Post by Abyss on Apr 23, 2022 20:13:35 GMT -5
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If anyone should wish to reply to this with your characters, feel free! Just make sure to read the post below this one as well, as it is the actual announcement. ^.^
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[attr="class","anncontent"]Sagepaw's Dream
At last, at last, she could feel the stars again. Not those cold, distant lights in the sky above, the kind that were beaded through the pelts of those that came before, imbuing them with a divine energy.
Sagepaw felt her equilibrium restore itself, a soft whispering purr in her ears as she heard her aunt’s voice - Lichenfrost - calling her into dream. Her father’s littermate had an intense personality, and it was probably this ferocity of spirit that made it so easy for Sagepaw to follow her here.
“Well done, Sagepaw.” A familiar starry face greeted the young healer, and Sagepaw recognized her at once as Spottedfeather - a she-cat who had been caretaking the Clan when Lionstar had been deputy. After the earthquake, that truly felt like a time before time…
“You have helped TreeClan persevere in times of Crisis.”
“And StoneClan,” said another grizzled older healer she did not recognize - but she recognized the scent. Their eyes were warm and proud. “GorgeClan is lucky to have you.”
Sagepaw bit her tongue. What about all the cats who aren’t in a Clan or Tribe? Who do they have?
Ebonyheart was a great healer, and Sagepaw had so much to thank her for. Sagepaw didn’t regret the role she played in the Clans’ harrowing stay with the Tribe, but something had eaten away at her, the entire time her thoughts and concerns were with the… unaffiliated. Cats of the valley who valued their independence - - all she could dwell on was the sad reality that their independence had cost them their lives.
“Something is troubling you,” said Spottedfeather. “Perhaps this will ease your mind. Bring Whitehawk to the Mooncrystal Cavern three nights from now. GorgeClan’s future awaits.”
That shocked her out of her own thoughts. So mousebrained, to not focus on the problems right under her own nose! “Whitehawk will be our Leader, not Brackenstride?” asked Sagepaw.
The two healers shared an amused look. “StarClan thought it best to have GorgeClan led by a cat with one eye on the future, rather than two eyes gazing at the past.”
Sagepaw pictured the young golden tom - a distant cousin - and thought of all he had endured. Her father, Sprucefur, once said the past had a way of swallowing us up, if we let it… Perhaps the burden of leadership would be too much for the tom who had been born in his father’s shadow.
“I will deliver your message. Whitehawk is a good choice.” Sagepaw promised.
“There is one more piece of business to attend to,” said Spottedfeather with a wink. “Your name. You have endured much and the ceremony is long overdue.”
Sagepaw’s eyes widened. With Falconstorm abandoning his position as medicine cat and making it clear that he was not returning to his post, Sagepaw had wondered exactly who would give her her new name when the time came. Ebonyheart was an obvious choice, wasn’t she? Sagepaw cocked her head. “Is Ebonyheart here?”
The healers shared a look again, this one far less amused. Owlwhisker responded gruffly. “Never mind Ebonyheart. This is an honor StarClan wishes to bestow themselves.”
Spottedfeather put on an encouraging smile, tail swishing as though to whisk away Sagepaw’s doubts. “Are you ready?”
Despite the hasty brushing-aside of Ebonyheart, Sagepaw felt herself prickle with anticipation. And guilt. “Wait! I’m sorry, but there’s something I need to say first.” If a medicine cat couldn’t speak their heart before StarClan, then why be a medicine cat at all?
Spottedfeather and Owlwhisker’s expressions emptied into careful neutrality, but they were listening. Sagepaw, tail flicking to and fro, began to speak.
Returning to Camp
Whitehawk
He couldn’t help but feel antsy after the two Medicine Cats had parted from camp. The clans had been without Starclan for moons now, and, from what he had heard from the two she-cats, tonight was the night that they would hopefully reconnect with their ancestors. That alone was nerve-wracking in its own right, but it was what came after that was eating at him more. Once they were reconnected with Starclan, they would need to choose a Leader. But would the clan choose, or would Starclan? And regardless of who did it, would he or Brackenstride be chosen or someone else? He couldn’t say what he hoped the result would be, he didn’t even know. The most they could do was wait and see.
