What if Skyclan never left the forest? What if the clans never moved the the lake? The five warrior clans are together once again, but bloodshed is on the horizon. Riverclan and Skyclan circle one annother in a conflict that will undoubtedly bring the rest of the clans in the line of fire. The Skyclan medicine cat, Embermist, may be the only one who can stop the two clans from being swept away in the tides of war.
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Healer
Characters: Embermist (page on Individual Worlds)
Writing Type: Exclusively for writing by other people Status: This is entirely written by other people, I just dictate the plot |
The First Vision
The river was rising and above the roar of the swirling waters, she could hear cats wailing. Embermist stood helplessly upon the rocky bluff and watched as the battle churned underneath her. The screeching tangle of warriors was too far down for her to leap to but in the dream, she had the eyes of a hawk and every detail was horrifyingly clear. Foxstar was trapped between the rushing water and a pair of Riverclan warriors, snarling and spitting and limping on two legs. Nettlewhisker was just a flash of shadowed orange fur pinned underneath another cat and Rockpaw was backing towards the hungry river, fur matted and clumped with blood. Even as she watched her clan being torn apart, the waters churned and the river suddenly broke its banks, spilling across the ground and swallowing the battle in a flood of surging white.
Embermist’s fur bristled out even further and she unsheathed her claws, raking them over the hard stone in frustration. “Why this now?” she meowed angrily. “Why are we fighting Riverclan? They’ve done nothing to us at all!”
The faint presence at her shoulder flicked a barely visible tail over her shoulders comfortingly. “Now is the time for dreaming. The fighting is not of now.” The soft weight of the tail disappeared and Embermist shivered with a sudden cold. “Remember, Starclan cannot change what will happen.” The cat began to fade, more scent than sight already, melting slowly into the night until just an outline remained. “We can only warn and hope.”
The young medicine cat suddenly whirled on the faint figure at her side and stared at the long-dead warrior in shock. “Wait, are you showing me this so I can stop it?” The starlit cat simply gazed calmly back and when he blinked, the yellow light of his eyes snuffed out. Embermist snarled her exasperation to the cold night air and looked down from the bluff again. Below her, the water had spread out in a shining expanse of silver to reflect the full moon.
Embermist’s eyes popped open and she sat up with a start. The faintest scent of water lingered in the air around her and she sneezed, blowing scraps of moss and bracken into the air. The silver tabby wrinkled her nose and gave her head an incredulous shake. There had been a dream! Her first dream! All the moons of waiting and hoping for a sign, any sign, that Skyclan’s warrior ancestors were still watching over them had finally come to an end. Starclan had never spoken to her like this, even at the half-moon visits to the Moonstone and she had been desperate for anything that might show her the way forward. She had even been beginning to see omens in the fall of leaves and the movement of clouds in the sky, none of which had portended anything but vague suggestions of chaos and danger approaching.
Now that Starclan had come to her, Embermist felt that she could finally relax and stop fruitlessly searching for signs. Their ancestors had given her a dream and it was up to her now to decipher it. The medicine cat yawned and glanced towards the entrance of her den. Dawn’s faint light filtered through the ferns that had grown around end of the fallen log and outside the camp was waking up but for now, she had a moment or two of peace. The silver tabby flexed her strangely sore claws and extended them, arching her back in a long stretch before settling down to groom herself.
When she was clean and her pelt was sleek against her sides, the medicine cat rose and slipped out from her den. The clearing was already busy with cats, pelts glittering with flecks of meltwater and snow. Embermist padded to the fresh-kill pile and nosed around the choices, picking out a small sparrow from the sodden mound of feathers. Newleaf was charging forward with all the excitement of a kit just out of the nursery and seeing puddles of water for the first time. More prey was coming in but more often than not, it was wet by the time it was flung onto the fresh-kill pile.
Her steps took her halfway back to the medicine den before a friendly nudge broke into her thoughts. “Too cold and wet for you?” Redmoon flicked his whiskers in amusement and angled his ears towards the patch of open ground a few tail-lengths underneath Foxstar’s favourite tree. “It might not be as dry as your den, but it’s not as dark. Let’s eat over there?”
Embermist blinked her agreement at the deputy and followed him towards the tree in silence. It was strange for the normally taciturn cat to ask anyone in particular to eat with him. Usually, he was too busy organising patrols and hunting parties and when he did choose something, he usually ate alone. The pair settled under the tree and the medicine cat dropped her sparrow, looking across at Redmoon curiously. The tom toyed with his chaffinch without seeming to see to see it as prey and Embermist resigned herself to waiting, patiently ripping feathers off her sparrow as she went.
“Not hungry enough to eat?” she meowed after a few minutes.
Redmoon jerked his head up and flattened his whiskers in embarrassment. “Sorry,” he mewed. “It was a long night.” The deputy’s tail flicked awkwardly and he glanced around before continuing. “I had a dream last night”, he began, “about a battle at night, along a river.”
Embermist’s eyes opened wide and she sat upright, swivelling her ears forward in shock. “We were fighting Riverclan weren’t we? Did the river flood at the end?”
The deputy stared at her. “How did you know?” he questioned. “The river flooded and the water was red,” he murmured. “Not blood-red but just red, like it was reflecting colour from a fish’s scales.”
“Red water and a full moon.” Embermist muttered. The medicine cat swiped a paw over her face and blinked a few times. “I had the same dream, but I was on a cliff above.” She flicked her tail as Redmoon opened his jaws to stop him from speaking and continued. “The flooded area was reflecting the moon when I woke up.” She angled her ears at the deputy and watched him freeze in place, fur bristling and ears flattened against his head. “If I’m not mistaken, that was a dream from Starclan and it looks like you’re the cat they need.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Newleaf had passed, greenleaf had come and gone and now leaf-fall was fading into the coldness of leaf-bare. A light snow had fallen a few sunrises ago and the pall of the cold season was doubly bitter with the shroud of an ongoing conflict. The dreams of seasons ago were slowly coming true and Riverclan was at war with Skyclan over territory, enough land to make the difference between a starving clan and one that wouldn’t make it through leaf-bare intact.
The clearing rang with wails as Nettlewhisker and Crowfur staggered through the brush. Embermist drew in a panicked breath as she caught a glimpse of the figure supported between the two warriors. Foxstar’s luxuriously furred tail dragged in the dirt as she was half-carried into camp and when Crowfur collapsed to one side, Skyclan’s leader didn’t even twitch a whisker as she was dumped to the ground.
Embermist’s fur fluffed out in horror and the ground seemed to tip underneath her. The silver tabby unsheathed her claws, digging them furiously into the ground to steady herself. The recent battle with Riverclan had been fierce and although they Skyclan had triumphed, victory came with a heavy price. If Foxstar died now, she would only have two lives left going into a harsh leaf-bare. Every cat that had gone with her in the raid had returned but most of them had come back injured. Her stocks of herbs were already low and the cold snows would only mean that there wouldn’t be new growth until newleaf came around again.
At her feet, Redmoon coughed raggedly and Embermist turned back to the deputy with a start. So many cats, so many injuries and already her mind was whirling with the need to treat every one of them. She unhooked her claws from the ground and glanced towards the clouded sky. “Starclan help me,” she whispered. “I can’t do this alone.” The medicine cat forced herself into motion and somehow, somehow without reason or explanation, she was acting without thinking, picking out herbs and leaves and flowers, paws packing goldenrod and horsetail pulp into the gaping slash that ran from the deputy’s shoulder to hindleg, swathing the area in cobwebs, draping it with bindweed, nudging a few poppy seeds into an oakleaf poultice and forcing Redmoon to swallow it all.
As soon as the deputy had finished gulping down the herbs, Embermist moved onto the next cat and the next cat after, on and on until she suddenly found herself crouched over Foxstar and probing gently at her neck. The leader was unconscious and Embermist blinked uncomprehendingly at the unbroken skin underneath the ragged fur. There should have been a wound there, ugly and open and torn into the flesh. Instead, there was just crusted blood and no sign of any damage.
The medicine cat shivered and looked up, staring across Foxstar’s body at Redmoon. Incredibly, the deputy had managed to drag himself over, and now he merely blinked at her, understanding without the need for explanation. “How many?” he croaked but Embermist simply shook her head.
“She’ll tell you herself when she wakes up.” Embermist stood up and lurched to the side, swaying on numb paws before regaining her balance. “Stay here with her and try not to move much or you’ll risk opening the wound again,” she muttered to Redmoon. “I’ll send an apprentice over to bring moss for a nest.”
She was tired, so tired, and all around her, injured cats would need more help when they woke. She couldn’t image being a warrior at times like these, when one’s life was determined by fighting skill. Instead, her life as a medicine cat was filled with the aftermath of battle and as she made her way to her den, the scent of blood and fear threatened to choke her. Sundown was fading into night and she barely made it to the den, before collapsing into her nest.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“We cannot wait for their new leader to return!” Nettlewhisker’s strident meow broke into her sleep with a crack of thorn-sharp anger. “Riverclan is weak now without their leader. We have to act!” The clearing broke into shocked whispers at the warrior’s bold proposal and the sound flooded over Embermist like rain. The silver tabby shot up and ran from her den, skidding to a halt in the moon drenched clearing.
Foxstar was sitting upright and to Embermist’s disbelief, Skyclan’s leader was nodding her head in agreement. “Nettlewhisker is right.” Foxstar slowly pushed herself upright and padded over towards the tree where she usually climbed to address the clan. This time, the orange she-cat simply sat beneath its lowest branch and Embermist narrowed her eyes at the memory of Redmoon and herself discussing their shared dream.
“Let all cats old enough to climb alone gather here for a Clan meeting!” Foxstar’s yowl brought the few cats not yet awake from the shadows of the camp and in a few heartbeats, the clearing rustled with anticipatorily flickering ears and tails. “Cats of Skyclan,” Foxstar began, “we have driven Riverclan from our boundaries and claimed victory earlier this night.” Yowls of approval rang out and died quickly as their leader continued. “Pikestar lost his last life in the battle and with his death, we would have nothing to fear from those fish-eating cowards for a long time!”
Redmoon hissed quietly and Foxstar dipped her head to him. “Redmoon was there when Pikestar fell.”
The deputy nodded and struggled upright. “Whiteclaw swore revenge. I heard him as they retreated over the river. He threatened that he would attack us as soon as he received his nine lives.” At his words, the clearing erupted into hushed meows. Embermist flattened her ears and closed her eyes in disbelief. She had often wondered of how and why cats became so bloodthirsty and this new revelation only brought more confusion.
Foxstar looked over at Nettlewhisker and gestured for him to speak. The orange tortoiseshell stretched himself up and raised his head belligerently. “Our midnight patrol saw Whiteclaw and Troutleap near Fourtrees.” He paused for second to shake his head with the memory. “They were going towards Windclan territory and Highstones.”
For a heartbeat, the camp was silent as all the gathered cats realised what Riverclan’s deputy was trying to do. Within the next moment, cats were wailing their terror and anger into the night. Lilysong sprang to her feet, fur bushed out to twice her size and normally gentle eyes flashing with savage intent. “We have to attack before they attack us!” The queen pushed forward to glare at Foxstar. “You have to do something!”
Embermist glanced around the camp and locked eyes with Redmoon. The deputy was blinking rapidly at her and she twitched her ears in reply, confused as to what he wanted. She had just risen and was padding towards him when Foxstar cried for silence.
“We attack now!” she yowled. “We’re going straight to their camp for their medicine supplies! Without any herbs, Riverclan cannot attack without endangering themselves!”
Embermist’s eyes stretched wide in horror. Of all the possibilities and Foxstar had to choose this one? It was harebrained, utterly ridiculous and still ruthless enough that it might work. “Nettlewhisker, Lilysong, Thrushwing, Reedtail, Firepaw, Willowheart and Ripplepelt in the first attack.” Foxstar meowed. “Longclaw, Blackfur, Rockpaw, Rabbittail, Nutnose and Rainpaw in the second wave. Prepare to move out!”
As the cats began dispersing, Redmoon pushed his way forward and faced Foxstar. “I’m coming too,” he meowed. “You need someone experienced to lead the second attack.”
Foxstar blinked gently at him for a moment.“You’re injured badly.” she replied. As she brushed past him, the orange she-cat slid her tail across his nose softly to take the sting out of her words. “Stay back and guard the camp. I don’t want to lose my deputy in this.”
Redmoon twitched his whiskers and stood his ground. “Not this time,” he growled. “Embermist had a dream.”
Their leader’s eyes narrowed and she whipped around to face Embermist. “A dream? Why didn’t you tell me?”
The medicine cat glared at Redmoon before turning to Foxstar. “The dream’s not about attacking their camp. It was a battle on the river.” Embermist dipped her head and gave her chest fur a couple of quick self-conscious licks. “Whiteclaw wasn-“ She suddenly broke off and lifted her eyes to stare at Redmoon. “The flood was white!” The silver tabby flattened her ears against her head in realisation. “The water was so fast that it was churned into white”
Foxstar let out an angry hiss and resignedly turned to her deputy. “Looks like you’re coming then.”
“So am I.” Before she had time to think and hesitate, Embermist raised her chin and stepped forward. “I had the dream and I was in it too. I have to go. I was meant to be there as well.”
Foxstar studied her for a moment before giving a brusque nod. “Redmoon will keep you out of trouble. Don’t fight, don’t interfere and don’t do anything to foolish.”
As Foxstar padded away, Embermist extended her claws and sank them into the ground. She wasn’t a stupid kit that needed telling what to do. Redmoon glanced towards her but only flicked his tail along her muzzle before turning away silently to follow their leader out of camp.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The river was rising when they reached it and Embermist’s breath caught in her throat as she looked down at the expanse of water. It looked so eerily like her dream that for a moment, she was frozen to the spot, seeing the warring, screeching cats superimposed on the empty riverbank below. It seemed like a sign that the area was empty and Embermist’ narrowed her eyes reflexively, straining to figure out how she could keep the battle from occurring.
Behind her, Reedtail suddenly gave a hiss of surprise. “Is that Whiteclaw? What’s he doing back here so fast?”
Embermist spun around and pushed her way to Reedtail, pressing up alongside Foxstar and Redmoon at the very edge of the rocky bluff. Down below, two cats were picking their way along the river’s edge, heading downstream towards Riverclan territory. One was white in the moonlight and before she could get a better look, Foxstar yowled her triumph and raised her tail in a signal. “To the river! We can stop him from going back to Riverclan and keep him from getting to his warriors!”
The Skyclan warriors poured down the steep incline and Embermist found herself being pulled along in the flow. Redmoon ran alongside her and as she brushed against him, her fur came away wet and sticky. In a cold flash of understanding, she realised that his wound had reopened and it was seeping through the dressings she had placed only a few hours ago. The medicine cat bared her teeth in a silent frustrated snarl and kept running, unable to do anything for him at the moment.
It was only a few minutes before they caught up to Whiteclaw and Troutleap. The Riverclan medicine cat only blinked slowly and shook his head when he caught sight of the cats spreading out to surround them. Embermist stayed at the back of the group, pressing close to Redmoon and feeling his shoulders heave up and down with every breath. He should have never come, she realised. The deputy was already weak and in his condition, he wouldn’t last long if it came to a battle.
Troutleap muttered something to Whiteclaw and backed away a few paces, leaving the big cat to face the approaching warriors with his head held high. Even alone, the big cat looked improbably powerful, muscles bunching easily under his sleek pelt and rippling along shoulders twice as broad as Foxstar’s own.
Whitestar, it was crushingly clear now that he was Whitestar, didn’t waste any time with words. He darted left across the open ground towards Foxstar and when the warriors shifted to cover his progress, the new leader flung himself back towards the river and escape. Rockpaw was flung aside by a single broad paw and suddenly Embermist saw the future as clearly as the river rushing by. Riverclan’s leader would escape in the rushing water and bring his warriors here. Her dream would unfold and the halfway through the battle, the bank would flood, sweeping every cat present to drown in the surging waters.
If she wanted to stop the nightmare scene in her head from happening, it would have to be now. Embermist had taken a single step towards the big white warrior when suddenly Redmoon was there running, leaping forward with claws outstretched. The ginger deputy collided with Whitestar by the very edge of the water and the two cats rolled together into a screeching whirlwind of claws and teeth. Embermist shoved her way forward until she stood at the front of the ring of cats watching the frantic struggle. Helplessness welled up until it felt like she was drowning in powerlessness of her situation. Even if it had been her dream, there was nothing that she could do.
A choking cry rose over the noise of the river and Embermist flattened her ears to her head at the dreadful sound. The writhing tangle of fury collapsed and fell apart into two cats, both unmoving and stained with blood. The medicine cat leaped forward, pawing over both warriors and feeling futilely for signs of life. After a moment, Troutleap moved up beside her and nudged the silver tabby away from the bodies, murmuring things she couldn’t hear into her ears and gently guiding her away.
After a moment, Foxstar stepped forward to address Riverclan’s medicine cat. “Whitestar will be weak after losing his first life.” Her eyes flashed as she swung her head to look at the heap of white fur, stained so red as to be almost unrecognisable. “When he wakes, he will be in no condition to fight.” Skyclan’s leader shook her head slowly and padded over to Redmoon’s body, dipping her head to bury her nose in the deputy’s ragged fur. “Both our clans have fought to a bloody end this night.” Foxstar lifted her head and gazed at the stars, turning back to look at Embermist for a moment before glancing over at Troutleap once more. “There will be no more war between us. Take him home and care for your clan and we will do the same.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Embermist yawned and stretched her forelegs out, extending her spine into a smooth curve against the ground. It was high greenleaf and the sun was pleasantly warm against her fur. The prey was running well and Skyclan was strong with many new apprentices and kits. The forest had been peaceful for moons but a medicine cat was a medicine cat and a clan could never have enough herbs.
The silver tabby twisted around in the long grass for a moment more before rolling over and rising to her paws. Clumps of horsetail lay around her and with an amused purr, she began collecting the scattered fronds. Just as she was rolling them into a loose bundle again, a flash of red darted at the edge of her vision and Embermist dropped the herbs to whirl around, parting her jaws to drink in a familiar scent.
“Redmoon?” she whispered. “Is this a sign?” The medicine cat closed her eyes and lifted her chin as a faint presence brushed along her side. “I haven’t had any more dreams since the first one that we shared and I don’t know if I’m missing something obvious,” she admitted. “It might have been me that received the red moon warning but wasn’t meant for me in the end.” Embermist sighed and opened her eyes, seeing nothing but the forest around her and the once-again scattered horsetail fronds. “You’re the first Starclan cat I’ve seen or heard since then as well and I’m beginning to think I’m only talking to myself sometimes.”
The forest had no reply for her and the silver tabby sighed again, leaning forward to pick up the herbs and roll them into yet another bundle. “Lilysong’s had her kits if you wanted to hear it from me. One of them is called Redkit and he’s already convinced the others into playing deputy and medicine cat for him when he’s being leader.” The light chatter washed over her ears and she patiently recounted what had been happening in camp. “You don’t really need to hear it from me though,” she murmured. “You are watching over us right?” The bundle finally rolled up properly, Embermist twitched her ears in a silent farewell before picking the wrap up in her jaws. As she left the clearing, at the very edge of her hearing, she thought she could hear the very faintest purr.
Written by: Sirrin (#86378)
The river was rising and above the roar of the swirling waters, she could hear cats wailing. Embermist stood helplessly upon the rocky bluff and watched as the battle churned underneath her. The screeching tangle of warriors was too far down for her to leap to but in the dream, she had the eyes of a hawk and every detail was horrifyingly clear. Foxstar was trapped between the rushing water and a pair of Riverclan warriors, snarling and spitting and limping on two legs. Nettlewhisker was just a flash of shadowed orange fur pinned underneath another cat and Rockpaw was backing towards the hungry river, fur matted and clumped with blood. Even as she watched her clan being torn apart, the waters churned and the river suddenly broke its banks, spilling across the ground and swallowing the battle in a flood of surging white.
Embermist’s fur bristled out even further and she unsheathed her claws, raking them over the hard stone in frustration. “Why this now?” she meowed angrily. “Why are we fighting Riverclan? They’ve done nothing to us at all!”
The faint presence at her shoulder flicked a barely visible tail over her shoulders comfortingly. “Now is the time for dreaming. The fighting is not of now.” The soft weight of the tail disappeared and Embermist shivered with a sudden cold. “Remember, Starclan cannot change what will happen.” The cat began to fade, more scent than sight already, melting slowly into the night until just an outline remained. “We can only warn and hope.”
The young medicine cat suddenly whirled on the faint figure at her side and stared at the long-dead warrior in shock. “Wait, are you showing me this so I can stop it?” The starlit cat simply gazed calmly back and when he blinked, the yellow light of his eyes snuffed out. Embermist snarled her exasperation to the cold night air and looked down from the bluff again. Below her, the water had spread out in a shining expanse of silver to reflect the full moon.
Embermist’s eyes popped open and she sat up with a start. The faintest scent of water lingered in the air around her and she sneezed, blowing scraps of moss and bracken into the air. The silver tabby wrinkled her nose and gave her head an incredulous shake. There had been a dream! Her first dream! All the moons of waiting and hoping for a sign, any sign, that Skyclan’s warrior ancestors were still watching over them had finally come to an end. Starclan had never spoken to her like this, even at the half-moon visits to the Moonstone and she had been desperate for anything that might show her the way forward. She had even been beginning to see omens in the fall of leaves and the movement of clouds in the sky, none of which had portended anything but vague suggestions of chaos and danger approaching.
Now that Starclan had come to her, Embermist felt that she could finally relax and stop fruitlessly searching for signs. Their ancestors had given her a dream and it was up to her now to decipher it. The medicine cat yawned and glanced towards the entrance of her den. Dawn’s faint light filtered through the ferns that had grown around end of the fallen log and outside the camp was waking up but for now, she had a moment or two of peace. The silver tabby flexed her strangely sore claws and extended them, arching her back in a long stretch before settling down to groom herself.
When she was clean and her pelt was sleek against her sides, the medicine cat rose and slipped out from her den. The clearing was already busy with cats, pelts glittering with flecks of meltwater and snow. Embermist padded to the fresh-kill pile and nosed around the choices, picking out a small sparrow from the sodden mound of feathers. Newleaf was charging forward with all the excitement of a kit just out of the nursery and seeing puddles of water for the first time. More prey was coming in but more often than not, it was wet by the time it was flung onto the fresh-kill pile.
Her steps took her halfway back to the medicine den before a friendly nudge broke into her thoughts. “Too cold and wet for you?” Redmoon flicked his whiskers in amusement and angled his ears towards the patch of open ground a few tail-lengths underneath Foxstar’s favourite tree. “It might not be as dry as your den, but it’s not as dark. Let’s eat over there?”
Embermist blinked her agreement at the deputy and followed him towards the tree in silence. It was strange for the normally taciturn cat to ask anyone in particular to eat with him. Usually, he was too busy organising patrols and hunting parties and when he did choose something, he usually ate alone. The pair settled under the tree and the medicine cat dropped her sparrow, looking across at Redmoon curiously. The tom toyed with his chaffinch without seeming to see to see it as prey and Embermist resigned herself to waiting, patiently ripping feathers off her sparrow as she went.
“Not hungry enough to eat?” she meowed after a few minutes.
Redmoon jerked his head up and flattened his whiskers in embarrassment. “Sorry,” he mewed. “It was a long night.” The deputy’s tail flicked awkwardly and he glanced around before continuing. “I had a dream last night”, he began, “about a battle at night, along a river.”
Embermist’s eyes opened wide and she sat upright, swivelling her ears forward in shock. “We were fighting Riverclan weren’t we? Did the river flood at the end?”
The deputy stared at her. “How did you know?” he questioned. “The river flooded and the water was red,” he murmured. “Not blood-red but just red, like it was reflecting colour from a fish’s scales.”
“Red water and a full moon.” Embermist muttered. The medicine cat swiped a paw over her face and blinked a few times. “I had the same dream, but I was on a cliff above.” She flicked her tail as Redmoon opened his jaws to stop him from speaking and continued. “The flooded area was reflecting the moon when I woke up.” She angled her ears at the deputy and watched him freeze in place, fur bristling and ears flattened against his head. “If I’m not mistaken, that was a dream from Starclan and it looks like you’re the cat they need.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Newleaf had passed, greenleaf had come and gone and now leaf-fall was fading into the coldness of leaf-bare. A light snow had fallen a few sunrises ago and the pall of the cold season was doubly bitter with the shroud of an ongoing conflict. The dreams of seasons ago were slowly coming true and Riverclan was at war with Skyclan over territory, enough land to make the difference between a starving clan and one that wouldn’t make it through leaf-bare intact.
The clearing rang with wails as Nettlewhisker and Crowfur staggered through the brush. Embermist drew in a panicked breath as she caught a glimpse of the figure supported between the two warriors. Foxstar’s luxuriously furred tail dragged in the dirt as she was half-carried into camp and when Crowfur collapsed to one side, Skyclan’s leader didn’t even twitch a whisker as she was dumped to the ground.
Embermist’s fur fluffed out in horror and the ground seemed to tip underneath her. The silver tabby unsheathed her claws, digging them furiously into the ground to steady herself. The recent battle with Riverclan had been fierce and although they Skyclan had triumphed, victory came with a heavy price. If Foxstar died now, she would only have two lives left going into a harsh leaf-bare. Every cat that had gone with her in the raid had returned but most of them had come back injured. Her stocks of herbs were already low and the cold snows would only mean that there wouldn’t be new growth until newleaf came around again.
At her feet, Redmoon coughed raggedly and Embermist turned back to the deputy with a start. So many cats, so many injuries and already her mind was whirling with the need to treat every one of them. She unhooked her claws from the ground and glanced towards the clouded sky. “Starclan help me,” she whispered. “I can’t do this alone.” The medicine cat forced herself into motion and somehow, somehow without reason or explanation, she was acting without thinking, picking out herbs and leaves and flowers, paws packing goldenrod and horsetail pulp into the gaping slash that ran from the deputy’s shoulder to hindleg, swathing the area in cobwebs, draping it with bindweed, nudging a few poppy seeds into an oakleaf poultice and forcing Redmoon to swallow it all.
As soon as the deputy had finished gulping down the herbs, Embermist moved onto the next cat and the next cat after, on and on until she suddenly found herself crouched over Foxstar and probing gently at her neck. The leader was unconscious and Embermist blinked uncomprehendingly at the unbroken skin underneath the ragged fur. There should have been a wound there, ugly and open and torn into the flesh. Instead, there was just crusted blood and no sign of any damage.
The medicine cat shivered and looked up, staring across Foxstar’s body at Redmoon. Incredibly, the deputy had managed to drag himself over, and now he merely blinked at her, understanding without the need for explanation. “How many?” he croaked but Embermist simply shook her head.
“She’ll tell you herself when she wakes up.” Embermist stood up and lurched to the side, swaying on numb paws before regaining her balance. “Stay here with her and try not to move much or you’ll risk opening the wound again,” she muttered to Redmoon. “I’ll send an apprentice over to bring moss for a nest.”
She was tired, so tired, and all around her, injured cats would need more help when they woke. She couldn’t image being a warrior at times like these, when one’s life was determined by fighting skill. Instead, her life as a medicine cat was filled with the aftermath of battle and as she made her way to her den, the scent of blood and fear threatened to choke her. Sundown was fading into night and she barely made it to the den, before collapsing into her nest.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“We cannot wait for their new leader to return!” Nettlewhisker’s strident meow broke into her sleep with a crack of thorn-sharp anger. “Riverclan is weak now without their leader. We have to act!” The clearing broke into shocked whispers at the warrior’s bold proposal and the sound flooded over Embermist like rain. The silver tabby shot up and ran from her den, skidding to a halt in the moon drenched clearing.
Foxstar was sitting upright and to Embermist’s disbelief, Skyclan’s leader was nodding her head in agreement. “Nettlewhisker is right.” Foxstar slowly pushed herself upright and padded over towards the tree where she usually climbed to address the clan. This time, the orange she-cat simply sat beneath its lowest branch and Embermist narrowed her eyes at the memory of Redmoon and herself discussing their shared dream.
“Let all cats old enough to climb alone gather here for a Clan meeting!” Foxstar’s yowl brought the few cats not yet awake from the shadows of the camp and in a few heartbeats, the clearing rustled with anticipatorily flickering ears and tails. “Cats of Skyclan,” Foxstar began, “we have driven Riverclan from our boundaries and claimed victory earlier this night.” Yowls of approval rang out and died quickly as their leader continued. “Pikestar lost his last life in the battle and with his death, we would have nothing to fear from those fish-eating cowards for a long time!”
Redmoon hissed quietly and Foxstar dipped her head to him. “Redmoon was there when Pikestar fell.”
The deputy nodded and struggled upright. “Whiteclaw swore revenge. I heard him as they retreated over the river. He threatened that he would attack us as soon as he received his nine lives.” At his words, the clearing erupted into hushed meows. Embermist flattened her ears and closed her eyes in disbelief. She had often wondered of how and why cats became so bloodthirsty and this new revelation only brought more confusion.
Foxstar looked over at Nettlewhisker and gestured for him to speak. The orange tortoiseshell stretched himself up and raised his head belligerently. “Our midnight patrol saw Whiteclaw and Troutleap near Fourtrees.” He paused for second to shake his head with the memory. “They were going towards Windclan territory and Highstones.”
For a heartbeat, the camp was silent as all the gathered cats realised what Riverclan’s deputy was trying to do. Within the next moment, cats were wailing their terror and anger into the night. Lilysong sprang to her feet, fur bushed out to twice her size and normally gentle eyes flashing with savage intent. “We have to attack before they attack us!” The queen pushed forward to glare at Foxstar. “You have to do something!”
Embermist glanced around the camp and locked eyes with Redmoon. The deputy was blinking rapidly at her and she twitched her ears in reply, confused as to what he wanted. She had just risen and was padding towards him when Foxstar cried for silence.
“We attack now!” she yowled. “We’re going straight to their camp for their medicine supplies! Without any herbs, Riverclan cannot attack without endangering themselves!”
Embermist’s eyes stretched wide in horror. Of all the possibilities and Foxstar had to choose this one? It was harebrained, utterly ridiculous and still ruthless enough that it might work. “Nettlewhisker, Lilysong, Thrushwing, Reedtail, Firepaw, Willowheart and Ripplepelt in the first attack.” Foxstar meowed. “Longclaw, Blackfur, Rockpaw, Rabbittail, Nutnose and Rainpaw in the second wave. Prepare to move out!”
As the cats began dispersing, Redmoon pushed his way forward and faced Foxstar. “I’m coming too,” he meowed. “You need someone experienced to lead the second attack.”
Foxstar blinked gently at him for a moment.“You’re injured badly.” she replied. As she brushed past him, the orange she-cat slid her tail across his nose softly to take the sting out of her words. “Stay back and guard the camp. I don’t want to lose my deputy in this.”
Redmoon twitched his whiskers and stood his ground. “Not this time,” he growled. “Embermist had a dream.”
Their leader’s eyes narrowed and she whipped around to face Embermist. “A dream? Why didn’t you tell me?”
The medicine cat glared at Redmoon before turning to Foxstar. “The dream’s not about attacking their camp. It was a battle on the river.” Embermist dipped her head and gave her chest fur a couple of quick self-conscious licks. “Whiteclaw wasn-“ She suddenly broke off and lifted her eyes to stare at Redmoon. “The flood was white!” The silver tabby flattened her ears against her head in realisation. “The water was so fast that it was churned into white”
Foxstar let out an angry hiss and resignedly turned to her deputy. “Looks like you’re coming then.”
“So am I.” Before she had time to think and hesitate, Embermist raised her chin and stepped forward. “I had the dream and I was in it too. I have to go. I was meant to be there as well.”
Foxstar studied her for a moment before giving a brusque nod. “Redmoon will keep you out of trouble. Don’t fight, don’t interfere and don’t do anything to foolish.”
As Foxstar padded away, Embermist extended her claws and sank them into the ground. She wasn’t a stupid kit that needed telling what to do. Redmoon glanced towards her but only flicked his tail along her muzzle before turning away silently to follow their leader out of camp.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The river was rising when they reached it and Embermist’s breath caught in her throat as she looked down at the expanse of water. It looked so eerily like her dream that for a moment, she was frozen to the spot, seeing the warring, screeching cats superimposed on the empty riverbank below. It seemed like a sign that the area was empty and Embermist’ narrowed her eyes reflexively, straining to figure out how she could keep the battle from occurring.
Behind her, Reedtail suddenly gave a hiss of surprise. “Is that Whiteclaw? What’s he doing back here so fast?”
Embermist spun around and pushed her way to Reedtail, pressing up alongside Foxstar and Redmoon at the very edge of the rocky bluff. Down below, two cats were picking their way along the river’s edge, heading downstream towards Riverclan territory. One was white in the moonlight and before she could get a better look, Foxstar yowled her triumph and raised her tail in a signal. “To the river! We can stop him from going back to Riverclan and keep him from getting to his warriors!”
The Skyclan warriors poured down the steep incline and Embermist found herself being pulled along in the flow. Redmoon ran alongside her and as she brushed against him, her fur came away wet and sticky. In a cold flash of understanding, she realised that his wound had reopened and it was seeping through the dressings she had placed only a few hours ago. The medicine cat bared her teeth in a silent frustrated snarl and kept running, unable to do anything for him at the moment.
It was only a few minutes before they caught up to Whiteclaw and Troutleap. The Riverclan medicine cat only blinked slowly and shook his head when he caught sight of the cats spreading out to surround them. Embermist stayed at the back of the group, pressing close to Redmoon and feeling his shoulders heave up and down with every breath. He should have never come, she realised. The deputy was already weak and in his condition, he wouldn’t last long if it came to a battle.
Troutleap muttered something to Whiteclaw and backed away a few paces, leaving the big cat to face the approaching warriors with his head held high. Even alone, the big cat looked improbably powerful, muscles bunching easily under his sleek pelt and rippling along shoulders twice as broad as Foxstar’s own.
Whitestar, it was crushingly clear now that he was Whitestar, didn’t waste any time with words. He darted left across the open ground towards Foxstar and when the warriors shifted to cover his progress, the new leader flung himself back towards the river and escape. Rockpaw was flung aside by a single broad paw and suddenly Embermist saw the future as clearly as the river rushing by. Riverclan’s leader would escape in the rushing water and bring his warriors here. Her dream would unfold and the halfway through the battle, the bank would flood, sweeping every cat present to drown in the surging waters.
If she wanted to stop the nightmare scene in her head from happening, it would have to be now. Embermist had taken a single step towards the big white warrior when suddenly Redmoon was there running, leaping forward with claws outstretched. The ginger deputy collided with Whitestar by the very edge of the water and the two cats rolled together into a screeching whirlwind of claws and teeth. Embermist shoved her way forward until she stood at the front of the ring of cats watching the frantic struggle. Helplessness welled up until it felt like she was drowning in powerlessness of her situation. Even if it had been her dream, there was nothing that she could do.
A choking cry rose over the noise of the river and Embermist flattened her ears to her head at the dreadful sound. The writhing tangle of fury collapsed and fell apart into two cats, both unmoving and stained with blood. The medicine cat leaped forward, pawing over both warriors and feeling futilely for signs of life. After a moment, Troutleap moved up beside her and nudged the silver tabby away from the bodies, murmuring things she couldn’t hear into her ears and gently guiding her away.
