A Fourth Arises

[Mama]

LILYDAWN

---

IVYCLAN

MEDICINE CAT, FORMER WARRIOR

FEMALE

---

It was her first medicine gathering without her mentor, Beetleshade by her side. Without somecat to lean on, and help her make the distance across the territories. Without somecat to have the herb packages prepared by the time she returned from gathering plants. Without somecat to help her heal the sudden outbreak in Ivyclan, that was taking lives in the blink of an eye.

Lilydawn hobbled her way along to the familiar trail, her usually bright eyes hollowed out with exhaustion. Perhaps Starclan was punishing her, and her clan. But whatever it was, she needed to push through it. For Ivyclan's sake, and her own. Paws padded through the rubble of the mine, knowing the others would have arrived already or would be waiting inside. As she hobbled her way along, feeling with her whiskers and stumbling down the path, she tried to ignore the stinging of the multiple bruises she had sustained just from the journey here. And, the worry in the back of her mind telling her that her clan needed her, right now. Even the thought of Wingedheart and Greengale covering for her wasn't enough for the tabby to feel fine.

So, with a final step, she sat down and gave a deep sigh. Hopefully they could get some answers, and quickly. Perhaps the others knew where more catmint grew too.

---

A lithe brown tabby, with white splotched by her neck and paws. She has pale blue eyes

---

250 words
♥

next

[Meow]

Frostfall wandered in, her green eyes focused before her in the darkness. There'd been something troubling her for the past few days- a strange feeling of urgency that she couldn't quite place. Life in MistClan remained much the same as it always was, so what was eating at her? As the pale medicine cat moved to join her peers, she let out an irritated sigh, wasting no time with sharing pleasantries as she cast a mere glance toward Lilydawn. There was nothing more than a flicker of interest in her gaze as she noticed the absence of Beetleshade... and then it was gone, and she was moving toward the cavern's moonlit stone.

Then, with a grunt, she plopped down before the shimmering stone and closed her eyes, waiting for StarClan's dreams to overtake her. Impatient and tactless as always.

[gingersnapsdacat]

    Daisypetals padded down into the mines, quickly hurrying to get to the gathering. Tonight, there was a certain pep in his step that had seemed absent for a while. Tonight, he was certain that he would finally be able to speak to Halfpaw, and tell him just how much he was missed back home in MistClan. Granted, all of his attempts to contact the deceased apprentice so far had been met with silence, but Daisypetals just assumed that it had to be because he was just nt very well practiced in talking to StarClan away from the mines. The only time he really did have any luck speaking to them in his own nest was when he recieved the flood prophecy, and even then, it was not him reaching out to StarClan as much as StarClan sending some cat to talk to him, 
The tomcat stepped out into the rubble, surprised to see that he was the first to arrive. 
"Well, I guess it is just you and me Moonstone. Us against the world. Just Daisypetals...and a glowing rock..." 
As usual, he failed to realize that another cat was approaching, until he heard the sound of Lilydawn's sigh. 
"Eek! I mean..um...hi Lilydawn."
He quickly licked his chest fur, trying to hide the fact that one, he had just been talking to a rock, and two, he squealed like a newborn kit. Of course, he was terrible at hiding this, so he just settled down beside Frostfall. 

[Broadwaykat]

It was true of the world that, while you may not have shared the same lands; you definitely shared a similar sky. So while the Medicine Cats of the Clan were preparing their meeting with their heavenly ancestors, there were other cats, miles upon miles away, who were living under the same sky. Not well, mind you; they had lost everything important to them but their lives and each other, and as the days grew on even that seemed to be hanging in the balance.

"Eat this...you'll feel better." A gruff tomcat did his best to be gentle as he tried to coax a smaller cat into eating bits of a mouse that wouldn't be able to fill a kit's belly, let alone be shareable. Shadow may have been good at defending others, but if it was any show of how abysmal his attempts at hunting had been, he was good for little else. The other cat simply turned their head away, refusing to eat, and Shadow had to restrain his own cry of frustration.

Their home was gone. What did they have to go on for. He could hear the murmurings - just as strong as those who wanted to stay together were those who disappeared into the night. Disbanded as there was no place to call home. Left among the lost and dying and those too young to care for themselves. Shadow had had many hardships in his life, but even when he had lost his family and his mate, he had never felt quite so low.

