[❁] Rise 300 | Finding the Light

[dimi.]

poppyflame | female | 76 moons | warrior | silentclan | words counted by wordcounter.net
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[dimi.]

When Poppy's medicine cat apprentice Willow is traded off as a payment for the murder of another cat, Poppy embarks on a mission to track down the clan Willow has been traded off to, in order to reunite with her. The task at paw may prove to be far more difficult than anticipated, as Poppy comes across a variety of obstacles and almost meets her demise at the paw of one too familiar cat...

[dimi.]

"And what is this one?" Poppy asked as she pushed a yellow forward with her paw, the flower having four identical petals. Before her sat a ginger cat with long fur and a white underbelly, her eyes a deep shade of blue. The ginger she-cat eyed the flower for a moment before answering confidentially.

"Celandine?" When her apprentice answered, Poppy purred in delight.

"Very good! And what does Celandine do, Willow?" Willow took a moment to answer the question this time, her eyes wandering elsewhere as she went through the options in her mind. Suddenly, her tail perked up and she answered.

"It soothes damaged eyes, right?"

"Well, that's true, but how?" Poppy answered, trying to hint with a squeeze motion as her claws dug into the ground. The blue eyes of Willow instantly lit up at the hint.

"Oh! You have to squeeze the juice out of the flower and drip it into the eye gently, not too much though."

Poppy smiled proudly at her apprentice, giving her an affectionate nuzzle to the cheek. "You're doing fantastic this morning, Willow! Keep this up, and you may have to replace me soon." Willow let out a mewl at the thought, shaking her head.

"No thanks, Poppy, I want to keep working with you!"



"Ah, you're too kind, Willow. I'll always be here to help you, but I won't be medicine cat forever. Your she-cat has to get a little shut-eye for a few moons eventually." Poppy explained to her apprentice, pressing her forehead against hers. "But don't worry, that is several moons away from now." The peaceful conversation was interrupted when a beam of sunlight suddenly burst through the den, the leaf entrance pushed aside by a large, black tabby tom with striking yellow eyes. Several tufts of fur were missing from his pelt, primarily around his shoulders and upper chest. In the tufts of fur were various scars, having healed up maybe a little under a moon ago.

"Willow! Willow!" The tom cried out, eagerly bounding over to the ginger she-cat. "They did it, Willow! Ya hear?! They took care of that cat for me!" The cat that was being referred to was a tom by the name of Dysis, who had nearly killed the tom in the medicine den a moon earlier, Dysis being the one responsible for the scars scattered on his front. Willow briefly shifted her attention away from Poppy, speaking in a soft tone, one that she only used with cats she didn't really associate herself with too often. "

That's fantastic news, Cedric! How did they do it?"

A sinister grin suddenly appeared on the tom's face, one that sent chills of worry down Poppy and Willow's spines. "Come with me, you two. You'll see how they did it!" Cedric then turned and darted out the den, his tail curling upward to signal the two she-cats to follow. Poppy and Willow exchanged worried glances, but obeyed the command, rising to their paws and following the tom out of the den. When they exited the den, they immediately froze. At the entrance of the camp, the leader of the rogue pack and an unfamiliar cream-coated she-cat were having a conversation.

While most of the details couldn't be heard by the two medicine cats, one line that could be heard that came from the unfamiliar she-cat was, "the troublesome cat has been killed". Poppy's ears naturally went back as she squeaked, her body leaning closer to Willow's. The cream she-cat then continued, observing Poppy and Willow. "That means our payment is in effect. Please bring forward the medicine cat." Willow and Poppy looked at each other, both wide eyed.

"Willow, come here please." The leader of the rogue pack called out, Willow walking forward immediately. Poppy almost cried out for her to stop, but decided not to, as her life would be on the line. "You'll be going home with Silentclan today. Please follow this she-cat out."

Willow whirled around and hissed furiously. "You! How could you do this?! Cedric, I swear I'll be back for you!" Willow howled out as she was guided out of the camp. Poppy held back her tears, retreating to her den. [700 words]

[dimi.]

