Uncanny [Mossbloom]

Birdsong had given her apprentice the day, with the blistering greenleaf sunhigh, she was happy to give him a break from training to rest in camp, hopefully in a shady spot. Unfortunately for her, there was still work to do, so she'd decided to check on the border with Thunderclan along the fallen oak. This close to Thunderclan territory, the undergrowth and foliage were thick, providing some welcome shade that Birdsong was all too-happy to stick to as she walked.

The scent of Thunderclan was carried on the breeze, just a bit too strong to be from the border markers. Birdsong lifted her head, warily scanning the surrounding trees. It seemed like a single cat and she was on her own side of the border... But she couldn't quite pinpoint where the Thunderclan scent was coming from as the breeze shifted slightly.

Birdsong edged back a bit to be safe, not at all interested in a potential border skirmish.

The sun was beating down on the forest, speckling the ground with light as it shone through the foliage above. The elderly ThunderClan calico slowly trekked through the territory, chirping to herself as she padded through long familiar hunting grounds and recognized various herbs growing between roots and near rocks. The day was peaceful, relaxing... And she hadn't quite noticed how close she was to the border until a sudden shift in the breeze brought fresh SkyClan scent to her nose. She found she couldn't quite place who it belonged to... But years of friendship with various SkyClan cats paired with her age and the reassurance that she was a known retired medicine cat kept her paws moving towards the fallen tree that marked the border. As she emerged from the undergrowth, she smiled as her eyes fell on a familiar cat. "Beechface! Oh stars, it's been so long. How are you doing? How's your clan, and family? I've heard that there's been a lot of drama... I do hope that you and everyone else has managed to find some peace." The breeze rustled the grasses around the two cats, and she continued to grin as she waited for the response from the cat she had mentored, albeit briefly. She quite liked the medicine cat, she had a lot of bravery and spunk to her.

An unfamiliar calico pelt emerged from the undergrowth, and for a moment Birdsong blinked, feeling relieved to see a smile flash across the Thunderclanner's face. That relief faded when she began to speak however, visible confusion crossing Birdsong's expression. She glanced around, wondering if the medicine cat was in the area and she simply hadn't noticed, but no. Beechface's scent was stale and just barely distinct from the rest of the scents around the border.

"Oh, uhm... My name's Birdsong. I'm... her niece, actually." She began awkwardly, paws kneading at the ground. How could she be mistaken for Beechface? The medicine cat was tall and muscular, and Birdsong didn't think she looked that much like her aunt. She was intimidated and seemed to enjoy fights far more than Birdsong ever did. "Were you looking for her...? I'm sure she's around somewhere." There was something uncomfortable tugging at Birdsong's gut that she didn't know how to describe. The she-cat in front of her didn't have the look of a warrior. Medicine cat, or maybe elder? She clearly seemed to know Beechface, and judging by her words they could have been friends. That was a strange thought, considering most of the interactions that Birdsong had witnessed between Skyclan's medicine cat and other clan cats simply... weren't friendly. Even so, Beechface had a presence about her that Birdsong didn't have. How could she possibly mistake the two?

Beechface glanced around, and Mossbloom's smile faded slightly as she moved closer. Finally, the other cat spoke, confirming what her eyes had reveled to her. Horror spread through her expression as the other she-cat introduced herself, and she lowered her head apologetically. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry... Birdsong, you said? What a pretty name. I do apologize, you look just like your... Aunt." The similarities were uncanny, this warrior looked almost exactly like Beechface. Still, though, the elder was embarrassed at calling out to someone by the wrong name. As she continued, Mossbloom blinked and smiled again, a bit more softly. "If she's around, it would be nice to speak to her again. It has been a long time, but I know she's busy. I wouldn't want to trouble her, or you for that matter!" She mewed as she settled at the border, wrapping her tail neatly over her paws. The white fur on her head and surrounding her muzzle revealed her age, but she had found she didn't mind it as much as she initially had. Silence stretched for a few more heartbeats before she spoke again. "I am really very sorry, Birdsong. I don't usually mistake cats for someone else... I hope you can forgive me."

