March 2021 Medicine Cat Meeting

Dennis pulled away from Softbreeze, giving her an apologetic look that couldn't hope to contain all the thoughts racing about his brain. He tried to stifle them. He had a job to do, and he doubted he'd be able to fall asleep at the moonstone with her on his mind. He crept through Mothermouth and into the tunnel, gasping when he saw the light of the moonstone for the first time- to this version of him, anyway. It was so... Beautiful. He could feel an odd tug in his mind, one that he was sure had something to do with his memories but he pushed it aside. He had no time for recovering his memories right now. He didn't have to look to the others for guidance, he knew what he had to do. Like the healing, that part of him stayed stubbornly within his mind. He lay down and pressed his nose against the moonstone, falling unconscious as soon as his skin hit the smooth stone.

He opened his eyes again when he saw the brightness of StarClan through his eyelids. It was more familiar than he was comfortable with, though he didn't know whether that was just one of the things that refused to leave his head or if he was getting better. he hoped it was the latter, for his family's sake. He spun around the starry landscape, trying to figure out what it was he was supposed to find here. Eventually, he found it: a small kit, fluffier than he'd ever seen, sitting eerily still a couple of paces away. Spiderquill approached gingerly, wary of the kit. He prayed to the ground he stood on that it wasn't some kind of trap. There'd been too many StarClan jumpscares up here for him to be comfortable with a creepy-looking statue kit. "Uh, hello? Do you have a prophecy for me?" The kit finally moved, greeting him with a warm smile. "Hello, Spiderquill! I've been waiting for you. I've never done a prophecy before- Oh! I'm not supposed to tell you that. I'm not good at the whole StarClan thing yet." Spiderquill felt a little pang in his heart. The poor kit, gone so young...

"Okie dokie! Prophecy, prophecy... Right! Uh, I'm gonna do a vision. I didn't rehearse all the word thingies for a normal prophecy. Hold on tight!" The kit gave a weirdly devious grin, though the medicine cat didn't have time to dwell on how uncomfortable that made him before the world started to spin before his eyes. He felt compelled to close them, and he only opened them again once he felt that the ground had settled beneath his feet. He looked around again. The scatterbrained kit was nowhere to be seen, replaced by four blurry cats off in the distance. They were walking towards what looked to be a forest- or perhaps a black hole, his vision was blurry as if he was underwater. All he could see clearly was the ground beneath his paws. He began to run after the four, trying to identify them- what if they were in danger? He got closer, and closer still. he could hear their voices- but their words were as blurry as their bodies. He ran with all his might, trying not to trip or catch himself off-balance due to his leg. He could see their pelts more clearly now- a grey tabby, a tortie, a calico and a pure white cat. He was hit with a wave of nostalgia. He recognised them, all of them. But who-

Suddenly, he froze in place. The cats in front of him kept going, further and further away until they were swallowed up by the vaguely forest-like shape before him. He struggled to move, to do anything, but he was stuck. The world around him started spinning again, though this time when he felt the blue glow behind his eyelids it was that of the Moonstone.

Dennis got to his feet. Was that what prophecies were supposed to be like? Vague, unfulfilling, bordering on pointless? Or was it the fact that his had been delivered by a literal child? Or perhaps it was none of these, and Snickers is just running out of ideas. He sighed. How was he going to be of value if all of his prophecies were gonna be like this? He exited the tunnel, suddenly drained. So much was happening and he understood none of it, and he just wanted to go home. He briefly brushed his tail against Softbreeze as he passed, though he didn't spare her a glance. He knew that if they shared just one more look he wouldn't want to leave.

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

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'StarClan Revelation' :

"You.. remember me?" She mumbled, eyes wide. Stars above... Was it true? Or.. or was he just trying to comfort her? Then she heard Beechface's words to Smallbean, and she instantly whipped around in defense of him. "He's more a medicine cat than you! Asylum picked or not, Smallbean and.. and, Rookfire, was it? Are capable healers. And that's coming from a cat who lost seven loved ones to the Asylum, not counting the kits they stole." Beechface, it seemed, was as far from Sagelight's kindness as possible. How lovely. Beechface, she could tell, looked down on her, viewed her as weak, but that was a mistake.

