Cloverpaw's Medicine Cat Apprentice Ceremony

Dennis paced back and forth as he was often found doing, kicking up dust from the sun-baked earth. A flurry of thoughts churned in his head, even moreso than usual. What-ifs and why-nots whizzed through his mind, to him sounding like a cacophony of noisy flies. He hadn't slept. No, he'd been busy thinking, and for once about something concrete rather than everything at once. Cloverpaw. The kid was a natural herb finder, eager to learn too. Better than he'd been, from what he remembered. He could picture her as a medicine cat already. Her paws would be good ones to leave RiverClan in once he... Well, his shaking limbs and protruding ribs spoke for themselves. He was getting old, and Cloverpaw seemed the perfect cat to take up the mantle of medicine cat. But there still remained the problem of her being a warrior apprentice, and one he hardly knew at that. How was he supposed to just ask her to uproot her life like that? It would be unfair of him. He sighed and stopped his pacing, gazing into the midnight sky for just a moment. He pictured Lilypaw up there. What would she want him to do?

Buck up and ask her, of course. The lanky medicine cat blinked as if to wipe away the doubt and within five paces found himself at the mouth of the apprentices' den. Weathering the twins' snoring, he tapped on Cloverpaw's shoulder. Here goes nothing. "Cloverpaw? Could we talk?"

The field Cloverpaw had been standing in was warm, a refreshing breeze stirring the lush grass she found herself in. The sun was setting, painting everything in soft orange colors, and she was content to sit and watch the view forever.

Content, at least, until she heard a familiar squeaking.

Ears perking, she followed the sound until the grass parted, revealing a small, warn down circle where it looked like animals had slept before—and a mouse sat, grooming itself. Lowering herself into the familiar crouch, she eased herself forward. Moments before she pounced, it looked up, but rather than racing away, it darted into her outstretched paws. For a moment, she was proud of her catch, but the joy faded quickly.

It wasn't helped by the fact the mouse looked up at her, speaking to her in a warbled, distant voice. With a yelp of surprise, she found herself sitting bolt upright in her nest. It had been a dream afterall. No mice willing to be eaten tonight, it seemed.

More important than her dream though, she was just awake enough to catch the end of a familiar voice. Blinking sleep from her eyes, she looked up. "Dennis?" Why had he come here, especially so late? Had she done something wrong?

With a poorly stifled yawn and a quick stretch, she rose to a sitting position, giving her fellow apprentices a glance. "Yeah, uhm– of course! What's going on?" She tried to keep her tone light, hoping the traces of sleep in her words would mask her worry.