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[#64]
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  • Who: Brightsky & Cedarpaw
  • What: A lesson on Pregnancy
  • When: 17th Day of the Moon of Running Prey, During Thunderstorms
  • Where: WindClan Camp
  • Notes: Just assuming the apprentice is in with the master. Lemme know if that's unacceptable.


Brightsky.png
Healing takes courage, and we all have courage,
even if we have to dig a little to find it.

‹‹‹‹ ♦ ››››
Brightsky ignored the flash of light and the crash of the Thunder in the distance. It was mostly try within the den, but being that the ceiling was leaves and a bush, the odd droplet did trickle within. The only area that was completely dry in any of the Den's was the area where the herbs were kept. And that was only through stubbornness and tenacity to fight to keep the area as dry as it needed to be for storage. "Cedarpaw, I don't think we'll gather herbs today. I suspect in this downpour we wouldn't find much, anyways. How does that sound to you?"


Posted by Kitsufox (administrator) on 22 February 2016 at 23:41.
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Cedarpaw.png
Medicine Cat Apprentice
One ear-tip flicked in a sort of nonchalant feline shrug. "Sounds good," he replied easily. Cedarpaw inhaled the familiar scents of Brightsky and the rest of the medicine den, and began to idly test his knowledge of herbs by trying to isolate a single scent and identify them.

He had caught a whiff of a shriveled apple, sweet chamomile, and, momentarily strongest of all three, garlic, before he realized that Brightsky probably already had a lesson in mind.

He grinned (a bit self-abashedly; he'd probably looked pretty glassy-eyed for a few heartbeats, there!), and asked brightly, "So, whadda we gonna learn today?"

•••
I'll not forget to remember you . . . and that's a promise


Posted by Fae~o~the~Wind (administrator) on 22 February 2016 at 23:41.
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Brightsky.png
Healing takes courage, and we all have courage,
even if we have to dig a little to find it.

‹‹‹‹ ♦ ››››
"I was thinking that we could review pregnancy. And if you do well there, I have a few more things I could teach you about it." her tail flipped. What she might teach later was one of the darker aspects of Medicine Cattery, but she could not protect Cedarpaw from those aspects forever. Not if she was going to grow up to be a proper Medicine Cat. "Starting with the first moment after mating that you can prove a pregnancy, tell me what instructions you would give concerning the she-cat. Assuming the pregnancy is progressing normally."


Posted by Kitsufox (administrator) on 22 February 2016 at 23:42.
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Cedarpaw.png
Medicine Cat Apprentice
Cedarpaw looked eager when Brightsky said that if he did well, she'd have more lessons in store.

Well! Not that Cedarpaw had ever not done his best, but his concentration sharpened. He really wanted to make not only Brightsky proud, but also his kin, Clan, and StarClan, too.

In his haste, the apprentice didn't pause to think about what he said next: "Well, the first visible sign that a she-cat's heavy with kits is that the place they'll suckle from, those little things, um . . . teats! Yeah, the teats get bigger and redder." He'd forgotten the name of teats for a moment; it wasn't exactly a word that came into daily use, after all.

"But I forget how old the kits are in the womb by that time. Definitely more than a few sunrises . . . oh, I'm sorry, Brightsky." His tone had suddenly gone from energetic to apologetic.

He ventured to add hopefully, "But I do know that the dame may be feeling nauseous, tired, hungrier, and moodier as the pregnancy wears on. I'd let her know that if she has any questions, even if it's about something minor like an unsettled stomach, she should feel free to talk to me or you about it."

"But I'd emphasize the importance of coming to us straight away if she feels any sharp pains, or if she somehow falls---that could hurt the kits. By the time all of WindClan can see the swelling, she shouldn't be straining herself, either physically or otherwise. If she gets real stressed, then we can always give her soothing herbs, like Caraway seeds---ooh, those also help with upset stomach!---but only if we have to."

Cedarpaw realized that there was plenty of information he'd missed, but instead of drooping, aqua eyes gleamed with excitement as he voiced his questions. "When should a queen stop going on border patrols? Hunting patrols? And are there any herbs we should never give if a she-cat's pregnant, because it might hurt the kits?"