Softbreeze wasn't a kit. She wasn't some weak young apprentice anymore. And if this SkyClan brute had any issues with her apprentice- her kin, her friend-- then she'd have to deal with her. Turning her back on Beechface, she head-butted Spiderquill's flank, content enough to stay like this. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long. As soon as he pulled away, she followed him, beckoning Smallbean with her tail. Reaching the Moonstone, she couldn't help but stop and stare.

It had been so long...

Laying down right beside Spiderquill, she closed her eyes, entering into the starry world of their ancestors.

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A silver tom pranced out of the starlight and tapped his nose to Softbreeze. Around them, there was an updraft, a gust of frenzied wind, which whipped their fur like no other force on this earth. Leaves and dust and sand and branches swirled and undulated around them, the loud growl of a tornado blasting into both cats' ears. Aspenheart squinted against the onslaught, pressing his huge ears against his skull as he struggled to keep his footing secure. The wind was unimaginable.

"Softbreeze!" he called out, hardly audible above the chaos, "StarClan honors your service to this clan! Your role as a medicine cat cannot be understated. You, as I have always believed, represent the heart of WindClan!"

There was a strange, uncomfortable sadness in Aspenheart's eyes as he tilted them up at the cascade of debris in their vertical tunnel. Was it nostalgia? The bittersweetness of his gaze was like a freshly plucked herb in the eve of Newleaf. Something was different, very different, in a way he had no expected when the half-moon rose. StarClan had called Softkit forth in a whisper, and now, they beckoned her again in a roar.

"The winds are changing, Softbreeze. And so are you."

He returned to lock eyes with his apprentice. "Cats are often ruled by their earthly desires, Softbreeze, but this is not always a sin. It's time for you to nurture yourself and your deepest wants. Put yourself before your clan for the first time in a very long time. Listen to the sound of the beating thing within you. It already knows what you may not be ready to accept: Smallbean must take your place as the medicine cat of WindClan. He is ready to answer the call, and you are ready to rest."

Aspenheart stepped forward on perfect, nimble legs, and rubbed his cheek against Softbreeze's fur. This was not what she wanted to hear; perhaps it was what she needed. "Remember that no matter how far you run, you take yourself with you. Forgive yourself, for everything. I love ya, scrap. I was always proud, even when I got on your tail for things. I'll watch you, still, until you come to join me and the rest of our clanmates, forever in StarClan."

The medicine cat faded in a swarm of stardust, spinning up and around Softbreeze as the wind carried her back into her body, which still rested at the foot of the Moonstone as she awoke from her dream.

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"Aspenheart? Aspen! It's you! I-- I-- I'm so sorry!" She cried out, then her eyes widened as he continued. StarClan.. honored her service to WindClan? But.. But she'd failed! She hadn't saved anyone! She gritted her teeth against the wind, placing one unsteady paw in front of the other as she attempted to bridge the gap between them.

Aspenheart continued, and she couldn't help but go numb. Her limbs froze and slacked, nearly causing her to blow away in the wind. Rest..? "My... Wants? But.. but I-- I don't know what I want! I.. I want everything to go back to normal! To how it was before! I.. I want.." She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence, I want you to still be alive. "I don't know how to put myself first! That's one of the only things you can ask of me that I cannot do! E-everything I've done... Every breath.. It was never for me. I don't know how to do something for.. myself."

Her entire life, she'd dedicated every fiber of her being to helping everyone else but herself. It was always for somebody else. His next words, however, made her furious, and she backed away, shaking her head. "Forgive myself? After what I did? I'm a murderer, I killed Dappleshine! And-- and then I fell in love with some stupid Asylum she-cat! As if they never killed my sister! Morningdove and Olivestar left me, and said nothing! And-- and Raventail's death? My fault! Galestar never should've spared me! I wish she would've taken me instead of Finchstar, at least then I wouldn't be left to a miserable life where everyone I love leaves!"

