[BlooRey DVD]

"Some people see scars, and it is wounding they remember.
To me they are proof of the fact that there is healing.”

KIndleFlare

The medicine cat den was silent, something that was strange to the ginger and white she-cat these days. So used to the sound of Ravenpaw or Batear among the confines of the space, quiet was... odd. But the weather was warm, and she’d urged Ravenpaw to go out and enjoy the warmth before it became unbearably hot. One ear flicked to the side as she glanced over the den, making sure everything was tidy, the GaleClan medicine cat fully expecting a guest today. Shaking off some residual nerves, the aging she-cat tucked a few stray herbs back into their designated spots.

Approaching pawsteps drew her attention, and the familiar shape of her nephew Sparkjaw ducked his head in. The sight of him sent a brief lance of pain through her heart, and her dark amber eyes dropped to his chest rather than his face.

He had his father’s eyes.

With a grunt, the tom deposited a brief message. “Kindleflare, Shadowchaser is arriving now.” He had already begun to back out, sensing the medicine cat’s unease. Flinching beneath the weight of that knowledge, the GaleClan medicine cat forced herself to stammer out.

“S-Sparkj-jaw!” When the ginger tom hesitated and looked back at her briefly, she offered a timid smile. “Th-Thank you.. F-For letting me kn-know. Would… You accompany m-me..?” Sparkjaw seemed to hesitate a moment, as though he couldn’t quite figure out why Kindleflare needed him to walk her to the camp entrance. But if it was an inconvenience to him, he didn’t show it. With a slight nod, he waited for the older she-cat to step up next to him.

The pair walked in silence, but Kindleflare didn’t find it particularly uncomfortable. She could only hope the same was true for Sparkjaw. They were an interesting pair, however. With similar coat patterns, the significantly younger tom’s structure did little to hide the way age was beginning to leave its marks on the medicine cat. Her ginger muzzle was tinged with silver, and though she had always been a lithe she-cat, she was getting thinner as the moons passed. Her health was not yet at risk, the medicine cat having more than enough energy and sound enough of mind to provide the care needed.

But she would be lying if she said she wasn’t feeling the weight of her age. The way she grew tired more easily, or the way her joints ached when she first arose in the morning. Brushing aside the thoughts of passing moons as her warm gaze landed on Shadowchaser, she waved her tail as he was escorted into the camp. Pushing her nose against Sparkjaw’s shoulder in thanks before trotting forward, the she-cat bore a warm smile.

“Sh-Shadowchaser, w-welcome! Th-Thank you for coming, it i-is more difficult f-for me to travel th-these days.” She purred sheepishly, slowing as she approached the dark coated tom. Touching her nose to his forehead in a friendly gesture, she took a moment to look him over. “I-I t-trust your j-journey was p-pleasant?” Motioning for him to follow with her ginger striped tail, the GaleClan medicine cat began the short trek back to her den with Shadowchaser in tow.

Medicine Cat of GaleClan

100 moons. ~516 words. Fawn

[Fawn]

curiosity is not a sin...

...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity

Shadowchaser

It felt like the ginger she-cat had aged a dozen moons since he'd last saw her during the Tribe stay. He probably looked just as world-wearied; the earthquake and the resettling into new Clans had been a bizarre, exhilarating, exhausting time.

"Good morning! The journey wasn't bad at all, though I must say I'm not used to this much sun exposure." GaleClan's territory was an amalgamation of grassland and scrub and hilly mountainous rock. The difference between Ni--er, MistClan and GaleClan was night and day.

The dark muzzle of Shadowchaser bent into a smile. "I spent most of the walk trying not to squint at the light reflecting off the lake." I guess my nocturnal days are behind me… With a good portion of MistClan choosing to hunt in daylight hours, Shadowchaser wasn't fully comfortable sleeping during the day anymore.

I'll have to ask Rustfeather if we can work out some kind of rotation. He made a mental note of that and refocused on Kindleflare. With a kindly gaze, Shadowchaser moved until he was standing in a patch of shade. "You wanted to speak to me about something? I apologize for showing up empty-pawed. I wasn't sure what you needed, but I can have a few apprentices run things over after this."

medicine cat of mistclan

BlooRey DVD | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix

[BlooRey DVD]

"Some people see scars, and it is wounding they remember.
To me they are proof of the fact that there is healing.”

KIndleFlare

As the pair padded back toward the den she shared with Ravenpaw, Kindleflare was content to listen to Shadowchaser’s familiar voice. Aside from Falconstorm when he’d still been medicine cat, Shadowchaser was perhaps her closest friend among the healing ranks, age differences aside. She’d watched him grow into the capable healer he was now, and for some reason she felt a sense of pride in that. The same feeling she held when she looked at Ravenpaw and his progress through his journey. With a sound that could only be described as a quiet laugh, Kindleflare tipped her head in acknowledgement. “I s-suppose N-NightClan t-to MistClan w-would be quite a d-dramatic ch-change. A-Apologies f-for c-calling you out s-so early. W-With h-how warm it g-gets, I didn’t want you t-to travel t-to late in the d-day.” She offered as they ducked inside.

