"Uhm... I think I'll gather herbs with everyone." Mousepaw says with a small smile.

Petalstripe nods and flicks her tail, and the four cats head down the shore away from camp. Petalstripe takes the lead and Specklepaw sticks to the back, ears alert for threats. As they walk, Guppythroat stretches out, looking completely full of energy.

"Mhmm! This sunshine is fantastic!" The deputy exclaims. She trots ahead of Petalstripe momentarily. "So what exactly are we looking for today?" Guppythroat asks.

"Give me a moment. I wasn't expecting to have extra paws." Petalstripe glances at Mousepaw. "You finished inventory last night, correct?"

Mousepaw nods. "Yes- of course!"

"Well, what are we low on?" Petalstripe presses, "I know we could use some more cobwebs after Angel's cut."

He nods again, "We just ran out of those. We also don't have any poppy seeds, feverfew, goldenrod, wintergreen, tansy, yarrow, parsley-"

"Okay, okay let's prioritize," Petalstripe lets out a sigh. "That's more than I realized.. And they're all spread out too."

Mousepaw flattens his ears, and then tries to point out the bright side. "We do have catmint through! And uhm, coltsfoot and alder bark."

His mentor shakes her head. "I remember the alder, Brambleheart's going through a piece of that nearly every day, we'll need more of that soon."

Specklepaw seems a little lost from all the medicine talk, but his mentor seemed to be following.

Guppythroat tilts her head and looks to Petalstripe. "Alder... Does that mean we need to go to the forest?" The calico asks.

Specklepaw tenses up, realizing that meant they might go near BreezeClan or HailClan.

Petalstripe nods, "Yeah, luckily for us most of the herbs we lost happened to be the ones that grow outside of our territory." She says sarcastically. Guppythroat gives her a sympathetic nudge. "Well, we'll be able to find poppy seeds and cobwebs just about anywhere, but for the other stuff... We'll cover more ground it we split up." Petalstripe explains.

"We need to make sure we have what We need for Leafbare, but we might also think about what we'll need to treat injured warriors after this upcoming battle." Mousepaw listens attentively as Petalstripe tells him this. As much as he didn't like to think about his clanmates becoming sick or injured, he knew she was right.

The tabby gives him another serious look.

"What are you and Specklepaw going to look for?" Petalstripe asks.

Mousepaw thinks about the herbs he needed that could be found in the same area. There were things in all three territories and in the Twolegplace.

Goldenrod and burnet grew in SunClan. If there was a battle, they definitely needed goldenrod, and while they were there, they could get some burnet for traveling herbs too. Plus Specklepaw would probably be more relaxed if they stayed away from the forest.

There was also plenty of things that grew in twoleg gardens- namely catmint and tansy. Both were vital for Greencough, and getting some this early on could prevent it from breaking out in the first place. But then again, Specklepaw may get distracted looking for his dad again...

Then there was alder bark, yarrow, wintergreen, and a whole number of different things they could find in the forest. Specklepaw wouldn't like it, but it was very unlikely they actually would be attacked. They needed alder bark for Brambleheart for sure, and it was dangerous not having any yarrow around in case kits accidentally eat something poison. With water hemlock, foxglove, and sometimes tainted fish in their territory, yarrow had proven to be vital on many occasions.

But why head anywhere risky when feverfew and marigold grew in their own territory? One for sickness, one for sounds, just what they needed. But then maybe it would be better to get a more difficult to find herb if they has extra help. Or maybe not, the riskier areas might be best left for a smaller group.

Mousepaw breathes in carefully and then gives his answer.

"I think it's important that we..."

Original Poll Options -

1. Find Goldenrod and Burnet - Mousepaw and Specklepaw will to to SunClan to find these. : 21.1%

2. Find Tansy and Catmint - Mousepaw and Specklepaw will go to Twolegplace to find these. : (36.8%)

3. Find Alder and Yarrow - Mousepaw and Specklepaw will go to BreezeClan or HailClan to find these. : 10.5%

4. Find Marigold and Feverfew - Mousepaw and Specklepaw will stay in RainClan territory to find these. : 10.5%

5. We shouldn't split up - Mousepaw will go with whatever Petalstripe chooses. : 21.1%