Half-Moon Gatherings/Archive 02

Archived 25/04/20
Contains roleplay from the May half-moon Gathering

**SplashClan:** Shellskip
**BreezeClan:** Adderstrike, Sweetpaw
**GladeClan:** Fawnspots

Padding through the neutral zone, the pretty GladeClan medicine cat made her way to the mooncave. Ducking under a low hanging branch of a bush, she slipped along her path, the worn track showed the past medicine cats had followed the same path as her. Her mind thought on the new she-cat in the clan. A pretty tortoiseshell queen had appeared on the border a quarter moon ago. Casey had admitted to being a kittypet at one stage but as she was heavily pregnant, Rosestar had agreed to let her stay, determining her fate by the time her kits were weaned. She blinked as she pulled herself from her thoughts, realising that she had arrived at the cave. She sat down, waiting for the others, her tail wrapped neatly over her paws
Whisking his tail, Adderstrike flicked his ear, "Come on Sweetpaw, I'm sure Fawnspots is already there" he called over his shoulder to his young apprentice. The once warrior had moved to BreezeClan to follow his calling as a medicine cat. Sometimes he missed his first home, but his loyalty resided with BreezeClan now. And he was very happy as their medicine cat. He had never much liked battling as the other cats did. The rush of battle, defending his clan with claws. No, he rather battle sickness with herbs. A light shines best in the dark..
Shellskip arrived last, ducking his head to avoid an interfering aloe spike as he entered the cave. He nodded politely to Adderstrike and Sweetpaw before settling down beside Fawnspots, affectionately nuzzling up under her chin briefly before settling. "Okay.. er, before we start... I wanted to ask your thoughts on something. I'm considering taking an apprentice, Shimmerkit. She's smart and follows me around like an overly energetic lost puppy - which I'm not always sure how to process, and asking more questions than I can handle, but if anything I guess that does, at least, mean she's enthusiastic. With some training I'm sure she could make a good medicine cat I just... wanted some advice, I guess." he explained, kneading the dusty ground anxiously but speaking far more calmly and clearly than he would have just moons ago.
Sweetpaw skipped in just moments ahead, accidentally flicking Shellskip in the face with her plumy tail before settling down beside Adderstrike. "I think it'd be great," she piped up. "It'd be nice to have another apprentice to talk to." Then she settled and waited for the Gathering to start, washing one pale creamy paw - for an apprentice Sweetpaw had always been remarkably patient. One riot,one ranger! 22:48, May 14, 2019 (UTC)
Adderstrike shook his head and dipped his head to touch his muzzle to his apprentice's ear. "That's true, how old is she? Have you spoken to Divestar and her parents?" Unaware of the slight flinch from Fawnspots at his words. "She seems like she would have the good makings of a medicine cat apprentice." Adderstrike flicked his ears and looked toward Fawnspots.
The spotted she-cat tilted her head, quiet for a few heartbeats, "How do you feel about it? Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, she is your kin. It's different training your kin." she meowed softly,Her eyes soft as she licks his cheek softly. She flicked her tail, "If you're okay with it, I'm sure she will be a wonderful medicine cat after you. A light shines best in the dark..
Shellskip shrugged, the topic of his kinship with Shimmerkit was not one he was comfortable with. "She's four moons old at the moment, but this is around when Huntermoon started training me informally so I sort of... wanted to test the waters, I suppose. Her parentage is a unique situation... but I am sure Skyflower would be overjoyed. And Divestar trusts my judgment, but they know little of medicine cat matters." he responded to Adderstrike, his face then twisting into a wry expression of distaste at Fawnspots' words. "I strongly suspect she wishes to be my apprentice and I can't refuse her just on the grounds that I brought her into the world, especially given that's not something we've discussed yet. She's a shy cat, she'd think it was something she'd done wrong despite being in every other way the perfect candidate."he murmured, pitching his voice low so as to escape the hearing of the others. His attention then returned to Adderstrike, and nodded decisively. "Unless Huntermoon specifically counsels me otherwise, then yes. I'll ask her."
