Medicine Cat Gathering '25 little did i know — december half-moon meeting

[DIMMINGSUN]

The trek from their home and to Highstones feels so much longer than ever before. Dimmingsun feels impatience like an itch, but he would rather let it keep annoying him instead of allowing others to see it—the last thing he wants is to rush his companions and make them sneer in retaliation. Tonight is special. He can't let himself spoil it before they even get a chance to get there.

The shuffling of paws can be heard as the medicine cats move in a single file, darkness swallowing them before the Moonstone's light can welcome them back. The moon had not yet reached its peak in the sky; good. There's room for reciting ancient words that Swallowbreeze had given him.

"If nobody is against it..."

Dimmingsun breaks the silence. His tail swishes along the ground like a gentle breeze as he turns, eyeing each and every cat with a questioning glance. His words may be spoken gently, but the message is clear: he doesn't want to be interrupted this time. Pleasantries and news have already been passed amongst them. Now, before each cat touches their nose to the stone to be swept away into divine dreams, something of equal importance must be done.

"I'd like to conduct a ceremony tonight for my apprentice."

Dimmingsun looks at Meadowpaw at last. They had spoke about this already; as much as he would have liked to keep her in the dark in order to surprise her, Dimmingsun had an inkling that she would have ended up blabbering on about not being worthy of such an honor yet. He had made his stance clear to her, in private. Emotion swells within him at the idea that she will get to walk in his pawsteps, much like how he had done upon his arrival to WindClan. The both of them had learned so much from one another. Swallowbreeze had talked about how medicine cat apprentices take longer than regular ones, but Meadowpaw had done so much for her Clan already. She deserves this.

With his head held high, he regards the apprentice before him expectantly.

"Are you ready, Meadowpaw?"

@rowanfeather @Magpiepaw @SWALLOWBREEZE @Jinglemoon @Meadowpaw

 

[SWALLOWBREEZE]

swallowbreeze's apprenticeship was an unusual one, starting it on a journey and ending it in a new land. medicine cats before her looked downwards to the sparkling pool inside the gorge, straining their ears for whispers that were barley audible. fortunately, she wasn't aimless like the other medicine cats were, she could offer help when they needed it. dimmingsun's question surprised her, but she supposes it's because time has really flown by. it's hard to believe just a few seasons ago her and rowanfeather met the anxious, timid girl at the moors.

because of her background knowledge, swallowbreeze nodded her head towards dimmingsun, allowing him to take the lead of tonight's meeting. the group's first ceremony that isn't conducted by someone long dead... hopefully meadowpaw doesn't feel too awkward about that.

 

[Jinglemoon]

x

x

x

JINGLEMOON

RIVERCLAN

MEDICINE CAT

HE/THEY

31 MOONS

DINGO

The moonstone's light is as beautiful as ever as the medicine cats step out of the blanketed darkness and into its dazzling gaze, the moon wasn't quite yet at its peak and still the stone was able to light their way inside.

The silence between the small group was soon broken by Dimmingsun who wanted to do a ceremony for their own apprentice tonight, WindClan's medicine cat apprentice would be an apprentice no longer as it was finally time for Meadowpaw to be given her full name. Jinglemoon would dip his head in respectful agreement. The warrior apprentices got their own ceremonies in front of their own clans when they earnt their warrior names, it made sense for a medicine cat apprentice to earn their own in front of their own peers and StarClan as well! He wondered how such a ceremony would go though and how Dimmingsun knew to do it. Blue eyes would glance to Swallowbreeze, she had had a paw in that no doubt as the only cat here who knew of the medicine cat code as a whole.

As the WindClan medicine cat looks to his own apprentice Jinglemoon watches on with interest, hoping to remember what was said and done here and that he might get to do the same at some point in the future, and what would Meadowpaw's new name be? He shuffled his paws in silent excitement, keeping his blue gaze on the WindClan medicine cats all the while.

When danger greets you with a smile

A long furred blue tabby tom with low white, long pointed ears with curved tips and dazzling blue eyes. Usually walks with a jingle in his step. Good listener and always thoughtful.

Sibling to ASTRO, Uncle to TWINKLETUFT, ECLIPSESHADE and COMETTAIL
Mentoring No one
"speech" // 'thoughts' // #3b90ff

 

[Meadowbloom]

MEADOWPAW

x

Before, she was certain that any of the cats present would've made the same mistakes she did. They wouldn't have lost herbs because of their own selfishness or let the cats that depended on them suffer. In many ways, they were indomitable, or maybe she just loathed herself so much that her peers were raised to a height she couldn't possibly hope to reach. She knew by now where that line of thinking went, because wasn't it comforting to think that everything was her fault? Like everyone else, she panicked, faltered, but she also did her best with what little they had. She could've been better, but unlike some, she had the chance to be better.

