Winds of Change [closed]

The medicine den lay empty and cold as the first rays of dawn peeped over the horizon. Hentooth’s nest lay deserted, a few wisps of calico fur still caught in the moss. A few minutes’ hard run from the camp the young medicine cat was flopped upon the ground, gazing up at the fading stars. Last night had been mild, and she’d wanted to take advantage of it. But that wasn’t all…

Something had tugged her out here. Like a line was tied to her chest. She couldn’t explain it. It had been something like wanderlust, almost, but not quite. At any rate, StarClan had showed no sign of descending to offer some cool thing and so she’d brushed it off as one of her quirks. Maybe she could hunt, a bit, before she headed back to camp.

And then it happened.

A gust of wind picked her up, tossing her onto her paws. With wide eyes and a pounding heart, she dug her claws into the ground, hanging on for deer life. The rushing of the wind grew louder and louder and louder like she was drowning in a sea of air.

Then suddenly, it stopped.

Not far off, Hentooth could see a plump hare nibbling on a berry bush. A deathberry bush. Wait, they didn’t have those so close to camp- but what really surprised the medicine cat was that the hare was perfectly fine. He continued eating, and eating, and an impossible number of hares joined him, all nibbling at the bush. They grew plump before her eyes, and then shadowy cats poured in, the unmistakable scent of WindClan, and they feasted.

Without warning, the vision faded before her eyes, leaving only the open moor. No deathberry bush, no hare, no WindClan scent other than her own. What there was was a plump berry, lying on the sand completely randomly. Hentooth padded up to the odd thing and sniffed it. Hmm. It wasn’t a deathberry, and it smelled wonderful…

Surprising herself, she quickly ate it. It tasted delectable, filling her with energy. The wind was at her back as she rushed back to WindClan camp, knowing what the vision must mean. Berries were good for WindClan. They had only one cat named Berry. And she had asked StarClan about an apprentice not long before. She didn’t like help, but it would be nice to have somecat else to shoulder some of the work around here.

The young medicine cat skidded to a stop at the nursery, firm in her knowledge. That was the only interpretation of the omen. And she was kinda glad she got one. It was… nice.

“Berrykit?” She called gently into the nursery. Sagewillow stirred, and Hentooth quickly whispered to her “I just need him for a moment.” Luckily the tom’s other siblings seemed fast asleep.

Berrykit, a lively, but shy kit, lay in a nest of moss deep inside the nursery. He had been having a small amount of trouble falling asleep, as a large amount or eerie noises lurk outside the den.

The furious winds causing the branches to creak, the annoyingly loud hoots of owls, the skittering of creatures in the forest. They were all quite intense for a small kit like himself. He quietly whimpered, trying not to reveal the fact that he ceased to fall asleep to his mother.

Berrykit ears twitched as he heard the soft call of another feline calling for him to emerge from his den. He soon raised his tired body, quietly stepping out of the nursery to not wake his siblings. As he peers out of his den, he spots the large she-cat Hentooth looming over him. "Hello, Hentooth. Your the medicine cat, right?" Berrykit was quite mature for his age, speaking like a warrior would. "You called me?" He wondered what the molly needed him for.

Hentooth narrowed her eyes at the kit, scrutinizing him. He knew her, she was sure. She knew Sage and Down’s litter better than many other cats in the Clan- but that wasn’t important at the moment. “Head up, shoulders back, chest forwards,” she commanded in a quiet tone, not wanting to wake the tom’ siblings and be swarmed. “Good. Now. Berrykit, I’ve received a message from StarClan that you’re to be my apprentice. Any objections?”

She stood still in front of him, gazing at him with sharp green eyes. It was good, good to use the sharp tone again. Firm, commanding. If he was to be her apprentice, he would have to listen. And it seemed StarClan had made a good choice, as usual. The tom seemed mature. Good. She just hoped he wouldn’t mind her sharp tone. And if he did… well…

He’d get used to it.

Head up. Shoulders back. Chest forwards. The words entered his mind as he followed each command. He had no intention to be rude to the older molly, and certainly not annoy them.
His eyes widened slightly as apprentice reached his ears. The single word repeated in his mind. He thought about how he could help his family if they were ever hurt or ill. He thought about how he could help anyone in his clan if they needed it.
No. No objections. He answered, confused as to why Starclan would choose him to be a medicine cat. But he accepted kindly.

“Good,” she answered crisply. Perhaps a part of her was… disappointed he took her sharp tone in stride. Like he was bending to it. Humph. If there was anything wrong with him, she’d get it out of him by the time he was a full medicine cat. “You’re practically six moons. You’ll be formally apprenticed soon. You can go back to sleep now, I’ll tell Down-Downtuft and Sagewillow. If you have any objections, now is the time for them.” She lashed her tail, wondering how Down would feel about his kit becoming her apprentice. Worried, a voice inside her whispered, and she stifled a chuckle. Ah, he’d better be. She’d make a good, stolid tom out of the kit yet.