The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Hemlockfox shifted in his nest in the medicine den, his nose wrinkled slightly with distaste. Another night, another trip to the Moonstone. As nice as it was being so close to the glittering rock deep within Highstones, he really disliked all of these duties being on his shoulders. The thought of tended to every wounded cat that walked into the camp from now until the end of his days wasn't particularly appealing either. It was almost enough for him to consider searching for an apprentice, but that would only add to his ever-growing pile of commitments. He would eventually...but not now. Not with everything he was still learning to navigate.
Groaning, the brown and white tom hauled himself to his paws and stretched briefly before shaking his pelt out. The subject of tonight's trek to the Moonstone, Larchpaw, wasn't really a cat Hemlockfox had gotten to know yet. Frankly, he wasn't certain there was a point in even trying - not that it had proved fruitful thus far anyway. With a flick of his tail, the medicine cat crossed the clearing to the circle of nests where the apprentices slept, expression flat.
Larchpaw was easy enough to spot among the pelts, so Hemlockfox quickly moved to the young tom's side, jostling him roughly with a paw. "Wake up, Larchpaw. Your turn to visit the Moonstone." Without another word, he turned and, with a flick of his tail, gestured for Larchpaw to follow him out onto the moor. No travelling herbs today, or ever again probably. As he'd begun to learn, the walk was hardly long enough to justify it.
Larchpaw was... unsure how to feel about the new medicine cat. It seemed strange to him, to have a sudden transplant all the way from the other end of the forest--and this tom was certainly far grumpier than his female counterpart. He'd been a bit disappointed that Thymelight had gone and Hemlockfox stayed. However, he wasn't too worried about it for long. This probably meant that their leadership would be guaranteed a decent relationship with the faraway Clan, which meant less reason for them to go to war, and besides--it wasn't as if any medicine cat would be a real option for a mate, anyway. More like... flirting practice. Flirting wasn't against the Code. Failing all else, maybe they could just be friends. He bristled a little bit at the roughness of the tom's paw waking him up, but he shook it off quickly and rose to join him.
As they began the walk, it appeared that Hemlockfox didn't intend to say much. How boring. Larchpaw's fluffy flame-red calico tail lashed once behind him. "So," he said, breaking the early evening silence. "What do you think of WindClan so far? Isn't it beautiful?" Even though the sun wasn't up right now, the soft color of moonlight washed over the moors, making the grasses almost glow. He almost regretted that the walk to the Moonstone wouldn't be very far from here. Idly, Larchpaw wondered if Hemlockfox had ever run before. He seemed far too stockily built to go very fast. He'd be easy to beat in a race. Golden eyes scrutinized the seal point tom. "I haven't seen a lot of cats with your coloring, at least not in WindClan. It stands out a little bit on the moors. In a good way, though--not a bad way. You look very striking." He offered a winning smile. At least--most other cats seemed to like it pretty well. Hopefully Hemlockfox wasn't too much of a grump to like it, too.
Hemlockfox cut a suspicious glance at Larchpaw as he spoke and promptly rolled his eyes at what the younger tom had to say. WindClan's territory was fine, but he wouldn't go so far as to say that it was beautiful. Everything was bathed in a silvery sort of light that almost hurt his eyes, but it was even worse in the day, when the full force of the sun baked him and cast a bright glow on everything. He missed the softness of the forest and the cool shade it provided. Huffing, he shrugged. "I suppose." Though, it wasn't all bad. "Plenty of prey at least."
