up all night [p]

[chanterellegaze ☾]

a relaxing susurrus set the background to chanterellegaze's night. it was the ferns outside the healer's den rustled by the cool newleaf breeze. in the cave beneath the boulders that made up her den, it was dark but for a few slivers of moonlight flickering across the mossy floor. the medicine cat was silent as she sorted through her herb stores. 

with newleaf's arrival, the time to replenish her stocks and get rid of last season's dusty medicinals had come. she'd spent the day sleeping but for a short visit from wolfpaw. the clumsy apprentice had needed her to dislodge a thorn from his paw; not an uncommon complaint. she told the maine coon to be more careful and sent him on his way to look after the elders, before returning to her sleep. 

when the moon rose, the pallid bengal had walked alone into the pines. without carefully following any particular path, she'd simply gone to and fro, collecting leaves, flowers, stems, and roots, as she saw them. when her jaws were laden with herbs and her paws were tired, she returned to shadowclan camp. it was well illuminated by the full moon, and she nodded in passing to a few warriors headed out for a moonhigh patrol. 

here in her den, chanterellegaze would work until the sun rose, taking pleasure in the simple act of organization and preparation. it wasn't uncommon for a shadowclan cat to be nocturnal like she, and her clan was well accustomed to her tendency to doze throughout the day, only waking as needed. she loved the night, quiet and still, cool and serene. with silverpelt above, she felt closer to starclan than in the day.

notes// first post with chanterellegaze! mentions my other shadowclan cat, wolfpaw ☾ . it's a few hours before dawn, full moon (like IRL!), newleaf, and she's in her den. come harass her with injuries or have deep late night talks w/ her, whatever floats your boat. 

edited to add: now private for hazelstar

[hazelstar]

she rather liked the chill of winter and the way it permeated her bones. newleaf brought with it the promise of summer and the thick, wet air that would drown each and every cat living in the marshy lands populated by shadowclan. it was, perhaps, the only gripe she had about her clan.

the previous day had been spent on dawn patrol, with one of her kits tagging along, in addition to a warrior and apprentice. it'd been uneventful. not that hazelstar wished for it to be eventful, perse, but one can never truly know what the other clans are up to. windclan's border was fine; no signs of infractions, but still, she worried.

now that the seasons were changing and the pine forests began to teem once again with life, things would get easier. there would be less grumbling stomachs than of that in leafbare: an acceptable tradeoff, in her opinion. it was these types of thoughts that the dilute tortoiseshell mulled over as she lay sleepless and alone in her den.

finally, after what had felt like hours, the leader rose and exited her den, without even giving her body a quick shake to feign that she cared what she might look like now in the dead of night. the stars above were shrouded in the occasional cloud, but the moon shone brightly. it'd been just a few days since the clans had last gathered.

peering about, hazelstar noticed a few cats still stirring, and perhaps the remainder of what would have been the moonhigh patrol. nodding to them as she passed, the she-cat gave a half-smile before slipping into the den of the shadowclan medicine cat. "good-" foxdung! what time of day was it, anyway. "evening? morning?" she piped up with a shrug. "chanterellegaze ☾ , i'm in desperate need of an insomnia fix." hazelstar half-murmured, half-grumbled.

[chanterellegaze ☾]

chanterellegaze was wrapping a few puny juniper berries in ivy leaves to store them when the quiet rustling of the ferns at her back grew louder. she studied the deep blue berries critically a moment longer, then reassured herself that they'd be bigger and more plentiful soon with the coming heat. the medicine cat tucked the bundles away in a crevice in the rocks before turning to greet her guest.

"hazelstar ," the pale bengal greeted, raising icy blue eyes to her leader's face and assessing the emotions there. the patched maine coon certainly looked tired and on edge, her long, fluffy fur ruffled and sticking out in all directions. chanterellegaze's whiskers twitched. "i can give you some leaves of thyme to chew on," the spotted cat meowed, already turning to seek out the small, delicate leaves she'd been lucky to discover just hours ago.

"is there something on your mind?" the healer ventured to ask, though already aware that of course there would be something on the leader's mind. whether she wanted to share it or not was another question entirely.

