September Medicine Cat Meeting

WindClan's proximity to the Moonstone generally meant a later start, but Aspenheart usually liked having a little time to dillydally. Unfortunately, without Mintwhisker to remind him, he nearly missed the meeting altogether. As his clanmates so helpfully reminded him, the half-moon was only a sunset away. And so, with a faster paced hobble than usual, he set out across the moor. He was a little anxious to be by himself, given the fox-related issues as of late, which is why he was overjoyed to see a familiar grey-and-white pelt floating by herself a few cat-lengths away. He meowed to catch Mistlepaw's attention and quickly scurried over to meet her.

"We better not travel alone," he said gently, trying not to elaborate on exactly why they shouldn't. He remembered hearing about the gruesome manner in which Fallowlight passed. "But, hey! I'm glad you decided to take the flat way. A few of our warriors dug a tunnel underneath the Thunderpath so I wouldn't hurt myself, so you get that little added bonus."

When they finally made it up to Highstones, Aspenheart was shocked to find that they were the first ones to arrive, all things considered. He sat down for a moment and placed his head on his paws, enjoying the wind that blew from the mountains beyond. No foxes or hounds up here, he thought to himself. Nothing but rocks.

Mossbloom made her way slowly toward Highstones from ThunderClan territory. With Amberdawn's visit a few sunhighs ago, she didn't better to wait for her to arrive, although she did gaze out towards Twolegplace before heading on her way quickly. As she entered WindClan territory, her pawsteps quickened. Something didn't feel quite right, dark perhaps. Maybe it was just the colder winds blowing leaf fall into the forest that was putting her on edge. In the open, the crisp chilliness of it seemed much more intense than in the forest, but she supposed that was to be expected. Electing to ask Aspenheart if all was well, she kept her head and tail lowered as she quickly passed through WindClan territory, looking over her shoulder repeatedly until she had left the moors behind.

After crossing the Thunderpath, she spotted Aspenheart in the distance. "Aspenheart! Wait up!" She called as her pawsteps quickened, panting as she raced to his side with a breathless smile. "Hey! How's the herbs growing in WindClan?"

Mothpaw was quieter than usual on her way to Highstones tonight. Even her usual tics, the humming quietly to herself or bounding forward excitedly or shifting her weight from side to side every so often, seemed less present and harder to spot. Eventually, though, she arrived; and was greeted with the presence of her friends. The stone under her paws felt solid, a reassuring presence. It was constant, unchanging; no matter how many family members she'd lost and continued to lose, the stone was still there. Her duties as a medicine cat provided stability.

Recalling that she was the oldest medicine cat to not yet have her full name, she noted that it had provided maybe a little too much stability. Hopefully she'd be able to receive her full name soon. It would be better than just being Mothpaw forever.

Mintwhisker padded up the steep slope with difficulty, coming to a halt once she reached the top and catching her breath before approaching the others. She nodded in greeting to Pricklebush and Mossbloom and grinned at Aspenheart, her long tail twitching. "This is Sagelight." She mewed, gesturing to the young tom behind her. "He has decided to follow the path of a medicine cat, and is my new apprentice." She didn't mention Amberdawn, or even think about her more than necessary. It was time to move on. Wherever the tabby had gone, she had chosen to leave Skyclan behind; it would be better to forget and keep moving than to dwell on her leaving and waste valuable time that could be spent working to benefit her clan.

Sagelight's introduction finished, the taupe she-cat moved towards the entrance to Mothermouth, her paws kneading the ground in anticipation. Although each visit with Starclan ended poorly, she was eager to start this particular meeting.
Mintwhisker didn't know why, but she had a strange feeling that everything would go right, she'd receive a prophecy and be allowed to leave without harm- it was like her ancestors were watching over her, promising that this time, she would escape unscathed.

Mothpaw seemed odd, her usual happiness gone. Mossbloom have her a warm smile, lightly brushing her tail to her shoulder briefly when the sound of more pawsteps caught her attention. She turned towards them, and immediately the warmness faded from her expression, melting into the cold stone underfoot until her demeanor matched the frigid harshness of the landscape. She would never forget what Amberdawn had said, and what forced her to leave the clan she loved so dearly.... Or the part that the murdering medicine cat that was Mintwhisker played in it.

