Post by Dragon on Nov 11, 2009 22:35:28 GMT -5
Acornfur crouched low in the cool grasses; it was windy on the moor like any other day. Her thin fur supplied little to fight back from the cold that was coming forward from probably some foreign north place. Her small body was trembling from the onslaught of wind and icy rain. She wished it would just snow; at least it wouldn't get the immediate satisfaction of drenching her pelt. The grass was getting soggy beneath her light body, and mud crept up her legs achingly slowly, stealing the warmth away from her already shivering body. She wondered why she decided to go on this dreary night to the place where she would be made a true healer, ever since her mentor disappeared without a trace she had taken up the spot of healer and sometimes it was more then she bargained for, working alone like this. She thought about bringing an apprentice into her den, even though she was still young. Hollowpaw seemed like a good cat to take the place... but she wondered sometimes if it was the wrong choice to make that sad little apprentice come into such a stressful position.
She tried not to think so hard when rain was pelting her, she often thought the little streams on the moor would flood from this constant rain but nothing seemed to be happening yet and their leader, Redstar, was taking no action to do anything about it. He was a proud leader, but fair and good-humored. It brought her to think about Willowstar... She was an older cat, bound to the traditions like a flea to an elder's fur. That leader was proud, too proud sometimes, MistClan usually wasn't so rash but under her rule they were going to plunge into battle with her mother's old clan. Three of her siblings lived there. She paused and looked back, rain slapping on her face. In the distance she could see the smudge of trees along their border. No one would be out tonight, no one but her.
The to-be healer had her head bent forward, ready to face the wind and rain. For once she wished that there were so many hills here. The mud had made them slick and difficult to scale, it cased her muscles to ache and her paws to slide down the steep hills. Water rolled down the hill tops and the constant trouble to avoiding rabbit holes was another annoying issue that she had to deal with. Every so often with her eyes closed tightly against the rain she would get her paws stuck in one of the pesky holes. With a frustrated hiss she would struggle out, smearing her fur with thick mud as she did. Downhill was always the easy, already wet and muddy the usually quiet and sophisticated she-cat would slide down the watery hill with a yowl of exhilarated excitement. Her amber eyes would grow wide and it would be an easy ride until Acornfur's face would plant into the soil at the bottom. It seemed like she had been going forever when in the far distance she began to see the stone cavern, where the mooncloud resided. A feeling of relief swept through her chest as she thought of being in a dry place, even for the smallest of moments. Her paws gained a little speed as her destination come closer and closer by the second.
Acornfur gripped the last warmth in the center of her core; her paws were long since numb and dead. Same with her tail and entire face. It had been an arduous journey from the comfort of her camp and nice, stone den to the barren moors with not even a rabbit to speak off. Even the rabbits were smarter to venture out of their burrows into this hateful weather. The healer hardly wanted to be out here herself, but this was something she had to do or she would never be truly respected in her clan or in SilverClan. She burst into a true MoonClan run, the wind whirling with her and the rain barely noticeable now. Clouds of hot air erupted from her small muzzle as her heart beat quickly; she felt the feeling beginning to return to her paws and face. At first her body tingled with the new warmth, but after a moment it felt like she had just awaken and the charger feeling had her bolt forward with new strength. The cavern came closer and closer, she could practically feel the warmth of its insides. "I'm coming MoonCloud and I'll share tongues with you SilverClan!" She panted, her strides growing long until she skidded upon the entrance staring in awe at the yawning blackness.
She froze immediately, rain streamed off pelt, rolled down her legs leaving trails of cold sensations. The entrance was huge; and you couldn't see anything past the first few fox-lengths. She swallowed slowly, a feeling of terror crawling through her fur causing it to bristle with apprehension. She'd never been in there alone before, with the rock walls on all sides, someone could be driven crazy if they didn't have the faith to deal with the darkness. Acornfur looked at the slate gray sky; she was going to go through it at its darkest. The MoonClan cat heaved a sigh and she took her few steps into the darkness. It seemed almost soothing at first, not seeing anything. It was until the cave sides began to brush her flank. At the first feeling she stood stiff, afraid that she would become caught, but she knew it was down this path and she summoned her courage to continue on. Her head lowered and she felt her pelt beginning to dry and ruffle out.
