[Fate Admin]

Snowpaw had curled up in his nest after a long day of herb sorting and restocking that he’d begun promptly after returning from the Moon Tree, regardless of how tired he was from the journey. He went over plenty of things in his head about his knowledge as a medicine cat, about herbs and their uses and where they grew best. His plea from Blackeagle stuck to the fore of his mind, to help his apprentice finish her training. He had been expecting to meet Doveflight again when he’d gone to sleep among the roots of the Moon Tree; she was usually the one who came to him, who spoke to him of the medicine cat code and the ways of StarClan, of prophecies and what different signs might mean.

But this time… Blackeagle had been standing before him when he’s awoken in his dream. He remembered the StoneClan medicine cat from past meetings, and from gatherings. Ivypaw’s mentor. His heart had twisted in his chest when he’d woken in the former medicine cat’s presence. Blackeagle had died in the battle. He’d heard his Clanmates talking about it. There were strange stories about just how Blackeagle’s life had come to an end that Snowpaw didn’t want to believe. Some cats said that Rookfrost had killed him. Other cats said Rookfrost was surely trying to help him but he was simply beyond Rookfrost’s help. Snowpaw preferred to believe that. He didn’t want to believe that his mentor could murder another medicine cat… or any cat really.

The recently deceased medicine cat had asked for his help in finishing Ivypaw’s training. He knew they had been growing a friendship together and though Snowpaw was not a full medicine cat, he felt he could trust him to pass on what he learned and to do his best to help Ivypaw become a full medicine cat beside him. He had said something about how often, the best way to learn, was to teach. It would help them both to come to know and understand the knowledge they would need to earn their full names as medicine cats. Snowpaw hadn’t needed so much convincing, however. He had been trying to think of a way to help Ivypaw and her Clanmates ever since the battle began. Blackeagle explained that they could meet in dreams and he could teach her there. Snowpaw wasn’t at all certain about that… but he supposed he would find out if it worked our not next time he went to sleep in his nest.

Now he had. Exhausted, he’d fallen asleep almost as soon as he’d curled up, and just as soon as darkness had taken him into slumber he was waking again… this time in his dream. He stood, suddenly filled with energy, and looked around. He was still in his nest. Rookfrost wasn’t there. Curious, he left the den he shared with his mentor and cast about camp only to find that… no cat was there. He was alone. His fur fluffed up slightly in alarm, and then he caught a faint, familiar scent… Blackeagle. He looked around and saw the tip of a black tail leaving camp and raced after it. “Blackeagle, wait!” He followed the faint scent the dead medicine cat left behind, but saw no further sign of the other tom. “Blackeagle!”

He raced on for what seemed like mere heartbeats and several sunrises all at once until he slowed to find himself in StoneClan’s old camp. It was so empty…. His heart ached. He plodded around the camp slowly, pelt tingling with the feeling that he was no longer alone. “Blackeagle?” He paused before a den from which wafted the stale scents of herbs and padded inside. The sudden and strong familiar scent of Ivypaw hit him then and he paused. Ivypaw? What was she doing… here… in her own camp… in the den she was supposed to be sharing with her mentor…. Inside the den, the cream colored she-cat he had come to call his friend lay curled up asleep.

Snowpaw wondered if this was what Blackeagle had meant. Maybe they really were meeting in their dreams right now. Or maybe this was just a dream… Snowpaw wasn’t entirely sure. Either way, he had to try to fulfill Blackeagle’s request and to help his friend… even if this turned out to be just a dream with no basis in reality, he had to try. He bent slightly and prodded Ivypaw with an outstretched paw, “Ivypaw…? Ivypaw, wake up… it’s me, Snowpaw….”