It had been about six moons since Willow was taken away by the cats of Silentclan as payment for a horrible crime; murder. Whenever Poppy wasn't tending to the wounds that her comrades in the rogue pack frequently received, she sat in her den in silence, trembling as she chewed on thyme to put her nerves at ease, even for just a little while. Poppy's calming session was interrupted one day whenever a beam of light shined through and into her den, the light reflecting off of her brown pelt. When she peered over her shoulder and saw the familiar black tabby pelt, she immediately hopped off her haunches and spun around, a loud hiss erupting from her parted jaws.

"What in the name of Starclan do you want?!" Poppy yelled out to Cedric in a pure rage, her yellow eyes wide and her tail puffed out; larger than it's normal width. Her claws unsheathed, tinted red from not blood, but berries she often found herself playing with. When Cedric saw this action, he instinctively took a step back but spoke to her softly.

"Poppy, it's taken me a lot of courage to even come in here, please, hear me out.." A low growl erupted from Poppy's throat as she hesitantly sat on her haunches, her tone disrespectful.

"Fine, spit it out. And be quick. I don't want to waste any more time for a pathetic cat like you."

"Poppy, listen. I really, really didn't mean to hurt you. I.. I was sick of being treated like crowfood by Dysis. I felt so worthless every day, I just needed a way to eliminate the problem. When that she-cat approached me, I had a sudden beam of hope.. That I could be something, that I could be better than Dysis, not just some cat inferior to him! The payment for murder had to be a cat because it's such a horrendous crime to those that the clan cats call Starclan in Silverpelt." Cedric paused, looking up at the ceiling of the den as if the stars were above them, despite it being day. "I thought Willow would be a good asset to them. They didn't have a medicine cat and looked like they needed it. I thought Willow would enjoy the appreciation for her talent, she was a really good apprentice, right?" The tom stammered, his jaws quivering as he stared at Poppy. A moment of silence was shared between them before the large she-cat rose from her haunches, walking forward until his back was pressed against the coldness of the cavern wall, his chest heaving as he began to panic.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" Poppy hissed out, her claws digging into a ball of moss beneath her front paws. "You haven't even begun to realize the mistake you've made, huh? Her parents came in here for several moons to cry after Willow left. They loved her so dearly, they had to come in here and consume so much thyme, I had to replenish my supplies every few days! You forced Willow to leave behind her family, her friends, the cats she's known all her life, ME! She had to leave all of those cats behind, and for what? To solve one of your petty feuds? You don't care about anyone but yourself, Cedric. Nothing is going to change what you did." She said with a shake of her head. "You're incredibly lucky I didn't rip you to shreds the moment I saw her leave for you. She made a sacrifice, and all you can give me is this half-tailed apology?!"

Poppy rammed her head against Cedric's throat, forcing his head backward to bash against the wall behind him. He collapsed to the ground, gazing up at Poppy. "Please, please Poppy don't do this. If you spare me now, I can give you a good point to start finding her! Just wait until night time so neither of us gets in trouble!" He mewled like a pathetic kitten, begging for his life, which was indeed on the line. At the thought of having a chance to bring Willow back home, she was set at ease and nodded. "Very well. Meet me back here when the sun sets." Cedric nodded and flung himself to his paws, darting out of the den. [720 words]

[dimi.]

The sun eventually retreated beneath the horizon, and while most cats of the rogue pack were asleep, Poppy sat in the center of her den, waiting for Cedric to return to the den. When the leaves parted and she saw the tabby tom, she rose to her paws and followed him, a word not being exchanged between the two. Once they were outside the den, Cedric and Poppy crouched down and began to creep out of the camp, remaining in their crouching positions until they were several tail lengths away from the camp, and out of the ear shot of any other cats in the pack.

"Cedric, this better not be another one of your lies," Poppy said to the tom, followed up with a low hiss. Cedric looked back at her and shook his head.

"It isn't, Poppy. Although I must warn you, they didn't lead me to the camp, but it must be close from where I'm taking you, I could smell the scent of those clan cats all around the place." Before he turned back around, Poppy spoke again.

"Did these cats say they were from Silentclan? That's all I overheard before they took Willow away." Cedric answered with a silent flicking of his tail up and down, like nodding, except with his tail as he turned his head back to face the land before them.

"The clan has a secret operation. They take payment to commit crimes throughout all of the clans. Murder is incredibly rare from what the cat that discussed the "contract" with me said, they happened to believe Dysis deserved it, though. I'm glad they took care of that tom, I won't be injured anymore. I-" Cedric was cut off by Poppy's tail smacking the back of his head, her tone distasteful as she spoke.

