[Insidious]

She had confirmed her trip with Lionstar and Gorsetail prior to her departure, for as the only healer in TreeClan, it wasn’t safe for her to be gone for long periods of time. However, she needed to speak with StarClan, and her higher-ups understood the importance behind what she intended to do. Littletimber’s passing was still fresh in her mind, and as much as she believed she could handle it, the emptiness in her den had started to feel unsettling. There was too much space, and as a fairly sociable member of her Clan, she wanted to see it filled by someone deserving of the role—and it would be nice to have someone to talk to.

On the way to the Moon Tree, Bluejay considered the cats that had piqued her interest. There were a lot of apprentices that showed potential, and Rosepaw in particular seemed to stand out from the rest. The small ginger kitten was always close to the medicine cat’s den, watching her as she worked, and it warmed the she-cat’s heart. Her interest in the field was undeniable, and her heart was undoubtedly in the right place. Bluejay was certain she would be a perfect medicine cat, and an ever better apprentice for the likes of her, but she refused to act without reaching out to her ancestors. They never led her astray, and she held the utmost confidence in them. When she reached her destination, and lied down to join her ancestors in sleep, it was with the belief they would show her roses.

And they did.

Bluejay purred, pale eyes sparkling, as she reached out to touch the petals with a paw, but to her surprise the petals shied away from contact. She tipped her head to the side, obviously bewildered, but every time she tried to touch them the petals would continue to recoil. No matter how quickly she approached, or how slowly, they pulled away; she tried to leap onto them, hoping to catch them beneath her, but the roses disappeared entirely only to reappear a mouselength out of reach. Bluejay frowned, and then she lifted her eyes to the sky in search of answer.

It came to her on the wings of a bird. The falcon soared above her, encircling her, and when it dived for the ground she instinctively sheltered her head with her forepaws to deflect its attack as best as she could. With eyes closed, she prepared to endure the worst of the pain, but nothing happened and she risked peeking through her paws. When she did, she saw the falcon—mesmerizingly close and non-threatening—perched beside the roses. She only had a moment to envy the ease with which it sat beside them before it turned its beak to the side and began to individually pluck them off of the bush. The TreeClan medicine cat watched the petals fall to the ground with the airiness of feathers, a small pile forming around the falcon’s talons.

It hit her as suddenly as the rain drops that leaked out of the sky. Bluejay’s expression lit up, and she tilted her head towards the sky a final time to watch the storm move in. “Falconstorm!” She shouted the warrior’s name as loudly as she dared, and the clouds grumbled—a crack of lightning flashing across the dreamy landscape—in answer.

She awoke with a start. It wasn’t the answer she had been expecting, but StarClan always knew what was right, and she wasn’t about to strike an argument. If Falconstorm was no longer meant to be a warrior of TreeClan, then she would happily make a nest for him inside of the medicine cat’s den and watch him embark on the wonderful journey of healing—so long as he was as eager as she hoped he was to accept what fate had in store for him.

Date: leaf-fall fifteen
Words: 647
Tag: Justice