The Sunset [closed]

The sun cast a golden aura across the land on which Burdockroot stood, the wind gently buffeting her thick, long fur. Closing her eyes, the medicine cat leaned into an abnormal sense of peace that settled upon her like a soft layer of moss. With a gentle sigh, the slightly greying medicine cat opened her piercing, mismatched eyes.

She had come a long way in life. Starting as a ShadowClan warrior, apprenticed to Nightstalker. When she was only a freshly minted warrior, the clan had to split, and she found herself in ThunderClan's camp and sheltered by the inviting clan. She went there, notably, with Nightstalker and Iceheart - now Pineblossom. The rest of the clan was anxious in their refuge, but the change of location didn't unsettle her. Back then, she cared very little about ShadowClan, its inhabitants, and especially about the soggy, damp, and uncomfortable territory.  Glancing over to Heatherberry, who was approaching her from behind slowly to join her on the overlook, she realized how much that had changed.

Not hating the territory part, to be fair. Burdockroot still avidly hated the swampy land, (Unlike most clan-cats who yearned for their ancestorial home, Burdockroot much preferred this laked land) but the cats she cared about had grown and faltered. She had never met her birth parents, not really. Her birth name, Frostedkit, had hardly been uttered when the Dark Forest descended and Fawnpatch took over as her mother. A slight prickle rose on her back, thinking about her rotted up-bringer. When the Dark Forest was defeated, she still felt sympathetic to their cause. With how tail-entwined she had been with the dead cats, Burdockroot had expected someone to say something, but nobody did. Not even StarClan. For moons, she felt ready to flee or be chased for her involvement, but it seemed as if StarClan and ShadowClan either forgot or did not see her liable for her involvement due to her age. It had been moons since Burdockroot had considered it...

She believed in StarClan, of course. It was obvious that they lived, and she would join them one day. The Dark Forest, too, still was probably floating around in some compacity. When her apprentice finally joined her side, the thoughts about starry and rotting cats dissolved as Heatherberry's warm fur brushed her shoulder. With a rare, deep, purr the mentor regarded the daughter-like cat.

"This lake, this view, reminds me of Highstones."

It was true. Where the pair perched was beautiful. It overlooked the sparkling water with the broken Twoleg Place in the background. The height and buffeting wind was the only other similarities, really though. Highstones was such a cold and hard place. The clan had to join WindClan there moons ago when Nightstalker had already become Nightstar and before their relationship fully fractured. The alliance had been tense from the start, but it paled to the tension between her and Nightstar.

He had been her mentor when she was a warrior and since then, he remained for the longest time the only cat she trusted and respected. He had leaned on her in ThunderClan, and since then she had leaned into him. But, as he remained leader and as the stress of the moons piled on, she saw the tom for he was. A hypocrite. A liar. A manipulator. An egotistical, narcissistic foxheart. The molly rarely felt much of anything, but she had a strong sense - almost black and white - of what seemed logical. Nightstar's actions were not logical. When she called on him, he only got more controlling and demanding. Always refusing to give her the respect she had earned as a medicine cat and an advisor. But... Nightstalker had not been Burdockroot's only mentor.

Fuzzybelly... He had started the thaw on her frosted heart. The tom was her exact opposite, and so much like Heatherberry. He was warm and extroverted, welcoming in any cat of any predisposition into his den with a warm hug. He had seen her for who she truly was, standing in front of him with the lightening shaped wound on her shoulder from the badger she had fought and killed for her rite of passage. It was in that moment that he had realized her true calling, snatching her away from the claws and throwing her to her precious herbs. It worked for her. The solitude was nice and quiet, and it came with the privilege of her own den. But she had hardly become Burdockpaw when all of that was ripped away from her and he... disappeared. Gone. Never to be heard from again.

Two cats in her life that she had cared about, gone without a goodbye. If the already void-emotioned cat could have, she would have felt emptier.

The WindClan medicine cat, Batsong, had completed her training. Like her, Batsong had been a warrior previously as well. The two got along great! When she sat with Batsong, the same very distant warmth and interest she felt with Iceheart (Pineblossom) returned. The two she-cats had remained her only love interests of her life. To give her credit, Iceheart (Pineblossom) had been her crush before she was a medicine cat.

As a fresh warrior, Iceheart (Pineblossom) was the only cat she attempted to speak to aside from Nightstalker. It had been awkward at first, actually speaking. Much less with the attempt to impress. However, those feelings never seem to be reciprocated. Iceheart became a close friend over time, and her Frostednight self never pushed past. She had nearly fought a ThunderClanner in their own camp for insulting her, but even with the outcome of friendship she'd do it all over again. Shoving that feeling aside, it had slowly trickled away. Burdockroot had been there to diagnose her pregnant, and she had been there for her birth and aftercare. That story ended with a gentle breath, where it now sat in a pocket of remembrance.