"Do you really think I care? You're the cat that got me into this mess. I won't be able to come back to the pack, regardless of the success or failure of my mission."

"Hey, it's not my fault you want to track down a cat who is probably happy where she is." Cedric commented with a small eye roll. The conversation ceased when the two cats reached an open plain, where the grass was green and flourishing, the season of Leaf-bare at it's end.

"What? Why are we out here?" Poppy asked, suddenly growing suspicious as she instinctively crouched down, eyeing the back of Cedric's throat. Cedric took a couple steps forward, then pointed forward with his tail.

"It's just beyond this plain. There's a forest east of the river you reach, if you walk along the river, you'll find it. It's not any longer than a half a day's trip, which means if you don't stop tonight, you'll reach it by morning. They typically make contracts in the morning, so it'll be likely that one of the cats will retreat somewhere close to the camp."

Poppy observed the plain briefly before looking back at Cedric, returning to her normal posture as she began narrowed her vibrant yellow eyes. "Are you lying to me now? If not, you will be coming with me." The tone Poppy said this in wasn't a questioning one; it was a command.

Cedric looked back at her, his ears pinning to his head. "What? Poppy, if I come with you, I'll never be able to return to the pack." Poppy cocked her head to the side, and said in a taunting tone,

"Well, isn't that ironic?" Her voice was staggered, some gasps departing from her muzzle as she tried to hold back laughter. Cedric snarled at Poppy, taking a step back and whirling around to face her.

"I'm not the fox brain who decided to embark on this mission doomed to fail, Poppy! Now, you can either go without me, or I'll be dragging your sorry pelt back to the camp and having you executed for treason." Poppy's laughter ceased, and soon her gaze became a serious one.

"Well, Cedric, since I cannot return to the pack that I've known my entire life, and you are arrogant enough not to listen just once.." Her claws unsheathed, her eyes lighting up in anger. "Then you will not return either!" Poppy then flung herself forward and onto the tom, bringing him to the ground.[720 words]

[dimi.]

Poppy pinned Cedric down to the ground, her paws pressed against his shoulders. They were stomach to stomach, with Poppy on top as her yellow eyes filled with anger met his. Cedric thrashed left and right, trying to get out of the firm grasp beneath the large she-cat. "Poppy! Are you insane?! You can't do this! I gave you the route, what more could you possibly want?!" Cedric looked up at Poppy, his eyes flooded with fear, his claws sheathed, and his front paws down at his sides, as if he were accepting defeat. He didn't want to hurt Poppy, it seemed. He had wanted to help her; but by this scenario, Poppy's intentions were far different.

Poppy didn't respond, her claws instead digging into his shoulders, trailing along the scars present on them. The scars were torn open, an cry of agony escaping from Cedric. As he cried out, his hind paws pressed against Poppy's stomach and flung her up and into the air, where she then landed just a couple of tail lengths away from Cedric, her chest heaving up and down. The impact to her stomach had made her briefly lose a large sum of her air, which she took a moment to recover, her breath staggered as the rate her chest heaved at began to slow. Once she had enough air, she rose her head back up, locking eyes with Cedric, who was now standing, the fur of his spine on end. Her muzzle then parted, her voice loud and clear to the foolish tom that stood before her.

"This isn't about what I want from you. This is about what you took away from me and Willow. I won't be able to see her again without risking my life. Clan cats don't like us loners and rogues. I may very well be killed if these cats aren't reasoning with me. When you sent Willow away, she left behind so many things she cared about. She looked back at me as she left, and I saw her almost crying. You don't care about anyone but yourself, and that's final. I will never be able to rest easy knowing I let you get away with something so major." Poppy's head drooped to the ground, a couple tears dripping onto the flourishing grass.

"I will make a deal with you, though. If you come with me, I will spare your life. Two is better than one. If you do not come with me, you must promise to never return to the pack, and start from scratch like I myself will probably have to."

Cedric violently shook his head, his teeth clenching together. "No! I'm not losing my entire family again. Not.. again.." Cedric exclaimed, his eyes wide in fear.

Poppy looked back at him and shook her head. "I'm losing all of that too. Our pack had this policy too; eye for an eye." Poppy said in a low hiss before throwing herself forward towards Cedric again. The tom jumped to the side, watching Poppy slide across the ground on her paws.

