan medicine cats taught her.

Cloudpaw
Fighting the storm inside

cloudpaw followed Heatherflower easily. He kept his nose peeled for the scent of herbs. He looked around at the medow glad the sun was finally shining on their backs. His eyes drifted over to her and he noticed that she had a glaeming look in her eyes.
"did you used to do this a lot?" he asked, getting in step with her.

HEATHERFLOWER
Sweet as a flower.

Heatherflower nodded. "It really wasn't that long ago that I came out here the first time looking for herbs. Magicdream, the medicine cat before me, had taken me out herb hunting one day. It was very exciting for me, and I was still only a kit!" then her look turned soloum "Then he fell ill just when I had been made his apprentice, not a few days afterwords he died. When the Clans went into the mountains because of a flood the other medicine cats heard the story and promised to teach me. I think it was a little harder then usual because they didn't know where the herbs grew and neither did I. I spent a lot of time out here looking for the best spots."

Heatherflower did saw the forest patch coming closer. "Here we are." she meowed as she entered the tree covered area.

Cloudpaw
Fighting the storm inside

Cloudpaw followed her into the forest area. Even when his mentor had been around he didn't come here much. He always thought of it as the Thunderclan territory. But none the less he followed Heatehrflower. soon his nose caught the scent of marigold.
"There's some marigold over here." he said starting that way. He was proud he had found some.

HEATHERFLOWER
Sweet as a flower.

Heatherflower walked under the shade of the trees. The cool air and not being able to see the sky she knew well was a little frightening, but still she knew that this was the best place to find those herbs. It wasn't long before the fragrant scent of marigold hit her, and then Cloudpaw spoke.

The medicine cat nodded and walked over to where Cloudpaw was heading. The small golden flowers were plentiful in here, and Heatherflower instructed Cloudpaw. "Grab the steam, like this." she meowed as she bent down and grabed ahold of the green steam with her mouth. Through it she mumbled out "As close to the ground as you cat get and pull." Heatherflower then pulled and the steam broke off. Placing it down on the ground she meowed "Sometimes you pull the roots up with it and that is fine too."

Cloudpaw
Fighting the storm inside

Cloudpaw padded over to the plant and bent down securing the stem in his jaw. He started pulling. No matter how hard her tried it wouldn't come up.
Come on mouse brain. you're getting beat by a plant. he muttered to himself. He pulled again a little harder this time. There was a small ripping sound and the plant came up roots and all, making cloudpaw stumble back as dirt rained on him.
"Maybe that was too hard." he muttered putting the plant down. She shook the dirt out of his fur feeling the heat of embarrassment slowly rise.

HEATHERFLOWER
Sweet as a flower.

Heatherflower giggled. "It takes practice, I still have trouble with it too." moving over to another one, she pulled it out and then meowed to Cloudpaw "If you could pull out, maybe three more. We should be good on marigold. I'll start looking for burdock and poppy."

The calico she-cat started to head a little deeper into the forest, in the general direction of the lake, but near ThunderClan territory. She knew of a patch of Poppy that grew near it. She hoped they would be as lucky with the poppys as they had been the marigold. Please don't let it be washed away.

Cloudpaw
Fighting the storm inside

Cloudpaw nodded and started getting to work on the last three plants. He turned slightly watching Heatherflower leave. He blinked slightly.
I pray that we won't be found a trespassing. He silently thought working on the second root. He kept working digging at the root trying his best not to tear the stem. He soon got it up and the last one came easily. He picked them up going to follow Heatheflower.

HEATHERFLOWER
Sweet as a flower.

Heatherflower sent up silent praise to StarClan. The Poppies, thought a little droopy, seemed to have thrived in the rain. Smiled at the large patched so started to bite off the heads and pulled off some leaves.

She had completed her task when she heard something behind her, turning she saw Cloudpaw and smiled. "Come on, lets go find some burdock. That'll be the hardest."

Cloudpaw
Fighting the storm inside

Cloudpaw nodded, since his mouth was full of marigold. With the plant in front of his nose he couldn't really smell anything. He set them down then slwoly looked around. Something caught his nose and he started forward, picking up the herbs again. soon there was a small trickling noise and cloudpaw perked his ears.
the river...maybe there's some that way. he thought.

HEATHERFLOWER
Sweet as a flower.

Heatherflower sat the poppies beside the marigold. "We can leave them here and pick them up on our way back." she meowed. Seeing that Cloudpaw was looking in the direction of the river, she meowed. "How abot you try to find the spot of burdock?"

Cloudpaw
Fighting the storm inside

Cloudpaw nodded and set the Marigold beside the Poppy. He perked his ears listening and started looking for a scent. The river was making it hard but he kept searching. He padded forward a little bit keeping his ears strained for other sounds. Soon the sent form the den crossed his nose.
"Heatherflower, I'm sure I've found some over here." he said turning his head slightly to look at the she-cat.

HEATHERFLOWER
Sweet as a flower.

Heatherflower followed behind Cloudpaw, he mouth stayed shut. He was heading in the right direction to the burdock. And when she heard him meowed 'Heatherflower, I'm sure I've found some over here' she went over to the spot and nodded. "Very good Cloudpaw." she meowed, beaming at the white apprentice.

Going over to the burdock, she started to dig at the ground around one. "Now, you just dig around it like this, and then pull it out. But try not to bit into it or anything like that." she meowed before bending down and gently pulling out the plant, roots and all. "We should only need three more. We'll save the rest for when we need them again."

Cloudpaw
Fighting the storm inside

Cloudpaw nodded and started digging at another one. He easily got around it and then pulled it out with no problem.
These are way easier than the marigold. he thought, amused with himself. he laid that one beside the other and he froze scenting a mouse near by.
"Are you hungry heatherflower?" he asked quietly, trying not to scare it.

HEATHERFLOWER
Sweet as a flower.

Heatherflower pulled out the last burdock root that she needed. Her nose was over whelmed by the the strong, bitter smell of the plant that she didn't notice the smell of food. But when she heard Cloudpaw's voice, she gently dropped the root. As the smell of the plant left her nostrils, the smell of mouse filled their spot. The words that came from Cloudpaw's mouth only made her stomach rumble in anticipation of food.

"I sure am." she mewed quietly as to not scare off the prey.