|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2019 3:59:24 GMT -5
 Darkstar I don't got time to look over my shoulder Leaf-fall 1 - The day is pleasant and mostly sunny, with the occasional cloud drifting across the sky.
NightClan had settled back into their proper camp days ago, the flooding finally receded enough that the cavern had died out so that they could return. All the debris that had collected in the camp had been cleared away by now, every nest rebuilt, and there was no longer any sign left behind that they had ever had to leave at all. Well, perhaps there was one left.
Sitting outside her den, the previous Clan meeting and the naming of new apprentices finished, Darkstar’s gaze settled on the entrance to the medicine den. Nearly all their herbs had been lost in the flood and Smokefur and Shadowchaser had been working hard ever since to replenish their stores, but since moving back home she hadn’t checked with either of them about it. Her tail tip twitched thoughtfully.
Her gaze shifted briefly to where Crowflame and the newly named Breezepaw were carrying soiled moss from the elders’ den together. She was surprised Crowflame was starting with something so mundane. She would have thought a young warrior with her first apprentice would have rather go explore the territory. But all apprentices would have to learn how to do such duties at some point, so it hardly mattered whether it was on the first day. Breezepaw, for her part, looked perfectly content with the activity, which was also surprising. The younger tortoiseshell had never been as boisterous as her littermates, but Darkstar couldn’t imagine being a brand new apprentice and being happy to be tasked with cleaning out the elders’ den for your very first act in your new role.
The two disappeared out the entrance tunnel to dispose of the soiled moss and Darkstar rose to her paws, deciding now was as good a time as any to check in with their medicine cats. Padding across camp, she stepped inside the medicine den to find her brother within, “Shadowchaser. Are you and Smokefur managing to replenish what we lost well enough? I’m sure Rainfur can spare a warrior or two from patrols if you need assistance.” Leave 'em all behind I'm about to take over |
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Nov 21, 2019 10:50:29 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser "Yes and no," Shadowchaser broke off with a sneeze, the sodden remains of their herb stores clinging to his front legs as he continued tidying up. "It's taking a season for the den to dry out, so we're storing the herbs outside for now, in a hollow near the ambush pond." Shadowchaser flicked a clingy piece of dandelion out of his chest fur, turning to give his littermate his full attention.
"Smokefur and I managed to collect a few necessities, but RainClan's territory is still more lake than river." He grimaced. "Staying in the pineneedle clearing was hard enough. I can't imagine having to evacuate camp for so long." I hope you and your Clan are well, Dewfrost. The mountains would be hard to adapt to, for the water-loving Clan. Shadowchaser held tight to the hope that all would right themselves in time. However, he flashed Darkstar a smile, trying to steer the conversation away from RainClan's predicament lest Darkstar get any ideas.
Obviously now was a bad time for territory expansion, and a soggy territory was hardly worth the effort. However... Shadowchaser dared not make the assumption that he knew what Darkstar was thinking, or if he could predict her actions. More than enough moments had occurred to prove otherwise.
Enough, enough! Get out of your head, Shadowchaser. He forced himself to take a breath, then replace that look of consternation with something softer. Something reminiscent of the apprentice he'd once been, marveling at his sisters' capabilities as they took the world by storm. "I'll speak to Rainfur before I go gather herbs again. Breezepaw went with me last time," a purr wrapped around Shadowchaser's words. "She was very helpful. Thornscar must be proud of them. Echobreeze too, without question."
The subject of their kin was a topic he gave his attention to wholeheartedly. A soft laugh of disbelief escaped him. "Thank StarClan the kitting went well. It feels... strange, to have witnessed their birth and helped them to their mother's belly, and here they are, brand new apprentices."
Life was a marvelous thing. He'd prayed long and hard to StarClan and to Sootfeather to watch over Thornscar's pregnancy and kitting. The stars had answered. He could picture Sootfeather's approving smile and it warmed him, like his mother's tongue across his back when he was small. "Do you miss those days?" He spoke in melancholic softness, as if nostalgia's touch had brought with it the cool hand of regret. "Being in the nursery, all together."