"You're a medicine cat! You can't fight!" Cedric ran forward, bashing his head against Poppy's side to knock her down. His claws then unsheathed as he reared up on his hind legs, then leaned forward to bring himself down with his weight, his claws tearing tufts of fur off of Poppy's pelt, along with some flesh being torn open, wounds that would need to be covered quickly. Poppy rolled away from Cedric before raising to her paws, growling in pain as grass flew up and into the wounds. She knew infection would come later on, but for now, she needed to focus on the fight.

As her pelt became matted with blood, she looked at Cedric, who was running towards her at full speed. Poppy followed this motion, darting forward towards him until their heads collided, Cedric staggering back, left in a daze. Poppy pounced onto his back and brought him down to the ground, her jaws parting. She eyed the back of his neck, tears welling up at the base of her eyes. "Cedric. I'm sorry it had to be this way." She then brought her head downward, her teeth digging into his neck. She had performed the forbidden killing bite. [720 words].

[dimi.]

The moonlight had only intensified since the argument had began. After Cedric was eliminated, Poppy had quickly dug up a hole and placed his body in with a flower that was his favorite to use in the medicine den; dandelions. Afterwards, she began her journey across the plain, running at a quick speed until her legs began to ache, and her head began to pound as wind flew into her ears. She slid to a stop, raising one of her paws off the ground to shake it out, the pain intense.

Before her was a large river. The water was clear, the moonlight reflecting off of it. It was just shallow enough to see the bottom, but definitely deep enough to sweep a cat away. She looked at the river, observing every small detail. Even at night, a variety of small fish swam through it. A hunger ached her stomach, and soon she found herself sitting on the bank of the river, waiting for the absolute perfect moment to snap her jaws forward into the water.

When she finally got a chance, she plunged her head beneath the water, water rushing into her nose. Her ears stayed perked above the water in order to insure no damage would come to her ears, and soon her head resurfaced, a small trout in her mouth. She quickly devoured it, a purr of satisfaction rumbling from the throat. Once she had consumed this, she rose to her paws and turned to the right, starting her trip to the east.

This walking continued for a few silent hours, where no activity stirred aside from the occasional crack of a twig whenever Poppy stepped on something she didn't see. The sun had began to rise, the sky a mixture of various shades of pink, orange, and purple. Eventually, after about another hour, the river came to an end. She stopped and looked ahead, seeing a small cluster of trees in the distance. After narrowing her eyes, she saw a cavern, which almost lead into the underground. With this new light of hope before her, she tiredly made her way forward, walking at a slow pace. When she reached the forest, her nose twitched. The scent of a fresh clan cat hit her nose.

When she caught the scent, she instantly made her way up and into a tree, sitting on a branch where her brown pelt as carefully shielded by the flourishing green leaves. Her yellow eyes locked on the ground, and soon, she saw a fully white she-cat, one who had a few scars on her flank. She was making her way towards the cavern, and when she got close enough, Poppy flung herself off the branch, bringing herself down upon the she-cats back. "Are you with Silentclan?" Poppy asked with a hiss, pressing her paws against the back of her throat.

The white she-cat peered back over her shoulder, her eyes wide. "Um.. N-no. I do need to hunt for them more and bring prey to their camp to pay for a contract, though.." Whenever Poppy heard something about Silentclan's camp, she hopped off her back and gazed into the fearful blue eyes of the she-cat.

"I don't know you, nor do I care to. However, I need to find Silentclan. Where is their camp from here?" Poppy demanded to receive the knowledge, but the white she-cat shook her head.

"No! They'll have me killed. That was part of the contract; I can't tell anyone where they are!" Poppy glared at the she-cat and got off of her, shaking her head. "Fine. Be like that."

Poppy made her way out of the forest, pretending to be leaving. Whenever the she-cat dove deeper into the forest, Poppy crouched down and made her way back in, stalking the white she-cat. She had hoped to find a route to the clan; perhaps even follow this cat back to camp. However, when they reached an open plain, Poppy was forced to retreat up a tree just on the border of the exit of the forest, watching the she-cat walk across the plain isolated. Eventually, the desire to sleep overwhelmed her, regardless of her mission, and she soon dozed off.[702 words]

[dimi.]

