The Arrival [Closed]

The trek to Thunderclan territory had been a long one. Sageleaf's paws dragged the entire way, scaring any prey along the way. She had no intentions of hiding her whereabouts. There was no way she wanted to appear as if she was trying to sneak her way into enemy territory. Medicine cats were supposed to be protected, but that would never stop cats from being skeptical. Considering how her last encounter here had gone, it would not be surprising if she was unwelcome here. In fact, the grey and white she-cat had vowed never to return last time she had come here. Every pawstep felt like another small bit of betrayal. She was leaving behind the clan she had sworn to heal for the length of her natural life. All that kept her going was the thought that Starclan had willed this. That, and well, the fact that she was most likely more useful alive than dead. Her tail flickered uncomfortably at the thought. If it weren't for Beetlewing's intervention, she would have disappeared into the gorge after her brother.

Sageleaf tried to push away the memory as she weaved her way through the undergrowth. After sometime she stumbled upon a tom who appeared to be on a solo hunting mission. The apprentice, Robinpaw the loyal and pure NPC child, was certainly wary of a Windclan cat trespassing and demanded she come with him to the clan leader. Of course, she obliged. That was the very reason she was here in the first place. She followed silently. It was obvious to see the young tom had mixed feelings about bringing in a strange cat to camp. Their location would be found out, but he had also taken a cat 'prisoner'. Lucky, for him, she had no ill intent. The former Windclan medicine cat held her tongue and kept a neutral expression as the pair padded into the heart of Thunderclan camp. Without hesitation, her guide raced over to the leader's den and quickly called for Blizzardstar, "Blizzardstar! I found the Windclan medicine cat!" Her ears almost flattened at the title, but she said nothing and simply waited.

Blizzardstar was asleep inside her den when Robinpaw ran into the camp, calling for her. Usually she wouldn’t sleep during the day, but lately she had been having troubles to fall asleep thanks to the many thoughts that haunted her during the night and she couldn’t get rid of. The increasingly obvious lack of prey, her dream with Flameclaw that let her know that she would need to take over the Sunningrocks in the nearby future, some insecurities about the outsiders she had allowed in and now trained as apprentices…those an many other things had made her unusually tired, and what originally started as she getting ready to speak with Honeypaw about the dream she had had ended in such exhaustion winning the fight and make her fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Even with the apprentice’s calling, she probably would’ve drifted back to sleep if the scent of honey and sage had invaded her nose. The smell made her open her eyes and raise her ears, it wasn’t the first time she smelt either of these, but the smell seemed…peculiar, to say the least. She looked around her den, but there was no sign of honey nor sage leaves, causing her to feel confused given how close the smell was. After some seconds of hesitation, as the mix of smells coming from an invisible source had made her feel things she simply couldn’t explain, her paws leaded her out from her den.

She had missed Robinpaw’s exact words as she woke, but something clicked inside her mind as soon as her icy eyes landed on the figure of Sageleaf “Thank you, Robinpaw, I can take it from here” She purred at the apprentice, clear praise in her voice, before turning to face Sageleaf. A soft breeze took the scent from her and towards the Medicine cat, and much to her surprise her paws reacted by following it until she was in front of her, only then, the scent slowly disappeared, and the smells she was so used to came back to her. Her expression was that of confusion, looking at the cat that had sworn to never set another paw in ThunderClan’s territory some time ago.

“Sageleaf…I…hum, I welcome you to ThunderClan’s camp but…why are you here?” While the first words rolled off her tongue, the last ones almost got stuck in her throat. When she made the obvious question she felt like she had just asked one of her own warriors why they were in camp, a stupid question made to someone that was supposed to be there, but Sageleaf’s clan was beyond ThunderClan’s borders, in the open moors…why would she hesitate on something that was supposed to be so obvious? What caused that small voice in the back of her mind to tell her that she was wrong?

Sageleaf's eyes followed the young apprentice as he darted off to Starclan knows where. A soft smile twitched at the edge of her lips when she remembered a time in which Ashstar's praise would have meant the same to her. But, she shook away that thought. Those times were so far in the past. And now there was an important and pressing matter at paw. Her gaze met the Thunderclan leader's. Confusion and conflict was evident there. It appeared she was as confused at the grey and white medicine cat herself. As she searched for exactly what to say, her tail twitched softly. It did not feel entirely wrong to be among the trees. For a moor-born cat, usually the pressing forest was far too much. However, that was not the case, nor had it been any other time. She could get used to this. Finally, she sighed softly with the decision that it was necessary to speak.

"Blizzardstar." She dipped her head respectfully before continuing on. Even if they had a difference in opinion the last time here, she still respected the Starclan-ordained leader, "I believe we have something to discuss... if you wouldn't mind speaking in your den." She flicked her tail towards the den the fluffy white leader had emerged from only a few moments later. The thoughts of discussing Starclan's will in front of the clan only served to remind her of what Slatethroat had forced her to do. This message, this call to Thunderclan, and whatever it meant, was a matter for the medicine cat and the leader. She hoped this wouldn't be a problem for Blizzardstar, but if it was, she would just bite her tongue and they could talk out here.

