March Medicine Cat Meeting

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ooc: The stars have placed their watchful eyes on you, medicine cats. It seems they've taken themselves out of the equation. You will remain below Highstones for this meeting. Current events are now yours to ponder... as a group, and without StarClan to guide you. The night is yours. Make of it what you will.

The rain-slick mud beneath Spiderpaw's feet made the difficult journey to Highstones all the more exhausting. He never did have much stamina, especially now after the brief illness he'd found himself dealing with for the past moon. He sighed at the mention of sickness, reminded of his poor mentor. She was fighting, for sure. He was convinced she'd heal up, he was trying his best to make sure she did. She wouldn't be like Torrentstar. Or Mudfrost. Or Treepaw. Her sickness would pass, he told himself, just like his had. Yet, the ever-present worry that had settled in the pit of his stomach refused to stop gnawing at his insides.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, ears flapping. This was not the time. Tonight was important, as all medicine cat meetings were. He couldn't pretend that he expected StarClan to communicate with him or the others, just a look at the sky could say that much. But that didn't matter. The medicine cats were possibly the only force keeping the Clans together these days, so these meetings were crucial. StarClan or no. Putting one shaky paw in front of the other, the small tom finally reached Highstones. He was the first one here, unlike his usual trend of showing up late or not at all. He sat down and waited for the others.

Mothglow's heart filled with dread as she made her way to Highstones, though she pressed on and pushed it down. StarClan's absence weighed heavily on her, while also feeling strangely like a weight was lifted. Oh, she loved them even still, but her trust in them was broken. Perhaps irreparably so. That, like many things, remained to be seen. The stars were distant, even if they'd made it clear that they were willing to come down to the earth to enact their plans. But the clans were already on the ground, and far more corporeal - and in times of crisis such as this, more than ever, they needed their medicine cats. As symbols of support, and to heal their injuries and illness.

"Spiderpaw," she greeted. "How have you fared recently?"

Hm, Eveningpaw thought this was weird time. Why did Mothglow even bother to go with her to the medicine cat meeting or whatever, like, she knew it was an important Starclan thing, but she thought they were over important Starclan things! Nevermind, she got to meet new cats, that was always fun, right?

Aspenheart was suspicious of the odd tinge that masked Highstones before he could tell exactly what it was. He gave Softpaw a look that was somewhere between "we-can't-catch-a-break" and "what-in-StarClan-is-going-on?" as they approached the base of the stones. Finally, the glitter of ice was upon him. He pressed a trembling paw to the frosty surface and felt the immediate affects of the lack of traction. He certainly had no chance of climbing up safely, but by the looks of those who had already arrived, neither did they. Peculiar, to say the least. Was there ever a time that meetings didn't go on as planned? Was this some kind of history being made?

Either way, he wasn't about to try and climb it again. He settled himself down rather awkwardly, having not anticipated spending so much time waiting around, and looked from cat to cat. "Alright, since there's no way we're getting up there... let's talk. There's plenty to talk about, so I'll start with a question of my own. What in the name of all that is good is going on in StarClan?" Aspenheart's ears flicked in frustration. "You all know what I'm talking about. I've been given nothing, thanks in part to dear ol' Finchstar publicly denouncing them. Thornstar and Torrentstar's deaths clearly weren't accidents. This all started within the span of, what, a couple of moons? Why now?"

Aspenheart's arrival was welcome, at least to Mothglow. The WindClan medicine cat's opinion on the situation with StarClan may have differed from her own, but his perspective was valuable still. He spoke, questioning the circumstances, and she frowned.

He had a point. Several, actually.

"That's what I want to know," Mothglow replied. "I haven't heard anything at all... Not that I'm surprised by that," she admitted after a moment. After all, it was her adoptive mother they had struck down, that she had refused to denounce. They allowed her walk among them now, at least, according to Flintstar's words, but it was a small comfort. "Clearly they don't want to speak to us any longer. But why now, and why like this...?" With her tail, she gestured to Highstones, so close and yet so far. "That is not natural, and there must be a reason for it!"