It felt like the last time their family had been truly whole. medicine cat of nightclan |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2019 3:55:02 GMT -5
Darkstar I don't got time to look over my shoulder Darkstar listened silently to Shadowchaser’s answer, her tail waving thoughtfully behind her. His mention of RainClan did indeed turn her thoughts in a direction that Shadowchaser would not approve of. Their water dwelling neighbors hadn’t been at the last gathering. Were it not for the fact that their territory was still so waterlogged from the flood, Darkstar would have already made a move to shift the border, claim more territory for NightClan. But it would be a waste of time currently, for the territory they would claim would be next to useless, and added to that their tensions with TreeClan, angering their other neighbor for no good reason wasn’t something Darkstar was rushing to accomplish. NightClan’s warriors capable, but fighting a war on two fronts would be a fool’s move.
When her brother turned talk to kin, Darkstar relaxed ever so slightly. Mention of their mother had her usual sharp gaze softening in the slightest. Darkstar had achieved leadership and she had no doubt her mother was proud of her, but it was Thornscar that given their mother the greatest gift and any cat in NightClan could see just how much Echobreeze adored her grandkits. Their sister’s kits were a guaranteed continuation of their family’s legacy, taking their bloodline into a new generation. Darkstar was eager to see just how they would develop as warriors and couldn’t imagine feeling any more pride for them even if they were own kits. She nodded at Shadowchaser’s musings about their birth, though she herself hadn’t spent a whole lot of time with them during their stay in the nursery, at least not until they were closer to six moons.
As Shadowchaser asked if she missed her own kithood, she thought of the day Hollowkit and Bramblekit had come together to encourage Breezekit, to strengthen her with unity of purpose and the loyalty of kinship. A flicker of regret ran through her, thinking of how close she and her littermates once were, and how they had drifted apart. Thornscar has spoken well of the tom that had fathered her kits, but until her sister announced her pregnancy and moved to the nursery, she’d had no real clue as to the depth of the relationship that was forming between them. Cobrastrike was out of camp more often than not and she couldn’t honestly remember the last time the two of them had taken the time to have any sort of real conversation. Shadowchaser was a medicine cat and though she was proud of her brother, it was a path she could not relate to and until her ascension to leadership, it had put something of a distance between them. Even now, she realized, she’d only approached him initially to look into practical matters affecting the Clan, not to speak with him as her brother.
“Yes,” she replied after a long moment of thoughtfulness, answering his question at last. She stepped forward to butt her head lightly against his shoulder in a show of affection reserved for her family before she turned, glancing back at him, “Do you have some free time? It’s been too long since we’ve spoken as littermates. Come for a walk with me. If you’d like to collect some herbs while we’re out, I can help you carry them back.” Her whiskers twitched with some amusement, “I’m not Breezepaw, but I’ll do my best to measure up.” Perhaps she could shorten the distance that had grown between herself and her littermates. Thornscar’s kits had brought the two of them together a bit more in recent moons, but it was past time to start putting in a bit more of an effort. Leave 'em all behind I'm about to take over |
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Nov 30, 2019 9:24:49 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser Shadowchaser couldn't resist a purr, returning his littermate's affection wholeheartedly with a rub of his muzzle against her shoulder. "You always measure up, Darkstar. No matter what you do." He meant that. His sister's talents were many, and though she had taken actions that Shadowchaser could not morally agree with, he was still proud of her. Proud that she wanted to channel her intensity into a cause greater than herself - the Clan.
While he mentally made a list of what to collect when they left camp, Shadowchaser's thoughts side-stepped around the necessities, swinging eagerly back to the subject of family. Darkstar was right. It had been too long since they'd spoken as kin, not just leader and healer. "It must be difficult not to feel biased towards Breezepaw, Bramblepaw and Hollowpaw. Not to say that Cricketpaw and the others are not just as worthy. Have you thought of warrior names for them yet?"
It was a while yet before Thornscar's trio would reach warriorhood, but Shadowchaser had never been able to help his curiosity.