Fighting hard to keep her fur laying flat, she realized with a flicker of annoyance that she had developed a disdain for Mintwhisker even before Amberdawn's visit - between her sudden and complete abandonment of SkyClan, and Amberdawn, to train Aspenheart without even staying to chat or check in during meetings or Gatherings, the last Gathering where she didn't even bother to show up despite a very pregnant queen being in their numbers... What Amberdawn had said just piled on to the top.

Voice chilled, she bowed her head only slightly in welcome. "Greetings, Mintwhisker. I'm so glad you were able to join us this evening, after not being present at the Gathering. I hope all is well in SkyClan, and that Leaftwirl is healing well after Aspenheart, Mothpaw and I assisted her?" As Mintwhisker continued, she turned her eyes to the tom who approached and a bit of warmth returned. After a moment of gazing at him, her thoughts turned to Aspenheart. He had been trained by Mintwhisker as well, and was doing great.... So had Amberdawn, though. It was her leader and mentor's lack of respect and trust in her, along with the constant reminders that they didn't, and wouldn't, care, that had driven her away. If Mintwhisker did the same to this apprentice.... Would he leave too?

Her voice as she greeted the newcomer was much warmer, kinder, and softer. "Greetings Sagelight. I'm Mossbloom. Welcome, and I hope that you find guidance and hope through your time tonight, and through the days ahead in your training. If you ever need help, please don't hesitate to seek me out, ThunderClan's borders are always open to the medicine cats of the clans.

"Well, our territory is one big meadow, so... better than yours!" the medicine cat gently taunted. Mossbloom was a cat he now considered a friend, whether she wanted it or not. He figured they were bound together by the combined stress of helping a queen kit with 2 herbs and a stick.

Aspenheart smirked as Mintwhisker approached, about to let fly a remark he had been saving since she left WindClan, when a strange tom followed behind her. His face fell, a tightness growing in his throat. So that was it: Amberdawn wasn't coming back. He had hoped it wasn't true. He couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility as he remembered his final words to her. StarClan was quite quick to replace her, wasn't it? Though, it was no fault of Sagelight, as he now knew him. Another tom to be trained by that crazy old bat. He forced a smile.

"Well, howdy-doo, Sagelight," he said. "Good name for a medicine cat. Was that a coincidence?"

The journey to Highstones seemed significantly easier than the previous times he'd been there. Perhaps it was because it was his third time to go in two moons, or perhaps his warrior training had strengthened him and left his muscles and paws sharp and in shape for the long journey. Sagelight was grateful when they finally reached the rock face, picking his way up the slope delicately. His mind had been racing the whole time; would StarClan give him a prophecy? Would the other medicine cats be nice or strange and off-putting like Mintwhisker? It had been many sunhighs since the trial but the gray tom still felt a bitter taste in his mouth whenever he thought about his new mentor. Murderer...surely the other medicine cats knew about Mintwhisker breaking the warrior code. Whether it was justified or not, he didn't know and he was too afraid to ask. Part of him didn't really want to know the answer.

He reached the top of the slope behind Mintwhisker and she introduced him. He nodded to his new colleagues in turn, trying his best to hide the sorrow in his eyes. He missed Amberdawn very much and he was sure the other cats missed her too. Sagelight's bitterness in Amberdawn's leaving had been replaced with sad resignation. Despite his sudden wash of loneliness, he smiled brightly at the other cats, eager to meet them all.

"Hello everyone! I'm Sagelight, I'm so glad I get to finally meet you all. I know I'm no Amberdawn...but I will do my very best to follow in her pawsteps. I only became Mintwhisker's apprentice very recently so I still have a lot to learn. Before this I was a warrior. I, uh..." He looked sheepish, flashing a goofy grin. "I actually received my warrior name a few sunhighs ago. Turns out I was on the wrong path!" Sagelight laughed, a friendly, open sound. He looked towards Mossbloom first, then the silver-gray tom that had addressed him next. "Hi Mossbloom, it's great to meet you! Thank you for the offer. And you too, uh...WindClan medicine cat. Thanks! I think my name suits me. It may have been a coincidence, I don't know! What was your name again?"