[Deleted]

IVYPAW
Medicine Cat Apprentice || StoneClan

“No! You can’t leave! You can’t, I can’t be a medicine cat!”the cream-coloured apprentice called out into the night, her mew wobbling a little with desperation, “No, Blackeagle!”
Ivypaw had been having these dreams for the last quarter-moon now and they frightened her. She could always scent her former mentor, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
The creamy pale ginger she-cat felt completely and utterly alone without her mentor. Her medicine cat training wasn’t even anywhere near half way finished and suddenly she found herself taking the helm as StoneClan’s full medicine cat.
Having completely given up, she sat down, head drooping and tail dragging behind her. It was then that she felt a paw prod her side and a voice whisper in her ears.
Blackeagle? Could it be?

“Ivypaw…? Ivypaw, wake up… it’s me, Snowpaw….”
The medicine cat jerked awake, heart racing to find the LightningClan medicine cat apprentice crouched over her, “S-Snowpaw? What are y-you d-doing here?”she glanced around anxiously, “Someone might see you! You need to go back to LightningClan!”
She stopped there. The camp was eerily silent and despite her having been talking rather loudly, no one seemed to have noticed. Unless.
“I’m still dreaming, aren’t I?” she mewed, tilting her head in confusion, “This is just a dream.”
It took a moment for Ivypaw to take everything in. She just sat there for a second, staring blankly at the white LightningClanner before her.
“Why are you here?” she meowed after a while, rising from her nest. Secretly, she was desperately pleased to be able to talk to the white medicine cat apprentice, with Blackeagle gone, she had no one to confide in about medicine cat stuff, “Wait, how are you here?”

[Fate Admin]

Ivypaw seemed rather bewildered at first, as she woke into their shared dream. From her reaction, Snowpaw was pretty confident this was real… she was really here with him, in this dream, and when they both woke tomorrow they would have shared memories from this meeting. He sat before her, unsure how to proceed as she had a little panic attack before she realized she was indeed dreaming. He nodded as she posed the question, though he was sure she already knew the answer, and then she asked him why he was there… how he was there.

“I… I don’t really know how I’m here…. Blackeagle and StarClan are helping somehow,” he flicked an ear, unsure about this, “The medicine cat meeting was a couple nights ago.” He dipped his head slightly, remembering the void of missing Blackeagle and Ivypaw sitting amongst the gathered medicine cats. His pelt prickled with guilt, but he held back the flood of apologies he wished to offer his friend. StarClan had not brought them together in this dream for idle chatter and he would waste precious time going on about how he wished he could have helped sooner, how he wished he could have stopped LightningClan from taking part in the battle that had chased StoneClan from their home and ended so many lives. He could help here and now, by helping Ivypaw continue her training. Apologizing was not going to help her training advance.

He also longed to ask about StoneClan. How was everyone? Were they in a safe place? But now wasn’t exactly the time for that either. Besides, she might not want to tell him much about her Clan in the vulnerable state they were likely to be in. He took a deep breath and shoved all his questions and apologies away. “Blackeagle came to me at the meeting, while we were dreaming….” Obviously. “He asked me to help you. I know I’m not… I’m not any more of a medicine cat than you are, but….” But my mentor is still alive. “But I… I’m still learning things and… I can share them with you.” He looked over at her, “I want to help you. You and StoneClan. What my Clan did was wrong. I just… I want to help make it right. Somehow… if I can do anything at all.”

His head drooped again. This help would not at all make up for LightningClan and RainClan had done. But it was all the help he could offer. He shook himself slightly, trying to get out of this highly unhelpful guilt-ridden mood, “I ah… do you want my help?” He gazed at her curiously, realizing she might not even want his help after what his Clan had done to hers. If she didn’t then… he supposed he’d turn back and go to his nest and go back to sleep… and he wouldn’t blame her at all.

