Mistlepaw's Medicine Cat Ceremony

That day was the coldest one the forest had ever seen since leaf fall's descent. Cats felt the chill through their pelts, as well as in their lungs with every breath they took. The harsher seasons were very insistent on proclaiming their arrival, despite the lack of enthusiasm shown to them. As evening approached, and the sky began to flush with the colours of dusk, the temperature gave no indication of climbing. The day's work now past, RiverClan cats hurried into their respective dens one after another. Family members, friends, lovers--they all seemed eager to curl up in their soft nests, warming themselves with the presence of their dearly loved ones. And who could blame them? With the shifting of times, not many were inclined to stay up late. Only Torrentstar's den was dark, cold, and lonely. The leader slept alone, away from the others. Since when had such a tradition existed? The title of a 'star set him apart from his peers, in more ways than one. The large tabby was in a more cynical mood than usual, perhaps brought on by the cold; and with the scorn such a mindset stirred up, most thoughts that flashed up were coloured by its souring touch. Torrentstar sat by the camp entrance, waiting. Tonight, sleep was not to be his. Rather, he would be carrying out a ceremony--a very special ceremony, one that he had never carried out in all his time as deputy. Mistlepaw's moons as the medicine cat apprentice of RiverClan were over. By the time the sun rose, she would be a fully named healer. Despite the gloom that hung over him like the densest of clouds, the leader had to admit that he felt some joy for her. How long had it been since Fallowlight's death? Despite the great burden that had practically been shoved into her paws, Mistlepaw had done her duty well. She had proved herself more than worthy of a full name.

It had been a long, grueling time for Mistlepaw, but she finally made it.

The young healer stepped out of her nest, careful to favor her broken leg. It was healing nicely under her care, which surprised her, considering the fact that a badger had broken it. She stretched it, grimacing at the pain and stiffness. There was no way it wouldn't leave a scar; the gray and white she-cat also suspected that she would have a permanent limp as well. "So what if you're crippled? You're a medicine cat. Your only job is to heal, not fight. One bad leg won't make much of a difference. One limp is better than one last breath." Memories of Pricklebush's broken body entered her mind, and she shuddered. His death was still fresh, just like the wounds and heartache she suffered during the attack's aftermath. It was funny, really; after all the trials she endured, the deaths she faced, the blood on her paws...Starclan finally thought she was worthy enough for a name. "How kind of them," she thought bitterly, flexing her claws in the dirt.

She padded out of the medicine den, her pace slow and cautious due to her injured leg, the herb bundles she carefully prepared the night before resting in between her teeth. She gradually made her way to Torrentstar, her eyes darting between the ground and the brown tabby's neutral expression. She nodded to him, respectfully, and laid the herbs down at his paws. She nudged it towards him and ate her own, letting the bitter taste roll over her tongue soothingly. Yes, it was finally time. After all these moons, she was finally receiving her name. Her gaze was pulled upwards, and she stared painfully at the stars. She wondered if her family was watching her tonight? Her mentors? All the cats she lost during her term as medicine cat apprentice, were they all looking down at her, proud? A small smile reached her face and tears glistened in her eyes as she peered into the night sky.

"The sky's lovely tonight, Torrentstar. Shall we get moving?"

At length, Mistlepaw's gray and white form flashed in the entrance of the Medicine Den. Torrentstar looked up, and his gaze locked with that of the one he had been awaiting. The leader nodded to her, as was his usual greeting. While the change might have been difficult to notice due to its subtlety, a softer light had entered his eyes. Was it pity he felt for the young cat, that prompted this gentler display? No. There had never been any of that. Instead, what bound them together was the bond of burden―that of leadership. The weight resting on their shoulders was something the average warrior would likely never know. Leader and medicine cat held the responsibility of lives, young and old, in their paws. Perhaps, his sympathy for her was further driven by the fact that he had also been forced to mature at a young age. In a sense, he understood the struggle that she had undergone. With Goldeneye and with Fallowlight, he had been rather indifferent. But with Mistlepaw, whom he had watched as she had grown over the moons, he experienced tenderer emotions. They were not close enough to call each other friends, but it would not be a lie if Torrentstar had said that he regarded her a little like one of his daughters. This Moonstone journey, his paws would likely tread lighter than they had in the past.