After a moment, Foxstar stepped forward to address Riverclan’s medicine cat. “Whitestar will be weak after losing his first life.” Her eyes flashed as she swung her head to look at the heap of white fur, stained so red as to be almost unrecognisable. “When he wakes, he will be in no condition to fight.” Skyclan’s leader shook her head slowly and padded over to Redmoon’s body, dipping her head to bury her nose in the deputy’s ragged fur. “Both our clans have fought to a bloody end this night.” Foxstar lifted her head and gazed at the stars, turning back to look at Embermist for a moment before glancing over at Troutleap once more. “There will be no more war between us. Take him home and care for your clan and we will do the same.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Embermist yawned and stretched her forelegs out, extending her spine into a smooth curve against the ground. It was high greenleaf and the sun was pleasantly warm against her fur. The prey was running well and Skyclan was strong with many new apprentices and kits. The forest had been peaceful for moons but a medicine cat was a medicine cat and a clan could never have enough herbs.
The silver tabby twisted around in the long grass for a moment more before rolling over and rising to her paws. Clumps of horsetail lay around her and with an amused purr, she began collecting the scattered fronds. Just as she was rolling them into a loose bundle again, a flash of red darted at the edge of her vision and Embermist dropped the herbs to whirl around, parting her jaws to drink in a familiar scent.
“Redmoon?” she whispered. “Is this a sign?” The medicine cat closed her eyes and lifted her chin as a faint presence brushed along her side. “I haven’t had any more dreams since the first one that we shared and I don’t know if I’m missing something obvious,” she admitted. “It might have been me that received the red moon warning but wasn’t meant for me in the end.” Embermist sighed and opened her eyes, seeing nothing but the forest around her and the once-again scattered horsetail fronds. “You’re the first Starclan cat I’ve seen or heard since then as well and I’m beginning to think I’m only talking to myself sometimes.”
The forest had no reply for her and the silver tabby sighed again, leaning forward to pick up the herbs and roll them into yet another bundle. “Lilysong’s had her kits if you wanted to hear it from me. One of them is called Redkit and he’s already convinced the others into playing deputy and medicine cat for him when he’s being leader.” The light chatter washed over her ears and she patiently recounted what had been happening in camp. “You don’t really need to hear it from me though,” she murmured. “You are watching over us right?” The bundle finally rolled up properly, Embermist twitched her ears in a silent farewell before picking the wrap up in her jaws. As she left the clearing, at the very edge of her hearing, she thought she could hear the very faintest purr.
Written by: Sirrin (#86378)
You, alone
The grey cat wove her way through the foliage, attempting to remember where certain herbs grew. Every so often her dark lips parted and she muttered what seemed like a monotone chant but instead was an ever growing list of herbs. “Poppy seeds, elderberry, Burdock root, Borage leaves…” She walked quietly, each paw landing silently and rising just the same. Every so often a silvery whisker would twitch, along with a flick of a crystal hued ear. She opened her mouth, allowing the familiar scents of her homeland to waft incense that reminded her of what life used to be like, of her mother and father, of the rich milk and her squirming siblings.
All these thoughts made a shiver run down her spine, of pleasure? Of longing? Of sadness? Perhaps a little bit of all three lingered in the she-cat’s intense blue gaze. She remembered, she remembered the day her parents died, the day she wailed like a lost and broken soul, but she had been, her paws had fled from the path of bloodshed, seemingly from all the paths, leaving her alone in a foggy world of numb depression. Finally it came to her, like an angel it appeared, carrying her future upon its back. Her paws had stumbled upon a new path, and found new light. The fog lifted and the numbness departed, leaving behind it a hole in her heart that could never be filled, but slowly, piece by piece, day by day, it subsided, leaving in its wake of desolation two paw prints, as our loved ones leave prints on our hearts. Every so often it opened up and ached like a beast awoken from slumber. It was those days she questioned her choices, her loyalties, her life. Yet with every morning, every sunrise, the dawn of every day, she felt her passion reawaken, and knew for sure she was meant to be here. Meant to serve these cats and provide for them in times of trial or need. She was meant to heal them, in body, mind, and spirit.
Her steady paws carried her on, back to camp to lend a helping paw where needed. Upon her arrival her sharp, strikingly blue eyes took everything in at once, and it wasn’t good. The cats all looked anxious, staring at a young apprentice. The adolescent's eyes were dull and every so often his stomach would heave and his small body would convulse with retching and choking. His eyes watered and he seemed so vulnerable, shaking, alone, and thin. A silver and white apprentice called out upon Embermist’s arrival.
“She’s here!” Embermist managed a thin smile to Rainpaw, the cat that had called out, before jumping head first into her work. A calming murmur was offered to the sick apprentice, but was met with yet another retch, convulsion, and bile. She needed to get him to her den, but how? She looked around pleadingly and a warrior heeded her call. A black female with striking amber eyes stepped up and gently lifted the young apprentice by the scruff of his neck.
“Thank you, Blackfur. Just place him in my den and I’ll see what I can do with him.” The apprentice looked like a small kit, just barely hanging onto life. The ginger tom was placed gently on a bed of ferns in the medicine cat’s den and she smiled gratefully. “Thank you again, Blackfur.” The dark cat nodded and smiled grimly before departing, leaving the young cat with the sick apprentice.
“Okay Firepaw, let’s see what we can do for you.” She licked his head gently, a calming motion, or maternal instincts? No matter was paid to the subject, this young cat may die.
First and foremost Embermist offered the young apprentice Juniper berries to calm his stomach and poppy seeds to help him relax. The young male, however, simply vomited it back up, leaving a foul smelling mess in the den. At that, he collapsed. Embermist was desperate now, a life was on the line. She brought strong smelling wild garlic to his sensitive nose and he reacted by awakening, and getting sick again. The sleek silver tabby had no doubt that if he didn’t eat, or at least drink, he wouldn’t make it through the night. Gently she ran her rough tongue down his head, and left to find water.
The once glaring sun had mellowed, allowing the clan a few brief hours of enjoyment, sunning their pelts or taking luxurious baths under the glowing evening disc. No cat, however, was sunning or grooming. Foxstar was nowhere to be seen, no doubt pacing her den and the rest of the cats fiddled anxiously. A tight smile was offered to cats who implored how the young apprentice was doing and they understood, nodding grimly before walking off to share the news. A large leaf was selected and dipped in the river, filling with water. She returned quickly to the den and saw Firepaw was slipping away. She hoisted up his head and pried open his jaws, tipping the leaf’s contents down his throat. He coughed and sputtered, but it stayed down for a while before his stomach rejected it. He sat there, looking miserable and no doubt feeling just the same. She gave a sympathetic pur before settling down beside him, comforting him when he was sick and even when he wasn’t.
By morning he could eat a little bit and keep it down but he was still vomiting and dizzy. She made trips to get water often, and soon she was as tired as Firepaw. She barely got to close her eyes, one moment Firepaw was sick and the next a cat was poking in their head to enquire about the young apprentice. Embermist kept her cool, but she was ready to scream from frustration. If another cat poked their head in she would give them something to ask about. She practically bristled at the thought of another cat asking how Firepaw was doing. She loved her fellow felines but they sure could get under her skin sometimes.
By day two Firepaw could eat small meals without getting sick, and drink about half his normal amount, but he really couldn’t walk or eat a lot. Embermist comforted him often, sharing tongues or giving him her dinner, causing the young female to go to bed hungry quite often now. The Juniper berries were now noticeably helping him, and he seemed brighter, stronger. Embermist, however, seemed to become weaker to the point where she had to rest during her daily trips to fetch water for the young apprentice.
Any inquiries would be brushed aside with ‘I’m fine’ or ‘It’ll pass.’ Soon enough the young medic found she could barely keep what little food she accumulated without feeling nauseous or dizzy, and sometimes it all came up leaving her hungry, sick, and tired. Firepaw just kept getting better and better, often times asking if he could continue his training with his mentor or go play with Rainpaw and Rockpaw, who often came to visit. On days like these Embermist would hover over the apprentices as a worried mother may hover over her kit, making sure Firepaw remained comfortable and to minimize contact, Firepaw’s mystery disease may spread.
As the sky was dyed a blood red from the setting sun Embermist felt the first flames of fear kindle in her heart. She hadn’t been able to keep any food down, had she caught Firepaw’s mystery disease?
The young apprentice had since returned to the apprentice’s den, he felt fine and could now eat as much as he wanted without getting too sick. But for the medicine cat to whom he owed his life? She was curled up in a ball trying to stop the pain that churned her stomach and discarded all the food she ate. The den was soured by the rank stench of vomit but she couldn’t seem to move, the cramps almost immobilized her. Every so often a horrible retch would wrench her small body forwards with her gaping maw positioned to the ground. It was during these moments that she simply wanted to die.
But no, she was kept alive and in severe pain, a pain she had never felt before. It was different from the hollow ache she’s experienced from the deaths of her sire and dam, as well as the one that had clutched her heart as a vice after the death of Redmoon, her love. Separate from the pain queens would tell of in the process of bringing new warriors into the world, although the young she-cat had never before felt it the gentle queen's described it well enough. A low hiss escaped from her maw as shivers racked her frail body and suddenly all she wanted to do was get away, so she did.
She staggered to her unsteady paws and made her way slowly out of the den, stumbling on roots and stones. After what seemed like half the cool night and what left her gasping in exhaustion finally slipped into view between the trees. A glimmer here, a gentle lapping there, the lake. She knew she was probably off Skyclan territory but so what? The mist that rose off the glittering surface of the lake caused a creepy atmosphere and had the silver tabby been in her right senses she would have felt something amiss, instead she simply collapsed beside the lake, the calling water so close and yet so far. Slowly a silver paw dipped into the cool water, then ran over the tabby’s head.
This action was repeated until the cat felt she could stand again. She rose on shaky legs and was about to take her leave when a cat appeared out of the mist.
“Embermist,” It began. “You must recover for you alone can stop the constant bloodshed of the forest. You alone.”
Then it was gone.
Written By: Polopony (#96942)
The grey cat wove her way through the foliage, attempting to remember where certain herbs grew. Every so often her dark lips parted and she muttered what seemed like a monotone chant but instead was an ever growing list of herbs. “Poppy seeds, elderberry, Burdock root, Borage leaves…” She walked quietly, each paw landing silently and rising just the same. Every so often a silvery whisker would twitch, along with a flick of a crystal hued ear. She opened her mouth, allowing the familiar scents of her homeland to waft incense that reminded her of what life used to be like, of her mother and father, of the rich milk and her squirming siblings.
All these thoughts made a shiver run down her spine, of pleasure? Of longing? Of sadness? Perhaps a little bit of all three lingered in the she-cat’s intense blue gaze. She remembered, she remembered the day her parents died, the day she wailed like a lost and broken soul, but she had been, her paws had fled from the path of bloodshed, seemingly from all the paths, leaving her alone in a foggy world of numb depression. Finally it came to her, like an angel it appeared, carrying her future upon its back. Her paws had stumbled upon a new path, and found new light. The fog lifted and the numbness departed, leaving behind it a hole in her heart that could never be filled, but slowly, piece by piece, day by day, it subsided, leaving in its wake of desolation two paw prints, as our loved ones leave prints on our hearts. Every so often it opened up and ached like a beast awoken from slumber. It was those days she questioned her choices, her loyalties, her life. Yet with every morning, every sunrise, the dawn of every day, she felt her passion reawaken, and knew for sure she was meant to be here. Meant to serve these cats and provide for them in times of trial or need. She was meant to heal them, in body, mind, and spirit.
Her steady paws carried her on, back to camp to lend a helping paw where needed. Upon her arrival her sharp, strikingly blue eyes took everything in at once, and it wasn’t good. The cats all looked anxious, staring at a young apprentice. The adolescent's eyes were dull and every so often his stomach would heave and his small body would convulse with retching and choking. His eyes watered and he seemed so vulnerable, shaking, alone, and thin. A silver and white apprentice called out upon Embermist’s arrival.
“She’s here!” Embermist managed a thin smile to Rainpaw, the cat that had called out, before jumping head first into her work. A calming murmur was offered to the sick apprentice, but was met with yet another retch, convulsion, and bile. She needed to get him to her den, but how? She looked around pleadingly and a warrior heeded her call. A black female with striking amber eyes stepped up and gently lifted the young apprentice by the scruff of his neck.
“Thank you, Blackfur. Just place him in my den and I’ll see what I can do with him.” The apprentice looked like a small kit, just barely hanging onto life. The ginger tom was placed gently on a bed of ferns in the medicine cat’s den and she smiled gratefully. “Thank you again, Blackfur.” The dark cat nodded and smiled grimly before departing, leaving the young cat with the sick apprentice.
“Okay Firepaw, let’s see what we can do for you.” She licked his head gently, a calming motion, or maternal instincts? No matter was paid to the subject, this young cat may die.
First and foremost Embermist offered the young apprentice Juniper berries to calm his stomach and poppy seeds to help him relax. The young male, however, simply vomited it back up, leaving a foul smelling mess in the den. At that, he collapsed. Embermist was desperate now, a life was on the line. She brought strong smelling wild garlic to his sensitive nose and he reacted by awakening, and getting sick again. The sleek silver tabby had no doubt that if he didn’t eat, or at least drink, he wouldn’t make it through the night. Gently she ran her rough tongue down his head, and left to find water.
The once glaring sun had mellowed, allowing the clan a few brief hours of enjoyment, sunning their pelts or taking luxurious baths under the glowing evening disc. No cat, however, was sunning or grooming. Foxstar was nowhere to be seen, no doubt pacing her den and the rest of the cats fiddled anxiously. A tight smile was offered to cats who implored how the young apprentice was doing and they understood, nodding grimly before walking off to share the news. A large leaf was selected and dipped in the river, filling with water. She returned quickly to the den and saw Firepaw was slipping away. She hoisted up his head and pried open his jaws, tipping the leaf’s contents down his throat. He coughed and sputtered, but it stayed down for a while before his stomach rejected it. He sat there, looking miserable and no doubt feeling just the same. She gave a sympathetic pur before settling down beside him, comforting him when he was sick and even when he wasn’t.
By morning he could eat a little bit and keep it down but he was still vomiting and dizzy. She made trips to get water often, and soon she was as tired as Firepaw. She barely got to close her eyes, one moment Firepaw was sick and the next a cat was poking in their head to enquire about the young apprentice. Embermist kept her cool, but she was ready to scream from frustration. If another cat poked their head in she would give them something to ask about. She practically bristled at the thought of another cat asking how Firepaw was doing. She loved her fellow felines but they sure could get under her skin sometimes.
By day two Firepaw could eat small meals without getting sick, and drink about half his normal amount, but he really couldn’t walk or eat a lot. Embermist comforted him often, sharing tongues or giving him her dinner, causing the young female to go to bed hungry quite often now. The Juniper berries were now noticeably helping him, and he seemed brighter, stronger. Embermist, however, seemed to become weaker to the point where she had to rest during her daily trips to fetch water for the young apprentice.
Any inquiries would be brushed aside with ‘I’m fine’ or ‘It’ll pass.’ Soon enough the young medic found she could barely keep what little food she accumulated without feeling nauseous or dizzy, and sometimes it all came up leaving her hungry, sick, and tired. Firepaw just kept getting better and better, often times asking if he could continue his training with his mentor or go play with Rainpaw and Rockpaw, who often came to visit. On days like these Embermist would hover over the apprentices as a worried mother may hover over her kit, making sure Firepaw remained comfortable and to minimize contact, Firepaw’s mystery disease may spread.
As the sky was dyed a blood red from the setting sun Embermist felt the first flames of fear kindle in her heart. She hadn’t been able to keep any food down, had she caught Firepaw’s mystery disease?
The young apprentice had since returned to the apprentice’s den, he felt fine and could now eat as much as he wanted without getting too sick. But for the medicine cat to whom he owed his life? She was curled up in a ball trying to stop the pain that churned her stomach and discarded all the food she ate. The den was soured by the rank stench of vomit but she couldn’t seem to move, the cramps almost immobilized her. Every so often a horrible retch would wrench her small body forwards with her gaping maw positioned to the ground. It was during these moments that she simply wanted to die.
But no, she was kept alive and in severe pain, a pain she had never felt before. It was different from the hollow ache she’s experienced from the deaths of her sire and dam, as well as the one that had clutched her heart as a vice after the death of Redmoon, her love. Separate from the pain queens would tell of in the process of bringing new warriors into the world, although the young she-cat had never before felt it the gentle queen's described it well enough. A low hiss escaped from her maw as shivers racked her frail body and suddenly all she wanted to do was get away, so she did.
She staggered to her unsteady paws and made her way slowly out of the den, stumbling on roots and stones. After what seemed like half the cool night and what left her gasping in exhaustion finally slipped into view between the trees. A glimmer here, a gentle lapping there, the lake. She knew she was probably off Skyclan territory but so what? The mist that rose off the glittering surface of the lake caused a creepy atmosphere and had the silver tabby been in her right senses she would have felt something amiss, instead she simply collapsed beside the lake, the calling water so close and yet so far. Slowly a silver paw dipped into the cool water, then ran over the tabby’s head.
This action was repeated until the cat felt she could stand again. She rose on shaky legs and was about to take her leave when a cat appeared out of the mist.
“Embermist,” It began. “You must recover for you alone can stop the constant bloodshed of the forest. You alone.”
Then it was gone.
Written By: Polopony (#96942)
Finding Peace
“For Starclan’s sake, there has to be more goldenrod somewhere in this entire forest…..”
Embermist sighed as her sharp gaze scanned the forest floor for any signs of the precious golden blossoms, only to met with failure. Greenleaf had long gone, and leaf fall had come in its wake, painting the forest with fiery reds and oranges and yellows and shaking the leaves from the trees. Although it seemed like the first leaves had begun to fall only one moon ago, the silver tabby could feel the temperature getting colder and colder by the day. And so, the medicine cat had taken it upon herself to pluck every last herb that she could find before the first frost of leafbare killed what little was left. Today’s mission was goldenrod (her stores had plummeted after a nasty border skirmish with Riverclan had left no less than three Warriors covered from head to tail with claw marks), but it had already proved to be less than fruitful.
“Perhaps there will be some left by the Thunderclan border…..”
A loud screech cut the air, and Embermist’s fur bristled as she unsheathed her claws, eyes wide. Starclan, was there something dangerous nearby? Foxstar had begun suggesting that Embermist take a warrior escort into the forest to protect her while she gathered herbs, but the silver tabby had always dismissed her with a modest smile and a flick of her tail. Skyclan territory had been safe for moons; lately, all of its problems tended to come from over the border.
The medicine cat apprehensively breathed in the scents of the forest, alarmed to find the stench of blood on the wind. Her quest for goldenrod abandoned, Embermist carefully followed the scent, picking her way through the trees. There was no time to think about danger now; someone needed her help.
"Embermist!” The silver tabby gasped as a voice came from behind her, instantly dropping into a shaky battle stance with her claws out. She sighed as she realized that it was only Blackfur, but her eyes narrowed in concern when she noticed the dark she-cat was bleeding in several places.
“Blackfur, you’re hurt…..,” Embermist murmured, but the other she-cat shook her head, eyes wide.
“It’s not me you need to worry about….It’s Foxstar!” Panic laced Blackfur’s voice as she spoke, and Embermist felt her stomach plummet at her words. It was well-known that Skyclan’s leader wasn’t as strong as she had once been. “She…..Oh, Starclan, just follow me!”
The black she-cat didn’t wait for Embermist’s reply, instantly turning to sprint in the other direction. Adrenaline surging through her veins, the silver tabby wasted no time in following her, just barely being able to keep up with the warrior as she weaved her way through the forest. When she finally stopped, Embermist was panting with exhaustion, but her fatigue was forgotten as she laid eyes on the scene before her.
The stench of blood was much stronger now, almost nauseating. Longclaw was pacing back and forth, fur missing in several places and blood matting the fur on his shoulder. Nettlewhisker was crouched over Foxstar’s slumped figure, the fur on his back torn to shreds and his paws covered in blood. He looked up as Embermist approached, amber eyes burning into the silver tabby, and she swallowed nervously as she gazed down to look at her fallen leader. The leader was barely breathing, eyes blank as she bled from a gaping wound on the back of her head, the surrounding fur a much darker shade of red than the rest of her pelt.
“Move, Nettlewhisker,” the medicine cat ordered brusquely, and the tortoiseshell tom looked almost as if he were about to argue, before dipping his head in acknowledgement and stepping aside. Embermist took his place, gingerly reaching out a delicate paw to touch Foxstar’s wound. The other she-cat didn’t react, her body every bit as lifeless as before.
The silver tabby had had a terrible nagging feeling when she had first glimpsed Foxstar’s limp body, but there wasn’t a doubt in her mind now. She stepped back and bowed her head, feeling the gaze of her clanmates boring into her.
“Why aren’t you doing anything?” Nettlewhisker hissed, almost as if in accusation, and Embermist lifted her own gaze to meet his.
“There is nothing to be done,” the medicine cat responded, voice gentle yet firm. “She is losing a life.”
The silence hanging over the five cats thickened as Embermist uttered those words. Blackfur was staring at her in disbelief, Longclaw in fear, and Nettlewhisker in anger, yet no one dared to disturb the silence.
Several moments had passed when Longclaw ventured a reluctant question. “Is….is this her last life?” he whispered, voice shaking as he met Embermist’s gaze with his own. The scent of blood was beginning to give way to a stronger scent: fear. She could feel the gaze of her clanmates as if they were thorns piercing her.
Embermist shook her head. There was almost a collective sigh of relief, but the silver tabby could still feel Nettlewhisker’s gaze burning into her. The tom opened his mouth, but Embermist cut him off with a flick of her ear.
“What happened exactly?” she murmured, her sharp gaze sweeping over the assembled warriors. With leafbare fast approaching, now wasn’t the time to be taking risks.
It was Longclaw who answered. “We met a Riverclan patrol swimming in the river…..They weren’t on our territory exactly, but they were close! Those fishfaces started saying awful things, Embermist!” The silver tabby could see an evident guilt swimming in his eyes as he glanced back to look at Foxstar, who had stopped breathing altogether, but his voice was proud and confident as he spoke. “Something inside her snapped,” he breathed, gesturing to their fallen leader with his tail. “She just charged at them, and, well, we couldn’t just leave her to fend for herself against four Riverclan warriors. They leapt out to meet us too…..wouldn’t be surprised if they were waiting for patrol to attack,” the brown tom spat, his long claws digging into the earth. “I didn’t see, but one of them pushed Foxstar awfully hard into the stones by the river, and….she hit her head the wrong way, I guess. Nettlewhisker had to drag her all the way here, and-”
A cough shook Foxstar’s body, and the other four cats whipped their heads to face her. Their leader had begun to open “I….shouldn’t have attacked them….,” she murmured, another cough racking her body. The red she-cat grunted as Embermist examined her wound again, satisfied to see that it was no longer bleeding and had clotted over.
“Foxstar, you just need to rest for now. You don’t need to speak…..,” the medicine cat murmured soothingly, but Foxstar gently swatted her away.
“I’m not dead yet. I will speak,” she croaked, evidently still weak. “There was no need for so much bloodshed today….”
“They insulted Redmoon!” Nettlewhisker yowled in anger, eliciting murmurs of agreement from his fellow warriors. “They gloated that he was a mouse-brained fool who didn’t know what he was dying for,” he spat, gaze burning brighter than any fire. “He-”
Foxstar rose to her paws, flicking her tail to silence him. “It was a mouse-hearted attempt at provoking us, Nettlewhisker. We all know there was no shred of truth to those words, and we shouldn’t have been so easily baited,” the Skyclan leader murmured, eyes flickering with pain as she recalled her former deputy’s valiant death a few moons before. Embermist’s own heart squeezed, as if pierced by a thorn. “I should have been better.”
Nettlewhisker snorted. “Nonsense.” The tom proudly puffed out his chest, towering over his leader. “We were defending our honor. Riverclan can’t walk all over us, and we showed them that today!” Blackfur and Longclaw nodded at his words, eyes shining with the glory of their previous battle.
Foxstar narrowed her eyes, head held high. “You are a strong warrior, and an even better deputy, Nettlewhisker….But it would do you well to remember to keep that pride of yours in check. It’s something I forgot today….and look what good that did.” Without waiting for a reply, she began to stagger forward, Blackfur and Longclaw quickly rushing to support her on either side, but Nettlewhisker remained eyes wide with shock.
“She’s right.” Nettlewhisker whipped around to face Embermist as she spoke, but her words held no malice. “Today’s battle could have been avoided, and she suffered greatly…..”
The tom’s blinked as his anger began to fade to be replaced with curiosity, gaze burning with an unspoken question. “How many?” he demanded, voice shaking ever so slightly.
Embermist met his eyes as she uttered her answer, blue gaze unwavering. “One.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________
“Embermist!”
Embermist blinked in surprise as she heard Foxstar calling her name. The Skyclan leader had recovered well since the afternoon incident, but she still was a bit shaky on her paws as she strode over to the silver tabby, head held high. The passing seasons had left her with numerous gray hairs and eyes that began to lose their shine, but she was still as stubborn as ever.
“You are going to Moonstone tonight, yes? To share tongues with Starclan?” Foxstar prompted crisply.
The medicine cat nodded, blue eyes shining with concern. “Are you all right, Foxstar?” she mewed gently, trying to gauge her leader for any injuries she might have missed. “If you feel unwell, I do not have to attend tonight…..”
Foxstar shook her head, but her eyes shone with determination as she spoke her next words. “I would feel more comfortable if you took Nettlewhisker with you.”
The silver tabby blinked in shock. “With all due respect, Foxstar, medicine cats have made the journey to Moonstone for moons in peace…...I see no need for Skyclan the deputy to accompany me.”
“Yes, but never have tensions been so high with Riverclan before,” the she-cat rasped stubbornly. “You are our only medicine cat, Embermist. The clan would be lost without you, especially in times of as much violence as these. Riverclan knows that, and I wouldn’t put anything beneath them at this point,” she spat, hatred lacing her words. It was clear that despite her words earlier, the Skyclan leader was still filled with a bitter anger over today’s battle.
“Foxstar…..Not even Riverclan would attack a medicine cat during on this day of the moon.” Embermist flicked her ear as she turned her gaze to the sky, fixating on the perfect half-moon that hung in the sky, glowing bright among the stars. “They would not feel the same about the Skyclan deputy, however, and neither would the other clans. Please….” The medicine cat turned her eyes back to Foxstar, desperate for understanding.
At last, Foxstar sighed and dipped her head in acknowledgement. “Very well, Embermist. But I insist that Nettlewhisker accompany you at least to the Thunderclan border.” The look of determination in the red she-cat’s eyes made it clear that there would be no negotiation on her last point.
Embermist smiled politely before dipping her head. “Very well.” In reality, while she was relieved the Skyclan leader had changed her mind on taking such drastic measures, the silver tabby was less than thrilled to have Nettlewhisker of all cats accompany her. The two had never seen eye to eye, but after Redmoon’s death, the rift between them had grown. The tortoiseshell tom’s bloodthirst didn’t mesh well with the ideals of a cat who had sworn her life to healing and not hurting.
Foxstar flashed a smile of her own before waving over Nettlewhisker, who had just finished conversing with Thrushwing. The tom bounded over, eyes narrowing in displeasure as his leader gave him his assignment, but he nodded in acceptance anyway. Satisfied, Foxstar turned to pad to her own den, leaving the two cats alone.
Not wasting any words, Embermist flicked her ear in acknowledgement as she began to pad towards the forest, hearing Nettlewhisker’s heavier pawsteps behind her. While the pair walked in silence, a thick tension hung over them, and the silver tabby felt her fur involuntarily bristling in reaction to being so close to the tom alone.
It was Nettlewhisker who spoke first, but his words weren’t overwhelmingly friendly. “You understand why we attacked, don’t you?” he murmured, voice proud. “You were closer to Redmoon than any of us, save maybe Foxstar herself.”
“I know Redmoon wouldn’t have appreciated senseless violence,” she snapped a bit more forcefully than she had meant. Flattening her ears, she continued to speak. “Foxstar lost a life today.”
“I’m well aware of that,” he growled softly. “But we cannot let Riverclan believe we are weak. We must that Skyclan is strong.”
Embermist snorted, rolling her eyes. “Your wounded pride isn’t worth losing a life over.”
Nettlewhisker seemed as if he were about to say something much nastier than before, but he thought better of it and snapped his jaw shut, eyes glinting with anger. Embermist simply held her head higher in response, in a much worse mood than she had been been previously. The silence that had hung over them before returned, much thicker and much more suffocating.
The silver tabby breathed in relief as they reached the border, dismissing Nettlewhisker with a flick of her tail. “Thank you,” she murmured coldly, and the tom nodded stiffly before swiftly turning back towards their camp, his tail soon disappearing in the trees.
Embermist made the rest of the journey in silence, her paw pads aching as if she had been walking for moons by the time she reached High Stones. She had made the trek countless times before, but she had never quite managed to get used to walking the distance in such a short time. The other four medicine cats were assembled by the time she arrived, tails flicking impatiently. Even though Skyclan had the farthest to trek, tardiness was still frowned upon. The Skyclan medicine cat dipped her head in apology, and they all wordlessly turned to enter Mothermouth; Embermist could feel Troutleap’s gaze boring into her. While the two medicine cats had managed to not let their clan rivalries affect them as much as their clanmates, the growing tensions between their respective clans still had a painful influence on their relationship.
The Moonstone was immediately visible as the medicine cats entered Mothermouth, brilliantly illuminated by moonlight. Embermist had laid eyes on it numerous times, but her breath still caught in her throat in awe every time she gazed upon it; the Moonstone had a humbling quality that profoundly affected anyone who stood in its presence, even the mightiest warriors. She padded gently up to the Moonstone which bathed her in soft light, closing her eyes and letting her nose touch the cold stone.
Seconds later, Embermist opened her eyes, breathing in the fresh air of Starclan’s forests. Everything from the towering trees to the tiniest blade of grass was imbued with a brilliant starlight that seemed to illuminate even the atmosphere itself. She felt an inescapable aura of good fill her soul, her heart becoming light as she lifted her gaze to the sky….
“Aren’t you going to say hello?”
The silver tabby whipped around in shock, her surprise fading into elation as she saw the cat who had come to greet her tonight. It was Redmoon, and he looked grander than he ever did in life. His starlit eyes shone with the warmth of the sun itself, every muscle smoothly outlined underneath his russet fur, newly woven with stars. Embermist had seen a pawful of Starclan cats before, but none ever looked so majestic as Redmoon, standing proud as if he were the leader of Starclan itself. Before she had even realized what she was doing, her paws were flying over the starry grass as she barreled into the tom, eliciting a sharp breath as he was knocked back.
“Don’t kill me a second time over now,” he murmured softly, amber eyes shining mischievously. Embermist laughed happily, her own blue eyes overflowing with happiness.
“Oh, Starclan, I haven’t seen you in so long….” the medicine cat breathed as she took in his familiar scent, joy filling every fiber of her being.
“I’ve been watching over the clan, but I’ve especially been watching you.” He purred, brushing her thick tail along her flank. “You’ve been a great medicine cat, Embermist. Skyclan is lucky to have you.”
Embermist felt her cheeks grow warm under her pelt, but she responded with a purr of her own, closing her eyes blissfully. When she opened them again, she noticed that while still warm, Redmoon’s expression had become more serious. The medicine cat did the same, her gaze now shining with worry.
“Have you come to warn me about something? Or give me a prophecy?” Redmoon didn’t respond, and Embermist sucked in a sharp breath, closing her eyes. “Is Skyclan in danger?”
Redmoon shook his head, smiling gently. “I have no ominous news to bear tonight, thank Starclan. But…..I do have a message.” Embermist’s face contorted in confusion, but the tom paid her no heed. “Not from Starclan….but from me.”
“Oh.” The silver breathed a small sigh of relief, but confusion was still swimming in her eyes. “What is it, then?”
“It’s about Nettlewhisker.” Embermist felt her fur bristle at the mention of the name, but she forced it to calm down as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“What about him?” she asked coldly, with a flick of her ear.
“He tries, Embermist. He does.” Embermist lifted her gaze to meet Redmoon’s, all warmth from his amber eyes having faded. “His heart burns with an admirable passion to protect Skyclan and to lead well….you need to stop holding him accountable for what happened to me and give him a chance.”
The medicine cat snorted, remembering her earlier conversation with the Skyclan deputy. “He holds too much pride in his heart and will leap into battle at any opportunity! Nearly every patrol he leads comes staggering into my den, covered in all sorts of nasty battle wounds. Do you know that?” she breathed. Redmoon opened his mouth, but she didn’t give him a chance to speak. “So much Skyclan blood has been shed since he’s become deputy.”
Redmoon sighed, almost in disappointment. “These are desperate times, Embermist,” he murmured gently, as if he were talking to an unruly kit. The silver tabby narrowed her eyes as he continued. “Tensions have been high during his time as deputy, more so than mine. Of course there will be more bloodshed…..We have different philosophies, he and I, but he would give his dying breath for Skyclan….as I did,” he murmured, blinking bashfully. “He will be leader soon, after all.” The tom beckoned to a figure behind Embermist with his tail, and the silver tabby gasped in horror.
It was Foxstar, but the she-cat stood with stars in her pelt and starlight in her eyes. Embermist gave a choked cry, whipping her head back to face Redmoon.
“No,” he mewed, voice firm as the tom shook his head. “Look closely, Embermist.”
Embermist narrowed her eyes, looking at the other she-cat, and she realized that something felt….off. The Skyclan leader stared blankly ahead, appearing to be a mere shell of a body, and her starry figure flickered as if it were a reflection shimmering on the surface of a lake. If she squinted, the medicine cat could even see the outline of the starry trees through Foxstar’s body.
“She is not with us yet….but she is on her last life, as I think you know.”
Embermist nodded, swallowing dryly. Even though Foxstar wasn’t dead yet, seeing her spirit had shaken the silver tabby to her very core. Redmoon brushed his tail against her, licking her head as if she were a troubled kit who needed comforting.
“You should have been leader,” she whispered, voice cracking. The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them, like a river flooding, and she immediately felt guilt rack her body. Starclan, when had she become so petty?
But Redmoon didn’t seem surprised. “I know,” he murmured softly, stroking her pelt with his tail. “Nettlewhisker isn’t me, Embermist. And he never will be. I’m not saying he’s perfect, but neither am I.” Embermist felt her heart skip a beat as she realized Redmoon was fading into the night, the stars in his pelt becoming one with the forest. Could it really be morning already? “But no matter who he is, a leader needs to be able to trust his medicine cat.” The silver tabby felt his warm breathe her face as he uttered those last words, before leaving her alone in Starclan’s hunting grounds. She held onto his scent even as she found herself pressed against the Moonstone, the stone glowing coldly in the milky dawn light.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
“Starclan, help me,” Embermist muttered, gazing from afar at the tortoiseshell tom which had been the source of so much strife for her. Nettlewhisker was perched upon upon a rock, organizing the day’s patrols with nothing more than a few words and flicks of his tail, but anxiety was coursing through her veins as she thought about what she had to say to him.
“You’re his medicine cat, so he has to listen to you, Embermist.” Her words were half-hearted, a meek attempt at raising her spirits. She flattened her ears as she noticed the warriors clustered around him begin to move away to attend to their duties.
“Now or never,” she whispered reluctantly. Puffing her chest out and flattening her fur, she strode from the comfort of her den into the clearing, head held high as she made a beeline straight for the Skyclan deputy. Nettlewhisker’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as he noticed her approach, but to his credit, the tom didn’t attempt to leave. He simply straightened his own posture, muscles rippling beneath his pelt as he strode over to meet her.
