[center]
[color=a2d39c][h2]Mallownose.[/h2][/color]

"[color=f7941d]Just get the thorn out, mousebrain! I can't grip it.[/color]"

"[color=a2d39c][i]Oh boy[/i], by golly do I live to serve you![/color]" purred Mallownose sarcastically, eyeing the large gray warrior before him. 

Though Stormstrike wasn't quite tall, he was built like an oak tree and he had shoulders that bunched with muscle in every movement. He was an intimidating enough tom but after moons of dealing with his penchant for getting thorns in between his toes and tangled in his thick fur, Mallownose was sort of immune to him. He grew past the grumbling mutters of his clanmates unless they became particularly accusatory and then he became nervous but Stormstrike was just angry that he couldn't grab his own thorns. It was kind of amusing when Mallownose thought about it but all the same, this was a generally useless task and he had half a mind to make Warmpaw do it. He decided better of it though and sighed at the tom before him. 

It was part of the job and he couldn't make his apprentice do every undesirable task, he'd have to just suck it up. His old mentor would have told him to just suck it up, grin and bare it, it was just a thorn stuck in a paw after all. He had dealt with much more dire things which was the problem of course, he was dealing with these manageable ailments on a day to day basis. It took a good breather every now and then to keep from telling some cats to handle it themselves. He generally saved those snappy comments for apprentices who had been scratched by the bramble tunnel and came to him whining about how it stung.

"[color=a2d39c]Lift your paw and spread your toes, I'll have that nasty bugger out in a mouse breath.[/color]" Mallownose assured him.

Gold eyes glinted at him harshly before a paw was displayed to him and he took the thorn in his teeth delicately before giving it a sharp pull. It came loose relatively easy and he spat it aside, overlooking the paw for swelling a brief moment, he nodded affirmatively. "[color=a2d39c]All done, just give it a good lick or two and hopefully it won't get infected. I would hate for you to lose a paw over this![/color]" he stretched his eyes wide with mock horror but his quivering whiskers gave him away.

"[color=f7941d]No cat likes a medicine cat who thinks he's too wise for his fur.[/color]" muttered Stormstrike as he pushed out of the den without giving his paw a few licks as Mallownose had suggested.

"[color=a2d39c][i]And a good day to you, Grumpyfur![/i][/color]" Mallownose called after him just as a sleek black form seemed to be approaching. Giving his chest fur a few clean licks, he blinked affectionately at the clan deputy before sitting back on his haunches to eye him. 

"[color=a2d39c]This must be something absolutely terrible, I don't think I have the pleasure of seeing you in my den much![/color]" he mused. "[color=a2d39c]What is it? Some burrs in your fur? Perhaps a life threatening battle wound under your ears?[/color]"
[/center]