May Medicine Cat Meeting

Daisybloom followed her mentor nervously. This was her first medicine cat meeting. At the gathering, she hadn’t had much time to speak to any of her fellow medicine cats before battle broke out, so she was excited to meet them. But the prospect if meeting them did also make her a bit nervous. What she was most nervous about, however, was Starclan. Would they appear? What news would they bring? She doubted any of them knew. It was something that they would have to find out. The tabby looked up at the moon, taking it the bright shine before turning back to Mossbloom. ”Do you have any idea of what will happen tonight?” she asked. She doubted her mentor knew, but maybe the older she-cat had experienced something similar before.

After her mentor’s answer, her blue eyes turned back ahead, seeing the Highstones. It seemed that she was there first, and she waited to see some of the cats emerge from their own territories. She hoped they had all been doing well after the gathering. It had been quiet eventful, and many cats were injured. Mossbloom and Daisybloom had certainly had a lot of work on their paws, tending to the wounded cats. But life was slowly starting to return to normal in Thunderclan, and hopefully in the others. But only time would tell what was in store for the cats of the forest.

Mossbloom led the way to Highstones, occasionally looking back towards Daisybloom as they made the journey. The Gathering had certainly been something, far more than she had anticipated. However, StarClan seemed to be at peace once more, and the connection between the clans and their ancestors restored... Would that prove to be the case tonight? She wasn't so sure. The sense of betrayal she felt was one that was not easily shed, but perhaps StarClan would be able to continue to make things right. The silence stretched between the two cats before Daisybloom interrupted it to ask the question that was on both of their minds, and Mossbloom frowned slightly before turning to look back at her apprentice with a tight smile, trying to hide her own anxiety behind a veil of quiet confidence.

"I'm not sure what the night will hold, Daisybloom... But we rarely do. I hope it holds peace and good news, stars know we've had enough bad recently for an entire nine lives worth." Turning back to finish the last leg of the journey over the rocky terrain, Mossbloom settled in her usual spot outside of Mothermouth, facing out towards WindClan's territory, the other territories lying beyond their moors. "The others won't be long now, we'll wait for them to arrive. I hope they're all doing well - remind me to ask Aspenheart about burnet. We used most of our stock at the Gathering."

"Burnet? We've got some to spare, right Aspenheart?" The soft voice spoke up, and a couple heartbeats later, the face accompanying the voice was in view, tail weaving in a friendly greeting. "Hi Mossbloom! I hope things are running smoothly in ThunderClan, with Oakstar being back?" Softpaw mewed, head tilted to the side as she pondered the calico's answer. WindClan life was starting back up, cats picking up the fractured pieces left behind in Finchstar's wake.

Raventail would get his name soon. Morningpaw was not dead, merely in a comatose state. Life would go on. Yet, a part of her had drifted away with Galestar. Would she see Galestar? Probably not, but Softpaw hoped so. Her blue eyes focused on the Stars', gaze thoughtful. The tip of her tail twitched slightly.

"I... think..." Aspenheart huffed, unsteadily clamoring up the path to Mothermouth. He was lacking in many respects, but he was especially lacking in body fat. It felt as though he got more willowy with the coming of a new dawn, though he was less bereaved and stressed than ever. "Though your system of organization is more... structured than mine, you can probably answer that question more thoroughly than I."

He ruffled his thin coat as they approached the top, meeting the ThunderClan medicine cats there. "Now, how often is it that we come up here in good spirits, huh?" he laughed, lifting his head to peer at Silverpelt high above them. With each twinkling light he was suddenly much more aware of the presence of the ancestors. It was good to not feel alone again. "Well, I'll be taking Raventail along soon enough. We're waiting for the dust to settle. There's too much to be done at camp lately to leave Softpaw and Olivestone fending for themselves."

Mothglow led the way to Highstones with a renewed enthusiasm, something she hadn't felt in some time. The last moon, it had been impossible to leave camp; but today the relative warmth of the newleaf air was inviting in the same way the leaf-bare chill had been in moons prior. There were moments where she bounded ahead, paws touching the ground for barely a moment at a time, before she finally reached her gathered friends. "Not too late, I hope," she greeted them brightly. She glanced over to where Mossbloom stood. "Is Oakstar well?"

After all, it was her den that he'd slept in during his stay with ShadowClan, and he'd been at the Gathering with the rest of them, what little of it she could remember clearly. She felt it was only polite to ask. "So much has happened, it's been hard to find the time to gather herbs... At least now that things have calmed down a little we can start to get back to normal. Well, as normal as things ever are for us, at least. Do you think things will go back to how they were before?"

"I hope they do." came Sagelight's voice, and soon the tom came into view as he climbed up the final steps to join his friends. Somehow, he and Honeypaw--no, Honeysong--weren't the last ones there like usual. Honestly, he was very surprised himself, with how he'd been feeling lately. The SkyClan medicine cat still looked pretty worse for wear but he was in a little bit better spirits now that the threat of the Righteous Few was over. He was slowly regaining his old light back and he flashed a weary smile to the other medicine cats accordingly.