[hazelstar]

her pale-hued eyes fell upon the pale bengal she-cat before her, tracing the patterns on her side. "bah, thyme. now i'm thinking of that blasted thymestar and pesky windclan." the torbie maine coon muttered, shaking her head. "is that the only cure? i suppose if it is..." hazelstar trailed off, peering about as her eyes adjusted to the inside of the medicine cat's den.

as chanterellegaze ☾ inquired about what was on her mind, the shadowclan leader paused. it made her feel comforted just that some cat might ask, but the problem really lay in that she wasn't quite sure what was bothering her. "perhaps i'm just a bit sad that our tensions with them will be falling off, what with warmer weather and more ample prey." was it wrong to enjoy the little bit of drama that came from her own passive aggressive remarks two gatherings ago, when windclan had been accused of stealing their prey.

drawing back to the issue at hand, hazelstar let out a quiet sigh. "why am i not tired? i was on dawn patrol, for starclan's sake!"

[chanterellegaze ☾]

the medicine cat snorted at her leader connecting the little leaves and windclan's leader. she hadn't even thought of it. "i've plenty of poppy seeds, though they might be a bit stale," chanterellegaze mused, setting aside the fresh thyme and shifting a few of the dusty stems about as she collected the dark seeds. she wouldn't give hazelstar more than two or three. the bengal gently shook the seeds from her paw onto an ivy leaf to keep them from simply getting lost in the dim den. she lay the leaf at hazelstar's feet, gesturing for her to take the medicine.

"only you would be sad to have the hares done with nipping at our sides," the medicine cat remarked wryly. she'd never known the thrill of battle, only tended to the wounds of injured clanmates. though she held no special love for windclan, chanterellegaze was pleased enough that there'd be less messes for her to deal with in the coming season. no need for hazelstar to risk losing a life over some silly trifles. 

the bengal smiled at her leader's agitation. "you're not so elderly as me," she joked, though only a few moons hazelstar's senior, and both of them quite young besides. "i slept almost all day, it was lovely. the only visitor was wolfpaw with another thorn in his paw." she mentioned the fluffy tom that was the other's grandson, already prone to finding trouble despite being in his first moon as an apprentice. 

[hazelstar]

pleased that her distaste for the association of thyme and windclan could be accomodated for, the maine coon tortie let out a chuckle. "a miracle-worker, that's what you are." the leader teased, carefully pulling the ivy leaf closer to her and lapping up the dark, black seeds. it'd been so long since she'd taken any poppyseeds that hazelstar had no insight on how long they would take to go into effect. as it was, it didn't seem she was bothering chanterellegaze ☾ any.

snorting at the medicine cat's response, she grinned a bit devilishly. "drama is fun, especially when it's not our own clanmates fighting amongst themselves." the shadowclan molly teased aloud, her eyes dancing. "you don't like it when we make more work for you?" the tip of her tail touched the bengal's shoulder as she scrunched up her black-swathed nose.

elderly! pah, thankfully she knew that chanterellegaze was being playful. if it'd been a regular warrior, perhaps she might have had a sharp reprimand for the cat, but instead, she tossed her eyes jokingly skyward, shaking her head. "oh, that wolfpaw. he seems trouble," hazelstar paused, thinking. "not like a troublemaker, just... a cat who inadvertently draws in trouble, you know?"

[chanterellegaze ☾]

she watched hazelstar taking the poppy seeds. chanterellegaze tucked the leaf away with the others for storing herbs in the future. ivy leaves were abundant in their territory, but one couldn't have too many. they were good for all sorts of things. "i am but a humble servant of starclan," the pale she-cat replied with theatric solemness. 

the medicine cat playfully swatted the patched she-cat's tail away. "as a matter of fact, no!" in truth, things were a bit slow ever since her mentor, bluepool, had passed on. she was still young to take an apprentice of her own, though starclan only knew what the future might bring. any litter held the promise of a potentially apt young student for her. in the meantime, her life was a lot of napping, walking in the woods, providing counsel here and there. occasionally she'd dust off her hunting skills, and keeping her stores well organized and stocked did take up a good deal of time. it was a solid existence, really, and she wanted for nothing more. certainly not an all out war between shadowclan and windclan that might bring blood and devastation. that kind of excitement was not for her!

"gets that from your side of the family, i'd wager?" the spotted cat joked. the maine coon blood certainly seemed to run thick in hazelstar's descendants. why not a bit of a penchant for attracting trouble, as well? she was never much for paying attention to the apprentices, but she couldn't help but share her leader's feelings. there was something about the apprentice. she expected she'd be seeing him in her den a healthy pawful of times more before he got his warrior name. 