“Is there a problem, Embermist?” His words were frostier than leafbare, and Embermist flinched slightly. She wondered if she ever acted so coldly towards him.
“No, I suppose there isn’t,” Embermist replied, choosing her words carefully. She kept her voice even and her muscles relaxed as she beckoned invitingly with her tail to the forest. “I was hoping that I could speak to you. Privately, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Nettlewhisker’s gaze bored into her as he tried to gauge the seriousness of her request, before sighing and licking his paw. “I’m due to patrol at sunhigh….”
“It won’t take that long,” the silver tabby reassured him quickly. The tortoiseshell tom sighed again in response before nodding stiffly in acknowledgement, swiveling his ears to face forward. “Lead the way, then.”
Embermist smiled in gratitude, eyes glowing as she waved her tail and began to walk towards the cover of the towering trees. The Skyclan deputy followed behind, his hostility having faded and been replaced by an evident curiosity. When the duo was a sufficient distance from the camp and out of the earshot of any other cat, the Skyclan medicine cat took a deep breath.
“I asked you to come here because I wanted to apologize,” she murmured, casting her gaze to the earthy ground as embarrassment washed over her. Nettlewhisker’s face contorted in confusion as he cocked his head.
“For last night?” he mewed, furrowing his brow. “You don’t need to apologize for-”
Embermist flicked her tail, cutting him off. “No….for the way I’ve treated you since….well….Redmoon,” she admitted quietly, eyes shining with regret as she remembered her meeting with the former Skyclan deputy last night.
The tortoiseshell tom dipped his head, but he didn’t speak. Embermist took this as a cue to continue speaking. “I’ve been unfair to you. You aren’t Redmoon.” Nettlewhisker stiffened at these words, but the silver tabby’s voice was gentle rather than accusatory. “I’ve been holding that against you, I think. You….have a different perspective on how to lead than he did, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A leader should be able to trust his medicine cat, after all,” she added, remembering Redmoon’s parting words.
Nettlewhisker stared at her as if she had grown another head, before purring quietly as he nodded, eyes glowing. There was still a slight suspicion swimming in their amber depths, but he seemed….happy. “I accept your apology, Embermist. But I think I have one of my own to make….”
But the tom didn’t get to finish his sentence. Right at that moment, a fox leapt from the trees, snarling through yellowed teeth. Its amber eyes shone with hunger and greed, threads of drool hanging from its open jaws. The fox turned its crazed gaze to Embermist, who stared back through wide blue eyes, and it howled as it leapt straight for her, teeth glinting in the sunlight and claws outstretched. She willed her muscles to do her bidding, to move, but she remained frozen in fear, time seeming to beat in tandem with her heart as her enemy drew closer and closer. Breathing shakily, she squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to be ripped to shreds, but then a battle cry shook the forest as Nettlewhisker barreled into the fox which gave a sharp yip as it was brutally knocked to the side.
“Run!” he growled, his claws shining red with fresh blood as he crouched to face the fox, which had recovered from his earlier attack. And like a coward, Embermist ran, darting from the fox as if she were a rabbit being chased by a hunter. When had she become such a mouse-heart? Chest burning with every breath, she willed her paws to run faster, and within moments, she shot through the trees into the heart of the Skyclan camp, panting like a Twoleg’s dog.
“Embermist?” Rabbittail mewed questioningly, her eyes shining in worry. Cats began to gather around her, mewing in concern as they gazed at their medicine cat, who looked as if she were about to collapse. She couldn’t collapse now; Nettlewhisker needed help!
“Nettlewhisker….fox…..,” she spluttered into between gasping breaths, her blue eyes darting from cat to cat as she pleaded for understanding. It was Foxstar who stepped forward, and her eyes shone with horror as she realized what the Skyclan medicine cat was saying.
“Willowheart, Nutnose, and Reedtail, come with me!” she yowled, nodding at Embermist to lead the way. Bunching her muscles, the silver tabby gathered her last remnants of energy, sprinting through the trees as fast as she had come. She could scarcely hear the pounding of pawsteps behind her over her own wild heartbeat as she repeated one desperate thought.
Please don’t be too late. Please don’t be too late. Please don’t be too late…..
The stench of fox was almost suffocating now, but it was mixed with an even stronger scent of coppery blood. Embermist’s stomach plummeted as she broke through the trees to where she had left Nettlewhisker.
The tom’s bloodied body was crumpled against a tree, his chest rising and falling weakly as the fox towered over him, muzzle stained with blood as its eyes shone triumphantly. It raised a bloodstained paw in the air, but Foxstar screeched with fury and powerfully leapt onto its back, her battle cry echoed by the other warriors which had come. Embermist could hear the fox howl in pain as it staggered away from Nettlewhisker’s battered body, and the Skyclan medicine cat dashed over, her heart beating even faster than it had when she had been running. For one terrible moment, she saw not an tortoiseshell tom but a smaller russet-furred one, blood soaking his fur as he lay unmoving…..
She blinked, and she was back in the Skyclan forest, heart fluttering as Nettlewhisker coughed, blood tainting his lips as he groaned. Embermist reached out a delicate paw to touch his face, which contorted with pain, and her heart felt as if it was being pierced by thorns.
“Nettlewhisker…..Oh, Starclan, don’t take him yet!” Embermist cried, eyes overflowing with guilt as she looked down at his beaten body. The wounds from his earlier battle with Riverclan had reopened, but several fresh ones also lined his pelt. Why had she thought bringing him out here was a good idea?
Yowls of triumph disturbed her thoughts, and Embermist turned to glance behind her. The fox had tucked its tail between its legs, yipping in pain, and was running as fast as its paws could carry it from her clanmates, whose eyes were shining with the glory of a newly won battle. None had managed to escape the battle unscathed, but their injuries greatly paled to Nettlewhisker’s.
Foxstar was the first to come bounding over, eyes shining with an unspoken question.
Will he live?
Embermist swallowed, her gaze sweeping over the Skyclan’s deputy’s battered body. He had stopped moving, but he still drew breath, albeit weakly.
“I….I think I can save him.” She was surprised at her own confidence, but she continued, somehow managing to keep her voice from shaking. “But we need to get him into my den.”
Foxstar nodded, slipping under her deputy’s body to support it. The Skyclan leader grunted with the effort, and Nutnose quickly wriggled underneath to help her support Nettlewhisker’s weight. The procession of cats walked back to Skyclan’s camp in silence, their victory forgotten in favor of Nettlewhisker’s grave condition. The atmosphere was solemn as Embermist strode back into the camp clearing, followed by the newly injured Reedtail and Willowheart, and finally came Foxstar and Nutnose supporting their deputy’s bloodied body. There were audible gasps and wails as cats caught sight of Nettlewhisker, and out of the corner of her ear, Embermist could see Lillysong shielding her kits from the terrible sight, her own eyes shining in horror.
The silver tabby forced herself to ignore the stares as she entered her den, Nettlewhisker already having been laid on a bed of green moss. Nutnose and Foxstar remained, eyes darting from Nettlewhisker’s fallen figure to Embermist to Nettlewhisker again.
“Leave,” Embermist order brusquely. “I need room to work.”
Nutnose reluctantly dipped his head and obeyed, but Foxstar shook her head.
“I want to help,” she croaked, wearing an expression so exhausted it look as if she hadn’t slept in moons. “I lost one deputy, and Starclan help me, I will not lose another.”
Embermist nodded, knowing better than to argue with the Skyclan leader when her mind was so clearly made up. “Fine,” the silver tabby murmured, quickly gathering her bundle of cobweb. “Bring me goldenrod.”
The medicine cat quickly unwrapped the beech leaf which held her store of cobwebs, relieved to see that there was still an abundant supply. She bent down and gently but quickly began to lick the blood from Nettlewhisker’s wounds, her nose wrinkling at the coppery taste of blood mixed with an unmistakable stench of fox. Not letting it phase her, she continued to clean his wounds, relieved to see that the blood flow was slowing slightly.
Foxstar had returned with the herbs Embermist had asked for, depositing the bundles beside her carefully. “You can start applying cobwebs,” the medicine cat murmured, satisfied with how she had cleaned the wounds. “Here.” She reached out a paw and gently grabbed a swath of cobwebs, before pressing it into one of the wounds covering Nettlewhisker’s pelt. “Like this.”
The Skyclan leader nodded, and began to do as Embermist had requested, almost looking scared that she was going to accidentally hurt her deputy. While Foxstar handled the cobwebs, the Skyclan medicine cat quickly unwrapped the bundle of goldenrod, stomach sinking as she realized that only a few golden flowers remained; she had never gone back into the forest in search for more after Foxstar had lost her eighth life. Sucking in a breath, she bent down and began to chew what she did have into a poultice, before spitting it into a wound along his flank that already had been covered in cobwebs.
Foxstar glanced up, seeming to sense something was wrong. “I need more goldenrod,” Embermist admitted, meeting her leader’s gaze. “I’m sorry to ask, but if you perhaps could send out a patrol to find some….”
The other she-cat nodded. “Of course,” she replied fiercely with a flick of her tail. She then exited the den, leaving Embermist by herself. But there was still much more to do if Nettlewhisker was going to live to see another sunrise.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
“Starclan….if you can hear me….give me your strength. I can’t save his life alone.”
Embermist was crouched over Nettlewhisker’s weakening body, head bowed in prayer as she murmured those words. Her usually bright eyes were bleary with exhaustion, not having rested even a heartbeat since the Skyclan deputy had been attacked. The patrol Foxstar had sent out had returned unsuccessful, eyes shining with guilt as they gazed at their deputy’s crumpled body.
“I’m sorry,” Crowfur had said quietly, tail drooping. “We scoured the entire forest, but we couldn’t find any.”
Embermist had thanked them and sent them on her way; it wasn’t their fault. She herself had looked for hours, to be met with nothing. But despite her best efforts, Nettlewhisker’s breaths grew fewer and shallower. She had fought so hard, but her collection of herbs and her nimble paws could only carry her so far. Sometimes, she caught herself thinking a terrible thought.
Would he be dying if I just had some goldenrod?
It wasn’t a thought she could allow herself to think if she wanted her sanity to remain intact. Instead, the silver tabby remembered the words her mentor had spoken over and over again before she had passed.
“Faith is as much a part of healing as anything else.”
So now, she turned her gaze to the stars and filled her heart with a prayer to everything and nothing at the same time. It was a prayer as much to the stars in the sky as it was to the trees in the forest, the water that flowed in the river, the grass that grew in the plains…..She sent out a silent prayer to the world, hoping that somewhere, something would heed her call.
A familiar scent washed over her, and Embermist’s eyes popped open in shock. It couldn’t be…..Redmoon? Her gaze darted wildly around her den, but the scent had already faded from the air. Was she beginning to hallucinate now?
Just before she returned to her vigil, she stopped, her eye catching something shining in the moonlight. There, at the entrance of her den, bathed in the moon’s soft light was a bundle of goldenrod. The medicine cat blinked, almost expecting it to be gone when she opened her eyes again, but it was still there, just as she had first seen it. She padded over quietly, gingerly extending a paw to touch it, the golden flowers solid under her touch. Closing her eyes, she breathed in its sweet scent, letting it wash over her.
“Thank you,” she whispered, turning her gaze to the stars which shone bright in the night sky. Which one was Redmoon’s, she wondered? Picking up the bundle with her jaws, she returned to Nettlewhisker’s side, quickly transforming the delicate blossoms into a fragrant poultice, slathering it on the wounds she had not been able to treat earlier. He didn’t stir as she did so, and perhaps she really was hallucinating, but she thought that his breaths seemed to be a little stronger.
With a magnificent yawn, Embermist finally allowed herself to rest, laying down beside her patient and closing her eyes. She fell into a deep slumber immediately, the scent of blood haunting her dreams.
It was nearly highnoon the following day when Nettlewhisker stirred, his whiskers twitching as he grunted. Embermist was up immediately, eyes wide as she scrambled to his side.
“Are you in pain? Do you want poppy seeds?” she mewed frantically, rushing over to her stores to grab a bundle of small, dark seeds.
Nettlewhisker smiled weakly, cracking open his eyes as he tested his voice. “I’m fine, Embermist.”
The silver tabby felt like laughing and crying at the same time. The wounds he had sustained one sunrise ago were still raw, but they had healed almost too well. A medicine cat could never be too optimistic, but somehow, she knew Starclan didn’t plan to claim him anytime soon.
“I didn’t get to finish telling you what I wanted to earlier,” he confessed, eyes glowing. “Truthfully, I haven’t been fair to you either. Your ideals are very far from mine, and I haven’t been treating you with the respect you deserve.” His cheeks grew warm as he bashfully turned his gaze to his paws, examining his claws almost nervously. “But that ends now, I promise. I don’t think I’ll ever be as close to you as Redmoon was….But I’m starting really to trust you, Embermist. I’m glad to have you as my medicine cat.”
Embermist’s eyes glowed with pride as she purred quietly, dipping her head in acknowledgement. “I accept your apology. Nettlewhisker,” she replied with a smile, and Nettlewhisker snorted, but he still flashed a smile of his own.
Somewhere, a russet-furred tom stood watching from the shade of the trees, his pelt shining with the brilliance of the brightest star. His eyes glowed warmly as he gazed at the Skyclan camp bustling with life; warriors milled about, elders shared tongues in the warmth of the highnoon sun, and kits squealed as they played under the watchful eye of their mother. He focused in particular on one silver tabby, her serene blue eyes lit by laughter, before cracking a soft smile of his own. Still smiling, he faded slowly into the forest breeze, leaving the Skyclan forest as tranquil as before.
Written by: Lumina (#17720)
One who speaks with Starclan
Head pounding with the pain of a brutal headache and exhaustion, Embermist's eyes were squinted as she padded into her den. She briefly glanced backwards, watching as the clan's leader, Foxstar, hoped into her den. Neetlewhisker was close behind her, the two, seemingly aggressively, whispering back and forth. Once the red-furred she-cat disappeared into her den, the orange tortoiseshell tom let out a sigh, and wandered back into the warriors den.
The medicine cat knew why the clan was on edge. Though the clans were on alright terms as of now, and SkyClan wasn't currently at war with anyone, RiverClan still had to make it a point to be fox-hearted mouse-brains. Not only that, the other clans would not for the life of her shut up about things that, honestly, didn't even seem to matter. Now, usually Embermist was a calm, responsible cat that could handle gatherings just fine, but the soft-spoken she-cat's headache told her otherwise. The gathering must've made it at least 10 times worse.
Flopping into her nest, she wrapped herself into a tight ball. Her sleeps had been a bit uneasy for the past few moons. Though she had talked to StarClan somewhat recently, she couldn't shake the feeling that the tension would drive somecat to make a dumb decision, something that she wouldn't be able to fix. She'd seen examples of the same thing leading to deaths earlier in the past moons. The she-cat's body shook, as she tried forget. The night itself, despite the scary thoughts, was rather tranquil. Rolling onto her back, she stared at the stars from outside her den. Slowing her breathing, Embermist closed her eyes after a while. Sleep didn't seem to want to come easy tonight, though, so she resorted to counting herbs until she eventually fell asleep.
In the morning, she could hear the chatter of her clanmates. She lifted herself off her nest, surprised as she looked out. Past sunrise already? She could hear Nettlewhisker's loud voice addressing his clanmates as they came and gone. Busy day today, she noticed.
Lillysong padding into her den quickly caught her attention. Reading her expression, the queen seemed slightly concerned, but not alarmed. "Embermist? Are you busy?" She asked.
The silver tabby she-cat shook her head. "No, what is it?"
"The kits were playing in the elder's den, and as I went to go get them, I overheard Leafcloud complaining about her paw. I doubt it's anything serious, but I just thought I'd let you know just in case."
Embermist nodded, scanning the camp. All the apprentices were out of camp. "Alright, thanks for letting me know. I can't see any apprentices, so do you think you could find me some moss instead? I should probably get the elder's some food and water anyways, since I'm going to check on them, but it'd make things go faster if you have nothing else to do."
"Hm, alright." The queen nodded. "I'll leave them beside your den."
"Thanks!" Embermist quickly trotted across camp, heading into the elder's den. On the way there, her and Nettlewhisker briefly had eye contact. The two nodded politely to each other, before moving on. She was on much better terms with Nettlewhisker, but the quiet she-cat never really did connect well with the loud deputy, and probably, soon, leader. This thought alone put her on edge, not so much Nettlewhisker being leader, but Foxstar dying. She knew the leader only had one life left, and, judging by how last night's gathering went, it was a life that wouldn't be there for long. The medicine cat could still remember seeing her leader's spirit in StarClan, not a full cat, but so close. It was her spirit, but not all of it, making the spirit look a bit dull and blank, but not transparent or fading away like some other spirits. Briefly, Embermist wondered if, when Foxstar lost her final life, would she shine as brilliantly as she'd seen Redmoon in her dream? Surely she'd look better than the seemingly lifeless spirit she'd seen, right? The thought made her trip over her own paws, making her land face-first at the entrance of the elder's den, causing a snort of laughter from Spiderleap.
"Graceful as always, Embermist."
Embermist let out a sigh, and stood back up. Braveheart was sleeping like a log, Spiderleap was watching her, amused, and Leafcloud was watching curiously, her normal forepaw clawing at the ground, the mangled one still aside from the occasional twitch. The young medicine cat didn't recall when Leafcloud's paw became mangled, it was for as long as she could remember. Must've happened when she was either a kit or sometime a bit before. She'd remembered the elders telling her the story moons ago, but she couldn't really remember exactly how it happened. She never really had the greatest of memories in the forest, but oh well.
"Hello!" Embermist greeted, waving her tail. Despite her fears, she didn't want the elders worrying over something they couldn't fix, so she acted normal, or at least tried her best too. "Everything alright, here?"
"Everything's f-" Leafcloud began, but was promptly interrupted by Spiderleap.
"Everything's not fine! Those kits were crawling all over your paw!" In response, the beautiful she-cat instinctively tried to hide her paw under her fur.
"It's nothing, really." Leafcloud began. "It wasn't their fault, anyway."
Braveheart shifted, letting out a loud yawn, his body shaking a bit as he did so. He then continued to sleep, though by now, both the other elders were looking at him, looking somewhat guilty for nearly waking him up. They continued to talk in a more hushed voice.
"Well, whether her paw is actually hurting or not, which it clearly is," Spiderleap stopped to give Leafcloud a firm look, "We're dying of starvation here." She rolled over casually, bumping into Leafcloud.
"Can you be any more obnoxious today, Spiderleap?" Leafcloud laughed, using her good forepaw to push her back to her original spot.
Embermist sat down, talking quietly to avoid waking the oldest member of the clan. "I'll get you food and water in a minute." She flicked an ear, then turned towards the youngest of the group, not including herself, Leafcloud. "Does your paw hurt?" She asked, gently pressing on it.
"Not much, no."
Embermist quickly checked for signs of infection. There didn't seem to be any. "It's likely just a small cut, it doesn't seem to be infected or anything."
"Told ya." Leafcloud sent a proud glance over at Spiderleap, who just rolled her eyes.
"The wound isn't bleeding, so cobweb doesn't seem necessary. I can get-"
Leafcloud shook her head. "It's not even bleeding, so you don't need to get anything. Except some food." Leafcloud assured her, smiling. Embermist smiled back, then wandered out of the den, quietly calling back that she'd go get them food and water. Padding over to her den, she could overhear a patrol that just came back, complaining about a border skirmish. As Embermist past, she heard someone say something about poisoning the other clan with berries. The medicine cat froze in her tracks, turning to the apprentices. The three of them glanced at her, then went back to talking like nothing had happened. Had she imagined it? Perking her ears, she tried to listen to their conversation from afar, but it was just simple talk about the border patrol and how annoying the other clans were, and somewhat rude but harmless apprentice talk. Embermist shook her head, debating whether or not she should ask them about it. They must've been joking, or she simply heard wrong. Glancing back at the elder's den, she decided to focus on the task at paw.
Finding the moss where the queen said she'd leave it, Embermist took it, and gently ripped it into three pieces. After this, she placed two of them in a pool of water; she'd soak the last one later, when Braveheart was actually awake to drink it. Taking the soaked moss to the elder's den, she placed them in front of them. "I'll go get you food, here's some water to go with it."
"We're old, not crippled, we can get our own water!" Spiderleap exclaimed, but drank the water anyways. Leafcloud rolled her eyes, but was smiling. The silver tabby quietly padded out of the den, deciding that not responding would be best. Grabbing a mouse and thrush, the was about to walk back to the elder's den when she noticed that the three apprentices, again, were not in camp. It struck her as odd, as she could see their mentors still in camp. Maybe Foxstar had wanted to see their skills? But why not invite their mentors? The medicine cat made a mental note to ask Nettlewhisker about it later. Wandering into the den, Braveheart rolled over and opened his eyes.
"Oh, you're awake!" Embermist murmured through the prey as she placed it down.
"'Course the smell of fresh-kill would wake you up." Leafcloud commented, causing the two she-cats to laugh. Even the elderly tom smiled a little bit at it. The medicine cat decided to leave the elders alone, so they could chat.
Padding back out into the clearing, the she-cat didn't want to look suspicious, so she wandered about a little aimlessly, before finally approaching Nettlewhisker. "Hey Nettlewhisker." She calmly greeted.
"Oh, Embermist!" The tom's tail fluffed up a bit, seeming surprised. He didn't notice the she-cat. "Have you seen Rockpaw, Firepaw and Rainpaw?"
It was the medicine cat's turn to be surprised. "I was just about to ask. Thought they went on a patrol or something, but their mentors were still in camp, so I was a bit concerned."
Frowning, the deputy responded, "When did you last see them?"
"Not long ago, in fact, only a few minutes. They were standing middle of camp, somewhere in between my den and the elder's. I'm not sure where they are now, but they've probably left a scent trail, it's only been a minute. Probably just went to gossip out of camp or something."
Claws dug into the earth as Nettlewhisker growled lowly. "Those apprentices should know better!" He let out a long sigh. "I'll go find them."
Concerned at how annoyed the tom seemed, Embermist wanted to join him, simply to add a calm aspect to the search. "I'm coming too."
"Why? I can do this myself." Nettlewhisker meowed. Embermist quickly replied,
"I saw them last, and judging by how your tail is moving, you'll scare off all the prey looking for them." Embermist flicked her tail towards his, which was moving back and forth until she pointed it out. The deputy opened his jaws, looking for a response, but Embermist's expression quickly made him shut his trap. The two were quiet for a moment, before deciding arguing about it wasn't worth it, and they padded to the entrance of the camp. "Shouldn't we tell Foxstar?" Embermist asked.
The orange tortoiseshell tom shook his head. "They wouldn't have gone far, we'll find them before Foxstar even knows we're gone." Without waiting for a reply, the deputy parted his jaws and scented the air. Catching a scent, he picked up the pace, the curious she-cat close behind him.
Walking through the forest, Embermist's mind was somewhere else. She remembered the apprentices talking about poisoning the other clans... fear gripped her heart as she jumped to a conclusion, but quickly tried to reason with herself that the apprentices would never do something so flea-brained.
"Embermist." Nettlewhisker spoke in a tone that seemed to indicate he'd called her once before, but she hadn't payed attention. Embermist turned her attention to the deputy.
"Sorry, what?"
He sighed. "I smell the apprentices up ahead, we're not far."
The silver tabby nodded, blue eyes shining with worry as the two continued to follow their trail.
A piercing screech sounded through the forest.
The two cats didn't spare a second to ask 'why', or glance at each other for any idea. They just ran towards the noise, flying through the forest like a pack of rabid foxes were after them.
"What happened?" The loud tom barked at the apprentices, an angry look on his face, until the two apprentices moved aside to reveal the third one, laying on the ground, a red liquid that didn't appear to be blood leaking from his mouth as he coughed and shook violently. The world spun as Embermist panicked, but she knew what she had to do.
The medicine cat shot away, her paws carrying her through the thick forest. Yarrow, she needed to find yarrow. She ran back, recalling seeing the yellow plant on the way here. Upon finding it, she grabbed several in her jaws, and ran back. She hoped it'd be enough. Did I make it in time? Is this how to cure death berry poisoning? To be quite honest, she wasn't sure. Her mentor died too early, she wasn't done her training yet, and she had a hard time remembering certain things such as this. After all, it's not everyday an apprentice decides swallowing who knows how many mysterious red berries would be a good idea. Racing back, Nettlewhisker quickly got the hint, and shoved the curious apprentices away so the medicine cat could work. The apprentice was shaking and crying, but wasn't saying anything. StarClan, help me, let this be the right herb! She silently begged. The tabby was surprised the young tom with splotchy black fur, known as Rockpaw, was even still alive. From what little her memory told her, she thought cats died of stuff like this in mere seconds. Thank StarClan she was wrong.
Adrenaline pumping through the she-cats veins, she basically shoved the yarrow down the apprentice's throat, but he wouldn't swallow it. She ran a paw along the apprentice's back. "Hey, Rockpaw, please swallow this, it'll cure it." She spoke softly, trying to urge him to swallow it. The medicine cat appeared calm, but her eyes shine with terror, and she was silently praying with everything she had that she'd be able to save him. He was just an apprentice! The apprentice bit down on the herbs, appearing to have difficulty swallowing it, but after a few, painfully delayed seconds, Rockpaw managed to do it. His eyes widened even more than they'd been previously, not even a second before vomiting it back out.
The apprentice fell limp.
Embermist rolled him over, quickly checking for signs of life. He was still breathing. Breathing a sigh of relief, she knew not to celebrate yet, but this certainly meant there was a chance for him to live. Looking up at the sky, though no stars were visible, she silently asked, if there's any other herb or anything I can do to further help him, please, give me a sign, and heal Rockpaw. Seeing Rockpaw not yet waking up, she quietly added, Don't take Rockpaw away yet, he's only an apprentice.
Rainpaw crept forward, her silver and white pelt fluffed up with alarm. Firepaw stood beside her, shaking and looking like he wanted to wail.
"Is... is he... ok?" The she-cat asked.
Embermist was tempted to give her a harsh look, but decided that Nettlewhisker and Foxstar would lecture them enough. "He..." the she-cat hesitated, questioning her own abilities as a medicine cat. Not wanting to make the other apprentices fear too much, though, she continued, "He's still alive, yes."
"What were you three thinking?" Nettlewhisker yelled, his tail waving so fast, Embermist couldn't help but wonder if a cat's tail could get injured doing that.
Embermist sighed. "Save it for when Rockpaw wakes up." She added in a whisper, "You'll scare them half to death, and medicine cats don't have herbs that can magically heal fear." Nettlewhisker shot her a look, then glared at the apprentices.
"We'll save this chat for later." He grumbled. If looks could kill, Firepaw and Rainpaw would be halfway to StarClan by now.
After what seemed like a thousand moons passed, Rockpaw opened his eyes. Firepaw nearly ran forward, but the silver tabby blocked his path. "Rockpaw? Are you alright?"
He shivered. "Uh... alive, yes." He whimpered. "What happened?"
Everyone looked to the two apprentices. No words were spoken, the looks where enough. Explain yourselves.
Firepaw and Rainpaw both looked at their paws nervously. "We... uh... we went to play in the forest... and we were pretending to..." Firepaw looked at Rainpaw.
"D-Don't look at me! It was YOUR idea!" Rainpaw hissed. Firepaw growled back.
"Both of you, quiet!" Nettlewhisker exclaimed. Assuming that it meant he should explain, Rockpaw took over.
"We were pretending to take over the other clans by poisoning all the other clans... at least, the bad guys from the other clans... we were acting it out, and I was acting as one of the bad guys, and we decided to use the berries as the poison... we didn't know they were actually poisonous!" Rockpaw insisted.
"You're saying that you thought it was a good idea..." She paused to breath in, giving herself a moment to think about how to word this, "to eat mysterious berries you found in the middle of the forest that could do StarClan knows what?" The medicine cat deadpanned in disbelief.
The apprentices didn't respond.
"Well, follow me. You are in so much trouble, so help me if you aren't stuck the elder's den tending to their every need until you're warriors!" He barked. The apprentices gave each other terrified looks, but, to avoid further punishment, they followed the deputy back to camp.
Relief washed over the medicine cat like a wave. Even though the apprentices would be assigned tasks to regain the faith of the clan, and Embermist wouldn't be able to trust them with herbs or being alone for moons after this, no one died. Against all the odds, Rockpaw was alive.
Thank you, StarClan. She whispered, staring up at the sky. For a moment, she could've sworn she could scent her mentor from all those moons ago. Her life as medicine cat may be exhausting at times, but for moments like these... to save a cat's life, to talk to StarClan... it was all worth it.
Written by: amythealpha (#98461)
Head pounding with the pain of a brutal headache and exhaustion, Embermist's eyes were squinted as she padded into her den. She briefly glanced backwards, watching as the clan's leader, Foxstar, hoped into her den. Neetlewhisker was close behind her, the two, seemingly aggressively, whispering back and forth. Once the red-furred she-cat disappeared into her den, the orange tortoiseshell tom let out a sigh, and wandered back into the warriors den.
The medicine cat knew why the clan was on edge. Though the clans were on alright terms as of now, and SkyClan wasn't currently at war with anyone, RiverClan still had to make it a point to be fox-hearted mouse-brains. Not only that, the other clans would not for the life of her shut up about things that, honestly, didn't even seem to matter. Now, usually Embermist was a calm, responsible cat that could handle gatherings just fine, but the soft-spoken she-cat's headache told her otherwise. The gathering must've made it at least 10 times worse.
Flopping into her nest, she wrapped herself into a tight ball. Her sleeps had been a bit uneasy for the past few moons. Though she had talked to StarClan somewhat recently, she couldn't shake the feeling that the tension would drive somecat to make a dumb decision, something that she wouldn't be able to fix. She'd seen examples of the same thing leading to deaths earlier in the past moons. The she-cat's body shook, as she tried forget. The night itself, despite the scary thoughts, was rather tranquil. Rolling onto her back, she stared at the stars from outside her den. Slowing her breathing, Embermist closed her eyes after a while. Sleep didn't seem to want to come easy tonight, though, so she resorted to counting herbs until she eventually fell asleep.
In the morning, she could hear the chatter of her clanmates. She lifted herself off her nest, surprised as she looked out. Past sunrise already? She could hear Nettlewhisker's loud voice addressing his clanmates as they came and gone. Busy day today, she noticed.
Lillysong padding into her den quickly caught her attention. Reading her expression, the queen seemed slightly concerned, but not alarmed. "Embermist? Are you busy?" She asked.
The silver tabby she-cat shook her head. "No, what is it?"
"The kits were playing in the elder's den, and as I went to go get them, I overheard Leafcloud complaining about her paw. I doubt it's anything serious, but I just thought I'd let you know just in case."
Embermist nodded, scanning the camp. All the apprentices were out of camp. "Alright, thanks for letting me know. I can't see any apprentices, so do you think you could find me some moss instead? I should probably get the elder's some food and water anyways, since I'm going to check on them, but it'd make things go faster if you have nothing else to do."
"Hm, alright." The queen nodded. "I'll leave them beside your den."
"Thanks!" Embermist quickly trotted across camp, heading into the elder's den. On the way there, her and Nettlewhisker briefly had eye contact. The two nodded politely to each other, before moving on. She was on much better terms with Nettlewhisker, but the quiet she-cat never really did connect well with the loud deputy, and probably, soon, leader. This thought alone put her on edge, not so much Nettlewhisker being leader, but Foxstar dying. She knew the leader only had one life left, and, judging by how last night's gathering went, it was a life that wouldn't be there for long. The medicine cat could still remember seeing her leader's spirit in StarClan, not a full cat, but so close. It was her spirit, but not all of it, making the spirit look a bit dull and blank, but not transparent or fading away like some other spirits. Briefly, Embermist wondered if, when Foxstar lost her final life, would she shine as brilliantly as she'd seen Redmoon in her dream? Surely she'd look better than the seemingly lifeless spirit she'd seen, right? The thought made her trip over her own paws, making her land face-first at the entrance of the elder's den, causing a snort of laughter from Spiderleap.
"Graceful as always, Embermist."
Embermist let out a sigh, and stood back up. Braveheart was sleeping like a log, Spiderleap was watching her, amused, and Leafcloud was watching curiously, her normal forepaw clawing at the ground, the mangled one still aside from the occasional twitch. The young medicine cat didn't recall when Leafcloud's paw became mangled, it was for as long as she could remember. Must've happened when she was either a kit or sometime a bit before. She'd remembered the elders telling her the story moons ago, but she couldn't really remember exactly how it happened. She never really had the greatest of memories in the forest, but oh well.
"Hello!" Embermist greeted, waving her tail. Despite her fears, she didn't want the elders worrying over something they couldn't fix, so she acted normal, or at least tried her best too. "Everything alright, here?"
"Everything's f-" Leafcloud began, but was promptly interrupted by Spiderleap.
"Everything's not fine! Those kits were crawling all over your paw!" In response, the beautiful she-cat instinctively tried to hide her paw under her fur.
"It's nothing, really." Leafcloud began. "It wasn't their fault, anyway."
Braveheart shifted, letting out a loud yawn, his body shaking a bit as he did so. He then continued to sleep, though by now, both the other elders were looking at him, looking somewhat guilty for nearly waking him up. They continued to talk in a more hushed voice.
"Well, whether her paw is actually hurting or not, which it clearly is," Spiderleap stopped to give Leafcloud a firm look, "We're dying of starvation here." She rolled over casually, bumping into Leafcloud.
"Can you be any more obnoxious today, Spiderleap?" Leafcloud laughed, using her good forepaw to push her back to her original spot.
Embermist sat down, talking quietly to avoid waking the oldest member of the clan. "I'll get you food and water in a minute." She flicked an ear, then turned towards the youngest of the group, not including herself, Leafcloud. "Does your paw hurt?" She asked, gently pressing on it.
"Not much, no."
Embermist quickly checked for signs of infection. There didn't seem to be any. "It's likely just a small cut, it doesn't seem to be infected or anything."
"Told ya." Leafcloud sent a proud glance over at Spiderleap, who just rolled her eyes.
"The wound isn't bleeding, so cobweb doesn't seem necessary. I can get-"
Leafcloud shook her head. "It's not even bleeding, so you don't need to get anything. Except some food." Leafcloud assured her, smiling. Embermist smiled back, then wandered out of the den, quietly calling back that she'd go get them food and water. Padding over to her den, she could overhear a patrol that just came back, complaining about a border skirmish. As Embermist past, she heard someone say something about poisoning the other clan with berries. The medicine cat froze in her tracks, turning to the apprentices. The three of them glanced at her, then went back to talking like nothing had happened. Had she imagined it? Perking her ears, she tried to listen to their conversation from afar, but it was just simple talk about the border patrol and how annoying the other clans were, and somewhat rude but harmless apprentice talk. Embermist shook her head, debating whether or not she should ask them about it. They must've been joking, or she simply heard wrong. Glancing back at the elder's den, she decided to focus on the task at paw.
Finding the moss where the queen said she'd leave it, Embermist took it, and gently ripped it into three pieces. After this, she placed two of them in a pool of water; she'd soak the last one later, when Braveheart was actually awake to drink it. Taking the soaked moss to the elder's den, she placed them in front of them. "I'll go get you food, here's some water to go with it."