"It is." Torrentstar found himself agreeing with Mistlepaw, to his own surprise. The clouds of gloom, which had drawn themselves so thickly around him as he had sat waiting, seemed to disperse somewhat. For a moment, he considered the fact that the sky might indeed be beautiful. Standing, he led the way to the camp exit. His stride was smaller than usual, as he kept in mind the healer's injuries. "I trust you have readied yourself for the ceremony?" He inquired, turning to look at her as he did so. There was a heaviness in his tone that implied that the question was more than small talk.

OOC: speech is bolded as this is a mobile post c;

"No one can truly prepare themselves for the future, Torrentstar. We can only get ready for the 'what if' scenarios that could come true. But..in a sense, I guess I have readied myself for this ceremony." A gentle sigh escaped the healer as she padded behind the leader, grateful that he slowed his usual stride to accommodate her leg injury. Starclan knows how many moons she spent training to get her full name, but the she-cat still had this nagging feeling that she still wasn't ready. Although healing was her expertise, and she excelled in it, Mistlepaw still saw ways she could improve. Her mistakes were small, and probably wouldn't make a difference in the outcome, but the young medicine cat still chided herself for them. If she had changed this, or corrected that, perhaps..could she have saved the lives Riverclan lost under her care? 

She shook her head, refusing to let the thoughts control her tonight. Tonight was special. She had made it, and that was all that mattered. She looked up at the large brown tom, her mind buzzing with something she could say to keep the conversation alive. After quite some silence between the two, she spoke, her voice soft compared to the sounds of the night, "how is leadership treating you, Torrentstar? I couldn't help but notice that you've grown..quieter. More reserved. You can talk to me, y'know. My job is to serve others, and I can't help but think that you would like someone to talk to." Mistlepaw always had a knack for reading others, even though they heavily guarded themselves. The Riverclan leader was definitely more trickier to assess than other cats, but she hoped that her choice of words had struck something. Ever since the hardships Riverclan faced, the tom had practically collapsed into himself. He seemed so much more...lonely than he had been before. Heat rose to her pelt and she glanced down at her paws, silently praying that she hadn't offended him. The last thing she wanted to do was work his last nerve.

At Mistlepaw's response, Torrentstar let out a soft huff of acknowledgment. That was the right answer. If she could give him such a response, he supposed she was as ready as she was ever going to be. They padded along in silence for a while, and the leader made no attempt to break it. The absence of words had its own comfort, at least to him. He trod a path that he had traversed time and time before, and he gazed up a sky that he had seen every day of his life. There was security in a sense of the familiar, in routine. Routine had never hurt any cat. It was unfortunate that the silence did not last long, but the leader had not truly been expecting it to. His reverie broken, he shifted his gaze from off the paw-worn path and unto Mistlepaw. The little she-cat had a good heart. She reminded him of Honeytongue, with the way she offered to be a listening ear. In all honesty, he was thankful. Trapped as he had been in his self-made maze of doubt and fear, light gleamed in from above, reminding him that there were still those who cared. He was appreciative. But... if he had refused to talk to his own daughter, how could he talk to Mistlepaw? There was nothing inadequate about her. He was not looking down on her by refusing. He simply... could not bring himself to do so. Opening up his heart had become too hard. "I appreciate your offer, Mistlepaw." He meowed dryly, "But I am all right. I have simply had plenty of time for thought." He did not speak unkindly to her, but an underlying current in his tone hinted that he had no desire to further pursue the topic. With his words, the conversation was once more snuffed out.


The two cats had made good time. By the time they stood in front of Mothermouth, the moon was directly overhead, and dozens of stars rained icy light down upon the moor. The large tabby felt the chill in his lungs with every breath. The sooner they went underground, the better. With a gesture to Mistlepaw to follow him, he took the first step into the darkness.

ooc; thanks to ash for providing prickle's parts <3
ic;

