June Medicine Cat Meeting

Aspenheart felt his limbs creak as he ascended Highstones, causing him to grumble loud enough for Softpaw to hear. It was one of many age-related symptoms he had been dealing with. All things considered, he should be glad. The life expectancy of someone with his kind of neurological damage was incredibly vague. He was a bit of an anomaly. There was no cat like him, as far as he knew, and he figured that if there were, he would have been called in to give a consultation by now. From the grey flecks that sprouted around his muzzle to the loss of his fur’s usual luster, he was probably as old as Barleytuft when he had passed, if he had to guess.

In all of the seasons he had experienced, there was never such a time of slowness on the moor. Breezy cats didn’t often sit still, but it seemed that his entire clan was too exhausted to do much more than retire in the sunshine. That was fine by Aspenheart, as long as they weren’t plagued by righteous ghosts. The lightning bugs flickered around himself and his apprentice, illuminating the entrance of the Mothermouth. They were the first to arrive. Aspenheart pitched himself to the ground, yawning and stretching his tired limbs.

Eveningpaw's disappearance weighed heavily on Mothglow's heart, even as the scars of the Righteous Few finally began to fade, as she slowly made her way to the sacred meeting place of her fellow medicine cats. She wasn't looking forward to sharing the news, so tired of the loss and pain, but still she managed a smile as the fireflies danced around her paws. They were her favorite, really, of the summer sights - little stars so close to the ground, as she'd long believed them to be. Pieces of StarClan that wished to stay close to the cats they'd loved. Or at least she could imagine it was so, and the idea made her feel a little bit better.

WindClan's medicine cats had already arrived, and she offered a silent smile to her friends as greeting, though her tail curled around her side as she settled on the rock. She would spare her news for the rest of them - it was best if she only had to explain it once, after all. But for now she'd simply bask in the company of fireflies and friends, some of the small constants that kept her paws tethered to the ground on which they lived.

It was a balancing act, she thought. Living and dying, waking and dreaming, awake and asleep. Each a duality, equal and opposite in almost every way - and just one Mothglow, who stood upon the line that kept them apart.

It was times like this, when loss took hold, that she wished to cross that line completely. It was times like this that those tethers became so important.

One side was, after all, an endless dream where the pain she felt now would be little more than a distant memory. Where so many of the cats she'd known and loved were waiting to welcome her.

And on the other was the life that had brought such pain in the first place. But that life had also brought her the best things she'd known: it had brought her to her friends, had given her the fireflies and the marsh, the feeling of sun-warmed stone under her paws, the chance to gaze up at the stars. To choose the path of a medicine cat and to walk it faithfully as she had.

All the things that kept her tethered down, all the love she felt for them...

She kept going, because she couldn't give up on that. If nothing else, she would always have faith in love.

Finally, after what was likely only moments but felt like an eternity, she spoke. "It's good to see you. Are things alright in WindClan?"

Daisybloom hadn’t seen anything last meeting, but she was a full medicine cat now. It didn’t seem much different, but she expected she would have more duties in the coming moons. She walked towards the Highstones area, easily, seeing that two other clans had already arrived. It seemed that Windclan, Aspenheart and Softpaw, had been the first. Mothglow of Shadowclan was also their, but an apprentice the young she-cat swore she had seen before was nowhere to be seen. She dipped her head in greeting nervously. She still wasn’t very family with most of them, excluding Softpaw, who she had talked to at the gathering. The apprentice seemed very sweet. Aspenheart, well, maybe not so much. And Mothglow seemed like a good cat, but in all honesty she was almost a stranger to the younger medicine cat. They had breaks talked at all.

I wonder if I’ll get some sort of message this time.. She thought. It seemed that messages came to the full medicine cats, and last time had certainly been revealing for the others. Maybe she would learn of something that had came to be or would come to be to the clans. After all, messages from Starclan were just as important in her role as healing. She and Mossbloom were sort of the bridge between Thunderclan and the ancestors, carrying and interpreting messages. Without those, Oakstar wouldn’t know what he needed too.

Softpaw followed after her mentor, chirping bits of conversation every now and then. Upon seeing Mothglow and Daisybloom, she nodded, then paused in confusion. "Where are Mossbloom and Eveningpaw?" She asked, looking away as if the two would materialise out of thin air.

Sagelight was silent as he made his way up to the clearing where the medicine cats gathered, hardly sparing his friends a glance. Not everyone was there yet, so he sat down a little ways away from the others and stretched out stiff limbs from the journey. It seemed as if the tom was becoming more and more antisocial lately, which was very out of character for him. He was very tired, his pelt disheveled, his eyes dull and lifeless.

