A Fresh Start [SparkClan meeting]

[Risa [Isis]]

[glow=red,2,300]Don't settle for the cold and rain,
It's not too late to start again;xo[/glow]

The leader stepped into the clearing, each footfall careful, as if he were afraid to stumble. The feline's thick, golden fur seemed to stand out against the ashy-gray landscape in his camp. His forepaw was raised, the one that had given him his warrior name, as he poised himself to jump upon Tall Rock. He leapt up, hardly scrambling for a hold, his hard muscles like fluid as he made the leap that was natural to him, after moons of assuming this role.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath Tall Rock for a Clan meeting!" Despite his dull, emotionless gaze that peered down below him, Lightstar's voice was strong, echoing through the camp, reverbrating off the stone walls. He watched as his warriors slipped from their dens, coming to gather below him.

He felt a sense of pride, seeing them come together in such a time of joy, but he couldn't drag himself to show it. It seemed like such a burden, now-a-days. His tail flicked, curling around his paws as he called for Silentsong and her new apprentice, Mirrorpaw.

[novanebula]

Mirrorpaw smiled as she proudly walked up to the tall rock after her new mentor, Silientsong. Despite her seriousness it was obvious that the young apprentice was quivering with excitement. Her bright blue eyes gazed up at her leader with enthusiasm and excitement.

[Risa [Isis]]

Mirrorpaw gazed up at Lightstar, proud and enthuisastic. The young she-cat's emotions were strong, and vibes were sent through the crowd of cats, and they each smiled happily. Quiet chatters filled the cave as they commented on her caring heart, her sleek shining pelt, her perfection for the role of medicine cat. The leader looked down, and could easily spot his sisters, Whiteheart and Goldstreak. The two were watching the new apprentice affectionately, as if she was their kit.

For a horrible moment, this reminded Lightstar of his own mother, and he felt unsteady on his paws. The cavern swayed, swirling around him, a heavy ringing in his ears and dizzy with his loss, he thought he would fall off Tall Rock, but then his gaze shifted back to Mirrorpaw and Silentsong. The sight of his medicine cat and her apprentice calmed him, and the world stilled once more. This happened in the span of less than two seconds, and nobody noticed; their attention was all on the young she-cat.

As he focused on the escatic Mirrorpaw, it brought a touch of a smile to his maw, his lips curling upon themselves. His eyes grew to turquoise flames, bright and alive with a dead fire. This was his Clan, alive and proud. They would pull through.

"SparkClan!" He yowled to quiet his Clan. "StarClan have shown Silentsong a cat willing and able to follow the special path of our medicine cat. She is determined, and will help tend to our Clan and learn the secrets only medicine cats know, with help and guidance from her mentor. This young cat before you has already recieved her name before our ancestors. It is time now to recieve her name before you, her Clan.

"From now until the day she earns full medicine cat status, she will be known as Mirrorpaw!"

The SparkClan camp was filled with meows and yowls of their approval. A tide of calls, "Mirrorpaw! Mirrorpaw!" overwhelmed the air, and Lightstar watched with a glitter in his eyes.

ooc;; I don't think there's an actual ceremony for announcing a new medicine cat to the Clan, so I just sorta threw one together. XD

[novanebula]

[occ: Haha, I see what you mean. ]

Mirrorpaw smiled with confidence. Then a flicker of three cats flashed before her eyes. One of which she knew quite well and the other two quite strange to her. One of the strange cats had long sleek silver fur, with a dark face and neck. Her tail and paws too were a dark grey. The other cat had pitch black fur with red stripes. The two things that intimidated Mirrorpaw the most were the cats' eyes and their strange wings. The first cat had striking deep blue eyes and moonsilver wings. The black cat had black wings with red tips. His eyes though were a defying Blood red to her.