Pricklebush had been right behind Mossbloom on their way to Highstones- before a clump of chervil caught his eye. Then he ended up staring at it for a few moments, first remembering that they were almost out of chervil in RiverClan, then sliding down the steep abyss of memories when he realized that they reminded him of a cat he used to know. By the time he came to himself, Mossbloom was already mingling, and Mintwhisker had arrived with, apparently, a new apprentice. Wow, she replaced Amberdawn very fast, he thought bitterly as he sat by Mothermouth. Maybe if she'd been a good mentor, Amberdawn wouldn't have left. However, looking into the dark chambers where he knew the Moonstone was hidden reminded him of the several warnings he'd had about how he shouldn't trust the ginger medicine cat. And now, she had left the Clans for the life of a loner.... What else had StarClan been right about? The thought absolutely terrified him. He kept his face impassive, however, settling for a nod towards the new former-warrior-apprentice (did StarClan even choose kits anymore?), Mothpaw and Aspenheart, ignoring Mintwhisker, and glanced around. Where on earth was Mistlepaw? Had something held her up? Worry pricked at the back of his neck.

The feeling of Mossbloom's tail brushing over her shoulder and the warmth of her smile made Mothpaw feel a little bit better, but that was a feeling that faded swiftly when Mintwhisker introduced SkyClan's new medicine cat. It seemed like, in the last moon, everything had gone wrong... Not just for ShadowClan, with the loss of a leader and a Clanmate, but for herself. Amberdawn's disappearance, her father's death... It felt like there was nothing left to break except her heart, which shattered a little bit more every time her (once notable) resemblance to Scorchstar crossed her mind.

Still, she swallowed down the slight feeling of bitterness toward the fact that Sagelight was, functionally, a replacement of her friend that she'd looked up to... It wasn't his fault, and she wouldn't judge him for things he hadn't done - even if already having a full name made her a little bit jealous, as well. Instead of letting it show, though, her voice was kind and welcoming. "Sagelight," she greeted, testing the name on her tongue. "It's nice to meet you."

The moon stood ominously in the sky, surrounding by faint, twinkling stars that watched over their servants patiently. Among those travelling to the Moonstone was Mistlepaw, the sole medicine cat of Riverclan. Being the only one with healer knowledge within the clan left her with a lot of weight on her shoulders, especially with no mentor or family left to guide her. She used to have Pricklebush, but he left her as well. She was alone once again, with nothing but the herbs and duties to keep her company. Mistlepaw busied herself day and night tending to the precious stocks or repeating various plant names, despite things already sorted and names already memorized.

Tonight, though, she had a different duty. Not a Moonstone journey, which had a sudden influx due to numerous apprentices, but the medicine cat meeting. She hadn't spoken to any of the other medicine cats last moon, and didn't plan on speaking to anyone today. In fact, she left extra early and took the Windclan route towards Mothermouth, in hopes of avoiding conversation with Pricklebush. She set off, as silent as owls roaming the night in search of their next meal. She had grown a bit too big for them to carry her off, so she wasn't scared. She padded through the open meadows, with no company but the stars dancing overhead and the moon glistening in the distance. That is, until a certain silver tabby hurried to walk beside her. The sudden presence startled her for a moment, causing the fur on her neck to immediately stand. She took a second to recognize the tom, and instantly relaxed when she realized who he was. 

She listened closely to what he had to say, then added her own comment afterwards, "I suppose you're right, we could walk together...I always found the more Thunderpath frightening, anyway, even if crammed spaces do bother me a bit." She fell silent once again, yellow-green gaze focused straight in front of her. She was in no mood to converse. This was going to be an in then out job. Get the prophecy, and leave. Her duty was to Riverclan alone; there was no time to stand around with the other medicine cats, chatting leisurely as if the clock wasn't running against them. Eager to get there on time, she quickened pace, but occasionally glanced back at the disabled tom to make sure they weren't too far apart. Although she did prefer to travel alone, there was more safety in numbers...

Surprisingly, the two were the first ones there. She sat next to him, quiet and patient as the others arrived. Her body tensed as Mossbloom and Pricklebush sauntered in, but she said nothing to them. She refused to even give the tan tom a glance. "I will not give him that satisfaction. Let him suffer, just like I have," She thought bitterly, claws scoring the dirt. A new cat walked in beside Mintwhisker, and she suddenly realized that Amberdawn wasn't among them. Mistlepaw frowned, wondering why the gentle amber she-cat was not present...and why she had been replaced so soon.