He kept himself busy while the clan waited, peeking in on all of the kits in the Nursery and bringing prey to the Queens, spending time with Wisteriapaw, and briefly talking with Brackenstride.
Sageheart and Brackenstride
Brackenstride yawned, only a few foxlengths away from Whitehawk, his gaze fixed on the entrance to GorgeClan’s camp. It would be easier to spot the small party’s approach if he went to the very edge, but it was clear that the two sentries down at the bottom of the path would run back to let them know as soon as they noticed anything. It was a very important night for their Clan, if Ebonyheart and Sagepaw’s beliefs held true; StarClan’s voice would finally be heard again.
Brackenstride tried to shut out his thoughts about it all; he didn’t want to agonize over wondering what his Dad would say about everything he’d done - or hadn’t done - up to this point. It was a quick way to drown, too caught up in things he may never know the answer to.
“I see them! Ebonyheart and Sagepaw are returning!”
Ivyclaw called from the bottom of the path, and Brackenstride was on his feet in an instant, moving wordlessly to stand beside Whitehawk as the small party encroached upon the camp. Sagepaw (? if she was indeed still called that) looked tired but eager, her eyes zeroing in on Whiehawk first and then him. Does that mean what I think it means? Thought Brackenstride, his gaze narrowing in curiosity.
Sagepaw smiled a little breathlessly. “We found them. StarClan. The gully at the center of the valley leads to the Mooncrystal Cavern. I am Sageheart now - can we talk privately?”
Whitehawk
When he heard the call from the bottom of the Gorge, the white tom’s head turned quickly, finding that Brackenstride was already joining him at his side. He glanced between Bracken and the camp entrance, swallowing down the sudden burst of nerves that shot through him.
As the two Medicine Cats padded into the camp, it was Sagepaw who immediately found himself and Brackenstride, her gaze lingering on him for…a decent amount of time. He looked back and forth between Sagepaw and Ebonyheart, and though at first he had thought it would be Ebony who brought news, he was surprised to find that she was not the one to approach. Instead, Sagepaw bound towards them, announcing that they had indeed found Starclan and that she had received her official name, meaning she was finally a full Medicine Cat.
“Congratulations, ” he spoke with a small smile, hiding the anxious twitching of his tail behind him. He could feel her eyes glued to him for a majority of the time that she spoke, only heightening these feelings until she asked to speak privately. Even though her eyes hardly left him, he tried to convince himself that she was speaking to both of them, his gaze glancing over at Brackenstride for a moment.
“Y-Yes.” He scanned around them a moment, looking for a good spot out of the way for them to talk, and though his eye landed on the Leader’s den, he chose to shift away from that. He padded towards that den, but stopped right where the large bush met the thorny wall. He looked to the newly named Medicine Cat, taking a deep breath.
“So what did Starclan say?”
Sageheart and Brackenstride
It was now that Sageheart’s gaze met Brackenstride’s, and he found himself almost smirking, able to read her hesitation on her face. Was she worried about offending him? Brackenstride’s emotional state right now was… it was messier than a rat’s nest, if he was being honest with himself. But there were a few things he knew to be true: Whitehawk was a good choice, and there was a…relief in knowing that he could now envision a life for himself that didn’t involve being called Brackenstar.
“Congratulations, Whitehawk.” said Brackenstride, just as Sageheart opened her mouth.
Sageheart sputtered, but managed a quick recovery. “Y-Yes, Brackenstride is right. Whitehawk, StarClan has chosen you to lead GorgeClan. They wish for you to meet them at the Mooncrystal Cavern in three nights’ time to receive your nine lives.”
Why him and not me? Whispered the thoughts in the back of Brackenstride’s mind, his pride still intact after all that happened to be curious - if not a tiny bit indignant - over StarClan’s choice. Obviously he could never know what the deliberation period had been like; he was only here, witnessing the aftermath, like any other creature subject to things outside their control. After what happened to Gorsetail, maybe StarClan saw fit to let a cat with cleaner paws usher in the new dawn.