•••
I'll not forget to remember you . . . and that's a promise


Posted by Fae~o~the~Wind (administrator) on 22 February 2016 at 23:42.
avatar
Brightsky.png
Healing takes courage, and we all have courage,
even if we have to dig a little to find it.

‹‹‹‹ ♦ ››››
"The teats will show the first signs at around a moon. Not many she-cats will catch it that early, though." Brightsky was happy that her apprentice had remembered as much as she had. While the rain pelted the roof above them, she continued with the lesson. "I like to see a queen away from all combat duties as soon as we can hear the heartbeat of the kits inside her. Once she's rounded out, or about a quarter moon after the heartbeats it's best to remove her from hunting duty. About a quarter moon after that into the nursery with her. Best to have her there where she's easy to keep an eye on before rather than after." Brightsky considered the other question the apprentice asked for a long moment before speaking. "There are herbs that a queen shouldn't have, but we will circle back around to that. Tell me what you know about kittens that come early."


Posted by Kitsufox (administrator) on 22 February 2016 at 23:43.
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OOC: Many apologies, Kitsu; I forgot all about this thread! Also: I'm now going to try to keep this as tactful as possible, since this is sort of a delicate topic...for Fae, at the very least.


Cedarpaw.png
Medicine Cat Apprentice
Cedarpaw listened attentively to what Brightsky was saying.

He repeated it in his mind. Once you can hear the kits' heartbeats, no battling! When the mother rounds out around a quarter moon later, no hunting. A quarter moon after that, and she goes into the nursery.

Cedarpaw nodded to show his mentor that he understood, that he was listening. Even if he wasn't quite sure if he had it all committed to memory exactly right yet, he'd go over it again later, if not with her, then reciting in his head.

At the next question, Cedarpaw frowned slightly in thought.

"Well, just talking about the kits themselves, there could be all sorts of problems. The earlier the litter was born, the smaller they are, 'cause the kits wouldn't have had the chance to grow as much inside the mother."

Cedarpaw looked directly into his mentor's golden eyes and mewed, "How early are we talking about, here?" It wasn't idle curiosity.

Because I know with little little kits, you have to keep them warm all the time. And I'd be worried about them having the strength to suckle. --Does the milk always come, even if the birth is too early?"

•••
I'll not forget to remember you . . . and that's a promise


Posted by Fae~o~the~Wind (administrator) on 22 February 2016 at 23:43.
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((You're not the only one who's been slacking.))


Brightsky.png
Healing takes courage, and we all have courage,
even if we have to dig a little to find it.

‹‹‹‹ ♦ ››››
"There are a great many things to be concerned with if the litter is early. If the queen has carried the kits for less than two moons there is almost no hope that they'll survive. There's a chance, however slim if they've been carried over two moons." Brightsky gave her apprentice an apprising look. It was clever of the young cat to remember that the milk might not come of the queen was early. "Borage is best, if you can get it. Seeds of Caraway or Coriander, leaves of ginger and dandelion. What combination is best would be judged based on what other symptoms the queen might have. She may never come well enough into her milk, though, so a nursemother might be needed. In a real pinch they can be given the blood of fresh killed prey, but that's a last resort, really."


Posted by Kitsufox (administrator) on 22 February 2016 at 23:44.
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Cedarpaw.png
Medicine Cat Apprentice
"Caraway seeds, Coriander seeds...Ginger and Dandelion leaves..." More to himself than to his mentor, Cedarpaw murmured the names of the herbs. The apprentice had long ago found that repeating lessons helped fix them in his mind for later. "Borage...wait-" he broke off and looked at Brightsky questioningly. "What parts of borage?"


Cedarpaw wasn't sure if his mentor wanted to focus on identifying the herbs right this moment, but he did think it wise to let her know of his shortcomings now.

He frowned in concentration as he tried to recall each herb that should be used to help a queen's milk flow. He could definitely recall ginger's pungent scent, but what did the leaves look like, again? He knew they weren't red, at the very least, even though whenever he heard the word "ginger", he always thought of the color.

