Dreams of a disbeliever and a ghost [Private]

[Rani]

Come on come on just keep running the water had to be somewhere around here he could hear it! As Snakepaw looked around confusedly while he ran at full tilt searching for the source. No water no water no water ROCK! Snakepaw was forced to skid to a stop to not crack his head against the rock pile and while he wasnt able to stop his forward momentum at least slowed he could scramble haphazardly up the structure rather than crash. What to do when he was up there? They were close together and it only took a moment to pull ahead and him being forced to slow and halt on top of the rock pile mightve afforded Cricketpaw that lead. But.... Right there was the waterfall. It was so close barley a cats length away and so far given he had to get down the rock pile to get to it. Or did he?

Bunching himself up from his perch the tom threw himself forward in a last ditch leap heading straight at the water tunnels vision narrowing in as he flew. He had no clue if his hesitation had allowed Cricketpaw to already beat him and he was just flying in to second place but it didnt matter. He was about to hit the cool and inviting water-

And he woke in his nest in the medicine cat den, cold winter air creeping in during the dark early dawn. It took a second to process as he panted lightly heart still racing from the fun bright play while his brain caught up to the reality.
...... What a strange dream, a dead cat, herbs, and a rare break from his duties. Still weird dreams of a lonely cat who was so alone he created himself a friend besides Snakepaw had things to do. It was a shame though, he had fun and even if it was a delusion (maybe one worth exploring... those herbs) he wouldnt mind it happening again.

@spade
(Sorry for the bad reply lol! If you wanna double post with crickets reply and her dragging him into the next dream go ahead)

[spade]

She usually wasn't this nervous, but Cricketpaw was pacing back and forth. The tip of her spotted tail twitched in a random pattern, dazzling blue eyes swimming in a pool of thoughts. Snakepa- no, he was Snakeheart now - would be here any moment, and she didn't know if she could contain herself any longer.

The former RiverClan medicine cat apprentice had watched his ceremony from the stairs. Eagerly she had waited for them to dream, for the ceremony to be completed the traditional way. It was a pip dream though, and while Cricketpaw had expected it to turn out the way it did, a little part of her felt crestfallen watching the tom and Coldamber's seemingly blatant disregard for the stars.

But she understood it above all. She wouldn't tell Snakeheart to believe in her. Perhaps the herbs she had told him about had done the trick...

"You think just because you won the race to the waterfall you can keep me waiting?" Cricketpaw called out, well aware that he hadn't arrived yet. Oh, she wanted to congratulate him! She wanted to know everything that had happened, from his eyes! She'd watched as her Clanmates took on the pack of coyotes, and dealt with the loss of Sootstar and Stormcall. Firehawk... One of the few cats she remembered from her time alive in the Clans... His death had saddened her quite a bit.

Finally forcing herself to sit, she stared at the spot where Snakeheart would appear, lips twitching up into a smile and her front paws kneading the ground with excitement.


// @Rani [no worries at all! i'll just go ahead and post her pulling him into the next dream ^^]

[Rani]

The newly named Snakeheart hadnt slept the night of his naming, of course he didnt he was at the starcave the entire night, and most of the next day was spent dealing with the chaos the coyotes had created in the clan. So when he finally laid down to rest late that night sleep came instantly.

It was a bittersweet thing that Snakeheart rose to in his dreams, a warm clearing and a kind face waiting for him but Firehawks blood still dried and tugging in his paws. A chance to rest and relax but the constant reminder of the burden and duty he'd wake up to. So even as he appeared laying in a patch of grass he didnt really make an effort to rise, simply staying flopped over as he opened his eyes and looked up at Cricketpaw letting out a semi lacklustre;
"Hey, you look like you were waiting for me, hope I didnt keep you waiting long... Actually I dont really care, Im somehow exhausted even in my dreams right now so if youre gonna try and rouse me into continuing the '~starclan ra ra ra~' argument you better have a pretty good bribe in place."

The medicine cat was going dead weight if she tried to move him and though she had some wiggle room and leeway given her herb suggestions had been good he demanded a bribe for any of his effort.
@spade

[spade]

As the RiverClan cat materialized in front of her, Cricketpaw's smile turned into a full on grin, fangs and all. He was speaking to her, looking up from where he lay slumped on the ground still. She barely registered it, and it didn't matter to her. Something about a bribe and StarClan being real. "Snakeheart! I'm so proud of you!" the bengal finally burst out, reaching forward to touch her nose to the top of his head.

"Congratulations on becoming a full medicine cat of RiverClan. I could not imagine a better cat for the job." Cricketpaw was practically dancing on her paws in front of the redish brown tom. Pride shone clearly in her gaze as she watched him, mixing in with awe and admiration. "I wanted to give you this when you finally earned your name."

Turning around, Cricketpaw gingerly picked up a tiny shell she'd found. With a careful elegance she craned her neck back around and placed it at the tom's paws. "It's a shell I found near the waterfall after you had left. I thought it would make a nice trophy," she purred, looking from the shining shell to Snakeheart. "Obviously you can't take it back with you, but it'll be here whenever you are!"


