Post by Ghost the Undead Goddess on Sept 28, 2022 22:21:11 GMT -5
Ebonyheart,
Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams
She had awoken before the sun had decided to grace the sky that morning - it was dark and chilly as Leaf-fall grew ever closer to the dwelling harshness of Leafbare. Very faintly the pale light of dawn was starting to creep over the tips of the mountains surrounding the valley, chasing away what little light Silverpelt gave off within the ebony night.
There was a vastness of lacking body heat next to the elder healer, and with the stale scent that belonged to Sageheart it was clear that the younger of the two mollies had abandoned her nest hours prior.
Uncurling from the tight ball the large feline had managed to wind herself up into, Ebonyheart let a silent yawn pass between her jaws before her canines clicked against each other upon closing. She gave herself a small shake, freeing her lengthy coat from any straggling moss before padding from the element guarded den that smelled heavily of herbs and medicine.
Making sure to run a quick, prickly tongue over her inky black coat - Rabbitfur's insistence on looking presentable ever drilled within her skull, Ebonyheart near silently padded through the deserted camp of her clan as she made her way towards the guarded entrance.
There was the familar, staunch form of one of her cousins standing guard. He had the same Somali features of his mother, though his coat was a pale silver-cream with distinct darker silver along his back in which his warrior name had been derived from. The other was a much younger warrior, a fluffy cream and white tomcat whos name was Ducktail; though he remained silent while his companion spoke.
"Ebonyheart." Silverback spoke in a stiff but respectful tone as he dipped his head towards his healer-kin.
She responded in kind, giving the elder tom the respect her deserved before her maw parted to allow her similarly sharp tone to pass across her tongue. "Did Sageheart pass this way?"
An ear atop his head flickered, though his gaze remained every trained on the shadows that moved as dawn encroached. "I believe she was headed out towards the Gorge, though it's been some time so she may no longer be that way." He sounded somewhat disinterested, though that hardly surprised Ebonyheart as Silverback had been much of a bigot about blood even before Stoneclan and Treeclan merged together.
"It's dangerous for either one of you to be out alone." Silverback grumbled in that cold tone of his as Ebonyehart moved to continue padding off into the vast territory of Gorgeclan. The tip of the senior tomcat's tail flickered in almost an annoyed manner but he didn't say if it irked him over the fact both healers were ignoring the idea to take additional and... more capable cats with them into the wilderness.
Those mossy green hues of Ebonyheart held no room to read her emotions as they met with her cousin's more tempermental gaze. "I doubt she has wandered far, besides both of us are more than capable of taking care of ourselves." She didn't show it, but there was a mire of annoyance that bubbled beneath the surface of her coat - she made sure she kept her battle skills ready and sharp for any instance.
Silverback merely gave a huff, or a sigh perhaps as he knew there was no point in arguing as the inky healer padded off into the undergrowth and shadows - swallowing her form until she vanished from sight.
She didn't figure that the blue point feline had wandered too far. In fact, many times Ebonyheart had found the former Treeclanner in the same spot: perched along the massive oak tree that stretched from one side to another, usually among the protruding roots that once dug deep into the earth before being upturned.
Once again, as Ebonyheart came into view of the Great Maple she spotted the form of Sageheart, staring out into the vast wilderness in which she could see. The blue Somali looked rather beautiful with the breaking dawn splashing her in colors of golden from the rising sun and pale blues and pinks as it streaked across the sky.
It didn't take much to realize that the younger of the two she-cat's was lost in her head, in her own little world as she didn't notice the black molly's presence until her sharp tone broke the silence. "Unable to sleep again?" It seemed to take Sageheart by surprise as she turned to focus on her elder, a soft shimmer of embarrassment within her deep golden hues.
"E-ebonyheart!" The blue hued she-cat leaned down to run her tongue over her chest fur real quick, trying to hide the emotions of once again getting caught staring off into space while resting among the roots of the once great Treeclan Maple. It was a safe place for her, a place where she could think quietly - and it still felt like she could feel Lionstar, despite the lack of his life within the valley.
Dark golden watched as Ebonyheart carefully placed one flat paw in front of the other, precisely making her way across the felled tree to join the younger she-cat among the roots.
"It was the same dream." Sageheart's tone was softer than her elder, and her eyes always reflected every emotion she felt as opposed to Ebonyheart who was nearly impossible to read most, if not all the time. The Somali she-cat shifted, wrapping her fluffy tail around her paws as the older of the two lowered her own haunches to rest comfortably once she parted from the bark of the maple tree.
"The one of you standing on the Misty Ledge?" Ebonyheart asked, flickering an ear atop her head as they watched the dawn in it's full effect, washing over the valley as if awakening alongside those who lived within it's mountainous walls.
Sageheart gave a slow nod of her head as she reminisced on the dream that had woken her up earlier that chilly morning. "Yes, the Misty Ledge. Every time I turned to look a different way it showed me all the cats who lived outside the laws of the clans... they were sick or hurt and needed help. It was almost like... like they were calling out to me, asking me for help." Her voice kind of trailed off at the end, as if she wasn't entirely comfortable with sharing this thought.
They sat in silence for a moment before Sageheart spoke up again, "I don't think these dreams are from Starclan. I believe they had a plan for me, but I don't think it's the path my paws are meant to follow."
Ebonyheart listened to her fellow healer, letting each word that weighed upon the younger's heart float within the elder's mind, pondering. She had to stifle a snort of amusement when it came to the statement about Starclan, and their potential plan they once had regarding the blue coated she-cat.
"Though Starclan was the one to grant you your full name," It was a small dig at their warrior ancestors that walked along the stars and it's shimmering Silverpelt, "It was not without thoughtlessness. You were given -heart for a reason, and now it's time to listen to what it tells you." Ebonyheart's sharp tone wasn't harsh or cruel, but proper as she spoke the truth on the matter - or at least the truth in which she believed as both Gorgeclanner's shared the suffix.
She remembered the night Sandblaze had bestowed upon her the full rank of Medicine Cat, the meeting she had with Starclan during her dreams that reiterated to always listen to that in which she had been named: To always listen to her heart. And so, it was only natural that she passed down the same knowledge given to her in hopes that it would help Sageheart with her troubled thoughts, dreams and feelings.
"What if my heart is telling me to leave Gorgeclan..." Sageheart's voice got very small, a whisper as it parted her maw and the tail-less molly knew she could hear a hint of disappointment within her former apprentice's tone.
There was a lot hanging over the younger she-cat's shoulders for sure. She was paw-picked by Starclan to do many things for the new and budding clan of Gorge; including taking the mantel of Starclan's voice and picking out a leader between Whitestar and Brackenstride - the latter obviously not being the choice.
Yet, something else had been pulling at her heart and mind ever since the instance of the quake many moons prior.
"No matter where your paws take you, you will always have a home in Gorgeclan and in the Valley. Perhaps it is just your call to aid those without the everyday availability of a Medicine cat. A wanderess with the knowledge to heal those who cannot." Ebonyheart finally spoke, letting her own knowledge and wisdom float within her cranium before offering a solid piece of advice towards the younger healer.
"When you are ready to make your decision, I will gladly go with you to speak to Whitestar. How does that sound?" Sageheart could feel a wash of relief pass over her with her former mentor's soothing words. There was acceptance and approval from Ebonyheart where she feared there wouldn't be due to her original mentor from Treeclan.
Her dreams seemed a little less cloudy, a little less foreboding with the words of Ebonyheart to soothe the rapid beating within her chest.
48 Moons GorgeClan Medicine Cat