Oh man, an omen[CLOSED for Maple]

Dennis paced in circles inside his den. The herbs he'd gathered just two hours before had been neatly stacked in their respective places in the herb pile, this week organised by amount and effect. The feather he'd 'found' lay under a small rock so as not to fly away. It seemed important, given that he was convinced Starclan had given it to him, and Ivystar could maybe identify what it came from. It may be a clue. Or maybe he was overthinking, and the wind was just wind. Why didn't StarClan ever just tell him what they had to say clearly? It would make his life so much easier. Plus, it would get rid of the doubt gnawing at his mind. What if he was wrong, and telling Ivystar would only cause trouble and make her even more distant? Bitter as he refused to admit he was, he didn't want that. He wanted her to talk to him again, face to face. Not like a leader scolding an out-of-line apprentice.

Speaking of. He caught a glimpse of the silver she-cat leaving her den and his pacing came to a halt. It was too late to turn back now, he told himself as he took the feather and left his den. Besides, she was still his mother. She'd hear him out, right? It was StarClan business, after all. Despite his worries, a little spark of joy that he'd be able to talk to her blossomed in his chest. He talked around the feather he gently held in his teeth. "Ivystar? I hate to disturb you, I know you're busy. I- uh, I need to talk to you. It's a StarClan thing. I mean to say- I have a message from StarClan. I think. Uh-"

Stars, he was horrible at this. As always. He dropped the feather and looked up at Ivystar. "Do you know what bird this feather came from? I don't know the first thing about birds and I think it means something. Maybe." He fidgeted with his paws, feeling like he was about to cry. What was he, a kit? Apparently yes, he couldn't even look his own leader in the eye and speak clearly. He was hopeless.

Just as the she-cat was about to leave camp fir a solo border patrol, Ivystar the unmistakable, nearly inaudible footsteps of Spiderquill approaching her. Without much of a second thought she turned to face him, already able to tell he was headed directly toward her. Her gaze instantly landed on the large, plain white feather held gently between his teeth, and where in the world he’d come across such a thing. Before she had a chance to ask, he spoke up and revealed that it was a “StarClan thing.” How… Interesting. With her ears pricked and focused on the lanky tom, she continued to listen to what he had to say, nodding along as he partially explained the situation.

Nodding, a bit confused, she replied, ”Well, it could be a swan, or perhaps a goose.” Tilting her head slightly, she lifted her gaze back up to meet Spiderquill’s. ”But… I’m just a bit… Confused. What does this feather have to do with StarClan? Where’d it come from?” Truthfully, she was also slightly concerned. Spiderquill had recently fallen ill, and though he’d seemingly gotten over the worst of it, Ivystar found herself hoping that perhaps he still hadn’t completely healed.

Dennis coughed awkwardly, though whether it was remnants of his whitecough or just a way to fill up the silence while he thought of an explanation, he didn't know. Why did he think this would be easy? He was horrible at talking. Taking a second to formulate a response, he looked up at Ivystar. "Er, sorry. I uh- okay. I was feeling under the weather and I was out of herbs for my whitecough so I headed out of camp for a little bit to gather them. I, um, couldn't sleep otherwise. And I found myself in some clearing, I don't think I've ever been there before- it was RiverClan, but I'm not sure where exactly. And then there was this horrible wind. It felt like it was... Focusing on the clearing? The trees were barely moving. And um, it was loud. Like when the wind whistles against branches, except it was more like..."

He looked back down at the feather for a moment, trying to come up with a sufficient comparison. Calling it whistling was hardly doing the horrifying sound justice. Even howling sounded a little wrong. "It s-sounded alive. I can't think of a better word than howling. Baying, maybe. It was horrible." He shuddered. "And then it just... Stopped. No warning. And this feather dropped at my feet. It must have been carried there by the wind, but like I said, the wind was pretty much only in the clearing. And I definitely didn't see any swans or geese nearby. I can't prove it's not all a coincidence, but it feels wrong. Like StarClan is trying to warn me?" He cleared his throat, hoping that made even a lick of sense.

Ivystar focused in on Spiderquill, listening intently to the explanation he'd managed to cobble together. Her head tilted and eyes narrowed every now in then in confusion, understanding the words that the tom uttered but not quite what they meant. When he finally finished, Ivystar sat down, staring into the sandy earth beneath her. After a short moment reflecting on what he said, she mewed, "So... You found some clearing in the middle of our territory that you'd never seen before... The wind picked up, but only in the clearing? And then... stopped, with no warning, and this feather appeared at your paws?" Ivystar wasn't sure whether or not to be concerned for Spiderquill, or for the Clan- if he was right, and this was some sort of warning from StarClan, what in Fishstar's name was in store for them?

Shaking her head in what could only be described as disbelief, she looked to Spiderquill with a serious gaze. "So... Assuming this is some sort of... Message from StarClan, what's it supposed to mean? I'm assuming this feather holds some sort of significance to you, or to the Clan in some way." Confusion once again overtook Ivystar's features as she gazed at the white feather, noting that it was almost definitely a goose. "I don't know of anyone named Goose... I don't think that's it. I don't see what danger a measly goose could pose to the entire Clan, though? Spiderquill... I'm not entirely sure what to say." She admitted, sincerity in her gaze, just barely recognizable past the confusion and worry.