[Deleted]

IVYPAW
Medicine Cat Apprentice || StoneClan

Ivypaw still couldn't quite believe what was happening. Okay, so I'm dreaming? But Snowpaw's here too and somehow we're sharing the same dream? she contemplated the whole situation for a moment before giving up. It didn't really matter how the LightningClan medicine cat apprentice was here, he was here and that was all that mattered.
Snowpaw didn't seem to know either, “I… I don’t really know how I’m here…. Blackeagle and StarClan are helping somehow,” Ivypaw nodded slowly, bright green eyes flickering from Snowpaw and the exit of the den, “The medicine cat meeting was a couple nights ago.”
The creamy ginger she-cat could no longer bear to listen. She stiffened at the mention of the medicine cat meeting and looked away from the white tom, green orbs flashing with grief. How much she missed their old territory, their old camp, the valley and of course, Blackeagle. Blackeagle and I should have been at the medicine cat meeting, he should be here, he shouldn't be with StarClan. She shook away the thoughts, forcing herself to meet Snowpaw's gaze again; it wasn't his fault after all.
"Blackeagle came to me at the meeting, while we were dreaming."..."He asked me to help you. I know I’m not… I’m not any more of a medicine cat than you are, but..." Ivypaw looked up from her paws, curious as to what the white medicine cat apprentice had to say. "But I… I’m still learning things and… I can share them with you."
Ivypaw's ear twitched and she blinked her startlingly green eyes a few times in disbelief at what Snowpaw was saying. Is he offering to help me with medicine cat stuff? Like a sort of mentor?
Snowpaw continued, "I want to help you. You and StoneClan. What my Clan did was wrong. I just… I want to help make it right. Somehow… if I can do anything at all."... "I ah... Do you want my help?"

Ivypaw stared at Snowpaw for a few moments, quite unable to contemplate what he had just offered. Blinking in disbelief, she fixed her green orbs on the white tom for a few moments, studying him to see whether this was a genuine offer. She quickly decided, from the expression on his face, that he was genuinely sorry for what his clan had done.
"Yes,"she breathed, "Yes, please! I feel so helpless around my clan,"she stared down at her paws, "I can treat their wounds from the battle and stuff, but I'm worried about what if sickness strikes and I can't do anything and"- she broke off, green eyes swimming with an undetectable emotion.
There was no word that could describe how incapable the creamy pale ginger she-cat felt. She was desperately worried that she'd make a mistake that would cost her patient their life. She had barely even begun her training and all of a sudden she was the sole medicine cat of StoneClan, entrusted to save lives and help bring lives into the world. It was the worst feeling in the world.

[Fate Admin]

As the cream colored she-cat studied him, he sat still, waiting for her answer. It was only after she had said yes, she wanted his help, that he realized he had been holding his breath as he let out a soft sigh of relief. She had agreed. He could help! He shifted a bit as she spoke her insecurities, “Don’t worry. I’ll help you. We’ll figure it all out.” He looked her in the eye then, “You’re not alone. Blackeagle is still looking out for you and StoneClan. I’ll do everything I can to make sure you complete your training, and that StoneClan doesn’t suffer anymore than they already have.”

He met her gaze for a moment more before glancing around briefly. “Um… so I… I guess we should do something. Training. Er…. Well we’re about the same age, we started our training at around the same time… but… our mentors were... ah… very different.” I hope. If there’s another medicine cat like Rookfrost… I don’t know what I’d do. “So… they probably taught us differently, maybe started us off with different things…. So… I guess we should start off with… what do you already know? I feel like we should both have an okay handle on the different herbs at this point, but it doesn’t hurt to review them… and StoneClan and LightningClan probably use a few herbs in different ways because of the difference in our territories….” He realized he was starting to ramble and trailed off, shuffling his paws.

“Erm. Sorry. Anyway. Do you think you can summarize what Blackeagle has already taught you? Then we can figure out where I can help you so it’s not all just a big review and a waste of time. I don’t know how often we’ll be able to meet like this so we should make the most of it when we do and work on new skills. You can work on things you’ve already learned by yourself easily enough,” he finally stopped speaking to give her a chance to summarize what she’d learned so far so he could see if there was anything he had learned yet that she hadn’t, or that she had and he hadn’t for that matter.