"We'll have to see tonight, I guess. Although Honeysong--" he bumped against his apprentice's shoulder "--was able to receive her full name soon after the last Gathering...So hopefully things are back to normal, at least up in StarClan." Despite his thinner-than-usual frame, dull coat, and lackluster eyes, Sagelight managed a soft laugh. He was trying. He was trying so hard to be okay again. It really helped to be around his friends and colleagues once more, and to be able to actually see the stars in the sky. StarClan was with them once again, but he, as surely the others were as well, was still wary about what this half-moon meeting would have in store for them.

Honeysong followed closely after her mentor, making sure he was watching his step as he climbed the rocks up to the entrance of Mothermouth. She had noticed her uncle had been feeling just a touch better after news of the Righteous Few's defeat made its way back to SkyClan camp, along with the few cats who had stayed behind to fight. She had been relieved to find none of her Clanmates had been severely injured, but it had still be a very busy couple days for her and Sagelight both.

Despite her tiredness, she felt equally excited and nervous. This would be her very first medicine cat meeting after having earned her name a few nights ago. It had been immensely relieving to learn that StarClan had opened its borders for the Clans again -- another cause for Sagelight's better mood. At her mentor's mentioning of her name and the soft bump to her shoulder, she averted her gaze shyly. She had never been fond of being the center of attention, and she had a feeling that the other cats learning of her new name would cause just that. It didn't help that she had spotted a completely new cat amongst the rest of them standing close next to Mossbloom. Was that her new apprentice? Stars, how she wished her promotion from apprenticehood would have helped her gain a bit more confidence.

"Ah! Hello, Softpaw, Aspenheart! That would be wonderful. Things are going... alright. Oakstar is still not quite himself, but that's to be expected, I suppose. Hopefully in the coming days he gets back to normal." She purred softly at Aspenheart's comments and nodded firmly. "It's not often at all. Hopefully that changes, and the coming moons bring peace." Another familiar voice made her tail wave in greeting. "Not at all! It's good to see you, Mothglow. Oakstar is.... Physically doing okay. The mental and emotional tolls of recent moons will take longer to heal, and there's no herbs that can aid in that. I'm not sure, honestly, I don't think our old normal will ever truly return, but I do think we'll reach a new normal... And who can say if it will be better or worse in the long run?" She smiled warmly at Sagelight and Honeysong as they arrived. "Congratulations, Honeysong. You've worked hard, and you've earned it. I know we got to share the news with some of you at the Gathering, before everything fell apart, but this is my apprentice Daisybloom. She had trained to be a warrior before being called to the path of medicine cat, and I am pleased to say that she has taken to it like a kit to mouse!" Her eyes sparkled as she looked to her apprentice with a warm smile before looking to the sky. "Well, the moon waits for none, let's head down, shall we?" She purred, turning to lead the way towards the Moonstone with a flick of her white-tipped tail.

Settling next to the Moonstone, she motioned for Daisybloom to lay at her side before pressing her nose to the cool surface of the stone as darkness covered her vision. When her eyes opened again, it was dark, and she was surrounded by the sandy rocks of... Snakerocks? What was she doing here? A familiar pelt flashed in the corner of her vision, and as she turned she saw Rainstrike, carrying a limp snake in her jaws. Was the warrior going to be bitten, or injured? Snake bites were still one of her biggest fears, but she had grown more confident in her abilities.... The world around her warped, and suddenly she was in ThunderClan's camp, Rainstrike emerging from the leader's den. Hesitantly making her way into the empty den, she looked around confused. Why would the she-cat be here if Oakstar wasn't? As she turned, an odd bit of moss caught her eye, and in an instant she realized it wasn't moss, but was in fact an adder, carefully tucked under the moss. Her mind raced to the day that Oakstar had lost a life to a seemingly random adder in camp, and she gasped as she woke next to the now dim Moonstone. Rainstrike.... She had been the one to bring the snake to camp? Her thoughts went to Willowpaw's words following her Moonstone, and at the Gathering. A low growl rumbled in her throat as she sat and waited near the tunnel back to the world above, tail flicking periodically. What more had Rainstrike done? She needed to get back to camp, to discuss this with Oakstar and Nettlefire.

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

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'StarClan Revelation' :

Aspenheart allowed the other medicine cats to speak their piece before Mossbloom, ever dutiful, led the motley crew down into the cavern which would serve as their sleeping chamber for the night. The walk was much more claustrophobic than Aspenheart remembered. The Moonstone, however, gleamed with a bright and welcoming ambiance. He swallowed hard as he pushed the stone to his muzzle. "Here goes nothing," he murmured.

---

The world around him was dark, and the body Aspenheart inhabited walked through the snow as it crunched underpaw. He tried to steer off his course, but soon discovered that he was not in control of the cat that his consciousness lived in. He relaxed into the role, nervous, but unable to do much else but observe. He would wake soon.

