Blossoms on the Moor (tag Thrushtail)

[Yoko]

The smell of fresh herbs flowering on the moor swirled beneath his nose as the WindClan Medicine Cat padded calmly towards the fence. Beneath his paws, the grass was soft with dew and springy. Above his broad head the Sun was just above the horizon. The wind ruffled his thick brown fur more, but this did not incite the tom to speed up or slow down. He walked on with quiet dignity, though surely there was no one to impress.

He reached, at last, the dense clumps of flowers lay gathered amongst the fence posts. He approached and sniffed each one, although he knew them all by sight. There were the tall stems and yellow heads of Golden Rod, broken up by the smaller white and yellow flowers of Coltsfoot. A few tail lengths from them were the petite sweet smelling flowers of Lavender, from which he had earned his warrior name. Yes, as dangerous as this place may be in its proximity to two-legs and dogs, the plants here were too important to pass up. He supposed the earth was very healthy here, enabling so many little lives to grow.

Not to be distracted a moment longer, Birchnose begin scenting for the freshest of the flowers, and nipping them sharply at the bottom of their stems. He felt no remorse at cutting down such beauty for his Clan's health. After all, if he didn't pick off a few now, then surely the plants would choke themselves out and wither. This was a mutual exchange between plant and cat, Birchnose assured himself. And so immersed was he in work, that he failed to pick up a scent that was quite dear to him.

[Ki]

Thrushtail hadn't followed Birchnose. No, of course not! She'd just...decided to go hunting. New the Twoleg Farm, for no apparent reason. Well, in any case, she'd managed to catch two mice before happening to see Birchnose just a little ways ahead of her, sniffing flowers. For a moment she sat there, admiring how the wind ruffled his fur. Some part of her, the good little Thrushtail, knew that it was wrong to think that way about him. Birchnose was the medicine cat. He was the medicine cat. Also known as the only tom in the Clan who could never, ever, under any circumstances, have any kits. But she couldn't help it.

Thrushtail padded over to Birchnose's side and purred. "Hello, Birchnose." She looked at the flowers. Were they for her, she wondered? Or was Birchnose just collecting more medicine? She hoped it was the first thing. Then she could brag about it to her friends. Not the Birchnose part, at least. They'd be upset. No...she'd just say the tom of her dreams had given her flowers. Yes, that seemed nice. It was braggy without being too braggy. "What're you doing out here, sniffing flowers?" she mewed teasingly.

[Yoko]

His fur was ruffled immediately, but not in a bad way, by the sound of a familiar voice. He knew it was wrong, but just for a moment, he allowed himself to feel joyful at the sound of her voice. It was Thrushtail, he knew it without looking at her. The ever-energetic warrior was always interesting to see. He had grown quite good at picking out her voice in the chatter of camp, or spotting her pelt in the distance. This was harmless of course. He was a cat of great honor and dignity, and could not allow himself to fall into that age old trap.

Without daring a glance at the she-cat, he turned away to hide a small smile. "No, unfortunately, some of us have no time for such luxuries," oddly, his tone lacked the bitterness of the actual words. "I am collecting these for more stores, of course. Greenleaf will not last forever, after all. Speaking of which, I'm guessing the moor is still prey-full."

He turned to look at her for the first time this morning, stifled a gasp at her beauty in the morning glow, then regained his composure. His expression was calm and his eyes were steady. "That's a nice catch you've made. Isn't it a bit early for hunting patrol?"

[Ki]

He said she'd made a nice catch! He said she'd made a nice catch! Thrushtail almost swooned. Suddenly she was bounding around in the stars, weightless and laughing. It took her a moment to bring herself back down. She shook her head lightly, as if trying to get a bug out of her ear. Thrushtail did her best to sit up and look composed. "Oh...I just decided to come out on my own. We've got a Clan to feed, after all!" She mewed like a good little warrior.

Thrushtail sat down proudly beside her two kills, her chest puffed out slighty. "Besides, I don't like hunting patrols. There are too many cats all at once. And the older warriors always manage to tell you you're going something wrong." she mewed.

