StarClan a light that lingers // rowanpaw

[Flintberry]

Please don't let them see me
Sure there's nothing left to try
I can feel the light shine on my face
Did I disappoint you?
Will they still let me over
If I cross the line?

.

Flintberry moved with purpose, each step a ripple of starlight across the endless field of silver grass. His pelt shimmered like moonlight caught upon still water, and where his paws touched the earth, faint motes of light lingered before fading into the night. A gentle smile curved his muzzle, though there was a wistfulness to it, the ache of memory, of love, of the world left behind.

His eyes sought Rowanpaw among the veil of dreams. For a moment, doubt flickered in his heart, would she even remember him as he remembered her? She had been so young then, full of wonder and untested hope. Yet as he beheld her now, grown and steady, he saw the reflection of her spirit blazing stronger than ever. And perhaps... Perhaps the faint resemblance he shared with Copperstorm would help her know who stood before her, not just a spirit, but an old friend, and a watcher from the stars.

" Rowanpaw. " he spoke at last, his voice soft as wind through reeds, warm as sunlight through fog. His gaze shimmered with pride and sorrow in equal measure. She had endured so much, storms of loss, choices that cut deep, the weight of lives she had tried to save. Those choices clung to her like shadows, yet she bore them with courage, transforming pain into purpose. Still she healed, again and again, her paws steady and her heart bound to her Clan with quiet, unwavering love.

" You've grown so much since last I laid eyes upon you... " he murmured with a low, affectionate laugh, dipping his head in deep respect. " And I come before you now to grant what has long been written among the stars, something you have more than earned. " He lifted his gaze, starlight glinting in his eyes as he watched realization dawn across her face. Wonder and disbelief filled the air between them. " You have proven, time and again, that your heart beats in rhythm with the pulse of the forest... " he continued softly. " That your paws move with the will of StarClan itself. You are ready, Rowanpaw, ready to bear the name and the burden, the grace and the power, of a medicine cat. "

And as his words fell into the stillness, the stars above seemed to pulse in answer, bright, alive, and proud.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

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[serpentberry serpentberry]

... And in that beat - she appears.

The moment is shattered. The illusion of sanctity and peace is warped as the air itself folds and recollects. The stars stumble over one another, grazing a form yet to be, slowly gathering an immeasurable glow. Eventually, time tears, and into the open steps the ethereal grace of Serpentberry. Ever one for a show, she rolls her shoulders back and flicks her tail, allowing the remaining twinkles to cascade over her mottled pelt as she does so. Her venom gaze is as bright as ever, never showing the dullness that once inhabited them in death; it tilts towards Flintberry, a tom she still seldom sees in this era of unending death. While the borders are blurred, it seems they do well to avoid one another regardless. She does not take care to treat him with kit-safe paws.

"Surely you weren't going to proceed without me?" She chastises him with her own silky sweet croon, her tail curling into her side. The molly observes him for moments longer, as if wagering any importance onto the words he says. He isn't wrong. As Serpentberry tilts her gaze back to Rowanpaw, the former medicine cat decides that all he's said is true. The russet-furred girl has truly evolved from that chick that's fallen out of a tree. Today she rivals the winged predators that inhabit the forest even as snow threatens itself ever closer; a constant, with assured paws, a sturdy heart, and bright eyes.

Her daughter. So grown. She should have seen it before. Serpentberry knows now more than ever just how blinded she was growing in life. Rowanpaw, in a way, had saved her... perhaps not cured her, but allowed her to go painlessly, and shouldered the ache and trouble in the end.

"You, my sweet sapling, are a sorely needed part of this forest. I would've never admitted it in life, so let these words never leave the stars - your softness is a treasure amongst sharpened claws and poisoned fangs," she presses herself forward, as if parting the very mists that separate them. She stops shortly before Rowanpaw, head drawn up and shoulders hold taut. "StarClan will honor you with a new name tonight, little bird. May you bring it home to ThunderClan and brandish it with pride, for you have earned every syllable."

The older molly takes in a deep breath - as if it is needed at all - and begins, "I call upon our ancestors and kin - those that've roamed these star-laden woodlands for a millennia, and those who've only known it for the last four seasons..." she paces herself, bright eyes sinking towards Flintberry momentarily. There's a flicker of regret before she carries on with ease, as if it was never there at all, "Rowanpaw has learned by my side since she was only a girl. She is diligent and empathetic - resourceful and passionate. She has always been a bright little star, however I hold her up to the sky tonight in hopes that we will honor her glow furthermore. Rowanpaw," she addresses her apprentice, her smile never leaving her face, "Do you promise to support ThunderClan, through every war, famine, plague, and henceforth? To treat the kits with equal love and kindness and gift your warmth to every warrior?" Like I couldn't. Well; she always wanted to raise someone better than her.

She waits. For once, patience settles in her bones whilst Rowanpaw either whimpers her agreement or shouts it in excitement. Serpentberry tilts her weight forward, her nose gracing the crown of her once-apprentice's head.

"By the grace of the stars, I bless you with the name Rowanfeather. You have grown from that fledgling you once were - I can't even call you little bird, anymore. You... You've made me proud," it's then that she realizes that being StarClan ridden does not halt tears from slipping down her cheeks. She clears her throat, leaning away from her daughter once more, "And ThunderClan will receive you with far more fanfare. Cherish your days, moons, seasons, and more; they'll need you... but I've learned that as a medicine cat, you'll need them far more." Oddly solemn, Serpentberry draws her tail around her paws, "I learned that the hard way. You, with your unbridled curiosity and hope, do not resemble me in the slightest. Perhaps... for the better."

She nearly chokes on a sob, heart clenching in her chest. She turns her gaze towards Flintberry if he were still there, then to the amassed faceless cats that've joined them. "Rowanfeather!" She begins the chant, first, loudest, eager to send her prodigy off on her newest journey yet. "Rowanfeather!"