There was a strange pause as the other cat said Birdsong looked like her aunt, and something about it made Birdsong feel as if her fur was being rubbed the wrong way. "I've... Never been mistaken for her before." She mewed, whiskers twitching. "She's... I don't know, intimidating." Birdsong shrugged uncomfortably. "I can pass on a message, if you'd like? Did you know her well?" She was curious,, but if the stranger had mistaken Birdsong for Beechface, Birdsong wasn't so sure how well the other cat thought she knew the cranky medicine cat.

Mossbloom's embarrassment intensified as Birdsong revealed that she'd never been mistaken for her before. She sighed, perhaps her eyesight had gotten worse... She would have to talk to Dovefrost when she returned to camp. As the other she-cat said she was intimidating, Mossbloom blinked and tilted her head slightly. "You think so?" She asked quietly, almost as if talking to herself. "It never seemed that way for me... Hmm, I suppose she could come off that way, if you didn't know her well." She mused softly. Perhaps the she-cat had changed, hardened through the moons of trials and challenges. "Oh! If it's not too much trouble, that would be wonderful! Please tell her Mossbloom said hello, and that she hopes she's doing well. She'll know who you're talking about. Also, tell her to come visit sometime. She's a medicine cat, after all. She purred, smiling brightly again. "Well, I like to think I know her well, or knew her well - I mentored her towards the end of her medicine cat training after her mentor passed. Stars, I miss him. He was a delightful tom, always so kind and friendly. I trained him too." She laughed to herself, recalling the days spent in SkyClan's camp as Daisybloom looked over ThunderClan. "My, so much has changed." She murmured, looking suddenly sad as she lost herself in her memories.

"She just... Doesn't seem like what you'd expect from a medicine cat. She's overbearing and gets upset at the smallest things. Finally let me out of her den after weeks after I ran into an angry bird while training my apprentice. It was just a few scratches!" Birdsong huffed. Still, the Thunderclanner- Mossbloom's words did make her a bit curious. "You trained her? What was she like back then?" It must have been a while ago, Birdsong knew little about the medicine cat save that she didn't enjoy her work. She was skilled though, even if she was overbearing and grumpy. Birdsong didn't understand it at all. Mossbloom remarked that things had changed, and Birdsong couldn't help the curiosity in her gaze as she looked at the former medicine cat.

"Oh?" Mossbloom purred, nodding along to the other she-cat's observations. "Medicine cats are supposed to be overbearing, we want to make sure that our clanmates are fully healed after all. I'm sure it's not as much of a concern with cats like you, who follow directions, but I had my paws full with my fair share of difficult, stone-brained cats that thought they knew better than I did when it came to their healing." She mewed, smiling at the memories. "Please try to find it in your heart to forgive her, she was only doing what she thought was best for you." When Birdsong asked what Beechface was like when she trained her, Mossbloom tilted her head slightly. "She was withdrawn. Sad, she had just lost her mentor after all. She also wasn't thrilled at the idea of being a medicine cat, but was willing to put aside her personal feelings for her clan. She worked hard, and trained harder. I haven't seen her in so long..." She mused quietly, now wishing it had been Beechface in front of her. Birdsong seemed like a delightful she-cat, and Mossbloom decided that she enjoyed speaking to her, but a small part of her wished she could speak to Beechface again.

"Yeah... She doesn't seem to like being a medicine cat at all. I suppose I'd be frustrated with how stubborn our clanmates can be, too. Still not an excuse to snap at everyone, though." It was hard to believe it was simply the overbearing healer wanting what was best for the clan when Beechface was like that. "She did mention wishing she could have stayed a warrior. She found an apprentice and seems like she's counting the days to his ceremony. I don't enjoy fighting, but I couldn't imagine being that bitter over being a warrior."