Away from the steadily climbing sun, Kindleflare waved for him to sit where he pleased with her tail, settling herself not too far from the entrance. His next words had her ears tipping back and her heart squeezing in her chest. “O-Oh n-no, our h-herb stores a-are plenty. My a-asking you h-here is… P-Purely personal. M-Muck the s-same as when you h-helped me with T-Tigerheart after he p-passed.” Swallowing the lump in her throat, she closed her eyes for a moment as though fighting to find the words she wanted to say.

“N-Now I come here with s-similar y-yet somehow o-opposing c-concerns. I… I h-have seen StarClan s-since. B-But it is m-more… What I haven’t s-seen.” She whispered, opening her eyes once more to look up at him with what could only be described as fear. As if speaking the words would make it all true.

“N-Nightstep… He h-has not v-visited m-me yet. What… Wh-What if we j-just… L-Left him o-out there t-to… T-To suffer a-alone?”

Medicine Cat of GaleClan

100 moons. ~300 words. Fawn

[Fawn]

curiosity is not a sin...

...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity

Shadowchaser

The light-hearted tone of companionship quickly cooled into an almost academic seriousness, Shadowchaser's eyes luminous and wide as he took in all that Kindleflare had to tell. Nightstep was her littermate, he must have been among the casualties from the earthquake... Dark maw parted and the question he wanted to ask got stuck on his tongue like a burr in long fur. Are you absolutely sure he's dead? Rather than put voice to this burning inquiry, Shadowchaser closed his mouth, trying to choose a more tactful alternative to Kindleflare's dilemma.

He too had seen StarClan since then, and it had not occurred to them that there should be any cats missing amongst the ethereal masses. "You must have other kin in StarClan," he said gently. "What are they saying about your missing brother? StarClan cats have a habit of speaking in riddles, but when it comes to family... sometimes they can be a little clearer."

It wasn't the most insightful answer, but it's where Shadowchaser himself would start. There aren't many reasons why a cat wouldn't show up in StarClan, right? Either they aren't dead, or they've gone to the Dark Forest... He'd heard whispers of another place, a truly nameless, coldly neutral afterlife referred to as the Mists by loners and non-Clan cats...but he was a healer appointed by StarClan. How was he to deny or proclaim the existence of such a place? And even if it did exist, why would a Clan cat, with a Clan mate and Clanborn children, end up in a place like that? No, it was more likely that Nightstep fit the other two categories.

A ripple of cool air raked down his spine, and he had to will his tail to keep from flicking with unease. Surely it's crossed your mind by now, Kindleflare? He gave her an uncomfortable smile, as if she might be able to read the thoughts building up behind his eyes. Is it at all possible that he's...not in StarClan? He supposed a cat could choose to walk the Dark Forest instead of the starlit lands of Silverpelt. He didn't know Nightstep, beyond the general speculation of competence and almost legendary battle prowess that had reached even his ears, many generations after. Shadowchaser was the last cat in the valley who would tell why Nightstep had or had not done something. That was a question only Nightstep could answer...

But maybe his family could shed some light on this mystery.

medicine cat of mistclan

BlooRey DVD | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix

[BlooRey DVD]

"Some people see scars, and it is wounding they remember.
To me they are proof of the fact that there is healing.”

KIndleFlare

Dark amber eyes studied her paws for a moment, considering what the younger tom before her had said. In all honesty, asking someone in StarClan, especially family, had crossed her mind. Yet there was another part of her, a larger part of her that was scared to know the answer. Scared to hear the words “you left him to die”. The thought alone was enough to trouble her fragile heart, she couldn’t bear the thought that her beloved brother was enduring hardship because she hadn’t found him. That she’d left him and his mate out there somewhere to die.

Chewing softly on the inside of her cheek, the thought hadn’t occurred in her naïve mind that her brother may not be in StarClan for another reason. A part of her clung to the idea that he was still alive. That the littermate she’d been closest to hadn’t been lost in the sundering of their home like she’d originally thought.

Drawing her gaze back up to Shadowchaser, she let her ears flatten slightly against her head in a show of defeat. “I… I’ve b-been s-scared of a-asking. I s-suppose t-to ask a-and get an a-answer is… Is t-to m-make it real. But I sh-should. I w-will.” Something like a laugh escaped her as she shook her head slightly. “S-Somehow y-you c-continue to b-be f-far wiser than m-me with th-these things. Th-Thank you Sh-Shadowchaser.”

She paused a moment, shaking some of the unease from her shoulders as best she could. Hoping to cross into something less dark, she sought to change the subject. “H-How are th-things b-back in MistC-Clan?” She asked softly, not saying directly what she meant, but wondering how things had been going for the young tom in terms of the matters of the heart.

Medicine Cat of GaleClan

100 moons. ~400 words. Fawn