That part was true enough so far. There was no telling what leafbare would be like out here, but providing for the clan certainly wouldn't be falling on his shoulders - so it hardly seemed to matter. He was more concerned with how many sick and ailing cats would be bothering him. Out here, exposed to the elements, it wouldn't be hard to catch a chill. As Larchpaw continued, though, Hemlockfox couldn't help but wrinkle his nose. Striking? Was that supposed to be a compliment? "Hm. Good thing it's not my job to blend in anymore." He meowed gruffly. In all honesty, however, it might be a bit easier out here than in the forest where his light coat stood out against the dark undergrowth. Which was an...annoying thought.
ic: Larchpaw couldn't help but flick an ear at Hemlockfox's gruffness. Why couldn't the nicer she-cat from SkyClan come to be their medicine cat, instead? She'd been as kind to him as he deserved. Or that was how he remembered their interactions, anyway. Not like they'd spoken much. Still, he supposed that a slightly sour attitude wasn't the worst thing in the world. Hemlockfox would warm up to WindClan eventually. How could he not? It was the best Clan in the forest. The flame-red calico tabby shrugged. "Well, it's not like you have to hunt the rabbits yourself," he responded easily. "But if you wind up needing any pointers, you can always ask me. I guess there are older warriors you could ask if you wanted, but I figured someone of a similar age might feel more approachable." He... guessed that Hemlockfox was around his age, maybe slightly older. The stoic silence didn't help in guessing. Larchpaw frowned, vaguely annoyed. Would it hurt him to at least pretend to be interested in a conversation? Oh well, if that was what the medicine cat wanted, he'd stay silent the rest of the way.
Hemlockfox hummed under his breath. What an astute observation. Why, no, he wouldn't be hunting rabbits. At least, not at long as Larchpaw's clanmates continued flinging themselves into danger at every turn. He might take it upon himself to learn to hunt on the moor if these accident-prone cats weren't coming to him for help nearly every second of the day. The medicine cat laughed roughly and rolled his eyes. He wasn't anywhere near Larchpaw's age. He'd been born seasons ago. Which...wasn't all that long ago honestly, but there were plenty of other cats he'd rather seek help from. Ones who were actually warriors at that.
"Thanks. If I need an apprentice's help, I'll be sure to let you know." StarClan, he'd take the overly excitable Oatfluff or even that annoyingly rude Pantherpounce guy over some apprentice. If he was going to waste time learning about WindClan's traditions and skills, he'd at least want to be taught correctly. Though, it was thoughtful, at least, for the younger tom to offer. Almost awkwardly, he added, "Uh, but if you ever want to learn about herbs, I could probably find the time." That is, if cats ever figured out how to stop hurting themselves.
With a flick of his tail, the seal point tom fell silent and continued, expression cold as he led the way towards the Moonstone. They were almost there now but, suddenly, he remembered something. "You're Nectarflower's apprentice, right? How, uh, are things?" It was odd that he was asking let alone actually cared, but he'd been through something similar, once. "Has Tigerstar given you a new mentor?" Surely, right? She was useless now.
What had he been thinking? Offering his companionship and help to a tom that obviously wanted nothing to do with him. Larchpaw barely managed to keep his fur from bristling at the dismissive and condescending tone with which Hemlockfox spoke to him. He'd only wanted to be friends. He'd tried to find a decent conversation starter, tried even to find some kind of common ground, only to be ignored at every turn. Well, fine. He didn't really want to befriend that SkyClan cat anyway. He would just have to make sure never to find himself injured, so that he could stay away and nurse his wounded pride from the stinging apathy. But my real Clanmates don't think of me like that... right? Stars, what if they all hate me like Hemlockfox does? No, that couldn't be the case. No one else had stonewalled him like this. But... maybe it was a symptom of things to come? No. He couldn't think that. He had to think it was just because the medicine cat was new.
The offer to teach herbs nearly went in one ear and out the other, with the apprentice's head stuffed so full of his whirling thoughts, but he barely managed to catch it before it vanished. "Thanks. I guess I wouldn't mind rounding out my skills a bit at some point... you know, if I ever get any free time with how many rabbits I'll be catching you." Harping on about his wonderful hunting skills seemed like it would lead only to more disdain, so Larchpaw bit his tongue. At least he hadn't completely alienated himself. The conversation could have gone worse... probably. He already had written their discussion off as over.