Fear struck through her pelt and she let out a yowl of pure terror. What was this? She had experienced this once before at Star Island when she had first became the medicine cat apprentice. She layed down shaking with fear mixed with embaressment. The first cat she saw was nightpaw, then the other two followed. Nightpaw had died a moon ago, meaning he had joined starclan. Was her former lover sending her a message from starclan? And who were these other two cats? what did they want with her? She had not been an apprentice for no more then a day and she was getting signs. But when she had seen Nightpaw his expression was almost worried and fearful, as if he knew something were about to happen.

The newly made apprentice finally looked up at her leader in embaressment. "S-sorry Lightstar. I ah... kicked a rock and hurt my paw accidentally. Thank you though for making me the medicine cat apprentice." She smiled slightly and appologetically. [/size]

[Risa [Isis]]

ooc; lawlz ;P
I'm gunna make Lighty see them [Firegaze&Icegaze] briefly, cos hes a leader and all

bic;;
Lightstar watched from atop Tall Rock, his eyes a warm tide of affection.

Suddenly, his paws tingling and he saw a shadowy flicker from the corner of his eye; two figures, felines - though appearance was dilluted as they were thrust in shadows. His gaze flickered as alarm washed over him, but as his eyes focused he lost sight of them. As if they had never been there. Nobody else seemed to notice, their attention all on Mirrorpaw.

Suddenly, Mirrorpaw's alarmed wail rang out, and his attention snapped back to her. Not a moment later, she glanced up, her gaze anxious but quickly overcome with something almost sheepish, leaving no trace of her worry. His eyes narrowed curiously, but it died as she gave her explanation. Something in the back of his mind reminded him that the apprentice hadn't tripped, stumbled or even moved, let alone kicked a stone to cause such a yowl. Unfortunately, the SparkClan leader could not bring himself to want to know why she had lied.

"Do not thank me, Mirrorpaw," he murmured in response, "for it was StarClan's will." He dipped his head, the twinkle in his eyes dimmed slightly.

[novanebula]

Mirrorpaw looked up with worry. "Um, Lightstar, may I speak with you?" She didn't know why but mirrorpaw felt like she had done something completely wrong. She decided to tell her leader and wait to tell her mentor later that night. She was also afraid that if she told her mentor they would come back. Even now their faces haunted her mind and she needed someone older to know.[/size]

[Risa [Isis]]

Lightstar leapt from Tall Rock as the meeting ended. He passed by his sisters, Goldenstreak leaving for a hunting patrol. He flicked his tail to WHiteheart's shoulder, before grazing Goldenstreak's flank as he passed in gentle acknowledgement of their prescense. This was how their life was now, the sisters leading separated, distinct lives from their brother. It had only changed recently, and he knew they longed for the old Lightstar . . .

The bulky leader heard his name called from behind him, and his ear twitched. He recognized Mirrorpaw's sweet voice, and turned to see her looking after him with a sense of urgency about her. His whiskers twitched, wondering what it was she needed to talk about, and he nodded swiftly. He bounded over to her, easily slipping through the crowd of cats as they dispersed to their duties.

"Yes, Mirrorpaw, we can talk. Here, in my den, if you don't mind." He smiled kindly, his dark ringed tail brushing along her flank reassuringly, though his eyes seemed to shadow anxiously. He padded towards his den, a crack in the stone just beneath Tall Rock, as he was not too keen to being overheard. Leading the way, he stopped by his mossy nest, sitting beside it. "Go ahead," he meowed in a low tone, giving Mirrorpaw his full attention.

[novanebula]

Mirrorpaw trembled with fear. "Lightstar, I-i think i saw starclan at my cerimony, b-but I am not sure. Cause I saw nightpaw there. I-i don't know what they were trying to tell me--" Her voice broke off as she looked down at the ground. Her eyes wide with fear and curiousity. "What do you think they want with me Lightstar? They didn't tell me anything, and the two other cats i saw had wings. They didn't seem like starclan warriors." She shivered violently. "I know i am a medicine cat Apprentice, but would they come to me so soon? And Nightpaw looked like something was very wrong. It scared me. One was r-r--" She cut off not being able to say anything more.

[Risa [Isis]]

Lightstar froze, his eyes widening as Mirrorpaw told him in a hushed voice, as if she were afraid they would reppear. Three spirits? He had only seen the two - but from what Mirrorpaw said, he thought they must be the same that Mirrorpaw had seen.