The sun had set, and the sky was now a dark navy blue, vibrant white stars littering the sky, said to be the cats of Starclan, placed in a formation known as Silverpelt. The majority of the cats in Silentclan were currently in their dens, all in deep slumbers. None of their borders were nearby, and there was never too much commotion to keep a cat from a nice rest. The only two cats of the clan awake were Willow, now known as Willowsong, and Amberstar, the leader of Silentclan. The two cats sat on Leader's Rock, gazing up at the stars with one another.

The silence between them was broken by Amberstar, who turned her head to Willowsong. "Willowsong, this is such a random question to ask when you've already been here a while, but how have you felt about being here?"

Willowsong looked at Amberstar and smiled softly, looking at Amberstar. She knew the leader was one to strive for the comfort of her clan mates, and she accomplished the desire incredibly well. "I enjoy it here, Amberstar. This clan has morals, my pack had a rank solely to get rid of cats that even remotely made one mistake. You also got me away from a she-cat who tormented me for many moons in my warrior apprenticeship, so I thank you for that. I do miss Poppy, though."

"Tell you what. Perhaps I'll let you visit her one day. I need to trust you a little more for that, though. Do you promise not to run away?" Amberstar asked softly.

Willowsong nodded instantly, knowing she wouldn't leave the clan. "Of course. I don't like being in the pack, I just miss my parents and Poppy.."

Then I'll let you see them late next moon." She said with a purr, rubbing her head against Willowsong's shoulder. However, we may need to get some shut eye now." Amberstar rose to her paws, and said a good night to Willowsong before making her way down leaders rock, diving into the den behind it.

Willowsong sat on the rock for a while longer, gazing up at the stars. She still wasn't sure how each of those vibrant dots was a cat; but it was a concept that she had grown to believe. As she sat in silence, she froze up whenever a large white star shot across the sky, seeming to be plummeting for the ground. When this star came by, a vision suddenly appeared in her mind, her entire body tensed and her claws dug into the ground as a voice rang out in her mind, the scene in her head a fire.

"As the tree burns, one old foe shall rise once more, seeking their revenge."

Chills ran down her spine as the vision faded out of her mind, her muscles relaxing once more. Starclan had given her a message for the first time. She was to interpret this, but for now, decided to put her mind at rest, and retreat to her den, seeking a slumber. [507 words].

[dimi.]

Poppy soon awoke from her slumber, raising her head up towards the empty field. It took her a moment for her to wake up, her eyes looking over the plain beyond the branch she lay on. Her ears twitched as she sat up, her tongue running along one of her paws to swipe across both of her ears, neatly cleaning them. She then craned her neck to the right, licking her flank until she found it satisfactory. Her ears then pinned to her head, her eyes lighting up as she became enraged at herself; she had fallen asleep when she was supposed to watch and follow the white she-cat to Silentclan.

She quickly made her way down the tree and ran into the plain, desperately stuffing her nose into the grass, trying to pick up the odd scent of the cat. Her breathing soon became difficult as she began to panic, her eyes wide. "No.. No.." She whispered to herself, digging her claws into the earth beneath her before swinging her paw up, dirt flying several tails lengths in front of her. Her head then tilted down, a defeated cry escaping her. She then rose her head back up, holding back tears that glazed her eyes as she looked around the plain. Her eyes then froze, locking on a small tuft of white fur just a few feet ahead of her.

She instantly rose to her paws and darted over to it, vigorously trying to get the scent memorized to her nose. With a much stronger image of the scent, she began to sniff the ground surrounding it, finding that the she-cat had gone north of the river over night. There weren't any trees she could see in the distance, at least not from the point she was standing at. With this new general understanding, Poppy instantly began running forward. Having just woken up, she was a little drowsy, sure, but the energy that her sleep gave her was more than enough to keep her running for longer than the previous night.

The scent began to fade, which along with it, dwindled Poppy's hope. She slowed down for a moment and eventually came to a stop, her chest heaving, her mouth parted open as she panted. Her tail was puffed up out of excitement, fear, and worry, a mixture of complicated emotions that she could not control. After relaxing herself long enough so she was no longer panting like a dog, she carried on, approaching a hill. She dug her claws into the soil and made her way up, making sure she didn't slip on the way up. When she reached the top, she looked on. Before her, there was a large forest. The trees were tall and reached for the sky in the distance. She then turned to her right, seeing a forest about half the size of the one directly in front of her.