// @Rani

[Rani]

It really was impossible to make Cricketpaw mad at him wasnt it. He'd been all crabby and still here she was congratulating him with a fervour only his mother had matched. So while he didnt get up some his comfy stop he did lift his head and tap his nose against Cricketpaws shoulder in return before trying to gently nip at her (so what if his affection was harsh and he generally only restricted it to members of his family, Cricketpaw wasnt real. She was a figment of his imagination and a tolerable one at that he could get away with this).

"Thanks still feels to soon but the clan needs me like this so eh. At least its not a horrid name, I'd be furious if that happened can you imagine me as a Snakeleaf? Ugh."
Then came the shell gift.
"Left, you mean when I woke up? Didnt expect that though I probably should have dreams tend to end when the dreamer is startled... Eh well thanks for the pretty imaginary shell. Its certainly the nicest gift Ive gotten for my naming." It was the only gift he'd been given for his naming, not that he at all expected any. Well... Maybe he had gotten another gift but it was a really bad one, the other gift was coyotes.
"Suppose Ill leave it with you then, this is the second time Ive met you and I bet it'll happen again so... Anyway I tested them, your herbs, they worked. Its still not proof, maybe I over heard some medicine cat or someone talking about it and didnt process it and youre me remembering it in a weird way because dreams are weird but I'd like to see if lightning strikes twice. This knowledge could potentially save my clanmates life even if it comes from some weird places. So could you tell me more?"

Then the realisation hit. "Ill have to get up for this wont I. Foxdung."
@spade

[spade]

The nip of Snakeheart only earned a soft laugh from her, a twinkle in her blue eyes giving away the fact that Cricketpaw wasn't really afraid of the tom - more so glad that he was more interactive than before. Reaching out a slender paw she batted softly towards his nose, her paw just lightly grazing it as a smile stretched further across her face.

"Snakeheart is perfect, and Coldamber was the perfect cat to give it to you. I'll admit, I was a bit sad that you didn't dream that night," Cricketpaw added, a momentary cloud of sadness drifting across her gaze. She'd been waiting the entire night for Snakeheart to dream, so she could be the first to congratulate him. But alas, he'd stuck with a less traditional ceremony - which she under stood. But he was here now, and that realization was enough to place the smile back onto her face.

At the mention of the herbs working, Cricketpaw did a little bounce of her own, her toes tapping against the celestial marshy terrain they were in. "Of course they did, silly!" she purred, nudging his shoulder lightly with a paw. Burdock root and burnet were some of the first herbs she'd learned under Geckoleaf's training, and she was glad to hear they were still growing plentiful in her homeland.

"Oh, Snakeheart." There was a certain lightness in her tone as she watched him with an amused expression, whiskers twitching. She wouldn't push him to believe - no, it had to be organic. Instead she just laughed and dismissed it with a flick of her tail.

"Of course I'll teach you more, but you're correct, you'll have to get up you silly lump!" Not phased at all by his drawbacks to the dream - all that mattered was that he had returned, and Cricketpaw could continue doing the one thing she knew how to do best - befriend him.

// @Rani

[Rani]

Snakeheart only grunted at the nose batting lazily snapping at the air aimed at the paw from his flop ear flicking back but not reaching a proper irritated position. "Of course Coldamber gave me a perfect name Coldamber is the best." That statement was pure fact. "And as for sleeping that night... Honestly I wish I had gotten the chance to sleep when I could the next day was an horrible mess though it might not've helped. Sleeping at the starcave is always hell on the joints and not restful at all and thats baring the weird not starclan related at all dreams. It wouldnt have done anything and would've been a waste Cricketpaw so I suppose the disappointment will have to be lived with." Felt bitter knowing it disappointed her though, even if she and her feelings werent real... Urg no winning even here.

His green eyes amusedly tracked the mollys bouncing as he hopped around and such smiling then groaning as she urged him to get up. "Oh come on this is a dream do I have to? Im sore after yesterday, let a poor tired man rest and recover, tomorrows bound to be hell too dont I get a break?" The tom whined and complain even as he slowly and stiffly got to his paws grumpily frowning down at Cricketpaw. He never got a nap didnt he and the tom flicked his tail up trying to thwap the molly in the nose in punishment/playfulness. She'd booped him first this was deserved.
"So what have you got for me tonight?"
@spade

[spade]

His apparent lazy stubbornness and refusal to get up only drew more laughter from Cricketpaw. She hadn't seen a cat this unwilling to learn new things or be a medicine cat who dreamt with StarClan since Daydream! The thought of her friend send a piercing thorn of grief straight through her heart, and again she was reminded how similar the two of them were. Perhaps this was StarClan's way of sending her someone relatively the same as Daydream - a cat who held a place in her heart that no one could reach.