[Deleted]

IVYPAW
Medicine Cat Apprentice || StoneClan

Ivypaw felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders and she managed to smile, startlingly green eyes brimming with hope. Perhaps this could actually work?
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you. We’ll figure it all out.” Snowpaw met her optimistic gaze and she managed to smile a little wider, “You’re not alone. Blackeagle is still looking out for you and StoneClan. I’ll do everything I can to make sure you complete your training, and that StoneClan doesn’t suffer anymore than they already have.”
Ivypaw gave a nod of agreement, but couldn’t quite meet the white tom’s gaze. She was still getting used to this whole ‘shared dream’ thing.
“Um… so I… I guess we should do something. Training. Er…. Well we’re about the same age, we started our training at around the same time… but… our mentors were... ah… very different.”…”So… they probably taught us differently, maybe started us off with different things…. So… I guess we should start off with… what do you already know? I feel like we should both have an okay handle on the different herbs at this point, but it doesn’t hurt to review them… and StoneClan and LightningClan probably use a few herbs in different ways because of the difference in our territories….”

Ivypaw was trying to follow the white LightningClanner, but she was starting to get lost. She offered a confused look, in the hope he’d repeat his words. Thankfully, Snowpaw seemed to get the message.
“Erm. Sorry. Anyway. Do you think you can summarize what Blackeagle has already taught you? Then we can figure out where I can help you so it’s not all just a big review and a waste of time. I don’t know how often we’ll be able to meet like this so we should make the most of it when we do and work on new skills. You can work on things you’ve already learned by yourself easily enough.”
Ivypaw’s green eyes flooded with understanding and she gave a nod. What has Blackeagle taught me? she traced her thoughts to before the battle with LightningClan and RainClan, to training sessions with her former mentor.
Swallowing the grief that was welling up inside of her, she cleared her throat. If only Blackeagle were still here.

“I know the basics,” she began, her thoughts returning to her first training session, “Blackeagle taught me most of the herbs, but about half of them I don’t know the use of,” she confessed, staring down at her pale paws, “Blackeagle, he”- she broke off, green eyes flooding with grief.
The creamy ginger she-cat still couldn’t get over the fact that her mentor was dead. Blackeagle is dead, she’d never had to experience death before as a medicine cat apprentice, until her own mentor was killed.
She managed to regain her composure, “Blackeagle taught me how to treat basic wounds, infections, some common illnesses and he touched upon treating Greencough before he,” she swallowed, “before he died.”
There. She’d said it. Ivypaw instantly regretted her words. The last time they’d escaped her jaws, she’d collapsed with grief, she didn’t want to do that again, especially not in front of the LightningClan medicine cat apprentice.
Not meeting Snowpaw’s eyes, she mewed an apology, “I’m sorry about this,” she paused, “I still haven’t quite gotten over anything,” she stared down at the ground grimly, “Sometimes it feels like I never will.”

[Fate Admin]

Snowpaw’s pale green gaze softened and, as if she were his own Clanmate, he moved closer and pressed gently against her side in attempt to be comforting. He wished he’d been able to know the old StoneClan medicine cat better. He had seemed like a nice cat, a mentor one could get close to, be proud to have, respect. Rookfrost was hardly a medicine cat at all. He may know how to heal a cat’s body, but being a medicine cat was about more than that. He pushed thoughts of Rookfrost away. His dark mentor had no place here.

“I can’t say I know how you feel. I don’t. I can’t even imagine what you and your Clan are going through. But I do understand it must be really hard to bear on your own. You fill an important role for your Clan, you need to put up a confident front to keep their spirits up at a time like this, even if you feel like falling apart inside…,” he trailed off briefly, wishing he knew how to take Ivypaw’s pain away, but there was no medicine for grief. “You don’t need to put up a front with me. You can say whatever you need to say, and it will stay here, in this dream.”