Sweetpaw kneaded the ground with her soft pink-padded paws, tailtip flicking in excitement. "Aw, yay! She sounds pretty great, I can't wait to meet her. It's been weird being the little one for ages." she purred. She remembered being chosen by Adderstrike, although for her the choice was less obvious - Adderstrike was a prickly old battler, and while she'd always had a fascination with the medicine den she'd been far less overt about her desire to learn than Shimmerkit was. Her apprenticeship ceremony was the first she'd heard of the whole thing and while it was the best surprise ever, she could definitely see how Shellskip's more personal approach might be more effective.
As the little tortoiseshell-mink molly pondered, Shellskip met the mixed gazes of his other companions. "Unless anyone else has any news... should we begin?" he suggested, the brilliant moonlight reflecting in his eyes to give them a glassy sheen, revealing the faint cataracts he'd been born with - Huntermoon had warned him he'd likely go blind in his old age, but even a sightless medicine cat still had worth and purpose - Shellskip had no intention of being so helpless ever again. One riot,one ranger! 05:44, May 16, 2019 (UTC)
Fawnspots nodded quietly at Shellskip, "Of course, I'm sure everything will work out the way it should. I don't doubt she will be a great medicine cat." she meowed gently, reaching over and nuzzling the tortoiseshell tom with an affectionate purr rumbling deep in her throat. She flicked her tail at Sweetpaw in amusement, "I'm sure you are Sweetpaw, but Shellskip is right, we should share dreams with StarClan now" she murmured as she stood up, and turning to walk into the cavern.
Adderstrike shifted and put a paw on Sweetpaw's tail. "Settle down, Sweetpaw, we don't know how StarClan, or the Tide Spirits, will react to Shimmerkit becoming a medicine cat." he meowed. But he nodded to Shellskip, agreeing with him that it was time to go in for their halfmoon meeting. He stood up and with a flick of his tail, indicating to Sweetpaw to follow, dipped into the cavern.
As Adderstrike and Fawnspots shifted around, setting by the clear pool of water that glowed brightly in the moonlight, they closed their eyes and touched their noses to the cold water.
Fawnspots blinked into the shimmering field, before her stood a pretty pale point she-cat, her soft blue eyes glowing and filled with affection, her silver star speckled coat glowing softly. "Swanfoot!" the spotted cat meowed happily. "Hello Fawnspots."
Adderstrike shifted awkwardly as Applefur and Heronleaf appeared, the past GladeClan medicine cats nodded to him. "Applefur, Heronleaf" he meowed uncertainly, "Where is Featherlight?" he asked. "She has something she needs to do, you will see her soon enough" meowed the pretty ginger and white she-cat. A light shines best in the dark..
Shellskip pressed against Fawnspots, a frisson of sudden fear prickling his fur and causing a tremor deep in his bones. Surely StarClan, and the spirits, would know how angry he was. Perhaps they would simply refuse to hear him. Closing his cloudy eyes the lilac-and-cream tom reached forward to touch his nose to the water, sneezing softly as he accidentally inhaled the chill mist that rose from the moonstruck pool. Gradually, his vision blackened at the edges and he was transported to the border of StarClan's hunting grounds, shoulder to shoulder with his fellows as they were met with their starry ancestors. The biting scent of salt as always distinguished the Whispering Tides' border, and as Shellskip searched about him his old mentor stepped from the waves, grey droplets rolling from his thick coat as he stood apart from the starry warriors.
Huntermoon was silent, and Shellskip's anxiety rose as he waited for them all to speak. Meeting like this, they meant far more than the usual pleasantries. The thick-furred brown-black tom stepped forward, eyeing the StarClan warriors levelly - they'd share this warning. His predecessors too emerged from the territory around them - Shimmerfall from the waves, her pawsteps certain even in her near-blindness, and Wintersweet from the bushes, their head held high - both spirits of tide and stars respected the first medicine cat of the ocean Clan. A bulky tabby-point too joined the congregation, settling himself before Adderstrike and Sweetpaw with a barely-polite nod, though he seemed distracted. "The little one is right. We're here to warn you, not trade stories of better weather and healthy Clanmates." he rumbled, his low voice would have been inaudible if not for the weight it carried.