"We're old, not crippled, we can get our own water!" Spiderleap exclaimed, but drank the water anyways. Leafcloud rolled her eyes, but was smiling. The silver tabby quietly padded out of the den, deciding that not responding would be best. Grabbing a mouse and thrush, the was about to walk back to the elder's den when she noticed that the three apprentices, again, were not in camp. It struck her as odd, as she could see their mentors still in camp. Maybe Foxstar had wanted to see their skills? But why not invite their mentors? The medicine cat made a mental note to ask Nettlewhisker about it later. Wandering into the den, Braveheart rolled over and opened his eyes.
"Oh, you're awake!" Embermist murmured through the prey as she placed it down.
"'Course the smell of fresh-kill would wake you up." Leafcloud commented, causing the two she-cats to laugh. Even the elderly tom smiled a little bit at it. The medicine cat decided to leave the elders alone, so they could chat.
Padding back out into the clearing, the she-cat didn't want to look suspicious, so she wandered about a little aimlessly, before finally approaching Nettlewhisker. "Hey Nettlewhisker." She calmly greeted.
"Oh, Embermist!" The tom's tail fluffed up a bit, seeming surprised. He didn't notice the she-cat. "Have you seen Rockpaw, Firepaw and Rainpaw?"
It was the medicine cat's turn to be surprised. "I was just about to ask. Thought they went on a patrol or something, but their mentors were still in camp, so I was a bit concerned."
Frowning, the deputy responded, "When did you last see them?"
"Not long ago, in fact, only a few minutes. They were standing middle of camp, somewhere in between my den and the elder's. I'm not sure where they are now, but they've probably left a scent trail, it's only been a minute. Probably just went to gossip out of camp or something."
Claws dug into the earth as Nettlewhisker growled lowly. "Those apprentices should know better!" He let out a long sigh. "I'll go find them."
Concerned at how annoyed the tom seemed, Embermist wanted to join him, simply to add a calm aspect to the search. "I'm coming too."
"Why? I can do this myself." Nettlewhisker meowed. Embermist quickly replied,
"I saw them last, and judging by how your tail is moving, you'll scare off all the prey looking for them." Embermist flicked her tail towards his, which was moving back and forth until she pointed it out. The deputy opened his jaws, looking for a response, but Embermist's expression quickly made him shut his trap. The two were quiet for a moment, before deciding arguing about it wasn't worth it, and they padded to the entrance of the camp. "Shouldn't we tell Foxstar?" Embermist asked.
The orange tortoiseshell tom shook his head. "They wouldn't have gone far, we'll find them before Foxstar even knows we're gone." Without waiting for a reply, the deputy parted his jaws and scented the air. Catching a scent, he picked up the pace, the curious she-cat close behind him.
Walking through the forest, Embermist's mind was somewhere else. She remembered the apprentices talking about poisoning the other clans... fear gripped her heart as she jumped to a conclusion, but quickly tried to reason with herself that the apprentices would never do something so flea-brained.
"Embermist." Nettlewhisker spoke in a tone that seemed to indicate he'd called her once before, but she hadn't payed attention. Embermist turned her attention to the deputy.
"Sorry, what?"
He sighed. "I smell the apprentices up ahead, we're not far."
The silver tabby nodded, blue eyes shining with worry as the two continued to follow their trail.
A piercing screech sounded through the forest.
The two cats didn't spare a second to ask 'why', or glance at each other for any idea. They just ran towards the noise, flying through the forest like a pack of rabid foxes were after them.
"What happened?" The loud tom barked at the apprentices, an angry look on his face, until the two apprentices moved aside to reveal the third one, laying on the ground, a red liquid that didn't appear to be blood leaking from his mouth as he coughed and shook violently. The world spun as Embermist panicked, but she knew what she had to do.
The medicine cat shot away, her paws carrying her through the thick forest. Yarrow, she needed to find yarrow. She ran back, recalling seeing the yellow plant on the way here. Upon finding it, she grabbed several in her jaws, and ran back. She hoped it'd be enough. Did I make it in time? Is this how to cure death berry poisoning? To be quite honest, she wasn't sure. Her mentor died too early, she wasn't done her training yet, and she had a hard time remembering certain things such as this. After all, it's not everyday an apprentice decides swallowing who knows how many mysterious red berries would be a good idea. Racing back, Nettlewhisker quickly got the hint, and shoved the curious apprentices away so the medicine cat could work. The apprentice was shaking and crying, but wasn't saying anything. StarClan, help me, let this be the right herb! She silently begged. The tabby was surprised the young tom with splotchy black fur, known as Rockpaw, was even still alive. From what little her memory told her, she thought cats died of stuff like this in mere seconds. Thank StarClan she was wrong.
Adrenaline pumping through the she-cats veins, she basically shoved the yarrow down the apprentice's throat, but he wouldn't swallow it. She ran a paw along the apprentice's back. "Hey, Rockpaw, please swallow this, it'll cure it." She spoke softly, trying to urge him to swallow it. The medicine cat appeared calm, but her eyes shine with terror, and she was silently praying with everything she had that she'd be able to save him. He was just an apprentice! The apprentice bit down on the herbs, appearing to have difficulty swallowing it, but after a few, painfully delayed seconds, Rockpaw managed to do it. His eyes widened even more than they'd been previously, not even a second before vomiting it back out.
The apprentice fell limp.
Embermist rolled him over, quickly checking for signs of life. He was still breathing. Breathing a sigh of relief, she knew not to celebrate yet, but this certainly meant there was a chance for him to live. Looking up at the sky, though no stars were visible, she silently asked, if there's any other herb or anything I can do to further help him, please, give me a sign, and heal Rockpaw. Seeing Rockpaw not yet waking up, she quietly added, Don't take Rockpaw away yet, he's only an apprentice.
Rainpaw crept forward, her silver and white pelt fluffed up with alarm. Firepaw stood beside her, shaking and looking like he wanted to wail.
"Is... is he... ok?" The she-cat asked.
Embermist was tempted to give her a harsh look, but decided that Nettlewhisker and Foxstar would lecture them enough. "He..." the she-cat hesitated, questioning her own abilities as a medicine cat. Not wanting to make the other apprentices fear too much, though, she continued, "He's still alive, yes."
"What were you three thinking?" Nettlewhisker yelled, his tail waving so fast, Embermist couldn't help but wonder if a cat's tail could get injured doing that.
Embermist sighed. "Save it for when Rockpaw wakes up." She added in a whisper, "You'll scare them half to death, and medicine cats don't have herbs that can magically heal fear." Nettlewhisker shot her a look, then glared at the apprentices.
"We'll save this chat for later." He grumbled. If looks could kill, Firepaw and Rainpaw would be halfway to StarClan by now.
After what seemed like a thousand moons passed, Rockpaw opened his eyes. Firepaw nearly ran forward, but the silver tabby blocked his path. "Rockpaw? Are you alright?"
He shivered. "Uh... alive, yes." He whimpered. "What happened?"
Everyone looked to the two apprentices. No words were spoken, the looks where enough. Explain yourselves.
Firepaw and Rainpaw both looked at their paws nervously. "We... uh... we went to play in the forest... and we were pretending to..." Firepaw looked at Rainpaw.
"D-Don't look at me! It was YOUR idea!" Rainpaw hissed. Firepaw growled back.
"Both of you, quiet!" Nettlewhisker exclaimed. Assuming that it meant he should explain, Rockpaw took over.
"We were pretending to take over the other clans by poisoning all the other clans... at least, the bad guys from the other clans... we were acting it out, and I was acting as one of the bad guys, and we decided to use the berries as the poison... we didn't know they were actually poisonous!" Rockpaw insisted.
"You're saying that you thought it was a good idea..." She paused to breath in, giving herself a moment to think about how to word this, "to eat mysterious berries you found in the middle of the forest that could do StarClan knows what?" The medicine cat deadpanned in disbelief.
The apprentices didn't respond.
"Well, follow me. You are in so much trouble, so help me if you aren't stuck the elder's den tending to their every need until you're warriors!" He barked. The apprentices gave each other terrified looks, but, to avoid further punishment, they followed the deputy back to camp.
Relief washed over the medicine cat like a wave. Even though the apprentices would be assigned tasks to regain the faith of the clan, and Embermist wouldn't be able to trust them with herbs or being alone for moons after this, no one died. Against all the odds, Rockpaw was alive.
Thank you, StarClan. She whispered, staring up at the sky. For a moment, she could've sworn she could scent her mentor from all those moons ago. Her life as medicine cat may be exhausting at times, but for moments like these... to save a cat's life, to talk to StarClan... it was all worth it.
Written by: amythealpha (#98461)
Respecting Borders
The night was still, the thrumming of the wind through the trees the only sound Embermist could hear. Her paws were light on the ground as she scented out the burdock, a significant amount of borage already hidden next to the roots of a large oak.
She was careful not to be seen too close to the border, tensions were running high between the clans and Embermist didn't want to be caught up in it. She just wanted to keep her Clan safe, to treat them like her own. Maybe in another life, she could've had kits, but in this life she would act as though the whole Clan was her children.
She carefully latched her teeth around the burdock and pulled gently, flinging dirt onto her muzzle and paws but successfully retrieving the herb. She carried it to where she hid the borage, the moonlight glistening down into her sleek fur. Doubt was growing in her like a weed, reminding her that her Clan may soon become weakened by battle wounds. She didn't want to see another warrior bloodied and beaten, but she knew it was the way of life for them- harsh, cruel, careless. They could plan many battles, Embermist mused, but it didn't particularly mean she wanted to watch them fight those battles.
The she cat had begun to wonder when she would receive an apprentice of her own. Maybe one of the young kits that had recently been born to Dewfoot or Lillysong. She gathered a few more borage leaves and scooped up the entire pile with her mouth, crushing the leaves and roots just enough so they wouldn't fall, but not too much that they would be useless or leak the juice she needed to heal wounds. She smiled to herself as she thought of one day having her own apprentice to do this with her, to learn the names of herbs and treatments and to know what it's like to heal somecat, to make sure they would continue to live. Embermist would enjoy that. She continued to walk through the trees, silver pelt rippling every time she breathed, bright blue eyes glistening with thought. As she re-entered the camp, she noticed some cats were already beginning to stir in the faint golden dawn, and she slipped into the medicine cat den and dropped the herbs, beginning to separate them into different piles and placing them in small holes built into the dirt.
When she finished, she heard the mingling of voices and the loud yelling of young kits, and she grinned to herself as she strode back out of the den. Firepaw rushed up to her with a bird in his mouth and dropped it at her paws, clearly expecting praise. She settled down on the ground and nodded to him kindly, saying, “Thank you, Firepaw. I appreciate it.” The apprentice lit up with selfish excitement and dashed off, leaving Embermist bemused but still hungry. She began to take small bites of the bird, eating alone next to the medicine cat den. She could see most of the cats weren't awake, but the ones that were had begun to eat and go out on patrol. She realized that the Gathering was going to begin tonight, and her legs and paws were still weary from collecting herbs last night.
The sun began to peer above the ridge of trees surrounding the camp, light streaming onto the grass and dirt below. She finished the bird with the sole exception of a few feathers, which had caught in her teeth, and stood, stretching out her back and paws. Embermist began to walk towards the entrance of the camp, but Foxstar stopped her, stepping in front of the medicine cat with an air of importance. The sleek fur of her leader was ruffled and slightly dirty, and Embermist scented squirrel and maybe bird. Foxstar began to spread of the Gathering, asking for advice on who to take with them. Embermist listed off a few names, leaving out the queens-of course- and Braveheart, considering his age. Foxstar sped off again, whirling about camp to tell everyone who was going that they were going. Embermist understood that Foxstar could be aggressive, but she was brave and intelligent, and had made a fitting leader for as long as Embermist had known her. Embermist went back out into the forest to gather more herbs, preparing for coming battles ahead. She'd need more comfrey root, and she'd have to gather cobwebs to plaster onto wounds. Despite reassuring herself that nothing would happen, she knew that the Gathering would cause all the anger to spill out from between the clans and gather like a cesspool of hate.
Clouds began to drift across the sky like they were floating in water, fluffy white or pale, shadowed grey. Embermist shook her head and focused on looking for comfrey, as well as the cobweb to keep wounds from opening yet again. She gathered the cobweb and had it stick to her leg, making sure she could pry it on and off with her claws unsheathed. Her sharp blue eyes scoured for comfrey, but with every light step of her silver paws and each glance at the ground, she was unable to find what she needed. Eventually she spotted some, though it was just over the border and she hesitated. Embermist lingered by the border, shuffling her paws uncertainly.
Yes, she was a medicine cat, but it was also wrong to cross the borders without express permission of the other Clan or it was for a Gathering, which wouldn't be happening until tonight. Besides, it wasn't like anyone was currently hurt, and she would be pretty much without a reason if she crossed the border. Sighing to herself, she settled back patiently on her haunches and waited for another patrol to pass by. As she was unsure of ThunderClan’s inner workings and how they did patrols, she simply passed the time by looking around the small clearing she had stopped in. Curiously, she had never been in this part of the territory before, being as secluded from battles and patrols as she was. She began to reminisce about being a kit, watching the bigger apprentices and warriors go out to fight, patrol, and to hunt. She had never done that. She had healed the wounds that came with fighting, patrolling, and hunting, but she had never actually cared to go out and explore the territory herself.
Embermist’s mentor had taught her where the most plentiful supplies of herbs and had grown, and the crevices in which she could find strong, thick cobwebs, and the small glades that had an abundance of roots and flowers. But she had never learned about his clearing, and as the time continued to pass, Embermist wondered whether or not it was worth waiting. Just as she began to get ready to leave, the sounds of an approaching ThunderClan patrol disturbed the quiet, and she sprang to her paws, preparing what she was going to say. Three cats, a tabby tom, an orange and white female, and a stunted apprentice emerged from the woodwork, staring at Embermist with slight confusion but a lot more hostility.
“I have been waiting for a patrol,” Embermist began, dipping her head. “I just needed some comfrey root, and it was barely over the border. I didn't want to cross without express permission.”
The orange and white queen nodded her head and replied, “thank you, for asking. I understand tensions are running quite high between the clans. At any rate, we will inform the leader that you were allowed to get comfrey root. You're Embermist, the medicine cat, right?”
Embermist nodded and quickly stepped over, clipping the comfrey with her teeth and gathering it in her mouth. She dipped her head in another expression of respect and hurried back to her own Clan’s territory. She slipped back into camp, realizing how much daylight had been wasted-it was time for the Gathering. She quickly left the comfrey in a pile and stuck the cobweb up on a branch stuck in the dirt, stringing it out to let it stay clean and off of the ground. Embermist joined the group outside and they began to head to the Gathering place, a thundering of paws joining theirs as they crossed into ThunderClan territory, the two groups merging. Thankfully they had still maintained relations with ThunderClan, and that was likely why they had let her borrow comfrey root. Embermist yawned and stayed by herself, silently wondering what would happen at the Gathering. As the clans converged into one big teeming mass and the leaders began to speak, Embermist settled back into a quiet, dark space near Foxstar, curling her tail around her paws neatly. As she surveyed the cats gathered there, she realized that they were all warriors, mothers, fighters. They were all alive because they had medicine cats to keep them that way. And as she realized that, she understood she was important. Though she would doubt herself sometimes, she knew in her heart that the cats around her were her Clan, and she was forever loyal to them.
Written By: littleclod|mottled primal| (#92938)
The night was still, the thrumming of the wind through the trees the only sound Embermist could hear. Her paws were light on the ground as she scented out the burdock, a significant amount of borage already hidden next to the roots of a large oak.
She was careful not to be seen too close to the border, tensions were running high between the clans and Embermist didn't want to be caught up in it. She just wanted to keep her Clan safe, to treat them like her own. Maybe in another life, she could've had kits, but in this life she would act as though the whole Clan was her children.
She carefully latched her teeth around the burdock and pulled gently, flinging dirt onto her muzzle and paws but successfully retrieving the herb. She carried it to where she hid the borage, the moonlight glistening down into her sleek fur. Doubt was growing in her like a weed, reminding her that her Clan may soon become weakened by battle wounds. She didn't want to see another warrior bloodied and beaten, but she knew it was the way of life for them- harsh, cruel, careless. They could plan many battles, Embermist mused, but it didn't particularly mean she wanted to watch them fight those battles.
The she cat had begun to wonder when she would receive an apprentice of her own. Maybe one of the young kits that had recently been born to Dewfoot or Lillysong. She gathered a few more borage leaves and scooped up the entire pile with her mouth, crushing the leaves and roots just enough so they wouldn't fall, but not too much that they would be useless or leak the juice she needed to heal wounds. She smiled to herself as she thought of one day having her own apprentice to do this with her, to learn the names of herbs and treatments and to know what it's like to heal somecat, to make sure they would continue to live. Embermist would enjoy that. She continued to walk through the trees, silver pelt rippling every time she breathed, bright blue eyes glistening with thought. As she re-entered the camp, she noticed some cats were already beginning to stir in the faint golden dawn, and she slipped into the medicine cat den and dropped the herbs, beginning to separate them into different piles and placing them in small holes built into the dirt.
When she finished, she heard the mingling of voices and the loud yelling of young kits, and she grinned to herself as she strode back out of the den. Firepaw rushed up to her with a bird in his mouth and dropped it at her paws, clearly expecting praise. She settled down on the ground and nodded to him kindly, saying, “Thank you, Firepaw. I appreciate it.” The apprentice lit up with selfish excitement and dashed off, leaving Embermist bemused but still hungry. She began to take small bites of the bird, eating alone next to the medicine cat den. She could see most of the cats weren't awake, but the ones that were had begun to eat and go out on patrol. She realized that the Gathering was going to begin tonight, and her legs and paws were still weary from collecting herbs last night.
The sun began to peer above the ridge of trees surrounding the camp, light streaming onto the grass and dirt below. She finished the bird with the sole exception of a few feathers, which had caught in her teeth, and stood, stretching out her back and paws. Embermist began to walk towards the entrance of the camp, but Foxstar stopped her, stepping in front of the medicine cat with an air of importance. The sleek fur of her leader was ruffled and slightly dirty, and Embermist scented squirrel and maybe bird. Foxstar began to spread of the Gathering, asking for advice on who to take with them. Embermist listed off a few names, leaving out the queens-of course- and Braveheart, considering his age. Foxstar sped off again, whirling about camp to tell everyone who was going that they were going. Embermist understood that Foxstar could be aggressive, but she was brave and intelligent, and had made a fitting leader for as long as Embermist had known her. Embermist went back out into the forest to gather more herbs, preparing for coming battles ahead. She'd need more comfrey root, and she'd have to gather cobwebs to plaster onto wounds. Despite reassuring herself that nothing would happen, she knew that the Gathering would cause all the anger to spill out from between the clans and gather like a cesspool of hate.
Clouds began to drift across the sky like they were floating in water, fluffy white or pale, shadowed grey. Embermist shook her head and focused on looking for comfrey, as well as the cobweb to keep wounds from opening yet again. She gathered the cobweb and had it stick to her leg, making sure she could pry it on and off with her claws unsheathed. Her sharp blue eyes scoured for comfrey, but with every light step of her silver paws and each glance at the ground, she was unable to find what she needed. Eventually she spotted some, though it was just over the border and she hesitated. Embermist lingered by the border, shuffling her paws uncertainly.
Yes, she was a medicine cat, but it was also wrong to cross the borders without express permission of the other Clan or it was for a Gathering, which wouldn't be happening until tonight. Besides, it wasn't like anyone was currently hurt, and she would be pretty much without a reason if she crossed the border. Sighing to herself, she settled back patiently on her haunches and waited for another patrol to pass by. As she was unsure of ThunderClan’s inner workings and how they did patrols, she simply passed the time by looking around the small clearing she had stopped in. Curiously, she had never been in this part of the territory before, being as secluded from battles and patrols as she was. She began to reminisce about being a kit, watching the bigger apprentices and warriors go out to fight, patrol, and to hunt. She had never done that. She had healed the wounds that came with fighting, patrolling, and hunting, but she had never actually cared to go out and explore the territory herself.
Embermist’s mentor had taught her where the most plentiful supplies of herbs and had grown, and the crevices in which she could find strong, thick cobwebs, and the small glades that had an abundance of roots and flowers. But she had never learned about his clearing, and as the time continued to pass, Embermist wondered whether or not it was worth waiting. Just as she began to get ready to leave, the sounds of an approaching ThunderClan patrol disturbed the quiet, and she sprang to her paws, preparing what she was going to say. Three cats, a tabby tom, an orange and white female, and a stunted apprentice emerged from the woodwork, staring at Embermist with slight confusion but a lot more hostility.
“I have been waiting for a patrol,” Embermist began, dipping her head. “I just needed some comfrey root, and it was barely over the border. I didn't want to cross without express permission.”
The orange and white queen nodded her head and replied, “thank you, for asking. I understand tensions are running quite high between the clans. At any rate, we will inform the leader that you were allowed to get comfrey root. You're Embermist, the medicine cat, right?”
Embermist nodded and quickly stepped over, clipping the comfrey with her teeth and gathering it in her mouth. She dipped her head in another expression of respect and hurried back to her own Clan’s territory. She slipped back into camp, realizing how much daylight had been wasted-it was time for the Gathering. She quickly left the comfrey in a pile and stuck the cobweb up on a branch stuck in the dirt, stringing it out to let it stay clean and off of the ground. Embermist joined the group outside and they began to head to the Gathering place, a thundering of paws joining theirs as they crossed into ThunderClan territory, the two groups merging. Thankfully they had still maintained relations with ThunderClan, and that was likely why they had let her borrow comfrey root. Embermist yawned and stayed by herself, silently wondering what would happen at the Gathering. As the clans converged into one big teeming mass and the leaders began to speak, Embermist settled back into a quiet, dark space near Foxstar, curling her tail around her paws neatly. As she surveyed the cats gathered there, she realized that they were all warriors, mothers, fighters. They were all alive because they had medicine cats to keep them that way. And as she realized that, she understood she was important. Though she would doubt herself sometimes, she knew in her heart that the cats around her were her Clan, and she was forever loyal to them.
Written By: littleclod|mottled primal| (#92938)
Brave Heart
Embermist stared down at her stock of herbs that had been scattered out everywhere after the kits had gotten into her den. In her mouth she held a single dried oak leaf and her brows were furrowed in perplexity, she was trying to reorganize her herbs and put them back into place. Of course she didn't mind kits playing around as that was their single duty at that age, but it was the fact they messed with her herbs that drove her crazy. It was already difficult to restock them when they weren't all over the place. She dropped the leaf from her maw and nudged it into a pile with the other leaves she'd found in the destruction. Embermist immediately went straight for the seeds that had been easily spread across the den.
One of the first things she'd been taught as an apprentice was the difference between foxglove seeds and poppy seeds; she was hunting the poppy seeds first. She gathered them safely with a few gentle pawswipes and inspected the small pile for their identical twin; foxglove seeds. Her blue eyes scanned her den for any she'd missed before nosing the pile over to the corner of her cave. Her ears twitched when she heard pawsteps approaching her and she looked over her shoulder to see one of the queens standing at the entrance and Embermist flicked her tail for Dewfoot to enter. "What can I help you with?" She asked politely, returning to the mess she had to clean up.
Embermist didn't even notice the worry in the she-cat's eyes, but she noted the concern when she spoke. "Redkit told Lillysong he ate some strange seeds in here to show off to the other kits," worry flashed through Embermist and she turned towards the queen, "he didn't eat foxglove did he?" Embermist mentioned that she didn't know and raced by the she-cat, heading towards the nursery where she seen the other kits crowding around Redkit. She nosed the little ones out of the way and lifted her gaze to look at a very worried Lillysong who had her tail wrapped around her kit. She looked at Embermist and the medicine cat could very easily read her eyes. Who wouldn't be worried about their kit if he ate some strange seeds.
Embermist focused her attention on Redkit and her heart skipped a beat when she noticed foam forming at the rim of his mouth. Those were no seeds he had eaten, those had been... "Deathberries." Without another word, Embermist flew out of the nursery as quickly as she could. She heard Lillysong screaming at her to come back and save her son and determination flooded her veins. Her paws barely touched the ground as she raced towards her den and her eyes searched for yarrow leaves. Irritation pricked her chest. There were leaves everywhere! Nothing was in its place and she had to search for something she needed during a desperate time. Relief washed over Embermist when she noticed a few close to her paws and she snatched them in her mouth.
By then, her urgent run to fetch her supplies had caught the rest of the Clan's attention. The grey tabby she-cat barreled back into the nursery, "Redkit, can you open your mouth?" She asked the kit hurriedly and nudged the leaves towards him when he opened his maw and forced out a brief whisper that she didn't catch. "I know it'll be difficult, but please, chew these leaves. They'll make you feel better." Redkit slowly lifted his head and Embermist noticed Lillysong pin her ears to her skull hopefully and they both released a sigh as Redkit took one of the leaves into his mouth. She noticed the cringe of disgust on his face and a small smile crossed her lips. He still had his consciousness and his senses; if he vomited the toxins out of his belly he would be fine. At least, that's what she hoped.
After the kit vomited up the berries, Embermist sat up and turned towards the rest of the kits. She gave them a stern glare and her tail gestured towards Redkit, "Have you little ones learned your lesson?" She asked bluntly. Triumph rushed through the tabby as the kits stiffly nodded and she looked towards the queen and her exhausted son, "Let him rest for a few days and he will be fine."
Just as the she-cat turned and padded out of the den, a yowl caught her attention and she turned to see a tom racing into camp with his splotched fur smeared with blood. Embermist took in the sight and identified the 'blood' as red mud. "Embermist! By the RiverClan border, a patrol attacked and Firepaw fell into the water!" As if on cue, Rainpaw padded in dragging Firepaw's scruff. The ginger was soaked from head to tail in water and his eyes were sealed shut, but thankfully he was breathing. Just a little bit...
The silver she-cat lashed her tail when his breathing seemed to pick up its pace, she offered the future warriors a suspicious glance before approaching the ginger apprentice. Embermist gave him a quick sniff before rolling her eyes and nipping his ear, "I have better things to do than play games." She growled momentarily, her gaze flicking to Rockpaw as Firepaw shot up and pawed at his ear, and just as she was about to scold them when a black she-cat approached them. Spiderleap. The elder didn't seem to pleased with what she just witnessed.
Embermist turned away as the she-cat started to scold the apprentices and she padded back to her den to continue sorting out her herbs.
***
Four days had passed since Redkit had eaten the deathberries and the young tom was doing quite well, he was out romping with his denmates now. Of course, he had moments where he felt nauseated and sick, but other than that he was getting better. Embermist had kept an eye out for any curious kits sneaking into her den again, and thankfully there were no future apprentices deciding to mess with her herbs. They obviously learned their lesson, and one of them had taken an interest to her herb sorting! She was wondering if the young kit would one day be her apprentice. Hopefully not... How would she teach an apprentice when she struggled to remember the herbs herself? She wasn't ready, and these kits would be tilted future warriors very soon.
The sun had long risen over the forest when Embermist returned from gathering herbs to replace those the kits had destroyed. It took her a while to find a few of them, but she had discovered a small grove of yarrow leaves and gathered the seeds from the poppy flower. Now, she just needed a few extra cobwebs. Tensions were high with RiverClan again and Embermist feared that war would break out again. How many more warriors would they lose? They'd be in trouble if Nettlewhisker led the attack again. Entering her den, the she-cat sorted out the leaves and the seeds and put them into their pile. Unless the herbs dried out before their usage, it didn't seem she'd have to go out to restock the piles for a while.
"Has anyone seen the kits?!" The grey tabby turned her attention towards Cloudeyes at the sound of her worried voice ringing through camp. Embermist stifled a groan at the thought of those pesky kits escaping camp again and she padded out of her den; Cloudeyes had gotten the entire Clan's attention with her yowl. Nutnose, Stormbreeze, Willowheart, and Thrushwing had just returned from a patrol when the white queen had announced the kits were missing. "Did you see the kits out there?" Cloudeyes raced over to the patrol and the medicine cat winced when they responded.
"No, we didn't," the brown and white tom (Nutnose) replied as he looked over his shoulder at his patrol, "well, at least I didn't notice." Stormbreeze mentioned that he thought he'd caught a whiff of milk-scent, but it had been so faint that he didn't pay attention to it.
Everyone's attention snapped towards the Elders den as a pale tabby exited, "I know where the kits are." Braveheart mewed, calming some of the warrior's jittery nerves, "Foxstar," the old tom looked towards their red-pelted leader, his voice cracking as he spoke, "may I have your permission to fetch the kits? I doubt any of these youngsters know there to find them." Silence filled the camp before the leader slowly nodded her response, asking Embermist and a few randomly selected warriors to assist the old tom. Embermist figured she was only being sent to make sure Braveheart was alright. Should grab some herbs? Yes, yes she should.
Lilypool asked Braveheart if he was sure of the kits' location and he chuckled, "If they listened to my stories, they are exactly where I think they are."
Within a few minutes, the tiny group left the camp with Embermist carrying a small pouch of herbs in case anyone was injured. It was unlikely, but considering they had an aging tom with them, anything could happen. She briefly wondered why Foxstar allowed the tom outside the safety of camp, he was nearly defenseless! It amazed her that Braveheart could easily keep up with the young warriors and seemed to be doing quite well for his age. What was she thinking? He's never been one to lay down and give up without a fight, he was strong! Hence his name. The medicine cat suddenly paused when the tabby stopped in front of her, pointing his tail to the right and stifling a chuckle.
Embermist could hear the kits' tiny voices just a few pawsteps away from them. The old tom crouched down, grunting as his muscles popped due his age. Rustling drifted towards them and they heard the sound of paws thumping against the ground followed by adorable growls. Silence surrounded them. They had padded just outside SkyClan's border, thankfully it wasn't shared with any of the other Clans. Claws against stone echoed ahead of them.
"Get out RedClan territory!" The group's attention turned to see Redkit - wearing leaves on his head - standing on a boulder just a little ways away from them. "Trespassing badger-stinkies!" Redkit tried to growl menacingly, but was interrupted by Eaglekit pouncing up beside him, protesting that it was EagleClan territory and he was Eaglestar. Embermist couldn't help but to chuckle at the bickering between the two kits, she was unaware of the other other five kits exiting the bushes behind them. Braveheart's playful yowl caught her attention and she turned to see the pale tabby on his side, playing dead as Frostkit pulled at his ears and Stonekit announced they'd brought down one of the intruders.
"Alright, kits," Embermist laughed as she lay the pouch of herbs down to address KitClan, "your mothers are very worried about you. It's time to go home. You can play KitClan there." She had to admit, their attempt to start a Clan was actually very cute. Dangerous, too, they could have been attacked!
"RedClan!" Redkit huffed, stepping towards the group and puffing out his chest, "This is RedClan territtory and I am Redstar!"
Eaglekit jabbed his brother with a paw, "No, it's EagleClan! You mouse-faced fox-brain!" Braveheart laughed at the insult and Embermist allowed a grin to crawl onto her grey features. With very little difficulty, the warriors managed to gather the kits in their jaws (Embermist carrying Redkit) and they started back towards camp. Perhaps Foxstar would allow them to set the kits up their own little territory. Inside camp, of course, but she seriously doubted it. She'd return for the herbs later.
Written by: *Dreaming~Paradise* (Dixie) (#71738)
Embermist stared down at her stock of herbs that had been scattered out everywhere after the kits had gotten into her den. In her mouth she held a single dried oak leaf and her brows were furrowed in perplexity, she was trying to reorganize her herbs and put them back into place. Of course she didn't mind kits playing around as that was their single duty at that age, but it was the fact they messed with her herbs that drove her crazy. It was already difficult to restock them when they weren't all over the place. She dropped the leaf from her maw and nudged it into a pile with the other leaves she'd found in the destruction. Embermist immediately went straight for the seeds that had been easily spread across the den.
One of the first things she'd been taught as an apprentice was the difference between foxglove seeds and poppy seeds; she was hunting the poppy seeds first. She gathered them safely with a few gentle pawswipes and inspected the small pile for their identical twin; foxglove seeds. Her blue eyes scanned her den for any she'd missed before nosing the pile over to the corner of her cave. Her ears twitched when she heard pawsteps approaching her and she looked over her shoulder to see one of the queens standing at the entrance and Embermist flicked her tail for Dewfoot to enter. "What can I help you with?" She asked politely, returning to the mess she had to clean up.
Embermist didn't even notice the worry in the she-cat's eyes, but she noted the concern when she spoke. "Redkit told Lillysong he ate some strange seeds in here to show off to the other kits," worry flashed through Embermist and she turned towards the queen, "he didn't eat foxglove did he?" Embermist mentioned that she didn't know and raced by the she-cat, heading towards the nursery where she seen the other kits crowding around Redkit. She nosed the little ones out of the way and lifted her gaze to look at a very worried Lillysong who had her tail wrapped around her kit. She looked at Embermist and the medicine cat could very easily read her eyes. Who wouldn't be worried about their kit if he ate some strange seeds.
Embermist focused her attention on Redkit and her heart skipped a beat when she noticed foam forming at the rim of his mouth. Those were no seeds he had eaten, those had been... "Deathberries." Without another word, Embermist flew out of the nursery as quickly as she could. She heard Lillysong screaming at her to come back and save her son and determination flooded her veins. Her paws barely touched the ground as she raced towards her den and her eyes searched for yarrow leaves. Irritation pricked her chest. There were leaves everywhere! Nothing was in its place and she had to search for something she needed during a desperate time. Relief washed over Embermist when she noticed a few close to her paws and she snatched them in her mouth.
By then, her urgent run to fetch her supplies had caught the rest of the Clan's attention. The grey tabby she-cat barreled back into the nursery, "Redkit, can you open your mouth?" She asked the kit hurriedly and nudged the leaves towards him when he opened his maw and forced out a brief whisper that she didn't catch. "I know it'll be difficult, but please, chew these leaves. They'll make you feel better." Redkit slowly lifted his head and Embermist noticed Lillysong pin her ears to her skull hopefully and they both released a sigh as Redkit took one of the leaves into his mouth. She noticed the cringe of disgust on his face and a small smile crossed her lips. He still had his consciousness and his senses; if he vomited the toxins out of his belly he would be fine. At least, that's what she hoped.
After the kit vomited up the berries, Embermist sat up and turned towards the rest of the kits. She gave them a stern glare and her tail gestured towards Redkit, "Have you little ones learned your lesson?" She asked bluntly. Triumph rushed through the tabby as the kits stiffly nodded and she looked towards the queen and her exhausted son, "Let him rest for a few days and he will be fine."
Just as the she-cat turned and padded out of the den, a yowl caught her attention and she turned to see a tom racing into camp with his splotched fur smeared with blood. Embermist took in the sight and identified the 'blood' as red mud. "Embermist! By the RiverClan border, a patrol attacked and Firepaw fell into the water!" As if on cue, Rainpaw padded in dragging Firepaw's scruff. The ginger was soaked from head to tail in water and his eyes were sealed shut, but thankfully he was breathing. Just a little bit...
The silver she-cat lashed her tail when his breathing seemed to pick up its pace, she offered the future warriors a suspicious glance before approaching the ginger apprentice. Embermist gave him a quick sniff before rolling her eyes and nipping his ear, "I have better things to do than play games." She growled momentarily, her gaze flicking to Rockpaw as Firepaw shot up and pawed at his ear, and just as she was about to scold them when a black she-cat approached them. Spiderleap. The elder didn't seem to pleased with what she just witnessed.
Embermist turned away as the she-cat started to scold the apprentices and she padded back to her den to continue sorting out her herbs.