Batsong, on the other hand. Their love was never meant to be. Any relationship would have been both a betrayal to their warring clans and a betrayal to StarClan, breaking the code twice. But that didn't stop it from peaking it's pale green Newleaf sprouts from the cold and hard ground. Around Batsong, Burdockroot felt like she could be herself. This was when the words started easing out of her mouth and she opened up to the world around her. The first time she felt pain, betrayal, and hurt was when she stood above her at that fateful Gathering, crying out for judgement and punishment of Nightstar. The claim was that StarClan had told her so. But why would StarClan demand her to say something and not Burdockroot? Even if they did, why did Batsong not speak of this to her first? Warn her? Ask her advice, or permission? Instead, she betrayed and humiliated Burdockroot in front of the entire forest. A slight that still stung her like an open wound to this day. That day was the last day she ever spoke to the she-cat who now had passed on as well. One day, she knew she'd have to face the WindClan warrior in the stars. Would they make up? A guilty part of her wondered... Could they kindle what they had on earth where duties didn't matter so much and borders did not matter?

Borders. What a silly thing that Burdockroot had to manage. It had brought both folly and turbulence. When Fuzzybelly was still alive and teaching, he had told that Burdockroot no longer had borders and she would not be seen as an intruder. Well, as a literal cat the healer took it to heart and found herself in SkyClan's territory being met with hostility that still has not waned despite her bringing their father's murderer to justice. When StarClan had granted that visions to her, she had to cross two borders to solve it.

Of course, StarClan never gave visions of her own clan. But, she had learned her lesson from SkyClan and had been met easier by ThunderClan and Mottlestar. Despite being an outsider, the tiny leader had chosen to accept her words and brought the murderer, Starlingflare, to justice. Perhaps, that moment was the best thing Burdockroot had done as a medicine cat. It was unknown how many lives she saved. Mottlestar had been grateful and since then, the ShadowClanner casually considered 'retiring' to the forested clan. Their territory was much more enjoyable and sunning herself on rocks seemed a better way to rest her old bones than trudging through sludge. Plus, Burdockroot actually admired the leader.

Not that she didn't admire Leopardstar, of course. Their relationship had probably come the longest way out of any other cat in her life. It started with intense friction, but now she felt as if they were good and solid. Heatherberry being her daughter didn't hurt. Leopardstar reaching out on her own was what turned the tide. Now, they stood shoulder to shoulder comfortably. They probably would never be the best of friends, gossiping around the fresh kill pile like apprentices, but where they stood now was good. Comfortable. Solid. Despite everything else, Burdockroot would always be thankful to Leopardstar for giving her Heatherberry. Heatherberry. Burdockroot's pride and joy and forged-daughter.

"Heatherberry," Burdockroot began, almost apprehensively. "I admire your strength you have held during this nightmare. You have held this clan together, despite being ill. You are bringing the medicine cats together more than they have since I have received my name. One day, I truly believe you will be the best medicine cat to walk this earth if you are not already."

Praise came from Burdockroot rarely - well, maybe much more to Heatherberry. The medicine cat shifted in the silence that followed. Heatherberry had been a gift from StarClan. Her better half. She made the treatment of ShadowClan warriors easy and smooth. Her familiar bonds with the clan, unlike herself, allowed for cats to be willing to approach. It was very obvious that once Heatherberry was proficient enough, Burdockroot was casted aside and all but ignored by the clan. They didn't like her. They didn't like talking to her or being around her.

But they loved Heatherberry. Over time, the medicine cat had started to view Heatherberry as less of a apprentice, but more of a daughter. She could never replace Leopardstar of course, but ever since Burdockroot protected Heatherberry from that badger on her Moonstone, the sense of duty to protect, care, and nourish had been in her otherwise empty self.

She wished the clan would acknowledge the work Burdockroot had done on herself, but they didn't really. She tried to force inflection in her monotone voice. Many times a day she would force herself to go out of her way to ask a cat how their day was. She laughed. She empathized. She gave her entire life to this clan, and although she loved Heatherberry very much, it was so frustrating how she was nothing more than a shadow to most of the clan. Over the moons, she leaned into the background and did the herb sorting, and the long-term care. Watching, sorting, listening was her life.