[hazelstar]

"you really believe in that stuff, huh." the leader deadpanned. it was pretty impossible for cats of their ranks to deny the existence of their spiritual and actual ancestors. having communed with them for the first time was jarring, but it'd happened so many moons ago now - and since - that nothing phased her about it now.

sure, it was sad sometimes to see cats scorn the clan; hazelstar herself used them in every day insults and modifiers, naturally. but, somehow, knowing that her own disbelief was shaken and rattled to the core, turned into something quite ways down the line from devout, gave her hope. when all else failed, there could be guidance from the clans' shared histories.

at the bengal she-cats joke, hazelstar scoffed. "i'm too young to have grand-kits, chanterellegaze ☾!" she whined, throwing her head up melodramatically. "and no- my kits are all dramatic; wolfpaw is just unlucky. there's quite a difference." the leader clarified, adding a sniff at the end to punctuate the finality on that subject. "have you ever, y'know..." pah, was it rude to ask? "wanted to take an apprentice?"

[chanterellegaze ☾]

a bark of laughter erupted from chanterellegaze at the leader's comment, taking her by surprise. "yeah, what a fool i am!" the medicine cat exclaimed, as though in agreement with an unspoken statement. chanterellegaze was lucky. she hadn't had much to question in her life; in hindsight, her path had unfolded before her like a wide river without any bends or twists, each obstacle clear, the choices right before her. she had always known she'd be bluepool's apprentice, always known she'd be a medicine cat. never doubted starclan's existence or plan for her. like anyone, there were days that she wondered, well, is this it? but for the most part, she ignored those quiet thoughts, diving into her work further when they arose. she refused, steadfastly, to consider the possibility of discontent within herself. 

"apparently not," was her light answer to hazelstar 's assertion that she was too young to be a grandmother. life moved fast in the forest clans, and chanterellegaze knew few cats lived as long as bluepool had, counting dozens upon dozens of seasons. some lived and died like flames, brought into being and then quickly extinguished. she hoped hazelstar would not be one such cat. 

"an apprentice? what would i need one of those bothers for?" the bengal meowed, lashing her tail. the sarcasm softened out of her tone after a moment. "one of these days, i suppose. it might be nice to have someone else to share the den again. a little brat to look after." 

chanterellegaze tipped her head to the side, peering at the torbie in the gloom. "planning on getting rid of me, are you?"

[hazelstar]

hazelstar cracked a smile at chanterellegaze ☾, though her mouth dared to turn it into a smirk. "a fool? you? never." mewed the tortoiseshell. her eyes swept across the herb stores, a quiet chortle shaking her bodice. "a fool would be me trying to make sense of this organization!" she breathed in awe, stepping closer and peering at the little packages of herbs and other remedies.

"what's the scariest thing you've got?" the shadowclan leader asked, raising a brow curiously as she stood near her clanmate. surely every medicine cat had herbs they hated, right? thankful that she only had to organize cats - and with the help of a deputy - the maine coon molly nodded her head solemnly. it was this - and the chastity - that had ensured she'd never be a medicine cat.

when chanterellegaze commented on her age, she scowled, not bringing up the fact that of the two, she was younger. instead, she focused more on the chatter that was coming out in a spluttering mess. "alright, alright, no apprentice for you just yet." laughed the torbie cat, whiskers moving as her mouth moved into a closed smile. brat! hah, that was one word...


taken by surprise at the pale bengal's next words, hazelstar held back a laugh. "oh, yes! you've discovered my plan. more than i hate windclan, i hate you, chan." hazelstar mewed bluntly, blinking her eyes boredly at the pretty medicine cat before cracking up. "please, what would i do without you? see the whole clan die after a single spat?"

ooc: in b4 you dm me the pronunciation of "chan" or "chanterelle" -> shan

[chanterellegaze ☾]

chanterellegaze only managed to roll her eyes. "it's not that complicated," she meowed impatiently, though privately pleased by hazelstar 's apparent appreciation for her work. "over there we've got the last of the marigold from last season, it hasn't started blooming again yet," she swept her tail to indicate the old leaves, with faded yellow and orange petal interspersed. "and there- that's catmint, mostly found in twoleg gardens. luckily this leafbare wasn't too bad for greencough, but i'll still need to get more as soon as i can." taking pleasure in the little lesson, and knowing hazelstar was probably absorbing only about half of what she was saying, the spotted cat continued on- "that's a bit of wild garlic, there. it's best if cats roll in it, so i don't keep much in the den. better to go out and find a patch in the pines." 