Or maybe it had nothing to do with that at all. Maybe it was just down to who was the better leader, and that was Whitehawk. On that, Brackenstride could agree. He uttered another amused purr, and made sure to look the older tom full in the face. “You’re the right choice, Whitehawk. It’s hard to trust after what happened with Pumafang,” the mention of TreeClan’s former leader made his lip curl “but you’ve embraced GorgeClan as GorgeClan, and that’s the most important thing. Your compassion reminds me of Lionstar’s, and you know I don’t say that kind of stuff lightly.”
Whitehawk
A part of him knew that it was coming. Multiple things ran through his mind in that moment. Why not Brackenstride? Why me? Had they only chosen between the two of them? Was he really who they felt would do the best as Leader? I mean…they chose me themselves…surely they have some reason…but what?
His gaze found the ground at Bracken’s congrats, still thinking through it. Just Sageheart saying that he had been chosen as Leader didn’t quite set in as much as her mentioning the nine lives. He had always seen it as a cool experience that Leaders, other cats, went through and didn’t talk about. It gave them the ability to lead their clans for a long time, to dedicate their lives to their clans. But he had never imagined, or even dreamt, about himself experiencing it.
He was a large mixture of emotions, but he did his best to play it off as though he was just…overwhelmed…which he was. He knew his mind was racing, he was thinking too many things at once. He needed to calm down. He took in a deep breath, holding it for just a moment, before he released it. He lifted his head again, this time his eye finding Brackenstride.
The other tom spoke, meeting his gaze directly. In the back of his mind, he wanted to apologize, to say that he had thought Bracken would have made a great Leader, to express his hope that there were no hard feelings. But instead he listened, and found himself wondering if his co-Deputy was right. He had never really cared much for what others thought of him. He knew he was doing his best, that he put all he could into what he did. But back then that was just thinking from the mind of one or two cats. Now he had a whole clan that would be looking at him. He felt his confidence waver at this thought.
He was taken aback, eye widening and blinking a few times. I…remind you of Lionstar? It was one thing for someone to simply say that he was the right choice. It was a complete other for someone to compare him to a past Leader whose name would be a part of history for generations to come. Especially when the comparison was made by that Leader’s own son.
“I…I…” He was at a loss of words. What was he meant to say to something like that? It was a very meaningful compliment, thank you would be the first instinct. But…thank you didn’t feel good enough. No words came to him for a good period of time. He could only stare. One could only imagine what was going on in his head. But when he finally spoke, he tried to do it with a smile.
“I only hope I can be even half the Leader that Lionstar was.”
Sageheart and Brackenstride
“Don’t be half the leader Lionstar was,” said Sageheart emphatically. “Be Whitestar, leader of GorgeClan instead.” The relief was visible in her eyes, the weight of StarClan’s final say beginning to properly sink in. It had been a night of many dramatic turns, from her own earned name and heart’s confession, to the strange chastisement of Ebonyheart, to Whitehawk’s selection. Sageheart felt as if she’d been awake for three days, not simply one long night.
Brackenstride released a breath, letting the air leave his lungs slowly. “What are you going to tell the Clan?” The golden tom smirked at a sudden thought. “Going to try for one more night of peace before you break the news?” Under no circumstances would Whitehawk simply ‘put it off’ for the sake of his own emotional stability; he just wasn’t that kind of cat. But it was an amusing idea, that the cat chosen by StarClan would simply… delay the news until the next day, when he’d had a day all to himself to process it.
But the Clan deserved to know, and no less than a dozen eyes were peering out through the camp, anxious to hear of what had happened in Sageheart’s reconnection with StarClan. There were many who relied on faith to get through this long, exhausting ordeal - and many who just wanted things to go back to normal, as normal as they could after all that had happened. It’d be wrong to make them stew in their own apprehension for longer than they already had.
Brackenstride brushed his tail against Whitehawk’s shoulder in a silent gesture of solidarity. “Whatever you say to the Clan, I’ll back you up.”
Sageheart nodded, looking tired but committed.
