October 2020 Medicine Cat Meeting

Daisybloom had slowly been gaining more and more responsibility as a medicine cat. She had done multiple Moonstones, sorted herbs, talked and healed cats. It seemed similar to how it had been, but also vastly different. Her mentor was slowing down, letting her take the reins. The medicine cat had started to notice, but she was glad with the way things were going. It was a daunting concept of being the sole medicine cat in her clan, even training an apprentice, but Mossbloom was getting her ready for that. The molly assumed that the calico would be retiring within the next few moons, or at least a season or two. She certainly was feeling her age, and the bouts of sickness worried the young medicine cat.

As they reached the Moonstone today, she turned around, sitting down for a moment. She hoped all of the other clans were alright, and that their medicine cats would be joining shortly. Maybe a new apprentice would tag along, or something like that. It was always exciting with change, at least, when the change was a good one.

Beechpaw silently made her way towards highstones, feeling distinctly uncomfortable at the idea of attending a meeting on her own. She'd only had time to catch a glimpse of the other medicine cats as they lay beside the moonstone during the last meeting, because they'd been late.

And now Sagelight wanted her to go to the meeting. Alone. Because Spottedstar's condition... well, it wasn't great. Beechpaw understood that she didn't have the experience to look after the ailing leader, and she understood that Sagelight wanted to be their for his brother and didn't trust anyone else to do the job. Really, it was fine. Perfectly fine. Beechpaw wasn't uneasy with the idea at all. That brief glimpse of the other medicine cats had been enough of an introduction to them, sure.

Fur prickling with discomfort, the large she-cat stalked her way up to highstones, noting that she hadn't been the first to arrive. At least she wasn't the last one to arrive, from what she could tell. Still, her ears twitched back slightly, the former warrior-apprentice not comfortable in the slightest about any of this.

"Um... Hi..." She greeted, awkwardness practically rolling off of her pelt. "I'm Beechpaw. Sagelight's... busy." They might be medicine cats, but Beechpaw figured that they didn't need to know just how bad of a condition their leader was in.

What even was she supposed to say? Starclan help her, Sagelight wouldn't have been this awkward with his fellow medicine cats, she was sure of it.

Every one of these trips felt longer than the last, and Mossbloom found herself wondering just how many more would be bearable. She would miss the journey through the forest, over the moors, and into the rocky terrain far beyond the clan territories, but a part of her felt a pull of longing to rest in a cozy nest instead - especially now as the nights were getting colder. She had stepped back from several of the main duties, deferring to Daisybloom and letting her do the leading while she followed. The younger she-cat had done a splendid job stepping into this new role, and Mossbloom took heart in that. However.... She looked over her shoulder to a figure just behind her. Cinderpaw. The ShadowClan cat had come to ThunderClan's territory just the day before searching for her, and in a (rather amusing) turn of events Mossbloom had been among the group to find her. Mothglow was gone, and Cinderpaw was the one selected to take her place by the stars. She couldn't leave her without a mentor, and besides, it would be a good way to end a long period as medicine cat, training another new generation.

As she drew close to Daisybloom, Beechpaw arrived. Nodding in understanding and concern, she mewed a response. "I hope he's not working himself too hard. It's good to see you here, Beechpaw. I hope your clan is healing well. If there's any herbs you may need, please, let us know. We have some extras, and we can always get more before leaf-bare is upon us." Casting a small smile to the other medicine cats, she sat down on the rapidly chilling stone below, wrapping her tail tightly over her white paws. Hopefully SkyClan and their territory would heal soon, and things would be better for them.

Spiderquill swore that this hill had gotten steeper since he'd last climbed it. Maybe it was just the cold talking, but every step felt like ten. A particularly chilly gust of wind ruffled his mangy-looking pelt, bringing goosebumps to his vulnerable skin. He looked on enviously at Beechpaw. Oh, to have a pelt that performed as advertised and didn't let him die of hypothermia once the temperature dropped below boiling. He gritted his teeth and shivered as he took the last few steps up the hill, smiling shakily at his friends and acquaintances. There were more medicine cats at the meeting now than there weren't, something that couldn't be said for last moon's meeting. That was embarrassing. Not knowing either Daisybloom nor Beechpaw enough to sit next to them, he sat down next to Mossbloom and waved a paw nervously at the others. "H-hey. C-cold night, huh? You're all l-l-lucky, with your fancy p-pelts." He shivered, ears flapping wildly. Upon hearing the topic of conversation, he shot a sympathetic, albeit anxious, glance at Beechpaw. It was no use asking how she was doing; she didn't seem to be very fond of him and he knew what her situation was anyhow. Not having much else to say, he started fiddling with his tail.