If only the clan knew how hard she fought for them. Many, many moons before Redice even injured that SkyClan cat, she had practically begged Nightstar to listen, but he did not. The clan suffered for it. So many battles fought to protect them from Nightstar's impending doom and... Nightstalker was gone too. Off with the rats? Dead, maybe. Swiftheart hadn't taken the disappearance of her brother well, but the tom fading away was the only reason ShadowClan saw any resemblance of peace. He would have killed them all if he stayed leader until his lives trickled away and he took his last breath. The former leader couldn't even face the consequences of his actions and fled. The sickening coward. How Burdockroot longed to sink her claws in his flesh and punish him for his actions... But she couldn't. It was hard to accept it, but perhaps the fate he faced was punishment enough for him.

"When I am gone, I believe you should continue the tradition of a battle-trained medicine cat. I don't know why, but I have a feeling in my bones that it could save the clan." Her gaze once again glazed over the beautiful scenery once more before resting again onto Heatherberry. b]"Oh, and I love you Heatherberry. Like a daughter or family. You are the best thing to have happened to me. I couldn't have existed without your partnership."[/b]

A hearty hum came from Heatherberry at the mention that the lake view was similar to Highstones. "Even after everything, the views are still just as beautiful." It helped that she shared company with a friend, a mentor, and family all contained within the calico molly beside her. They often shared moments of silence. Comfortable. Inviting. Relaxing. The hustle and bustle of every day life of healing and listening to woes were all cast aside during moments like this one. Just the two of them.

Although words were barely exchanged in moments like these, they both understood that the other was deep in thought. Reflecting on their past and their future, never interrupting unless it was to idly mention they needed to restock an herb as they sorted them one by one. Often, Burdockroot was her place of refuge. For moons after their deaths, Heatherberry would cry over Batswarm and Moondancer and the fissure that formed between the rest of her surviving family. To feel anger over ShadowClan's former leader abandoning them after wrecking everything she held dear... And Burdockroot would let her, never asking her to talk out her feelings and instead letting her feel. That was all she ever needed from anyone. A moment to herself to be allowed to mourn what she couldn't in front of her clan. If she bawled and threw a fit over life not being fair - over StarClan being cruel and miserable - how could ShadowClan continue to rely on her? She had to be a big girl for them. But she didn't have to be with Burdockroot. Her mentor understood it all with a single glance. Heatherberry would always be that anchor for her mentor as well, whenever it was needed. A symbiotic relationship. A bond created the day Harrierpaw had been saved on the way to her moonstone, building when she became a warrior and stole that one-eyed badger pelt right off the beasts back, and solidifying when she changed her name from Harriertalon to Heatherberry.

Her name being called earned 'hm?' from the medicine cat apprentice. She hadn't really been expecting the praise, but it was very much welcomed. In her mind, she was just doing what she had promised to do: love her clan with all her heart and care for them in their time of need. And they had needed their medicine cats now more than ever. "I wouldn't say that's true... I'm still wary of the others since Batsong, but I'm trying my best not to take it out on them. It wasn't their fault. Perhaps one day I'll be able to do more, but I still have so much to learn. With you by my side, of course." She gave Burdockroot an uncertain smile, unsure where this was coming from. More silence drifted between them and, for the first time, it was slightly awkward. Held this clan together... But she hadn't done any of this alone, truly. With the guidance she received, none of it was ever done by herself. She didn't want it to be.


An ear twitched with alarm at the mention that Burdockroot had hoped she'd carry on the tradition of battle-trained medicine cats. Sure, she would try to but that wouldn't be for a long time, surely? "Oh, and I love you Heatherberry. Like a daughter or family. You are the best thing to have happened to me. I couldn't have existed without your partnership." Tears pricked at her eyes. "Neither could I, Burdock. As dearly as I love my mother, you have become closer to me than her over the moons. You will always be like family to me. I love you, too." She gave a nudge to older molly's shoulder, trying to ease the strange air that had started to form. It was nice to have this moment with her, but something about the way she spoke sounded almost... Resigned. Final.

The air was strange now, and Burdockroot wasn’t sure where all of this was coming from. Maybe it was the scary omens they had been receiving, but things had felt like a doom was impending on Burdockroot. She opened her mouth to argue with Heatherberry regarding her involvement with the other medicine cats, but she shut it before going down that rabbit-hole. It wasn’t something she wanted to put into the encounter. Instead, she allowed the moment to continue to flow like a gentle brook in the spring. Purrs were abundant and they leaned against each other and soon, the tension and thickness in the air began to settle. The praise and words from Heatherberry sat with her, but she wasn’t sure how to respond. But Heatherberry would know to take her leaning into the nudge as a response just the same.

