November Medicine Cat Meeting

It was with a start that Mothglow realized she was the first medicine cat to arrive. It was too early still, after all, for the rest of them to have already arrived to speak with StarClan; and so the empty space around the tunnel's entrance was proof enough for her.

The momentary peace was welcome, in a way she supposed it wouldn't have been moons ago. She'd never understood the need for peace and quiet, not really; but as she rested in the glow of the starlight she supposed it had its own sort of charm. The conversation that usually preceded their meetings with ancestors, and the bustle of Gatherings... Those were the things she preferred, but she had learned to take peaceful times and bustling ones both as they came.

Maybe it was being a medicine cat that brought her that peace. After all, even now, in the empty space and surrounding silence, she wasn't alone. Every glance up at the stars reminded her that her ancestors were there to guide her, and that even when the darkness seemed to extend all around and make it impossible to see, she was never alone.

Their light was always there, whether or not she could see it; and now she basked in its glow as she waited for the others to arrive.

Mossbloom had walked alone to the meeting this night. Though it was not the first time that she had made the journey alone, it was the first time she had felt so completely and utterly alone. Even after Emberheart and Flintfang's deaths, she had taken solace in Pricklebush and the meetings... And now one of them was no more. Head low and paws dragging slightly against the smooth stone underpaw, she finished the trek up to Highstones. Mothermouth's wide maw, which was usually so inviting and enticing, seemed cold and threatening tonight. How perspectives changed after tragedy.

Noticing movement, Mossbloom raised her head to find Mothglow. A small nod was all that she could muster, her voice still being a weak, cracked and damaged thing. The wounds on her belly had healed for the most part, but they were not the source of the pit that had formed in her stomach. Taking a place by the opening into the tunnels, the she-cat waited, head on her paws as she stared at the rocks below instead of the stars above.

To the untrained eye, it seemed that a rabid creature was climbing Highstones with a wobbling, tired gait. Aspenheart's fur was dull, with a few raw patches on his legs where the fur was sparse. The medicine cat bore the half-lidded eyes of many sleepless nights, a streak he unfortunately was required to end this moonhigh. As he approached the medicine cats who had arrived, Mothglow and Mossbloom, he realized how unsettling his absence from the last Gathering must have been for everyone. He scrunched his face tightly and relaxed it, resetting his expression to appear either unaware or unbothered by his wretched state. Hopefully, his contemporaries wouldn't notice..?

"Mothglow, Mossbloom," he greeted the two she-cats, voice running over gravel and sand, "I'm sure you know about my clan. Don't really want to talk about it too much. I heard about Pricklebush... I'm sorry, Mossbloom. He sure was somethin'. I liked the tom, when all was said and done."

Aspenheart had been absent from the last Gathering, but then again, a vast majority of WindClan had been. As his gravely voice (similar yet different from her own, she imagined) pierced the air, her head and eyes raised to meet the tom's. Her voice cracked at first, and she blinked at the odd noise that accompanied it. "I... I'm glad you're okay, Aspenheart. Thank you... I miss him terribly. Do you need any herbs? I've spent a lot of time out of the den... I have a surplus. I can bring you some...." Trailing off, her gaze fell back to her paws solemnly and she gestured to the spot next to her. It was clear that Aspenheart was in a similar state as hers, and though the tom had never been particularly open in his emotions, perhaps they could offer each other some small comforts.

The atmosphere that surrounded the arrival of her friends brought Mothglow's thoughts back down to the earth, and to her uncertain reality. She had found a sort of peace, that was true; and it was so easy to forget the troubles of the Clans when it was just her and the stars in the autumn chill. Besides the current events of ShadowClan, Silent Snows' death (so soon after they finally just talked) had tested her newfound philosophy of looking for light however dark it became. She couldn't lose any more of her life to misery and mourning, and so she turned to her own way of dealing with the loss.

(Was it selfish of her, to have her thoughts dwell so much on one cat's life lost when others had either done so or come close as well? Did it matter? She'd thought she finally came to an answer, but every time she thought that it seemed to turn out wrong. She'd made a promise to the stars, whether they'd been listening or not... Still, it seemed however many deaths passed, moving on never got any easier.)

She supposed she'd forgotten that others had their troubles and their losses, too. Maybe it was just her imagination, but there was something that felt almost empty around them, and she longed to fill it with something. "I'm glad to see you both again," she said softly. It wasn't what she wanted to express, not really, but it was better than silence. "I wish things were better... For all of us." She hadn't meant to say that last part out loud, but it was too late to take it back. Maybe she didn't want to. She couldn't help, not when she couldn't fix what had been broken. But she could offer her support. "...If either of you needs anything that grows in the marsh, just let me know."

It felt awkward, not knowing what to say. She never did, not really, but it didn't usually claw at her fur and her thoughts like it did tonight.

(Maybe StarClan's cryptic messages would make her feel better. Or worse. There was only one way to know, wasn't there? Still, she didn't head in just yet.)