He moved away from her then, toward the entrance to the medicine den, “Why don’t you give me a tour of the best places to collect herbs in your territory? We can review what you already know and if we come across some herbs you’re not sure about maybe I can fill you in.” He paused, realizing that giving him a tour of her territory might seem like a bad idea to a cat who was recently driven out of her home. “And Ivypaw, I promise, I won’t be collecting any herbs from StoneClan territory. LightningClan may have remarked their borders in your territory but I don’t plan on ever stepping paw over the RIGHT border.” His face grew serious with his resolve. StoneClan may not be occupying their territory right now, but it was still theirs in Snowpaw’s mind, and he wasn’t going to steal from them while they were away.

OOC: short post x.x

[Deleted]

IVYPAW
Medicine Cat of StoneClan

 

Feeling the white tom press against her comfortingly, the young medicine cat forced a smile. It was nice to just have someone to talk to for once, to confide in and share all her problems with.
“I can’t say I know how you feel. I don’t. I can’t even imagine what you and your Clan are going through. But I do understand it must be really hard to bear on your own. You fill an important role for your Clan, you need to put up a confident front to keep their spirits up at a time like this, even if you feel like falling apart inside…,” … “You don’t need to put up a front with me. You can say whatever you need to say, and it will stay here, in this dream.”
Ivypaw swallowed, giving a nod. Vibrant green orbs flickering over the white tom for a moment, she turned away for a moment, “I don’t really know what else there is to say…” she trailed off, green gaze growing distant, “I just miss Blackeagle, I miss all the cats that died in the battle, I miss home.”

The young StoneClanner managed to bring herself to look at the other medicine cat apprentice. He was walking towards the entrance to the medicine cat’s den, “Why don’t you give me a tour of the best places to collect herbs in your territory? We can review what you already know and if we come across some herbs you’re not sure about maybe I can fill you in.”
Ivypaw winced at the mention of their territory, but gave a nod. It didn’t feel like home, the mountains. It wasn’t home, not at all.
The cream-furred she-cat just couldn’t get over the thought that she may never live to visit StoneClan’s camp again, that she may never set foot on their old territory.
The valley below, where the other clans were currently living, that was home. Ivypaw could never bring herself to call The Oasis ‘home’, she just couldn’t. We will return, one day, I know we will. We have to.
The pale ginger she-cat realised she had drifted off and Snowpaw was speaking. Shaking her head clear, she padded after the white tom, trying to focus her green orbs on the LightningClan tom.
“And Ivypaw, I promise, I won’t be collecting any herbs from StoneClan territory. LightningClan may have remarked their borders in your territory but I don’t plan on ever stepping paw over the RIGHT border.”
Ivypaw smiled at Snowpaw’s promise, but his next few words, the mention of LightningClan having remarked their borders in StoneClan territory, their territory, made her bristle from the inside, “Thanks.”

Emerging from the Medicine Cat’s Den and into the main clearing in The Oasis, Ivypaw flashed a smile at Snowpaw, glad to have some company. Without any more words, the pale ginger she-cat slipped out of the camp, motioning with a flick of her pale creamy ginger tail for Snowpaw to follow.
Casting a last glance at the camp behind them, Ivypaw began to tread the path she knew so well to a little haven of herbs she had discovered near The Oasis. Well, compared to how many herbs could be found down in the valley, her ‘herb meadow’ as she called it, was absolutely nothing.
There was a scattering of herbs here and there, marigold, horsetail and several other varieties that Ivypaw could name. But there were some mountain herbs that the young feline had absolutely no idea about.
Ducking under a small heather bush, the cream-furred she-cat could feel her spirits lifting a little. Stepping out into the meadow, she let a smile creep to her face.
Letting her green gaze wash over the meadow around her, taking in the sights of the night, the pale ginger she-cat flicked her tail softly, “Welcome to my little haven, the Herb Meadow.”

ooc- I hope you don’t mind, I made the herb meadow up! I needed a place where quite a few herbs could be found so they wouldn’t have to travel for miles to find herbs.