The chestnut brown tom breathed in the night air, warmth filling him despite being able to smell autumn on the wind. It was too early to collect dried oak leaves, but that didn't stop him from batting at one playfully as it pirouetted down from it's branch. The pounce he made was sloppy, and Shadowchaser winced, fully aware that his expertly-skilled sister had witnessed it. "I'm a little out of practice," he mewed, sheepish enough to tuck his ears sideways, tail making self-conscious half-sweeps behind him. medicine cat of nightclan |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2019 17:38:21 GMT -5
Darkstar I don't got time to look over my shoulder It was clear by her brother’s tone that he was proud of her, despite their differences and the times they had clearly not seen eye to eye since she became leader. While she might hold those differences against another cat, she couldn’t with Shadowchaser. After all, peace would always be a medicine cat’s ultimate goal. She knew her brother’s confidence in his own abilities had fluctuated throughout the moons. Hollowcry’s death had probably hit him harder than the rest of their litter, all because he’d played a part in trying to heal him, and failed. He took his losses particularly hard, but he kept going, and it had become clear to Darkstar very early on that it was far harder to save a life than it was to take one. And, she reasoned, that was part of the reason he would oppose aggressive action taken by the Clan. “I could never measure up to you,” she told him, quite certain the one thing she would never be able to accomplish would be a medicine cat’s duties.
She looked over at him, “I respect you and what you do, Shadowchaser… even if it doesn’t always seem that way.” She hoped he knew that already, but it never hurt to say it. They both had their own ideas about what was right for NightClan, and those ideas wouldn’t always match up, or even be able to find a compromise, but knowing that her brother came from a completely different point of view than her, she could at least understand that it made him no less loyal to NightClan. She couldn’t help but remember Gorgelight, and uncomfortable prickle at the back of her neck at the thought of the RainClan tom that had claimed to have loved her mother and given her a life for tolerance and understanding.
When he turned the conversation to their nieces and nephew, she purred softly, a rough noise in the back of her throat that was a rarity for the dark tortoiseshell. “It is,” she admitted, “I was so tempted to mentor one of them myself… but I wouldn’t want them to think I favored one of them over the other, even if I wasn’t trying to focus on the Clan as a whole right now and had the time to give to properly mentoring.” Since becoming a warrior, she had barely had any time without an apprentice to train. Shortly out of her own apprenticeship she had been given Graywolf to train, and barely any time had passed after the young she-cat earned her own name before she’d been entrusted with Gracklestrike as well. And Gracklestrike had not been able to receive her name until she had taken over leadership of NightClan. She would take another apprentice one day, but right now wasn’t the time.
“I haven’t given their names much thought just yet. I’d like to see them training for myself, to get a better judge of their talents and abilities,” she replied thoughtfully. Naming Gracklestrike and her siblings so soon after becoming leader had rather impressed upon her the importance of it all. They should have been warriors earlier, but Foxstar’s illness had delayed them. They had already earned their names, she was simply the one to reveal to them what they were. She took her duties as leader quite seriously, and giving a cat a name they would be known as for the rest of their lives was hardly anything to take lightly. A comfortable quiet fell over them, until Shadowchaser leapt for a falling leaf. She laughed as he looked a little embarrassed about it, stepping up beside him to nudge him with her shoulder playfully, teasing, “It’s a good thing herbs don’t run when you find them.” She bounded forward, letting her guard down for the first time in a long time, and slid to a halt to fling a few leaves back at her brother, “I guess you need to practice then!” Leave 'em all behind I'm about to take over |
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Feb 23, 2020 17:39:59 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser “I could never measure up to you.”
It was the one thing Shadowchaser had never expected to hear from Darkstar. Ever since they were small, tumbling around the nursery or nuzzling against Echobreeze's soft belly, there had been a clear delineation of power and capability. Shadowchaser had been average in comparison with his three sisters - and that average would have looked downright pathetic, he was sure, if he'd followed a warrior's path instead of a healer's.
With that simple admission from his littermate, Shadowchaser felt the closeness between them increase. They did not always see eye to eye, but to say they did not care and respect one another would have been a boldfaced lie.
He listened as they walked, and with his failed attempt at a leaf triggered a laugh out of Darkstar, his sheepishness was justified. Yes, definitely out of practice. And then, in an uncharacteristic bit of playfulness, the fierce warrioress flung a pile of leaves right at Shadowchaser's face; he ducked instinctively, his warm laugh batting against the leaves as he took aim at a particularly fat one that looked hard to miss.
Chestnut brown paws trapped it as he leaped, landing a little gracelessly on his hind legs with a precarious wobble. "G-Got it!" Shadowchaser stretched his tail out over the ground for balance, golden eyes finding his sister's face. He suddenly scrunched his muzzle. "I think I pulled a muscle."
The life of a healer was definitely softer than the average warrior's. medicine cat of nightclan |
|
