The MEDICINE CAT meeting

[Silver]

The Half-Moon Gathering.

-OPEN-

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Oh yes, it's here folks! The first ever medicine cat meeting! All medicine cats and their apprentices are required to come. We don't want anyone to be missing from this momentous event <3 Other than that, follow the rules enforced by StarClan during this sacred time~

M.Cs & Apprentices
-Pebbletail (FireFly) & Nimblepaw (Riversong)
-Oceanstorm (Wolfwind) & Silverpaw (Breezy)
(Under Silver's temporary control)
-Windblaze (Windy) & Bearpaw (Havok)
-Skyfire (Silver) & Thornpaw (Snakey)

[W.in.DY.]

ooc|| Bearpaw's played by Havok. Oceanstorm I believe is played by Wolfwind, and Silverpaw is... uh...

[Silver]

(Oh, right. Thanks, Windy!)

Skyfire padded quickly through the WindClan moor, the chill breeze stirring his whiskers. Instinct wound him through the endless rises and dips, the Highstones rising like a beacon in front of him. Thornpaw followed a few paces behind, following his mentor through the unfamiliar terrain. Skyfire idly remembered his first time going to a medicine cat meeting, dozens of moons ago. He remembered how strange it felt, winding through WindClan's territory with no mud beneath his paws or fern to brush his pelt. There had been no shadows, no trees. Just the moon, high in the sky, seemingly staring down upon him as he trekked towards Mothermouth. He wanted to talk to Thornpaw about what he was going to see, how StarClan was going to approached them, and the messages they might here, but kept silent, knowing that Thornpaw would learn it all in his own time, through his own experiences.

"We're at the base of the High Stones now. Since it seems we are the first to arrive, we shall sit and wait here for the others, so we can go up together," Skyfire instructed, slowing to a halt where the ground rose steeply. Fluffing out his fur against the night cold, Skyfire wrapped his tail around him, tapping its tip impatiently. Staring out, Skyfire shivered, a shiver of fear and anticipation rather than one of cold. What lies in the future for the Clans? What will StarClan show us tonight about ThunderClan and RiverClan's alliance? Am I right to assume no good will come of it? he wondered, raising his gaze to the pale night sky, dotted with millions of stars.

[W.in.DY.]

Windblaze trotted torwards the base of High-Stones, her eyes catching the faint glitter of Moon-stone. How could StarClan allow this to happen? No no no. StarClan, stop this before it's too late. Should I even begin? She thought, feeling a bit irritated. StarClan wasn't listening. Well, who knows? They may of been. They might have been waiting for the right moment.

You know that feeling you get when someone isn't listening to you? Yeah, that's how Windblaze felt. Her mouth whittled away into a frown.Windblaze sat down. "Hello, Skyfire, how are you?" She smiled. She had been so used to her mentor standing next to her. But they had grown so far apart from when she was just 6 moons. She missed Rippedtail, but she had to move on. Heck, if she still needed a little help now and then she could ask.

[wolfwind]

The silver tom padded swiftly through the barren land of WindClan's territory. He could see his little apprentice through the corner of his eye. She kept up well on their journey to Highstones.
Oh, I bet they are already there! Oceanstorm hissed through his teeth as they quickly made way to the medicine cat meeting.
"You alright back there, Silverpaw?" Oceanstorm questioned her. They had to start off fast, traveling quickly throught ThunderClan's dense forest to the Fourtrees on which peace is occured. They just needed to make it to Highstones. They were already at the Thunderpath, awaiting a chance to run across.

[Riversong]

(sorry for the delay! lack of muse caught me off guard!)

Anxiously, Nimblepaw darted across the moor. He was impatient, and knew that if he had stayed at his mentor's pace, he would be late. Later than he already was, that is. So he took the journey in a series of leaps and bounds, and Nimblepaw knew he was nearly there.

At last Nimblepaw crested the top of a hill, and saw a small congregation only a few yards away. Tired, but determined, he darted over there, and sat, panting slightly with exertion. "Hi. I'm Nimblepaw. The new Riverclan Medicine Cat Apprentice!" he mewed.

[FireFlyDragon]

‘ShadowClan and WindClan’ his mind whispered as the familiar-and recent- scents wafted to his eager nostrils, his amber orbs narrowing as a mild hiss left his jaws. The two were already late, and not only that; the fact that the two opposing clans had both made their way to the medicine cat’s traditional meeting place before them fueled his annoyance and temper. With his pebbled pelt of black and white the tom hurried along; giving only a fleeting glance and an irritated hiss to the smaller form following him.

