[graves]

Originally Posted by Silver Fishie

[COLOR="Silver" @Lonestar23 @blue jellie @Mauve @Cosmo @king kaleb! @Charmer

As Ringpaw padded behind her mentor, she gazed around excitedly.
This would be her very first time to the Starcave, a sacred place where not many cats visited.
And she was one of them! She would be here, of all felines, and she thought of the other apprentices. None of them had shown much interest in the Starcave, although the moments to herself she had she had decided it was a magical place.
Trailing behind the yellow tom, she tried to keep her jumping to a minimum. Besides, this was a time to be collected and composed- not to act embarrassing.
Tonight she would meet the other medicine cats and apprentices. She hadn’t ever exactly seen them, only Daydream once at her first gathering.
She could still remember that night; the last gathering she had gone to. Snapbranch had convinced everyone that Ringpaw had been a bit too wound whenever a meeting between clans popped up. She had pouted, but never in front of her previous mentor, who would have cuffed her over the ears.
But now she was meeting more cats. More cats like Shinefang, who were knowledgeable about herbs, and more cats like her.
She had heard of Flashpaw. News got around whenever a feline was given the rank of a medicine cat, but at the time Ringpaw hadn’t honestly cared. The affairs of healing weren’t of much interest at that point.
But now, now it seemed so intriguing when laid out in front of her.
Ringpaw foolishly shook her head, taking a few extra strides over the cool grass to keep pace with Shinefang.
She certainly couldn’t talk like her thoughts were chattering mentally. Everyone would think she was rude and too absorbed with everything else. And annoying.
But this was her chance! Finally there might be some cats who understood, maybe not personality-wise but definitely they would have something in common.
Suddenly, three newer scents hit her nose.
Shadowclan, definitely, and I think Windclan, I smell heather. Something that smells like fish, Riverclan. Ringpaw was glad that she had learned the scents of different clans before becoming Shinefang’s apprentice. Snapbranch had even once brought her outside of Skyclan territory, one of the better parts of her apprenticeship.
That would be Daydream and Flashpaw. Heatherfur and... Ringpaw mentally face-pawed. She couldn’t remember! It was a bird...
Ringpaw peered around Shinefang’s shoulder to catch a glimpse at the cats walking ahead.
A mottled apprentice stood out... Oriolepaw! That’s it.
She turned her head up to her mentor, the yellow tom’s scarred face looking dead ahead.
“Are they the others? What are they like? I hope they’re nice.” She said to him, her mint green eyes wide at the prospect of new cats.
Suddenly, Shinefang greeted the other felines ahead, and some of them turned around to look at him.
When Shinefang and Ringpaw finally came to them, her mentor instantly launched into speech.
Ringpaw wanted to say something, perhaps chatter a bit and introduce herself herself, but seeing that Shinefang had already covered that she kept her mouth closed and only switched between watching the others and the yellow tabby next to her.
Besides, her mouth instantly went dry when she saw Daydream. They looked tense, like they wanted to leap on to Shinefang at any second. Ringpaw quickly averted her eyes to stare at her paws.
Great Starclan Ringpaw! When have you ever been this shy? They’re just cats, go and bug them or something. She scolded inwardly. She didn’t want to come across as introverted or anti-social, or Starclan forbid shy, as that was one thing she was not.
When she pulled her gaze up once more, she waited until Shinefang’s flow of words came to a pause. She was about to formally greet someone, anyone, when she heard her mentor’s next words.
Shinefang struck a Leader? She wondered bewilderedly. She hadn’t known about this, but she certainly wouldn’t have put it past the medicine cat. He wasn’t exactly aggressive, but he seemed to be ready to provide an excuse.
Besides, Ringpaw shouldn’t judge. When she got aggravated, which seldom happened, but on rough days she did want to maybe scare away Snapbranch’s kill or make him trip on a root. Thankfully, she didn’t have to deal with him anymore.
Besides, she could hold her tongue for a second if her mentor was trying to say something.
When Shinefang finished and sat down, she fought back the urge to hide behind his back.
She wasn’t sure if she should remain standing or sit next to him, but before she could make a decision, Daydream spoke again.
When they finished, Ringpaw wanted her jaw to drop.
Strip Shinefang of his title? No way! I’ve seen that he’s a good healer, and I have endless moons yet to see that again.
She didn’t know much about this ‘striking Fallenstar’ thing, but a small rumor had been floating around the apprentice den earlier. But she hadn’t interfered.
As a show, the calico apprentice dipped her head slightly and then promptly sat her haunches down on the ground next to Shinefang.
His reasoning had been just, if the warrior code was being broken anyway how was it wrong?
She still wanted to introduce herself, but maybe a cheery ‘Hi!’ wouldn’t be appropriate right now. But when was manners her thing anyway?
Watching as Daydream turned to dissapear into the Starcave, she turned back to the others and tentatively said:
“Hi, um...”
Maybe she shouldn’t have started. Desperately she looked to her mentor, even if Shinefang might not be of help.