Now, as she began to gaze back out to the lake, Burdockroot considered where to go from here. If she could see how her life looked now when she was a kit, and apprentice, would she recognize herself? All of those moons alone, wandering this world alone. To end up here, next to a cat who truly, honestly, loved her. It made her almost jealous of Swiftheart. The most loving, friendly cat she knew. Always following her heart, making friends like a delightful chittering bird.

”I don’t know if I ever told you about my Moonstone visit with StarClan when I was being made a warrior. You know, I never actually saw them that time.” She paused, letting the memory come rushing back to her. It wasn’t known to her then, but it wasn’t an omen. It wasn’t known to her now what the meaning was. ”I was in the swamp, back at our normal territory. I always hated that swamp. It was thick, sticky, and wet. My fur is long, and it would clump into my fur. It would take forever to clean up.” Pausing, she realized that she was already getting off track. Continuing, Burdockroot closed her eyes to the world to fully transport her back to the dream.

”I was running, and running. I was going faster, and faster but I was being chased. Chased by whispers that grew louder and louder to a scream. The second I stepped on solid ground, somewhere slightly outside the territory, the dream ended.” Opening her eyes, she studied her apprentice. Burdockroot, even with her clear memory, couldn’t remember if she’s ever told anyone that. What she was about to say next, it was almost certain she never had told anyone.

”I hear whispers. I always have. When I was younger, they were loud. Not even whispers but screaming in a whispery tone. I could never understand them. As I grew older, they grew quieter, or I just learned to ignore them. But ever since I stepped paws here, I haven’t heard anything.” The words hung in the air like a long lost corpse being buried up. Would this news scare Heatherberry? Alarm her. When she realized she was no longer could hear the whispers, and it wasn’t just tuned out… Elation was the only word she could use to describe light feeling in her tummy. Above, the shadows of the cloud neared the edge of her vision.

Look up.

Snapping her head up, her eyes widened in horror. Black. Black claws, no talons. A blur of brown and white. Yellow. Yellow of a sharp beak.

In ShadowClan, they didn’t have many aerial predators. Perhaps they would have an owl or two, but no… Really, the predators they faced could be smelled, heard, and fought on equal playing levels. What came at her, no what came at Heatherberry was a terror that couldn’t be described to a cat used to cover and to shadows.

A hawk. Silent, deadly, and hungry.

”No!” She shrieked, the bile immediately rising to her throat as her body went into fight mode. Adrenaline screamed in her ears and her body moved without even thinking. The pair had been in this situation before, when Heatherberry and herself were coming back from her Moonstone. But before, this was a badger. This time, too, Burdockroot put herself in harms way.

Heatherberry’s black fur went tumbling out of the way as the medicine cat’s much larger body crashed into her like a boulder. Her paws hadn’t even touched the ground fully from the launch than she felt the talons – talons meant for Heatherberry – sliced through her skin with ease. Crying out, Burdockroot hadn’t felt claws rip her skin in so long, the shock was almost unbearable. Talons. Talons. Talons.

Harriertalon.

Everything in Burdockroot’s life had been predicted for the end of time. It felt like a betrayal. But maybe her dissociating brain was just trying to find an excuse for the horror unfolding before her.

Snapping out of the visions in her head, Burdockroot decided to fight back. Ripping herself from the grasp of the hawk, she swung a heavy paw towards its head. Not taking her focus off the hawk, Burdockroot barked an order to her apprentice, her most cherished companion.

”Run. Now.” Heatherberry was still sick and weak, which probably attracted this beast. She had her own wheeze, but nothing horrible. With a roar, Burdockroot mustered all her strength to launching herself at the hawk and wrapping herself around its body.

Her actions relied on instinct as the battle raged on. It felt like an eternity. Every lash of the talons against her flesh spraying blood to the ground, leaking her life force out smore and more with every passing heartbeat.

The medicine cat fought. She fought for herself. She fought for Heatherberry. She fought for ShadowClan. This fated battle would not have ended without her entire heart. Through the corner of her eye, she saw Heatherberry standing there, and her heart melted. She wasn’t going to survive this.

Feeling her body lurch, she realized that the talons had imbedded themselves on the back of her neck and her spine, crushing the flesh and sinew and wrapping themselves around the bone. A strained gasp escaped Burdockroot’s lips as she went lips, paralyzed in place. Blood trickled from the wounds as the beating of the hawk’s wings stirred the wind around her. With a few hearty heaves, the beast took flight.

Slowly, Burdockroot’s limp body was dragged upwards. Although her body could not move, her eyes could see for now. A tear dripped out – her first one of true sadness and mourning as she realized her life was over. All those empty, soulless moons where she wished for something different and hurt for what was ending, here. In the talons of a hawk. The world blurred around her as the scenery of this foreign territory expanded before her eyes. In a different situation, the view would have been beautiful in a different situation. The golden grass catching the dying rays of sunlight and the rich, green of the pine trees tinged with snow. The sparkling, dazzling pink and white light of the lake reflecting the sundown hue and glow but… All of that paled to the sight of Heatherberry.