Daisybloom nodded towards Beechpaw. "I’m glad to hear you are all alright." She said, a bit awkwardly. What else was she supposed to say, anyways? Luckily, Mossbloom started to speak, letting the conversation have a bit more flow. It was humorous how bad some of the medicine cats were at upholding a conversation.

Glancing at Spiderquill sympathetically, she nodded. "It is starting to get rather cold. Hopefully we don’t have a harsh leaf-bare." Looking up towards the sky, which was seeming a bit ominous tonight, she worried a bit. Herbs were hard to find in leaf-bare, and they would have struggles, for sure. She had been born in leaf-bare, but never really experienced it past that. And all the sicknesses that would come with it? It was worrisome, especially with her mentor’s age and condition. Hopefully everything would be alright. What would she do if it wasn’t?

Thornpaw's fur brushed again Spiderquill's side once they got towards the moonstone. Compared to the furless tom, the long furred tabby was all fluff and no bite. The moonlight from the outside began to fall down upon the now arriving cats. Some of the other medicine cats she had not known from previous trips, their silence now broken with hopeful wishes. She perked up catching scents from territories she hadn't been able to venture to. Thunderclan and Skyclan, a less burnt then they had been at previous gatherings in the past. To each of the other medicine cats she gave them all a polite nod in greeting seeing as how pleasant they were being towards them.

Beechpaw offered the shivering Spiderquill a sympathetic look. She hadn't been fond of the chatty, curious tom; partly out of her own frustrations with everything, partly because they really were just different cats.

"I lost track of how many training sessions Wolfcall cancelled in greenleaf when I was his apprentice." Beechpaw's whiskers twitched at Spiderquill's words. "Too bad there's not a happy medium between wanting to rip your pelt off and freezing." She managed the joke, for a brief moment a hint of a less despondent and frustrated Beechpaw showing through. Of course, Beechpaw wouldn't be the one suffering through the colder weather. Her pelt was already starting to thicken even if it had hardly seemed possible. Come newleaf, she and her mother would be leaving fur everywhere whether they wanted to or not.

The calico smelling of Thunderclan spoke, and Beechpaw was honestly taken aback at her words and immediate offer of aid, dark yellow-green eyes turning to her.

"Most of my clanmates are okay... I wish there was more I could do for the more serious burns, though." Spiderquill had seen Adderpaw's burned visage, at least, and would know exactly what the tall tabby meant. The mute she-cat was making a slow, agonizing "recovery" and was able to walk around with some effort, not longer bleeding at the slightest movement, but Spottedstar's condition hadn't seemed to change at all since he'd returned to them.

Tonight, maybe, would be different. Aspenhert would want her to move on, and with her friends Spiderquill, Mossbloom, Mothglow, and Sagelight, she'd be okay. Maybe. Hopefully. Maybe she get to know Daisybloom a bit better, and she thought she'd seen a brown furry apprentice trailing behind Spiderquill at the last meeting. They'd become friends and everything would be as it once was.

But no. That was a foolish idea. It would seem destiny had enjoyment with her suffering. As she rounded the corner, she could smell the scents of the other four Clans, along with her friends. Except two. Moth and Sage. With a panicked heartbeat and wide eyes, Softbreeze bursted into the gathered cats, wildly looking around for the missing cats. Distressed eyes turned to Mossbloom and she managed a shudder inducing sentence, "Please don't tell me Sagelight and Mothglow are... Are...- That they a-are..--"

The sentence was left unfinished, and the gentle molly blinked tears away, the liquid making the fur around her eyes colder. She paid Beechpaw, Daisybloom, Thornpaw, and Cinderpaw no mind, and if she even noticed them was questionable. Blue eyes meeting caramel, she swiftly made her way over to Spiderquill, a million apologies swimming in her head and eyes. Wrapping her fluffy tail around the taller tom, she buried her head into his thinly covered shoulder, not waiting for Mossbloomś answer in fear of it.

