Private Medicine Cat's Den to sleep, perchance to dream // chrysalisgaze

[Acornheart!]

ACORNHEART
HE/HIM
32 MOONS
SKYCLAN WARRIOR
SPEECH |

THOUGHTS

| LUCIDITY

PENNED BY PLOT

Acornheart was fading in and out of sleep. Everything ached, though it seemed Swallowpaw had been taking pretty decent care of him in the hours since his collapse. He'd been too disoriented to know if anyone else had visited or if anyone else was here in the den with him, but now that he was in a slow moment of waking, he took in his surroundings.

He was in... a log, it seemed like. It smelled heavily of herbs, and it looked like he wasn't alone.

Was that... Chrysalisgaze? He purred, tilting his head for a better look at his friend. At this angle, he couldn't quite see what injury had brought her here, so he tried clearing his sore throat, mewing to her.

"Chrys? That you?" he managed, voice scratchy and raw. Ow.

​

OOC: tagging @Chrysalisgaze

 

[Chrysalisgaze]

♡

𓆦 𖢥 𓆨 𓆣 𐀔 Chrysalisgaze 𐀔 𓆣 𓆨 𖢥 𓆦

Chrysalisgaze shivered in her sleep - ever since the battle, she couldn't shake the coldness out of her pelt. She must have lost a lot of blood...
A soft purr woke her from her slumber, a voice hoarse, almost like hers, familiar yet unknown. It spoke her name. Chrysalisgaze lifted her head, painfully turning it around at her new denmate. That brown tabby pelt... she knew she recognised it, from a time long ago. But it hasn't actually been that long, has it? A pelt she thought she'd never see again, those green eyes... Could it be?
Acornheart?
She wanted to rejoice, to ask him what had happened in the seasons they haven't seen each other, how he got here. She wanted to tell him about her own family, her kits, all the news of the other clans. She wanted to say so much, yet she had no voice. Her eyes welled with tears of joy and she tried to purr, but even that caused her immense amounts of pain and so she just lowered her head towards him and bumped her forehead to his, wrapping her tail around him.
This was the cat she grew up around, one of the cats she had been the closest with, confided in and cried with. The one she loved as her own brother and she couldn't even say his name. What a tragic turn of events, to be reunited with one she thought she lost for good, with no voice to tell him she loved him. No voice to tell him everything would be okay. All she could do was lay with him, in silence, unable to express her feelings.

 

[Acornheart!]

ACORNHEART
HE/HIM
32 MOONS
SKYCLAN WARRIOR
SPEECH |

THOUGHTS

| LUCIDITY

PENNED BY PLOT

His eyes widened at the sight of Chrysalisgaze's neck wound, his heart aching for his dear friend. The first cat who'd made him feel comfortable in his own pelt. There was no way the warrior would be able to speak to him with such a wound, and honestly he wasn't much better. Talking in his dreams didn't use the muscles in his throat.

Talking in dreams...

He'd not tried it since meeting with his father, but he knew that... something had changed since then. He tightened his tail with hers, leaning his head against hers.

"Don't worry about trying to speak, Chrys." He spoke low, reassuring. "Just rest, okay? I'll speak with you soon." He closed his eyes, still bone-tired from, well, everything. It wasn't long before he fell asleep, head pressed with hers.

And woke up at the gorge, overlooking the former camp. He sat, waiting for Chrysalisgaze to join him.

​

OOC:

 

[Chrysalisgaze]

