Journey to new lands

Chapter 1

Sandhound watched from the opening of the herbalist's den as the learner ceremony in the clearing took place. She wished she could cheer with the rest of her clanmates but she was no longer welcome by most of them, yet she still listened on. The four kits of the deceased Wolfwish had just received their learner status and secondary names.

The four were now named Clayhop, Whisperhop, Twighop and Briarhop. The clan roared in cheers at the four, yowling their new names out loud, for perhaps any other cat outside the clan to hear and maybe for their fallen ancestors to hear too. A faint smile formed on Sandhound's muzzle, though it quickly faded as she heard the common rustling of pawsteps creeping closer. Sandhound looked at her own learner, Whitehop who calmly met her gaze. "You still care about your clanmates, don't you?" She asked in her low, soft voice.

In the few moons they had already spend together Sandhound had picked up on her behavior quickly, she only asked few but important questions and she liked to learn things from practise instead of theory but that hardly mattered as she learned far quicker than most would. There also seemed to be only a few things that would really shake her up. Her mother bearing and dying seemed to have been on the top of those things. Guild clawed at Sandhound once again, if only she could've done more.

"Ofcourse I do, I am their herbalist and clanmate after all. It is part of my duty." She answered in her usual monotone, although she sounded exhausted. Whitehop stared at her for a while and for the first time in moons a different emotion than grief was clear as day on her face, confusion.

The completely white molly diped her head in confusion, the question didn't even need to be said. "They're still my clanmates no matter what happens." Sandhound mewed as she looked over at the parting crowd. The confusion on Whitehop's face did not falter, instead it only seemed to grow more intense. "But they blame you for my mom's death and Quickmoss even said that you'd be exiled once my training as an herbalist is complete!" She mewed, getting quicker and quicker as she went on, working herself up. Sandhound quickly covered her muzzle with her tail before the white molly could continue rambling on.

"Now that's true but they have their rights to be mad at me. I have lost many cat's lives over the moons thus far and every cat griefs differently. Some are quiet and suffer alone, some hide it as well as they can, some try to push it away as fast as they can and some grow angry, frustrated, bitter and take it out on others. I've seen it all time and time again. Most just need time to move on and others need a cat who is willing to listen to them. I'll always be that cat who will lend an ear or two, no matter what happens." Sandhound explained to her learner who listened quietly, her head slowly lowering as the much older herbalist continued speaking. Her tail curled around herself as her face went back to neutral.

Sandhound looked at her with a soft gaze as her tail wandered to the white molly's back and reassuringly straigthening her fur before turning back to the herbs infront of her. "Now since you're already here, we might aswell get back to learning. So, tell me the names and uses of these herbs." She mewed calmly, though now with a new found strong and upbeat tone, Sandhound loved teaching and seeing her learner understand and remember things bit by bit.

Whitehop stared at the few herbs, strugglingto identify them. The only sign of her displeasure however was the light twitching movements of her tailtip. Then a short moment of her hazel eyes lightening up as she seemed to remember. "This is the cliff's tear, which is used to help sore limbs and aching joints." She mewed, actually sounding excited for the first time over herbs as she spoke about the teal flower with long, thin petals with sharp ends. Sandhound watched, almost amused as the white molly glanced at her with a sudden uncertainty as she waited for confirmation. Sandhound simply closed her eyes and diped her head. Once she opened her eyes again she saw Whitehop smilling ever so slightly, before staring at the rest of the herbs, her faint smile fading as quick as it had formed.