Making Good on My Promises [C]

OOC: After the Gathering

IC:

Bloodstar had been overseeing Skyclan's progress with limb patrols, tunnel collapsing and the formation of the camp's alarm system. Things were all going smoothly and it seemed that the clan, while they didn't love the work, understood the importance of his orders. There was one thing he needed to attend to... and that required a trip to the Medicine Den. Bloodstar entered to see Muddythorn and Beechface inside organizing what appeared to be freshly picked herbs. They'd need everything they could find with leaf-bare approaching.

"Beechface, Muddythorn." He greeted them both with a meow. He found a spot to sit and looked at them both seriously. "I hope things are going well for you two." He decided to open this subject carefully. He didn't care how Beechface reacted to his presence. He was here to make good on a promise and he intended to do just that. "I don't need medical treatment but I do have something I want to discuss with the both of you. Beechface, when we returned from the battle with Windclan, do you remember the conversation we had? I'm Bloodstar now... and I intend to follow through on my promise to you, but only if Muddythorn feels ready to completely take your place as Skyclan's medicine cat." The leader then turned his green gaze to Muddythorn.

"I'd like to make Beechface a warrior. She's never wanted to be a medicine cat, and although she has done wonders for this clan with her position, I want her to be happy before she is too old to enjoy anything. However, Muddythorn, if you feel you need more guidance before being completely on your own, I want you to voice your concerns." And with that, he waited for either of them to speak.

Beechface and Muddythorn had returned to camp after a surprisingly successful morning of gathering herbs, and now the pair sat together, sorting through everything. There was little conversation to be had, and that suited Beechface just fine. She was wrapped up in her own thoughts, and wouldn't have made for good conversation anyways.

Beechface glanced up at the sound of pawsteps, ears flicking back as Bloodstar entered the den. There was no scent of blood in the air, no cats yowling for help outside, and he didn't seem to be frantic or anything. To Beechface, it was downright unnerving.

Oh. The conversation after the battle with Windclan? As she was then, a large part of Beechface was skeptical. For the longest time she'd figured it was just the pain of his wounds making the tom talk utter nonsense. If that were the case, he wouldn't have been bringing it up now, though. Beechface eyed the leader, not quite sure that he'd said what she thought she had heard. "When you woke up you were downright giddy, with everything else that had just happened you didn't sound like you were making sense, honestly." She hadn't understood how, and still didn't. "I didn't think you actually remembered it." She muttered finally, tail flicking. Somehow, Bloodstar managed to throw her for a loop with every interaction since he'd become leader. She wasn't sure what to make of him at all now.

One thing she was sure of was the burning desire to get out of this stars-cursed den. Something that had been obvious to anyone with half a braincell for seasons. And Bloodstar was offering her a way out. Muddythorn had better not have concerns.

"There's nothing more I can teach him." She mewed, "And the clan doesn't need two of us."

Muddythorn looked up sharply when he heard his grandfather's voice, the possible things that could've gone wrong beginning to form a list in his mind. However, he calmed down slightly when Bloodstar confirmed nothing was wrong, setting the young medicine cat a bit more at ease. Unfortunately, that fact didn't seem to do the same for Beechface. The tom gave a small nod, beginning to grow slightly suspicious of what was going on, mostly thanks to how his mentor reacted. But then again, the grey she-cat didn't react well to pretty much anything involving the leader.

"Promise? What promise?" Muddythorn definitely felt as if he'd missed a chunk of the story here, mostly since he wasn't present for that conversation. And then it dawned on him, his thoughts still recalibrating as Bloodstar explained everything. "Oh..." It made sense, to be fair. He's always just forgotten that Beechface truly hated the job, rather than her comments just being part of her prickly exterior. It just felt like it had happened so soon. But at least he'd gotten a warning: most medicine cats didn't get any when they lost their mentors. "I mean of course..." Muddythorn struggled for words, but then he turned to look at his old mentor. She wanted this. And he's been the only medicine cat before (although briefly) and handled it just fine.

This was his chance. After so long searching for something he was good at, he'd found it. It was his place in the clan. He'd chosen this, unlike Beechface. "I think I can do it. You will be there just in case I need help, right?"

Bloodstar stared at Beechface for a moment after she had spoken. "I really wish you'd stop thinking the worst of me all of the time. Battle had been good for me. Maybe it will relieve your anger the way it does mine." His attention then went to Muddythorn, though he had to really restrain himself from shooting Beechface a look for speaking for her former apprentice. Muddythorn seemed to be willing though, so Bloodstar was satisfied. He would say nothing else about it.