***
Four days had passed since Redkit had eaten the deathberries and the young tom was doing quite well, he was out romping with his denmates now. Of course, he had moments where he felt nauseated and sick, but other than that he was getting better. Embermist had kept an eye out for any curious kits sneaking into her den again, and thankfully there were no future apprentices deciding to mess with her herbs. They obviously learned their lesson, and one of them had taken an interest to her herb sorting! She was wondering if the young kit would one day be her apprentice. Hopefully not... How would she teach an apprentice when she struggled to remember the herbs herself? She wasn't ready, and these kits would be tilted future warriors very soon.
The sun had long risen over the forest when Embermist returned from gathering herbs to replace those the kits had destroyed. It took her a while to find a few of them, but she had discovered a small grove of yarrow leaves and gathered the seeds from the poppy flower. Now, she just needed a few extra cobwebs. Tensions were high with RiverClan again and Embermist feared that war would break out again. How many more warriors would they lose? They'd be in trouble if Nettlewhisker led the attack again. Entering her den, the she-cat sorted out the leaves and the seeds and put them into their pile. Unless the herbs dried out before their usage, it didn't seem she'd have to go out to restock the piles for a while.
"Has anyone seen the kits?!" The grey tabby turned her attention towards Cloudeyes at the sound of her worried voice ringing through camp. Embermist stifled a groan at the thought of those pesky kits escaping camp again and she padded out of her den; Cloudeyes had gotten the entire Clan's attention with her yowl. Nutnose, Stormbreeze, Willowheart, and Thrushwing had just returned from a patrol when the white queen had announced the kits were missing. "Did you see the kits out there?" Cloudeyes raced over to the patrol and the medicine cat winced when they responded.
"No, we didn't," the brown and white tom (Nutnose) replied as he looked over his shoulder at his patrol, "well, at least I didn't notice." Stormbreeze mentioned that he thought he'd caught a whiff of milk-scent, but it had been so faint that he didn't pay attention to it.
Everyone's attention snapped towards the Elders den as a pale tabby exited, "I know where the kits are." Braveheart mewed, calming some of the warrior's jittery nerves, "Foxstar," the old tom looked towards their red-pelted leader, his voice cracking as he spoke, "may I have your permission to fetch the kits? I doubt any of these youngsters know there to find them." Silence filled the camp before the leader slowly nodded her response, asking Embermist and a few randomly selected warriors to assist the old tom. Embermist figured she was only being sent to make sure Braveheart was alright. Should grab some herbs? Yes, yes she should.
Lilypool asked Braveheart if he was sure of the kits' location and he chuckled, "If they listened to my stories, they are exactly where I think they are."
Within a few minutes, the tiny group left the camp with Embermist carrying a small pouch of herbs in case anyone was injured. It was unlikely, but considering they had an aging tom with them, anything could happen. She briefly wondered why Foxstar allowed the tom outside the safety of camp, he was nearly defenseless! It amazed her that Braveheart could easily keep up with the young warriors and seemed to be doing quite well for his age. What was she thinking? He's never been one to lay down and give up without a fight, he was strong! Hence his name. The medicine cat suddenly paused when the tabby stopped in front of her, pointing his tail to the right and stifling a chuckle.
Embermist could hear the kits' tiny voices just a few pawsteps away from them. The old tom crouched down, grunting as his muscles popped due his age. Rustling drifted towards them and they heard the sound of paws thumping against the ground followed by adorable growls. Silence surrounded them. They had padded just outside SkyClan's border, thankfully it wasn't shared with any of the other Clans. Claws against stone echoed ahead of them.
"Get out RedClan territory!" The group's attention turned to see Redkit - wearing leaves on his head - standing on a boulder just a little ways away from them. "Trespassing badger-stinkies!" Redkit tried to growl menacingly, but was interrupted by Eaglekit pouncing up beside him, protesting that it was EagleClan territory and he was Eaglestar. Embermist couldn't help but to chuckle at the bickering between the two kits, she was unaware of the other other five kits exiting the bushes behind them. Braveheart's playful yowl caught her attention and she turned to see the pale tabby on his side, playing dead as Frostkit pulled at his ears and Stonekit announced they'd brought down one of the intruders.
"Alright, kits," Embermist laughed as she lay the pouch of herbs down to address KitClan, "your mothers are very worried about you. It's time to go home. You can play KitClan there." She had to admit, their attempt to start a Clan was actually very cute. Dangerous, too, they could have been attacked!
"RedClan!" Redkit huffed, stepping towards the group and puffing out his chest, "This is RedClan territtory and I am Redstar!"
Eaglekit jabbed his brother with a paw, "No, it's EagleClan! You mouse-faced fox-brain!" Braveheart laughed at the insult and Embermist allowed a grin to crawl onto her grey features. With very little difficulty, the warriors managed to gather the kits in their jaws (Embermist carrying Redkit) and they started back towards camp. Perhaps Foxstar would allow them to set the kits up their own little territory. Inside camp, of course, but she seriously doubted it. She'd return for the herbs later.
Written by: *Dreaming~Paradise* (Dixie) (#71738)
The death of Peace
Wind gently blew through the trees, shaking their leaves. The shadows of the trees blocked out most of the sunlight, letting little warmth in. Despite that, it was a rather warm day, but the wind couldn't help but cause a shiver to go down the young medicine cat's spine as she made her way through the forest. It'd been a rather slow and uneventful day, so Embermist decided to go for a walk, and look for herbs at the same time. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, except for goldenrod, so she wouldn't have to worry about running out. Her goldenrod supply wasn't doing very well, honestly.
Ears perked, a sound caught the silver tabby's attention. A low growling from the other side of the border. Her gaze swept over to the sound, her body not moving from her previous position. "Oh, hello."
"What are you doing so close to our border?" The tom in front demanded. Embermist blinked in confusion. Did they not realize she was a medicine cat? It's not like she was doing any harm, nor did she intend to get any closer to the border than she already was. Then again, Embermist reminded herself, tensions were still high between SkyClan and RiverClan.
Embermist dipped her head, deciding not to risk a fight. "I'm just taking a walk and gathering herbs. I won't cross your border."
The patrol stalked closer to the border, causing the fur on Embermist's back to raise. As they began entering the water, she stepped back and took a moment to study their expressions. They were angry, and ready to fight. Embermist held back an angry yet pitiful growl. This war between the two clans had gone on long enough. "I won't cross your border." Embermist repeated, looking around, desperate for someone or something to stop the fight. No... RiverClan wouldn't attack a medicine cat, would they? The she-cat dug her claws into the earth beneath her, now staring straight ahead.
They kept coming closer.
Embermist tried not to look afraid as she considered her options. Stay calm? Or run and look for help? Trying not to make it obvious, she sniffed the air. There was a SkyClan patrol not far off. They'd smell RiverClan, or at the very least hear them. At least, Embermist hoped.
A tom growled again, threateningly. He was still in the river separating them. The silver tabby she-cat stayed put, though she could basically feel her own fear scent. Please, no more bloodshed. Please. She silently begged. The past moons had been exhausting enough, she didn't want another fight.
Soon, frantic pawsteps were heard, quickly approaching the medicine cat from behind. She knew it was a SkyClan patrol, so she quietly moved aside. The two patrols sent each other deadly stares, and Embermist watched with sad eyes. They were going to fight, she could tell. The she-cat yowled, trying to get their attention, but it only provoked them more. Two sides clashed; a ball of fur, hissing and spitting, claws slicing through fur and paws flailing. Thankfully, it was over quickly. The RiverClan patrol fled, and SkyClan didn't follow them. She quickly looked over the crowd, but aside from small cuts, no one seemed hurt.
"Are you alright?" One of the warriors from the patrol, Thrushwing, ran up to her, concerned. "As soon as we smelled the patrol, we came running."
The medicine cat let out a long sigh. "I just wish that the fights would stop." She mumbled, turning away. She could hear the patrol murmuring behind her, but she paid no attention. "I'll go get some cobwebs!" The cat called over her shoulder. Thankfully, cobwebs were all over the forest; it was hard to have a shortage of them. Goldenrod, on the other paw, well, that was a different story. Constant fights made it rather hard to get a constant good supply of them. None of the scars the patrol wore were too bad, so she reasoned she could save her goldenrod supply. Soon finding some cobwebs, she wrapped them around her paw, and walked back to the patrol. Almost silently, she cured the patrol's wounds as best she could with only cobwebs, then sent them on their way.
Embermist walked back to camp, her thoughts clouded with worry. This quarrel with RiverClan had been going on for moons at this point. When would it end? Surely the two clans would have to stop at one point, they couldn't keep going like this. So many cats had died from this already. Memories of Redmoon flooded back to the young she-cat, and she let out a sigh. Though she could visit him in StarClan, she wouldn't deny that she wished he was still alive.
The smell of blood brought her back to the real world. The medicine cat froze, for a minute not believing that she was smelling it. Though, as she lifted her muzzle to the air, there was no mistaking it. There was so much blood, the silver tabby jumped back as though the scent would suffocate her. The fur on her back and tail raised as she ran forward, following the scent towards camp.
Cats surrounded the center of camp, each one of them looking terrified or uncertain. Others ran back and forth, desperately bringing things like moss and cobwebs to the center. Embermist scanned the crowd briefly, then barged through the crowd, stubbornly forcing cats out of the way so she could see what exactly the problem was.
A wiry, red-furred she-cat with a sleek tail lay in the center of camp, twitching occasionally or mewing out in pain. There were cuts all over her, but it didn't look like it belonged to a cat, or any other animal for that matter. Her leg was wrapped in moss and cobweb; clearly a quick attempt by some clanmates to heal the fallen cat. Cobwebs and other herbs were also covering her body, but they didn't seem to be doing much. Embermist couldn't help but let out a scared growl. What had happened to her leader? How did this happen? Either way, she was still alive. Blindly, Embermist barked orders, telling certain cats to get certain herbs or items, or even simply to give Foxstar and herself room.
Together, the cats of SkyClan worked quickly, giving Embermist several herbs and such to work with. Embermist quickly grabbed several herbs; travelling herbs or strengthening herbs, to be exact. Embermist was unsure if it'd work, but maybe her leader would be able to have the strength to last a bit longer, giving Embermist more time. Embermist reached her paw to give Foxstar the herbs, but quickly dropped them due to shock, and she almost screeched but bit her tongue, desperately trying to keep calm so the clan wouldn't freak out. She was aware of every eye watching her, as the silver tabby's striking blue eyes looked down to see the gash on Foxstar's neck. StarClan, help me! She silently screamed, quick paws managing to seal the wound, probably the fastest the medicine cat had ever pulled off. Without hesitating, she got to work sealing the other wounds.
Embermist was shaking, but she continued sealing the wounds, even as the whisper of cats around her and their burning stares seemed to observe every movement she made as she attempted to heal her leader. Her mind was racing with questions; how did this happen? Why did it happen? Time didn't seem to exist as Embermist continued to try and heal Foxstar, eventually managing to get more travelling herbs, and actually successfully getting Foxstar to swallow them this time. The red she-cat's breathing was slow, and shallow, but the stubborn tabby wouldn't give up, not now.
After an unknown amount of time, Embermist backed away. She'd tried everything she could think of. Now, to play the waiting game. Embermist nearly held her breath as she looked down at her leader.
Finally, the deputy shakily made his way over. "Is... Foxstar..." The tom shook his head. "She'll be alright, won't she? Just resting?"
The she-cat tried to dodge the question as much as she could, dismissing it with a, "How did this happen?"
Nettlewhisker shook his head, his amber eyes dark with worry. His tail waved back and forth, and he sat down beside his leader. "I'm not completely sure. She was with a patrol, and she'd gone off to hunt a bird. She climbed a tree to do so, and... she must've slipped, I don't... I don't know." He shook his head again, as if doing so would shake away any doubts he had. "We found her bleeding in a thorn bush." He admitted. "We tried our best to heal her, but..."
The two of them looked down at their leader, cats quietly surrounding them, each sending the other nervous glances. The entire camp was dead silent; even the forest had nothing to say as the cats held their breaths, and waited. The orange tortoiseshell tom in front of the silver tabby was mumbling to himself. Embermist didn't need to listen to know he was asking StarClan to help Foxstar. Embermist quietly asked StarClan herself, joining in as she whispered, Don't take her yet StarClan, don't let this be the end. Let me save her, let this be enough. Please, Foxstar can't join you yet.
As Embermist closed her eyes, she once again envisioned Foxstar's body as she saw her in StarClan. She hadn't lost all her lives when she saw her, the Foxstar she saw was merely a shell of a cat. Foxstar's body seemed so... unstable that Embermist swore that if she placed her paw against Foxstar's starry fur, she'd disappear like a reflection in a puddle. Embermist opened her eyes, looking back down at her leader.
"We should get Foxstar to your den, she'll be safer there!" Nettlewhisker exclaimed, standing up.
But Embermist merely shook her head. Though she couldn't see it, she knew StarClan was waiting. That shell of a cat she saw would be completed.
Foxstar's last life was gone.
"She's... gone." Embermist murmured, her voice so quiet that it could be mistaken for a soft breeze.
The deputy stared with wide eyes. "No, no... she can't be gone. Not like that, no way. Come on, she can be saved!" Nettlewhisker cried. "Look, she's still..." The tom's amber eyes fled down to Foxstar's body, as if expecting to see some sort of life. When the tom saw nothing, he didn't bother to finish his sentence. His claws dug into the ground, and his sadness seemed to turn to rage and confusion. Embermist wanted to help, but there was no herb to heal grief, no herb to bring back the dead.
Embermist lifted her gaze to study the crowd once more. The reality of it, Embermist could tell, was sinking in. Most were silent, some either standing there or fleeing to their dens, some crying out with sadness or letting their claws run against the ground with anger. But, most of all, everyone was shocked. Embermist herself could barely believe it, despite watching it herself.
SkyClan's leader, just like that, was gone. Taken by something as innocent as a hunting patrol. There was nothing left Embermist could do.
Embermist lay down beside her leader, resting her head on her paws, shivering. The weight of it seemed to crush the she-cat, as she knew that her leader was dead. Cats gathered round, silently saying their goodbyes, the cats closest to the leader staying beside her, to share tongues one last time.
As if StarClan was crying for the leader's death as well, rain poured down on the cats, soaking them to the bone. No one moved, though, they were too full of grief to care. The medicine cat couldn't help but wonder, If StarClan does truly mourn her death, then why take her so soon?
---
The next morning, Embermist stood up and shook water from her pelt. She hadn't slept a wink, and neither had quite a few cats. Embermist turned to Nettlewhisker, and forced a smile as best she could. "Well... we should probably go to the Moonstone, shouldn't we?" The medicine cat had always imagined Nettlewhisker, the power-hungry and battle-loving tom, to have his eyes light up at the mention of him becoming leader. But now, Nettlewhisker didn't even smile back, his eyes too clouded with sadness to glow with pride. He nodded slowly, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere.
"Let's go." The deputy's voice was dull and quiet, very unlike his normal self. Sure, Embermist and Nettlewhisker never got along great, but the tom's sadness shook Embermist. Yet, the medicine cat couldn't help but respect her new leader for it.
Embermist glanced at her den. "Shouldn't you get some herbs or food first?" She asked gently, but Nettlewhisker shook his head.
"No, no. I'll be fine."
Embermist sighed. "Nettlewhisker, we'll be there all night, probably. You can't just not eat for an entire day. I'll get you something." The she-cat insisted, making her way over to the fresh-kill pile. Grabbing two birds, one for each of them, she made her way back to Nettlewhisker, dropping one of the birds in front of him.
"Thanks." The orange tortoiseshell murmured, before taking a bite, commenting, "We should bury Foxstar before we leave."
The she-cat nodded. "Mhm... after we eat, I'll go get the elders."
Eating in silence for a while, the two eventually got up. Neither of them had finished their food, but some nearby kits seemed eager to take it, so the two cats let them have it. Without saying a word, Embermist slowly made her way to the elder's den. Braveheart, Spiderleap and Leafcloud, the three elders there, seemed unsurprised to see the cats. The three of them already knew. They followed the medicine cat out of the den, Spiderleap taking the lead, Braveheart slowly following, and Leafcloud limping her way along. Spiderleap, her and Nettlewhisker all carefully picked up Foxstar's body, and carried her out to the forest, eventually stopping at a beautiful place in the forest, surrounded by trees.
The silver tabby couldn't watch, she turned away and let the elders bury her leader. As they did so, Embermist wondered how the leader ceremony might go. She'd never actually done one before. She knew her and her leader would go to the Moonstone, of course. Though, she actually didn't know what would happen when they got there.
Looking beside her, Nettlewhisker was sniffing the air, a concerned look on his face. "I'll be right back." He murmured, disappearing into the bushes. Embermist was confused at first, but decided to wait for the tom to return. He did so rather quickly, loudly whispering, "Embermist, my nose must be tricking me. Follow me, please." He asked. The soon-to-be-leader seemed rather frantic, so the medicine cat followed him without question. Not even a few seconds later, Nettlewhisker stopped at a bloody thorn bush. Embermist winced; this must've been the thorn bush that her leader fell in.
"Why are you showing me this?" Embermist asked. Nettlewhisker shook his head.
"Not the thorn bush! Smell around the tree." Nettlewhisker insisted, his claws unsheathed. The tom paced back and forth, a clear sign that he wanted Embermist to hurry up. So she did, quickly sniffing around the tree.
Realization hit her like a brick. RiverClan cats had been on SkyClan territory, they'd been here. Her mind was racing as she thought of the events. Foxstar must've fallen into the thorns while she was meeting the RiverClan patrol, yet the scent seemed to come from yesterday, seemingly the same time. Why would one RiverClan patrol be bothering her, acting as if they were unaware of... wait, no, was it a distraction? Embermist growled, and turned to Nettlewhisker. "RiverClan's been here! It smells like it came from yesterday, I assume when Foxstar fell... and when I met that RiverClan patrol-"
"Wait, you met a RiverClan patrol?" Nettlewhisker interrupted. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was sort of busy healing Foxstar!" Embermist shot back, a tad more angry than she intended. The she-cat was about to continue, but Nettlewhisker interrupted again.
"Nevermind. RiverClan must have done this!" Nettlewhisker growled. He whipped around, clearly heading towards camp. Embermist wanted to stop him; she wasn't sure her assumption was right. Maybe RiverClan had nothing to do with this! ... Though, they had been on SkyClan territory without permission anyways... Deciding what she'd do, she ran over to the elder's, who'd just finished burying Foxstar.
Embermist didn't hesitate for a second, as she exclaimed, "Everyone, back to camp! Nettlewhisker has an announcement, and I doubt it's safe outside of camp right now!" The elders gave her a surprised look, but they did as told, each of them moving to camp at different speeds, though clearly trying to get back as fast as they could. The young medicine cat followed them, making sure they were all in camp before turning to Nettlewhisker. He was in the middle of an angry speech, clearly explaining that RiverClan must be the ones who killed Foxstar. Though Embermist did have her doubts, she wouldn't deny that it made the most sense. Foxstar wouldn't just randomly slip into a thorn bush, she's a skilled cat. The original story of Foxstar simply slipping during a hunting patrol made little sense.
As Embermist continued to think, she remembered the fight that occurred just after Whitestar received his nine lives. Not even a day after he got his nine lives, SkyClan had stolen one of them. Maybe this was their revenge, SkyClan taking RiverClan's leader's first life, so RiverClan took SkyClan's leader's last life. A shiver ran down the she-cat's spine as she thought about this. She was barely listening to the leader-to-be's speech, but she was dimly aware that it was gonna be a fight. After he got his nine lives, they'd strike.
"Longclaw and Thrushwing, you two will follow us to the Moonstone. I don't trust RiverClan to let us go there so easily." Nettlewhisker commented.
Embermist was surprised. She opened her mouth to argue, but judging by the look in the leader-to-be's eyes, she realized that an argument would be worthless. After all, SkyClan had attacked Whitestar after he went to the Moonstone, so it wasn't too far-fetched that RiverClan might consider doing the same to them. Nettlewhisker's next words comforted her, if only slightly.
"We'll do our best to stay away from RiverClan's territory for the whole journey. However, we'll have to pass through ThunderClan territory to do so. Do not provoke them, and try to stay undetected." He addressed. Embermist couldn't help but wonder if his last comment was said, because he was embarrassed of feeling the need to be protected just to get to the Moonstone, where he'd receive his nine lives. You can never be too careful, The medicine cat mentally sighed. SkyClan didn't have a new deputy yet, so it was understandable that Nettlewhisker was possibly nervous. "We'll head out immediately." He barked, leaping down from his place and back onto the ground. A green and white tom with green eyes, the tom known as Thrushwing, quickly followed Nettlewhisker, with a brown tom, named Longclaw, quickly catching up. The silver tabby she-cat followed from the back.
The four cats wandered into the forest, keeping a fair distance from RiverClan's border.
"Hey." Longclaw spoke up. "It might be faster to go through our territory through the trees. We might even make it a little way through ThunderClan territory without being noticed." He commented. "We'd also be able to see what's going on at RiverClan territory easier."
Nettlewhisker took a moment to ponder this, then nodded. Longclaw quickly dug his sharp claws into a nearby tree, forcefully pulling himself up. Thrushwing leaped onto a small branch, then jumped to a higher one. Nettlewhisker ran at a tree in front of him, using his speed to quickly dart up the tree. The medicine cat watched, a bit lost in her thoughts, before gracefully moving up a tree herself.
"Everyone up?" Nettlewhisker called. Each cat made a small sound, indicating that they were indeed in the trees. "Alright, let's go. But be careful!" He warned, before running and jumping to the next tree branch.
I'm not a kit, I know to be careful when jumping trees.... Simple SkyClan skills there. Embermist thought to herself, easily leaping through the trees. As they neared the ThunderClan border, Nettlewhisker called,
"Stop!"
The young she-cat quickly stopped, her claws digging into the branch she was on.
"We should move to trees closer to the river. We don't want ThunderClan to think we're invading if they do catch us." Nettlewhisker commented. As Embermist was about to do so, she looked to the river, and froze when she saw cats.
RiverClan cats.
"Everyone, wait!" Embermist whisper-called, silently making her way closer to the three other cats. "Look!" She pointed with her tail to the cats invading. "RiverClan cats-"
"Are invading!" Longclaw finished with a snarl. He turned to Nettlewhisker. Unsurprisingly, the tom's claws were outstretched, ready for battle.
Amber eyes turned to face Embermist's blue ones. "Embermist, run to camp and get Reedtail, Crowfur, Rabbittail and Badgerface."
"Only four cats?" Thrushwing commented.
"Seven in total, including us." Nettlewhisker corrected. "And yes, I'm leaving the rest of the cats in camp, in case another patrol comes."
Embermist nodded, quickly backtracking through the trees as silently as she could, going from one branch to another, until she eventually basically flew into camp.
A young she-cat looked up at her. "Eh? Embermist? What are you doing back at camp?"
"Rabbittail, get Reedtail, Crowfur and Badgerface. The four of you need to go the the RiverClan border, intruders are there!" She ordered. Her usually soft voice was raised, getting the attention of several cats. "Everyone else, stay at camp and be prepared to defend it if any RiverClan cats come, or if we need you for backup!"
Noticing the apprentices seeming disappointed, she quickly added, "Larkcall, Nutnose, take Rockpaw, Firepaw and Rainpaw and go and find some herbs. Stay close to camp, and far from the border. Be back quickly, we may need you at camp." It wasn't much, though at least the apprentices got to do something. Embermist didn't trust them with much more though, not after what they'd done earlier. Playing with deathberries nearly got Rockpaw killed not that long ago. The thought caused a frown to appear on Embermist's face.
Fleeing into her own den, she prepared a bunch of cobwebs, wrapping as much as she could around one paw. Using a couple leaves, she placed the somewhat small amount of goldenrod she had inside, wrapping it up and grabbing it in her jaws. Without wasting time, the silver tabby ran back out of her den, not bothering to climb any trees, heading straight to where the fight was taking place.
Finding a suitable spot, she placed down the herbs she'd brought along, and watched the battle. She wasn't just watching for the fun of it, or because it interested her. Not at all, in fact. It brought her no joy for the clans to be fighting, not when she vowed her life towards healing. No, she was watching for cats from her clan that were injured, so she could heal them. Spotting a rather nasty gash on Crowfur's side, the medicine cat managed to subtly lead him away from the fight. Healing the wound as best she could, yet as quickly as she could, she then sent Crowfur back to fight. If it was her choice, she'd keep the black tom back at camp, but somecat needed to fight. If she risked sending home every cat with a scratch, RiverClan would win in the blink of an eye.
The fight went on for what felt like moons. Cats would fight back and forth, she'd hear insults and threats being spat back and forth, every now and then she'd heal a cat... it seemed to go on, over and over again.
Despite this, the silver tabby dared not look away. What if something happened?
From the corner of her eye, she spotted two cats fighting. She thought little of it, until she realized who the cats were. Whitestar and Nettlewhisker. Embermist held her breath as the cats fight, only breathing again to let out a gasp as Whitestar landed a strong blow to Nettlewhisker's face, narrowly missing an eye. Embermist shivered, for once taking her sight away from the fight to look for something. Anything. To stop the fight. A sign, maybe?
Hearing a loud yowling, Embermist turned back to the battlescene. Longclaw and Nettlewhisker had ganged up on Whitestar, Nettlewhisker attacking from the front, Longclaw from the back. The brown tom reached forward, his paws wrapping around Whitestar's neck, claws unsheathed. Embermist let out a screech, trying to warn Longclaw to stop, but it was too late. Blood was rushing from Whitestar's neck, and both Longclaw and Nettlewhisker quickly jumped back. From the surprised look they both wore, it was clear that Longclaw hadn't intended to claw him, he merely meant to keep him in place, but his overly long and sharp claws had went right through Whitestar's neck fur.
RiverClan's leader stumbled, his gaze shifting through the crowd, before clumsily running back towards the river. He almost jumped in, before deciding that was a terrible idea and running over to the rocks instead. He quickly fled back to his territory, blood staining his path as RiverClan warriors followed him.
SkyClan had won.
Yet, Embermist wasn't happy. She knew very well the bloodshed wouldn't end. Her striking blue gaze looked towards their new leader, and she couldn't help but wonder which path he would take. Where he'd lead his clan.
The tabby she-cat gently closed her eyes, imaging the Moonstone. Illuminated by moonlight, it shone brightly in the cave it hid in. Despite all her doubts and fears, she knew that the cats of the past were waiting there. As she imagined the Moonstone, she could've sworn she heard the brief whispers of cats from long ago. She perked her ears, her eyes opening again to look at Nettlewhisker. Though she didn't hear what the whispers said, it didn't matter. She knew StarClan was there.
That was all she needed to keep going.
Written by: amythealpha (#98461)
Wind gently blew through the trees, shaking their leaves. The shadows of the trees blocked out most of the sunlight, letting little warmth in. Despite that, it was a rather warm day, but the wind couldn't help but cause a shiver to go down the young medicine cat's spine as she made her way through the forest. It'd been a rather slow and uneventful day, so Embermist decided to go for a walk, and look for herbs at the same time. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, except for goldenrod, so she wouldn't have to worry about running out. Her goldenrod supply wasn't doing very well, honestly.
Ears perked, a sound caught the silver tabby's attention. A low growling from the other side of the border. Her gaze swept over to the sound, her body not moving from her previous position. "Oh, hello."
"What are you doing so close to our border?" The tom in front demanded. Embermist blinked in confusion. Did they not realize she was a medicine cat? It's not like she was doing any harm, nor did she intend to get any closer to the border than she already was. Then again, Embermist reminded herself, tensions were still high between SkyClan and RiverClan.
Embermist dipped her head, deciding not to risk a fight. "I'm just taking a walk and gathering herbs. I won't cross your border."
The patrol stalked closer to the border, causing the fur on Embermist's back to raise. As they began entering the water, she stepped back and took a moment to study their expressions. They were angry, and ready to fight. Embermist held back an angry yet pitiful growl. This war between the two clans had gone on long enough. "I won't cross your border." Embermist repeated, looking around, desperate for someone or something to stop the fight. No... RiverClan wouldn't attack a medicine cat, would they? The she-cat dug her claws into the earth beneath her, now staring straight ahead.
They kept coming closer.
Embermist tried not to look afraid as she considered her options. Stay calm? Or run and look for help? Trying not to make it obvious, she sniffed the air. There was a SkyClan patrol not far off. They'd smell RiverClan, or at the very least hear them. At least, Embermist hoped.
A tom growled again, threateningly. He was still in the river separating them. The silver tabby she-cat stayed put, though she could basically feel her own fear scent. Please, no more bloodshed. Please. She silently begged. The past moons had been exhausting enough, she didn't want another fight.
Soon, frantic pawsteps were heard, quickly approaching the medicine cat from behind. She knew it was a SkyClan patrol, so she quietly moved aside. The two patrols sent each other deadly stares, and Embermist watched with sad eyes. They were going to fight, she could tell. The she-cat yowled, trying to get their attention, but it only provoked them more. Two sides clashed; a ball of fur, hissing and spitting, claws slicing through fur and paws flailing. Thankfully, it was over quickly. The RiverClan patrol fled, and SkyClan didn't follow them. She quickly looked over the crowd, but aside from small cuts, no one seemed hurt.
"Are you alright?" One of the warriors from the patrol, Thrushwing, ran up to her, concerned. "As soon as we smelled the patrol, we came running."
The medicine cat let out a long sigh. "I just wish that the fights would stop." She mumbled, turning away. She could hear the patrol murmuring behind her, but she paid no attention. "I'll go get some cobwebs!" The cat called over her shoulder. Thankfully, cobwebs were all over the forest; it was hard to have a shortage of them. Goldenrod, on the other paw, well, that was a different story. Constant fights made it rather hard to get a constant good supply of them. None of the scars the patrol wore were too bad, so she reasoned she could save her goldenrod supply. Soon finding some cobwebs, she wrapped them around her paw, and walked back to the patrol. Almost silently, she cured the patrol's wounds as best she could with only cobwebs, then sent them on their way.
Embermist walked back to camp, her thoughts clouded with worry. This quarrel with RiverClan had been going on for moons at this point. When would it end? Surely the two clans would have to stop at one point, they couldn't keep going like this. So many cats had died from this already. Memories of Redmoon flooded back to the young she-cat, and she let out a sigh. Though she could visit him in StarClan, she wouldn't deny that she wished he was still alive.
The smell of blood brought her back to the real world. The medicine cat froze, for a minute not believing that she was smelling it. Though, as she lifted her muzzle to the air, there was no mistaking it. There was so much blood, the silver tabby jumped back as though the scent would suffocate her. The fur on her back and tail raised as she ran forward, following the scent towards camp.
Cats surrounded the center of camp, each one of them looking terrified or uncertain. Others ran back and forth, desperately bringing things like moss and cobwebs to the center. Embermist scanned the crowd briefly, then barged through the crowd, stubbornly forcing cats out of the way so she could see what exactly the problem was.
A wiry, red-furred she-cat with a sleek tail lay in the center of camp, twitching occasionally or mewing out in pain. There were cuts all over her, but it didn't look like it belonged to a cat, or any other animal for that matter. Her leg was wrapped in moss and cobweb; clearly a quick attempt by some clanmates to heal the fallen cat. Cobwebs and other herbs were also covering her body, but they didn't seem to be doing much. Embermist couldn't help but let out a scared growl. What had happened to her leader? How did this happen? Either way, she was still alive. Blindly, Embermist barked orders, telling certain cats to get certain herbs or items, or even simply to give Foxstar and herself room.
Together, the cats of SkyClan worked quickly, giving Embermist several herbs and such to work with. Embermist quickly grabbed several herbs; travelling herbs or strengthening herbs, to be exact. Embermist was unsure if it'd work, but maybe her leader would be able to have the strength to last a bit longer, giving Embermist more time. Embermist reached her paw to give Foxstar the herbs, but quickly dropped them due to shock, and she almost screeched but bit her tongue, desperately trying to keep calm so the clan wouldn't freak out. She was aware of every eye watching her, as the silver tabby's striking blue eyes looked down to see the gash on Foxstar's neck. StarClan, help me! She silently screamed, quick paws managing to seal the wound, probably the fastest the medicine cat had ever pulled off. Without hesitating, she got to work sealing the other wounds.
Embermist was shaking, but she continued sealing the wounds, even as the whisper of cats around her and their burning stares seemed to observe every movement she made as she attempted to heal her leader. Her mind was racing with questions; how did this happen? Why did it happen? Time didn't seem to exist as Embermist continued to try and heal Foxstar, eventually managing to get more travelling herbs, and actually successfully getting Foxstar to swallow them this time. The red she-cat's breathing was slow, and shallow, but the stubborn tabby wouldn't give up, not now.
After an unknown amount of time, Embermist backed away. She'd tried everything she could think of. Now, to play the waiting game. Embermist nearly held her breath as she looked down at her leader.
Finally, the deputy shakily made his way over. "Is... Foxstar..." The tom shook his head. "She'll be alright, won't she? Just resting?"
The she-cat tried to dodge the question as much as she could, dismissing it with a, "How did this happen?"
Nettlewhisker shook his head, his amber eyes dark with worry. His tail waved back and forth, and he sat down beside his leader. "I'm not completely sure. She was with a patrol, and she'd gone off to hunt a bird. She climbed a tree to do so, and... she must've slipped, I don't... I don't know." He shook his head again, as if doing so would shake away any doubts he had. "We found her bleeding in a thorn bush." He admitted. "We tried our best to heal her, but..."
The two of them looked down at their leader, cats quietly surrounding them, each sending the other nervous glances. The entire camp was dead silent; even the forest had nothing to say as the cats held their breaths, and waited. The orange tortoiseshell tom in front of the silver tabby was mumbling to himself. Embermist didn't need to listen to know he was asking StarClan to help Foxstar. Embermist quietly asked StarClan herself, joining in as she whispered, Don't take her yet StarClan, don't let this be the end. Let me save her, let this be enough. Please, Foxstar can't join you yet.
As Embermist closed her eyes, she once again envisioned Foxstar's body as she saw her in StarClan. She hadn't lost all her lives when she saw her, the Foxstar she saw was merely a shell of a cat. Foxstar's body seemed so... unstable that Embermist swore that if she placed her paw against Foxstar's starry fur, she'd disappear like a reflection in a puddle. Embermist opened her eyes, looking back down at her leader.
"We should get Foxstar to your den, she'll be safer there!" Nettlewhisker exclaimed, standing up.
But Embermist merely shook her head. Though she couldn't see it, she knew StarClan was waiting. That shell of a cat she saw would be completed.
Foxstar's last life was gone.
"She's... gone." Embermist murmured, her voice so quiet that it could be mistaken for a soft breeze.
The deputy stared with wide eyes. "No, no... she can't be gone. Not like that, no way. Come on, she can be saved!" Nettlewhisker cried. "Look, she's still..." The tom's amber eyes fled down to Foxstar's body, as if expecting to see some sort of life. When the tom saw nothing, he didn't bother to finish his sentence. His claws dug into the ground, and his sadness seemed to turn to rage and confusion. Embermist wanted to help, but there was no herb to heal grief, no herb to bring back the dead.
Embermist lifted her gaze to study the crowd once more. The reality of it, Embermist could tell, was sinking in. Most were silent, some either standing there or fleeing to their dens, some crying out with sadness or letting their claws run against the ground with anger. But, most of all, everyone was shocked. Embermist herself could barely believe it, despite watching it herself.
SkyClan's leader, just like that, was gone. Taken by something as innocent as a hunting patrol. There was nothing left Embermist could do.