“Hurry up Nimblepaw! You want us to be the last ones there?”

With his neck fur somewhat aggravated, the older tom speedily made his way towards the lining of foliage that marked the dip of the land in which four massive oaks stood; and when he opened his mouth once more to hurry along his apprentice, a flash of fur caught him off guard. The smaller cat dashed off in front of him and Pebbletail had no wish to go running off behind him to notify him that there are dangers in this land.

Giving a snort he followed along with a slightly slower pace; telling himself that if the mouse-brained apprentice had not gotten lost on his way to Highstones he would give him a stern talking to when they returned to camp that night.

It wasn’t long that Pebbletail had to walk before he spotted the rather large group before the highstones; and with his eyes squinting he could see that eager apprentice of his situated among the others; talking freely to those other clan cats. The fact that he saw he was nearly the last to arrive annoyed him a little; after all, he was of RiverClan; one of the two clans who were to rule the forest in only a few short moons.

His jaw turned up into a meager smirk at the thought; only as much as he would allow as he trotted up to the entire gathering. “I’m surprised you know the way to Highstones Apprentice.” He gave a little growl. “After all, this is your first Medicine cat gathering.” He was simply reprimanding him a little; he didn’t like to be left in the dust of someone younger and far less experienced them him.

Turning away from his student he gave the others a quick once over; nothing more then to gather their names to mind. Skyfire, Thornpaw, Windblaze…And of course ThunderClan had to be late as well; the two superior Clans weren’t showing off to their best potential lately.

[Silver]

Skyfire dipped his head in response to Windblaze's greeting. "I'm well, thank you. How about yourself? Is Rippedtail doing alright in the elder's den?" Secretly, Skyfire was a bit more fond of Rippedtail than her apprentice. He knew it was a bit unfair, seeing as he had been medicine cat for about 3 moons before Rippedtail become the medicine cat apprentice, and he knew her long and well. Perhaps when Thornpaw is ready, I shall follow her example and retire. Time has flown by without me realizing, it seems... he thought, perking his ears as a new sound in the still night came to them on the breeze. Oceanstorm, Nimblepaw, and Pebbletail arrived, one after the other, until all the medicine cats from all four Clans had arrived. Being the eldest, Skyfire rose, nodding to the others.

"If no one minds, I'd like to reach Mothermouth as soon as possible tonight. It's the first meeting for all the new apprentices and recently appointed medicine cats, and I'd like to start earlier rather than later." Skyfire paused, waiting for anyone to complain. It seemed that a few of the apprentices were lagging behind, which was unsurprising. "The others can catch up to us. Lets go!" he mewed cheerfully, and with a flick of his tail, Skyfire turned and trotted up the familiar slope, watching the moon slowly rise in the sky.

[Riversong]

(OOC;My lack of mus is TERRIBLE. I feel awful about this post... )
After catching his breath, and staring around at everyone, Nimblepaw got to his paws. He then proceeded to follow Skyfire, the old Shadowclan Medicine Cat. Even as he did so, Nimblepaw could remember when he and his sister had snuck into Shadowclan territory on accident.

To be honest, Nimblepaw was still terrified of Shadowclanners. He doubted he would ever feel comfortable with them. So follow Skyfire took all his determination. Nimblepaw wanted to seem fearless.

[W.in.DY.]

"I guess we can go now." Windblaze meowed, a little unsure. Wait - where was her apprentice? Well, she hadn't seen him around camp, or if she did, she forgot. How wonderful. He probably was far behind, but she wasn't sure. He may of forgotten, or decided to stay.

Only a few moments ago, she had heard Pebbletail saying to Nimblepaw, "I’m surprised you know the way to Highstones, apprentice," then giving off a little growl then, continuing with,"after all, this is your first Medicine cat gathering."

Rippedtail had never been like that to her. Windblaze twitched her tail tip angrily, resisting the urge to yell at the RiverClan Medicine Cat for being rude. But she wasn't going to start a fight, because it wasn't her business, although she was pretty angry.

Her thoughts were black and snarled, and if you could of read them, heh. Good luck. They were that way because she didn't want to think of something useful at the moment, because it would of just ended up as something that she had been doing well to avoid now. And it was also calming. Well, somewhat calming.

She padded towards Mother-Mouth, waving her tail to signal them to follow. She had never done this before. a quick wave of happiness rolled off her body, in fragile waves.