With that, Shimmerfall chimed in, her eyes fixed on a point just above Fawnspots' head as she delivered her message. "As in the forest, the three afterlives are balanced as a berry on one's claw. Chaos lurks just past the horizon, and just as in life the enemy is never just one force. The stranger, the returning, the thorn at the heart and one who knows no better - all are vulnerable to corruption, and all are a danger to you for the strife here will as always spread from the heavens and ocean into the waking world. To survive you must all look to the heart of the Clans and at once to the outside, for the Clan way is not enough to weather this threat." she mewed, her voice carrying a cold, onerous tone as if suddenly laden with dead weight.
Aspenhail was next, the bulky tom flattened his ears. "Prepare as best you can, for when the last russet moon of greenleaf rises, the balance shall be shattered and a strike will come from some who you know not, and others you least expect." he mewed ominously, stepping back to then to allow a shaking Shellskip to finally greet his old mentor. The moment was broken, and the medicine cats who had delivered the warning slipped back into the brilliant starfield that was StarClan's hunting grounds.
Trembling, Shellskip bounded forward to touch noses with Huntermoon, his anger forgotten in the face of this new terror. "You knew. That's why you couldn't talk to me." he whispered, his voice breaking as he buried his nose in the black tom's barely tangible fur. All he could smell was salt. Huntermoon nodded gravely, sitting and settling the younger tom in front of him. "Though only two spoke, this warning came from all of us; even those who hunt forever in the mountains we cannot reach. This threat affects those who live now and those whose lives are over." he rasped, the familiar tone lacking any comfort it might have held - there was no comfort in the face of this shapeless, looming danger that worried even the dead. "Take Shimmerkit as your apprentice. You will need every ally you can get, and you know without my telling you that this is how she will serve best." he added finally, pressing his forehead to Shellskip's in a final, heartfelt contact. "I will watch from the ocean as always, and you may find me if you need me in the cave that echoes the waves." he murmured, before turning and padding away, his tall figure melting into the surf that crashed against the pebbly shore on which they all stood.
Shellskip shook himself, the cold sunk deep into his bones as he rejoined his fellow medicine cats. Sweetpaw had watched the whole proceedings with wide, horrified eyes and she turned this gaze now on her mentor, before darting in under his chin and making herself as small and compressed as possible; eyes closed tight and pressed against his narrow frame as if that would somehow protect her. "Was Aspenhail right? Are we all going to die?" she whimpered tremulously, a kitlike rising inflection tainting her tone. Sweetpaw had never experienced anything so dramatic as a prophecy, let alone one that so clearly spoke of doom and destruction. One riot,one ranger! 14:02, May 16, 2019 (UTC)
Silently, Fawnspots watched the message being issued. As the senders slipped back into the hunting grounds, Fawnspots turned her gaze onto Swanfoot "Are they safe? Are my kits safe?" She asked desperately. Her fear for her kits, knowing that even StarClan cats could be hurt, made her forget that they were a secret she shared with StarClan, that her fellow medicine cats didn't know of them. "Reedfoot is taking good care of them, you need not worry" the pretty pale she-cat responded to her former apprentice. Though a slight flash of irritation crossed Swanfoot's face. When Fawnspots' fear seemed to ease, the pale cat nodded, "Go now, get GladeClan ready for what is to come, you will need all the help you can get."
Adderstrike stared hard at Aspenhail as he faded back into the grounds. As Sweetpaw pressed into his chest, her kit-like reaction caused him to wrap a paw around her comfortingly, "We'll make it though, I promise. Nothing will happen to BreezeClan, or the others" His eyes glared at Applefur and Heronleaf, daring them to say otherwise as he tried to comfort his apprentice. Instead, the two cats merely dipped their head, and vanished into the depths of StarClan, following the receding Swanfoot.