Mothglow and Mossbloom's kind remarks struck a cord with him, and he touched noses to each of them in succession. A brief gesture, but a heartfelt one. He would never let anyone know that he was broken and busted on the inside over just about everything. A darkness loomed over him, but he had to save face. It was okay, he was fine. Whatever. "I'm not as good with the word thing, so forgive me for that," he joked as he sat down beside Mossbloom. "Sagelight and Mistlepaw coming soon?"

Aspenheart purred as RiverClan's medicine cat approached, announcing her new title. "It's a beautiful name, Mistleshine," he said softly. The entrance to the cavern loomed, and with a heavy heart the silver tabby regarded it. An unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. He sighed. "I think waiting is worse. If you don't mind, I'm going down there and getting it over with. I... I just want to know if my clan is going to be safe."

Aspenheart gave one last look to the medicine cats and shuffled down the tunnel, each breath more and more labored. The moonstone felt terrifyingly large. Would he be judged for his neglect? What else was he supposed to do? He felt lost, a million piece of him fractured and scattered. There were too many mouths to feed and too many cats to mourn. Pressing the cold stone to his nose, his chest was suddenly attacked with choked sobs as he slipped into sleep.

---

StarClan was cold and empty, a gust of wind whistling through the trees above Aspenheart's head. He stood, knee-deep in marsh water. It was disgusting. He looked around with a huff and saw no familiar face. Did Nightrunner intend to hide from him forever? He meowed loudly, calling out for his companion, to no avail. Fine, then. Let WindClan die, and tell him some irrelevant story about ShadowClan. What was possibly so important? He waded through the marsh water, following the sounds of war. A guttural cry triggered the slicing of teeth and claws. No matter where he wandered, he couldn't find the source. It seemed as though the entire territory was oozing with war cries. Would it follow him if he left their land? He hobbled off in the direction of SkyClan.

Of course, it did follow, but the closer he got to the border, the stranger he felt. No longer was the land covered in shadows. Instead, a soft light beamed down between the trees, centering in on two cats. A grey she-cat and a brown tabby tom embraced each other. When Aspenheart approached the light, submerging himself inside it, the sounds of battle and hatred subsided. They were young ones; young and inconspicuous enough that Aspenheart did not know them. He smiled a little. How sweet, that love could bloom even in adversity...

---

Being the first to sleep, Aspenheart was also first to rise. He was disappointed with his venture into the spirit realm. Finchstar was still missing. His clan was still divided, weakened, and scattered. He had no comfort in the happenings of the other side of the forest. Even so, he hoped that the pair of young lovers found comfort. Was that really all the the stars had for him?

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

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'StarClan Revelation' :

"Mistleshine," Mothglow mused. "I think it suits you."

Maybe this was what they needed, she thought. A hint of light to guide them, and remind them that there was something beyond this. Something to look back on, to look forward to. As for what that something they were reaching for was, she supposed that there was only one way to find out. Aspenheart's sudden departure reminded her why they'd come here, and she flicked her tail and departed with a soft smile. She could only hope for pleasant news, after everything all of them had been through.

And that was the last thought on her mind as she touched her nose to the cold yet familiar form of the Moonstone.
~
When Mothglow opened her eyes, she saw a starry landscape; but rather than a field or meadow as she'd grown accustomed to she found herself in a starlit marsh. Her favorite place in ShadowClan's territory; where fireflies glowed and the marsh flowers grew.

As for her companion, she heard the familiar voice before she saw its source. "I see you've found your way home, starlight," came Sunpaw's purr. "You took your time, though, didn't you?"

Mothglow was fairly certain that the StarClan cat didn't mean that literally - she hadn't been far from home since the flood, and she'd first met Sunpaw just a few moons prior - but what she did mean she hadn't the slightest clue. "Are you here to give me another strange message...?"

"Perhaps I am, and perhaps I'm not," Sunpaw replied pleasantly. "As for which is true, I suppose we'll see. I will admit, though, I was certainly pleasantly surprised to see you solved the last one! But for now, I thought we might just talk. You and I! It's not every day we get the chance to speak to the living, you know."

There was a hint of something beyond the golden she-cat's playful attitude, then; and Mothglow realized in that moment that Sunpaw had once been on the other side, too. She'd been a living, breathing cat like any other; without stars to light her fur. She hadn't had a chance to receive her full name, had she, if she was Sunpaw even now? And she supposed that was what led her to say, "Okay."

"Excellent," Sunpaw purred, padding over through the marshland with surprising ease and grace. She settled next to Mothglow, her eyes dancing with reflected light as she watched a flower's petals fluttering in the lightest of breezes. "This is a beautiful spot you've found for yourself... I wonder if I'd have found it, given enough time. Then again, I doubt I could have brought myself to stay."

"You were... Are... ShadowClan?"

"Of a sort, once upon a time," she replied. "Those were days long since past, starlight. This is your place, where you belong. Everyone has one, whether they know it or not. Follow me, and I'll show you mine." With that, Sunpaw led the way out of the marsh; and Mothglow followed. She couldn't really see their surroundings, but they came to a place where something smaller than a river was flowing. A creek, was that it? "See how clear the water is, and how it glitters in the light? This is my place. But not every place is something you can see, or somewhere you can go. Does that make sense?"

