Plumpaw’s Medicine Cat Ceremony

For a cat who didn’t have an apprentice of his own, he must have done the most medicine cat apprentice ceremonies out of the current set.

It had been two mere sunrises since Froststar joined StarClan. Watching the white tom's rib cage rattle and groan, cutting off and starting again, over and over again… it was sobering. Fuzzybelly had never felt so inept in his life. It was whitecough. He had given Froststar enough catmint to line every nest in SkyClan with it. Froststar was a new leader with many lives left.

Until he didn’t.

He was under the impression that each new life was supposed to fully cure any ailment. But that infection must had been in the poor tom’s bones at that point. Rattling coughs, fatigue, languidly hoping that the next life would save him. It wasn’t fair.

Fuzzybelly looked to the sky, the last stars still lingering from nightfall. Dawn would be soon.

Nightstalker would be leader next. He would have to be, otherwise Fuzzybelly would be completely lost.

He couldn’t help but feel guilty. Froststar didn’t deserve to die, and he certainly didn’t deserve to die not in the marshlands. They couldn’t even bury him in ShadowClan. The marsh was still overrun.

Fuzzybelly swallowed the lump in his throat. Today would not be about Froststar. Today would be about Plumpaw.

The she-cat worked dutifully. She couldn’t be more different than Fogfeather if she tried, but that was honestly a benefit. Some cats responded better to one personality over the other. As long as they could work together, that was what was the most important.

And she always seemed willing to put in the effort. Briarstar had already given her blessing, and Fuzzybelly saw Plumpaw at work for himself when collecting herbs and she was so compassionate when Froststar was in his last days. Even when ShadowClan was the one imposing on her home Clan, she still cared about them enough to support his Clanmates when they grieved and still grieved.

He was grieving too, though he kept that to himself. The other two were already working so hard. There would be a time for grief, but not now.

Sun crept over the treetops. Morning was such an odd thing for the ShadowClan medicine cat to experience. Sure, when he would be wrapping up, there would be some sun. But his Clan preferred the night, and to be fully active during the day was straight up bizarre.

He noticed Plumpaw stirring. It was good for her to get some sleep.

“Hullo, Plumpaw,” rumbled the tom. “Hope you slept good. We’ll be heading to Highstones today. Could you make two bundles of traveling herbs?”

Plumpaw yawned, kneading the ground in front of her as she arched her back in a long stretch. She sat up to groom the wayward bits of fur on her chest, her sleep addled-mind barely registering Fuzzybelly's words until after he'd spoken.

"Hm...?" She muttered, her eyes fluttering shut as she yawned again. "The moonstone? Has Starclan spoken to you? Is everything okay?"

Plumpaw's tone was heavy with concern as she headed over to their herb storage. She quickly gathered the needed herbs, setting one of the bundles in front of Fuzzybelly. She touched her tail gently to the other medicine cats flank, a silent show of support. It had to be hard, being driven from your home and losing your leader, yet still having to be strong for your clanmates. Even despite the stressful situation, Fuzzybelly had helped to heal his clanmates and had even extended his services to help train Fogpaw, now Fogfeather, and Plumpaw. Maybe the older medicine cat was hoping to share tongues with Froststar in Starclan? If that was the case, she'd be glad to accompany him on the journey and offer her support. She quickly gulped down her share of herbs, the once unpleasant flavor only a minor nuisance. She'd chewed so many herbs making poultices that she was sure she'd never get the taste out of her mouth.

“It’s great! You’re going to meet StarClan today. It’s time. Time for you to be fully named. You’ve earned this,” Fuzzybelly meowed, heart full of pride.

He found SkyClan territory to be so odd, but it was becoming less bizarre to him the longer he stayed.

“You’re going to be great. You’ve taken care of my Clan for so long, and I can’t possibly repay you.”

He nodded to her as they walked the paths to Highstones, settling on Mothermouth as dusk fell.

“Are you ready? I’m not sure if I’ve ever felt ready, myself, but StarClan chose you. They’ve chosen all of us, in our own ways. I’m always a fellow medicine cat, and I’d be glad to help anytime.”