As he turned his gaze to Fawnspots accusingly, "you took a mate? You had kits with him? Really Fawnspots?" The young she-cat dropped her gaze, flinching at the harsh words from her fellow medicine cat, "It matters not anymore, my kits never survived. And then Reedfoot died not long after." she murmured, flicking her tail and letting herself fade back to the cave. Adderstrike hissed softly under his breath, "It's against the medicine cat code to take a mate." And with that, he too, faded back to the cave. A light shines best in the dark..
Shellskip lowered his head, the sharp words reaching his ears. The soft tortoiseshell was hardly surprised, Fawnspots' gentle treatment of him had suggested to him she knew much more of motherhood than merely theory. He opened his mouth to defend her but blackness began to encroach on his senses, stilling his speech as his consciousness returned to the cave. Rising to his paws, he shook the chill from his bones and leveled a glare in Adderstrike's direction. "Fawnspots has been a loyal medicine cat and goes out of her way to help others, myself and... *my* kits included." he interjected flatly, a faint break in his soft voice as he finally admitted out loud his connection to Shimmerkit, Sparkkit, Ashkit and Shadowkit. There was no point concealing his trauma further from his peers, his brief meeting with Huntermoon had clarified that.
Sweetpaw was left standing alone in StarClan's hunting grounds as the others faded from the stars, her breath speeding as her panic rose. The gentle long-haired apprentice turned anxiously in circles, unable to see anyone now.. She'd been abandoned. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to wake, scrunching up her soft rounded face and trembling in fear. As she opened her eyes, she took an involuntary step back in horror as the scent of old blood and must crowded her senses. The apprentice's fur pricked up in fear, her tail resembling that of a squirrel's as she whirled around, the whites of her eyes exposed as she searched for something, anything that might make this nightmarish place seem any small bit safer.
Slowly, menacingly, familiar faces emerged from the cloying shadow that encroached almost tangibly on the wide clearing, untidy coats gleaming in the oily filtered moonlight broken by the shadows of leafless branches. The most striking, a black tortoiseshell with one blue eye, his face split down the middle into orange and black. Beside him stood a massive longhaired blue tortie, her wide shoulders and stance giving her the air of an enforcer. To the other side crept two intimidating tabbies, a faint fishy reek clinging to their coats - they must have once belonged to SplashClan. Sweetpaw's breath caught in her throat, she knew where she was now if only by Adderstrike's warnings never to stray here. "Stay back!" she spat, her sopranic voice trembling as she faced these spectres who in their lifetimes had so horrifically damaged their factions that they had been condemned to eternity in the dark.
The massive longhair smirked, reveling in the apprentice's fear. "Oh don't worry, pretty one. If we maimed you, whoever could carry our message back to the Clans?" she drawled, her tongue flicking over a broken tooth as she bared her fangs at Sweetpaw. The taller tabby shouldered his way forward next, jade eyes gleaming maliciously. "Since StarClan saw fit to warn the Clans, it's only right we get the same privilege, no? Tell them we're coming, and we're inevitable. We've turned so many over the long moons, and never yet has even an alliance defeated us forever. Those we speak to are many and their minds so weak... it's almost too easy. They may try and root out our followers but they will never find them all." he drawled, a lazy smirk crossing his smug face.
His shadow, a stocky and much less striking tabby with yellow eyes, reached out and cuffed Sweetpaw, her heavy paw crashing into the side of the apprentice's head with all the force of her coiled muscles behind it. As the BreezeClan molly's blue eyes glazed over like ice in newleaf, Thorntongue leaned over her with a vicious smile playing across broad, angular face. "Run along now, tiny one. Just remember... every time you close your eyes, we're here waiting."
Sweetpaw woke, shaking and terrified. She shot to her paws and dashed over to Adderstrike, wedging herself in under his chest hoping to hide from the new addition to her fear. "The Dark Forest... they said they're coming." she managed, letting out a faint whimper and burying herself deeper in her mentor's short fur. One riot,one ranger! 02:38, May 30, 2019 (UTC)