Embermist lay down beside her leader, resting her head on her paws, shivering. The weight of it seemed to crush the she-cat, as she knew that her leader was dead. Cats gathered round, silently saying their goodbyes, the cats closest to the leader staying beside her, to share tongues one last time.
As if StarClan was crying for the leader's death as well, rain poured down on the cats, soaking them to the bone. No one moved, though, they were too full of grief to care. The medicine cat couldn't help but wonder, If StarClan does truly mourn her death, then why take her so soon?
---
The next morning, Embermist stood up and shook water from her pelt. She hadn't slept a wink, and neither had quite a few cats. Embermist turned to Nettlewhisker, and forced a smile as best she could. "Well... we should probably go to the Moonstone, shouldn't we?" The medicine cat had always imagined Nettlewhisker, the power-hungry and battle-loving tom, to have his eyes light up at the mention of him becoming leader. But now, Nettlewhisker didn't even smile back, his eyes too clouded with sadness to glow with pride. He nodded slowly, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere.
"Let's go." The deputy's voice was dull and quiet, very unlike his normal self. Sure, Embermist and Nettlewhisker never got along great, but the tom's sadness shook Embermist. Yet, the medicine cat couldn't help but respect her new leader for it.
Embermist glanced at her den. "Shouldn't you get some herbs or food first?" She asked gently, but Nettlewhisker shook his head.
"No, no. I'll be fine."
Embermist sighed. "Nettlewhisker, we'll be there all night, probably. You can't just not eat for an entire day. I'll get you something." The she-cat insisted, making her way over to the fresh-kill pile. Grabbing two birds, one for each of them, she made her way back to Nettlewhisker, dropping one of the birds in front of him.
"Thanks." The orange tortoiseshell murmured, before taking a bite, commenting, "We should bury Foxstar before we leave."
The she-cat nodded. "Mhm... after we eat, I'll go get the elders."
Eating in silence for a while, the two eventually got up. Neither of them had finished their food, but some nearby kits seemed eager to take it, so the two cats let them have it. Without saying a word, Embermist slowly made her way to the elder's den. Braveheart, Spiderleap and Leafcloud, the three elders there, seemed unsurprised to see the cats. The three of them already knew. They followed the medicine cat out of the den, Spiderleap taking the lead, Braveheart slowly following, and Leafcloud limping her way along. Spiderleap, her and Nettlewhisker all carefully picked up Foxstar's body, and carried her out to the forest, eventually stopping at a beautiful place in the forest, surrounded by trees.
The silver tabby couldn't watch, she turned away and let the elders bury her leader. As they did so, Embermist wondered how the leader ceremony might go. She'd never actually done one before. She knew her and her leader would go to the Moonstone, of course. Though, she actually didn't know what would happen when they got there.
Looking beside her, Nettlewhisker was sniffing the air, a concerned look on his face. "I'll be right back." He murmured, disappearing into the bushes. Embermist was confused at first, but decided to wait for the tom to return. He did so rather quickly, loudly whispering, "Embermist, my nose must be tricking me. Follow me, please." He asked. The soon-to-be-leader seemed rather frantic, so the medicine cat followed him without question. Not even a few seconds later, Nettlewhisker stopped at a bloody thorn bush. Embermist winced; this must've been the thorn bush that her leader fell in.
"Why are you showing me this?" Embermist asked. Nettlewhisker shook his head.
"Not the thorn bush! Smell around the tree." Nettlewhisker insisted, his claws unsheathed. The tom paced back and forth, a clear sign that he wanted Embermist to hurry up. So she did, quickly sniffing around the tree.
Realization hit her like a brick. RiverClan cats had been on SkyClan territory, they'd been here. Her mind was racing as she thought of the events. Foxstar must've fallen into the thorns while she was meeting the RiverClan patrol, yet the scent seemed to come from yesterday, seemingly the same time. Why would one RiverClan patrol be bothering her, acting as if they were unaware of... wait, no, was it a distraction? Embermist growled, and turned to Nettlewhisker. "RiverClan's been here! It smells like it came from yesterday, I assume when Foxstar fell... and when I met that RiverClan patrol-"
"Wait, you met a RiverClan patrol?" Nettlewhisker interrupted. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was sort of busy healing Foxstar!" Embermist shot back, a tad more angry than she intended. The she-cat was about to continue, but Nettlewhisker interrupted again.
"Nevermind. RiverClan must have done this!" Nettlewhisker growled. He whipped around, clearly heading towards camp. Embermist wanted to stop him; she wasn't sure her assumption was right. Maybe RiverClan had nothing to do with this! ... Though, they had been on SkyClan territory without permission anyways... Deciding what she'd do, she ran over to the elder's, who'd just finished burying Foxstar.
Embermist didn't hesitate for a second, as she exclaimed, "Everyone, back to camp! Nettlewhisker has an announcement, and I doubt it's safe outside of camp right now!" The elders gave her a surprised look, but they did as told, each of them moving to camp at different speeds, though clearly trying to get back as fast as they could. The young medicine cat followed them, making sure they were all in camp before turning to Nettlewhisker. He was in the middle of an angry speech, clearly explaining that RiverClan must be the ones who killed Foxstar. Though Embermist did have her doubts, she wouldn't deny that it made the most sense. Foxstar wouldn't just randomly slip into a thorn bush, she's a skilled cat. The original story of Foxstar simply slipping during a hunting patrol made little sense.
As Embermist continued to think, she remembered the fight that occurred just after Whitestar received his nine lives. Not even a day after he got his nine lives, SkyClan had stolen one of them. Maybe this was their revenge, SkyClan taking RiverClan's leader's first life, so RiverClan took SkyClan's leader's last life. A shiver ran down the she-cat's spine as she thought about this. She was barely listening to the leader-to-be's speech, but she was dimly aware that it was gonna be a fight. After he got his nine lives, they'd strike.
"Longclaw and Thrushwing, you two will follow us to the Moonstone. I don't trust RiverClan to let us go there so easily." Nettlewhisker commented.
Embermist was surprised. She opened her mouth to argue, but judging by the look in the leader-to-be's eyes, she realized that an argument would be worthless. After all, SkyClan had attacked Whitestar after he went to the Moonstone, so it wasn't too far-fetched that RiverClan might consider doing the same to them. Nettlewhisker's next words comforted her, if only slightly.
"We'll do our best to stay away from RiverClan's territory for the whole journey. However, we'll have to pass through ThunderClan territory to do so. Do not provoke them, and try to stay undetected." He addressed. Embermist couldn't help but wonder if his last comment was said, because he was embarrassed of feeling the need to be protected just to get to the Moonstone, where he'd receive his nine lives. You can never be too careful, The medicine cat mentally sighed. SkyClan didn't have a new deputy yet, so it was understandable that Nettlewhisker was possibly nervous. "We'll head out immediately." He barked, leaping down from his place and back onto the ground. A green and white tom with green eyes, the tom known as Thrushwing, quickly followed Nettlewhisker, with a brown tom, named Longclaw, quickly catching up. The silver tabby she-cat followed from the back.
The four cats wandered into the forest, keeping a fair distance from RiverClan's border.
"Hey." Longclaw spoke up. "It might be faster to go through our territory through the trees. We might even make it a little way through ThunderClan territory without being noticed." He commented. "We'd also be able to see what's going on at RiverClan territory easier."
Nettlewhisker took a moment to ponder this, then nodded. Longclaw quickly dug his sharp claws into a nearby tree, forcefully pulling himself up. Thrushwing leaped onto a small branch, then jumped to a higher one. Nettlewhisker ran at a tree in front of him, using his speed to quickly dart up the tree. The medicine cat watched, a bit lost in her thoughts, before gracefully moving up a tree herself.
"Everyone up?" Nettlewhisker called. Each cat made a small sound, indicating that they were indeed in the trees. "Alright, let's go. But be careful!" He warned, before running and jumping to the next tree branch.
I'm not a kit, I know to be careful when jumping trees.... Simple SkyClan skills there. Embermist thought to herself, easily leaping through the trees. As they neared the ThunderClan border, Nettlewhisker called,
"Stop!"
The young she-cat quickly stopped, her claws digging into the branch she was on.
"We should move to trees closer to the river. We don't want ThunderClan to think we're invading if they do catch us." Nettlewhisker commented. As Embermist was about to do so, she looked to the river, and froze when she saw cats.
RiverClan cats.
"Everyone, wait!" Embermist whisper-called, silently making her way closer to the three other cats. "Look!" She pointed with her tail to the cats invading. "RiverClan cats-"
"Are invading!" Longclaw finished with a snarl. He turned to Nettlewhisker. Unsurprisingly, the tom's claws were outstretched, ready for battle.
Amber eyes turned to face Embermist's blue ones. "Embermist, run to camp and get Reedtail, Crowfur, Rabbittail and Badgerface."
"Only four cats?" Thrushwing commented.
"Seven in total, including us." Nettlewhisker corrected. "And yes, I'm leaving the rest of the cats in camp, in case another patrol comes."
Embermist nodded, quickly backtracking through the trees as silently as she could, going from one branch to another, until she eventually basically flew into camp.
A young she-cat looked up at her. "Eh? Embermist? What are you doing back at camp?"
"Rabbittail, get Reedtail, Crowfur and Badgerface. The four of you need to go the the RiverClan border, intruders are there!" She ordered. Her usually soft voice was raised, getting the attention of several cats. "Everyone else, stay at camp and be prepared to defend it if any RiverClan cats come, or if we need you for backup!"
Noticing the apprentices seeming disappointed, she quickly added, "Larkcall, Nutnose, take Rockpaw, Firepaw and Rainpaw and go and find some herbs. Stay close to camp, and far from the border. Be back quickly, we may need you at camp." It wasn't much, though at least the apprentices got to do something. Embermist didn't trust them with much more though, not after what they'd done earlier. Playing with deathberries nearly got Rockpaw killed not that long ago. The thought caused a frown to appear on Embermist's face.
Fleeing into her own den, she prepared a bunch of cobwebs, wrapping as much as she could around one paw. Using a couple leaves, she placed the somewhat small amount of goldenrod she had inside, wrapping it up and grabbing it in her jaws. Without wasting time, the silver tabby ran back out of her den, not bothering to climb any trees, heading straight to where the fight was taking place.
Finding a suitable spot, she placed down the herbs she'd brought along, and watched the battle. She wasn't just watching for the fun of it, or because it interested her. Not at all, in fact. It brought her no joy for the clans to be fighting, not when she vowed her life towards healing. No, she was watching for cats from her clan that were injured, so she could heal them. Spotting a rather nasty gash on Crowfur's side, the medicine cat managed to subtly lead him away from the fight. Healing the wound as best she could, yet as quickly as she could, she then sent Crowfur back to fight. If it was her choice, she'd keep the black tom back at camp, but somecat needed to fight. If she risked sending home every cat with a scratch, RiverClan would win in the blink of an eye.
The fight went on for what felt like moons. Cats would fight back and forth, she'd hear insults and threats being spat back and forth, every now and then she'd heal a cat... it seemed to go on, over and over again.
Despite this, the silver tabby dared not look away. What if something happened?
From the corner of her eye, she spotted two cats fighting. She thought little of it, until she realized who the cats were. Whitestar and Nettlewhisker. Embermist held her breath as the cats fight, only breathing again to let out a gasp as Whitestar landed a strong blow to Nettlewhisker's face, narrowly missing an eye. Embermist shivered, for once taking her sight away from the fight to look for something. Anything. To stop the fight. A sign, maybe?
Hearing a loud yowling, Embermist turned back to the battlescene. Longclaw and Nettlewhisker had ganged up on Whitestar, Nettlewhisker attacking from the front, Longclaw from the back. The brown tom reached forward, his paws wrapping around Whitestar's neck, claws unsheathed. Embermist let out a screech, trying to warn Longclaw to stop, but it was too late. Blood was rushing from Whitestar's neck, and both Longclaw and Nettlewhisker quickly jumped back. From the surprised look they both wore, it was clear that Longclaw hadn't intended to claw him, he merely meant to keep him in place, but his overly long and sharp claws had went right through Whitestar's neck fur.
RiverClan's leader stumbled, his gaze shifting through the crowd, before clumsily running back towards the river. He almost jumped in, before deciding that was a terrible idea and running over to the rocks instead. He quickly fled back to his territory, blood staining his path as RiverClan warriors followed him.
SkyClan had won.
Yet, Embermist wasn't happy. She knew very well the bloodshed wouldn't end. Her striking blue gaze looked towards their new leader, and she couldn't help but wonder which path he would take. Where he'd lead his clan.
The tabby she-cat gently closed her eyes, imaging the Moonstone. Illuminated by moonlight, it shone brightly in the cave it hid in. Despite all her doubts and fears, she knew that the cats of the past were waiting there. As she imagined the Moonstone, she could've sworn she heard the brief whispers of cats from long ago. She perked her ears, her eyes opening again to look at Nettlewhisker. Though she didn't hear what the whispers said, it didn't matter. She knew StarClan was there.
That was all she needed to keep going.
Written by: amythealpha (#98461)
A New Day Dawns
Usually the sun would be bearing down on the Earth below with bright gleams, but today the sun was covered by dark grey clouds that fit the emotion of almost every cat in SkyClan. Their leader, Foxstar, had lost her life the night before to those filthy RiverClan cats. First their deputy, Redmoon, and now her! As much as the silver medicine cat wanted the bloodshed to stop, she couldn't help but to feel anger towards their enemy. They had slaughtered so many SkyClanners; every cat here held grief in their heart for a loved one they lost to the claws of RiverClanners, whether the cat is Foxstar or someone else. All of this happening simply for a piece of land...
The she-cat lifted her head as a cat entered her den and she waved her tail at the tortoiseshell tom, "What can I help you with, Nettlewhisker?" She asked calmly, wondering if she should start calling their deputy Nettlestar now as they were preparing to visit the Moonstone - for the second time after the Riverclan invasion the day prior.
Embermist wasn't too sure on how she felt about the tom now, but she supposed they should start getting along as leader and medicine cat. They'd be on a long journey together, anyway. Might as well get to know each other... Even if he did allow Redmoon to fight in the state he had been in.
Nettlewhisker took a seat beside her, his pelt bristling with nervousness. This was something Embermist had never seen in the usually confident deputy, "Redmoon was supposed to be the leader," the tom started, shifting his paws, "what if it's a mistake? What if I'm not supposed to become the leader?" Embermist had heard her mentor talking about how leaders usually received the jitters before they earned their nine lives, so she just offered Nettlewhisker a pat on the shoulder with her tail.
"If you weren't supposed to be the leader, Nettlewhisker, StarClan would have told us moons ago." Embermist leaned down to take the traveling herbs in her mouth and she met the orange tortoiseshell's eyes, "We need to go now." Both of them were ready for the journey, there was no use in lazying around camp any longer. He nodded stiffly and rose to his paws to exit the medicine den, he scanned the camp and a thought came to the she-cat's mind. She didn't have an apprentice! Who would take care of injured cats while she's gone? RiverClan had been hanging around far too close to their borders lately, she feared they may be planning an attack. Embermist forced her worries down and prayed to StarClan that her Clan would be safe during her absence. Releasing a sigh she followed Nettlewhisker outside of her den.
Her ears twitched as Nettlewhisker spoke up to gain the Clan's attention; the confidence had returned to him. "During my absence, Thrushwing will be taking care of camp. Any orders you receive from him must be done, so treat him with respect!" The tom's voice rang across camp and Thrushwing's eyes brightened at the mention of his new responsibility. Embermist smiled at the sight and gave the deputy a nudge, and he nodded. "Make sure no blood is shed, I do not wish to return and find out one of my Clanmates has been injured or murdered." Nettlewhisker cast a glance to Longclaw, "That means you don't initiate any fights with RiverClan." The long-clawed tom scoffed at him sarcastically and Nettlewhisker purred.
After a few moments of chit-chat with their Clanmates, Embermist finally convinced the nervous Nettlewhisker to begin their journey to the Moonstone.
---
The most dangerous thing about traveling to the Moonstone for the two cats was crossing through RiverClan and WindClan's territories. Embermist was glancing around every five seconds to make sure no warriors were coming up behind them as an attempted ambush. They wouldn't dare attack them on their way to the Moonstone, right? That was against the Warrior Code. Then again, it was likely considering they'd murdered Redmoon and Foxstar... A rustle caught the she-cat's attention and her fur fluffed up. Three soaking wet cats came out from behind a boulder, their pelts dripping wet. One of them, a young apprentice, held a trout in their jaws. It was the RiverClan hunting patrol.
A dark-furred she-cat approached them with a challenging look in her emerald green eyes, but she stopped a little ways away from and eyed Embermist's traveling pouch. Nettlewhisker calmly informed her that they meant no harm and he was heading to receive his nine lives. Ravenwind, the RiverClan deputy, nodded silently before releasing a sigh. "So that was her last life," she mewed as she backed away, "May StarClan guide you..." Ravenwind dipped her head and Embermist felt sadness radiating off of the black deputy. Without another word, Ravenwind signaled to her hunting patrol to stand down and return to camp.
"I wonder why she seemed upset?" Embermist mewed as Nettlewhisker began padding away again, obviously desperate to step foot off the enemy's territory. Nettlewhisker sighed and explained in yesterday’s attack, a tabby tom, had fallen. He and the RiverClan deputy shared a similar scent. "That was her brother..." Embermist hadn't even begun to think about how their rival Clan may feel about this war. After all, they were losing loved ones as well. Perhaps Nettlewhisker could settle this useless battle? She prayed that he could.
---
They had made it safely through RiverClan's territory and was now entering WindClan's land, and Embermist was hoping WindClan warriors weren't out patrolling to slow them down. They didn't need anymore distractions today. Embermist's ears flickered as Nettlewhisker's voice reached her and she turned her attention to him, "I know you've been tolerating me for allowing Redmoon to fight," he started calmly and the she-cat fought down her urge to groan, she did not want to have this conversation, "but I hope we come to be good friends after my nine lives are given to me." He looked back at her and his amber eyes shone with hope.
Embermist gave him a reassuring smile, "Of course, the Clan can't have their leader and medicine cat fighting all the time." She teased and the tortoiseshell chuckled, "and Redmoon died fighting for his Clan. That's how he wanted to go... Risking his life to protect those he loved." Her heart felt heavy now, but she had to fight her emotions to remain calm. He was gone now, she couldn't grieve any longer. Many moons had passed since his death; it was time to accept that.
Nettlewhisker purred and held his head high, "That's how I would want to die... Defending my Clan." Embermist nodded her response of agreement and movement caught her attention. She sighed at the sight of three WindClan warriors approaching them with a scarred white she-cat in the lead. She could only assume that female was the famous Weaselscar who was known for causing trouble with the ThunderClan warriors; Embermist hoped the she-cat would let them go without any trouble. Nettlewhisker dipped his head.
"We don't want trouble," Embermist started after setting her herbs down, "we're just heading to the Moonstone. Foxstar lost her last life." A flash of understanding went through the white she-cat's eyes and her voice was gruff when she spoke.
"Good luck, but don't use the usual route," her eyes narrowed, "the last storm's debris covered the path. You need to take the long route until we can get some of it cleared." Embermist purred her thanks and took the herbs back into her jaws, Nettlewhisker vocally thanked the she-cat for the warning and the two started off again.
Just as Weaselscar had said, the usual path had been blocked by debris of all kinds. It would take longer to reach the Moonpool now, but it would taken longer trying to navigate through the remains.
---
At last they had reached the Moonstone... They were both out of breath from their long trek, but they would be well rested soon enough. Embermist had already padded inside the underground cave, but Nettlewhisker remained outside with concern plastered across his face. He was worried he would not receive his nine lives; Embermist gave him a smile and gestured for him to follow her. She disappeared into the darkness and her whiskers immediately went to work, sensing the path down to the stone that connected them with StarClan. The air was stale and smelled like dust, but that was expected of an underground cave. Embermist had never been here before, but she felt as though she'd visited the stone millions of times. She squinted as the glowing stone came into view and Nettlewhisker padded up beside her, his body was tense and she could smell the fear radiating off of his tortoiseshell pelt.
He looked like a shadow moving across the dusty ground as he approached the stone and Embermist took herself a seat a little ways away from him, she closed her eyes and lay down. She would rest while he received his nine lives; she heard him sigh and peeked an eye open to see him press the tip of his muzzle to the stone.
(Nettlewhisker)
The tortoiseshell tom opened his eyes carefully, fearful that he would not receive his life. Relief washed through him when he was embraced by a familiar silvery light and nine cats stepped forward, their bodies were transparent and starry. He blinked and the cats came to life, the first cat he recognized was Foxstar wearing a proud smile on her face. He tensed as she padded forward to greet him, "Welcome to StarClan, Nettlewhisker," she purred, her voice no longer holding the irritation it did while she was living, "you will lead your Clan well." He felt warmth rush across his body as her nose touched his head. "With this life, I give you courage." She stepped back.
Nettlewhisker was silent as another cat came forward. She had a beautiful silver pelt and gleaming amber eyes, he felt as though he'd met her before. "I'm Iceheart," she purred, "I died a few days after your birth." Iceheart touched her muzzle to his head just as Foxstar had done, her voice was gentle and soothing. It made the tom feel relaxed. "With this life, I give you humility." He sighed in content as another warm feeling came across his body. Iceheart gave him a knowing smile and joined Foxstar as a young tom approached Nettlewhisker. His pelt was as gray as ash.
"Remember me? Sootstrike." He mewed with pride in his glowing yellow gaze and the name immediately reminded the tortoiseshell cat of the StarClan tom, he'd been one of the toms he'd trained with as a young apprentice, but Sootstrike had been killed by a RiverClan warrior during a raid. Sootstrike's nose touched his head and brought Nettlewhisker back to reality, "With this life, I give you justice." Nettlewhisker felt confidence flood over him and as it started to fade, the tom joined Foxstar and Iceheart.
A gray and white she-cat came into view, "My name is Mistysky," she mewed as she touched his head, "and with this life, I give you the love of a mother," Mistysky leaned away after the warm rush flooded him again, he felt love bloom in his chest at the mention of his Clan, "your Clan is your family. Treat them as so." She moved away for the next StarClanner to come forth. It was another strange cat, but the scent he carried felt familiar. A family member who died when he was a kit, perhaps?
The orange tabby tom gave him a smile, "Hello again, Nettlewhisker," he greeted, "I'm Oakfall, and with this life I give you trust." Nettlewhisker's heart and mind opened, drowning any grudges he held against his Clanmates. Oakfall pulled away, he looked to his left as another tom came to his side and he joined the other StarClan cats. This time it was a dark brown tabby tom Nettlewhisker could only assume was Oakfall's brother.
The tom purred, "My name is is Molejump," he pressed his muzzle to the tortoiseshell's head, "with this life I give you loyalty." Nettlewhisker felt a rush of love for his Clan surge through him and he felt prepared to defend them at all costs. Six lives already, but now Nettlewhisker was wondering where the cats he'd fought alongside were. Where were his friends he lost to the claws of RiverClan? Would they give him a life? His heart skipped a beat as a familiar she-cat padded into view, her calico pelt shimmering with the StarClan glow.
"Whisperleaf..." Nettlewhisker blinked as the calico gave him a smile, greeting him briefly before giving him his seventh life. "With this life I give you patience." A peaceful feeling overcame he and he was somewhat thankful one of his former friends had given him a life, it made him feel relaxed and content. They had made it safely to StarClan; if Whisperleaf was here, that meant the others were as well. He sighed heavily as his long lost friend joined the other starry warriors and he moved his attention who would award him his eighth life.
"My name is Shadowtalon," a black tom padded forward and Nettlewhisker's fur ruffled at the sight of intimidating tom, "with this life I give you hope." Hope blossomed inside of him and he could see SkyClan settling their feud with RiverClan at last; they would overcome anything that threw itself at them. When he opened his eyes again, Shadowtalon was gone. Nettlewhisker's amber eyes scanned for the cat who'd reward him with his ninth life.
His jaw dropped as Redmoon appeared before him with a content expression on his face, "Foxstar was right to choose you as her deputy, you will become an amazing leader, Nettlewhisker," the tom smirked and pressed his muzzle to Nettlewhisker's head, "and with this life I give you compassion." A feeling surged through Nettlestar and he felt love towards anybody who was mistreated, he felt love towards his Clan, and love towards all those who were forgotten. Redmoon pulled away and joined the StarClan warriors.
Foxstar spoke; "Lead your Clan well, Nettlestar, we'll be waiting for you."
Just as his vision begun to fall, he heard Redmoon's laughter, "Don't miss us too much and don't throw your lives away mindlessly!"
---
The sun had long rose in the sky by the time Embermist and Nettlestar returned to the Clan; they had been welcomed back with mews of glee and hope. SkyClan had a new leader and a brighter future, they were confident the young tom would lead them in the right direction. Embermist knew Nettlestar would have moments of doubt, but she had promised him that she'd be there for him just as the rest of them would. They were one family, they had each others' backs.
Nettlestar silenced everybody and pounced up to the High Rock, there was no need in calling a Clan meeting as everybody had already gathered to welcome him back. His voice rang over the camp and Embermist took a seat beside Thrushwing, waiting for the announcement their new leader had to say. "Now that I am leader, I suppose I need to choose a deputy." Embermist heard cats' breath catch when the tom trailed off, examining the cats below him as if he were looking into their souls. "Well, I have already chosen who will become SkyClan's next leader," he mewed with a smile on his muzzle. "Larkcall will become my deputy and eventually, the next leader of our amazing Clan."
Embermist grinned at the she-cat as her jaw dropped in utter surprise, "Me? Nettlewhis- Nettlestar, are you sure? I don't think I'm good enough. You made a mistake. Nettlestar purred and jumped down to press his muzzle to her head, reassuring her that it was no mistake at all. StarClan had told him she'd be perfect to carry on the Clan's legacy.
The Clan meeting came to close and Embermist retreated to her den, eager to receive some much needed rest after the journey she'd taken. She was gone the second she closed her eyes.
Written by: *Dreaming~Paradise* (Dixie) (#71738)
Usually the sun would be bearing down on the Earth below with bright gleams, but today the sun was covered by dark grey clouds that fit the emotion of almost every cat in SkyClan. Their leader, Foxstar, had lost her life the night before to those filthy RiverClan cats. First their deputy, Redmoon, and now her! As much as the silver medicine cat wanted the bloodshed to stop, she couldn't help but to feel anger towards their enemy. They had slaughtered so many SkyClanners; every cat here held grief in their heart for a loved one they lost to the claws of RiverClanners, whether the cat is Foxstar or someone else. All of this happening simply for a piece of land...
The she-cat lifted her head as a cat entered her den and she waved her tail at the tortoiseshell tom, "What can I help you with, Nettlewhisker?" She asked calmly, wondering if she should start calling their deputy Nettlestar now as they were preparing to visit the Moonstone - for the second time after the Riverclan invasion the day prior.
Embermist wasn't too sure on how she felt about the tom now, but she supposed they should start getting along as leader and medicine cat. They'd be on a long journey together, anyway. Might as well get to know each other... Even if he did allow Redmoon to fight in the state he had been in.
Nettlewhisker took a seat beside her, his pelt bristling with nervousness. This was something Embermist had never seen in the usually confident deputy, "Redmoon was supposed to be the leader," the tom started, shifting his paws, "what if it's a mistake? What if I'm not supposed to become the leader?" Embermist had heard her mentor talking about how leaders usually received the jitters before they earned their nine lives, so she just offered Nettlewhisker a pat on the shoulder with her tail.
"If you weren't supposed to be the leader, Nettlewhisker, StarClan would have told us moons ago." Embermist leaned down to take the traveling herbs in her mouth and she met the orange tortoiseshell's eyes, "We need to go now." Both of them were ready for the journey, there was no use in lazying around camp any longer. He nodded stiffly and rose to his paws to exit the medicine den, he scanned the camp and a thought came to the she-cat's mind. She didn't have an apprentice! Who would take care of injured cats while she's gone? RiverClan had been hanging around far too close to their borders lately, she feared they may be planning an attack. Embermist forced her worries down and prayed to StarClan that her Clan would be safe during her absence. Releasing a sigh she followed Nettlewhisker outside of her den.
Her ears twitched as Nettlewhisker spoke up to gain the Clan's attention; the confidence had returned to him. "During my absence, Thrushwing will be taking care of camp. Any orders you receive from him must be done, so treat him with respect!" The tom's voice rang across camp and Thrushwing's eyes brightened at the mention of his new responsibility. Embermist smiled at the sight and gave the deputy a nudge, and he nodded. "Make sure no blood is shed, I do not wish to return and find out one of my Clanmates has been injured or murdered." Nettlewhisker cast a glance to Longclaw, "That means you don't initiate any fights with RiverClan." The long-clawed tom scoffed at him sarcastically and Nettlewhisker purred.
After a few moments of chit-chat with their Clanmates, Embermist finally convinced the nervous Nettlewhisker to begin their journey to the Moonstone.
---
The most dangerous thing about traveling to the Moonstone for the two cats was crossing through RiverClan and WindClan's territories. Embermist was glancing around every five seconds to make sure no warriors were coming up behind them as an attempted ambush. They wouldn't dare attack them on their way to the Moonstone, right? That was against the Warrior Code. Then again, it was likely considering they'd murdered Redmoon and Foxstar... A rustle caught the she-cat's attention and her fur fluffed up. Three soaking wet cats came out from behind a boulder, their pelts dripping wet. One of them, a young apprentice, held a trout in their jaws. It was the RiverClan hunting patrol.
A dark-furred she-cat approached them with a challenging look in her emerald green eyes, but she stopped a little ways away from and eyed Embermist's traveling pouch. Nettlewhisker calmly informed her that they meant no harm and he was heading to receive his nine lives. Ravenwind, the RiverClan deputy, nodded silently before releasing a sigh. "So that was her last life," she mewed as she backed away, "May StarClan guide you..." Ravenwind dipped her head and Embermist felt sadness radiating off of the black deputy. Without another word, Ravenwind signaled to her hunting patrol to stand down and return to camp.
"I wonder why she seemed upset?" Embermist mewed as Nettlewhisker began padding away again, obviously desperate to step foot off the enemy's territory. Nettlewhisker sighed and explained in yesterday’s attack, a tabby tom, had fallen. He and the RiverClan deputy shared a similar scent. "That was her brother..." Embermist hadn't even begun to think about how their rival Clan may feel about this war. After all, they were losing loved ones as well. Perhaps Nettlewhisker could settle this useless battle? She prayed that he could.
---
They had made it safely through RiverClan's territory and was now entering WindClan's land, and Embermist was hoping WindClan warriors weren't out patrolling to slow them down. They didn't need anymore distractions today. Embermist's ears flickered as Nettlewhisker's voice reached her and she turned her attention to him, "I know you've been tolerating me for allowing Redmoon to fight," he started calmly and the she-cat fought down her urge to groan, she did not want to have this conversation, "but I hope we come to be good friends after my nine lives are given to me." He looked back at her and his amber eyes shone with hope.
Embermist gave him a reassuring smile, "Of course, the Clan can't have their leader and medicine cat fighting all the time." She teased and the tortoiseshell chuckled, "and Redmoon died fighting for his Clan. That's how he wanted to go... Risking his life to protect those he loved." Her heart felt heavy now, but she had to fight her emotions to remain calm. He was gone now, she couldn't grieve any longer. Many moons had passed since his death; it was time to accept that.
Nettlewhisker purred and held his head high, "That's how I would want to die... Defending my Clan." Embermist nodded her response of agreement and movement caught her attention. She sighed at the sight of three WindClan warriors approaching them with a scarred white she-cat in the lead. She could only assume that female was the famous Weaselscar who was known for causing trouble with the ThunderClan warriors; Embermist hoped the she-cat would let them go without any trouble. Nettlewhisker dipped his head.
"We don't want trouble," Embermist started after setting her herbs down, "we're just heading to the Moonstone. Foxstar lost her last life." A flash of understanding went through the white she-cat's eyes and her voice was gruff when she spoke.
"Good luck, but don't use the usual route," her eyes narrowed, "the last storm's debris covered the path. You need to take the long route until we can get some of it cleared." Embermist purred her thanks and took the herbs back into her jaws, Nettlewhisker vocally thanked the she-cat for the warning and the two started off again.
Just as Weaselscar had said, the usual path had been blocked by debris of all kinds. It would take longer to reach the Moonpool now, but it would taken longer trying to navigate through the remains.
---
At last they had reached the Moonstone... They were both out of breath from their long trek, but they would be well rested soon enough. Embermist had already padded inside the underground cave, but Nettlewhisker remained outside with concern plastered across his face. He was worried he would not receive his nine lives; Embermist gave him a smile and gestured for him to follow her. She disappeared into the darkness and her whiskers immediately went to work, sensing the path down to the stone that connected them with StarClan. The air was stale and smelled like dust, but that was expected of an underground cave. Embermist had never been here before, but she felt as though she'd visited the stone millions of times. She squinted as the glowing stone came into view and Nettlewhisker padded up beside her, his body was tense and she could smell the fear radiating off of his tortoiseshell pelt.
He looked like a shadow moving across the dusty ground as he approached the stone and Embermist took herself a seat a little ways away from him, she closed her eyes and lay down. She would rest while he received his nine lives; she heard him sigh and peeked an eye open to see him press the tip of his muzzle to the stone.
(Nettlewhisker)
The tortoiseshell tom opened his eyes carefully, fearful that he would not receive his life. Relief washed through him when he was embraced by a familiar silvery light and nine cats stepped forward, their bodies were transparent and starry. He blinked and the cats came to life, the first cat he recognized was Foxstar wearing a proud smile on her face. He tensed as she padded forward to greet him, "Welcome to StarClan, Nettlewhisker," she purred, her voice no longer holding the irritation it did while she was living, "you will lead your Clan well." He felt warmth rush across his body as her nose touched his head. "With this life, I give you courage." She stepped back.
Nettlewhisker was silent as another cat came forward. She had a beautiful silver pelt and gleaming amber eyes, he felt as though he'd met her before. "I'm Iceheart," she purred, "I died a few days after your birth." Iceheart touched her muzzle to his head just as Foxstar had done, her voice was gentle and soothing. It made the tom feel relaxed. "With this life, I give you humility." He sighed in content as another warm feeling came across his body. Iceheart gave him a knowing smile and joined Foxstar as a young tom approached Nettlewhisker. His pelt was as gray as ash.
"Remember me? Sootstrike." He mewed with pride in his glowing yellow gaze and the name immediately reminded the tortoiseshell cat of the StarClan tom, he'd been one of the toms he'd trained with as a young apprentice, but Sootstrike had been killed by a RiverClan warrior during a raid. Sootstrike's nose touched his head and brought Nettlewhisker back to reality, "With this life, I give you justice." Nettlewhisker felt confidence flood over him and as it started to fade, the tom joined Foxstar and Iceheart.
A gray and white she-cat came into view, "My name is Mistysky," she mewed as she touched his head, "and with this life, I give you the love of a mother," Mistysky leaned away after the warm rush flooded him again, he felt love bloom in his chest at the mention of his Clan, "your Clan is your family. Treat them as so." She moved away for the next StarClanner to come forth. It was another strange cat, but the scent he carried felt familiar. A family member who died when he was a kit, perhaps?
The orange tabby tom gave him a smile, "Hello again, Nettlewhisker," he greeted, "I'm Oakfall, and with this life I give you trust." Nettlewhisker's heart and mind opened, drowning any grudges he held against his Clanmates. Oakfall pulled away, he looked to his left as another tom came to his side and he joined the other StarClan cats. This time it was a dark brown tabby tom Nettlewhisker could only assume was Oakfall's brother.