"No, I don't believe they were from StarClan. I saw them too," Lightstar admitted hesitantly, glancing around before lowering his muzzle, his voice dropping in sync with his maw. He remembered Nightpaw, Mirrorpaw's friend from kithood, and his tail twitched. "Perhaps Nightpaw's come to warn you - us - about something to come. Something to do with the two other spirits."

The tom's ear pricked as she cut off, wondering what she was too frightened to say.

He kindly licked her shoulder, hoping to calm her. His yellow tabby pelt rippled down his flanks as he shifted; the turquoise orbs probed the apprentice's curiously, anxiously. "It's okay, there's nothing to be scared of. They are gone now; you can tell me."

Worry for Mirrorpaw, Silentsong, and his Clan struck him deeply, bringing out the ferocious warrior that had lain to rest long ago.

[novanebula]

Mirrorpaw looked up at her leader. Her eyes round with fright. She looked around as if worried someone would over hear her. "Lightstar One looked at me with large blood red coded eyes. His gaze fell on me as if I was a ladybug in new-leaf. It was as if I was still a kit in the nursery. His wings were a bright red. The other figure looked down at me with the same cold gaze but Her eyes were an icy blue. She had wings of a silvery blue. I could smell their sent as CLEAR as the sky is blue or the river's rushing water." She shivered. "Then there was nightpaw. His eyes were his gentle chocolate brown yet they were troubled like something really bad was about to happen. His gaze was sorrowful and worried. It was like my whole world drowned in the sun-drown-place." She was tierd and scared. "I want to tell Silentsong but I'm afraid."[/size]

[Risa [Isis]]

As Mirrorpaw told him, shivers tore through the tom's spine, making his hackles bristle. Blood red eyes. Ice blue eyes. Trouble to come. And wings - he had never heard of a cat spirit with wings.

And StarClan had given no warning of it to Silentsong? To any medicine cat in the forest? How was this so?

He wanted to reassure the new appretice, but what could he say? That StarClan had indeed warned them of this, that Silentsong was well aware, that Silentsong wouldn't be mad. Lie - it was an outright lie.

"Why - why are you afraid?" he asked slowly, his eyes closing briefly as if to hide away from the world. But he brought himself out of it, dragging himself to help before he could bury himself in the pit once more. HIs Clan needed him. His eyes opened again and he looked at Mirrorpaw. "SIlentsong is your mentor - she is there to help. She will support you, and the Clan."

These words, at least, were true.

[novanebula]

Mirrorpaw looked up at her leader with large sad eyes. "Well I had the same dream when i went to visit starclan to become an apprentice. I wanted to tell Silentsong about it but she wouldn't talk to me at all. She just came strait home and went in her den. I didn't want to make her feel any worse then she already was. She seemed so sad Lightstar. I couldn't help but not say anything. She wouldn't listen to me anyway."

She looked down at her paws and sighed. "Maybe I'm not fit to be a medicine cat in silentsong's mind. I mean I fell in the water when I woke up because I saw those strange cats. I can't help but feel like something bad is going to happen lightstar."[/size]

[Risa [Isis]]

Lightstar met her gaze, noticing the sorrow sparking in her eyes. He felt so bad, for not being able to help her in such a trying tiime. But he could reassure her that she was not alone, that she would get through this.

"Silentsong may be dealing with her own problems right now," Lightstar told the apprentice gently, wondering what the mute medicine cat's problems were anyway. He had never noticed anything wrong, not really anyways. Was that a sign of his bad leadership, or a sign of how well she hid her troubles? He didn't know. "But that does not mean you aren't fit for this role. Silentsong asked for you specifically," he admitted, leaning forward to nudge Mirrorpaw's shoulder gently.

"If something bad is going to happen - and something bad usually does, Mirrorpaw," he continued, his quiet meow hardly echoing off the cavern walls, "we will get through this. Together - as a Clan, with StarClan to guide us."