This place was mostly foreign to him. He knew what Snakerocks was, and he knew what herbs could be found there, but it was by no means a place that any crippled cat should be gallivanting around without a ThunderClan escort to defend them. In this strange dreamscape, he was not crippled. He walked with his head low and legs deliberate. He knew this was a hunters' stance. An adder rested on the rocks, and the body stalked it. Stars, no! The venom could bring a twoleg to its doom! He tried to scream as his (or, her?) paws swung out at the snake, letting it drop into the cold snow, incapacitated. He caught a glimpse of the cat's icy eyes and grey tabby markings in a liquified puddle among the rocks as he turned.

The body picked up the limp snake and began to walk in the direction of ThunderClan's camp. The medicine cat became aware of the vague sensation of being watched. There was no one nearby, not that he could see. Aspenheart's confusion grew as the cat slipped into ThunderClan's camp. He had never been inside it before, though it was not a far cry from WindClan's in terms of structure. The cat peered inside what could be assumed to be the leader's den. She dropped the adder inside, letting it slither into the nest. Aspenheart began to feel queasy. His host crawled into the warriors' den, where he saw many familiar faces. The cat's eyes fluttered shut.

"I think that this one has found favor with us," whispered a disembodied voice. "I will choose her to receive our good news. She won't fail us. We have something she wants. There are simpler ways to rid this clan of Oakstar."

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Aspenheart's eyes snapped open. Tentatively, he flexed his front paws. He was back in control. He felt his muzzle, then his ears, then his cheek, running his paw over his scars. He was back in control, and back in his body. He sought out Mossbloom's face in the light of dawn. She looked as though she was ready to burst. "I don't mean to alarm you, but have you had some kind of snake-related accident lately?" he whispered quickly. "If this is a vision of the past, then I figure we're in better condition than if it's a vision of the future."

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

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'StarClan Revelation' :

Honeysong’s ears grew warm with humility at Mossbloom’s praise, averting her gaze from the pretty ThunderClan medicine cat after just a heartbeat of looking at her. She remained silent as the medicine cats began filing into Mothermouth, and she followed after them. She watched as Mossbloom and Aspenheart approached the Moonstone, and she gulped nervously. This would be her first time speaking with StarClan during a medicine cat meeting, and she felt incredibly intimidated. She knew this was one of the responsibilities of a medicine cat, however. Taking a deep breath, Honeysong approached the Moonstone and settled down before it, pressing her nose to it, waiting to be whisked away into StarClan territory in her dreams.

Honeysong opened her eyes and found herself inside StarClan’s borders. Happiness swelled up within her. It had worked, StarClan saw her as a full medicine cat! She looked around, searching for any cats, but the starlit plains were void of all life, save for the grass and fireflies. ”H-Hello?” she called out nervously. ”Is ... Is anybody out there?”

”The blazing petals that intrudes the breeze will blow through the dark, risking another full moon bathed in blood.”

Honeysong gasped in fright, whipping around to face the creature who had spoken from behind. She stood there and stared at a beautiful pure-white molly with stunning icy-blue eyes. She shivered as the StarClan cat stared back with such intensity, she had been afraid she would be turned to stone right then and there. Her mouth slowly worked, but no words would come out.

”Past mistakes will be made again,” the molly growled. ”Cats who do not belong will, and the Clans will once again be further tainted by selfish desires. Keep an eye on the darkness. She and the blazing petals that blow in the breeze will pave the road for the downfall of the Clans.”

”Wh-What are you talking about?” Honeysong whimpered nervously. ”I-I don’t understand.”

”You must keep the blazing petals and the dark from intertwining, Honeysong,” the StarClan warrior growled eerily, her form beginning to disappear.

Before Honeysong could say anything else, her vision was enveloped in a blinding light, forcing her to shut her eyes tight. When she opened them again, she found herself back in the cave with the Moonstone and the other medicine cats. She slowly sat up from her resting position, limbs cold and stiff, frightened and confused.

”The blazing petals that intrudes the breeze will blow through the dark, risking another full moon bathed in blood.” The eerie prophecy repeated itself in Honeysong’s head. What did it mean? She knew she had to speak to Sagelight, Spottedstar, and Wolfcall about this when they returned home.

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

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'StarClan Revelation' :

Daisybloom took in all of the sights and sounds. The gathered cats talked, like at a regular gathering, but this was different. They were all close, all friends. When she was brought up by Mossbloom, she blushed and looked down, a small smile on her face. ”Hello.” she mewed, pretty quietly. Her blue eyes watched the calico she-cat lay down, and she followed. She wasn’t sure of what would happen, if she would even see anybody or anything. Laying next to her mentor, she shut her eyes and her nose touched the stone to it, and everything turned black. Her dream was not one of greetings from Starclan, or really anything. It was dark, and silent. She couldn’t hear, see, smell, taste, or feel anything. It was just her and her thoughts. She panicked, thinking she had done something wrong. Where they shunning her? Abandoning her? Had she done something wrong? Her mind was racing, and her heart was surely pumping fast. It seemed like an eternity she laid there, but suddenly she woke up, and the world came into focus again. Her brow furrowed, she walked over towards her mentor, who was talking with Aspenheart. ”W-what happened? Did you see anything?” she mewed in confusion, sitting down next to the cats awkwardly.