Part of him was concerned that he would be cast out of his position, much like Mintwhisker was. Stars. He was becoming the very thing he had sworn against. But...it was just an accident, of course. He would never do anything to harm another cat on purpose. His breath hitching in his throat, he turned a bleary gaze skyward as he looked for the little points of light up there in the dark. Please, just make this quick so I can go home...

Spiderquill once again all but crawled into the clearing, exhausted but a lot less shell-shocked than last moon. He smiled warmly at Softpaw and looked around at the other medicine cats, noting the absence of a few cats but not commenting on it. He doubted he even had the energy to speak anyway: as it turned out, taking care of a young kit for any amount of time was no easy task. He felt a pang of sympathy for all the queens in RiverClan. How could they manage just the one kit, let alone a whole litter? Though, Lilykit was worth it. She was healing perfectly and already beginning to walk again, she could even put pressure on her hind legs for a small period of time. As he thought about her, Spiderquill became progressively more anxious about 'his' kit. He had nothing to worry about really, the queen's had volunteered to take care of her when he was busy, but there was still that irrational urge to check on her and everyone else, to make sure they were okay. He could only hope this meeting wouldn't take too long.

"I wish I knew. Eveningpaw... She disappeared days ago," Mothglow sighed, tail curling around her side. "We couldn't find her, so I have to assume she didn't want to be found. It's just me tonight."

Which felt wrong, somehow, though she'd been so used to it before. The companionship of her apprentice was something she'd always appreciated on the trek to Highstones.

Daisybloom nodded to Stormpaw, but her smile dropped when Mossbloom was mentioned. First she let Mothglow answer. She knew Eveningpaw had been a medicine cat apprentice, but they had never formally met. Still, it was sad she had just disappeared. A new apprentice would be joining the group soon, she guessed.

When the older cat finished talking, she started. ”She...got sick. We don’t know what it is, but she’s getting better.” she explained. Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible as she added, ”..I hope.” It was concerting to her, her mentor being sick. Mossbloom would hopefully pull through, and everything would be alright. But if she didn’t...the tabby shook her head. It would all be alright.

Truth be told, she was nervous about the message she would receive. If she didn’t see anything, Thunderclan wouldn’t know anything. After all, Mossbloom had gotten some sort of message last time, not this one. And her mentor might not be able to help interpret Starclan’s wisdom. It was a nerve wracking thought, doing it all alone.

"Sounds like we're missing several cats..." he murmured, rising to his aching paws once more. "Honeysong stayed behind in camp to tend to cats, so it's just me tonight." With of a flick of his ear, he turned to Daisybloom, offering her a weary smile. "Tell Mossbloom I said I hope she feels better soon, it's a shame not having her here...And Mothglow, I'm sorry to hear about Eveningpaw, that's terrible. I hope you find her soon." Sagelight blinked off into the distance towards the direction of ThunderClan, then turned and made his way down the tunnel towards the Moonstone. He might as well get this started... He was anxious to get this meeting over with, he had some important things he needed to discuss with Spottedstar.

Just like always, he selected a spot on the cold stone floor next to the glowing stone and crouched down, getting comfortable. The tom stared at his reflection on the surface of the stone for a moment, a flash of sadness passing over his face before he touched his nose to it and fell into a deep sleep.

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He found himself in SkyClan territory, apprehension creeping into his chest and squeezing his heart. It was late evening, the sky slowly transitioning into night, and at first Sagelight didn't see anything of importance. His guard was up, however, and he padded carefully through the underbrush, whiskers tensed and on alert. Judging by where he was, he seemed to be near the creek, but the subtle sound of running water and the hint of moisture in the air wasn't there. Instead, the air felt...dry, and hot, even in the cooler evening.

Ears pricked despite his poor hearing, the SkyClan medicine cat reached the area where the creek usually was and found only dry mud in its place, a trickle of water being the only hint that there was even a creek there at all. Frowning, he lashed his tail in thought. Was SkyClan going to be short on water soon? Before he could get a good thought going, however, a loud noise alerted him to other creatures' presences. They were footsteps, but heavy and strange, crunching through the sticks and leaves on the ground with little concern. There was a garbled noise, a yowl of...laughter, maybe? And Sagelight suddenly became aware of the Twolegs walking several foxlengths away. With a gasp, he darted into the shadows, hackles raised in alarm. What in the name of StarClan were they doing so far in SkyClan territory? As he watched, eyes wide, the Twolegs moved towards a spark of flickering light in what he could only imagine was a fire of some sort. Breath baited, the tom willed his legs to move again and he crept closer, hidden in the shadows, and came across a gathering of several Twolegs sitting around a fire in a clearing. How was it so...contained? And why were those Twolegs there?

Sagelight swallowed the thick bile rising in his throat and backed away from the scene, claws unsheathed just in case. Suddenly, the contained fire roared and sprung to life, leaping high into the trees and enveloping the Twolegs as they crowed and yowled. There was a flash of heat searing into his pelt, burning, and then...