[Silver]

Skyfire followed Windblaze and the troop up the winding path to Mother Mouth. The moon slowly crept up in the sky, making Skyfire tense with every step. He longed to race in front of the others, to speak with StarClan about all that was on his mind. But he forced himself to stay calm, to keep his pawsteps even and steady. He was so focused that it startled him when he nearly tripped into the entrance to Mother Mouth. Turning to the medicine cats and their apprentices, he nodded before slipping inside. The cave glowed with an unearthly glow, the towering Moonstone in the middle alight with the moonlight it was named for. Taking a deep breath, Skyfire fanned out with the other medicine cats, a deep silence taking over as they filed in. Settling down on the cool rocky floor, Skyfire forced himself to relax before reaching forward and touching the Moonstone with his nose.

Instantly, Skyfire was beside the river. Glancing around, he realized with a start he was on the border between ThunderClan and RiverClan. He dropped his gaze down to the gushing water, waiting for someone to come speak to him. Questions buzzed through his mind, and he shifted restlessly, eager for answers. But there was nothing but the sound of the river flowing in front him, a bitter wind chilling him to his bones. In his uncharacteristic impatience, he batted at the water, flicking droplets into the air. To his shock, the droplets froze in the air, darkening to a deep crimson before falling back to the water below. The second they touched the surface, the crimson spread, like pools of blood, until the entire river was consumed, roaring as it whipped past. Skyfire backed away in horror. StarClan, what does this mean? He thought, terrified. Transfixed, he stared at the starry river of blood. Something drifted by, a flash of white in a sea of red. Certain that this was StarClan's sign to him, he whipped out his paw, fishing out the soft white object. Panting on the riverbank, Skyfire stared down at the crane feather at his paws.
"Skyfire" a voice called softly. Skyfire whirled around, and a spotted gold she-cat padded toward him.
"Spottedtail, what does this mean for ShadowClan?" Skyfire whispered. "This... this looks like a hopeless future." he sighed, waving his tail at the river. Around the pair, distant wails of pain and grief vibrated in the air. Spottedtail shook her head.
"There is no way to avoid the bloodshed, but you can save many if you get ride of the parasite that is killing the Clans from the inside out." She paused, stepping in front of Skyfire so he looked her right in the eyes. Gently, she brushed his shoulder with her tail. "It is not an easy task. But we have sent help. Look for one who held life before she was born. She is the key to saving the Clans." With that, Spottedtail released Skyfire's gaze, turning to pad away. Skyfire stared at her helplessly, at loss for words, his questions and worries frozen on his tongue.
"One last word of advice, Skyfire. ShadowClan cannot stand by itself much longer, not while the threat of war is present." and with that, the she-cat slipped away, disappearing into the forest.
"Wait!" Skyfire called, finally finding his voice again. But it was too late; Spottedtail was gone, and he could already hear the others waking up.

[xx snakey]

(ooc: Thornpaw has arrived! let's just pretend he's been here... ^-^'''')

Thornpaw sat silently besides Skyfire the entire time before they had moved into the Moonstone's chamber. His pelt prickled with anticipation. Messages from Starclan! He wondered what they would share with him. Padding along with Skyfire into the cave he was mystified at the sight of the moonstone as if glimmered before him. He sucked in a sharp breath, padding forward, determined not to show his nervousness even though his fur bristled along his spine. What if Starclan didn't share anything with him? Taking a seat next to Skyfire he tentatively bent forward and touched his nose to the cold stone. Sleep took him immediately.

Where am I? Thornpaw wondered, bright blue eyes searching curiously. It was night time though over head the sun shone cold and white in the sky. The sky was expansive and black and the trees that surrounded him seemed to stretch up forever until they tickled the boughs of the not-moon. On his right side the trees bark was silvery and shone brightly. The forest was clear and beautiful, the scents of life flowing from it. But on his left the trees were skeletal and cold, gnarled limbs and roots twisted black and choked by ivy that sprouted thorns and moss that blanketed all. He was sitting on a patch of grass that separated the two forests. It was two fox lengths wide and stretched for as far as he could see the grass colorless under his paws. "What is this place?" he wondered aloud. The grass rustled in the sinister wind that spread from the dark forest, the stench of death weaving over the grayish tinged grass like a plague. Thornpaw coughed, choking on the scent. "Tis the place between worlds." A voice murmured, soft and warm. A cat padded toward him across the grass in front of him, emerging from neither dark nor light forest. "Who are you? A Starclan warrior?" Thornpaw asked and the tom shook his head. He was large, maybe the size of Duskstar or Cranefeather, with sandy brown fur and barely visible tabby marks. His massive paws rolled when he walked and were white in color. He had a white blaze on his muzzle between his eyes, which were icy blue.