Sagelight strode with a purpose towards Mothermouth, Honeypaw in tow. He hadn't talked much on the journey this time around, instead keeping to himself and his own thoughts. He had received absolutely nothing from StarClan since the meeting two moons prior; at this rate it felt as if StarClan would never open up again. Why were they all being punished for the actions of a pawful of cats? Maybe he had done something wrong that he didn't know about, and the thought of that scared him. News had come by that Torrentstar and Thornstar had been killed, both dying immediately...who would be next?

The scent of a group of cats, medicine cats, struck his nose as he neared the base of the cliffs. That was strange, why were they not up at Mothermouth? The tom picked up his pace, joining the group a few moments later, a little out of breath. "Hi, what's going on? Is there a problem?" Sagelight noted with a sinking feeling that this meeting they wouldn't be speaking to StarClan either as he looked up, seeing the rocks slick with ice. An attempt to climb up would surely be met with a nasty fall. A shiver ran down his spine and he inched closer towards Mossbloom and Spiderpaw, finding comfort in his mentor and friend's closeness. Mossbloom said something about apprentices still speaking to StarClan. At least they could still receive their warrior names.

After a long while, he opened his mouth to speak again, squinting over at Mothglow and Eveningpaw. "Mothglow...I heard the news. I'm so sorry for your loss, the forest has lost a great leader. Two great leaders...At least, from what I understand." He paused, now addressing the entire group. "I assume no cat has heard from StarClan? I haven't, it's been silent for me too."

Honeypaw remained closer to Sagelight than stink on a stinkbug, her ears tilted back in fear. She had never seen her mentor, or any of the other medicine cats for that matter, so somber and lost before. This, in turn, made her feel these emotions tenfold. She felt sick to her stomach, and her throat was tight with the threat of tears. So much had happened within the past couple moons, and it was all just so much to bear. Was this what it was like being a medicine cat? Always worrying about angering StarClan until they cut off all ties of communication from the living and slayed everyone they held dear? She honestly didn’t know if she’d be able to continue training under Sagelight if that was the case. It was all too terrifying, and even though she had the company of her uncle and the rest of the medicine cats, she still felt as though she were going through all of this all on her own.

In fact ... StarClan hadn’t gotten this angry until just after she had been named medicine cat. Had Sagelight misinterpreted their signs for who the next medicine cat of SkyClan should be? Had he made a mistake in taking her on as his apprentice? Was that why StarClan was so angry? Deep in her mind, she knew this line of thinking was absolutely ridiculous. After all, she was just a sorry little nobody with terrible social skills who just happened to also be a medicine cat apprentice. But ... what if it were true? What if StarClan was angry at her and taking their anger out on the other Clans? She would never forgive herself if that were actually the case. But ... it couldn’t be. ...Right?

(I swear I posted in this-- ;;)

Softpaw followed Aspenheart up to highstones. Softpaw took up her normal post at his right side, their flanks brushed together. When they approached Highstones, her blue eyes widened to saucers. She didn't know what she had expected from this meeting, but she certainly wasn't expecting this. She stopped dead in her tracks, one paw in the air, with a gasp of shock.

After a couple of heartbeats, or maybe a couple seasons, she took a shaky breath, and shook her pelt. Looking around, she spotted Spiderpaw and padded towards him, giving a friendly nuzzle of comfort. She sat beside him and curled her tail around her paws.

Casting a glance around, Mossbloom's head lowered in disappointment. The weight of the continued silence from StarClan and the repeated inability to communicate with their ancestors seemed to fall on her shoulders at once, and when her head slowly rose to look at her fellow medicine cats and their apprentices she looked as if she had aged many moons. "Well, we will continue to do what we have always done. We will care for our clans, and for all those in the forest, as we were trained and commanded to do. If any of us hear anything, we need to let the others know immediately... No matter how small the message. That goes for the apprentices as well, you are as much members of the medicine cat family as any of us training you. I know it's a little hard to see or feel at the moment, but we're all here for a reason. If any of you need me, you'll be able to find me in ThunderClan's camp. The herbs are returning to the forest slowly but surely, so I should have stores to spare should you need any soon." Turning back towards the forest, Mossbloom hesitated before her eyes met the other fully named medicine cats, shifting from Aspenheart to Mothglow, then to Sagelight before her green eyes blinked closed. "We'll get through this, just like we have many challenges before. Hang in there, everyone."