[Abyss]

The day had come. The day they both had been waiting for. The ceremony. She felt her mother’s warm tongue brushing against her scruff, smoothing out the wild-hanging bits of fur still leftover from rolling in her sleep. She wanted to enjoy the moment, but she couldn’t let herself close her eyes; she was too excited. Just seeing the light outside the den ahead of her made butterflies form in her stomach. She glanced to the side, peering at her light-pelted sister sitting next to them. She had already had most of her fur groomed out, yet she had already managed to let a ring of ruffled fur around her neck and down her chest fluff up. Shellkit looked back to her, a big toothy grin on her face.

“There. You are perfect.” Blinking, Rustkit turned and lifted her head, peering almost backwards and sideways at her mother. The cream-furred she-cat smiled warmly down at her, rubbing their faces together for a moment. “My girls are growing up.”

“And we are gonna keep growing! We’ll never stop growing! Not until we are the size of trees!” Shellkit bounced where she stood, lowering into a playful bow, a look of mischief and determination all over her face.

“We will always be your girls, momma.” Rustkit purred, her whole body vibrating in a mixture of love and excitement.

Mistswirl smiled further, gently nudging Rustkit forward.

The two kits sat before the rest of the clan, Silverstar standing above them. But it was not him who was first to speak, but rather the Medicine Cat, Dewfrost, who sat off to the side.

“Though I am still young, I have decided that I will be taking on an Apprentice.” When the brown and white she-cat turned, her eyes met Rustkit’s, and something shifted. She became very blurry, almost as though Rust were looking at her through a layer of water. Only her eyes were solid, but they were…ominous. “Rustkit. If you should accept, I would like for you to become my Apprentice.”

She understood the words, but the voice…her voice was different. She spoke with a smile and her eyes glared towards the kit, her voice almost taking on more of a luring tone than a welcoming one. It was almost…scary.

Rustkit turned with a confused gaze to Shellkit, but she wasn’t there. Her eyes widened, looking around quickly. She turned to look for her mother, but she was gone too, as were most of the clan.

When she turned back, Dewfrost was on the ground, laying faced away from her on her side, unmoving. Rustkit approached slowly, fear filling her eyes.

“D-Dewfrost?”

She got closer, and when she peered over the she-cat’s shoulder, the sight of the Medicine Cat’s eyes being wide open made her jump backwards. Something suddenly emerged from the she-cat’s body, a bright-glowing ghost of herself, and stood over the fallen terrified kit.

“Snow means we need to hurry. Soon the cold will kill the roots, Rustpaw. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry!”


Her eyes jolted open, the echo of Dewfrost screaming just fading away in her ears. Her chest heaved and her claws gripped the nest around her. She shook for a moment, her head lifting and looking around quickly. Wait, where was she? What is thi- oh…this was the den. The new den. Not the old one. She let out a sigh, slowing her breathing.

I can never have good dreams…can I…

Her head turned, peering to the side where she could just barely see the silhouette of Shadowchaser laying in his nest. He had been one of the only cats she found comfort in lately, since she would end up spending a lot of time with him now. There had always been something about him that just felt so…familiar. So warm. He almost reminded her of…

She slowly stood, turning herself and taking a few quiet steps forward, tiny paws silent against the mossy nest. She placed a single paw inside of his nest, leaning her head down. She gently nudged the tom’s shoulder, hoping she wouldn’t be bugging him.

“Um…S-Shadow?” Her voice came out in a low and shaky whisper. “C-Could I um…could I sleep in your nest…with you? I…can’t sleep…”

RUSTPAW

Medicine Cat Apprentice

Fawn

[Fawn]

curiosity is not a sin...

...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity

Shadowchaser

Shadowchaser jolted awake; it was not in the frightened way of an anxious creature, spooked by the wind. Rather, it was the kind of sudden alertness that came with being aware the next few days were going to be crucial; Currantsplash was in the nursery, and very much ready to pop with what he surmised to be two or three kits. Though his coat was short, the fur between Shadowchaser's ears appeared cowlicked from where it had been smushed into the moss and against Newstripe's flank; gaze coming into focus on Rustpaw, he gave a croaky purr. "Of course, Rustpaw. You don't need to ask." It was kind that she had, but in his heart of hearts, Shadowchaser had already given the she-cat permission to curl up beside him if she ever needed to.

