Step Up [Closed]

Dovefrost had managed to wrap wounds as best as he could once he had reached Windclan with Fawnsong. The tom had been a wonderful aid thus far, despite his own injuries. Of course that had got the tom thinking. Fawnsong's ability to find herbs and identify them despite being injured was a wonderful ability. Maybe just maybe the tom wasn't meant to be a warrior.. maybe he was meant to follow the path of Medicine Cat.. Windclan did need one after all.

The white tom paused in his steps as bird song managed to reach his ears. Was this Starclan telling him Fawnsong was meant to be a Medicine cat? Or just something that happened by chance? Either way he was intending to speak with the tom.

"Fawnsong?" The tom asked inside the medicine den. He had held Fawnsong in here knowing that the tom had more sensitive injuries than some of the others. "Can we talk?"

From inside the medicine cat den, the dark ginger silhouette of the young warrior could be seen curled on a moss bed. He wasn't trembling anymore but the tom lacked the energy to groom his fur covered in blood and mud. He couldn't sleep either. Instead, Fawnsong remained still, breathing slowly and defeated. The darkness of the medicine cat den brought him some sense of comfort: the young tom recalled his days with Hentooth hidden under a fox's den. The smell of herbs also reminded him of his mother... if it wouldn't for her, he would have never known which herbs would help stop temporarily the bleeding of his wounds. I wish she was here... but I can't let her see me like this...

The calming silence of the medicine cat den was suddenly interrupted with the sound of heavy paws approaching. Fawnsong didn't bother to lift his head and face the newcomer. After spending so much time travelling and helping him with the injured warriors of the patrol, the young warrior was used to Dovefrost's scent. The ginger tom opened his amber eyes a little when Dovefrost asked him a question. However, he still didn't move a single whisker to face him. "Sure..." He mewed, waiting for the worst-case scenario possible.

Dovefrost took in the other's appearance for a moment, before turning away to the store, letting sorting herbs take his attention while he spoke. "What do you feel about what I do?" The large white tom asked. It was a simple question.. A way to start of the conversation, but Dovefrost knew he was avoiding the main subject. Poppy seeds here.. Marigold there.. They needed more cobwebs soon. He made a mental note to collect more of these later, as he worked up the courage to ask the question. He knew this would change the tom's life. Like the question had with him all those moons ago. Thinking he was meant to be a warrior but Starclan called him for other things.

"How would you feel about becoming a medicine cat?" There. It was out there. He didn't know how many times he had this conversation. How many times he had asked this question before, but he knew that most of his apprentices disappeared or died before they reached their full name. It was disheartening to say the least.. and he hoped that Fawnsong, if he accepted, didn't turn out the same.

If he could, Fawnsong would have widened his eyes in surprise at the tom's sudden question. Instead, a quick flick of his tail was his sole initial reaction. The young tom thought about Dovefrost's question, recalling his own mother in the process. Despite Hentooth's former role, he hadn't given much thought about medicine cats. "Hentooth.... my mother was the former medicine cat when she had us in the wild. She was the one who introduced me and my siblings to what it was to be a medicine cat... Thanks to her I had some sort of knowledge of what to do about my.... injuries..." The tom knew he was avoiding the question. It was a difficult subject for him because his mother was treated when she came back to Windclan with half-clan kits. "I think your job is... crucial for the clans. It's demanding because of all the rules you must follow but without you... more cats will be walking in Starclan every day and I doubt many of us would get through leaf-bare."

Deep down, the warrior knew where this was going and he didn't like it. Wrapping his tail around his body, he remained silent until Dovefrost made the question that he feared. He closed his eyes, defeated and resigned. Him, becoming a medicine cat? He would be following his mother's steps but... it wasn't something he had dreamed for himself. Since his arrival to camp, Fawnsong desired to be a warrior, to fight for his clan and become an important asset to his clan. He was ambitious, reckless and wanted to prove himself. But what if... it wasn't meant to be? The tom opened his eyes and looked himself into the nearby puddle where he had been drinking water. Despite the darkness of the cave and his currently poor vision, he could still see the scarred tissue that now covered his face. He raised one paw and touched the injured, hairless skin. This wasn't the mighty warrior he dreamt about... this was a defeated cat who failed his clan. However... here he was, with Dovefrost offering a new chance, a new role to be useful for his clan. It wasn't what he wanted for his life but... maybe this was Starclan's punishment.

Fawnsong lifted his head to meet the large white tom's eyes. "Did Starclan told you to ask me this?..." He paused for a second and chuckled. "You know? You don't have to answer that. It doesn't matter and I'm pretty sure I know the answer. If this... is what my clan needs from me now... then I will become a medicine cat. This raid has proven that Windclan can no longer rely solely on you... we need a medicine cat and if it is meant to be me, then I will do it." It wasn't an easy choice but he knew it was the right. He had to give up on his dreams and accept this second chance to make amends with his failures.

Did Starclan tell him? Not quite.. It was just a feeling, finding the signs that he thought he was meant to see, but he didn't expand on the topic much more than that. Part of him was relieved that Fawnsong agreed to take up the role, but he knew the tom had his heart set on another path. The same as him all those moons ago.

"You know I was in a similar position to you all those moons ago." He started as he continued to sort the herbs. "I was a warrior, just about the same age as you are now when I was approached by Daisybloom about becoming a medicine cat. At the time I didn't really want to." Dovefrost was certain that Fawnsong understand the struggle in making the choice. "I don't regret the choice I made, sometimes I do miss the warrior duties, but I still participate in the occasional hunt when I can. I just hope you will find that you don't regret your choice later in life." Of course Dovefrost had his challenges cut out for him, Daisybloom dying before his training could be completed. Batbite's strange sickness that he could never heal.. Minkstar's death.. Stars there was so much. Hopefully it wouldn't be as bad for Fawnsong.