[graves]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

@Charmer @woly


Juniperpaw crouched on the other side of the ShadowClan medicine cat, briefly casting a glance at Daypaw before sharply looking to the calm waters just below her. A firm frown was stretched across her muzzle, and her scowl was shot back at her due to her reflection in the puddle. She folded her ears back in distaste, looking away from the water and focusing on Shinefang. Her tail-tip twitched nervously on the rocky ground, and she shuffled her paws uneasily. She felt like she knew where this story was going...


Ah! There it is; the inspirational speech. Juniperpaw smiled a painful smile, gazing at Shinefang in appreciation. And then she quickly transformed her weak smile into a teasing grin as she meowed, ``I mean.. If you could do it, Shinefang, I certainly can!``

Originally Posted by Charmer

As the little shecat brushed past Shinefang to enter the cave, he lingered for a moment. Shinefang was all to familiar with loss. He'd had more than his fair share. He knew that the claws of grief could cut a cat much deeper than physical claws. With a huff, he stood up and followed the two cats into the cave. Daypaw was staring at the glimmering water in the cave, no doubt having some deep, poetic thoughts about how unfair life was or whatever. With a grunt, he heaved himself closer to the water's edge where the Shadowclan medicine cat was knelt and near the water. The old tom brought his tail tip down between them and the water's edge. "Before we get started with this holy and very important ritual, how about we have a little story time?" he said, clearly not actually asking as he kept right on speaking. But he wasn't looking at Daypaw, or Juniperpaw. His gaze was set on the glimmering water. "It's the story of how Shiny went and lost his eye," he said casually, pointing to the empty socket on the right side of his face with his paw. "I was a little older than Junebug here when my mother came down with greencough in the dead of winter. It was during a minor outbreak, but enough cats got it that there wasn't enough catmint to go around. She refused to have any until she had seen that other cats were getting it first. Skyclan first. That's just how she was. Me? I was an apprentice and I only cared about not losing my mother. I begged her to take it, I begged the medicine cat to find more but there just wasn't anymore. 'She's going home to Starclan,' that's what the medicine cat said. But that wasn't good enough for me. I left camp alone in the middle of a blizzard looking for more catmint. I knew from listening to the medicine cat talk about it that sometimes it grew in twoleg gardens and somehow I managed to get down there and start looking. I must have searched a dozen gardens. I didn't find a single plant, much less a live one. Then I found a garden with a giant piece of flattened tree leaning against the fence, and there it was, shielded from the snow and ice, withered but with just a few precious leaves. As I was picking them, a much bigger kittypet surprised me. He backed me into a corner and shredded my face up good before I was able to get away. Well, most of me anyway." The old tom smiled a grim smile, a sad smile. "Someone must have noticed I was missing, because a patrol dragged me back to camp after they found me passed out on the border. They saw the catmint I was carrying in my mouth and picked it up too, but she was dead by the time I woke up." Shinefang let the silence linger for a moment, the tide of grief within him swelling just a little. He knew it would go away after a while. It always did. "Starclan has taken a lot of cats from me. Both my parents, my brothers and sisters, even...even my mate and our kits. And I'm not telling you this to say 'oh my pain and suffering is so much worse' or any of that foxdung. I wanna tell you want I learned from it all. Starclan takes and takes from us. It's just what the foxhearts do. I don't know how you too feel about Starclan, and if you think differently from me, that's fine. You're entitled to that. But what they've taken from you two have made you have to grow up fast than kits should. Be great in spite of all their taking. Sharpen your claws on fate and tear out misfortune's throat!" The tom stomped the ground in front of him, claws scraping against the rock floor as he sharply inhaled through his nose. "Be great in spite of the pain and don't let the foxhearts win... Do you understand me?" He looked right at the two medicine cats now. Had he said too much? Probably. But he wanted them to know how to go on, how to take that pain and turn it into strength and greatness. He knew they could. After all, he had.

daypaw stared at the water with broken amber hues as the tom spoke. they couldnt help but relate to the tom, having loss after loss. maybe they shouldn't have pushed him aside so quickly. ¨i understand clearly,¨ the spoke for the first time that night,¨im about to accept the one thing i never thought i wanted. to be a medicine cat. i was only a moon away from being a warrior when that was stripped away from me forcefully, just because some starry cat said so.¨ their tone was bitter, eyes going into slits as they stared at their reflection. they could've had it all: the normal life, doing normal things. it wasnt like it was all bad, they had grown close with juniperpaw and geckoleaf through this rank. they had made some family. ¨i have faced starclan countless times in the brink of death yet i am given breath when there are others so much more worthy,¨ at this, they were mentioning cricketpaw. they had not forgotten about the young shecat that had saved their life during the flood, and had given them something that they couldnt think of having: love. she loved them, and they loved her. they were a due, the bestest of friends. basically tied at the hip. and starclan had taken her away. ¨they refuse to guide loved ones home, they play a merciless game of god.¨ they snarled lowly. geckoleaf had been the last straw. after cricketpaw, they didnt think that they would be able to open up to anyone. but when on the riverclan floor dying--geckoleaf had saved them. she have freed their lungs of water and cradled them while they cried, and had watched them fall apart; their grumpy exterior gone. she was gone too. ¨whats the damn point of being a medicine cat if i cant even saved my loved ones!¨ reaching forward, they clawed at their reflection in the water, their paw growing cold from the water and giving off a soft splash. pulling their paw back close to their chest, they sighed.
¨i just want this to be over with.¨