Exploring New Places {Invite/Eaglestone}

The day hadn't been all that eventful, just the usual routine. Eaglestone had started working right at dawn and been on his paws since. He scorned those who rose late and did little, being slothful was something associated with parasites and he did not appreciate those types surrounding him. No, Eagle was the type of guy to get things done in a timely and correct manner. If it took all day to order his herbs correctly, then he'd use the whole day by golly!

There'd been more than herbs sorting to do that morning though. One of the elders was complaining of aching joints thanks to the cooling weather, so the medicine cat had promptly given them the proper herbs to help soothe them. You'd think Eaglestone would despise the elders, due to them doing nothing but lazing around most of the time. Surprisingly enough, he did not; quite the opposite actually. The large tom was grateful to them for their service to the Clan and knew them to be once hard-working cats who deserved the moons of rest that came with the ranking of elder.

Ever since coming back from a short hunt for herbs after tending to the ailing elders, Eaglestone had been sorting. Mallow, catnip, marigold, mint; the list went on and he mumbled each herb to himself as they were sifted into their rightful sections. The holes he'd dug for better storage did wonders in keeping them all separated. Eagle noted this with a hint of pride, green gaze sparkling a bit.

At the sound of approaching paws and a soft, young voice, the tom glanced over his shoulder. He was crouched in the back of the den, tail laid out neatly behind him. Seeing little Sunkit at the entryway of the cave, he slowly collected himself to his feet and faced her with a placid face. There was no sense in smiling at the little one, she'd not see it. Instead, Eaglestone swept closer to her. "Hello, Sunkit. Are you unwell?" he inquired coolly.

The kit replied quickly, shaking her little head. His brows furrowed then at her explanation. Why would any good mother let a kit wander around on its own, especially if it was blind? Eaglestone made a note to himself to have a talk with Sunkit's parents about this later. He would not tolerate them letting their kits run around unattended, especially when Leaf-fall was upon them and his herbs would be steadily depleting already without the help of clumsy kits.

Letting out a rumble of disapproval he answered her with a steely voice. "Yes, this is my den. You should not be out of the nursery, Sunkit. Where is your mother?"

He watched her suck in more air, scenting his den. Apparently the smell of herbs was intriguing her, as it would most blind cats. Any pungent smell, he'd found, scent sightless felines into a frenzy of curious searching for its source. Eagle's whiskers twitched a bit, slightly amused at the young cat's naive question.

"As a medicine cat, I work with all sorts of herbs. Right now, I'm sorting the ones I've just finished gathering." his tail flared out to block Sunkit's path to the store. "Leave my store be, there are items in there which could do more harm to you than good." Eaglestone warned icily.

The massive medicine cat found himself glaring down at the she-kit. Even if she couldn't see him, she'd definitely hear it in his voice when he spoke. Eaglestone didn't appreciate being talked back at, even if that hadn't been what Sunkit was going for. She was young, and too naive for him to handle comfortably.

Flicking his ear in slight irritation, the tom replied evenly. "Two moons isn't old enough to defend yourself on the off chance that something occurred. Besides that, you're blind. You haven't made a full mental picture of the camp yet and could easily run into something you shouldn't." She'd smiled, going on about how she wasn't tired and that she'd left her sleeping mother and siblings. He shook his head, still glaring. "Being stubborn gets one into an unnecessary amount of trouble, young Sunkit."

He was questioned further on his herbs, and he watched her silently as she continued to spout on and on. When he was sure she'd finished, Eaglestone finally replied. "Catnip, you're smelling catnip. It helps cure greencough and whitecough. As for the other herbs, I assume you are scenting the fresher ones that I just brought in. They're called mallow, marigold, and mint." the tabby paused to look Sunkit over with a skeptical eye. What a foolishly curious creature.

"Yes, there are herbs that can do harm...just like there are cats and other animals that can do harm. You'll find it's a fact of life."

Eaglestone's glare softened, green gaze drifting over to the cave's entrance with a sigh. Sunkit was stubborn, and had yet to learn about the world to the extent that he had. Giving his chest a few calming licks, the brown tabby tom narrowed his eyes at the sight of cats finally getting up and doing things. "That is true, no cat in this camp would hurt you...but in Clan life, there are things like raids and predators. You're never safe once you stray from your mother's side, little one."

Glancing at the younger cat again, he smirked. "You can explore, as is a kit's right. I'm simply saying that you need an older cat there to watch your back. You'll be no use to this Clan hurt or further set back from things others can do. So always have someone older to accompany you on these explorations, understood?"

Even more questions breezed into the air, and Eaglestone found himself expecting them now. Not many were so curious about what he did, and he had to admit it wasn't the worst feeling in the world. "Mallow is used for its leaves. They're eaten and relieve belly aches. Mostly very part of marigold can be used, to stop infection, bleeding, inflammation, and even stiff joints. As for mint...well, it has a more morbid use. We rub it on the bodies of deceased cats to drown out the smell of death." there was a pause where he thought of all the herbs that could do harm.

"Everything can do harm, if too much is given. The main things you'd do well to stay away from though, are yarrow, foxglove, holly berries, nightshade, water hemlock, and deathberries. While yarrow cannot kill you like the others can, it will have you ridding your stomach of anything inside it." his explanation was to the point, but had lost the terse edge it'd once had. Being mean to kits was not his job, and he'd best start getting used to them in preparation for choosing his own apprentice in the future.

Placing his plume-like tail over his paws like Sunkit, the medicine cat looked down at the she-kit. "You should probably get back to the Nursery now, your mother will be worried if she wakes up and you're not there, hm?"