"A Starclan warrior? No. but I was once a warrior of your clan. In this place, the Neither, is where I reside. To keep the Dark Forest and Starclan’s realm separate. I was chosen for this because of my passion and love for my clan, though I was not clan born. My name is Snakefang." The tom came to sit beside him and Thornpaw watched him in awe. Snakefang, did that mean he wasn't a Starclan cat? No, he was... something else, a protector or Starclan. What was the Dark Forest then? Why was Thornpaw here? What did this mean? He opened his mouth to ask but another sound stopped him. Another cat, a black tom with white paws and a white diamond on his chest jumped out of the light forest and snatched up the mouse he'd been chasing in his jaws. His bright blue eyes looked at Thornpaw and Snakefang. He nodded curtly to Snakefang, dropping the mouse. "Good evening, Snakefang." the tome murmured and Snakefang nodded back to him. "Yes, a fine evening, Ebonythorn." The tom, Ebonythorn, sat down. "A new protector tonight?" Ebonythorn asked but Snakefang shook his head. "Maybe one day, but not tonight. Tonight he is simply Thornpaw, Shadowclan Medicine Cat Apprentice." Ebonythorn's rump twitched like he wanted to stand up but sat back down again. "Very well, I will leave you to... whatever it is medicine cats do." and with that the tom took up the mouse and bounded away into the light forest.

Thornpaw sat in silence for what seemed like eternity with Snakefang, watching the empty sky above him. "Why am I here?" he asked after a few moments. Snakefang shrugged. "I do not know. I am a warrior, not a messenger. I live here, in the place that no one sees, ageless, to protect." Thornpaw looked down at his paws where they lay in the gray grass. "Then... what am I supposed to do?" Snakefang chuckled, then crouched down and looked intently at the grass. "The Neither is a puzzling place. It provides many questions but no real answers. But there is trouble; I can feel it even here." He parted the grass with his paws to reveal the dirt that wasn't really dirt. It was like a million silver and white worms squirming together in a tangled mass. A wave of emotion fell over Thornpaw; hatred, rage, pain, sorrow, loss, disgust, fear, insanity, love, loyalty, will, spirit, instinct. It all hit him with the force of a monster roaring down the Thunderpath. And then it was gone as the grass swept over the ground again.

"You just felt war. The pain and the sorrow and the loyalty that war brings. The bonds that are broken or strengthened by it."

[/b] Snakefang righted himself, then stood and padded down the row a ways, then turned back. "Thornpaw. You are like a brook the runs through the forest, calm and kind, but strong. Nothing and stop you, you just flow around it, nothing can stay you, you just surge through it. Remember that." He turned and continued down the row. "The Neither is always here if and [/i]when you need it."[/b][/i]

Snakefang's voice faded away as Thornpaw started to stir in the cavern, twitching back to life. He tasted the soft, sweet are of the chamber, relieved that it was not the death stench that choked that land he'd been in. The Neither. He stood and ruffled his fur, then looked to Skyfire, his head swimming with questions. He waited for the older cat to stir.[/blockquote][/size][/color]

(966 words. Please read it all. ^-^)

[Silver]

(Taking over for Wolfwind, since she was inactive)

Oceanstorm found himself in ThunderClan camp, by his den. A starry figure stood before him, a tabby with a long tail. "What news does StarClan have for ThunderClan?" he asked the figure. The tabby didn't move, and simply stare at Oceamstorm. "What news from StarClan?" Oceamstorm repeated, wondering if the starry figure was deaf. It appeared not, for he stood, his gaze never wavering from Oceamstorm. A chill ran down his spine as the starry warrior open his maw, letting out a long, horrid wail. The sound echoed around the camp, and one by one, voices joined it the caterwaul, making Oceamstorm cringe. "StarClan?" he whispered, horrified. The tabby stopped howling, and bit by bit, the moans and screams faded into the distance. "Leave, Oceanstorm. We appreciate your dedication to your Clan and your ancestors. We repay you with this warning. You will not survive long if you stay. Take Silverpaw with you, and run as far as you can. Keep the spirit of the Clans alive," a voice whispered to him.

And then he was awake in the cave, along with Skyfire and Thornpaw. Silverpaw was just starting to stir. Shaken, Oceamstorm tried to calm himself, and went to sit beside his apprentice.

(I am aware this post made absolutely no sense, but I figure I need an excuse for their disappearance)