[/COLOR]

Originally Posted by Charmer

@Lonestar23 , @blue jellie , @Mauve , @Cosmo , @king kaleb! , @Silver Fishie

Shinefang's ears flattened against his head, and his fangs showed through parted lips as the Shadowclan medicine cat snarled at him. Clearly Daydream hadn't listened to him or they would have heard that he was just as concerned about Heathfur as they were. The only thing that he had implied was that Riverclan had failed its medicine cats thus far and history confirmed this. The Shadowclan cat stormed off before he could make a reply, so he turned to Ringpaw. Here she was at her first medicine cat gathering where he had tried to be upfront about his actions, and the poor apprentice had been left to witness her elderly mentor getting slandered with demands to give up his duty as a medicine cat. With a wave of his bushy, yellow tail, he patted the little calico on the back. "Don't worry about Daydream. I think they were born with burrs in their pelt. The rest of the medicine cats are perfectly friendly. Mingle for a bit if you like, and when you're ready, I'll be waiting for you inside the cave." He padded on into the cave coolly for Ringpaw's sake, but he was fighting to keep his fur from bristling.

That Daydream has some kind of nerve talking to me like that. So they've never done anything hasty in their life before? And just because they've been a medicine cat longer than me doesn't mean that I'm not a fine healer for my clan. And in any case, it's not up to them to decide who should be a medicine cat and who shouldn't. If Daydream wants to make calls like that, perhaps they should have been a leader. Maybe then, they wouldn't always skulk around like a furry ball of self pity!

All of this flew through the old tom's mind as he took a seat next to the moonpool, glowing with dazzling brightness in the moonlight. He sat on the opposite side of Daydream, as far away from them as he could get.

Originally Posted by blue jellie

[ ack ack ack ack ack! i'm so lateeee ]
[ @Silver Fishie @Charmer @king kaleb! @Mauve @Lonestar23 @Cosmo ]

Flashpaw was solemn as she walked alongside her mentor. She could feel in the air that tonight would be an eventful one- and not a in a good way. A breeze parted her fur as she stepped towards the Starcave, somewhere she hadn't been before despite being a medicine cat apprentice for five moons. Had her apprenticeship really gone on that long? It seemed like only a few days ago she was in the forest with Daydream, learning about cobwebs, of all things. Had the feline really been apprenticed to them that long?

It didn't matter. The black she-cat needed to be prepared for tonight, whatever occurred. Flashpaw saw more cats approaching, and a trickle of fear passed down her spine as she saw the hostile glances between her mentor and Shinefang. Oh. Oh, no. She had heard of the recent tension between the two after the SkyClan medicine cat attacked Fallenstar, but she'd understood, at leadt partly. Juniperpaw was extremely special to the old tomcat, and he was horrified upon learning of her absence. However, Daydream had felt for the RiverClan medicine cat as well, and they didn't go slashing leaders' faces off. The smoke she-cat nodded at the others' greetings to her and sat politely, a forced smile on her face, which felt too familiar. She hated the facades at this point, hated them immensely. The feline was tired of hiding behind fake emotions and forced smiles knowing that she was truly broken inside. Her mentor had told her repeatedly that there was no need to hide what she was feeling anymore, yet here she was. Hiding her feelings. Even if it was only momentarily, it caused a bit of a flashback moment, and her eyes flickered for a moment, betraying her act to anyone that was looking closely. Shaking out her fur, she began to look for someone to help ease the tension that was crackling through the air, and quickly noticed the apprentice Shinefang had just introduced. Ringpaw, huh? At least she's another apprentice. Might as well talk to her. Despite her thoughts, Flashpaw didn't move. She realized suddenly that halfway through Ringpaw's introduction, the new apprentice's mentor had stated something unwelcome. The air seemed to spark and the smoky apprentice's ears flattened as her own mentor stood up. Her eyes wide and her fsce burning, she attempted to catch Ringpaw's eye to tell her in her gaze that she wished the two could be meeting under better circumstances, or under any circumstances that their mentors weren't fighting. Both of their first times at the Starcave were not going to be ideal. When her mentor stopped speaking and wordlessly walked into the Starcave, the she-cat stood to follow them, but hesitated. Was this a time that they needed to be alone or to be comforted? She wasn't sure which path to choose, really. Flashpaw turned to the remaining cats, dipped her head, and stepped inside the cave, silently walking over to her mentor's side and brushing fur with them before sitting down beside them. She averted Shinefang's gaze should it happen to be on her and looked instead at her paws. Sure, she'd like to mingle, but Daydream came first. Who'd want to know an asthma-ridden furball of stress like her, anyway?

[ @Lonestar23 , @blue jellie , @Mauve , @Cosmo , @Charmer , @Silver Fishie ]

daydream was comforted that flashpaw was at their side. it meant alot to them. even if they were angry right now, they would make sure to thank her when they went home. they knew the negativity probably wasnt going to do well for her mental health, so they decided they wouldnt talk to shinefang. everything that would come out would be spats and insults, and the other medicine cats didnt need that, their reputation was already ruined enough. they were already looked at as the sour puss of the clans. whatever. cats close to them knew that they were full of emotions, just like anyone else. they shifted closer to flashpaw, resting their tail along her flank in silent comfort. "im sorry," they mouthed to her silently. they could tell her fake smile from a mile away. they would handle this privately another time. right now, it was time to focus on the half pool meeting and ringpaws ceremony. they had never given flashpaw a ceremony, mainly because they didnt confine in starclan at all. but they had never asked, which was a bit selfish of them. "flashpaw," they mumbled quietly out of ear shot while they waited for the other medicine cats to get here, "i never asked you if you wanted a ceremony. i didnt want you to have one because i believe you dont need starclans consent to be the best medicine cat in the clans," they mewed. but again, it wasnt their desion to make. they never thought theyd consider the option of giving flashpaw a ceremony. they had been a bit selfish and automatically no. "but if you really want one, we can do it now. even if youre almost fully a medicine cat at this point."