They'd nearly reached the towering visage of Highstones by the time that Hemlockfox spoke again. The sudden change in topic caused golden eyes to flick over to the medicine cat, staring at him in a mixture of surprise, confusion, and unhappiness. Nectarflower... his mentor. She'd gotten injured saving him from the dogs. Something he'd been doing his best not to think about, for how it made him squirm with guilt whenever he remembered. He supposed it made sense that Hemlockfox would remember her, with how... badly wounded she had been... but to remember that she'd been his mentor? Strange. Maybe he'd done something right in letting their conversation go silent. Maybe the tom was interested in him, after all, just a smidge. Larchpaw shook off the nauseating aftertaste of shame and smiled instead. "Oh, I'm doing fine. I was already pretty much done with my training, so Tigerstar said that I could just finish with getting my Moonstone and then I'd be near-ready for my ceremony. No point in assigning a whole new mentor. They wouldn't really have the time to teach me anything, would they? And I didn't have much left to learn." The confidence in his tone masked the crawling anxiety in his heart that accompanied him still, that gnawed at him late at night when he remembered his mentor's hisses of pain. If he'd been faster, maybe he could've helped more. The smile he'd put on fell away from his face. "Uh... thanks, by the way. For helping her. If you hadn't been there..." They would've been without a medicine cat. Nectarflower's injuries, already bad enough that she'd been forced to retire, could have killed... could have... The thought momentarily stunned him. Briefly, the image of his mother lying still from sickness flashed before his eyes. Larchpaw blinked hard and shook his head. "Anyway, what I meant to say was thanks. I'm glad you were there. I suppose... I wouldn't mind learning a few basic techniques, so that if you're ever busy, I can at least stop the bleeding. There was... a lot of bleeding." Stars, their conversation had turned so somber. Why'd Hemlockfox have to bring that up? Why scrape at a healing sore? Why think about Nectarflower, now nest-ridden in the nursery, when there was nothing to be done about it? The red and brown calico tabby scuffed the ground with his paw as he walked, swishing his thick tail behind him to let out his frustration--with the medicine cat, with the circumstances, with himself. What a horrible ending to his apprenticeship. He hoped this journey ended up being worth it.
Despite his half-hearted attempt at peace, Hemlockfox could feel the hostility coming off of Larchpaw in waves. His own fur nearly bristled with discomfort but, like the younger tom, he stifled it and forced his fur to lie flat. It didn't fade completely, but the tension passed and Hemlockfox stiffly avoided looking at Larchpaw as he spoke. He almost laughed as the apprentice boasted about his hunting skills but decided against it. He'd already upset the tom enough and he doubted Tigerstar would take very kindly to a spat between them. So, he didn't say anything. Just grunted in acknowledgement and continued walking towards Highstones.
Something in Larchpaw's eyes shifted, though, as his mention of Nectarflower, and Hemlockfox regarded the younger tom silently. The flicker of guilt was familiar - it was something he was intimately familiar with...especially Birdstar and Beechfang had been killed. Maybe it was the change in topic, but Larchpaw didn't seem so insufferable now. Perhaps it was because he wasn't bragging about himself anymore. The wounded she-cat...Nectarflower, must mean a lot to him. He let Larchpaw speak uninterrupted, tail twitching thoughtfully. The thanks, however, caught Hemlockfox off guard. "It was nothing." He meowed simply, expression tight with discomfort.
"I was just doing my job." That's all it was. He didn't care for these skinny, rabbit-chasing WindClanners one bit. They were too different from his kin back home and yet...he huffed, annoyed. "Well, I never did understand why warriors didn't learn the basics anyway. Medicine cats can only do so much with their two paws. It can get...overwhelming." It was his job and his alone to keep an entire clan alive. At least, in SkyClan, he had a reason to care for them. Finally, blessedly, they crested the last ridge to Mothermouth and Hemlockfox paused.