The tom purred, "My name is is Molejump," he pressed his muzzle to the tortoiseshell's head, "with this life I give you loyalty." Nettlewhisker felt a rush of love for his Clan surge through him and he felt prepared to defend them at all costs. Six lives already, but now Nettlewhisker was wondering where the cats he'd fought alongside were. Where were his friends he lost to the claws of RiverClan? Would they give him a life? His heart skipped a beat as a familiar she-cat padded into view, her calico pelt shimmering with the StarClan glow.
"Whisperleaf..." Nettlewhisker blinked as the calico gave him a smile, greeting him briefly before giving him his seventh life. "With this life I give you patience." A peaceful feeling overcame he and he was somewhat thankful one of his former friends had given him a life, it made him feel relaxed and content. They had made it safely to StarClan; if Whisperleaf was here, that meant the others were as well. He sighed heavily as his long lost friend joined the other starry warriors and he moved his attention who would award him his eighth life.
"My name is Shadowtalon," a black tom padded forward and Nettlewhisker's fur ruffled at the sight of intimidating tom, "with this life I give you hope." Hope blossomed inside of him and he could see SkyClan settling their feud with RiverClan at last; they would overcome anything that threw itself at them. When he opened his eyes again, Shadowtalon was gone. Nettlewhisker's amber eyes scanned for the cat who'd reward him with his ninth life.
His jaw dropped as Redmoon appeared before him with a content expression on his face, "Foxstar was right to choose you as her deputy, you will become an amazing leader, Nettlewhisker," the tom smirked and pressed his muzzle to Nettlewhisker's head, "and with this life I give you compassion." A feeling surged through Nettlestar and he felt love towards anybody who was mistreated, he felt love towards his Clan, and love towards all those who were forgotten. Redmoon pulled away and joined the StarClan warriors.
Foxstar spoke; "Lead your Clan well, Nettlestar, we'll be waiting for you."
Just as his vision begun to fall, he heard Redmoon's laughter, "Don't miss us too much and don't throw your lives away mindlessly!"
---
The sun had long rose in the sky by the time Embermist and Nettlestar returned to the Clan; they had been welcomed back with mews of glee and hope. SkyClan had a new leader and a brighter future, they were confident the young tom would lead them in the right direction. Embermist knew Nettlestar would have moments of doubt, but she had promised him that she'd be there for him just as the rest of them would. They were one family, they had each others' backs.
Nettlestar silenced everybody and pounced up to the High Rock, there was no need in calling a Clan meeting as everybody had already gathered to welcome him back. His voice rang over the camp and Embermist took a seat beside Thrushwing, waiting for the announcement their new leader had to say. "Now that I am leader, I suppose I need to choose a deputy." Embermist heard cats' breath catch when the tom trailed off, examining the cats below him as if he were looking into their souls. "Well, I have already chosen who will become SkyClan's next leader," he mewed with a smile on his muzzle. "Larkcall will become my deputy and eventually, the next leader of our amazing Clan."
Embermist grinned at the she-cat as her jaw dropped in utter surprise, "Me? Nettlewhis- Nettlestar, are you sure? I don't think I'm good enough. You made a mistake. Nettlestar purred and jumped down to press his muzzle to her head, reassuring her that it was no mistake at all. StarClan had told him she'd be perfect to carry on the Clan's legacy.
The Clan meeting came to close and Embermist retreated to her den, eager to receive some much needed rest after the journey she'd taken. She was gone the second she closed her eyes.
Written by: *Dreaming~Paradise* (Dixie) (#71738)
Those who Gather
“How do you feel?” A gently voice mewed as blue eyes watched an orange tortoiseshell tom raise his head from where it rested on his paws. He blinked his amber eyes slowly, looking at the now dim Moonstone and then at the silver pelted she-cat who sat a tail-length away from him.
“Should I feel any different?” He asked, and the she-cat watched as his eyes swam with different emotions, his features somehow deepened, making him look much older than what he was. She had yet to see a cat wake up after being given their nine lives, and the air about the amber eyed tom felt different somehow. After the battle with RiverClan, the tom had a fire in his eyes that had sent chills down her spine. The bloodshed after losing their previous leader, Foxstar, had created a hunger in their deputy that set the silver she-cat on edge. She was hoping that after receiving his nine lives, he’d have the wisdom of previous leaders and warriors to put an end to this bloodshed.
“It’s different for every cat,” The silver she-cat mewed gently. “Are you ready to head back to camp, Nettlestar?”
The name rang through the cave and the tom rose to his feet, shaking out his thick pelt. He carried himself differently now, an air of authority and power hanging over him like a veil. He carried nine lives with him now, allowing him to lead and protect the clan for many moons, and the young medicine cat prayed he used them wisely. She had hoped with her visit to the Moonstone tonight, StarClan would’ve said something to her after she heard the whispering earlier after their battle with RiverClan on their journey here. But, all eyes were on Nettlestar as the ceremony to give him his nine lives commenced. The two cats padded out of the cave that housed the Moonstone and were greeted by three figures waiting in the shadows. They all rose to their paws and dipped their heads to their new leader respectfully as he looked at them with a new sense of purpose.
“Let’s get going,” Nettlestar said as he began heading down the path that led away from Highstones and towards the clan territories. The silver she-cat and the other warriors fell into step behind him as they began their trek back home, the moon slowly beginning to set on the horizon and the sky was barely starting to lighten.
“How did it go Embermist?” A sleek pelted black she-cat with striking amber eyes fell in step beside the silver tabby she-cat and gave her a quizzical look.
“As well as is to be expected of a leader ceremony,” The medicine cat mewed. “Though, I didn’t receive any messages from Starclan…”
“Is that troubling?” The black she-cat asked, her eyes widening.
“No, it’s alright Blackfur.” Embermist said with a weak smile. “I was just hoping for something from Foxstar, or even Redmoon, about RiverClan. I thought with how Foxstar lost her life, she would’ve said something…”
“Maybe that means we don’t have to worry about anything, and it’s finally over.” Blackfur said with a little bit of hopeful enthusiasm. “We did win the last battle, and now we have Nettlestar as leader. I’m sure there isn’t anything to worry about.”
Too tired to argue with her, and not wanting to strip away the she-cat’s hope for peace, Embermist simply smiled and nodded in weak agreement to the black pelted warrior. Though, she had a sinking feeling in her stomach that things were still only beginning, that the unrest and bloodshed between the two clans was starting to run too deep to repair. The patrol had to travel with an abnormally large number of members just to go to the Moonstone for Nettlestar’s naming ceremony because of the most recent battle between the two clans. On top of that, Embermist was afraid that her new leader hadn’t let go of his suspicions and rage over the fact that RiverClan was scented in the same place Foxstar had supposedly fallen to her death into a thorn bush.
A gentle breeze caressed her pelt and with it came an all too familiar scent that made her heart flutter in her chest. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, almost feeling a pelt brush against hers and she fought the urge to lean into it. Redmoon. His scent calmed her nerves but was he warning her? Should she return to the Moonstone the next night and speak to him? She could almost hear him telling her she needed to relax as she forced the tension in her shoulders to unwind and sighed, shaking her head as his scent faded. Maybe he was just there to calm her nerves, let her know to have hope for the future. It couldn’t be all bad, right?
-----
The full moon hung in the inky black sky like a spotlight as silent shadows moved through the underbrush. Embermist padded just behind Nettlestar and SkyClan’s new deputy, Larkcall. The agile black she-cat kept an even pace next to the Clan’s leader, and she had calm features but the young medicine cat knew tensions in the Clan were high. This was Nettlestar’s first Gathering, and tensions were still high with RiverClan. No more battles had been fought, but harsh words and threats were occasionally thrown across the border from passing patrols.
“Looks like we’re not the last to arrive,” Nettlestar mewed as they reached Four Trees, and Embermist could just barely spot RiverClan’s leader, Whitestar, through the crowd of cats. It seemed as if just ThunderClan was missing as the SkyClan cats entered the hollow.
The chatter of cats hushed a moment as heads turned to look in their direction, eyes scanning the group of newcomers in sizing them up in the pale moonlight.
“Where is Foxstar?” A harsh voice cut through the crowd of cats. And older smoky gray tom with piercing green eyes and a heavily scarred pelt narrowed his eyes at SkyClan as he scanned their ranks, looking for the red pelted she-cat.
“Greetings to you too, Fogstar,” Nettlestar said with a growl edging his voice. He turned his amber gaze to Whitestar, his lip curling back in a silent snarl. Though the RiverClan leader’s face showed no emotions, Nettlestar didn’t stop accusation from filling his voice. “She’s dead, I received my nine lives less than a quarter moon ago.”
A shock wave seemed to ripple through the clans and the other leaders dipped their heads. “Our condolences are with SkyClan,” A soft spoken red tabby she-cat mewed. “Foxstar was a wise and courageous leader, and she will be dearly missed.”
Nettlestar scoffed and Embermist was taken aback at his blatent disrespect towards the WindClan leader, but the blue-eyed, red pelted leader simply made room on the Great Rock for him as he made his way to join them. The SkyClan cats dispersed and mingled with WindClan and ShadowClan cats, but made obvious efforts to avoid the RiverClan cats. Embermist sighed and made her way over to the other medicine cats, shivering as she tried to shake off the feeling of looming disaster.
“Hello Embermist,” A soft voice greeted her and she looked up and noticed Troutleap was giving her a hesitant smile. Medicine cats usually didn’t let rivalries between their Clans come between them, and usually tried to stay out of Clan politics, especially during the half moon and full moon. The brown tom had a sleek pelt with speckled tabby markings and a white underbelly and paws. His blue gaze was unsure but welcoming as the silver she-cat dipped her head in greeting.
“I’m so sorry to hear about Foxstar,” A dainty solid gray she-cat with violet eyes mewed and Embermist forced a small smile.
“Thank you Juniperfoot,” The young she-cat mewed to the Shadowclan medicine cat. She looked like a smaller duplicate of her brother, Fogstar, and the gray on her muzzle betrayed the young sound of her voice and light in her eyes.
“What happened?” Troutleap mewed, then looked a little embarrassed as he sputtered out a rushed, “If you don’t mind my asking, that is?”
Embermist couldn’t help but narrow her eyes a little, suspicion prickling her skin and making her pelt start to bristle. She quickly shook it off, shaking her head and sighing. “It was a freak hunting accident,” She said softly. “We found her in a thorn bush, and she happened to land just right so the thorns left wounds not even I could heal.”
Troutleap shook his head and looked truly heartbroken for her. “It’s never easy losing a leader,” He said softly and Embermist blinked, suddenly remembering that Troutleap had been through losing a leader as well, having lost RiverClan’s previous leader, Pikestar. His death came at the claws of Foxstar, and a chill ran through the silver tabby as she remembered Whiststar’s oath for revenge. Had he really kept it? Before she could say anything to the RiverClan medicine cat’s words, a yowl echoed out through the hollow as a large, bulky brown tabby tom made his way up the Great Rock. Thunderclan’s leader, Coonstar, had arrived and the Gathering was beginning.
Fogstar started off the Gathering, reporting for ShadowClan. Other than losing one of their elder’s to failing health, there was nothing to report. The same was to be said for Coonstar of ThunderClan, who had brought along two new apprentices with him and his Clan. Rosestar of Windclan, who had offered her condolences when SkyClan had first arrived, reported having scented a fox near the Shadowclan border and letting them know to keep an eye out in the future, just in case it had crossed into their territory. Whitestar took the spotlight next, announcing a new warrior, Sunflower, as well as a new litter of kits.
“Our borders are well protected,” The large white tom mewed, shooting a glare towards Nettlestar. “And with our clan growing, we are stronger than ever.” With that, he stepped back and Nettlestar shouldered his way forward. Embermist felt her heart leap to her throat and her stomach drop as she looked up at her leader. She prayed he wouldn’t voice his suspicions, or throw any accusations. Not tonight, during the full moon when there was a truce between all clans.
“SkyClan is in a time of mourning,” Nettlestar began, his voice ringing out into the silent hollow as m any cats dipped their heads respectfully. “Foxstar lost her last life in a tragic accident, one that couldn’t have been foreseen and one our medicine cat tried so desperately to fix and save her life.” Many pairs of eyes turned to look at Embermist, and she felt a wave of unease and a feeling of failure rise up like bile in her gut as she hung her head, avoiding eye contact.
“RiverClan must be doing a really good job at protecting their borders,” Nettlestar mewed and Embermist felt her heart stop as the accusing tone in the tom’s voice made her hair stand on end. The tom turned his amber gaze to Whitestar and bared his teeth in a snarl. “Their stench was everywhere when we found Foxstar, and was all over the bush we found her in.”
“Watch your tongue, Nettlestar,” Whitestar growled, his voice rumbling off him like a thunder as RiverClan cats began to stir in the gathered cats below, fangs flashing in the moonlight as snarls rippled through their ranks. “It almost sounds like you’re accusing my Clan of killing your leader.”
“You’re the one who swore revenge when Foxstar killed Pikestar,” the orange tortoiseshell tom spat. “And I find it too much of a coincidence that your Clan’s scent surrounded the area where she died.”
“Did it ever occur to you maybe a patrol had passed by sometime before, or after, you found her?” Fogstar growled, narrowing his green eyes at Nettlestar. “It’s rather bold of you, as a new leader, to be throwing such outlandish accusations at another leader, when your warriors are the reason behind why he’s already lost so many lives as a young leader.”
Embermist watched in horror as now ShadowClan cats began to get restless next to RiverClan cats. SkyClan was starting to pull together, peeling away from the other clans and forming a ball of unsettled and bristling warrior as eyes glared at the other gathered Clans. “Starclan, please don’t let there be anymore bloodshed tonight,” Embermist prayed under her breathe as she watched the tension build around her.
“It’s just too convenient that Foxstar happens to lose her last life in such a freak accident, and RiverClan’s scent is all over the place after Whitestar swore to get revenge,” Nettlestar spat. “He’s as slimy as the fish he eats, I wouldn’t put it past him.” The tom sneered, his tail lashing and claws scraping against the stone under his paws.
“And you really think I would stoop so low as to sneak an attack on your leader, when she is alone and distracted by hunting?” Whitestar scoffed and shook his head, his own claws scraping against the Great Rock as Nettlestar went ridged and still, a smirk crossing his features.
“I never said she was alone,” He said in a steely cold voice. “And I never said she was hunting.”
A look of shock rippled across Whitestar’s features and the other leader’s as the white tom realized his mistake. Embermist was sure she was having some kind of heart attack as panic rose up in her chest and a yowl broke out through the clearing. Before she knew it, SkyClan and RiverClan cats were lunging at each other, teeth and claws bared as Nettlestar went bowling into Whitestar in a mass of white and orange fur. The silver tabby she-cat watched in horror as fur began to fly and blood stained the hollow ground. This was a Gathering, a time of peace, and she was watching war and bloodshed break out before her. No…. This couldn’t be happening, this shouldn’t be happening. Why hadn’t StarClan given her a sign? A warning? Should she have done more to prevent this? Maybe she could’ve said something to Nettlestar, they were finally getting somewhere after their feud.
“Enough!” Fogstar’s voice bellowed through the clearing as darkness fell onto the cats below, thick clouds blotting out the moon. The cats below him stilled, startled by his deep voice and not daring to move as the older leader looked down at the cats below him with disapproval. Nettlestar and Whitestar tore apart from each other, each bleeding from their own wounds. Fogstar looked at them as Rosestar and Coonstar stood beside him with narrowed eyes of their own. “A lot of us go hunting on our own,” Fogstar growled, flicking his tail in agitation. “Anyone could have guessed she was on her own hunting, it’s a common practice in the Clans, especially with leaders as we need time to get away and think, clear out heads. I suggest you do some more of that before the next Gathering, Nettlestar.” The old gray tom swept his gaze at the cats below and snorted. “This Gathering is over! RiverClan and SkyClan have displeased StarClan, I suggest you all go home and think about the dark cloud you have all brought over us.”
With that, he leapt off the Great Rock and led ShadowClan back towards their territory. Juniperfoot gave a rushed farewell and bounded after her Clan and kin as Embermist watched the other Clans begin to melt away into the shadows. Soon it was just SkyClan, and Nettlesar padded over to her. He had a torn ear that was bleeding, as well as a gash on his shoulder that the young medicine cat noted would probably leave a scar. The large tom looked down at her with an unreadable expression before he padded out of the hollow, SkyClan following them as they headed back to camp.
Embermist closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, searching deep inside her for strength as she rose to her paws and followed her bristling Clan. ‘StarClan…What do you want me to do?’ she thought as she looked up to the sky that was blotted out with dark clouds, and her ancestors were as silent as stars. She had a sinking feeling that, if something didn’t change soon, war was going to fall upon her Clan. But what could she do to stop it?
Written by: EndlessOcean |Çß| (#136555)
“How do you feel?” A gently voice mewed as blue eyes watched an orange tortoiseshell tom raise his head from where it rested on his paws. He blinked his amber eyes slowly, looking at the now dim Moonstone and then at the silver pelted she-cat who sat a tail-length away from him.
“Should I feel any different?” He asked, and the she-cat watched as his eyes swam with different emotions, his features somehow deepened, making him look much older than what he was. She had yet to see a cat wake up after being given their nine lives, and the air about the amber eyed tom felt different somehow. After the battle with RiverClan, the tom had a fire in his eyes that had sent chills down her spine. The bloodshed after losing their previous leader, Foxstar, had created a hunger in their deputy that set the silver she-cat on edge. She was hoping that after receiving his nine lives, he’d have the wisdom of previous leaders and warriors to put an end to this bloodshed.
“It’s different for every cat,” The silver she-cat mewed gently. “Are you ready to head back to camp, Nettlestar?”
The name rang through the cave and the tom rose to his feet, shaking out his thick pelt. He carried himself differently now, an air of authority and power hanging over him like a veil. He carried nine lives with him now, allowing him to lead and protect the clan for many moons, and the young medicine cat prayed he used them wisely. She had hoped with her visit to the Moonstone tonight, StarClan would’ve said something to her after she heard the whispering earlier after their battle with RiverClan on their journey here. But, all eyes were on Nettlestar as the ceremony to give him his nine lives commenced. The two cats padded out of the cave that housed the Moonstone and were greeted by three figures waiting in the shadows. They all rose to their paws and dipped their heads to their new leader respectfully as he looked at them with a new sense of purpose.
“Let’s get going,” Nettlestar said as he began heading down the path that led away from Highstones and towards the clan territories. The silver she-cat and the other warriors fell into step behind him as they began their trek back home, the moon slowly beginning to set on the horizon and the sky was barely starting to lighten.
“How did it go Embermist?” A sleek pelted black she-cat with striking amber eyes fell in step beside the silver tabby she-cat and gave her a quizzical look.
“As well as is to be expected of a leader ceremony,” The medicine cat mewed. “Though, I didn’t receive any messages from Starclan…”
“Is that troubling?” The black she-cat asked, her eyes widening.
“No, it’s alright Blackfur.” Embermist said with a weak smile. “I was just hoping for something from Foxstar, or even Redmoon, about RiverClan. I thought with how Foxstar lost her life, she would’ve said something…”
“Maybe that means we don’t have to worry about anything, and it’s finally over.” Blackfur said with a little bit of hopeful enthusiasm. “We did win the last battle, and now we have Nettlestar as leader. I’m sure there isn’t anything to worry about.”
Too tired to argue with her, and not wanting to strip away the she-cat’s hope for peace, Embermist simply smiled and nodded in weak agreement to the black pelted warrior. Though, she had a sinking feeling in her stomach that things were still only beginning, that the unrest and bloodshed between the two clans was starting to run too deep to repair. The patrol had to travel with an abnormally large number of members just to go to the Moonstone for Nettlestar’s naming ceremony because of the most recent battle between the two clans. On top of that, Embermist was afraid that her new leader hadn’t let go of his suspicions and rage over the fact that RiverClan was scented in the same place Foxstar had supposedly fallen to her death into a thorn bush.
A gentle breeze caressed her pelt and with it came an all too familiar scent that made her heart flutter in her chest. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, almost feeling a pelt brush against hers and she fought the urge to lean into it. Redmoon. His scent calmed her nerves but was he warning her? Should she return to the Moonstone the next night and speak to him? She could almost hear him telling her she needed to relax as she forced the tension in her shoulders to unwind and sighed, shaking her head as his scent faded. Maybe he was just there to calm her nerves, let her know to have hope for the future. It couldn’t be all bad, right?
-----
The full moon hung in the inky black sky like a spotlight as silent shadows moved through the underbrush. Embermist padded just behind Nettlestar and SkyClan’s new deputy, Larkcall. The agile black she-cat kept an even pace next to the Clan’s leader, and she had calm features but the young medicine cat knew tensions in the Clan were high. This was Nettlestar’s first Gathering, and tensions were still high with RiverClan. No more battles had been fought, but harsh words and threats were occasionally thrown across the border from passing patrols.
“Looks like we’re not the last to arrive,” Nettlestar mewed as they reached Four Trees, and Embermist could just barely spot RiverClan’s leader, Whitestar, through the crowd of cats. It seemed as if just ThunderClan was missing as the SkyClan cats entered the hollow.
The chatter of cats hushed a moment as heads turned to look in their direction, eyes scanning the group of newcomers in sizing them up in the pale moonlight.
“Where is Foxstar?” A harsh voice cut through the crowd of cats. And older smoky gray tom with piercing green eyes and a heavily scarred pelt narrowed his eyes at SkyClan as he scanned their ranks, looking for the red pelted she-cat.
“Greetings to you too, Fogstar,” Nettlestar said with a growl edging his voice. He turned his amber gaze to Whitestar, his lip curling back in a silent snarl. Though the RiverClan leader’s face showed no emotions, Nettlestar didn’t stop accusation from filling his voice. “She’s dead, I received my nine lives less than a quarter moon ago.”
A shock wave seemed to ripple through the clans and the other leaders dipped their heads. “Our condolences are with SkyClan,” A soft spoken red tabby she-cat mewed. “Foxstar was a wise and courageous leader, and she will be dearly missed.”
Nettlestar scoffed and Embermist was taken aback at his blatent disrespect towards the WindClan leader, but the blue-eyed, red pelted leader simply made room on the Great Rock for him as he made his way to join them. The SkyClan cats dispersed and mingled with WindClan and ShadowClan cats, but made obvious efforts to avoid the RiverClan cats. Embermist sighed and made her way over to the other medicine cats, shivering as she tried to shake off the feeling of looming disaster.
“Hello Embermist,” A soft voice greeted her and she looked up and noticed Troutleap was giving her a hesitant smile. Medicine cats usually didn’t let rivalries between their Clans come between them, and usually tried to stay out of Clan politics, especially during the half moon and full moon. The brown tom had a sleek pelt with speckled tabby markings and a white underbelly and paws. His blue gaze was unsure but welcoming as the silver she-cat dipped her head in greeting.
“I’m so sorry to hear about Foxstar,” A dainty solid gray she-cat with violet eyes mewed and Embermist forced a small smile.
“Thank you Juniperfoot,” The young she-cat mewed to the Shadowclan medicine cat. She looked like a smaller duplicate of her brother, Fogstar, and the gray on her muzzle betrayed the young sound of her voice and light in her eyes.
“What happened?” Troutleap mewed, then looked a little embarrassed as he sputtered out a rushed, “If you don’t mind my asking, that is?”
Embermist couldn’t help but narrow her eyes a little, suspicion prickling her skin and making her pelt start to bristle. She quickly shook it off, shaking her head and sighing. “It was a freak hunting accident,” She said softly. “We found her in a thorn bush, and she happened to land just right so the thorns left wounds not even I could heal.”
Troutleap shook his head and looked truly heartbroken for her. “It’s never easy losing a leader,” He said softly and Embermist blinked, suddenly remembering that Troutleap had been through losing a leader as well, having lost RiverClan’s previous leader, Pikestar. His death came at the claws of Foxstar, and a chill ran through the silver tabby as she remembered Whiststar’s oath for revenge. Had he really kept it? Before she could say anything to the RiverClan medicine cat’s words, a yowl echoed out through the hollow as a large, bulky brown tabby tom made his way up the Great Rock. Thunderclan’s leader, Coonstar, had arrived and the Gathering was beginning.
Fogstar started off the Gathering, reporting for ShadowClan. Other than losing one of their elder’s to failing health, there was nothing to report. The same was to be said for Coonstar of ThunderClan, who had brought along two new apprentices with him and his Clan. Rosestar of Windclan, who had offered her condolences when SkyClan had first arrived, reported having scented a fox near the Shadowclan border and letting them know to keep an eye out in the future, just in case it had crossed into their territory. Whitestar took the spotlight next, announcing a new warrior, Sunflower, as well as a new litter of kits.
“Our borders are well protected,” The large white tom mewed, shooting a glare towards Nettlestar. “And with our clan growing, we are stronger than ever.” With that, he stepped back and Nettlestar shouldered his way forward. Embermist felt her heart leap to her throat and her stomach drop as she looked up at her leader. She prayed he wouldn’t voice his suspicions, or throw any accusations. Not tonight, during the full moon when there was a truce between all clans.
“SkyClan is in a time of mourning,” Nettlestar began, his voice ringing out into the silent hollow as m any cats dipped their heads respectfully. “Foxstar lost her last life in a tragic accident, one that couldn’t have been foreseen and one our medicine cat tried so desperately to fix and save her life.” Many pairs of eyes turned to look at Embermist, and she felt a wave of unease and a feeling of failure rise up like bile in her gut as she hung her head, avoiding eye contact.
“RiverClan must be doing a really good job at protecting their borders,” Nettlestar mewed and Embermist felt her heart stop as the accusing tone in the tom’s voice made her hair stand on end. The tom turned his amber gaze to Whitestar and bared his teeth in a snarl. “Their stench was everywhere when we found Foxstar, and was all over the bush we found her in.”
“Watch your tongue, Nettlestar,” Whitestar growled, his voice rumbling off him like a thunder as RiverClan cats began to stir in the gathered cats below, fangs flashing in the moonlight as snarls rippled through their ranks. “It almost sounds like you’re accusing my Clan of killing your leader.”
“You’re the one who swore revenge when Foxstar killed Pikestar,” the orange tortoiseshell tom spat. “And I find it too much of a coincidence that your Clan’s scent surrounded the area where she died.”
“Did it ever occur to you maybe a patrol had passed by sometime before, or after, you found her?” Fogstar growled, narrowing his green eyes at Nettlestar. “It’s rather bold of you, as a new leader, to be throwing such outlandish accusations at another leader, when your warriors are the reason behind why he’s already lost so many lives as a young leader.”
Embermist watched in horror as now ShadowClan cats began to get restless next to RiverClan cats. SkyClan was starting to pull together, peeling away from the other clans and forming a ball of unsettled and bristling warrior as eyes glared at the other gathered Clans. “Starclan, please don’t let there be anymore bloodshed tonight,” Embermist prayed under her breathe as she watched the tension build around her.
“It’s just too convenient that Foxstar happens to lose her last life in such a freak accident, and RiverClan’s scent is all over the place after Whitestar swore to get revenge,” Nettlestar spat. “He’s as slimy as the fish he eats, I wouldn’t put it past him.” The tom sneered, his tail lashing and claws scraping against the stone under his paws.
“And you really think I would stoop so low as to sneak an attack on your leader, when she is alone and distracted by hunting?” Whitestar scoffed and shook his head, his own claws scraping against the Great Rock as Nettlestar went ridged and still, a smirk crossing his features.
“I never said she was alone,” He said in a steely cold voice. “And I never said she was hunting.”
A look of shock rippled across Whitestar’s features and the other leader’s as the white tom realized his mistake. Embermist was sure she was having some kind of heart attack as panic rose up in her chest and a yowl broke out through the clearing. Before she knew it, SkyClan and RiverClan cats were lunging at each other, teeth and claws bared as Nettlestar went bowling into Whitestar in a mass of white and orange fur. The silver tabby she-cat watched in horror as fur began to fly and blood stained the hollow ground. This was a Gathering, a time of peace, and she was watching war and bloodshed break out before her. No…. This couldn’t be happening, this shouldn’t be happening. Why hadn’t StarClan given her a sign? A warning? Should she have done more to prevent this? Maybe she could’ve said something to Nettlestar, they were finally getting somewhere after their feud.
“Enough!” Fogstar’s voice bellowed through the clearing as darkness fell onto the cats below, thick clouds blotting out the moon. The cats below him stilled, startled by his deep voice and not daring to move as the older leader looked down at the cats below him with disapproval. Nettlestar and Whitestar tore apart from each other, each bleeding from their own wounds. Fogstar looked at them as Rosestar and Coonstar stood beside him with narrowed eyes of their own. “A lot of us go hunting on our own,” Fogstar growled, flicking his tail in agitation. “Anyone could have guessed she was on her own hunting, it’s a common practice in the Clans, especially with leaders as we need time to get away and think, clear out heads. I suggest you do some more of that before the next Gathering, Nettlestar.” The old gray tom swept his gaze at the cats below and snorted. “This Gathering is over! RiverClan and SkyClan have displeased StarClan, I suggest you all go home and think about the dark cloud you have all brought over us.”
With that, he leapt off the Great Rock and led ShadowClan back towards their territory. Juniperfoot gave a rushed farewell and bounded after her Clan and kin as Embermist watched the other Clans begin to melt away into the shadows. Soon it was just SkyClan, and Nettlesar padded over to her. He had a torn ear that was bleeding, as well as a gash on his shoulder that the young medicine cat noted would probably leave a scar. The large tom looked down at her with an unreadable expression before he padded out of the hollow, SkyClan following them as they headed back to camp.
Embermist closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, searching deep inside her for strength as she rose to her paws and followed her bristling Clan. ‘StarClan…What do you want me to do?’ she thought as she looked up to the sky that was blotted out with dark clouds, and her ancestors were as silent as stars. She had a sinking feeling that, if something didn’t change soon, war was going to fall upon her Clan. But what could she do to stop it?
Written by: EndlessOcean |Çß| (#136555)
Time Ebbs On
Embermist was sorting herbs, mumbling to herself about remembering to check in on the elders. When she heard Neetlestar's call for the clan to assemble, she carefully stepped past the piles of herbs, and padded out of her den.
She quickly sat down, ending up next to Cloudeyes, who looked proudly on at all the kits shuffling their paws, while their mothers fussed. Neetlestar began the ceremony, naming the kit's apprentices, and all of them choosing to follow the path of warriors.
Sighing softly, she wistfully imagined how much easier it would be if she had an apprentice. She wouldn't need to do everything, remember everything,. Her den would always have another cat, rather than it just being her, and the occasional patient who needed to stay. She shook her head.
"One day.." she mumbled and looked up. Luckily she didn't miss the entire naming ceremony during her daydream and joined into the chant for Rockfang, Fireeye, and Rainleaf.
As the clan dispersed, she stood to go check on the elders.
Written by: Spooky™ (#127817) with small edits by myself
Embermist was sorting herbs, mumbling to herself about remembering to check in on the elders. When she heard Neetlestar's call for the clan to assemble, she carefully stepped past the piles of herbs, and padded out of her den.
She quickly sat down, ending up next to Cloudeyes, who looked proudly on at all the kits shuffling their paws, while their mothers fussed. Neetlestar began the ceremony, naming the kit's apprentices, and all of them choosing to follow the path of warriors.
Sighing softly, she wistfully imagined how much easier it would be if she had an apprentice. She wouldn't need to do everything, remember everything,. Her den would always have another cat, rather than it just being her, and the occasional patient who needed to stay. She shook her head.
"One day.." she mumbled and looked up. Luckily she didn't miss the entire naming ceremony during her daydream and joined into the chant for Rockfang, Fireeye, and Rainleaf.
As the clan dispersed, she stood to go check on the elders.
Written by: Spooky™ (#127817) with small edits by myself
Storms
The rain cascaded down upon her silvery pelt, dripping down through her underbelly and soaking her to the bone. Her coat was darkened by the liquid, her paws coated in mud, her head throbbing with the sound of thunder, the sound of battle, the sound of pain.
Embermist pressed back against the base of the Great Rock, her mouth parted as she panted. Her lungs heaved, and another crash sounded above them, followed by a brilliant flash that illuminated the entire clearing. The gathering was in ruins. The SkyClan warriors fell upon RiverClan with a vigor that she had not seen in them before. Each warrior was streaming with blood, and the medicine cat watched as Redpaw was overrun by a warrior much larger than himself.
He was still a kit in her mind, the kit who had swallowed deathberries to show off to his fellow kittens. How could they do this, how could they take him from her again when she had just saved his life.
She could feel a sob rising in her throat, and she cried out, begging them to stop, to halt this madness. It was not right, this was the eve of the full moon, it was forbidden-
---
Embermist jerked awake, her body contorting and her lungs heaving. Dawn was just beginning to stream through the opening of her den, and she took solace in the light. She closed her eyes a moment, quivering just slightly. Her paws were the last thing to still, and her fur slowly flattened itself.
The visions had been getting worse. Each night since the fateful gathering, she had dreamed of it, and each time it had descended just a little further into madness. The storm was worsening, collecting above her, she could feel it. Tears pricked the edges of her eyes, and she took a shallow, shaking breath, turning her head back to her flank. She wrapped her tail tightly around her body, relishing in the slightly pressure it provided.
Her resolve was weakening, and she knew it.
Embermist rested until the sun had risen just above the entrance of the den. Her eyes felt heavy, but she shook her head to clear the brain fog, rising slowly onto her feet. The weakness in her limbs should disappear if she spent enough time moving, or so she hoped. Exhaustion was not something she had a way to treat. Though a normal member of her clan could take poppy seeds to help with sleep and soothe nightmares, she would never dare take any herself. SkyClan had only one medicine cat, if something were to happen during a night she had dulled her senses with poppy seeds… well, then her nightmares truly would come true.
The silver tabby slipped from her den in silence, fur ruffled and not yet groomed. Her gaze swept across the camp, and she gave a small sigh as she caught sight of the dwindled freshkill pile. Most of the warriors would have already eaten in preparation for the daily patrols, and she was sure that the ever-hungry apprentices had taken their share as well. All that was left was a scrawny mouse and a ragged looking sparrow.
The medicine cat opted for the latter. Something about stripping the feathers was soothing to her, and StarClan knew that she could use some soothing at the moment. She returned to her den to eat, unwilling to attempt social contact unless someone approached her first.
It was almost sunhigh when a midday patrol came stumbling into camp in a ragtag group. Their coats were ruffled and out of place, sticking up funny in places where they had been bit or scratched. Embermist barely noticed their arrival at first, but the gasps of dismay from around the camp caught her attention quickly enough.
The mild mannered medicine cat rose quickly onto her paws, slipping into her den and rapidly winding a thick weave of cobwebs around one forepaw. She bounded from her den with as much energy as she could muster, sliding into the midst of the growing crowd.
“Step back, let them breathe!” she snapped, scanning the four cats who had gone out that morning. Rabbittail looked to have escaped mostly unscathed, but the same could not be said for the others. Longclaw was holding one foot up above the ground, blood dripping from his toe. If Embermist had to guess, he’d pulled one or two of the claws out. Irritable Reedtail looked like she’d been roughed up pretty badly, her fur was clumped with blood and her stub tail was hidden beneath the mass of fluffed out fur.