[Yoko]

Birchnose's whiskers twitched in amusement at her awkward little move. Was something really in her ear? He doubted it, and that made it all the more sweet. He turned back to his work, not trusting himself to keep a straight face. He listened patiently to her critique of hunting patrols. He clipped a few more flowers by the stems, then placed them in a pile on the ground.

"Critique your hunting? By the look of that piece of prey I'm sure you're fine," he mewed, then dropped his voice a bit more. "Besides, those who can't hunt well are more than likely the same ones criticizing."

He knew he probably shouldn't. But he couldn't just let it slide. After all, she was a good hunter, a loyal warrior serving her Clan so early in the day. What were a few words to make her smile?

[Ki]

Back to cloud nine we go!

He thought she was a good hunter! Much less, he defended her hunting skills! Thrushtail swooned again and smiled brightly at Birchnose, unabashed. Her heart was racing wildly in her chest, as if she'd just gotten done sprinting across the moors. Surely this cat was meant for her! Who cared about StarClan and their stupid restrictions? Male leaders were allowed to have kits and mates. Why couldn't male medicine cats? It was a stupid rule. Well, rules were made to be broken, right?

"Thank you, Birchnose." she mewed. "That means a lot, coming from you." She purred. Now Thrushtail was sure of it. Birchnose had to be her mate. She didn't want another tom. But how could she get him to agree to it? Did he even feel the same way about her? Sure, they were around each other frequently. But did he just view her as a friend? Would he go as far to betray the oaths he'd taken to StarClan, just for her? If he did, wouldn't her friends be so jealous! It was totally romantic. Birchnose defying StarClan themselves all for her! But...would he? "What're the flowers used for, Birchnose?" she asked suddenly. She moved closer and sniffed them. They smelled a lot like the other herbs in his den; or was she just smelling Birchnose himself?

[Yoko]

No trouble at all.. the Medicine Cat added in his mind. There were a number of things he knew he would do on her behalf. So long as none of them involved betraying Ravenstar's loyalty...and possibly StarClan's. He pushed aside such childish thoughts. Thrushtail was a warrior and she knew better. If she knew he was considering these things, would she lose her respect for him?

His ears pricked at her interest in the herbs he was collecting. Back to square one, he thought with a small smile, that feeling coiling in his belly like a snake. How often was he asked about his work by a warrior? Even his own apprentice rarely asked questions.

He turned so that he stood across from her and the flowers. Then put his paw out and gently shifted through the pile. He pushed out a few small yellow and white flowers.

"These are Coltsfoot. I use them for cats who are having trouble breathing," he shifted a few larger sunny yellow flowers. "This is Goldenrod, they are good for healing wounds," he shifted through until he found the small purple flowers. "This is lavender. It cures fever."

He eyed a dandelion behind him, turned quickly and snipped it near its root. He stretched over his herb pile and placed it at Thrushtail's forepaws.

"And this, would be a dandelion. Although it has no real medicinal qualities. It is still rather attractive in appearance, smells rather pleasant, and makes a nice gift. For you, Thrushtail."

He paused a moment, attempting a calm expression, but mortified that he had been so impulsive. Before she could say a word, he added. "I really must be on my way now. I have to put these herbs in their proper places. Farewell, Thrushtail. Happy Hunting."

He scooped up his herbs into his jaws and swiftly walked away. Head held high despite his pelt flaming in shame. Happy Hunting?! Birchnose, you mouse-brain!

[Ki]

Thrushtail listened, actually taking in the words. Often when cats talked to her it went in one ear and our the other. But Birchnose was a cat she wanted to listen to. He explained what each one was called, and what it did. Thrushtail wondered why they didn't teach all cats this. Then they wouldn't have to go running to the medicine cat for every thorn in their paw or every little cut. They could simply find what they needed and do it themselves, that way the medicine cat could deal to those who had more serious injuries. Thrushtail was about to say this to Birchnose to see what he thought. But instead he placed a dandelion at her paws.

Sure, she could think of about a million other flowers that were twice as pretty. It didn't matter to her, though. It was from Birchnose. That was all that mattered. She managed to hold it together until Birchnose had walked off, then swooned and collapsed on to her side and simply stared at the gift he'd given her. Thrushtail smiled and set a paw over the clipped stem. She knew it would wilt, eventually, but that didn't matter. Birchnose had given her a flower!

And that was enough to give her hope.