"Fine then - Eat it or let it rot!" He snapped, pacing away with an irritated grunt. Stubbornness would get none of them anywhere. His feet felt scraped raw and finally he paced away to the paltry dent in the dirty that he had claimed as a make-shift nest. Pebbles and bits of twig he didn't have the patience or extra strength to worry about cleaning out poked into his skeletal sides, and he lowered his head to rest in the dust. World weary and dog-tired. And so many looked to him as one of the strong ones.

If there was only something telling him he had something to be strong for.

[GnawingOnIce]

Cedarleap hobbled to the meeting place. Alone. She had been tired and out-of-breath lately ever since a pain had spiked through her chest. She had tried most every herb she could think of but in the end it was all temporary. She had no idea if whatever this was would eventually kill her or eventually go away. If this did end her life, she knew she’d be safe and alright in StarClan. A soft smile came to her lips. Maybe Mothstar would be happy to see her.

Yes, the medicine cat was alone. Her apprentice had, once again, disappeared into thin air. She prayed to StarClan that her next one wouldn’t abandon their Clan. She may be gone by then. This gathering may as well be her last.

Not spotting any of the other medicine cats at the entrance, she hurried into the caves. Just as she thought, the others were already at the Moonstone. The Moonstone’s glory never ceased to amaze her. Cedarleap was going to apologize for being the last one to arrive but decided to just get to it. She plopped down on her belly with a huff and touched her nose to the glowing crystals, letting StarClan guide her dreams and visions.

Tags;; Mama, Meow, gingersnapsdacat, Broadwaykat
Notes;; n/a

[Miss Tactical]

Featherclaw looked at the cats below her stars dancing in her calico fur. A purr rumbled in her throat as she watched one by one the tribe of endless hunting cats cross over into their planes. ”Welcome to your new home!” IvyClan ran with MistClan cats hunting in the starry fields while MothClan shared tongues with the new commers. No boundries were present here. That was the beautiful thing about StarClan. Everyone was under one roof and it was quite pleasant. Her eyes instantly were pulled to a young brown she-cat with an angular face, her fur appeared partially wet.

”Oh you poor thing you drowned didn’t you…” She didn’t even give the she-cat time to speak there was something about her…yes it was her she was the one. Featherclaws eyes flashed just briefly as she looked at Mothstar and Owlstar resting on the warmest rocks. She scowled briefly before looking at the two. ”I can just guess neither of you want to deliver the news huh.” She chuckled playfully shooting her old mate a playful glance. Staring into the pool of water she looked at Doe. ”First we must get shadow.”

Doe nodded before pressing her own nose into the pool of water closing her eyes her starry form appeared before the tom. A soft look in her eyes, she waited as night fell and the dark tom went to sleep. Many miles away, still traveling, many tired and new kits to care for, the tribe had some challenges ahead. ”Shadow….come with me…” Doe whispered into the toms ear. Slowly but surely she guided the tom to bright fields where three other medicine cats gathered sitting before Featherclaw, a MothClan queen. ”The fourth has Risen.” She mewed sitting next to her. She nodded to Shadow to sit among them before looking to FeatherClaw to continue.

Featherclaw nodded firmly before looking at doe then back to the medicine cats. ”This will not be your normally gathering where we let you speak with your old den mates…” She mewed firmly. ”Instead I have a prophecy to deliver to all FOUR of you.” She closed her eyes for just a moment looking at all four. ”When the day comes that the ground shifts, the exiled shall usher forth a reunion of enemies!” In the background you could hear yowling cats, hissing spitting, claws striking what sounded like stone. A great battle played out before them, but underneath that was sickness, fatigue she watched as bodies seemed lifeless in a mass of cats. She shook her head from side to side and let out an exhausted sigh. ”That is all I have for now go home.” Soon one by one StarClan began to fade and the cats were back home.

[Broadwaykat]

At the moment his head hit his paws, he was certain that he would have been asleep. As weary as he felt, he was certain; and yet it felt like his leaden eyes had just closed and someone was waking him. At first, while his eyes adjusted, he was certain it was one of his living Tribemates; and his heart sunk as he wondered what could have gone wrong, what cat had they lost along the way. 

But a glimmer along her sides clued him into the fact that she was not your average cat; nor the fact that he had a sudden burst of energy in his system that made him realize that something was...off.

"Doe?!" He asked, finally realizing where that familiar face was from. He was several years older than the deceased she-cat - and truth be told at the time of her birth he had been busy mourning his own family. By the time of her own demise, he was only vaguely aware of her now-missing presence. But still, he recognized the former prey-hunter. And wondered if she was here to herald his own death.