Whitehawk
His gaze redirected to Sageheart, his expression softening and flashing with a very large dash of appreciation. It was a strange thing to think about. Whitestar. In the back of his mind he had the momentary thought of ‘is that a name that rolls off the tongue easily?’ That didn’t really matter, though. If that possibility was going to be his reality, now was the time to try and accept it. On a surface-level at least. He knew the next few days would be torture for himself, no matter how much he convinced himself he could do it now. But, with any hope and a hefty amount of will, he somehow knew he could get through it. That this path…..maybe it was what he was meant for.
He had made it this far. He had kept Stoneclan mostly under control back in the tribe. He had helped discover their new home, and then had been the one to lead the clan there. He had, with Brackenstride’s help, led the tiring efforts to build up and secure the camp. He had come quite far from the young Warrior whose only wish was to train Apprentices.
Coming back to his thoughts, he turned back to the ruddy tom at his side. He wasn’t completely sure what the answer to the tom’s first question was, but he was quick to answer at the second. “No. They need to know. It’s been moons since things were…normal.” He glanced away, scanning briefly over those who lingered in the snow within the camp. “They all know why Ebonyheart and Sageheart left. If I waited to tell them the news until tomorrow, I have a feeling it would just bring impatience and lots of questions before I even got the chance.”
He looked back to them, looking between both Brackenstride and Sageheart. He couldn’t help but feel the immense amount of warmth that bloomed in his chest. The two of them being here by his side, encouraging him, and the knowledge that there were others who would do the same if they knew…no words could describe how appreciative he was of them. He had made so many friends, and he had so many more to make in time, so many more cats to get to know. He had cats who believed in him. He couldn’t let them, Starclan, or himself down.
With a deep breath, he straightened his posture, looking to Sageheart. “I will do it. I will meet with Starclan in three days.” His eyes turned to where some of the clan lingered once more. “And I will tell them what has happened. Today. I just…need to think. Could I get a minute or two to gather my thoughts by myself?” He looked between the two cats, one Warrior, one Medicine Cat. His expression softened again, offering a smile to them both. “Thank you…both of you…for all of this…”
At last, at last, she could feel the stars again. Not those cold, distant lights in the sky above, the kind that were beaded through the pelts of those that came before, imbuing them with a divine energy.
Sagepaw felt her equilibrium restore itself, a soft whispering purr in her ears as she heard her aunt’s voice - Lichenfrost - calling her into dream. Her father’s littermate had an intense personality, and it was probably this ferocity of spirit that made it so easy for Sagepaw to follow her here.
“Well done, Sagepaw.” A familiar starry face greeted the young healer, and Sagepaw recognized her at once as Spottedfeather - a she-cat who had been caretaking the Clan when Lionstar had been deputy. After the earthquake, that truly felt like a time before time…
“You have helped TreeClan persevere in times of Crisis.”
“And StoneClan,” said another grizzled older healer she did not recognize - but she recognized the scent. Their eyes were warm and proud. “GorgeClan is lucky to have you.”
Sagepaw bit her tongue. What about all the cats who aren’t in a Clan or Tribe? Who do they have?
Ebonyheart was a great healer, and Sagepaw had so much to thank her for. Sagepaw didn’t regret the role she played in the Clans’ harrowing stay with the Tribe, but something had eaten away at her, the entire time her thoughts and concerns were with the… unaffiliated. Cats of the valley who valued their independence - - all she could dwell on was the sad reality that their independence had cost them their lives.
“Something is troubling you,” said Spottedfeather. “Perhaps this will ease your mind. Bring Whitehawk to the Mooncrystal Cavern three nights from now. GorgeClan’s future awaits.”
That shocked her out of her own thoughts. So mousebrained, to not focus on the problems right under her own nose! “Whitehawk will be our Leader, not Brackenstride?” asked Sagepaw.
The two healers shared an amused look. “StarClan thought it best to have GorgeClan led by a cat with one eye on the future, rather than two eyes gazing at the past.”