♡

𓆦 𖢥 𓆨 𓆣 𐀔 Chrysalisgaze 𐀔 𓆣 𓆨 𖢥 𓆦

Chrysalisgaze's soul ached at the state of the two of them, reunited after so many moons apart, yet unable to speak. What did Acornheart mean, they'll speak again soon?
He closed his eyes and soon his breathinig steadied, but Chrysalisgaze wasn't able to rest just yet, the pain in her heart and in her wounds too strong. She looked at her dear friend, at his sorry state, wounded and famished - what all must he have gone through? She nuzzled against his pelt and finally closed her eyes.
The past few nights she has dreamt of the Fourtrees border, of the mud- and shadow-cloaked warrior attacking her unsuspecting, knocking her down, throwing her back against the ground. Piercing her flesh and snarling in her ears. No matter how hard she tried, her dreams brought no comfort and no hints as to the identity of her attacker, their form always hazy, blurred.
But tonight, Chrysalisgaze appeared in SkyClan's former territory, the sun just above the horizon. She watched with sorrow as it illuminated the camp she had grown up in, though it lay empty, deserted. The last time she had managed to glance at this place, it was overrun by rodents, threatening to wipe the clan. It looked... peaceful now.
When a tail brushed againts her coat, she finally noticed Acornheart, sitting next to her. She purred, then stopped herself - but was met with no pain. "Acorn...-" she tried. No rasp, no pain shooting up her throat. How was that possible? "What's going on?" she asked quietly, still aware of the fact that she shouldn't be speaking, needing to preserve her throat. And yet, there was no Swallowbreeze to scold her and no painful reminder of what she knew was to be true. It was as if she had healed overnight.

 

[Acornheart!]

ACORNHEART
HE/HIM
32 MOONS
SKYCLAN WARRIOR
SPEECH |

THOUGHTS

| LUCIDITY

PENNED BY PLOT

Acornheart purred as his friend appeared, resting his head against her shoulder as the sun rose.

"Sorry about the location," he mewed. "I would've eased you into it, but I didn't really get a good glimpse of the new camp before I collapsed." He looked over at the gorge, unpopulated and peaceful, the last home he remembered having.

"I know it's kinda weird, but... Well, Applecloud told me... Okay it's a long story, but essentially... we're dreaming. It's the first time I've tried this, so, I'm glad it worked! Our ancestors saw fit to send me back with a little gift. Ta-daaaah." He laughed before lifting his head.

"I'm sure you've got a lot of questions but... great StarClan, Chrys! What happened to land you in the medicine den like this?"

​

OOC:

 

[Chrysalisgaze]

♡

𓆦 𖢥 𓆨 𓆣 𐀔 Chrysalisgaze 𐀔 𓆣 𓆨 𖢥 𓆦

Chrysalisgaze stared at the tom in bewilderment, confused yet amazed at the same time. "You... you saw Applecloud?" Chrysalisgaze couldn't say she understood - only the medicine cats and leaders were visited by their ancestors now in StarClan. The only way for a regular warrior to meet them would be...would be... Chrysalisgaze gasped and stared at Acornheart. "You..." could she even bring herself to say it? She had to. "Did you die, Acornheart?"
And then he asked her as well. What could she say? Sure, she already relayed what had happened to Hawkstar, but that was her leader. Not Acornheart, not her best friend. How could she describe what happened to her, her own foolishness almost causing her children to lose a mother? She shuddered at the thought and a single tear fell down her cheek.
And then the scene around them darkened and they were no longer at their former camp. No, this was SkyClan's current territory and Chrysalisgaze watched herself approaching the Fourtrees at moonhigh. Of course... this was all a dream. It reacted to their own thoughts and emotions - she didn't need to explain anything. She could just show him.
"That's the Fourtrees." she flicked her tail in the direction of the border. "SkyClan now shares borders with RiverClan and WindClan. But the Fourtrees border all five clans." Which meant, she had no idea who the little warrior belonged to...
Chrysalisgaze watched herself stop at the sound of a night animal stepping on a twig, watched herself prepare to jump up a tree and then watched as a shadow slammed into her, knocking her off balance. It was all just as she remembered it, the focus on claws and fangs. Even now, she couldn't see who her attacker had been, could not recognise their voice nor scent. She had no more answers to give Hawkstar, no matter how hard she tried to remember...

 

[Acornheart!]

ACORNHEART
HE/HIM
32 MOONS
SKYCLAN WARRIOR
SPEECH |

THOUGHTS

| LUCIDITY

PENNED BY PLOT

Acornheart thought for a brief moment, then shook his head. No, he hadn't died on their journey, but...

"I came awfully close to dying," he admitted. "The snow... The cold ached into my bones and I could hardly move. I'd found shelter but collapsed, and woke up... Well, back at the gorge, like I showed you. Dad was there, he told me how to find you all, and then said... well. That I would be granted a gift by our ancestors. That it would help me reconnect with you all. After that dream, I woke up rested and just somehow... knew how to use this." He watched as their scenery shifted, to the foreign world he'd found himself in, a world he'd previously only seen in dreams.