Her soft paws came down silently on the cold ground; she could hear the thrum of rain upon the roof of the cave. She looked up and her brow creased slightly, she edged forward more wary then before. By now the walls were uncomfortably close to her, but finally the grip was loosening and it was widening into a very spacious clearing. Acornfur glanced around, seeing nothing more than a clearing, she was familiar with the ceremony she was about to experience but it seemed so odd to have nothing here. But as she stood there, an eerie mist began to filter through the cave. It just seemed to appear out of pure nothingness, the mist was silver and pure, but it seemed to have a life of its own. Tendrils of it curled around her neck and body, and a subtle tub brought her forward. The healer looked anxious but she didn't protest, she just did what she was told. The mist filled the hollow slowly, and as she breathed she began to feel a great feeling of drowsiness overcame her. She sank to the ground, it was warm and cozy and soon she was sleeping soundly on the ground of this mystical place.
The first moments of sleep felt odd, it was black and snug. She could have stayed like that for awhile more after her tough traveling, but something had her awaken. Things were blurry for a moment, but when her vision focused she found herself in a calm moor. It was silent, the hills were green with soft grass and the sky was a perfect blue with fat clouds of cotton. This place felt safe and welcoming, she stood slowly gazing around the still place. Acornfur padded forward, glancing around with a cautious look to her face. Was this SilverClan if so... where are all the cats? She frowned and sat on the soft grass, suddenly a lone figure began to appear on the grassland. She was a tall cat, but slim and regal looking with a knowing expression on her face. Her pelt was sleek and of tortoiseshell color, her eyes were a mix of green and blue and they harbored a smart expression. Acornfur instantly saw this cat as her grand-mother who she never knew.
"H-Hawkstar!" She stuttered, she'd never seen this cat walking the ways of SilverClan. The she-cat dipped her head vigorously; she remembered stories of her, were they all true? Her mother had told her things before she died, was Hawkstar going to be angry with her that she had come on a night, other than the night of the half-moon? She cowered beneath the leader, her ears pinned against her head. "Are you angry with me, Hawkstar?" She asked, keeping low to the ground lest the SilverClan cat showed anger with the timid she-cat. Nothing happened, Hawkstar stood over her with a calm expression that seemed almost serene.
"Do not fear, young one." Her voice sounded so familiar, like a distant voice she’s heard before. It sounded lovely and smooth, full of intelligence and affection. Acornfur forced her eyes upwards to look at Hawkstar. She was smiling down at her, at least she knew she wasn't angry with her. She relaxed visibly and dipped her head for calmly to the leader that stood before her, she saw the tortoiseshell pad toward her and placed her velvety nose on Acornfur’s forehead. A happy feeling burst from the touch and all her fears vanished quickly, “I am not going to hurt you, but we must not wait or daylight will steal the night." She took a step back and peered into the clear blue sky. MoonClan descendants began to appear around her, and she recognized a few of them, her own father was there and surprisingly Bramblefire sat beside him even though she wasn't fully of MoonClan. Pinetwig sat beside their mother; her lively green eyes were just as friendly as they used to be.
Acornfur stood straighter, looking at Hawkstar, she was showing an unusual amount of fortitude but she didn't want to appear scared in front of her family and ancestors. She frowned and tried to appear serious and true. Hawkstar seemed to amused as she puffed out her white chest, she called out in a powerful voice to the others around her. "This is a ceremony usually dealt with by these Healer's mentors, but hers is gone and I shall fill the space her mentor has left!" Her words were followed by silence, though a few nodded to her knowingly, "I, Hawkstar, former leader of MoonClan look upon our ancestors to grant this Healer safe healing through her days! She had trained hard to learn the herbs and to understand the ways of the healer. Do you, Acornfur, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?" Hawkstars were intense and she seemed to stare right through the young cat.\
The Healer stood proud and sucked in a lungful of clean air before she answered, she had been healing her clan for moons before now. "I do." The two words took so much out of her, she felt weak kneed at the sudden weight of commitment she had but on herself. But she stood as strong as she could, not with will to break the eye contact with Hawkstar. Pride filled the leader's face and Acornfur felt a little less weak and tiny next to her. Hawkstar came closer to the healer, Acornfur could feel the leader's breath on her face, it was warm and smelled of heather. "Then by the power of SilverClan I give you the proper rank of Healer, since you already have you name. SilverClan will honor your loyalty and skill, as we welcome you as a full Healer!" The space was filled with polite cheering, but it began to fade away quickly, and the world became dark. Acornfur woke with a start, the hollow was lit with a feeble light, and she could see the last wisps of mist sneak away.