The cave never ceased to amaze him. He turned to Plumpaw, a soft smile on his face.

“Take a seat, take a breath. You ready?”

Plumpaw felt an elated shock run through her, excitement raising every hair on her pelt and stealing her words away. "Thank you, Fuzzybelly." She breathed, her eyes gleaming as she followed the older medicine cat along the familiar path to Highstones. Her paws tingled with nervous energy, she wanted to run and hide in her mother's fur as she'd always done as a kit, but she simultaneously felt like she could run all the way to the Moonstone and back in a single breath. It was finally time for her moons of hard work to pay off. Watching her siblings get their warrior names, one by one, until finally even Fogfeather had earned his full name, had taken a level of patience she didn't even know she possessed. And now, her time had finally come.

She stepped into the cave, darkness closing in all around her. Instead of fear she felt an odd sense of comfort. Fuzzybelly's words echoed in her head. Starclan chose me...

She returned his smile as she sat in front of the moonstone, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I'm ready." She said, her voice ringing out against the stone walls. Her mind flashed to the first time she'd been here, vowing to protect and heal her clan as a medicine cat apprentice. So much had changed since then... The gray and white she-cat's eyes closed briefly as she remembered the grief of losing her father and being forced to watch her mother be outcast by the clan. She wished she could go back to when things were simpler, when her family was whole and happy, but she knew it was impossible. She could only look to the future, and hope that fate would be kinder to her and her siblings.

With a small grin, he nodded and began the ceremonial words.

“I, Fuzzybelly, a medicine cat of ShadowClan, ask our ancestors in Silverpelt to look upon this apprentice, Plumpaw of SkyClan. Through many moons, trials, and tribulations, she has handled them all with aplomb, and it would be my honor and privilege to commend her to your ranks as a full medicine cat. She has worked tirelessly to learn your ways, to seek your counsel, to heal her Clan, and it is for these and many more reasons that I commend her to you.”

“Plumpaw, do you swear, to StarClan, SkyClan, and yourself, to be a connection to our ancestors, to honor the code, help the sick of any Clan, and rise above Clan rivalry?”

"I promise." She replied, her voice unwavering and confident. She'd never been more sure of anything, and the past few moons had done nothing but prove that she had made the right choice. She was destined to be a medicine cat, just as her parents had been, and she would continue serving her clan for as long as she lived.

"Then, it is my honor, duty, and privilege to give you your full medicine cat name. You will be Plumleaf, a full medicine cat of SkyClan! Leaves are powerful things. Life, death, all of it, all depends on what leaves we use and when. Just like how catmint can purge even the worst greencough, hemlock kills within heartbeats. Your charge, then, is to use your gifts well. As we go into leaf-fall and leafbare, when things become much harder to find, I ask you to remember the cat, remember yourself, and remember that all your ancestors walk with you."

"Well, Plumleaf, now that you are a fully named medicine cat, it is time to be received by StarClan! You've trained so hard for this, and I couldn't be prouder."

Fuzzybelly glowed with pride; this was the second medicine cat he named, even though he had yet to take an apprentice himself. He hoped that day would come soon.

Plumpaw, no, Plumleaf, was practically glowing with pride. She'd worked so hard for this day, and to be pronounced as a full medicine cat by such an experienced colleague was an honor in itself.

"Thank you, Fuzzybelly. I will always remember everything you taught me." She stepped toward the moonstone, her heart pounding with excitement. Pressing her nose gently against the stone, she let her eyes fall shut.

As soon as his daughter awoke in the starry territory, Dovefrost was there to greet her. "I'm so proud." was the first thing that rumble out of the tom's maw. "You have grown so much.. A full medicine cat. Along side your brother." Green eyes took in her form for a moment. "Stars.. I wish I was there to see it." One thing he would never get over was not being there to watch his kits grow up, not being there to guide any of them. It was something that ate at him constantly even in Starclan. He had everything he needed here, except that one wish.