She, however, was not the worst. That honor went out to Rockfang. One of his ears was nearly half bitten off, and he had just a bit of blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. It looked more like a split lip than something wrong with his breathing, but all the same it was worrying. The fur along his patchy black and white coat was matted and dark with blood in several places, and his eyes looked glazed over- distant.
“Start talking,” the medicine cat ordered Rabbittail, not paying the mollie a glance as she began to unwind the cobwebs from around her paw, lying thick layers across the young warrior’s many injuries.
Most looked superficial, thank StarClan. The injuries she was the quickest to treat were the ones around his neck and chest. There were several deep ones, and it was in those areas that they were the most congested. Her paws were abnormally slow, though, and Rockfang was losing more blood by the minute.
“We were patrolling the RiverClan border,” Rabbittail began, but in truth Embermist had no attention to spare. She didn’t know why she’d asked her to reiterate in the first place, there were more important matters. She pressed the webs across Rockfang’s chest, moving onto his torso and legs next. She was partially finished with that when she heard another, deeper voice.
“This is getting out of hand,” rumbled Nettlestar, and for a moment Embermist glanced up to read his emotions. He had narrowed eyes, and was sitting to the side of the cluster, face twisted in thought.
Rockfang let out a little moan and Embermist returned to her work.
As soon as she had managed to stem most of Rockfang’s bleeding, she raised her head. “Marigold or horsetail,” she mumbled to herself, “and goldenrod… we need goldenrod…”
She turned, shoving herself out from the now very large group of gathered clanmates, and darted into her den, rising onto her hindlegs to grasp the lesser used blood-staunching herbs. The marigold flowers she grasped in her jaws before dropping back down to scan the lower stores for goldenrod.
Much to her dismay, there were only a few small flowers left.
I forgot to collect them yesterday! I forgot to replenish the stores!
The silver tabby felt like crying. There was no way in StarClan that the few, dried out specimens that remained to her would treat all of the injured warriors. She would have to make do without them… something she did not really know how to do. There was nothing else she knew of that would speed the healing process quite like goldenrod. Silently, she began to wrap some new cobwebs around her paw. They were beginning to grow low on those as well.
Some yowling from outside recaptured her attention, and Embermist flew from her den, now driven by determination more than adrenaline. This time the warriors saw her coming, and cleared a path to the injured cats.
The medicine cat began to chew the marigolds as she saw to Reedtail’s injuries, coating her in a thin layer of cobwebs. As soon as a wound was covered, Embermist would turn back to Rockfang, and spit the thick poultice into his biggest cuts, before biting off another flower and returning to her other patients.
It was a long while before things were fully dealt with. Minimal as Longclaw and Reedtail’s injuries were, Rockfang’s injuries and their movements had left her exasperated and more tired than before. Neither warrior had been able to hold still when she tried to clean their scratches, and were less than helpful when it came to the application of the cobwebs.
Still, she needed to go out and replenish their herb stock. There was no way they could carry on like this.
As soon as she had finished caring for the cats, she ordered Eaglepaw to make a nest in her den, before instructing Nutnose and Willowheart on how to move Rockfang to the medicine den without reopening any of his wounds. Satisfied that the three would be doing their jobs, she moved on, headed for the leader’s den where Nettlestar had disappeared to sometime ago to think.
“Nettlestar?” Embermist called at the entrance, cautiously slipping inside. She didn’t want to disturb him, but she hadn’t been able to find Larkcall and she needed help with the herb gathering.
“Nettlestar, I need you to send out two patrols for me,” she explained as she approached the nest he lay in, staring at the back wall. “We need more herbs and I cannot get them alone.”
Nettlestar lifted his head, and turned his troubled amber eyes towards his medicine cat. “And which one will you be accompanying?” he asked.
He knew her too well. Embermist had intended to send one to seek out Goldenrod near the river, and another to eastern border to hunt down cobwebs in the deeper forest. She would have gone off alone to collect new poppy seeds and chamomile closer to ThunderClan. She turned her gaze away uncomfortably.
“Things are too tense to lose our medicine cat now,” the leader chastised her coolly, “you cannot be taking risks like this. If we were to lose you, SkyClan would be lost.”
Indignance spiraled up in Embermist’s chest. “I’m not a kit,” she snapped, “I know how to take care of myself, and it is forbidden to attack a medicine cat! I can cross the boundaries if I really wanted to.”
“Do you think that foxes and badgers adhere to our code?” Nettlestar said coldly, “it’s forbidden to fight at the gathering, but did that stop Whitestar? No, it didn’t. The code means nothing to these cats.”
“As I recall,” Embermist said, voice tight and body tense with anger at his words, “you were the one who started the fighting.”
Nettlestar’s cold gaze locked with Embermist’s blue ones.
“I forbid you to leave the camp without at least two warriors,” the leader said firmly, “your patrols will be organized. Leave me.”
Embermist could feel tears of mixed anger and sadness pricking in her eyes, and she turned sharply, running to her den quickly so as not to be seen by too many cats. When she slipped inside, she was met with Rockfang’s sleeping form tucked into a messy nest near her own. The mollie slipped into her own nest, tucking tightly into a ball and wrapping her tail around her nose. She could hear Nettlestar calling a clan meeting from outside, but her energy had dwindled to nearly nothing, and she did not stand.
A few minutes later, a group of cats gathered at the entrance to her den. One, Rainleaf, slipped into her den quietly. Embermist could see the worry in the new warrior’s eyes as she glanced at her brother, but it was quickly overtaken by a need to appear ready.
“Embermist, Nettlestar sent some of us over. He said you wanted to collect some herbs?”
“I’ll be out in a moment,” she sighed, rising onto her paws again. When Rainleaf dipped her head and turned to leave, the medicine cat let her exhaustion fade into her features again. Her unkempt coat alone could have shown that something was wrong, but paired with the bags under her eyes and the general air of irritability and exhaustion, it was obvious that she was not doing well.
She slipped from the den after grabbing the last two goldenrod blossoms, and surveyed the group before her. After a few moments of deliberation, she spoke.
“Crowfur and Badgerface, bring your apprentices to collect cobwebs along the eastern border.”
When Embermist said it, she could see both Frostpaw and Sparrowpaw perk up with excitement. No matter the montomy of the actual task, collecting cobwebs was a rather entertaining task for apprentices. It meant climbing around in hollow logs and up into trees to hunt for crevasses in which spiders had made, and abandoned their homes in.
“Stormbreeze,” she continued, “Dewfoot and Rainleaf, you’ll be going to the RiverClan border to find this.” She raised the golden specimens up for them to see. “They’ll be a brighter yellow color, and there will be a lot of them clustered onto a single frond. I need as much as you can carry.”
There were nods all around, and Embermist dipped her head to them in return. There was a small moment of organization, and the patrols were gone. Embermist turned her gaze upwards, disappointed to see that the sun was only three quarters of the way through the sky. With a sweep of her tail, she turned away to find something else to do, something to distract her from her fight with Nettlestar and the events of the day.
---
The rain poured down, now mixed with hail. Embermist’s body was being pummeled almost constantly, despite her back being pressed against the slick surface of the Great Rock. The gathering had turned into a battleground, and no longer did SkyClan battle RiverClan. Instead, every clan fought one another, a surging sea of teeth and claws, fur and blood. There were so many cats that the medicine cat could not track any of her warriors, any of her friends or charges.
Above her, the leaders shrieked and spat, writhing upon one another on the top of the Great Rock. In horror, Embermist realized that the substance leaking down the rock behind her was no longer water, but blood. Thick, heavy, metallic blood, mingling with the rain, twisting through her fur.
She screamed, a coward’s scream, and backed away from the scarlet stained rock in pure terror, moving closer and closer to the battle. Lightning flashed, and a body came falling from atop the rock, landing limply at its base with a sickening crunch. It took Embermist several seconds to realize that the mud stained tom was Nettlestar.
---
No longer did Embermist jerk awake. Instead, her bloodshot eyes peeled open slowly, her face twisted in a grimace and her heart pounding. It had been nearly a half-moon since the dreams had started, and in that time she had slept very little, if at all. Several of the last nights, the silver mollie had been trying to keep herself up all night so as not to face the nightmares again, but it had not succeeded. Exhaustion was a constant battle, and the medicine cat did not know how to treat this type of madness.
Miserable and fatigued, almost everything about her had changed. She was losing weight, her coat grimy and unkempt, resting loosely across an angular body. Her bright blue eyes were glazed over, and her focus almost nonexistent. She had become short tempered and reactive, something she had never tended towards before. Almost everyone was beginning to notice, but no one had the courage to step up and speak to her about it. The new Embermist was mean, quick to anger and quicker to snap. No one wanted to deal with it.
The sun had not yet risen when she woke again, and she slowly stood, moving farther to the back of her den. Rockfang had been released from his confine a few days ago, and since then the dreams had intensified further. She crouched next to her half full reserves, pressing her nose into the sweet smelling thyme and lavender.
“Redmoon,” she breathed out slowly, her eyes closed, “please… show me the way… what am I doing?”
She had no response.
“Foxstar… please, you… you must know what to do…”
Again, she was met with silence.
A surge of anger burned her chest, and Embermist gritted her teeth, slapping the herbs and sending them flying. She stood amidst the mess with wheezing breaths, tears pricking at her eyes. It took a few moments, but the anger faded, replaced with the true emotion of fear and longing. Silently, the medicine cat crept towards the mess of herbs, and began to sort them out slowly but steadily.
The process took a little over an hour, and by the time she had finished, the sun was breaking the horizon line and Larkcall’s firm voice could be heard echoing around camp as she organized the dawn patrol. Embermist stuck her head out of the den to watch for a few moments, assessing who would be sent out before returning to the dark depths. It burned her eyes in the light, and she didn’t have the energy to stick it out and let them adjust.
Honestly, she just wanted to sleep. Even just a little bit of undisturbed sleep would be a blessing from StarClan. She turned her gaze upwards to the roof of her den, and sent a silent prayer.
Redmoon, if you ever cared for me, help me sleep. Tell me what this is and what to do. I cannot do this alone.
---
By the time the camp was darkening again, Embermist had nearly hit her breaking point. It seemed like every cat needed something from her, and she had nothing left to give, not even the energy to try. Lilysong had been upset about Stonekit’s not latching, when he was really just full and tired. Cloudeyes had given up on trying to soothe the new mother and left Embermist with that job.
It had been the normal monotonous mouse dung she had to deal with that day, but it felt like much more, and she was losing her power, losing her strengths.
Now, she sat alone in her den in silence, staring silently at the lavender. It smelled so sweet and soothing, that was all she could think at the moment. The smell of an herb they couldn’t actually use for anything but disguising death.
“Embermist?”
The silver mollie nearly jumped out of her skin. She was so absorbed with her thoughts on the lavender that she hadn’t heard the cat approaching. She turned quickly to see who it was.
Larkcall, the deputy of their clan, stood in the entryway, another silver cat with a high rank. “Embermist I think we should talk,” she mewed firmly, slowly entering a bit more, “we’re beginning to worry about you.”
“Who, you and Nettlestar?” Embermist asked a little bitterly, turning away.
“Me and the entire clan,” Larkcall said, her voice steady and unwavering.
Embermist eyed her suspiciously. “Nothing is wrong. Even if it were, what makes you think you have a right to know what it is? You're the deputy of the clan, not the leader or the medicine cat. You do not have the rank to assume such a thing.”
Larkcall seemed unimpressed with Embermist’s attempts to hound her away. “Deputy, leader, warrior, medicine cat, kit. It matters not what rank I hold, it is apart of my duty to this clan and my home to address any worries that may arise, and this dawn that worry is about you. If I did not approach my medicine cat with a worry about someone's health, it would be neglecting my duties. So Embermist, for a moment, humor me. I may not be your leader or anything but another cat you watch over, but you have a duty to me the same way I have a duty to you.”
Embermist stared sullenly at Larkcall for several long moments after the mollie’s speech had ended. She said nothing, almost too tired to want to.
“Walk with me,” Larkcall said after a few minutes of silence, “I want to show you something.”
Embermist didn't have the energy to protest, and she rose onto faintly quivering legs, following Larkcall out of the den. They walked out of camp, and Embermist was now uncomfortably aware of the eyes of the camp upon her. As they exited, she let out a small sigh of relief. They walked for quite awhile, and by the time they reached their final location, a pool in one of the streams that ran through the territory, Embermist felt incredibly faint and weak.
“Look at yourself,” Larkcall murmured.
The medicine cat turned her gaze to the pooling water and blinked in shock at the reflection that peered back up at her. Her skin hung loosely from her bony frame, her poorly kept pelt limp and greasy. Her face was sharp and angular, with swollen bags under her eyes. Her eyes, those were the worst of all. Shocking as the rest of her appearance was, it was the haunted, cloudy look look her piercing blue eyes now carried that scared her the most.
“I've… been having dreams,” she whispered.
With that it all came pouring out, everything about the dreams. The nightmares, their worsening intensity, her confusion as to what they meant and why she was receiving them, her fears for the war that seemed inevitable and the anger that Nettlestar, her dear friend, was sinking into.
Larkcall listened in silence, patiently allowing the other mollie to vent. As Embermist's words trailed off, the deputy stepped forward and pressed her lush silver coat against the medicine cat's dull one.
“You do not have to carry the burden alone,” she whispered, and Embermist leaned into Larkcall's side. The deputy began to gently lap at her companion's fur, sharing tongues for the first time since the nightmares had begun. The motions were soothing, and the silver medicine cat did her best to return the favor. Her licks slowed, and then slowed, and finally stopped. Her breaths were slow and even, and she had sunk down onto the ground in a slumped pile. Dead asleep.
Larkcall stayed with her until the sun had almost completely disappeared. Finally, before it got totally dark, she nudged Embermist awake.
“Hey, come on, we need to head back into camp, alright?”
Embermist blinked once, and then another few times to clear the sleep from her eyes. Silently, she wobbled up onto her feet and allowed Larkcall to lead her back to camp. They almost immediately slipped into her den without eating, and within moments, she had re-entered the realm of sleep.
---
When dawn came again, Embermist opened blue eyes and blinked silently a few times. There was soft breathing nearby, and she was warmer than usual. She jumped when she realized that there was a second silver form lumped up right beside her. It uncurled, head rising up quickly.
“Larkcall?” Embermist coughed, voice still rough from sleep.
“Embermist? What’s wrong, did you have another dream? You alright?”
Embermist’s brows pinched in confusion for a moment before the memories of the day before came flooding back. “I… no. No, I didn’t.”
Larkcall perked up. “Good! That’s good, right?”
Embermist turned away a moment. “I hope so,” she murmured.
“Well come on then, we need to get food. I didn’t eat all of yesterday, I’m famished!” Larkcall’s voice was optimistic, and Embermist couldn’t help but feel the pit in her stomach where food was meant to fill.
“Alright,” she consented, standing up, “but I have to do something first.”
She slipped from the den before Larkcall could say anything else, and quickly trotted across the camp and into Nettlestar’s den. She didn’t bother calling out a greeting, the tortoiseshell tom was already awake, staring silently at a wall with furrowed brow.
“Nettlestar,” she said softly, her ears lowered. It wasn’t with anger, rather a mixed sadness. “I’m worried about you, about SkyClan.”
“I’m lost.”
His miserable voice was the exact opposite of what she had expected. She had expected anger, more anger and fury and blame, and yet Nettlestar sounded so pitiful she couldn’t help but feel her heart tug.
“Nettlestar-” she began.
“I don’t know what I’m doing.”
The leader turned to her suddenly, his eyes red and swollen from crying. “Embermist what am I supposed to do? I’m not ready for this, I’m all alone and I don’t know what to do.”
Embermist shoved up next to him, rubbing her head soothingly against his shoulder. “You’re not alone,” she crooned soothingly, the same tone that she used when treating a sick kit or an anxious mother, “your clan is here to support you and the decisions you make. Larkcall is here to support you and the decisions you make. I am here to support you and the decisions you make. We are here to counsel you. We are here for you. We are not going to leave you, alright?”
He leaned against her silently. Outside, there was a soft rumble of thunder, and the first drops of a storm began to fall.
Written by: Razz [Clean Sidereal] (#18166)
The rain cascaded down upon her silvery pelt, dripping down through her underbelly and soaking her to the bone. Her coat was darkened by the liquid, her paws coated in mud, her head throbbing with the sound of thunder, the sound of battle, the sound of pain.
Embermist pressed back against the base of the Great Rock, her mouth parted as she panted. Her lungs heaved, and another crash sounded above them, followed by a brilliant flash that illuminated the entire clearing. The gathering was in ruins. The SkyClan warriors fell upon RiverClan with a vigor that she had not seen in them before. Each warrior was streaming with blood, and the medicine cat watched as Redpaw was overrun by a warrior much larger than himself.
He was still a kit in her mind, the kit who had swallowed deathberries to show off to his fellow kittens. How could they do this, how could they take him from her again when she had just saved his life.
She could feel a sob rising in her throat, and she cried out, begging them to stop, to halt this madness. It was not right, this was the eve of the full moon, it was forbidden-
---
Embermist jerked awake, her body contorting and her lungs heaving. Dawn was just beginning to stream through the opening of her den, and she took solace in the light. She closed her eyes a moment, quivering just slightly. Her paws were the last thing to still, and her fur slowly flattened itself.
The visions had been getting worse. Each night since the fateful gathering, she had dreamed of it, and each time it had descended just a little further into madness. The storm was worsening, collecting above her, she could feel it. Tears pricked the edges of her eyes, and she took a shallow, shaking breath, turning her head back to her flank. She wrapped her tail tightly around her body, relishing in the slightly pressure it provided.
Her resolve was weakening, and she knew it.
Embermist rested until the sun had risen just above the entrance of the den. Her eyes felt heavy, but she shook her head to clear the brain fog, rising slowly onto her feet. The weakness in her limbs should disappear if she spent enough time moving, or so she hoped. Exhaustion was not something she had a way to treat. Though a normal member of her clan could take poppy seeds to help with sleep and soothe nightmares, she would never dare take any herself. SkyClan had only one medicine cat, if something were to happen during a night she had dulled her senses with poppy seeds… well, then her nightmares truly would come true.
The silver tabby slipped from her den in silence, fur ruffled and not yet groomed. Her gaze swept across the camp, and she gave a small sigh as she caught sight of the dwindled freshkill pile. Most of the warriors would have already eaten in preparation for the daily patrols, and she was sure that the ever-hungry apprentices had taken their share as well. All that was left was a scrawny mouse and a ragged looking sparrow.
The medicine cat opted for the latter. Something about stripping the feathers was soothing to her, and StarClan knew that she could use some soothing at the moment. She returned to her den to eat, unwilling to attempt social contact unless someone approached her first.
It was almost sunhigh when a midday patrol came stumbling into camp in a ragtag group. Their coats were ruffled and out of place, sticking up funny in places where they had been bit or scratched. Embermist barely noticed their arrival at first, but the gasps of dismay from around the camp caught her attention quickly enough.
The mild mannered medicine cat rose quickly onto her paws, slipping into her den and rapidly winding a thick weave of cobwebs around one forepaw. She bounded from her den with as much energy as she could muster, sliding into the midst of the growing crowd.
“Step back, let them breathe!” she snapped, scanning the four cats who had gone out that morning. Rabbittail looked to have escaped mostly unscathed, but the same could not be said for the others. Longclaw was holding one foot up above the ground, blood dripping from his toe. If Embermist had to guess, he’d pulled one or two of the claws out. Irritable Reedtail looked like she’d been roughed up pretty badly, her fur was clumped with blood and her stub tail was hidden beneath the mass of fluffed out fur.
She, however, was not the worst. That honor went out to Rockfang. One of his ears was nearly half bitten off, and he had just a bit of blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. It looked more like a split lip than something wrong with his breathing, but all the same it was worrying. The fur along his patchy black and white coat was matted and dark with blood in several places, and his eyes looked glazed over- distant.
“Start talking,” the medicine cat ordered Rabbittail, not paying the mollie a glance as she began to unwind the cobwebs from around her paw, lying thick layers across the young warrior’s many injuries.
Most looked superficial, thank StarClan. The injuries she was the quickest to treat were the ones around his neck and chest. There were several deep ones, and it was in those areas that they were the most congested. Her paws were abnormally slow, though, and Rockfang was losing more blood by the minute.
“We were patrolling the RiverClan border,” Rabbittail began, but in truth Embermist had no attention to spare. She didn’t know why she’d asked her to reiterate in the first place, there were more important matters. She pressed the webs across Rockfang’s chest, moving onto his torso and legs next. She was partially finished with that when she heard another, deeper voice.
“This is getting out of hand,” rumbled Nettlestar, and for a moment Embermist glanced up to read his emotions. He had narrowed eyes, and was sitting to the side of the cluster, face twisted in thought.
Rockfang let out a little moan and Embermist returned to her work.
As soon as she had managed to stem most of Rockfang’s bleeding, she raised her head. “Marigold or horsetail,” she mumbled to herself, “and goldenrod… we need goldenrod…”
She turned, shoving herself out from the now very large group of gathered clanmates, and darted into her den, rising onto her hindlegs to grasp the lesser used blood-staunching herbs. The marigold flowers she grasped in her jaws before dropping back down to scan the lower stores for goldenrod.
Much to her dismay, there were only a few small flowers left.
I forgot to collect them yesterday! I forgot to replenish the stores!
The silver tabby felt like crying. There was no way in StarClan that the few, dried out specimens that remained to her would treat all of the injured warriors. She would have to make do without them… something she did not really know how to do. There was nothing else she knew of that would speed the healing process quite like goldenrod. Silently, she began to wrap some new cobwebs around her paw. They were beginning to grow low on those as well.
Some yowling from outside recaptured her attention, and Embermist flew from her den, now driven by determination more than adrenaline. This time the warriors saw her coming, and cleared a path to the injured cats.
The medicine cat began to chew the marigolds as she saw to Reedtail’s injuries, coating her in a thin layer of cobwebs. As soon as a wound was covered, Embermist would turn back to Rockfang, and spit the thick poultice into his biggest cuts, before biting off another flower and returning to her other patients.
It was a long while before things were fully dealt with. Minimal as Longclaw and Reedtail’s injuries were, Rockfang’s injuries and their movements had left her exasperated and more tired than before. Neither warrior had been able to hold still when she tried to clean their scratches, and were less than helpful when it came to the application of the cobwebs.
Still, she needed to go out and replenish their herb stock. There was no way they could carry on like this.
As soon as she had finished caring for the cats, she ordered Eaglepaw to make a nest in her den, before instructing Nutnose and Willowheart on how to move Rockfang to the medicine den without reopening any of his wounds. Satisfied that the three would be doing their jobs, she moved on, headed for the leader’s den where Nettlestar had disappeared to sometime ago to think.
“Nettlestar?” Embermist called at the entrance, cautiously slipping inside. She didn’t want to disturb him, but she hadn’t been able to find Larkcall and she needed help with the herb gathering.
“Nettlestar, I need you to send out two patrols for me,” she explained as she approached the nest he lay in, staring at the back wall. “We need more herbs and I cannot get them alone.”
Nettlestar lifted his head, and turned his troubled amber eyes towards his medicine cat. “And which one will you be accompanying?” he asked.
He knew her too well. Embermist had intended to send one to seek out Goldenrod near the river, and another to eastern border to hunt down cobwebs in the deeper forest. She would have gone off alone to collect new poppy seeds and chamomile closer to ThunderClan. She turned her gaze away uncomfortably.
“Things are too tense to lose our medicine cat now,” the leader chastised her coolly, “you cannot be taking risks like this. If we were to lose you, SkyClan would be lost.”
Indignance spiraled up in Embermist’s chest. “I’m not a kit,” she snapped, “I know how to take care of myself, and it is forbidden to attack a medicine cat! I can cross the boundaries if I really wanted to.”
“Do you think that foxes and badgers adhere to our code?” Nettlestar said coldly, “it’s forbidden to fight at the gathering, but did that stop Whitestar? No, it didn’t. The code means nothing to these cats.”
“As I recall,” Embermist said, voice tight and body tense with anger at his words, “you were the one who started the fighting.”
Nettlestar’s cold gaze locked with Embermist’s blue ones.
“I forbid you to leave the camp without at least two warriors,” the leader said firmly, “your patrols will be organized. Leave me.”
Embermist could feel tears of mixed anger and sadness pricking in her eyes, and she turned sharply, running to her den quickly so as not to be seen by too many cats. When she slipped inside, she was met with Rockfang’s sleeping form tucked into a messy nest near her own. The mollie slipped into her own nest, tucking tightly into a ball and wrapping her tail around her nose. She could hear Nettlestar calling a clan meeting from outside, but her energy had dwindled to nearly nothing, and she did not stand.
A few minutes later, a group of cats gathered at the entrance to her den. One, Rainleaf, slipped into her den quietly. Embermist could see the worry in the new warrior’s eyes as she glanced at her brother, but it was quickly overtaken by a need to appear ready.
“Embermist, Nettlestar sent some of us over. He said you wanted to collect some herbs?”
“I’ll be out in a moment,” she sighed, rising onto her paws again. When Rainleaf dipped her head and turned to leave, the medicine cat let her exhaustion fade into her features again. Her unkempt coat alone could have shown that something was wrong, but paired with the bags under her eyes and the general air of irritability and exhaustion, it was obvious that she was not doing well.
She slipped from the den after grabbing the last two goldenrod blossoms, and surveyed the group before her. After a few moments of deliberation, she spoke.
“Crowfur and Badgerface, bring your apprentices to collect cobwebs along the eastern border.”
When Embermist said it, she could see both Frostpaw and Sparrowpaw perk up with excitement. No matter the montomy of the actual task, collecting cobwebs was a rather entertaining task for apprentices. It meant climbing around in hollow logs and up into trees to hunt for crevasses in which spiders had made, and abandoned their homes in.
“Stormbreeze,” she continued, “Dewfoot and Rainleaf, you’ll be going to the RiverClan border to find this.” She raised the golden specimens up for them to see. “They’ll be a brighter yellow color, and there will be a lot of them clustered onto a single frond. I need as much as you can carry.”
There were nods all around, and Embermist dipped her head to them in return. There was a small moment of organization, and the patrols were gone. Embermist turned her gaze upwards, disappointed to see that the sun was only three quarters of the way through the sky. With a sweep of her tail, she turned away to find something else to do, something to distract her from her fight with Nettlestar and the events of the day.
---
The rain poured down, now mixed with hail. Embermist’s body was being pummeled almost constantly, despite her back being pressed against the slick surface of the Great Rock. The gathering had turned into a battleground, and no longer did SkyClan battle RiverClan. Instead, every clan fought one another, a surging sea of teeth and claws, fur and blood. There were so many cats that the medicine cat could not track any of her warriors, any of her friends or charges.
Above her, the leaders shrieked and spat, writhing upon one another on the top of the Great Rock. In horror, Embermist realized that the substance leaking down the rock behind her was no longer water, but blood. Thick, heavy, metallic blood, mingling with the rain, twisting through her fur.
She screamed, a coward’s scream, and backed away from the scarlet stained rock in pure terror, moving closer and closer to the battle. Lightning flashed, and a body came falling from atop the rock, landing limply at its base with a sickening crunch. It took Embermist several seconds to realize that the mud stained tom was Nettlestar.
---
No longer did Embermist jerk awake. Instead, her bloodshot eyes peeled open slowly, her face twisted in a grimace and her heart pounding. It had been nearly a half-moon since the dreams had started, and in that time she had slept very little, if at all. Several of the last nights, the silver mollie had been trying to keep herself up all night so as not to face the nightmares again, but it had not succeeded. Exhaustion was a constant battle, and the medicine cat did not know how to treat this type of madness.
Miserable and fatigued, almost everything about her had changed. She was losing weight, her coat grimy and unkempt, resting loosely across an angular body. Her bright blue eyes were glazed over, and her focus almost nonexistent. She had become short tempered and reactive, something she had never tended towards before. Almost everyone was beginning to notice, but no one had the courage to step up and speak to her about it. The new Embermist was mean, quick to anger and quicker to snap. No one wanted to deal with it.
The sun had not yet risen when she woke again, and she slowly stood, moving farther to the back of her den. Rockfang had been released from his confine a few days ago, and since then the dreams had intensified further. She crouched next to her half full reserves, pressing her nose into the sweet smelling thyme and lavender.
“Redmoon,” she breathed out slowly, her eyes closed, “please… show me the way… what am I doing?”
She had no response.
“Foxstar… please, you… you must know what to do…”
Again, she was met with silence.
A surge of anger burned her chest, and Embermist gritted her teeth, slapping the herbs and sending them flying. She stood amidst the mess with wheezing breaths, tears pricking at her eyes. It took a few moments, but the anger faded, replaced with the true emotion of fear and longing. Silently, the medicine cat crept towards the mess of herbs, and began to sort them out slowly but steadily.
The process took a little over an hour, and by the time she had finished, the sun was breaking the horizon line and Larkcall’s firm voice could be heard echoing around camp as she organized the dawn patrol. Embermist stuck her head out of the den to watch for a few moments, assessing who would be sent out before returning to the dark depths. It burned her eyes in the light, and she didn’t have the energy to stick it out and let them adjust.
Honestly, she just wanted to sleep. Even just a little bit of undisturbed sleep would be a blessing from StarClan. She turned her gaze upwards to the roof of her den, and sent a silent prayer.
Redmoon, if you ever cared for me, help me sleep. Tell me what this is and what to do. I cannot do this alone.
---
By the time the camp was darkening again, Embermist had nearly hit her breaking point. It seemed like every cat needed something from her, and she had nothing left to give, not even the energy to try. Lilysong had been upset about Stonekit’s not latching, when he was really just full and tired. Cloudeyes had given up on trying to soothe the new mother and left Embermist with that job.
It had been the normal monotonous mouse dung she had to deal with that day, but it felt like much more, and she was losing her power, losing her strengths.
Now, she sat alone in her den in silence, staring silently at the lavender. It smelled so sweet and soothing, that was all she could think at the moment. The smell of an herb they couldn’t actually use for anything but disguising death.
“Embermist?”
The silver mollie nearly jumped out of her skin. She was so absorbed with her thoughts on the lavender that she hadn’t heard the cat approaching. She turned quickly to see who it was.
Larkcall, the deputy of their clan, stood in the entryway, another silver cat with a high rank. “Embermist I think we should talk,” she mewed firmly, slowly entering a bit more, “we’re beginning to worry about you.”
“Who, you and Nettlestar?” Embermist asked a little bitterly, turning away.
“Me and the entire clan,” Larkcall said, her voice steady and unwavering.
Embermist eyed her suspiciously. “Nothing is wrong. Even if it were, what makes you think you have a right to know what it is? You're the deputy of the clan, not the leader or the medicine cat. You do not have the rank to assume such a thing.”
Larkcall seemed unimpressed with Embermist’s attempts to hound her away. “Deputy, leader, warrior, medicine cat, kit. It matters not what rank I hold, it is apart of my duty to this clan and my home to address any worries that may arise, and this dawn that worry is about you. If I did not approach my medicine cat with a worry about someone's health, it would be neglecting my duties. So Embermist, for a moment, humor me. I may not be your leader or anything but another cat you watch over, but you have a duty to me the same way I have a duty to you.”
Embermist stared sullenly at Larkcall for several long moments after the mollie’s speech had ended. She said nothing, almost too tired to want to.
“Walk with me,” Larkcall said after a few minutes of silence, “I want to show you something.”
Embermist didn't have the energy to protest, and she rose onto faintly quivering legs, following Larkcall out of the den. They walked out of camp, and Embermist was now uncomfortably aware of the eyes of the camp upon her. As they exited, she let out a small sigh of relief. They walked for quite awhile, and by the time they reached their final location, a pool in one of the streams that ran through the territory, Embermist felt incredibly faint and weak.
“Look at yourself,” Larkcall murmured.
The medicine cat turned her gaze to the pooling water and blinked in shock at the reflection that peered back up at her. Her skin hung loosely from her bony frame, her poorly kept pelt limp and greasy. Her face was sharp and angular, with swollen bags under her eyes. Her eyes, those were the worst of all. Shocking as the rest of her appearance was, it was the haunted, cloudy look look her piercing blue eyes now carried that scared her the most.
“I've… been having dreams,” she whispered.
With that it all came pouring out, everything about the dreams. The nightmares, their worsening intensity, her confusion as to what they meant and why she was receiving them, her fears for the war that seemed inevitable and the anger that Nettlestar, her dear friend, was sinking into.
Larkcall listened in silence, patiently allowing the other mollie to vent. As Embermist's words trailed off, the deputy stepped forward and pressed her lush silver coat against the medicine cat's dull one.
“You do not have to carry the burden alone,” she whispered, and Embermist leaned into Larkcall's side. The deputy began to gently lap at her companion's fur, sharing tongues for the first time since the nightmares had begun. The motions were soothing, and the silver medicine cat did her best to return the favor. Her licks slowed, and then slowed, and finally stopped. Her breaths were slow and even, and she had sunk down onto the ground in a slumped pile. Dead asleep.
Larkcall stayed with her until the sun had almost completely disappeared. Finally, before it got totally dark, she nudged Embermist awake.
“Hey, come on, we need to head back into camp, alright?”
Embermist blinked once, and then another few times to clear the sleep from her eyes. Silently, she wobbled up onto her feet and allowed Larkcall to lead her back to camp. They almost immediately slipped into her den without eating, and within moments, she had re-entered the realm of sleep.
---
When dawn came again, Embermist opened blue eyes and blinked silently a few times. There was soft breathing nearby, and she was warmer than usual. She jumped when she realized that there was a second silver form lumped up right beside her. It uncurled, head rising up quickly.
“Larkcall?” Embermist coughed, voice still rough from sleep.
“Embermist? What’s wrong, did you have another dream? You alright?”
Embermist’s brows pinched in confusion for a moment before the memories of the day before came flooding back. “I… no. No, I didn’t.”
Larkcall perked up. “Good! That’s good, right?”
Embermist turned away a moment. “I hope so,” she murmured.
“Well come on then, we need to get food. I didn’t eat all of yesterday, I’m famished!” Larkcall’s voice was optimistic, and Embermist couldn’t help but feel the pit in her stomach where food was meant to fill.
“Alright,” she consented, standing up, “but I have to do something first.”
She slipped from the den before Larkcall could say anything else, and quickly trotted across the camp and into Nettlestar’s den. She didn’t bother calling out a greeting, the tortoiseshell tom was already awake, staring silently at a wall with furrowed brow.
“Nettlestar,” she said softly, her ears lowered. It wasn’t with anger, rather a mixed sadness. “I’m worried about you, about SkyClan.”
“I’m lost.”
His miserable voice was the exact opposite of what she had expected. She had expected anger, more anger and fury and blame, and yet Nettlestar sounded so pitiful she couldn’t help but feel her heart tug.
“Nettlestar-” she began.
“I don’t know what I’m doing.”
The leader turned to her suddenly, his eyes red and swollen from crying. “Embermist what am I supposed to do? I’m not ready for this, I’m all alone and I don’t know what to do.”
Embermist shoved up next to him, rubbing her head soothingly against his shoulder. “You’re not alone,” she crooned soothingly, the same tone that she used when treating a sick kit or an anxious mother, “your clan is here to support you and the decisions you make. Larkcall is here to support you and the decisions you make. I am here to support you and the decisions you make. We are here to counsel you. We are here for you. We are not going to leave you, alright?”
He leaned against her silently. Outside, there was a soft rumble of thunder, and the first drops of a storm began to fall.
Written by: Razz [Clean Sidereal] (#18166)