The nursery was quiet as Thicketkit was curled up, the light of the moon slowly creeping in to stir her gently awake. The few kits that still resided in the nursery would stir soon as well, as the restlessness of Shadowclan at night would soon take hold. Although, while her chest rose and fell steadily, there was another voice coming down to whisper in her ear.
Within the dream realm, it had suddenly shifted. Her dream of finding catnip and herbs to help the sick had shifted, and suddenly, she seemed to be in what felt like a star-lit plain. The lights all around her of the stars grew brighter, and suddenly, one had grown so bright that she had to shut her eyes in the dream to prevent herself from being blinded. After seeing the light subside from behind her eyelids, she slowly opened them up to peer at the sight before her. Which, in all honesty, was stunning.
Stunning for such a young cat, it was. For the cat before her, was Ebonyleaf. The previous medicine cat. The now-gone skilled cat had since left the Earthly marshes of their home, and was here to deliver a message from Starclan. She had been sending the dreams of herbs to the kit, and the young cat had accepted them. It would serve her well, and it had been time for another medicine cat to follow in her footsteps. The fact that Shadowclan was without an herbalist was frightening, and the kit had been deemed best fit for the position.
Thicketkit couldn’t believe her eyes. There was a cat, right before her… It was amazing. A shudder passed through the young kit as she could feel the energy of her Ancestor, wonder striking greatly. “W-W…” Her tongue and vocal chords felt as if they were made of cobwebs, and she was completely unable to talk at all. Was it because she was just filled with so much wonder? Or was it so that she could hear the message laid out for her?
The answer was a bit of both. Ebonyleaf lifted a paw to signal for the kit to hush, for there to be no need to speak yet. “My dear little one, let your instinct guide you to the Highstones, for you will be the next Medicine Cat of Shadowclan.” Her voice was filled with youth once more, the age of her death being whisked away as she had once more been carried to her prime years. It felt so much nicer to be rejuvenated with such youthful energy, and there was no doubt that the kit would be able to make it.
~Time skip~
Having followed exactly what the cat had told her, the kit had followed her instincts to Highstones. It felt strange, almost as if there were a million cats around her, guiding her where she needed to go. There was no doubt that her ancestors had guided her there, or was it all in her head? Shaking the thought away, the freshness of the memory still made the kit somewhat confused. It was strange at how fresh it stayed in her memory, as most dreams faded as soon as she stirred. There was no doubt that it had meant that the dream was different then, and that it was, instead, a prophecy.
Her small paws ached from the long journey, and hunger gnawed at her belly. She didn’t know how to properly hunt, although, she had tried an herb that the cat had told her about in her dream to subside the feeling. Strangely enough, it worked.
Now, she was at Mothermouth. It felt so much nicer in the spot, and there was no doubt that she was in the right place. Purring with a sense of pride in her stomach, she looked at the moon, high in the sky. It had taken her some time to get here, as she had left, right as the sun was setting. She had to be pretty lucky.
Feeling something pushing her to go inside, the kits’ whiskers twitched as she was once more immersed in darkness. The familiarity of the low light level wasn’t much of a struggle for her, although, it still was eerily dark. Finally though, before her… There is was.
Thicketkit could almost feel something push her towards the rock that was illuminated by the moon, and she took no time to protest. Taking the notation to bow, she almost leaped as her paw touched a bit of icy water. Even if it had a strange sense of purity to it, the coldness send a shudder through her small facade.
Wasting no more time though, she pressed her nose up against the rock, and instantly, she fell into something like a slumber.
It all was a blur, but soon after, she was back in the starry plains-like area. Although, now, it was different. She no longer was being blinded by the lights of cats, but instead, was greeted with hundreds upon thousands, all while one stood at what felt like the head of the crowd.
Which, indeed, she did. Ebonyleaf stood at the frontmost part, looking down upon the rowan kit before her. It was time.
“Congratulations, Thicketkit. You’ve made it here on your own, and it is time for you to be rewarded.” A proud sense swept over the kit from those words, and she stood taller. Yet, her mouth still felt dry, as if she couldn’t talk. There was just so many things around her.
“Thicketkit, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of Starclan as a medicine cat?”
Suddenly, it felt like she could talk again.
“It is.”
“Then come forward.”
“Warriors of Starclan, I present you this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom, so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan according to your will.”
Ebonyleaf stepped back after that, and suddenly, the crowd was cheering.
Thicketpaw! Thicketpaw! Thicketpaw!
Afterwards, she woke up, to find it that most of the night had gone by. She’d make the travel home soon, but she would need a bit of time to rest first.
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