Sagepaw pictured the young golden tom - a distant cousin - and thought of all he had endured. Her father, Sprucefur, once said the past had a way of swallowing us up, if we let it… Perhaps the burden of leadership would be too much for the tom who had been born in his father’s shadow.
“I will deliver your message. Whitehawk is a good choice.” Sagepaw promised.
“There is one more piece of business to attend to,” said Spottedfeather with a wink. “Your name. You have endured much and the ceremony is long overdue.”
Sagepaw’s eyes widened. With Falconstorm abandoning his position as medicine cat and making it clear that he was not returning to his post, Sagepaw had wondered exactly who would give her her new name when the time came. Ebonyheart was an obvious choice, wasn’t she? Sagepaw cocked her head. “Is Ebonyheart here?”
The healers shared a look again, this one far less amused. Owlwhisker responded gruffly. “Never mind Ebonyheart. This is an honor StarClan wishes to bestow themselves.”
Spottedfeather put on an encouraging smile, tail swishing as though to whisk away Sagepaw’s doubts. “Are you ready?”
Despite the hasty brushing-aside of Ebonyheart, Sagepaw felt herself prickle with anticipation. And guilt. “Wait! I’m sorry, but there’s something I need to say first.” If a medicine cat couldn’t speak their heart before StarClan, then why be a medicine cat at all?
Spottedfeather and Owlwhisker’s expressions emptied into careful neutrality, but they were listening. Sagepaw, tail flicking to and fro, began to speak.
Returning to Camp
Whitehawk
He couldn’t help but feel antsy after the two Medicine Cats had parted from camp. The clans had been without Starclan for moons now, and, from what he had heard from the two she-cats, tonight was the night that they would hopefully reconnect with their ancestors. That alone was nerve-wracking in its own right, but it was what came after that was eating at him more. Once they were reconnected with Starclan, they would need to choose a Leader. But would the clan choose, or would Starclan? And regardless of who did it, would he or Brackenstride be chosen or someone else? He couldn’t say what he hoped the result would be, he didn’t even know. The most they could do was wait and see.
He kept himself busy while the clan waited, peeking in on all of the kits in the Nursery and bringing prey to the Queens, spending time with Wisteriapaw, and briefly talking with Brackenstride.
Sageheart and Brackenstride
Brackenstride yawned, only a few foxlengths away from Whitehawk, his gaze fixed on the entrance to GorgeClan’s camp. It would be easier to spot the small party’s approach if he went to the very edge, but it was clear that the two sentries down at the bottom of the path would run back to let them know as soon as they noticed anything. It was a very important night for their Clan, if Ebonyheart and Sagepaw’s beliefs held true; StarClan’s voice would finally be heard again.
Brackenstride tried to shut out his thoughts about it all; he didn’t want to agonize over wondering what his Dad would say about everything he’d done - or hadn’t done - up to this point. It was a quick way to drown, too caught up in things he may never know the answer to.
“I see them! Ebonyheart and Sagepaw are returning!”
Ivyclaw called from the bottom of the path, and Brackenstride was on his feet in an instant, moving wordlessly to stand beside Whitehawk as the small party encroached upon the camp. Sagepaw (? if she was indeed still called that) looked tired but eager, her eyes zeroing in on Whiehawk first and then him. Does that mean what I think it means? Thought Brackenstride, his gaze narrowing in curiosity.
Sagepaw smiled a little breathlessly. “We found them. StarClan. The gully at the center of the valley leads to the Mooncrystal Cavern. I am Sageheart now - can we talk privately?”
Whitehawk
When he heard the call from the bottom of the Gorge, the white tom’s head turned quickly, finding that Brackenstride was already joining him at his side. He glanced between Bracken and the camp entrance, swallowing down the sudden burst of nerves that shot through him.
As the two Medicine Cats padded into the camp, it was Sagepaw who immediately found himself and Brackenstride, her gaze lingering on him for…a decent amount of time. He looked back and forth between Sagepaw and Ebonyheart, and though at first he had thought it would be Ebony who brought news, he was surprised to find that she was not the one to approach. Instead, Sagepaw bound towards them, announcing that they had indeed found Starclan and that she had received her official name, meaning she was finally a full Medicine Cat.