Maybe it was his mistake to not clarify that out loud? It was easy to blame it on how busy they had been since this the establishment of MistClan. Every new day came with fresh hurdles, but also fresh triumphs. They had been running themselves ragged on behalf of the Clan, and it was only in these down times that they could breathe deep and assess their own mental states. Shadowchaser shifted in his nest as gently as he could so as not to wake his sleeping partner, and reached over to press his nose to Rustpaw's ear in what he hoped was a calming gesture.

He could only imagine what thoughts were swirling around her head. Dewfrost's absence was fresh in their minds; the she-cat's death was like a soft chill in the air. If they kept their bodies moving, they were warm enough by the simple act of doing that there was no time to dwell on the medicine cat's death. But in these quiet moments, when no one needed them, that chill could be felt...

medicine cat of misttclan

Abyss | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix

[Abyss]

There was a small pang of guilt that shot through her chest, just barely able to see and hear the black tom shift in his nest. Nests such as these were typically molded to hold a single cat, sometimes two depending on circumstances and crafter. But there wasn’t often a need for a single nest to comfortably contain three cats, especially not when two were already present. Even still, as much as this small burden prodded at her mind, she knew that she needed this.

She had already gone on too many nights like this, having these recurring nightmares that never ended until she inevitably was startled awake, tears welling in her eyes. Most of the time she kept this to herself, curling back up in her nest and either falling asleep once more, where sometimes the same thing happened again, or she would remain awake, crying silently to herself into the side of her nest until the dimmest light of morning reached the edge of the Medicine den. There was only a few rare occasions where a nightmare had grown so gruesome and woke her so violently that she had stood, rushing out of her nest and into the camp. Typically there were others awake, lounging in camp, mostly those once from Nightclan who were used to the nocturnal way of life. Sometimes she found eyes drawn to her, other times she managed to slink into the shadows, tiny paws carrying her with quick small steps to the Warriors den. Her nose would seek out the familiar shape and scent of Frozenrain, and without a word she would climb into the nest and curl up next to the white she-cat, her muzzle nestling into the other’s fur.

But this was one thing she had not yet done, not since the change. Shadowchaser had always been one of her favorite cats. She always looked forward to seeing him back in Rainclan, and he always brought with him this warm energy and plenty of knowledge for her to soak up. She had always viewed him as a teacher even before he actually was her teacher. But now that this was a reality, that he was her actual mentor, it felt…different. She still viewed him in the same light. He was still an amazing cat, one she admired to the stars and back and always gained comfort from. A part of her knew, or hoped at least, that he would never push her away if she ever needed help. And yet…when these nightmares would wake her from her sleep and she would peer over at his nest, where both his form and Newtstripe’s would lay in silence, she felt as though she couldn’t join them. Something stopped her. Perhaps it was this same feeling of guilt in the thought of making them move themselves out of their comfort just for her. Or perhaps it was the memory of being in the old Medicine den, where two single-feline nests dwelled in the back of the den, and both were meant for privacy, not company.

Her climb into the nest was slow and careful, tiny paws ensuring not to step on Shadow in any way. She folded her legs beneath her, taking on a loaf-like shape while her chin placed itself against her chest. She could feel Shadow’s side against her own, but she was hesitant to lean into it. She was already taking up even more room in the nest meant for him; the last thing he probably wanted was another cat pushing themselves against him while he was trying to sleep in his own bed.

She remained quiet, but not asleep. Though drowsiness still clawed at her, she didn’t want to go back to sleep. Too many thoughts raced through her mind, switching constantly between the nightmare and the thought of being rejected from the nest right after climbing into it. A part of her wondered if Shadowchaser ever had nights like these too. She hadn’t seen him awake from sleep when she had her nightmares, but maybe the timing was always off. Or maybe he didn’t have them. She couldn’t be sure.

As she laid there, allowing some of the older Medicine Cat’s warmth to reach her side, she couldn’t get images and memories of her old mentor out of her head. The first distinct memory she had of seeing Dewfrost for the first time. The first time that Rust ever snuck into the Medicine den just to rummage through the herbs and getting caught. The day that the brown and white she-cat asked Rustpaw to be her Apprentice. The days of training they had. And…that day in the Tribe…when her voice was not her own and her body slumped to the ground…

“How long…did you…know her?” Her voice was a whisper, a shaky one at that. She couldn’t even be sure that Shadow had heard her. Even still, the question hung in the air beneath her nose.

RUSTPAW

Medicine Cat Apprentice

Fawn