Uncertain how to smoothly switch topics, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "We're here." Clearly. "It's dark so stay close, you don't want to run face-first into a stone wall, trust me." Not that he was speaking from experience, of course. Silently, Hemlockfox vanished into the pitch-black tunnel and led the way into the depths of the mountain. Silence wrapped around them like an oppressive blanket of heat - broken only by their pawsteps and breaths until, after several minutes, they reached the sparkling Moonstone. "Lie down." He ordered, voice frosty once more. "Close your eyes and StarClan will visit you as you sleep."
Thank the stars that Highstones finally arrived. Larchpaw didn't want to spend another second feeling the uncomfortable writhing sensation of guilt attempting to creep up his spine. He was here for his Moonstone journey. He was here to get ready to become a warrior. He simply nodded at the last thing that Hemlockfox said, and then let his voice fall silent. At least the medicine cat wasn't a total jerk, he supposed. But that all could be sorted out later.
He was a moor runner, and not a tunneler, so walking through the dark caverns made him claustrophobic. It felt as if the ceiling could collapse in on him at any time. No light, no air to breathe, no blue sky anywhere. Almost enough to make him actually scared. Almost. He was never scared. He'd never been scared, despite the way his heart pounded, and he didn't intend to start now. Larchpaw was almost impressed with his ability to keep from hyperventilating despite the awfully cramped, pitch-black quarters. But eventually they made it, and the Moonstone awaited. The apprentice's golden eyes widened as he took it in for the first time. A glimmering monolith of multifaceted crystal, sending the light of the moon dancing across both his and the medicine cat's pelts. Ever an appreciator of beauty, he almost lost his breath just looking at it. It certainly seemed like it wasn't of this world. Ephemeral, ethereal. Maybe... he could understand why WindClan was so proud of being the closest to the stars.
The stark voice of Hemlockfox brought him back to reality. Larchpaw shook out his fur to fight off the strange feeling that had settled in on him. Then he lay down by the stone to regard it one more time. Up so close, the air around it seemed almost colder than the surrounding cavern. Well, here goes nothing. He touched his nose to its frigid surface and almost immediately felt his eyes slip closed.
Subject: Re: Larchpaw's Moonstone Journey Sat 8 Jun 2024 - 12:53
The apprentice would awaken in a starlit field, something much more akin to Windclan's open territory rather than the claustrophobic tunnels that had led him to the moonstone. The air was pleasantly warm, with a soft breeze stirring the starry grass and making it shimmer as it parted. The she-cat who darted through the grass was pale-furred with faint tabby markings across her face, legs and tail, her pelt just as covered in pale pinpricks of light as her surroundings were. The way she moved, it was clear she had been Windclan in life, sliding to a stop before the apprentice once he had gathered himself.
"Hello, Larchpaw." Swiftspirit greeted the apprentice with a smile. "My name is Swiftspirit, and I was a Windclan warrior before I was killed at the paws of the dark forest many moons ago. Perhaps if I had kept my mouth shut I might have lived a bit longer... But I couldn't sit and watch as my clanmates - my kits - were antagonized day after day." Swiftspirit shook her head, "But that's not why you're here. And neither am I. Well, it is why I'm here but, well... you know what I mean."
"Are you excited for your warrior ceremony? It's an important milestone, you get your name... And it's quite the commitment. That oath we swear is daunting, isn't it? Protect and defend... Even at the cost of your life. I t got me these," The tabby point raised one star-speckled paw, "But I took that oath and meant it. I wouldn't have done anything else in the face of those who betrayed the clans and sided with the dark. It's far from the only commitment you'll make in life, and not all of them are so dire or serious. Daunting, maybe... But commitment isn't something to be afraid of."
"For how readily I committed during my warrior ceremony, there were other things I was afraid to commit to. I waited to confess to my mate until it was almost too late, for one thing. Could've saved us both a lot of heartache had I just said 'yes' the first time around, but I was young and the idea of committing when we were in different clans, and there was so much else to focus on..." A soft laugh escaped her. "We found our peace up here, but that could have happened a lot sooner."
"You didn't come here to hear about my love life. I know. My point is, don't be afraid to commit to something. Being afraid is about as good as abandoning what you care for."
