Medicine Cat Meeting July 2024

Each heartbeat brought Nightpaw closer to the Moonstone. He was beginning to learn the route like the back of his paw. The amount of times he'd made the journey to Highstones and back in such a short time was frankly ridiculous. Each day seemed to bring a different reason for him to visit - and here, he'd been worried about never getting to see the glittering cavern again when he'd been for his Moonstone journey.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about the meeting. The prospect of standing before all of the other medicine cats - cats who'd held the position for much, much longer than he had, he imagined, cats who would likely laugh and jeer at how little he knew - was terrifying. There was the looming thought, too, that he was to blame for Heatherberry's disappearance, and that they'd all come forward and accuse him of it, somehow. If only the she-cat had still been here like she was supposed to be. She could introduce him to her longtime friends, and something in her tone would dare them to speak poorly of him, and everything would be fine. They would've accepted him as one of their own.

But now he was something nobody wanted. He'd been learning just fine; between Rookfire and the random visits from StarClan cats, he'd been managing the daily cuts and scrapes of ShadowClan rather well. Inside his own territory, his footing was slowly becoming more sure, more confident. This, though? This was a new obstacle. He'd never so much as made eye contact with a cat from another Clan, much less spoken to one. What if they ate him alive?

Nightpaw ducked into the cavern and glanced around nervously. In his anxiousness, he'd arrived early. Well, that was something - they at least wouldn't have a reason to be annoyed with him. Yet. There was one other cat here, and she smelled of oak tree and squirrel. ThunderClan? Hm. He didn't meet her gaze, instead sitting off to the side and pretending to be very interested in an oddly-shaped pebble.

Nightpaw startled as an unfamiliar, gruff voice addressed him. His head shot up, ears subconsciously pinning back as his eyes widened. Another new apprentice? What had the tom meant by that? He'd assumed anyone at this meeting had been a medicine cat for moons, even seasons, just like Heatherberry had; but perhaps there were others like him.

He hesitated. There was a venom in the tom's voice he wasn't used to. The growl that rumbled in the tom's chest gave him pause. What had he done to deserve that? And how did he tell the tom that Heatherberry was not, in fact, coming? How did he explain it without this cat putting all the blame on him?

Nightpaw's anxiety turned to harsh disappointment as he hesitated a beat too long. Another cat jumped in to defend him before he could speak. He'd waited too long. Too long to tell of Heatherberry's disappearance. It was both a blessing and a curse; when they found out, would they think him a liar? But he was going to say something, really. He flexed his claws against the stone beneath his paws. Was he destined to be some meek, sniveling little kit all his life? Did he really need strangers to defend him?

He lashed his tail, but the irritation in his gaze faded away as the molly addressed him. She seemed sweet enough. And she smelled of the river. Suddenly, he felt bad for being annoyed with her. He should be grateful she'd come to his aid at all. His features twisted into a nervous smile to match her grin. She was so upbeat and friendly, and here he'd been, expecting everyone to act like the strange, rough tom that had first called out to him. "Nice to meet you, Pigeonpounce." He wondered if she was another warrior-turned-medicine apprentice, just like him. Why else would she already have her full name? It was a funny one, too, but oddly very fitting. "I'm Nightpaw. I'm ShadowClan's medicine cat apprentice. Brand new, actually." His paws trembled a bit. It felt weird to say aloud. Had he said it aloud before? Anxiety gripped him still like claws in his chest. Friends? Was he allowed to make friends outside of ShadowClan? But he found that he did want to know her. "Yeah... yeah, I'd like that." If I even deserve someone like you as a friend.

Nightpaw paused a moment, then hurried ahead into the cavern. As Pigeonpounce bid them all sweet dreams, he settled down beside the stone as the others had done. Nothing big. She... was right, too. He dreamed of nothing all night. It was the first night in many, really, that he was able to sleep in peace, unplagued by any StarClan visitors or nightmares.