Mossbloom hummed to herself as Birdsong spoke, tilting her head a little. "Have you tried talking to her about it yourself? Not with anger, but with understanding? Perhaps she doesn't entirely realize how she is coming across to others, and is letting frustrations from other sources bleed into the others. It may be a good place to start - she really is a good cat and a talented healer, just a little rough around the edges. I've heard there's been a lot going on in SkyClan, so perhaps just being able to talk to someone without having to fret about the ins and outs of relationships, regardless of their status, would be a pleasant relief." She offered with a smile. Chuckling softly, she nodded as Birdsong explained Beechface had an apprentice, and her disappointment that she was not a warrior. "Each cat is different, some feel called to one path or another. StarClan often has different views than we see ourselves. I was in the middle of my warrior ceremony when Pricklebush got the sign that I was to be his apprentice. He interrupted the ceremony and everything, you should have seen Leopardstar's face. I was set to be a warrior, and had my world turned upside down by it... However, it was easy for me to accept. I helped Amberdawn with herb collecting, and learned quite a bit from her during the flood, so it was an easy step. For someone who had their heart set on being a warrior, it would be a much more difficult one, especially if it was out of the blue. She needs patience, just like any cat does, someone to talk to and trust and that will just sit and listen I feel. Perhaps you could be that cat, if you wanted... You really do look very similar to her. You said she was your aunt, correct?"

"I can try, I suppose. She's... Well, intimidating." There was an intensity about the medicine cat that Birdsong had always felt uncomfortable with. "Things have been eventful, recently. It seems like there's never a dull moment." Dull moments weren't a bad thing, Birdsong thought. The constant state of turmoil couldn't be good for the clan long term, but the Thunderclan elder didn't need to know specifics. "Yeah, my mom Ravenclaw is her sister..." She responded to the question, the same feeling of unease twisting her stomach again. "It's strange, they agree on just about everything, but there's something wrong between them too " She murmured, more to herself than to Mossbloom. Maybe Beechface was simply just a difficult cat. Yeah... It was just that. It was the only explanation Birdsong had for the medicine cat

"Yes, I suppose she is... It's always worth a shot though. Some of the most intimidating cats can have the kindest hearts." Mossbloom smiled, her tail curling in happiness. She nodded as Birdsong continued to speak, humming to herself as she murmured that there was something odd between the two. It didn't seem as though she was directing it to her specifically, but... Mossbloom couldn't help but feel drawn to respond. "I have no blood siblings, but I can say that sibling relationships can be very.... interesting to track. Even if they're angry with each other, there always seems to be those strands of love that accompany it... Most of the time. Perhaps that is the case with your mother and your aunt." She offered, stretching out her legs before laying down along the border.

"True," She agreed. Her mother and Tornshadow weren't the most outgoing cats either, but Birdsong loved them both, and understood that they each had reasons for being the way they were. Mossbloom continued, mentioning siblings, and Birdsong nodded. "I have a sister, Shadewing. We've always been close. She's practically my best friend." Birdsong couldn't imagine that changing, and she hoped it never would. She couldn't imagine what having a tense, strained relationship with a sibling must've been like.

The elder smiled as Birdsong spoke fondly of her sister, her mind wandering to Lilypaw. "I'm happy to hear that, everyone needs someone they can turn to, whether it is a relationship forged in blood or trust or love. I had an adopted sister once... After the flood she disappeared, and we never found her. Her name was Lilypaw... I miss her every day." She mewed softly, seeming to look past the SkyClan warrior as her mind wandered back through past moons and seasons.

"Yeah," Birdsong agreed, paws shifting awkwardly as the elder reminisced about her adopted sister. They'd been sitting and talking for a while, she realized... And there were still things that needed to be done. With a sigh, the warrior stretched, glancing over at the Thunderclanner. "I didn't realize how late it was starting to get... I should probably stop slacking off." She chuckled, offering the elder an apologetic smile, "I'll pass on your message to Beechface, Mossbloom. And thanks for the talk, I think I needed to hear some of that." She'd offered seemingly solid advice, maybe Birdsong would try to follow some of it.