She meowed out in excitement, gazing at the large forest before her. Light seemed to beam off of it as she got hopeful. She instantly ran down the hill, making sure to lightly bound over any rocks, twigs, or other obstacles along the way. She then slid down to the bottom, dirt flinging up onto her pelt. She spun around, the dirt flying off in a cloud before she then turned out, looking back at the large forest. "I did it.."

"Willowsong, I'm coming for you." She said in delight, a big grin appearing on her face. Her nose suddenly twitched, her senses going into overdrive as she looked over at the smaller forest. A cloud of spoke had risen; which could only mean one thing..

Fire.

The word rang out in Poppy's mind, her eyes wide in terror. Her first instinct was to run forward to Silentclan and warn them about the fire. Her second one proved to be stronger; go investigate. And so she did. She changed her course and began running southeast towards the forest with smoke rising from the top. [671 words]

[dimi.]

The sun hadn't fully risen yet, yet Willowsong had already left on a patrol in order to search for herbs. The initial search of the forest Silentclan resided in proven to be futile, and so Willowsong had to turn to her next resort; travelling to the other forest just southeast of the one she currently stood in. She crept through the forest, bushing aside some brambles and leaves from bushes that hung in her way with her paw. She then emerged from the cluster, looking out beyond the plain to the forest in the distance, a sigh escaping her as the musty forest air was replaced by fresh air.

She took a deep breath, her nose twitching violently. She then looked up in confusion, the sniffing only becoming more intense. Willowsong's eyes then widened as she looked up to the top of the sky-reaching trees, her pupils dilating. "Fire?" She whispered curiously under her breath, a pitiful mewl escaping her. The image that had come with the prophecy Starclan had given her just the night before this day flew through her mind, the voice rumbling in her mind as if the prophecy was being told to her a second time. Knowing she was the interpreter of this message, and she had failed to tell Amberstar about it, she decided that it was her duty alone to go and investigate; and so she did.

She made her way forward at a reasonable pace, not running, but also not walking; perhaps a calm jog. When she reached the forest, she darted between two of the trees to gain access to the forest, running down a dirt path that seemed to almost be paved into the forest. She then slid into a clearing, panting as she looked around. The clearing was lit up orange, and to her left, at the base of the tallest oak tree in the forest, a fire had been lit. The source was unknown, but the fire was growing by the second. Willowsong turned to go find water to hopefully bring down the fire, but was soon forced down to the ground, pinned against the ground by a chocolate sepia cat.

Rosemary.

Willowsong's pupils immediately shrank; signalling her disgust without even a word escaping her. "Rosemary?!" Willowsong hissed out, her hind claws instantly unsheathing and scraping against Rosemary's stomach. A howl of pain escaped Rosemary, followed by an "umph" as Willowsong flung her off. She jumped to her paws and whirled around in agitation.

Rosemary stood several feet in front of Willowsong, her muzzle parted in an ear piercing laughter. "It's been a while, Willowsong." She said in her normal taunting, condescending tone. "After you wailed like a little pathetic kit to Poppy, she ratted me out and I was exiled from the pack. All because you were too much of a little kittypet to handle a little rough training!"

"Rough training?! You almost killed me!" Willowsong retorted, soon finding herself against the rough bark of a tree whenever Rosemary rammed her flank.

"You weren't trying hard enough," Rosemary said with a loud growl. "The pack would've been better off without you regardless. This entire forest is going to burn up with you in it. And once I'm done here, I'm tracking that sorry pelt of Poppy down and teaching her the same lesson." Rosemary said with another laugh.

"You're not going to kill me." Willowsong said, her teeth gritted in pure anger. Willowsong found that her legs were aching, and that she couldn't get to her paws to prepare a counter attack. Starclan, is this the end?

Rosemary's paw trailed along Willowsong's throat, her claws unsheathed. The claws touched the flesh lightly enough to be irritating, but not to leave any marks. "Oh, but here you are, laying on the ground. You sure about that, little one?" Rosemary's claws began to dig into the flesh of Willowsong's neck, and suddenly a brown patch of fur soared over Willowsong and struck Rosemary's, sending Rosemary sliding backwards on the ground [672 words].