Focusing in on her was hard, as her eyesight was growing darker and darker with every heartbeat, but she could still see her. Burdockroot desperately wanted to cry out and comfort her as she grew smaller and smaller, further, and further away. But the words refused to come out. Nothing happened in her body in response to her desire, despite her internally screaming for her body to react.

It was no use. For the first time, truly, Burdockroot felt defeated. It was over. As her body was carried up high – high – higher, Heatherberry became a black speck in the center of her vision.
”You’ll be great, Heatherberry. I know it.” The quiet whisper of her consciousness thought as her vision became black and Burdockroot became nothing. The hawk carried her away, never hesitating or feeling remorse. It was hungry, and it would eat. Almost poetically, Burdockroot got her ancient wish to leave ShadowClan and venture out on her own in a strange, new land. Her entire life had… mostly… been dedicated to a clan she could never be buried amongst, lost, and forgotten in a strange land that most likely, could never be re-visited. Would Burdockroot even make it to StarClan?



OOC:
Thank you all for your time given with Burdockroot. Burdockroot has come far from her time as Frostedkit, only made to have the cool title of being born on the equinox of the Dark Forest arrival. I never expected her to be anything more than a background warrior but she turned into my most complex character yet – aside from Coyotegrin maybe.

I wanted though, to make it clear, that the decision to end Burdockroot’s journey and pass the torch of medicine cat soley to Heatherberry had nothing to do with the nasty, mean, and rude comments I received on my HR survey. Burdock’s arch has been planned to end soon anyway. For those who made the comments, they did not speed the process up and you didn’t persuade me to give up my HR title. This was pre-planned.

I will return to ShadowClan, this can be assured! I will now have more time and energy for Quail and Coyote and Kestrel.

You’ll be seeing more of Burdockroot though, don’t worry.

As Burdockroot turned her gaze back to the lake, so did Heatherberry. A beautiful scenery. Something you wouldn't get to see in the forest, but even so she missed the swamp. Places she could hide; places she could blend in to the shadows. The smell of pine trees... Now, the scents that swarmed her were of mud and mud alone in their new - although not permanent - marshy home. It just wasn't the same. Either way, she was glad to share it with Burdockroot and the rest of her family. Both she-cat's supported each others weight as they leaned into a comfortable purr, each having just declared the other family. The silence didn't bother her at all. This was just how Burdockroot was.

It took a while, but it was her mentor who finally broke the silence again. Her ears perked in surprise at the sudden conffesion. So StarClan hadn't shown up to Burdock's warrior ceremony...? Why had that been? Her mouth moved to ask, but Burdock didn't give her the chance to ask. Another conffesion to hating the place they both called home - or at least the place Heatherberry called home. Guilt washed over her at hearing this. Sure, she shared similar length of pelt as her mentor and it was irritating to walk about the marshlands without feeling weighed down by muck, but the way Burdockroot spoke made it sound like she... Didn't belong. Or at least felt as though she didn't belong.

She moved away from her mentor, if only to look into her mismatched eyes: haunted by distant screams within her own home. Green eyes had softened. What Burdockroot told her hadn't disturbed or scared her in the slightest, but she did feel sorry for the poor older molly. Although her expression seemed more relieved than anything, Heatherberry still couldn't help but apologize for never knowing. "I'm so sorry that I never noticed you suffered all this time-"

The older molly's head shot up, eyes wide in fear and locked onto to a shadow that had passed through the setting sun.

The next moments took place in slow motion: the fluttering of brown and white wings from the corner of her eye, black talons so close to snatching her away. The world spinning around her as she was shoved to the side, tumbling down a ledge before she could even scramble to her paws, a cough stirring up her aching lungs. An order to run piercing the chilled air as the sounds of a fight between cat and bird of prey stirred the ground.

A gurgling sound was heard just as Heatherberry got the strength to raise her head. By that time, it was far too late: the talons of a hawk were embedded in her mentors spine, its wings already beating heavily as it lifted her up off the ground and into the rays of the setting sun. A ringing in her ears was all she could hear as she helplessly watched her beloved mentor hang limply in the air.

Tears fell in huge blobs and her shoulders shook, but it was impossible to shout after the calico no matter how hard she tried.

In stunned silence, Heatherberry sat alone as the sun continued to set as though nothing had ever happened. As though this were just some kind of cruel joke being played on her.