"All.. five... clans? You mean the other Clans are here? They're really still here?" He could hardly believe that the stories passed down in their Clan were true, that the ancient Clans still walked among the living. Nervously, he watched as Chrysalisgaze was attacked by a shadowed figure, impossible to discern. He winced as he watched the attack, but as the shadow faded, both cats were still as they were in the gorge.

"Why... why would another cat attack you like that? Especially a Clan cat?"

​

OOC:

 

[Chrysalisgaze]

♡

𓆦 𖢥 𓆨 𓆣 𐀔 Chrysalisgaze 𐀔 𓆣 𓆨 𖢥 𓆦

Chrysalisgaze thought for a moment. How could she explain what happened during so many moons in one night? "Hmm..." she pondered her words. "Not exactly."
It was true there were five clans in the forest territories again, but none of them had survived. Except, she supposed, SkyClan. "The ancient Clans as we passed them down in stories are gone. Wiped, by something, I'm not sure what. Just like we almost were." she breathed in deep, something she hasn't been able to do in a long time. And won't, once she wakes again. "But as StarClan would have it, they formed again. Our ancestors have chosen leaders to lead each clan, from colonies bound by tragedy. Like us, we were just lucky enough to have been a clan already."
As the scene shifted back into their former territory, Chrysalisgaze sighed. "I do not know." For you to bleed like ours did. "The little warrior was... angry. Hungry for revenge. Why they attacked me, specifically?" she shook her head. "Maybe I was... just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Chrysalisgaze hoped so, at least. She hoped she hadn't done something to warrant the wrath that had been thrown at her - for all she had ever done, she never intentionally hurt anyone. She's only ever fought for SkyClan, but she's always followed the code. She's always fought with honor.
"The world we live in now..." she sighed, looking into Acornheart's eyes. "It's not the same. It's safer and yet it's less safe. We have allies in the other clans and we have enemies there too." How was she going to look into her children's eyes and tell them they were safe? When she wasn't. When she almost made them lose a mother.
Chrysalisgaze clenched her teeth, claws scratching at the dirt below her. She was no longer holding Acornheart's gaze, for fear of pain seeping through her eyes, tears welling inside of them. "I'm glad you're here now." she said quietly. "Maybe now, things will start to take a brighter turn."

 

[Acornheart!]

ACORNHEART
HE/HIM
32 MOONS
SKYCLAN WARRIOR
SPEECH |

THOUGHTS

| LUCIDITY

PENNED BY PLOT

Acornheart's pelt bristled. Why would someone want revenge against Chrysalisgaze? The other warrior wasn't one to harm anycat!

"Well, if you ever find out who it was, I'll be first in line to give them a proper punishment," he mewed. "Though I'm sure our ancestors will pass their judgement as well." He pressed his head to hers and sighed.

"I suppose no place is truly safe," he mused. "After all, why else would the hunting grounds of StarClan hold such allure?" He looked to Chrysalisgaze with sympathy.

"I hope you haven't put your whole life on hold in my absence!" he joked. "Besides getting nearly killed by some other warrior, what have you been up to?"

​

OOC:

 

[Chrysalisgaze]

♡

𓆦 𖢥 𓆨 𓆣 𐀔 Chrysalisgaze 𐀔 𓆣 𓆨 𖢥 𓆦

The lightheartedness with which Acornheart spoke made Chrysalisgaze relax, despite the seriousness of the situation. She smiled at the tom, holding his gaze for a little longer than she would anybody else. "I've truly missed you, brother." Though not by blood, Acornheart was the closest she ever had to a brother. "We thought you lost and here you are...returned to us." she purred quietly, rubbing her cheek with his.
And then his question finally hit home. "Oh Stars... where even to begin?" she sighed happily. Her and Starlingtrail were merely young lovers on their journey to the new territory - Acornheart had no way of knowing the beauty it's blossomed into. "You remember my dear Starlingtrail..." she purred, loud this time. "Happy to say she still calls me hers. And now we have little ones as proof of our love, our very own bundles of joy in the nursery, with Starlingtrail keeping them warm while I'm..." she stopped herself for a moment. While I'm out hunting is what she meant to say. But she wasn't out hunting, not now, not in the near future either, was she? "...here." she finished simply.