Her breath caught momentarily as Sagelight mentioned Amberdawn, but her eyes softened almost immediately. The low purr that came surprised her as she felt a rush of respect and appreciation for the tom. "Sagelight, you need not aspire to try to fill anyone's pawsteps but your own. Amberdawn was a dear friend, but you must not forget that you are yourself, don't fret with trying to pretend to be someone else, friend." She smiled at him, her whiskers twitching in amusement as she flicked Pricklebush's shoulder with her tail. "That sure seems to be a trend recently, Pricklebush here interrupted my warrior ceremony moments before I got my name when he collapsed and got the sign that I was to be his apprentice! Leopardstar was.... not particularly thrilled with the interruption, but I'd say things have turned at well."

She glanced up at the moon quickly and nodded. "Well, it's about time. We can talk more afterwards, if you'd like!" She caught Mistlepaw's eyes momentarily and her ear flicked self-consciously. Had she done something to upset the young medicine cat apprentice? She certainly hoped not... She always looked so sad. Hopefully this moon would bring better news and brighter days to the young she-cat. Turning to head down into the tunnels, she disappeared into the darkness. As she maneuvered the dark tunnels, she seemed to hold her breath - what would StarClan have in store for them this night? She hoped nothing bad, but only time would tell. Before long, fresh air brushed against her whiskers, and she took a deep breath as she emerged into the cavern that held the cold Moonstone. Only a heartbeat later it sparked to life, glowing and shimmering as awe-inspiring as it always was to her. Claiming her position a little ways from the entrance leading back to the surface, she closed her eyes and reached her nose forward, pressing it gently against the cool stone.

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Upon opening her eyes, Mossbloom was shocked to discover that she was in the clearing at Fourtrees. More specifically, she was on the Greatrock, of all places. What in StarClan was she doing up here? She stood, her legs feeling wobbly. Looking around with confusion, she realized that she was completely alone, the clearing was empty. The darkness of the night around her was suddenly brightened by what looked like the sun rising, and as she turned to face it the red of the dawn coated the surrounding forest and clearing in a blood red light. The only thing untouched by this light was the stone she was perched on, and a voice she didn't recognize whispered in her ears accompanied by a chilling wind. "Dawn’s light grows cold as it gazes upon the fading dusk. The moons pass with bright colors and a dismantling of comfort. Are you ready for what the light of day may bring?" With those words echoing in her mind, the rock crumbled at her paws, and one of the four great oaks buckled as the sun peeked over the horizon, and she fell into the pools of red light far below.

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The next sensation she had was that of cool stone under her, and she was scared to open her eyes. What if she woke up in the same dream? The light breeze that came from far above brought the scent of gorse and heather, and slowly, tentatively she relaxed. Opening her eyes she took a deep breath and looked around silently. Stiffly she got to her paws, and padded around the other cats still at the Moonstone. The cavern seemed so cramped, so enclosed, she needed fresh air. Something hadn't been right with the red light, but she couldn't tell what exactly that was. Once she was out into the clear night, she elected to remain on the ground instead of climbing onto one of the warmer nearby rocks. What had that been all about? Dawn's light grows cold.... Fading dusk.... Light of day..... The leaves were slowly changing colors, but the air had remained warm and pleasant... Was this just a reminder for the hazards of leaf-fall and leaf-bare close behind?

A sudden pit yawned in Mossbloom's stomach. Amberdawn had disappeared, saying she was heading towards Twolegplace.... Was her dear friend okay? Worry filled her, growing with each moment. What if her friend had gotten hurt, or trapped? What if she ran into twolegs that were cruel, like her own had been in her kithood? So many questions ran rampant in her mind, and would not be soothed or quieted. She had known Twolegs were awful, cruel and mean and terrible. How could she have let Amberdawn go alone? She should have accompanied her.... No, Amberdawn would have never accepted, and ThunderClan needed her, didn't they? Oh but now she had no idea where her friend was, and if she was in trouble had no idea where to start searching for her. A low whine escaped her as she placed her head on her paws, facing the direction the sun would rise... And completely uncertain that she was prepared for what it would bring.

