Dappledkit and Owlkit have reached six moons, ready to begin their apprenticeship.
Touching his nose to his older sister, Dappledkit is named Dappledpaw as an apprentice of Laurelclan.
Shocking Laurelpaw, Owlkit admits he wants to be a medicine apprentice.
Owlkit flinches. "I want to be a medicine cat! I know Laurelclan needs them and-"
"Owlkit. I'm sorry, but Laurelclan is just a game, we aren't a real clan. We're practically living on our own, and we don't have time for sniffing around herbs we know nothing about. If we want to survive, we all need to do our part and hunt. I love you, but we have to do what's best for everyone." Laurelpaw lectures, a stern but sympathetic look in her gaze.
"But what if someone gets hurt?" Owlkit protests.
Laurelpaw sighs. "What will you do even if you are our medicine cat? None of us knows anything about healing to teach you. Who will mentor you?"
"Aunty Ghoststar told me Starclan would guide me!"
Laurelpaw was shocked into silence. "What?"
"I had a dream, and Aunty Ghoststar was there with Darkhoney and Brackensun and they told me I could become Laurelclan's medicine cat and that- that they'd send a sign if you said no!"
She blinked, startled. She was quiet for a moment, taking the time to comprehend what her younger brother had just said. "I-" She cut herself off with a sigh. "You know what, sure. Let's wait, and if that sign of yours really comes, I'll let you be a medicine apprentice."
Owlkit nods, a determined look on his face. Laurelpaw sat down, waiting skeptically. She didn't think Owlkit would lie to her, but she wouldn't be surprised if he was just taking a weird dream he had too seriously. She thought back to the dream she had just a couple of moons ago. It is odd the two of them would have the same kind of dream, but surely it was a coincidence.
"I'm not seeing any signs, Owl-" Her voice was cut off with a crash.
+A raven crashed into camp, letting out a loud cry. It flew back up, and landed on the young tom's head. Laurelpaw staggered back, eyes wide with shock. In contrast, her brother seemed entirely calm.
Letting out a large squawk, the bird spread open its wings wide, staying still for a moment before flying off once more.+ "See?" The young cat huffed, voice smug.
"T-That could be anything. How do we know that it's a sign?"
~"Iƚ ιʂ ԋιʂ ԃҽʂƚιɳყ, Lαυɾҽʅραɯ."~
Laurelpaw looked around, but saw nothing. It seemed as if the others heard too, but Owlkit didn't seem surprised. It reminded her of her dream of Starclan.
~"Rҽɠαɾԃʅҽʂʂ ιϝ ιƚ ɯαʂ συɾ ʂιɠɳ, ιƚ ιʂ ԋιʂ ραƚԋ ƚσ ϝσʅʅσɯ."~
The clouds above them parted, and she could see the pale moon above them despite the sunlight. A starry cat descended from the sky, a faint outline against the stone ground.
"Brackensun?" The three living cats spoke, voices ranging in tone.
~"Iƚ ιʂ συɾ +ᴡɪʟʟ. ʜᴇ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄɪɴᴇ ᴄᴀᴛ.+"~ Her voice sounded as if it was overtaken by something, being used by something else. She faded back away, disappearing. Dappledkit yowled, scurrying to the spot she was.
"No! Brackensun, come back!" He protested, voice cracking with grief.
Laurelpaw was too shocked to move, paws frozen to the ground. Something about this felt off. It was different than her dream. But her dream was probably fake, and even if this was a hallucination, it was one they all shared. At this point, she knew she should just give in.
"Alright, Owlkit. You can be a medicine apprentice."
Owlkit was named Owlpaw, and has chosen to follow a path of herbs and prophecies, becoming Laurelclan's first medicine cat.
Dappledpaw wishes he had a mentor.
Laurelpaw takes Dappledpaw and Owlpaw to give them a tour of the territory.
Laurelpaw takes Dappledpaw to hunt with her, and he quickly realizes she is exceptionally skilled.
Owlpaw goes out to gather herbs, picking up some unfamiliar ones as well as ones he recognizes.
Dappledpaw wonders what his warrior name will be.
The whispering Owlpaw has been hearing for a moon has yet to have ceased, instead growing louder.
Dappledpaw sees mysterious paw-prints, thinking they belong to an invading rogue. Only to realize with embarrassment they are his own.
APOLOGIES FOR THE SHORTNESS OF THIS MOON.
||PREVIOUS||<-?->||NEXT||