“Congratulations, ” he spoke with a small smile, hiding the anxious twitching of his tail behind him. He could feel her eyes glued to him for a majority of the time that she spoke, only heightening these feelings until she asked to speak privately. Even though her eyes hardly left him, he tried to convince himself that she was speaking to both of them, his gaze glancing over at Brackenstride for a moment.
“Y-Yes.” He scanned around them a moment, looking for a good spot out of the way for them to talk, and though his eye landed on the Leader’s den, he chose to shift away from that. He padded towards that den, but stopped right where the large bush met the thorny wall. He looked to the newly named Medicine Cat, taking a deep breath.
“So what did Starclan say?”
Sageheart and Brackenstride
It was now that Sageheart’s gaze met Brackenstride’s, and he found himself almost smirking, able to read her hesitation on her face. Was she worried about offending him? Brackenstride’s emotional state right now was… it was messier than a rat’s nest, if he was being honest with himself. But there were a few things he knew to be true: Whitehawk was a good choice, and there was a…relief in knowing that he could now envision a life for himself that didn’t involve being called Brackenstar.
“Congratulations, Whitehawk.” said Brackenstride, just as Sageheart opened her mouth.
Sageheart sputtered, but managed a quick recovery. “Y-Yes, Brackenstride is right. Whitehawk, StarClan has chosen you to lead GorgeClan. They wish for you to meet them at the Mooncrystal Cavern in three nights’ time to receive your nine lives.”
Why him and not me? Whispered the thoughts in the back of Brackenstride’s mind, his pride still intact after all that happened to be curious - if not a tiny bit indignant - over StarClan’s choice. Obviously he could never know what the deliberation period had been like; he was only here, witnessing the aftermath, like any other creature subject to things outside their control. After what happened to Gorsetail, maybe StarClan saw fit to let a cat with cleaner paws usher in the new dawn.
Or maybe it had nothing to do with that at all. Maybe it was just down to who was the better leader, and that was Whitehawk. On that, Brackenstride could agree. He uttered another amused purr, and made sure to look the older tom full in the face. “You’re the right choice, Whitehawk. It’s hard to trust after what happened with Pumafang,” the mention of TreeClan’s former leader made his lip curl “but you’ve embraced GorgeClan as GorgeClan, and that’s the most important thing. Your compassion reminds me of Lionstar’s, and you know I don’t say that kind of stuff lightly.”
Whitehawk
A part of him knew that it was coming. Multiple things ran through his mind in that moment. Why not Brackenstride? Why me? Had they only chosen between the two of them? Was he really who they felt would do the best as Leader? I mean…they chose me themselves…surely they have some reason…but what?
His gaze found the ground at Bracken’s congrats, still thinking through it. Just Sageheart saying that he had been chosen as Leader didn’t quite set in as much as her mentioning the nine lives. He had always seen it as a cool experience that Leaders, other cats, went through and didn’t talk about. It gave them the ability to lead their clans for a long time, to dedicate their lives to their clans. But he had never imagined, or even dreamt, about himself experiencing it.
He was a large mixture of emotions, but he did his best to play it off as though he was just…overwhelmed…which he was. He knew his mind was racing, he was thinking too many things at once. He needed to calm down. He took in a deep breath, holding it for just a moment, before he released it. He lifted his head again, this time his eye finding Brackenstride.
The other tom spoke, meeting his gaze directly. In the back of his mind, he wanted to apologize, to say that he had thought Bracken would have made a great Leader, to express his hope that there were no hard feelings. But instead he listened, and found himself wondering if his co-Deputy was right. He had never really cared much for what others thought of him. He knew he was doing his best, that he put all he could into what he did. But back then that was just thinking from the mind of one or two cats. Now he had a whole clan that would be looking at him. He felt his confidence waver at this thought.
He was taken aback, eye widening and blinking a few times. I…remind you of Lionstar? It was one thing for someone to simply say that he was the right choice. It was a complete other for someone to compare him to a past Leader whose name would be a part of history for generations to come. Especially when the comparison was made by that Leader’s own son.