"You can rest on your own time! Tonight we've got herbs to learn and remedies to master!" the bengal called, curling her tail over her back and lightly nipping at his tail in the same manner he had to her upon first arriving. "Now then. You already know burdock and burnet. Time to learn about some of the flowers that will be starting to pop up now that new-leaf is in full swing - with greenleaf fast approaching!"

With a swish of her tail Cricketpaw gestured for the tom to follow her as she disappeared through the undergrowth. Pulling herself out on the other side, she trotted forward to a small patch of springy yellow flowers. In the distant a structure that resembled a twoleg den rose up, though the young molly didn't point it out. "This is tansy. It can be more useful during leaf-bare as one of its prominent treatments is to help with whitecough, and a preventative for greencough. Once consumed by the patient it can also help soothe sore throats as well as poison residue." She bent down to scent it, taking note of the familiar strong sweet scent it gave off. Memories of Shellfeather using this very herb to disguise her scent as she was taken away from camp as a kit ran through her and she shuddered, pulling her head back up.

"You want to make sure it stays away from queens who are expecting, however. It can be fatal to them."

// @Rani

[Rani]

His snort was nearly a laugh as his tail got nipped, not viewing the movement as any sort of bad thing at all. He nipped for affection to his closest friends and family and even though he knew Cricketpaw likely did not have the same habits it still made him feel warm under his pelt. The molly was an honest to god friend and though it felt sour and bitter that he couldnt see her in the waking world, that she wasnt really real, a small smile curled around his muzzle betraying his stern continence.
"New leaf will be nice though, Im shocked we made it through this mess this well in the midst of leaf bare but besides the mess of the high ranks riverclan made it through really well. I suppose that just shows riverclan is one of the stronger cats by that."

Not a beat later he was padding after Cricketpaw. This area was always bright and sunny and almost too perfect and it kind of rubbed Snakeheart the wrong way, if it was starclan didnt it get boring at all? At least this strange dreamlike (because it was) place was good for learning, the herbs he needed seemed around every corner and never not in season. "It wards off greencough? That could be useful but how do you even know to give it to someone before its too late? Like I only know to spot greencough once its in full swing and to mitigate it from there but are there even warning signs? Like specific cats I should give it to at certain times? I see how it could be useful with the sore throat thing and poisons but I feel like Im lacking some knowledge here..."

Then there was the last tidbit and Snakeheart basically yelped eyes going wide.
"It can kill queens! What! Why??? Is it dangerous to anyone else, do I have to be careful how much I give, and what specific part of the plant do I even need to use?" At this point the tom was suspiciously eyeing the plant internally wondering if it was even worth it to go through the effort of finding, harvesting, storing and then using it with that terrifying drawback. He trusted the pretty spotted molly, the plant? Not so much.
@spade

[spade]

Cricketpaw tipped her head to the side as Snakeheart's tumble of questions spilled out, amusement causing her whiskers to twitch. It seemed they might be getting somewhere in terms of him opening up and actually being susceptible to the teachings of StarClan. Or maybe it was just her... No, that was a selfish thought. Anyone could've taken her place and Snakeheart would be learning all the same. Still though, the young molly couldn't help but feel a trickle of pride warm her fur.

She hoped that wherever Geckoleaf was that her mentor was proud of her.

"You'll first want to examine their chest for any abnormalities," she began, scooting closer to the tom and placing one delicate paw on his chest. As she began to rub circles, she placed her ear right above where her paw was working, her head under his chin. "You can listen as they talk for any signs of early greencough - shuttering breaths, trouble breathing is another common one..." Moving away and placing her paw back on the ground, she blinked her blue eyes at him. "Most times, it'll start with neck and chest pain - though you want to give it at the first sign of coughing, before it gets really bad. Better to be safe than sorry with it."

"Usually kits and young apprentices are the most susceptible to it during late leaf-fall and leaf-bare. Elders can really catch it at any time, so routine checks for all of them are recommended - even the grouchy ones." Carefully, she picked a few of the stems, lying them out in front of both herself and Snakeheart. "One of the buds should be enough for kits an apprentice, and two or three for warriors and elders, depending on the severity," she explained, pointing out the yellow part of the flower.

Ears perked at the queen reaction, Cricketpaw turned to look at her companion. "Usually accidental consumption won't kill a queen, persay, but yes you do want to keep it away. As far as I know it's not fatal if the cat is not expecting, and you only want to chew the yellow part - it'll be like eating prey for them."

Looking from the flowers to Shakeheart, Cricketpaw couldn't help but smile. "If you're wondering if it's worth it, it certainly is," she purred, batting at his ear lightly with one of her front paws. "This is what saved my father's life when he came down with greencough that eventually developed into whitecough - Geckoleaf was quick in administering it, and the symptoms started to go away within a day or two." She recalled that terrifying day, watching her father helplessly from the stars above as her former mentor worked to treat Russetstar. Thankfully it had worked, and he hadn't lost a life to it.

// @Rani