Acornfur stood up, refreshed by her sleep, even though it was hardly sleep at all. She turned to the way she had come, a bright light was at the end of the tunnel and usually elders warned about such signs but she knew it was the light from the day outside of this sacred place. She strode through the tunnel with no fear in her heart of the walls closing in, as the light was guiding her way back home. As she reached the end of the tunnel, she had to close her eyes for a moment, her eyes adjusting to the brightness. But as she raised her head she could see the sky had cleared from the storm the night before, and dawn was coming over the hills, dying the moor in a delicate pink. Acornfur for a moment basked in the welcome sunlight; it didn't carry very much warmth but after being in the dark in was wonderful just to see it again. She took a step into the wet grass, pride filled her frame, she came into that cavern a timid apprentice, despite her name, but she had come out a strong Healer of MoonClan.
She tried not to think so hard when rain was pelting her, she often thought the little streams on the moor would flood from this constant rain but nothing seemed to be happening yet and their leader, Redstar, was taking no action to do anything about it. He was a proud leader, but fair and good-humored. It brought her to think about Willowstar... She was an older cat, bound to the traditions like a flea to an elder's fur. That leader was proud, too proud sometimes, MistClan usually wasn't so rash but under her rule they were going to plunge into battle with her mother's old clan. Three of her siblings lived there. She paused and looked back, rain slapping on her face. In the distance she could see the smudge of trees along their border. No one would be out tonight, no one but her.
The to-be healer had her head bent forward, ready to face the wind and rain. For once she wished that there were so many hills here. The mud had made them slick and difficult to scale, it cased her muscles to ache and her paws to slide down the steep hills. Water rolled down the hill tops and the constant trouble to avoiding rabbit holes was another annoying issue that she had to deal with. Every so often with her eyes closed tightly against the rain she would get her paws stuck in one of the pesky holes. With a frustrated hiss she would struggle out, smearing her fur with thick mud as she did. Downhill was always the easy, already wet and muddy the usually quiet and sophisticated she-cat would slide down the watery hill with a yowl of exhilarated excitement. Her amber eyes would grow wide and it would be an easy ride until Acornfur's face would plant into the soil at the bottom. It seemed like she had been going forever when in the far distance she began to see the stone cavern, where the mooncloud resided. A feeling of relief swept through her chest as she thought of being in a dry place, even for the smallest of moments. Her paws gained a little speed as her destination come closer and closer by the second.
Acornfur gripped the last warmth in the center of her core; her paws were long since numb and dead. Same with her tail and entire face. It had been an arduous journey from the comfort of her camp and nice, stone den to the barren moors with not even a rabbit to speak off. Even the rabbits were smarter to venture out of their burrows into this hateful weather. The healer hardly wanted to be out here herself, but this was something she had to do or she would never be truly respected in her clan or in SilverClan. She burst into a true MoonClan run, the wind whirling with her and the rain barely noticeable now. Clouds of hot air erupted from her small muzzle as her heart beat quickly; she felt the feeling beginning to return to her paws and face. At first her body tingled with the new warmth, but after a moment it felt like she had just awaken and the charger feeling had her bolt forward with new strength. The cavern came closer and closer, she could practically feel the warmth of its insides. "I'm coming MoonCloud and I'll share tongues with you SilverClan!" She panted, her strides growing long until she skidded upon the entrance staring in awe at the yawning blackness.
She froze immediately, rain streamed off pelt, rolled down her legs leaving trails of cold sensations. The entrance was huge; and you couldn't see anything past the first few fox-lengths. She swallowed slowly, a feeling of terror crawling through her fur causing it to bristle with apprehension. She'd never been in there alone before, with the rock walls on all sides, someone could be driven crazy if they didn't have the faith to deal with the darkness. Acornfur looked at the slate gray sky; she was going to go through it at its darkest. The MoonClan cat heaved a sigh and she took her few steps into the darkness. It seemed almost soothing at first, not seeing anything. It was until the cave sides began to brush her flank. At the first feeling she stood stiff, afraid that she would become caught, but she knew it was down this path and she summoned her courage to continue on. Her head lowered and she felt her pelt beginning to dry and ruffle out.
Her soft paws came down silently on the cold ground; she could hear the thrum of rain upon the roof of the cave. She looked up and her brow creased slightly, she edged forward more wary then before. By now the walls were uncomfortably close to her, but finally the grip was loosening and it was widening into a very spacious clearing. Acornfur glanced around, seeing nothing more than a clearing, she was familiar with the ceremony she was about to experience but it seemed so odd to have nothing here. But as she stood there, an eerie mist began to filter through the cave. It just seemed to appear out of pure nothingness, the mist was silver and pure, but it seemed to have a life of its own. Tendrils of it curled around her neck and body, and a subtle tub brought her forward. The healer looked anxious but she didn't protest, she just did what she was told. The mist filled the hollow slowly, and as she breathed she began to feel a great feeling of drowsiness overcame her. She sank to the ground, it was warm and cozy and soon she was sleeping soundly on the ground of this mystical place.