“I…I…” He was at a loss of words. What was he meant to say to something like that? It was a very meaningful compliment, thank you would be the first instinct. But…thank you didn’t feel good enough. No words came to him for a good period of time. He could only stare. One could only imagine what was going on in his head. But when he finally spoke, he tried to do it with a smile.
“I only hope I can be even half the Leader that Lionstar was.”
Sageheart and Brackenstride
“Don’t be half the leader Lionstar was,” said Sageheart emphatically. “Be Whitestar, leader of GorgeClan instead.” The relief was visible in her eyes, the weight of StarClan’s final say beginning to properly sink in. It had been a night of many dramatic turns, from her own earned name and heart’s confession, to the strange chastisement of Ebonyheart, to Whitehawk’s selection. Sageheart felt as if she’d been awake for three days, not simply one long night.
Brackenstride released a breath, letting the air leave his lungs slowly. “What are you going to tell the Clan?” The golden tom smirked at a sudden thought. “Going to try for one more night of peace before you break the news?” Under no circumstances would Whitehawk simply ‘put it off’ for the sake of his own emotional stability; he just wasn’t that kind of cat. But it was an amusing idea, that the cat chosen by StarClan would simply… delay the news until the next day, when he’d had a day all to himself to process it.
But the Clan deserved to know, and no less than a dozen eyes were peering out through the camp, anxious to hear of what had happened in Sageheart’s reconnection with StarClan. There were many who relied on faith to get through this long, exhausting ordeal - and many who just wanted things to go back to normal, as normal as they could after all that had happened. It’d be wrong to make them stew in their own apprehension for longer than they already had.
Brackenstride brushed his tail against Whitehawk’s shoulder in a silent gesture of solidarity. “Whatever you say to the Clan, I’ll back you up.”
Sageheart nodded, looking tired but committed.
Whitehawk
His gaze redirected to Sageheart, his expression softening and flashing with a very large dash of appreciation. It was a strange thing to think about. Whitestar. In the back of his mind he had the momentary thought of ‘is that a name that rolls off the tongue easily?’ That didn’t really matter, though. If that possibility was going to be his reality, now was the time to try and accept it. On a surface-level at least. He knew the next few days would be torture for himself, no matter how much he convinced himself he could do it now. But, with any hope and a hefty amount of will, he somehow knew he could get through it. That this path…..maybe it was what he was meant for.
He had made it this far. He had kept Stoneclan mostly under control back in the tribe. He had helped discover their new home, and then had been the one to lead the clan there. He had, with Brackenstride’s help, led the tiring efforts to build up and secure the camp. He had come quite far from the young Warrior whose only wish was to train Apprentices.
Coming back to his thoughts, he turned back to the ruddy tom at his side. He wasn’t completely sure what the answer to the tom’s first question was, but he was quick to answer at the second. “No. They need to know. It’s been moons since things were…normal.” He glanced away, scanning briefly over those who lingered in the snow within the camp. “They all know why Ebonyheart and Sageheart left. If I waited to tell them the news until tomorrow, I have a feeling it would just bring impatience and lots of questions before I even got the chance.”
He looked back to them, looking between both Brackenstride and Sageheart. He couldn’t help but feel the immense amount of warmth that bloomed in his chest. The two of them being here by his side, encouraging him, and the knowledge that there were others who would do the same if they knew…no words could describe how appreciative he was of them. He had made so many friends, and he had so many more to make in time, so many more cats to get to know. He had cats who believed in him. He couldn’t let them, Starclan, or himself down.
With a deep breath, he straightened his posture, looking to Sageheart. “I will do it. I will meet with Starclan in three days.” His eyes turned to where some of the clan lingered once more. “And I will tell them what has happened. Today. I just…need to think. Could I get a minute or two to gather my thoughts by myself?” He looked between the two cats, one Warrior, one Medicine Cat. His expression softened again, offering a smile to them both. “Thank you…both of you…for all of this…”
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If anyone should wish to reply to this with your characters, feel free! Just make sure to read the post below this one as well, as it is the actual announcement. ^.^
