Bearing good news[Closed]

The first crack of dawn broke through the starry black night sky, colouring it with various shades of orange and red. Spiderkit lay unperturbed, not yet noticing the coming of day. He stayed asleep for perhaps an hour more, content and blissful. He had just received a message from StarClan and today was a big day, so rest was important.

However, the bright rays of morning sun eventually shone into the nursery and coaxed the no longer small kit's eyes open. He yawned and blinked, forgetting for a moment what it was he needed to do. Then it all came rushing back to him. He'd been visited by Dewshine, a StarClan cat, who'd told him that he was to train with Mossbloom to become a medicine cat. But first, he had to tell Torrentstar of his vision. This was the part he was most nervous about, since he didn't know his leader very well and viewed him as a bit scary.

He was still a kit, after all.

Awkwardly but not altogether unconfidently, he left the nursery and padded towards the leader's den. "Um, Torrentstar? I have, uh, something to tell you. I've had... A vision? From StarClan?" He spoke hesitantly and shakily, but held his head up and tried his best not to be scared. There was nothing to be afraid of.

That morning, Torrentstar rose with the first rays of sunlight as he always did. Such early risings were ingrained in him by now, and the concept of "sleeping in" was nothing short of foreign. Through the curtain of moss over the den entrance, the white of snow glimmered faintly atop once sandy ground. The large tabby grimaced lightly at the sight. StarClan's yearly gift of "cloud shreds" usually stirred complicated feelings within him. For one, they were a reminder of his earliest kithood days, when the world had been clean and stark and little paws left prints everywhere. But they were also an indicator of the harsher times that the clans had to prepare for every year. Upon close inspection, the limp bodies making up the fresh-kill pile were coated in a thin dusting of frost. Leaf bare had finally sneaked so close that it now stood bending over the forest, puffing its icy breath down among the trees. For once in a long while, the RiverClan leader realized that he had no dawn patrols to attend to. The free time left him feeling somewhat at a loss, but the thought of finally being able to relax created a good feeling in him. The tom spent a considerable period of time in this state, circling the camp grounds and just checking up on his clanmates in general. When he finally returned to his den sometime later, Torrentstar felt almost ready to return his duties. If chance permitted, perhaps he would even catch Honeytongue at sunhigh for a fish or two...

The high-pitched, tremulous voice of a kit caught Torrentstar's attention. Tufted ears pricking up, the leader turned to land his gaze on the little guest at the entrance. It took him a second to recall the fellow's name. When he did, he spoke warily. "Nightkit... is it? Come in." Nightkit's words had certainly caught him off guard, such that it might have shown briefly in his eyes. But they were not necessarily untruth. He recalled occurences of old, which Jaystar had told him about, but which he had never experienced for himself. Already, he had a faint inkling of what Nightkit's vision might be. But first he had to confirm it. For all he knew, the kit might simply have eaten something odd, leading to a nightmare. He huddled down in an awkward attempt to meet Nightkit's eye level. "Tell me about your vision." He rumbled carefully. Time had taught him some lessons when it came to interacting with the clan's younger members. He could still remember the time he had fully intimidated a she-kit with his careless actions.

Spiderkit shuffled nervously. "It's S-Spiderkit." He entered the den and faced his leader, who had lowered himself to Spiderkit's level. He appreciated the gesture, since Torrentstar was significantly less scary now that he was at eye level. The larger tom's voice was low and rumbling, but Spiderkit likened it to loud purring more than anything threatening. Clearing his throat squeakily, he began. "Well, it started last night. I was sleeping, and, um, I kind of woke up? But not really, I was still asleep. But it felt real, um. So then, a cat named Dewshine told me that Mistleshine needed h-help. And she said to tell you to send an apprentice to Mossbloom in ThunderClan, she meant me I think, and that she says 'thank you for everything'? Spiderkit stopped for a minute to take a breath. "She told me... She told me I'm going to be a medicine cat." He looked at Torrentstar inquisitively, waiting for his response. He hoped he had got his message across, as it did come out a bit confusing. 

Spiderkit was undoubtedly nervous, for he stumbled and stuttered over his words. Each time he did so, however, Torrentstar never raised a word of interruption. The RiverClan leader listened in silence until the end. His expression seemed frozen to his features, so that it was impossible to read his mind. When at last the young tom had told his story, Torrentstar lingered in thought. As he listened, it had become clearer and clearer to him the validity of Spiderkit's story. For one, the details he had given were too specific to have originated in any plain dream. But most of all, Spiderkit knew information no other kit should have known. Even if, on the off chance, he had learned Mossbloom's name and heard Dewshine's tale from his clanmates, he should not have known about Torrentstar's connection with Dewshine. The large tabby closed his eyes, slowly exhaling. "'Thank you for everything,' huh?" He murmured to himself, so quietly that his little guest could barely hear it. It was amazing that Dewshine could still hold such gratitude toward him, after what had happened with Dacepaw and Dappleshine. When he opened his eyes again, there was the briefest flash of pain in their depths. He directed his gaze back to the kit before him. It turned out his inkling had been accurate after all. This little one was to be RiverClan's next medicine cat, and Dewshine of all cats had been the one to deliver the message. "And is that what you want for yourself?" Instead of outright affirming or denying the young tom's words, he looked straight into Spiderkit's eyes and asked the question. "Do you want to be a medicine cat, because StarClan has called you?"

Spiderkit thought for a moment. Torrentstar was giving him a choice, one that he hadn't really thought about until now. Dewshine had posed him the same quastion in his vision, but he had only given a noncommittal response back then. If there was ever a good time to make this decision, this was it. Sucking in a breath, he made his choice. "I... Yes. Yes I do. I never really, uh, thought about being a warrior, and I don't really like the idea now that I think about it. All the other kits love to play fight and practice their pouncing, but I never enjoyed it all that much. I guess... I guess StarClan is right. I want to be a medicine cat, to protect my Clan in a different way." He started with a wobbly and unsure tone, but his confession ended with an air of confidence about it. This was what he wanted. It was always his fate, vision or not.

The RiverClan leader gave a simple nod. "Very well then. I will speak with Mistleshine regarding travelling herbs as soon as possible. If time permits, we will set off for the Moonstone tonight." The matter was settled. Torrentstar saw no need to further question the young tom. Spiderkit had given his response―a surprisingly clear and resolute one. What more did he have to look for in a kit of this age? His answer had been as mature as a cat could ask for. "Hold tight to those words, little one." Torrentstar huffed, one tufted ear twitching. "They will be your guiding light in the days ahead."