So much for a nice night, she thought bitterly.

Mossbloom's whiskers twitched sympathetically, her coat had never been thick but as she had aged it was thinner still. Nodding in agreement as Daisybloom spoke up, she followed up with a little piece. "Yes, hopefully it won't be too bad, especially with the forest still healing. Even still, Leaf-bare is the time for the forest to repair and rejuvenate, so Newleaf will be magnificent." The calico smiled and nodded back to the apprentice at Spiderquill's legs before turning her attention back to Beechpaw. Bad burns? She considered what she had in their stores in camp, and what had probably already been done... Depending on who it was, stubbornness might be playing a factor in their getting well, but... "I don't know if you've tried this already, but perhaps a poultice of goldenrod and horsetail could do the trick. Leave it on overnight, wrapped with cobwebs, then let it air through the day when you can keep a close eye on how the healing is going, with wounds across a large area you want to be sure to give it time to breath. Also, a small amount of feverfew daily to eat may help lower the body temperature of the cat to help promote healing, I know we have extra horsetail and feverfew should you find yourself short!" She purred, smiling at the medicine cat apprentice. Suddenly, Softbreeze ran up, looking distressed and panicked, and Mossbloom stood up, back legs aching and groaning at the sudden movement. Before she could say anything, Softbreeze spoke enough for her to piece it together. "Sagelight is fine, just busy tending to his clan, Softbreeze. They have a lot of healing to do, he must be incredibly weary, and from the sound of it both he and Beechpaw have just about worked their tails off!" She mewed, a flicker of sympathy and amusement in her eyes before her face grew serious once more. Softbreeze had been out of it at the previous gathering, and Mossbloom had attempted to comfort her through the announcements, she probably hadn't even registered Flintstar's news. "Mothglow was with some other apprentices when they were attacked. She was able to fend off the beast that tried to kill them all, but her heart couldn't hold up to the expended energy.... Cinderpaw is ShadowClan's medicine cat apprentice now, and I will be watching over her training for the time being, as long as I am able."

Cinderpaw had tried her very best to hang back in the shadows as Mossbloom lead the way to Highstones. "We'll have your ceremony tomorrow night." She had said, but they first - and most regrettably - had to meet with their other fellow medicine cats as well. If ThunderClan's trees hadn't been enough of a culture shock to Cinderpaw, then WindClan's moors were another thing entirely. She'd seen more of the forest in the past two days than all of her denmates combined! While a normal cat would take great pride in such an achievement, Cinderpaw only wished to return home and curl up in her nest. All this new socialization had taken its toll on the she-cat.

Mossbloom left Cinderpaw's side as they reached the others, all much more normal-sized and less obtrusive than ShadowClan's newest healer. The spot on the she-cat's pelt where Mossbloom had been shielding quickly grew cold in her absence, Cinderpaw feeling the weight of being alone. She hung back as the medicine cats conversed, some more loud and annoying, and others logical. The circumstance had been quickly reeled in to something tolerable, until Mossbloom called her name, beckoning Cinderpaw closer. In a kit-like display of stubbornness, the she-cat shook her head and took a step back, leaning into a clump of reeds, attempting to cloak herself in shadows. Anything would be better than socializing with these chattermaws.

Spiderquill's smile melted from his face as Softbreeze arrived and noticed the absence of two of their friends. He was ashamed to say that, having been distracted by the cold and by the joy of seeing his friends again, he had failed to notice that Mothglow was mysteriously missing. He pressed his body into Softbreeze's, feeling selfish for being comforted by her warmth. Mothglow, dead... And he hadn't even noticed she was gone. How had he missed this? He was at the Gathering. Stupid, selfish Spiderquill. Blinking back sudden tears, he wrapped his own tail around his best friend as he looked over at Mossbloom with an understanding look on his face. She would no doubt do a great job training Cinderpaw, just as she had briefly helped him learn the ropes when Mistleshine was ill. 

He managed to hold back his sobs for once, looking up at the rest of the medicine cats. There was nowhere to go with this conversation, was there? Nothing to do but what they all came here to do. Reluctantly parting from Softbreeze, he brushed shoulders with his apprentice, whispered to her to wait for him outside and made his way into the tunnel. Sighing one last time, he gently pressed his nose against the stone and sank into oblivion.