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He woke with a start, fur prickling uncomfortably from the painful burning sensation from just moments before. He was panting, hackles raised, and he staggered to his paws. He had to tell Spottedstar, immediately. Who knew if there were already Twolegs in SkyClan territory, or if they would be coming later. If so, when? And the lack of water... Sagelight shook his fur to try and steady his head and emotions. SkyClan was up for one monster of a Greenleaf. He peered around at his colleagues, then jabbed at the nearest one with his paw once they were starting to rouse from their sleep. "I have to go, I have an urgent message for Spottedstar," he blurted, then made his way out of the cavern and back towards SkyClan as fast as his trembling paws would carry him.

The member 'Aspen' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'StarClan Revelation' :

Daisybloom nodded carefully. Almost all of the clans had one cat attending, besides Windclan. ”I will,” she replied to Sagelight, making a mental note to do so when she returned home to talk to Mossbloom. She followed him trough the tunnels quietly, and nervously. She had no clue what she would experience once she touched her nose to that glowing rock, that miracle on Earth. But there was only one way to find out. Squeezing her eyes shut, she clutched down, and extended her muzzle. Her nose soon touched the cool surface, and she was transported far away from the Moonstone, yet she stayed in the same place.


When she opened her eyes, she was in a familiar place, the territory she roamed. It was the forest of Thunderclan. It took her a moment to realize that, however, as she was extremely low. Why was that? Surely, she hadn’t shrunk. And glancing around, there was snow? In Green-leaf? A vision of the past.. she noted. or the future? Unsure, she decided to move around, to decide what would be happening. It seemed however, she was stuck in place. On rocks that must’ve been Snakerocks. She had tread there many times in the waking world, collecting herbs. Wait a minute. I’m on Snakerocks, as some tiny animal. What resides here? she asked herself, and suddenly she understood what her host was. She was a snake. Her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden movement of the adder, the head of her host rose up, out of the crevice, flicking it’s tongue. It moved and spread out on the rock. Then, she saw something.

It was a cat, springing at Daisybloom. Well, the snake, technically. Not having to focus on escaping, as she didn’t have control, she tried to see who it was. And she realized quickly. Rainstrike. She was just catching a snake, it seemed. Why would Starclan be showing her this, something that seemed to happen, or would happen, far from now. While she had been thinking, the snake had ended up in the cat’s jaws. They walked back into camp, which confused the medicine cat. She stopped trying to analyze the situation, she would have time to do that on the wya home, or at camp. Now she would just observe.

Observe as she was placed in the leaders den. That’s when the sickening feeling in her stomach, or, what she assumed was her stomach, set it. Surely it wasn’t what she was thinking of. But with every second, it became more and more clear. She didn’t need to see the act happen to know what Starclan was showing her. But maybe Starclan thought so, because the world went black for a split second, before coming back to color again.

It was evening now, she could tell by the cooler feeling of the air. And there was fur in the den. Oh no. she thought. Even if she couldn’t control her actions right now, Daisybloom didn’t want to bit her father. She didn’t want to hurt him. But, it had already happened, and no harm would be done. The snake hissed. And it did the thing that had been so devastating. It bit Oakstar.

Her eyes opened, staring at the stone. Relieved to be in control of her movements, she sat up, pulling away from the Moonstone. What she had just witnessed was shocking. And she felt anger boiling. Rainstrike has purposely hurt her father. Not just, hurt, killed him! Even if it didn’t kill him for good, that one life might’ve been important. But now it was gone, because of a spiteful warrior.

Did Mossbloom know? Daisybloom had to tell her, and Oakstar. She looked around at the surrounding cats. A few were still in the realm of Starclan, or wherever they had been transported. Sagelight, however, was up, and leaving. He was going back home, she realized. ”I, uh, have to go as well.” she mewed. The journey back would be one of contemplation for her.

”Goodbye.” she dipped her head in a farewell, the turned her back on the Moonstone, exiting the tunnel. And then she began the journey home.

The member 'Flying ReinDeer' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'StarClan Revelation' :

Spiderquill wasn't feeling particularly chatty tonight, so he didn't respond to the conversation of the others although his heart felt pangs of empathy for Mossbloom, Daisybloom, Mothglow and Eveningpaw. He'd had his fair share of similar scares from Mistleshine, and had the uncomfortable conversations with the other medicine cats about her absence at the Meetings. It must be dreadful for Mothglow and Daisybloom right now. As Daisybloom and Sagelight approached the Moonstone, Spiderquill did the same. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his nose against the smooth blue crystal and quickly fell unconscious.

The member 'Snickerdoodle' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'StarClan Revelation' :