Blizzardstar still had to get used to the whole leader respect her clanmates and cats from other clans started showing to her thanks to her rank. While she appreciated the recognition she really wanted to be seen as another cat of her clan, as an equal to all her clanmates, like she was some time ago. She understood that she wasn’t just another warrior anymore, she was the leader of her clan…but there was time she missed the friendly, casual interactions with those around her.

Sageleaf’s polite greeting triggered this secret wish of hers, making her feel somewhat awkward.

She probably would’ve thought about more on this subject if it wasn’t for the fact that both the Medicine Cat’s words and that mysterious feeling that this was something that she was supposed to do for some reason were pulling her out from her train of thought over and over.

“Sure, after you” Blizzardstar stepped aside and pointed towards her den with her tail, allowing Sageleaf to step inside first before following her. If she wanted to speak with her in private this probably was a touchy subject, even she was dealing with similar issues lately and could completely understand why sometimes allowing others to hear your words was not the wisest choice.

It felt strange padding into the Thunderclan leader's den. She was treading into entirely new territory, both literally and figuratively. The medicine cat pushed back all of the thoughts that swirled around in her head. So much had happened in the past few sunsets. But, Starclan had lead her here now for a reason. Sageleaf knew she had to focus; she could not allow herself to be caught up in the events of the past. Even if that past includes throwing your brother to his death... She blinked. There were so many things she had to say. Blizzardstar deserved some honesty. Even if they had not seen eye to eye on past issues, she still respected the fluffy white leader. Sitting back on her haunches, the grey and white she-cat's tail tip twitched as she collected her thoughts. There was no doubt where she had to start though, "Starclan has sent me here. I'm not sure entirely why... but they have sent me here."

The fact that she was about to be the most honest with a cat that was not even her kin was a bit shocking, but there was something that felt right speaking with Blizzardstar now. Starclan had sent her, she had to trust they would work this out. After sighing softly to herself, Sageleaf launched into a brief recount of the past few days. She spoke of her prophecy from Starclan, the one that condemned the clan and hinted at her brother's involvement. Sageleaf mentioned speaking with Brindlewhisker and Slatethroat, admitting to her mistakes and attempt to protect her brother. Her face fell as she remembered aloud the confrontation of Ashstar that only happened because she was trying to protect the clan from her brother's twisted way. And lastly, her voice trembled as she recounted their last moments together at the gorge, "He... he tried to attack me, unsheathed claws coming for my throat. But, I was able to throw him over the edge instead. I almost followed, but Beetlewing, my former mentor, appeared and sent me here."

There was a lot to process. So many things had happened. Sageleaf wrapped her tail around her, more for comfort rather than for a need of presentation. She waited silently for some sort of reaction from the Thunderclan leader. Last time they had met the circumstances had been so different, she only hoped that this time would end far better.

Blizzardstar’s ears immediately perked up and turned towards Sageleaf when she brought StarClan to the picture. It was a funny feeling, she didn’t feel surprised as she probably should’ve felt when the clan of their ancestors was brought up in a serious conversation like this, it was like if somehow, deep inside her, she already expected this to happen, like if she already knew.

She had no idea of how she knew though.

Instead of surprise, curiosity filled her. Maybe the medicine cat held answers to those questions, but she held back her tongue. She would’ve time to ask later, but it was not her turn to talk and she wasn’t planning to interrupt Sageleaf.

She listened carefully, her mind working faster than the words as they left Sageleaf’s muzzle. A prophecy involving your own brother…she couldn’t help but put herself in her place, what she would’ve done if she had known that Sagewhisker was involved in a prophecy that foretold so much pain and death if he was still alive. While she couldn’t say she fully understood Sageleaf’s actions when trying to protect him from the obvious fate that would come with such revelation, she had to admit she would’ve done everything in her paws to protect someone that she loved so much as well…but how far she would’ve gone was still a mystery for the white leader, a mystery she hoped never had to be solved. But having to kill your brother after they almost killed you? She simply couldn’t imagine what she had to go through.

As soon as Sageleaf finished her story, silence claimed reign over the den of the white leader. She felt tempted to immediately greet Sageleaf as a new cat of ThunderClan, but some thoughts kept getting in her way and making her hesitate “The scents…honey and sage, were they a signal of your arrival?” The first question of many she had, she just hoped that Sageleaf could confirm or deny this before anything else. It also served as a way to break the silence without being too evident that she didn’t want the medicine cat to know that part of her was deep in thought and hesitant. This wasn’t just a random rogue trying to join ThunderClan, this was a medicine cat, WindClan’s medicine cat. Knowing Ashstar, she wouldn’t like these news in the slightest, she would need to talk and explain things to her later on to avoid tensions and conflict with their allies.