"I will speak to Ashstorm about your apprentice ceremony soon then, Beechface. You'll go back to being Beechpaw for awhile, but you're an adult. I expect you'll meet my expectations quickly. I will mentor you, as Wolfstar had mentored both of us. I can teach you what he hadn't had time to yet... and given you are older than most of our warriors, training under me would be more appropriate. Do you agree?"

Not that he was giving her much choice in the matter. Skyclan would take a heavy blow losing their experienced medicine cat, but he was willing to do her the favor. He promised that he would.

Battle had helped him? He was crazy... But maybe he was right. Being a medicine cat had been nothing but stress with no real way of relaxing or cutting loose. Beechface knew she hadn't had the best of temperaments to begin with, but being a medicine cat had made her much more waspish and cynical. Thinking the worst was something that had come naturally, and even now there was a part of her unconvinced that this would actually happen. Something would happen, and she'd be stuck here, again. "Sorry... Maybe you're right." She muttered finally. She'd certainly enjoyed fighting Lilacstar more than anything else in the past while. She'd just... not get her hopes up about this until she was actually out, she decided. It wouldn't hurt as badly if something did go wrong, right? Because something always went wrong.

Maybe she and Bloodstar really were similar? ...Beechface didn't like that thought at all. Ugh.

"Of course," She responded to Muddythorn, but Beechface genuinely didn't think he'd need her help, much, if at all. "I think you'll do fine without me. You proved that when I was stuck in camp, and you have a better head for this-" All of it, the healing, the nonsense with starclan, which Beechface had given up trying to understand entirely, everything, "-than I ever did." And he'd actually wanted the position. He wasn't being dragged into this clawing and scratching like she had been.

She listened as Bloodstar continued to speak. Becoming an apprentice again when her punishment had only just been lifted... But this time it would be by choice and not because of Wolfstar's inability to be told he'd messed up.

She was older than most of the warriors in the clan? When had that happened? Beechface stared at him askance for a moment. She wasn't older than most of the warriors! There was Bloodstar, and... Smokefeather... And Foxfire... Who had both retired. Foxdung... Why? Why is he right? He was right that it would be awkward for her to be trained by one of the younger warriors, and it would probably be even more awkward if she were to be trained by one of her siblings like Primroselight. They'd gone through part of their apprenticeship together, too. Wolfstar had trained Bloodstar and he'd trained Beechface, though Bloodstar was hardly the same cat that he'd been either. She wanted to continue to stubbornly cling to that anger she felt, and yet since becoming leader Bloodstar hadn't actually given her reasons for it. She could almost hear Smokefeather's chastising voice in the back of her mind telling her to get over herself. And if that was her option...

"Okay, I-" Beechface huffed out a breath. "That makes sense." He was offering her a chance. She'd take it and deal with her own issues. She'd spent long enough begging for this and couldn't just let the opportunity slip past her. Even the knowledge that it seemed to be legitimately happening made her feel as if a boulder had been lifted from her shoulders. She was already struggling to uphold the idea of keeping her excitement in check with a healthy dose of doubt, probably... Very clear to Bloodstar and Muddythorn with the way her ears pricked and her tail twitched back and forth.

"Thank you, Bloodstar!" And she was failing to keep the excitement out of her voice, too. Great.

Better. Muddythorn had always aspired to be just as good as Beechface was at being a medicine cat, but it had never struck him before to learn from her mistakes as well as her triumphs. It gave him and idea. But he would wait to share it, not wanting to but in the conversation yet. He was glad he waited, as the happiness clear in the she-cats response was an emotion he wasn't used to seeing on her. "Don't think I've ever seen you this excited Beech." He said with a playful nudge of the large she-cat. This new arrangement also meant they would be sharing a den anymore, and he could get away with making remarks like this and still wake up with a pelt. He knew she wouldn't enjoy being an apprentice again after the recent punishment, but now it was more like giving her a chance rather than holding her back.

Now was his time to be that little bit better. Overall, he never believed he'd do as well as his aunt, but he would still learn. Learn where she had slipped up, and so he could take extra care in those areas. The prophecy he's received at the medicine cat meeting was still stewing in his mind, and he'd been internally debating when the best time to share it would be. It wasn't quite as cheerful as his interpretation of the omen he received (if it was even an omen - he was starting to have doubts about that too), and so he hands gotten as excited and was instead doing a lot of thinking. "Also... I received a prophecy last medicine cat meeting, when I went alone: 'A tree crumbles when its foundation is uprooted.'" He repeated it word-for-word, which was easy since he'd been repeating it in his mind this whole time. "I didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but... I'm worried that the 'tree' is our clan, or maybe all the clans as a whole. Either way, crumbling can't be a good sign."