He woke up in a familiar, yet unexpected place. Rather than being in a projected version of the Forest watching a prophecy take place, he was standing on the starry plains of StarClan's boundless territory. He stood up, looking around. Nobody there. That was odd. Perhaps there was a mistake? Why was there nobody-
"Hello, Spiderquill."
He yelped and spun around to face a cat that had definitely not been there before. He was tall, with wide shoulders and piercing eyes like a hawk's. Despite being a lot bigger, something told Spiderquill that this cat was younger than him. He studied him shrewdly, with an odd gleam in his eye that Spiderquill wasn't sure he liked the look of. "Um, hi! Is this- are you here to tell me my prophecy?" His whiskers twitched and he only nodded, turning away from the much smaller tom and beckoning him to follow. Spiderquill hesitantly began loping alongside the larger tom, putting a lot of effort into matching his pace. Not stopping to look at him, he said, "There is a great change coming, little one." Before Spiderquill could ask what he meant, a great gust of wind blew into his face. He instinctively closed his eyes, and when he opened them he found himself deep in RiverClan's territory. He recognised it; this was where he had found Lilypaw stranded and dying. He turned to the other cat for an explanation, meeting his sharp eyes with his wide ones. "You have questions. They always do. But, you must be patient. All will reveal itself in good time." The other cat's ears pricked up, as if there was a sound approaching that only he could hear. After a few moments Spiderquill heard it too; the far-off baying of dogs. The larger tom smiled grimly. "That's my cue. Be wise, young medicine cat. There are troubling times ahead. You must not forget who you are." Suddenly, as if he had never been there in the first place, the StarClanner vanished. The baying of the dogs got louder and closer, now accompanied by the thundering of hundreds of paws. Spiderquill tried to run, but they had him cornered. He could see their eyes now, their teeth... He screwed his eyes shut, and then there was nothing. Darkness, followed by a pale blue glow. He opened his eyes again, trembling from head to toe. He was at the Moonstone. He was safe. Softbreeze was here. Numb with the kind of shock you feel after waking from a nightmare, he slumped into a sitting position and let pent-up tears roll down his cheeks. He decided he'd wait for his friend, shuffling closer to her and silently trying to swallow the inexplicable lump in his throat.

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'StarClan Revelation' :

Spiderquill's tail, no matter how thinly covered, provided Softbreeze a great deal of comfort, more than ten million words ever could. Her friend was here. He'd always be. Spiderquill was her age and every bit as healthy; he'd live just as long as she would. Mossbloom had fight in her, she'd live to see several more leaf-bares. At last, Spiderquill got up almost regretfully and led the way into the tunnel. Butting her head onto Moss' gently, she followed after him, nose to his tail, breathing in the fishy scent of RiverClan.

Settling down beside him, Softbreeze curled her legs underneath her, "Happy dreaming," She murmured, almost sarcastically as she remembered Hailfang. Touching her nose to the cool rock of the Moonstone, she quietly fell into a slumber.

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This time, no cat greeted her. it was dark, and wet underpaw. Softbreeze nearly jumped back as a small, eight-legged bug crawled on top her paw. Eyes softening in marvel, she lifted one foot, placing her other beneath it should the spider fall and she sat on her haunches. "Hello little bugsy, I don't suppose your here to give me a prophecy, are you?" She inquired, smiling. The spider was fuzzy with a bare patch on its face. It crawled around her paw, which was ticklish and caused her to laugh. The bug lifted one leg and touched her nose, resulting in a lopsided grin and giggle. "You're a funky little bug, huh? I think I like you." Softbreeze mused, purring.

A raindrop on her head caused her to hiss and she instinctively covered the spider with a paw. The raindrop turned into many raindrops and before long it was pouring. There was no shelter. Softbreeze whimpered, the water levels rising to above her paws. This didn't look good. The rush of the water sounded similar to that of a dog barking and a panicked mew caught her attention. There was a small gray cat far off, drowning in the water. As she gasped the spider then too noticed this and without hesitation jumped out of her paw, desperately trying to reach out to the cat. It was no use. The current washed her little friend away and both of them disappeared beneath the water. "No!" She gasped, but stopped as she noticed the water rise significantly, now a river and then everything was black and still.

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Softbreeze awoke panting and wrapped her tail around Spiderquill, holding him tightly. She was silent.

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'StarClan Revelation' :