the medicine cat frowned at her question. "well, i have a few foxglove seeds hidden back here somewhere..." chanterellegaze mewed hesitantly. "i was experimenting with using them in small amounts to help warriors with troubled breathing. but they can easily kill a cat if one takes too many. the worst part is, they look just like poppy seeds." she smiled in a way she hoped was reassuring to the leader- "not to worry, i keep them far away from the poppy heads."

realizing she'd been rambling on, she quieted for a moment. at hazelstar's declaration of loathing for her, the healer feigned immense distress. there was a certain joy in being indispensable, needed by her clan. perhaps that was what she loved most about being a medicine cat. to be a leader or deputy was the path of ambition for most, but few seemed to appreciate the power a healer held. it was a great responsibility to bear. but she was more than capable of bearing it. 

"i only thought you might have tired of my agreeable, charming personality, and decided to replace me," the bengal meowed, whiskers twitching. 

[hazelstar]

it astounded her how much knowledge one cat could possess. though, it did help that the medicine cats could co-conspire once a moon, swapping tips and news, exempt for the most part from the dramas that instead faced leaders and deputies. their power was derived more from a ceasefire, one that put health first, above all. hazelstar wondered how that might look among the leaders of the four clans. laughable, most likely.

"praise be to starclan," she murmured in reply, when @chaterelle mentioned the lack of greencough this past season. it was a blessing, truly, that shadowclan had only had a few not full stomachs from time to time. otherwise, aside from the bit of drama, things had been calm. peering up at the bengal she-cat, she blinked, confused. "why on earth would a cat roll in garlic?"

her concern bubbled up, becoming visibly apparent on her face as chanterellegaze explained the similarities between poppyseeds and foxglove seeds. "so that's why i feel so light-headed." hazelstar cracked, rolling her eyes jokingly as the other molly continued. snorting as she mentioned her charming personality, the shadowclan leader took a seat opposite of where her companion was hard at work. "if personality determined our roles and not skill, then i rather think some other cat would be leader."

[chanterellegaze ☾]

"good for rat bites," the medicine cat answered. "what, you made it all the way to leader of shadowclan and never got bit by a rat? hazelstar , i'm impressed," chanterellegaze purred, an amused expression in her blue eyes. she'd been in the healer's den since she was just a kitten, but it wasn't as though she could remember every injury, illness, and mishap that had befallen each and every shadowclan cat in that time. "burdock root is good for rat bites too, but i've run out and not been able to find any yet this season." 

the bengal did look a bit concerned at her companion's remark. "do you? perhaps it's time for you to lay down and actually get some rest, then," the she-cat suggested through narrowed eyes. they didn't need their leader getting injured or worse from being overtired and overworked all the time. chanterellegaze peered at the sky from a small opening in the cave, trying to determine its color. it didn't look like dawn would be arriving for a bit longer. still time for hazelstar to sneak in a nap, or even longer, if she just left the deputy in charge for awhile. for her part, the medicine cat would likely continue arranging her stocks and mentally preparing for the next herb gathering trip until near sunhigh, when she would rest again.

"i suppose i'd have been made an elder on my sixth moon, then," she joked in return. shadowclan could have a worse leader than hazelstar, even if she was a bit hot headed at times. the clan ought to be grateful, chanterellegaze thought. 

[hazelstar]

at chanterellegaze ☾'s concern, hazelstar smiled warmly. "glad some cat is concerned with my well-being," she mewed, punctuating the statement with a laugh. nodding, the dilute tortie felt a yawn start to tear open her mouth, and she sighed as she exhaled through it. "i think you're right."

blinking away the dampness in her eyes from the yawn, hazelstar stood and pushed forward into a deep stretching, shaking her paws as she finished extending them. "chanterellepaw, elder! ha!" chortled the shadowclan molly, another yawn daring to escape her. "thanks for the help, i hope you don't see me again soon in the dead of night, chanterellegaze." with that, the leader turned and trotted out, returning to her own den to sleep the rest of the night through, at least, she hoped.