With a defeated sigh, she turned away. "You're right. You're always right. Smallbean is ready, because I am not. I'm incapable of causing anything but irreparable harm. I am of no use in the medicine den. If StarClan has any sense of justice let my retirement be as painful as the hurt and agony I inflicted on every cat. Especially what I did to... To.. to her." letting the starlight work it's magic, she slowly blinked open her eyes.

So. This was it. She was going to judge Spiderquill, walk him back to RiverClan territory before heading home, but it seemed Beechface had something to tell him. So she waited.

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OOC: middle part by Grizz!

Before Rookfire walked into the gigantic cave, one of the other medicine cats spoke up against the medicine cat he was talking to. He heard all of the names of the medicine cats, seemingly introducing themselves, though to another medicine cat who seemed to not remember much about being a medicine cat. The one defending him was Softbreeze, and the one who was speaking against the Asylum-chosen medicine cats was Beechface. Really, with how poorly Asylum treated his clanmates, the tom could see why Beechface disliked him and Smallbean, though it didn't make the two of them any more loyal to the Clans. Okay, he didn't know for certain that Smallbean was loyal to the Clans, but he was pretty sure that the tom was.

The black-and-white tom grinned at Softbreeze. "Thanks," he said, padding into Mothermouth. The darkness of the caves wasn't something that the medicine cat felt uncomfortable by, since he usually talked with his friends in ShadowClan in the cover of shadow. The truth was, the 'cover of shadow' didn't really exist in ShadowClan's borders, since they all were able to see each other in pure darkness. He could at least see shapes in the cavern, as well as the silhouettes of the medicine cats in front of him. Once they got to the Moonstone, Rookfire couldn't believe his eyes. It was huge, shining light into the otherwise dark cavern. Noticing the other medicine cats touching noses with the Moonstone, he followed, touching his own nose to the Moonstone. Eventually, the tom drifted into sleep.

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When the tom woke up, he noticed a cat with a starry pelt arrive towards him. She had a light silver pelt, and her eyes were a vibrant green. One of her ears was nicked, but it seemed like it had happened a long time ago. And yet, she seemed to be a very young she-cat. Either way, she was here for a reason, and Rookfire was ready to listen to that reason.

"I am Pebblestorm, a warrior of WindClan moons ago," the she-cat said. "Many moons ago, before Asylum took over the five Clans, there was a group of cats called the Righteous Few. They killed several Clan cats, and sickened dozens more, just because they weren't pure of blood. While most of them have now banished to the Dark Forest, some sympathizers still remain." Stepping towards Rookfire, she began to speak once again. "This ideology has already spread to cats in WindClan. Though it hasn't caused any harm so far along its path - in fact, in its current form I would even call it innocuous - I am worried that it will mutate itself and lead to a second coming of the Righteous Few." She let out an audible sigh.

Rookfire blinked. "So I assume that I should tell my WindClan colleagues about this?"

Pebblestorm stared at Rookfire. "What you end up doing is not up to me in the end. However, I trust that you will make the right choice." Cracking a soft smile, the she-cat began fading into the starry sky. "Good luck, Rookfire."

Jolting back awake, the black tuxedo sprang up to his feet. Scanning the area for Softbreeze or Smallbean, he saw Softbreeze awake from her dream. "Hey, Softbreeze? I need to tell you something." After he got her attention, the tom spoke. "So, I was visited by a WindClan cat tonight. It was all about the Righteous Few, and StarClan's worried that there is ideology that shares similar characteristics to what the Righteous Few believed. She said that it was innocuous at the moment, but she was worried about it turning into something worse." He didn't know if Softbreeze ever heard of the ideology before, but he could at least tell her about it.

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

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#1 'StarClan Revelation' :


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#2 'Effect Dice' : 2

Daisybloom hadn’t remembered how overwhelming it felt to be surrounded by cats from different clans again. Luckily, the small talk ended pretty quickly and they made their way to the Moonstone. The sight was beautiful to see, especially considering it had been such a long time. What kind of messages would Starclan have to tonight, now that they could freely communicate with their medicine cats? She laid down, touching her nose to the large stone. Her heart pounded in anticipation as she fell into the trance-like sleep.

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

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'StarClan Revelation' :