After so many moons of silence on behalf of their ancestors, Shadow was shocked. Why Him? Why would they reach out to him. He had done nothing special; he was a simple home-guard. And out of all the cats to reach out to him, why not one of his family. Would they not usher him to the afterlife. He looked at his own paws and saw that there was no glow to his own fur; whatever do was, he and she were different. And yet he found himself moving forward with trepidation. 

"What is going - where are we going?!" He questioned, and once the words came out, they spilled out without stop. "Why me? Why have our ancestors grown silent. What about Firstspeaker - What about our home?!" What were they supposed to do. But as he followed her, he began to recognize other cats; from those who had just died, to those he remembered from his own kithood. Behind them, there were others - strange cats who he remembered only from - 

No!

He felt his fur rising along his spine, recognizing cats both dead and alive who he had fought against for the name of his tribe. The Clans. He couldn't smell their odd scents, but he knew they had to be there; and even as their warning, their prophecy - the first one after such a long silence - he couldn't help but feel his hackles raise and questioning whether this was a mistake or not. 

"When the day comes that the ground shifts, the exiled shall usher forth a reunion of enemies!" 

Surely...that meant their destruction? At such a time - weakened, homeless - then the clans would have their last laugh. They would be thoroughly, utterly destroyed. Or...would it. Unsettled, Shadow found himself falling back into his own unsettled body.

So much for sleeping anymore that night.

[GnawingOnIce]

Cedarleap took a step back at the sight of the cats before her. She knew now that this was no ordinary gathering without Featherclaw’s explanation. Her fur raised on her spine at the sight of the other cat. A Tribe cat. At a Clan medicine cat gathering. She recognized them from the battle at Moon’s Maw.

Featherclaw spoke. “When the day comes that the ground shifts, the exiled shall usher forth a reunion of enemies!”

Cats shrieking and hissing sounded all around her. She jumped and looked around frantically, looking for the source. But there was no source. With the deafening yowls was the smell of sickness and death. Cedarleap knew the smell all too well, yet it still made her nauseous. Her breathing quickened as her heart rate did and her chest heaved to catch up. Her mouth hung open as she panted.

She broke into a coughing fit, choking on nothing. She lay down and closed her eyes, gasping, trying to shut it all out. The icyness of the Moonstone yanked her back and she stumbled away from it, panting for breath still. Putting a paw over her heart that was struggling to beat faster, she lay her head on the cool, soothing floor of the cave and lie there for many moments. Cedarleap needed rest, desperately.

Tags;; medicine cats
Notes;; Feel free to interfere with Cedarleap and ask if she’s okay

[gingersnapsdacat]

    Daisypetals awoke in the serene meadows of StarClan. Without hesitation, the flat-eared tom began to eagerly call out the name of his deceased clanmate, searching for any sign of the giant tomcat. He knew that his fellow medicine cats were watching, but he did not care. He had promised his family that he would talk to halfpaw, and that was what he would do. 
"Halfpaw! Halfpaw are you here? It's me, Daisypetals!"
    He was met with nothing but silence.
"Halfpaw?" 
    His voice had lost its former excitement, being quickly replaced by uncertainty and fear. Halfpaw had not come to him in dreams, but to not even find him here? Daisypetals could not understand it.
Where was Halfpaw?
    Daisypetals slowly returned to the place where the others were sitting, his paws feeling just as heavy as his heart. Halfpaw was nowhere to be found. Daisypetals could not fulfill the one promise he thought he had a chance at making. 
"The fourth has risen."
    Daisypetals looked up to see that while he had been looking for his son, three cats had appeared in front of the other medicine cats. One of the she-cats he recognized as Featherclaw, a former MothClan queen, and the other he suspected to be some other StarClan cat that he had not yet met. The last however, was oddly familiar...yet not a StarClan cat. Why was another here? 
This will not be your normally gathering where we let you speak with your old den mates…Instead I have a prophecy to deliver to all FOUR of you.”
Daisypetals felt his eyes grow wide in shock. So the fourth cat was receiving the message as well? But...why?He looked over at the strange cat, and suddenly, everything clicked. 
He's from the tribe!
 Before Daisypetals could even speak, the world around him suddenly changed. Cats were yowling, and everything was chaos. Sickness...war...battle...death... Above it all, Featherclaw's voice rang out, delivering the prophecy. 
"When the day comes that the ground shifts, the exiled shall usher forth a reunion of enemies!"
Daisypetals squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get away from the sad scene. Slowly, it all faded, and when he awoke, he was once again in the mines.