The first moments of sleep felt odd, it was black and snug. She could have stayed like that for awhile more after her tough traveling, but something had her awaken. Things were blurry for a moment, but when her vision focused she found herself in a calm moor. It was silent, the hills were green with soft grass and the sky was a perfect blue with fat clouds of cotton. This place felt safe and welcoming, she stood slowly gazing around the still place. Acornfur padded forward, glancing around with a cautious look to her face. Was this SilverClan if so... where are all the cats? She frowned and sat on the soft grass, suddenly a lone figure began to appear on the grassland. She was a tall cat, but slim and regal looking with a knowing expression on her face. Her pelt was sleek and of tortoiseshell color, her eyes were a mix of green and blue and they harbored a smart expression. Acornfur instantly saw this cat as her grand-mother who she never knew.
"H-Hawkstar!" She stuttered, she'd never seen this cat walking the ways of SilverClan. The she-cat dipped her head vigorously; she remembered stories of her, were they all true? Her mother had told her things before she died, was Hawkstar going to be angry with her that she had come on a night, other than the night of the half-moon? She cowered beneath the leader, her ears pinned against her head. "Are you angry with me, Hawkstar?" She asked, keeping low to the ground lest the SilverClan cat showed anger with the timid she-cat. Nothing happened, Hawkstar stood over her with a calm expression that seemed almost serene.
"Do not fear, young one." Her voice sounded so familiar, like a distant voice she’s heard before. It sounded lovely and smooth, full of intelligence and affection. Acornfur forced her eyes upwards to look at Hawkstar. She was smiling down at her, at least she knew she wasn't angry with her. She relaxed visibly and dipped her head for calmly to the leader that stood before her, she saw the tortoiseshell pad toward her and placed her velvety nose on Acornfur’s forehead. A happy feeling burst from the touch and all her fears vanished quickly, “I am not going to hurt you, but we must not wait or daylight will steal the night." She took a step back and peered into the clear blue sky. MoonClan descendants began to appear around her, and she recognized a few of them, her own father was there and surprisingly Bramblefire sat beside him even though she wasn't fully of MoonClan. Pinetwig sat beside their mother; her lively green eyes were just as friendly as they used to be.
Acornfur stood straighter, looking at Hawkstar, she was showing an unusual amount of fortitude but she didn't want to appear scared in front of her family and ancestors. She frowned and tried to appear serious and true. Hawkstar seemed to amused as she puffed out her white chest, she called out in a powerful voice to the others around her. "This is a ceremony usually dealt with by these Healer's mentors, but hers is gone and I shall fill the space her mentor has left!" Her words were followed by silence, though a few nodded to her knowingly, "I, Hawkstar, former leader of MoonClan look upon our ancestors to grant this Healer safe healing through her days! She had trained hard to learn the herbs and to understand the ways of the healer. Do you, Acornfur, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?" Hawkstars were intense and she seemed to stare right through the young cat.\
The Healer stood proud and sucked in a lungful of clean air before she answered, she had been healing her clan for moons before now. "I do." The two words took so much out of her, she felt weak kneed at the sudden weight of commitment she had but on herself. But she stood as strong as she could, not with will to break the eye contact with Hawkstar. Pride filled the leader's face and Acornfur felt a little less weak and tiny next to her. Hawkstar came closer to the healer, Acornfur could feel the leader's breath on her face, it was warm and smelled of heather. "Then by the power of SilverClan I give you the proper rank of Healer, since you already have you name. SilverClan will honor your loyalty and skill, as we welcome you as a full Healer!" The space was filled with polite cheering, but it began to fade away quickly, and the world became dark. Acornfur woke with a start, the hollow was lit with a feeble light, and she could see the last wisps of mist sneak away.
Acornfur stood up, refreshed by her sleep, even though it was hardly sleep at all. She turned to the way she had come, a bright light was at the end of the tunnel and usually elders warned about such signs but she knew it was the light from the day outside of this sacred place. She strode through the tunnel with no fear in her heart of the walls closing in, as the light was guiding her way back home. As she reached the end of the tunnel, she had to close her eyes for a moment, her eyes adjusting to the brightness. But as she raised her head she could see the sky had cleared from the storm the night before, and dawn was coming over the hills, dying the moor in a delicate pink. Acornfur for a moment basked in the welcome sunlight; it didn't carry very much warmth but after being in the dark in was wonderful just to see it again. She took a step into the wet grass, pride filled her frame, she came into that cavern a timid apprentice, despite her name, but she had come out a strong Healer of MoonClan.