"I remember what ginger smells like, but not what its leaves looks like," he mewed a bit apologetically to Brightsky. "But I know that coriander seeds are rounder than caraway. And I can pick out a dandelion leaf from any pile!" His tail, quite unconsciously, waved in his enthusiasm.

When Brightsky told him about using prey-blood to feed premature kits as a last resort, he nodded hesitantly, then ventured, "And what about chewed up meat? Can that be used, too?"

•••
I'll not forget to remember you . . . and that's a promise


Posted by Fae~o~the~Wind (administrator) on 20 March 2016 at 05:33.
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((I feel like this post is really sub-par but I don't want to keep you waiting.))


Brightsky.png
Healing takes courage, and we all have courage,
even if we have to dig a little to find it.

‹‹‹‹ ♦ ››››
"Both leaves and seeds of borage. Ginger leaves are broad but skinny, rich green and someone glossy. They grow from a central stem somewhat like a fern." She responded to her apprentice's ramblings about the lesson. "Once they've had some time on blood, they can have chewed meat, but if you introduce it too fast the kit's stomach isn't ready for it and they won't get much from it. Best to wait until they're eating so much you can't keep up between the mother and blood if a nursemother isn't available." Brightsky let Cedarpaw mull for a moment, then moved on. "Remember that I mentioned herbs that shouldn't be given to a pregnant queen. Do you know any of them?"


Posted by Kitsufox (administrator) on 23 March 2016 at 21:51.
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((I don't know why you'd feel like it's sub-par; it works perfectly!))


Cedarpaw.png
Medicine Cat Apprentice
Cedarpaw nodded throughout his mentor's teachings, hanging on to her every mew. When she directed the lesson to herbs that shouldn't be used on pregnant queen, the young tom shifted his weight on his haunches, taking the time to think.

Finally, he nodded slowly. "Ye-es..." he stretched the word out into two syllables. "I remember when we were going over coughs you told me about Juniper and Tansy, and how both can ease coughs, but they can also make a queen miscarry her kits. So that's two." Cedarpaw's brow furrowed as he racked his brains to remember if he knew any more.

At last he shrugged apologetically. "Well, I know that no-cat should eat a Deathberry, pregnant or not. But I'm afraid that's all the herbs I can think of."

Cedarpaw hoped he'd done well.

•••
I'll not forget to remember you . . . and that's a promise


((So, minor powerplay on my part, about Brightsky telling Cedarpaw about Juniper and Tansy. Just let me know if you want me to change my post.))

Posted by Fae~o~the~Wind (administrator) on 4 April 2016 at 03:18.
Edited by Fae~o~the~Wind (administrator) on 4 April 2016 at 03:19.
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((I apologize for how darkish this gets, and the potentially triggery turn. If I wasn't sensitive enough to the situation being RPed, just let me know, and we can halt the lesson here and call the thread done. Though I tried to write things so that we can just move past it unless you want to proceed deeper.))


Brightsky.png
Healing takes courage, and we all have courage,
even if we have to dig a little to find it.

‹‹‹‹ ♦ ››››
”It’s great that you remembered that so well. The more you can remember, the more you’ll be prepared in the future. Someday it will be your responsibility to make sure all of this gets passed down." Brightsky looked seriously at her apprentice for a moment, appraising. Yes. Now was the time.


”There may come a time, while you are Medicine Cat, that a miscarriage might be required. A queen who faces certain death if the pregnancy continues, a pair too closely related who bred, moments like that. It is a dark thing, to be put into a position to do such a thing. I am pleased to say that the only time I have heard of such a thing being required is in stories. Think carefully before you use it, but Tansy can bring about a clearing of the womb. Three times a day; Dawn, sunhigh, and dusk.”


She shifted with some discomfort. Brightsky didn’t like speaking of such a dark thing. Kittens we’re meant to be a blessing, and she was thankful it was rare that circumstances that even required such consideration ever came together. ”A queen who miscarries, be it intended or not, is likely to loose at least some of her fertility. The danger in a miscarriage goes up the later it happens. We will cover miscarriage properly later. We’ve spoken of enough dark things today.”


Posted by Kitsufox (administrator) on 12 June 2017 at 22:04.
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