Something about the strange apprentice's words struck a chord with her, but she couldn't place a paw on why. "Not really," she admitted.

"You were close to your sister, weren't you?" Sunpaw asked, after a moment of silence. "And your family. Your fellow medicine cats. You feel at home around them, don't you? Like something's fallen into place?"

"I guess so..."

"That can be your place, too. It can be something you can't quite see, or don't realize you've found until it's lost. Then it strikes you, like something's missing. Still, you've found your way home each and every time, starlight. It's something not everyone manages to do. After all, losing part of who you are isn't easy; and that's what everyone around us is to us. Bits and pieces of who we are and what we know."

Mothglow nodded, finally understanding. "Okay, I think I understand it now..." Before Sunpaw could continue, though, Mothglow's gaze was captured by a rippling in the water. She saw a pair of cats reflected, and while she recognized Nightpaw she didn't know who the other figure was. Trying to catch a closer look, she approached, leaning down to the water; but as soon as she got a clear image it rippled away.

From the look she gave her, Sunpaw had seen it too. "Sometimes two cats find a home in one another," she said softly. "And the stars would rather they did not. They see it as a mistake. Whether that means anything at all, though... That is their choice to make, and no one else's." As the landscape began to fade around them, the golden she-cat leaned in close to whisper in Mothglow's ear. "But not every mistake is something you'll regret. Remember that, starlight."
~
Mothglow woke to the cold floor around the Moonstone, almost expecting to still feel the marsh underneath her paws, or at least grass and stone and fallen leaves. While she hadn't learned much about anything at all tonight - past, present, or future - she still felt a sense of peace. A reassurance that, whether or not she could see what it would hold - for herself or for Nightpaw - there would be a future still. She'd try and keep an eye on Nightpaw too, just in case. After all, it was possible that the message she'd received was a warning.

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

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'StarClan Revelation' :

Nodding a grateful thanks to Mothglow, Mossbloom rose to her paws as Mistlepaw approached. Only, it wasn't Mistlepaw anymore. Rolling the name over in her mind, Mossbloom found she quite liked it. Mistleshine, it fit her well. "Congratulations, Mistleshine. You've earned it. Pricklebush... He would be so proud."

Eyes darkened with sorrow at the realization that he wasn't there to see it in the flesh, she turned and padded into the caverns behind the others. Taking up a position at the Moonstone, she whispered a silent prayer for anything but bad news, perhaps just a simple conversation with one of her deceased mentors. At this point she had given up hope that Flintfang was in StarClan.... Although would he have wanted to see her even if he was?

---

At first, the only thing she noticed was a soft breeze. The air was cold, and no sun shone on her back. When she opened her eyes, she was amazed to find herself shrouded in the darkness of night. Her confusion heightened as she heard the sounds of a fierce battle echoing through the woods that she was surrounded by. Making her way slowly towards the heart-wrenching shrieks and yowls, she was shocked when she was suddenly faced by a faceless cat with a red and white pelt. Scents of ShadowClan, SkyClan, and ThunderClan all mixed in her nose, sending her head spinning. With a flash, four claw wounds ripped open along the tom's throat, and then slowly three more claw marks faded into existence as the nameless tom's body shuddered for the last time. Horror struck, her paws were frozen in place as a grim voice whispered through the darkness, barely audible over the sounds of nearby battle. "The light in the shadows snuffs the breath from the heart. Four becomes seven behind the veil of a traitor." 

---

Suddenly the she-cat was plunged into darkness once more, head lifting swiftly as she was pulled back to consciousness with a jolt so fierce that her nose rubbed along the Moonstone, scuffing the surface with a sting of pain. Eyes watering from the burning at her nose, she pulled back with a stagger, head still spinning from the sounds and scents of blood and battle. What in StarClan was all of that about? The veil of a traitor? Four becoming seven? Light in the shadows?

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

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'StarClan Revelation' :

Sagelight was the last to arrive. Tensions were high in SkyClan and it was starting to run the medicine cat a little ragged, although he of course hid it behind his usual smile. He couldn't imagine what his brother Spottedstar was going through. As he reached the peak of the slope he spotted the forms of Mossbloom, Mothglow, and Mistlepaw waiting. Judging by the rabbit-y scent, Aspenheart had already gone down. He caught the tail end of what they were saying. "Sorry I'm late," he puffed, shaking out his fur. "Mistlep--...Mistleshine? That's a lovely name. Mossbloom..." He paused, looking over to his mentor with an expression of deep empathy. "I, um...I heard the news. I'm so sorry...He was a great cat. I didn't know him super well, but...I'm sure he was. He will be missed." Sagelight stepped forward, brushing his cheek against her shoulder. Once he pulled away, he looked up at the other three cats and smiled softly in what he hoped was a calming manner. "I'll see you all in a bit." And with that, he padded down the tunnel to the Moonstone and pressed his nose to it, ready for his prophecy.