Mistlepaw respectfully nodded, choosing to drop the conversation at that. It was clear the Riverclan leader was not ready to open up yet, even if he was troubled. The voices whispered something about how useless she was, unable to aid her own leader in these troubling times, but she blocked them out. Tonight was her night, and no silly thoughts would get in the way.

~~~

Soon enough, the two arrived at Mothermouth. Torrentstar descended into the darkness first, and Mistlepaw followed suit, her muscle memory taking over as she padded through the tunnels. Her heartbeat quickened as they approached the cavern holding the brilliant white stone. She stepped into the cave after the brown tom and smiled shyly at him. It was finally time. Inhaling deeply to quell her nerves, she approached the stone like she had done so for so many moons, for other apprentices seeking Starclan's guidance. Only this time, it was different. She was getting her name, the name she trained for so many moons to receive. She pressed her nose against the cold surface, and darkness crept around her. She allowed herself to succumb to the sudden exhaustion, and let her eyelids slip shut.

The she-cat awoke in the starry plains of the afterlife. The air was crisp, with a hint of wildflowers in the air. The clearing she stood in appeared empty, except for her, but she knew it truly wasn't the case. She could sense a presence behind her, and was tempted to turn around, but she hesitated. Who would she see? Would it be her beautiful, caring mother? Or sister? Or that Riverclan tom, Torrentstar? There were endless possibilities, but no time to think of them all. Slowly, she turned around, her eyes settling on a familiar tan bushy coat. One that she missed so much, but never dared to admit with her tongue.

"Pricklebush."

A familiar tom stood in front of the small she-cat. Large and towering, with bristly, unkempt tan fur, tufts especially sticking up around his ears. His big bushy tail waved slightly behind him, and his piercing sage-green eyes looked a little more nervous than usual. Other than that, he looked the same as he had in life.... except for the bright stars shining through his thick fur. However, the tom smiled. "Hey, Mistlepaw," Pricklebush greeted her casually, though his facial expression betrayed his uncertainty. It seemed like he wanted to hug her, but didn’t think that she would accept it. "Seems like I’ve fallen in with these annoying old fools... sorry about that. I’d much rather have stayed with you and Mossbloom, but I honestly didn’t have much choice." The smile on his face faded, and the tom sighed. "You know, I really am sorry I can’t physically be here for your ceremony. It meant a lot to me, and it sucks that this is the best I can give you. But I promise I’ll give you what I can. They let me do this, at least. I’ll give you your name, and the rest of your life."

Mistlepaw remained silent, eyes fixed on her mentor, her best friend, standing before her. He looked much younger, and happier, but otherwise the same as he did in life. Tears swam in her vision but she blinked them back. She couldn't cry. Even if every fiber of her being wanted to race into his arms and tell him how difficult it had been without him. How lost and hopeless she felt, But it didn't matter now, because she made it. Against all odds, she had made it.

"I, Pricklebush, medicine cat of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with my help, she will serve her Clan for many moons." The words were a tiny bit different there- he didn’t trust the rest of StarClan to look after Mistlepaw. Not after taking both Fallowlight and him away from her. But he would be there for her as much as he could. "Mistlepaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," she spoke gently, a small dawning on her face despite the sadness she felt. Short and simple words that had served their purpose. There was nothing more to say at the moment. They could wait until after the ceremony.

Pricklebush smiled slightly, and took a deep breath. He’d thought about this name for moons... ever since the duty and privilege and joy of training the small RiverClan she-cat had come to him. "Then I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Mistlepaw... from this moment you will be known as Mistleshine. For Blizzardshine, the most true and loyal she-cat I have ever known. And for your heart that shines brightly through all the pain you’ve had to experience." Even saying his mother’s name hurt, but now he could see her. He just wouldn’t be able to see his apprentice as much anymore. She had to go off in the world without him. The tom’s throat choked up a little, but he swelled with pride, and managed to finish the last few words of the ceremony. "I honor your tenacity and determination and kindness, as does the rest of StarClan, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of RiverClan."

Mistleshine sniffled, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. The tears streaked down her cheeks, but she wiped them away. She made it. After all these moons, she made it. "Thank you, Pricklebush. She said slowly, voice wavering with emotion, "I won't let you--any of you--down. I'll be the best medicine cat Riverclan's ever seen, okay? Just you watch me." She stepped closer to her mentor and wrapped him in an embrace, inhaling his scent for what felt like would be the final time. She held him there for as long as he would let her, squeezing him tightly to show how much she missed him. Words could not express how much she cherished him. "I love you, so so much, Pricklebush. You were like a big brother to me. I wanted to tell you that for so long. I'm sorry it had to be like this, after you're gone."

Finally, he gently let go of her, knowing that he couldn’t stay hugging her forever. She had to go be the strong she-cat he knew she was. Still, he offered her one last smile. "Don’t worry about the rest of StarClan- I’ve got your back." Then, he was gone.

Mistleshine stood alone for a few moments longer in the clearing, which she now felt was empty. Instead of feeling sad, like she had anticipated she would, she felt...at peace. The moment her and Pricklebush shared together showed her that he was, indeed happy. He had family and friends that he too, missed, and could finally be with. The grief had been overwhelming, but now that she knew he was better off here, she felt at ease. She loved him, and she would join him too, someday. But now was not the time. She had healing to do, lives to save. Her new life had just begun.