Meadowpaw anxiously shuffles its weight from one foot to the other. Truthfully, she didn't know if she'd ever feel ready. If Dimmingsun's belief in her wasn't so unwavering, she might've stayed Gladebloom's apprentice forever. Meadowpaw lifts her head to meet his gaze and gives a hesitant nod. "I am." He was a steady rock, but she couldn't grow too used to leaning on him. Tonight, she would finally have to stand on her own.

​

x

I BELIEVE THAT THERES COURAGE

BUT ITS BURNIN' LIKE ASH IN THE WIND

x

WINDCLAN

MEDICINE CAT APPRENTICE

15 MOONS

SHE/HER

Meadowpaw values kindness and remembrance. As a kit, she internalized her mother's lessons, but questioned whether her way is the only way. She has broken free from the heavy burden of her mother's expectations due to their estrangement after the fire. She remains kind and soft-spoken through all she's endured, but is not afraid to speak out for what she believes is right.

Meadow works tirelessly at any task she undertakes, desperate to prove herself capable and worthy despite her disability. Without her mother's guidance, she finds new ways to express herself.

In conversations, she is gentle, thoughtful, and withdrawn, often hiding her struggles, fearing others seeing her as incapable. She continues to have a strong bond not only with her sister, but with her adopted family as well. Meadow uses her new freedom to support and deepen the bonds with her clanmates. Additionally, she has started to explore the more spiritual side of herself…

Her worldview is a complicated mix of hope and frustration. She wants to believe that there's hope at the end of all the suffering, but feels trapped by her limitations. With enough time and support, she may find a way to overcome her limitations and accept herself.

 

[DIMMINGSUN]

I am.

And truthfully, that is all Dimmingsun needs. There is no backing down now.

The words given to him by Swallowbreeze beg to be let out, but he takes a moment to order them within his mind. Already he had made his own little adjustment—he had prioritized the part where Meadowpaw gets to verbalize her agreement or disagreement, unable to take that choice away from her before he begins.

"I, Dimmingsun, medicine cat of WindClan, call upon the ancestors to look down on this apprentice."

He throws his gaze skyward; wonders if the stars that twinkle are really members of StarClan. They had appeared to him once before... will they do it again? Surely yes, if these words are as ancient as Swallowbreeze made them sound.

"She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help she will serve her Clan for many moons to come."

A beat.

"By the powers of StarClan-"

The serene moment is broken. Dimmingsun's speech dies in his throat as he notices something in the corner of his eye, and when he turns his head to investigate, he barely believes what he is seeing. The Moonstone shimmers... almost like it is coming to life.

NOTES
Please wait until a post has been made by a specific someone...! >:)

 

[serpentberry serpentberry]

She's drawn from the stone as if she's made of its very crystal - her fur shifts and shimmers, her build manifests no different than it had in life. Serpentberry inserts herself into the lives of the living yet again, yet this time before their very eyes rather than in the hollows of their minds. The former medicine cat meets Dimmingsun's gaze with a half lidded one of her own, and trills to the tricolor tom, "Pick your jaw up off the ground, boy. You'll learn if new aches and pains if you leave it there." Her tail drifts slowly across the cold stone floors before she looks to the other medicine cats.

All... the same. Yet not: Swallowbreeze has grown older, inevitably, but still trembles in the breeze. Jinglemoon has no tot to brandish at his side, perhaps still mourning the one he lost. Magpiepaw is here... alone, with no handler in sight. Serpentberry holds to Rowanfeather for too many beats, her own ethereal gaze softening for the moments she stills. Eventually, she is back upon Dimmingsun, and the tom's stolen apprentice. Right - she came here to thief the opportunity yet again. If she were any sooner, he would have not been able to offer his blessing. Perhaps she is saintly, somewhat.

"Meadowpaw," she greets the molly who continues to steal her daughter's fleeting attention. Once ire tainted her tone, but today it drifts like silver raindrops atop their chilled crowns. "You're the precocious sort, aren't you? The stars have blessed you with two teachers, yet you seem to mourn your time with one, and rarely cherish the moments with the other." If it were up to her, the tortoiseshell would've earned a tongue lashing or two for her (Serpentberry perceived) lack of honesty and humility. Alas, Meadowpaw is not her apprentice, and Dimmingsun is set on making her a true medicine cat. Again, her tail drifts across the ground, stars twinkling in the spaces left behind. "You're clever. You're kind. You've, quite literally, pulled yourself from the rubble of your past and made yourself anew, despite the pain and heartache. Dare I say," and she doesn't say it lightly, "you're admirable, Meadowpaw. StarClan appreciates your heart and soul."

Dimmingsun had done the hard part of these ceremonies - holding a mortal body to the heavens and hoping for acceptance. Serpentberry simply sweeps in and cheerfully scrapes away at the palatable morsels. And the name - oh, the name. Cruelty still flickers in her veins, but like with Rowanfeather, she does not act entirely with malice. There's something to be learned in every syllable.