And on top of this, while she didn’t want to question her words, as she had a connection with StarClan not even herself as leader could even dream to achieve, she had just admitted to her that she lied about a prophecy to protect her brother. She had put words in the mouths of StarClan cats, and this made her nervous “Sageleaf, I don’t want to sound rude nor appear that I’m daring to ignore nor question StarClan’s wishes, and I assure you, it pains me deeply having to say this. However, after what you told me…you need to swear to me that what you’re saying is in no way modified, and that in the future you won’t try to twist a prophecy regardless of how terrible it may be. A leader must be able to fully trust their medicine cat, I’m sure you understand that, and if I know you can and will change the prophecies given to you I don’t think I can do so” Her words were heavy and clear sadness and guilt flooded each letter. Doubting a medicine cat’s words and make her swear that she was and would always speak the truth regarding prophecies and signs sent by StarClan went against everything she had been taught, everything she believed in, and doing so was clear torture for her, but she had to make sure…she had to keep her clan safe “Please Sageleaf…”.

The medicine cat waited in silence for judgement from Blizzardstar. She hoped the message from Starclan would help calm the leader's more than likely harsh critique. Besides, what was her word worth after all of this? Sageleaf had been a false prophet. Of course, it had been for what she believed to be security of her clan, but she had broken the trust of cats around her. There was a possibility she had saved her birthclan from worse things if Slatethroat had been allowed to live. However, there was no guarantee about that either. Maybe she had screwed that up too. Her downcast eyes fell to the earth. Sitting in the quiet, with a brief lack of answer, was painful. However, when the white she-cat spoke up once more, Sageleaf glanced up and her ear twitched. 'The scents…honey and sage, were they a signal of your arrival?' Her thoughts churned for a brief second, before the realization dawned on her. Starclan had not forgotten her. In fact, they secured that the leader would believe her word.

The faintest of smiles briefly crept onto her expression, before falling away to a more neutral one as she spoke, "Scents... I did not know of that. They must have been. Beetlewing told me that you would be waiting for me here." Like her former mentor had said, she still doubted them despite all of the proof they showed her. Once more, the ancestors proved their presence in her life. Puddlepaw was probably looking down over her constantly. There was no need for worry of the future in their paws. With a soft sigh, she let out the breath that she did not realize she had been holding in. As Blizzardstar continued on, the grey and white cat nodded slowly at her words. It was not surprising that she still had her doubts. Sageleaf was in a perpetual state of self-doubt. But, Starclan was the one thing she could not question.

"I understand, Blizzardstar. I have no excuse for my actions. I believed what I was doing was for the best for my clan. But, I still let me own feelings get in the way, and for that, I will never forgive myself." Her voice lowered to a mere whisper by the end. Sageleaf could feel the regret, guilt, and dread of the past while all flooding in. All the security in her head moments ago gave way to a moment of mourning personal feelings instead of the logic of the circumstance. The medicine cat managed to hold her gaze with the much older cat as she meowed lowly, for once allowing her voice to crack in the presence of another, "I-I know it cannot make what I did justifiable, but with the distance from my father, and the loss of my mother... Slatethroat was the only family I was ever close with. I couldn't lose him. I betrayed my clan and Starclan to try and salvage what little was left between us. It was foolish, I was blind to what he was... he used me and I killed him. Hopefully at least my former clan can rest in peace tonight with him gone." She sucked in a slow, shaking breath as if it was the last taste of air she would ever get.

"My loyalty is with Starclan and my goal is to live for and serve them. This is about more than just attempting to atone for my sins. If my place is with you, I will honor you and this clan just the same." Sageleaf forced the barest hints of steel into her voice. Through it all, all the pain and confusion and the mistakes, there was still determination. The fire that had once raged in her to become the best warrior in the forest had not been crushed by the destiny Starclan had for her, even if it did seem like that at times. That same passion still burned under the surface and it was what had helped to drive her through the most recent events, despite the fact her weaker side had begun to show through it all. Sageleaf would not let this defeat her. Thunderclan would be a new start.

Blizzardstar listened to Sageleaf as she answered her doubts and carefully picked her words to help the white she-cat understand her motives somewhat better and earn the trust she had already crippled with her story.

The answer given by the medicine cat about the scents that had surrounded her when she woke made her feel a bit let down, not having a straight answer making her wonder if it was the signal Sageleaf claimed Bettlewing sent to her or not. However, even she knew way too well that StarClan worked on mysterious ways most of the time, and given that there was no scents still in the den she discarded the idea of anyone planting them there. Whether it was her will to believe the medicine’s cat words because of her position or newfound trust at the realization, she started to feel more comfortable around her with the thought of that signal being legit.

“We all had acted in ways we are not proud of. However, the past is impossible to alter, so what you do with the knowledge earned by your mistakes is what defines your path and if you ever will earn redemption for such actions. I hope you understand if I’m a bit cautious for a moon or two, but I need to make sure my clan is safe until you’ve proven with actions what you claim with your words” With those words the leader finally got up and started to head towards the entrance of the den, turning to look at her before going out “I’m none to question StarClan, and if they say your place is in ThunderClan I’ll accept their verdict. Come with me, the rest of clan must know of this as well”.