The member 'Mosspelt' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'StarClan Revelation' :

Aspenheart gave a pitiful smile to Sagelight, a courtesy, as he followed after Mossbloom. He made himself comfortable, anxious to see his friend again, and maybe to get some answers for his strange dreams...

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There was something wrong.

The fear-stench hit Aspenheart's nose in an instant, flooding his face. It was enough to make his eyes water. He saw a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness, and he followed after them. Giving chase was difficult on such trembling limbs, but the cat did not run. He was leading the medicine cat along. This couldn't be a StarClan cat! His fur was all too opaque, his body had weight and flesh. He even smelled musty, like wet dirt. It was nighttime, wherever they were, and when Nightrunner finally slowed to a stop, they were at the entrance of a tunnel. Aspenheart tried to speak to his friend, but he was hushed with a flick of his companion's tail. The medicine cat clenched his jaw.

"Do you wanna know how I died, darlin'?" Nightrunner whispered. He sounded sad. Mourning. It twisted the silver tom's heart in his ribcage. "I wish I could have stopped all a' this. I thought it would be different this time. I'm sorry, Aspenheart. I am." His WindClan-given name sounded foreign coming from Nightrunner's mouth. No Jigglylegs? There were so many questions he wanted to ask. Instead, he sighed and crawled into the tunnel with the black tom near behind. There was the faintest sound of dripping. Something splashed on Aspenheart's face. He licked it away to taste a hot and metallic substance. Not water. Blood. The medicine cat yowled in terror and began backing up, out of the tunnel, out of the ground, but Nightrunner was behind him.

"Please, Jiggly. It's just a dream."

"I don't care!" Aspenheart barked, "I'm waking up! You're taking me to the Dark Forest, that's what you're doing! Please, let's go, I don't want to-!"

And the ground gave way beneath him, thrashing and spitting and howling, sending the pair crashing into a lower tunnel. Aspenheart groaned loudly, spewing dirt from his eyes and mouth. "What's going on? Just tell me, please, Nightrunner! You're acting crazy!"

The area was illuminated by the moon above them through a small break in the cavern. Aspenheart found Nightrunner's eyes and realized his friend was crouched flat against the floor, trembling like the earth was quaking below their paws. The medicine cat was too shocked to say a word, not even when the black tom began to weep.

"I died here! They found a way in! We couldn't have anticipated- AH!" The cavern lurched, and suddenly there was a sharp yipping to Aspenheart's left. He skidded to Nightrunner's side and pressed their flanks together. Foxes.

Wounds suddenly bloomed across Nightrunner's midnight pelt, to the silver tom's dismay. They were large, gaping wounds that Aspenheart had only seen twice before. His friend became sticky with crimson blood, the very same that dripped from the tunnel ceiling just minutes ago. The yipping was on either side now, accompanied by barking, howling, and fearsome growls. They were cornered now. Nightrunner's voice strained out into the void, fighting over top of the predators drawing nearer.

"The earth bares teeth and tears some skin. WindClan, you've been cornered! What happens next is out of our paws!" Nightrunner pressed his face to Aspenheart's, a sob bursting from his chest. "I'm sorry, friend. I tried to stop it. You need to warn..."

His wining was not loud enough. Aspenheart pressed his eyes shut, heaving, as the howls drowned out the sound of their screams.

---

"NIGHT!" Aspenheart wailed as he woke, fur standing straight up and eyes glassy with tears. He couldn't stop the harsh gasps that rocked his body as the events of the dream made themselves comfortable in his subconscious. Puddlepaw's death, Goldengale's leg... it wasn't the end! There was more to come, more death, more suffering. They were emerging from the ground like cicadas, coming to prey on his family.

Needless to say, it was time to go home. He locked eyes with Mossbloom, who was recently awake, desperation in his eyes. "Something is very wrong. Tell them I said goodbye, I need to warn my clan!" Aspenheart was sure his legs hadn't moved this quickly since the accident. He scrambled out of the cavern with one cat on his mind: Finchstar.

The member 'Grizzly' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'StarClan Revelation' :