"Meadowpaw, for as long as you live and breathe, you are to be WindClan's crutch. The life force, the support system. You have trained exceedingly well beneath your mentors and have arrived here to accept the next stage of your life. The stars bless you; from henceforth, you will be known as Meadowbloom. Your past is worn in the very fibers of your pelt, but it is to be brandished as a weapon, not clutched like a wrenched claw. You have grown, and it shows. Thank you for all you have done, Meadowbloom, and all you will do." Yet the metaphorical wrenched claw twists deeper into the very real wounded pelt, the name almost purely reminiscent of the molly WindClan lost. Serpentberry is not lost on this - it is purposeful, as it always is.

ThunderClan's first medicine cat lifts her chin, briefly looking towards Dimmingsun again. A glimpse of pride is shared with the tom before the molly tilts her crown back and begins the chanting: "Meadowbloom! Meadowbloom!" The Moonstone glows with approval, a breeze pulling away the cascading stars of the deceased molly's pelt and sweeping them towards WindClan's new medicine cat.

 

[rowanfeather]

☆ The walk to the moonstone is cold and lonely, but somehow lighter than it's ever been. Her mother is with Starclan, she knows it now for sure. She had not been too late. She greets her fellows warmly, eyes twinkling dimly as they fall on Swallowbreeze, then Meadowpaw. Her friends, companions…

Cicadabuzz is not there, but she doesn't ask Magpiepaw about it. Perhaps it is better like this… without venomous words and the infestation of bugs, perhaps they can finally be what they were meant to be.

Dimmingsun declares a ceremony, and Rowanfeather looks surprised if only for a moment. A ceremony? For a name change, she guesses, but… she did not have one for herself… should she have? She barely has time to think it over before the stone glints and shifts, like the surface of water, and out from it slips her mother.

She bites back any words, not wishing to interrupt the ritual. But as her mother looks at her, Rowanfeather's eyes twinkle with amusement.

Again? She mouths silently, smiling.

Her mother's speech is kind, even if she bites first. She can't help it, it seems.

Meadowbloom. Rowanfeather turns to look at Meadow, curious as to whether or not she'll like it. She thinks it suits her, and when her mother begins to chant, so does she.

☆ ROWANPAW. 14 moons
mentored by serpentberry,
adopted daughter of serpentberry and thornstar
peaceful powerplay allowed
ooc -

 

[Magpiepaw]

& I don't know what's got its TEETH in me

If anyone noticed Cicadabuzz's absence they did not comment and he did not offer any reasoning behind it, it was no one else's business and the incident was still an open wound he was not inclined to have prodded needlessly, but thankfully the focus was elsewhere tonight. Magpiepaw sat quietly at a tail-length from the other medicine cats, paws neatly tucked close to his body and tail curled around him to keep the chill from seeping into his toes. He had not dreaded this meeting like he did the previous ones where Serpentberry loomed like a viper ready to strike, his mentor might move on and regard themselves calmly before her but he had always been nervous. To kill a cat so easily for no purpose, to strike blindly across the border and then wander back home free of guilt. He is here for appearances and no other reason, ShadowClan has not yet hit the desperation that he has to plead herb trade with other clans while his father waged wars and stole their prey from beneath their noses. Not yet. So Magpiepaw greets them all with a nod and settles in for the naming ceremony, feeling a bit of bitterness about his own.

...and then she is there. Dappled snake uncoiling from the stone, shimmering with a blinding light - her spots are stars, her eyes are pearls; Magpiepaw feels his fur prickle with unease and he tenses with his hackles raised. Along his spine his dark pelt bristles into spikes, his jaw is clenched to bite his own tongue. He does not interrupt the ceremony, he does not join the chanting. There is a weight in his chest so heavy he feels it might crush his ribcage and he realizes it is his own heart beating a thunderous rancor. His mentor's killer was so easily allowed into the same place his sibling was, there had to be some cruel joke here. When the glimmer of light fades and Meadowpaw is named - Meadowbloom - he finally cracks from the statue he had become and stands stiffly, tail raised in one quick sweep upward behind his back.
"Congratulations Meadowbloom." The apprentices that were once paws alongside him were either gone now or fully named and he was alone. Without his mentor. "I have patients back home I can not leave long." He lies, his tone smooth and unbroken despite his rattled nerves, they could assume Cicadabuzz themself was one of them, "Is there else to discuss?" StarClan would not be given leave to filter down from the skies that condemned his clan and in the same breath bestow him a name - he has decided he won't allow it.

Ooc- ooc info here.

I dream in phosphorescence - Bleed through spaces

MAGPIEPAW

— medicine cat apprentice of shadowclan
— He/They
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
— Solid black w/low white & blue-violet eyes.
— Has 'wobbly cat' syndrome.
#9272ee