Beechface's mood immediately changed and she was even admitting he was right and agreeing with him. Bloodstar blinked in surprise, but he wasn't going to push her. She hated her medicine cat role that much? Bloodstar found himself suddenly angry that Starclan had asked her to be their medicine cat at all. As phenomenal as she had been in this position, she just wasn't happy. Now she was a mature adult... a lot of her youth gone. Bloodstar himself was no spring chicken. He wasn't old, but he was nearing the middle of his life.

"You're welcome." He said simply before turning his attention to Muddythorn. A prophecy... right. As the leader he was supposed to hear these things now. He didn't like this one. He especially didn't like that he had no idea what it could mean.

"Stars forbid we ever get straight answers from these cats." He grumbled in reference to Starclan. He thought about it for a moment and played the words over in his head a few times. "A tree could be anything. A clan, a bloodline, the warrior code for all of the clans, the forest itself..." He hated to think it could mean that with Wolfstar leaving, Skyclan was in trouble. He wasn't that bad at leading... "I will mull this over some more and try to help you figure it out, but it's very vague. Definitely don't jump to any conclusions." He did wonder what Beechface might think. She'd been receiving prophecies for quite some time now, but he wanted to get out of the habit of asking her to perform Medicine Cat duties. She wasn't going to be one for much longer.

"Don't start." Beechface warned her apprentice, though there was more amusement in her tone than anything else. Again, she found herself thinking that her clanmate wasn't wrong.

Then Muddythorn continued, and any amusement Beechface felt vanished as she listened to the short prophecy he'd been given. "They're always vague and cryptic." Beechface muttered sourly, "It's that or empty platitudes when you need actual answers. The one time they've ever given me anything useful, it was too late to do anything about. I hate figuring out their foxdung." She huffed, ears twitching back briefly in clear annoyance. Starclan brought her nothing but stress, and it was alarmist dung like this that was why.

"Knowing them it could be something completely trivial. Or it could be something actually important. We'd never know until after the fact. Jumping to conclusions isn't wise, but it's also far too easy to overthink, too."

"Maybe the end of the bloodline wouldn't be the worst thing eventually... I mean I'm convinced most of the clan are my aunts and uncles, and if not, they're my cousins." Muddythorn murmured quietly, but then remembered how bloodlines ended, and the new siblings he would soon be having. Maybe a big family wasn't always the worst thing.

Both cats gave him similar responses, although he had to admit Bloodstar was a lot harsher with his criticism of their ancestors than he'd expected: he'd talked to Starclan only recently, and now had extra lives. Surely that counted for something? All the same, they did have a point. But the medicine cat still hoped that their ancestors were trying, even though it often didn't seem like it. "Okay, okay that sounds right," He said, nodding, but it wasn't clear whether he was nodding in agreement or to convince himself. "I just wanted to let you know, y'know, in case it's important. Not like I'm any good at keeping secrets anyways." He said with a small laugh. It wasn't normal for the tom to be passive-aggressive in any way, but still couldn't help feeling a little annoyed at his mentor for not mentioning the last prophecy, especially when she was sure of its meaning. He didn't really let it make his way into his voice, but it was still on his mind.

Bloodstar stared at Muddythorn incredulously. "You're part of my bloodline! Why would you say that?" Though he had a point. Bloodstar didn't take an angry tone with the medicine cat, more just... surprised. Maybe a touch of amusement. He had become cynical over the moons, it seemed.

"Okay... I won't think about it too hard, but... still. Beechface I might-"

Beech. Tree. Crumbling roots. Beechface's family? Him? Was he that bad of a dad??? Was this about them??? There was a moment of hesitation as he pieced these things together. "I might... I might need to talk to you about this one more time... eventually." His eyes focused on her... suspicion suddenly there that wasn't there before.

She had agreed with Dawnhawk... was that what the prophecy meant?

Was Beechface planning on killing him?

"The bloodline is what, the entire clan except Lynxpetal and her kits?" Beechface scoffed at Muddythorn's words, whiskers twitching in slight amusement at Bloodstar's reaction.

Either way the speculation around the cryptic revelation seemed to be over, and that was just fine with Beechface. All thinking about Starclan did was give her heads and make her irritable, anyways. Bloodstar began to speak, pausing for just the briefest second before continuing and asking to speak with her later about it. "Fine." She responded, tail flicking. "If this is the last of the cryptic nonsense I have to deal with it'll be too soon." It couldn't be anything serious... Nothing that would potentially jeopardize the path that had finally opened up before her, or so Beechface hoped.