from dust [open]

Old habits die hard, and Stormbird was hardly the cat to break them. He had only been a medicine cat's apprentice for a moon, and still woke up for patrols or found himself stalking and killing prey. It wasn't particularly a bad thing, seeing as the Clan could use as many helping paws as they could get come leafbare. Even so, he hadn't expected to still do warrior things. Helping the Clan out in any way felt good though. If he was able, why not do it? So, with that in mind, Stormbird padded silently along in search of the herbs Sandfeather had told him to harvest while also keeping an eye out for prey.

It wasn't prey that interrupted the gray cat in his endeavors however. He'd ventured closer to the SkyClan and ThunderClan border out of curiosity and the hope of maybe coming across some large leaves to wrap up what he'd gathered thus far. He found himself dropping the flower heads, leaves, and roots dangling from his jaws when a figure came suddenly into his line of sight, starling the tom. He let out a loud gasp before relaxing when he realized it was only Hazelclaw, his deputy.

"Hi." Stormbird greeted the she-cat, offering a soft smile and nod to the she-cat before bending down to nose the herbs into a pile so that they'd be easier to pick up. Once he was satisfied with their neatness, the apprentice glanced around and gently picked up a large green leaf, setting it down to lay his bundle in. Perhaps then it would be easier to take back to camp and less likely to fall and disappear on him. The tom would definitely kick himself if he returned home with nothing to show for his foraging session, and having wasted what he'd lost.

Looking back up at Hazelclaw, he found himself curious as to why the deputy had seemed so startled. "Did you expect me to be a fox or badger or something?" he asked. It wasn't a strange thing to be wary about, what with a badger having recently killed Applestar and been a pressing problem for ThunderClan and SkyClan.

The re-collection of the herbs, thankfully, had been successful. From what the gray cat could tell nothing noteworthy had been lost in the herbs' fall. He sent a thankful prayer up to StarClan before his deep amber gaze fixed itself on his deputy once more. "Quite the opposite, actually." Stormbird replied humorously, chuckling softly. It was no secret that the ash-pelted tom was peaceful by nature and that had been what steered him away from warriorhood. The closest relation he had to a badger was perhaps his stocky build.

He nodded in agreement with Hazelclaw, taking a glance around at their surroundings as if one of the black and white beasts would pop out of the bushes simply due to speaking of them. It wouldn't quite surprise Stormbird. Badgers often liked to make themselves dens in foliage rich places like ThunderClan. Even so, he had confidence in Falconstar and Hazelclaw to figure out what to do about any more of the unwelcome predators.

Hazel offered to aid him in his endeavors, and he shot her a grateful look. Going about collecting supplies alone could be both tedious and boring. The blasted plants simply loved to float away in the wind or slip out of grasp. His leafy bundle would hopefully make things easier however. "That would be much appreciated! You can carry these, if you wouldn't mind. I should be done shortly." the young medic smiled. Stormbird, while a private and timid soul, did quite like company at times. Gingerly picking up the package he made his way over to Hazel and gently set it at her paws. "Remember to be careful, too much force wilts the flowers and also makes for more spillage!"

ame w/ hazelclaw