Hey guys! This is probably going to be a shorter chapter, but I hope you like. The next chaper, once again, is going to be a bit longer, so I might not update right away. Read on, my fine friends.
Kavacloud pranced into the tent-like Healer's Den, a tightly woven basket of asorted herbs slung around her shoulder. Her apprentice Cocopaw was doing exactly what the white she-cat had asked of her before she left, sorting cobwebs and hollow rocks filled with colorful dusts. The shelves were at the back of the hollow, where a curtain of lichen swung gently in the breeze.
The little brown Healer-to-be heard her mentor come in, and, with a flick of her tail, swung her head around and met the older cat's violet gaze.
"Oh, you're back! Perfect, I was just finishing up! What do you have for me?" Cocopaw mewed with bright hazel eyes, observing the basket of medicine that she wasn't familiar with yet.
Kavacloud smiled at the apprentice, who had been so keen to learn about medicine even before she was appointed. "Well, on this side here, we have bundles of blackberry leaves," she replied, pointing at a section of light green, serrated fronds, "and when a fellow tribe mate is stung by a bee or wasp, you should chew these into a pulp and give it to the injured cat."
"You can also eat them yourself, you flea-brain," a hoarse voice interrupted from somewhere at the back of the den, cackling playfully.
"Oh, hush up, you old bat!" Kavacloud retorted with a snort, rolling her eyes as the elderly Healer Spritepool trodded into the center of the den with her own apprentice, Thymepaw.
Thymepaw was carrying a stack of dark flowers in his mouth. He looked very pleased with himself, spiky mottled fur sticking up as usual. His electric amber eyes were full of excitement.
Spritepool had been Kavacloud's mentor when she was an apprentice. The two shared a bond like no other cat, and they were almost always together. The tribe would frequently tell them what a wonderful team they made.
The old grey-blue Healer watched her former apprentice with curious oceanic eyes. She had passed on many wisdoms to Kavacloud, and she was doing well with Cocopaw. The onyx stone crest on her forehead started to glow a bright blue with pride.
"Anyways," Kavacloud continued, sending a playful glare at her old mentor, "this group of brown roots are known as burdock. When you're bitten by a rat, you should wash the soil off of them, and-"
"Chew them into a pulp?" Cocopaw finished, glancing up at Kavacloud to make sure she had answered correctly.
"That's right," the white she-cat nodded, "Well done."
Spritepool and Kavacloud locked eyes for a moment, and smiled. Thymepaw and Cocopaw would make excellent Healers one day, although they still had plenty of training to endure. The next couple of moons would be increasingly difficult for the young cats.
"Cocopaw, Thymepaw, would you take this basket and set up the herbs in different piles on those shelves?" Kavacloud asked, glancing down at the apprentices. They both nodded eagerly.
"I'll carry it!" Thymepaw insisted, ducking under the basket's strap and lacing it over his shoulder.
"No fair, I wanted to carry it," Cocopaw muttered as the two made their way to the back of the den, bickering like kits during feeding time.
Spritepool chuckled, "They sure are learning fast, aren't they?" she asked in the hoarse voice she used so often.
"They certainly are," Kavacloud sighed melodically in response, the red crest on her shoulder dimming, "Soon enough, one of them will have to take your place."
Spritepool saw the distressed look on the other Healer's face, and frowned, "Now now," she muttered, tucking her tail below Kavacloud's chin and raising it, "It's all part of StarTribe's will. When it's my time to join them, they'll let me know with illness and sleep. Don't you worry, y'hear?" she finished, gazing deep into the younger she-cat's eyes.
"I'll try not to," Kavacloud murmered, managing a weak smile, "I'll miss you when it's time."
"As I will you. But everything will turn out," Spritepool mumbled.
A soft roll of thunder sounded in the distance, followed by the drowning of the sun around camp. Both Healers furrowed their brows and exchanged a confused glace.
"Funny, a few hours ago, the sky was completely cloud-free," Kavacloud muttered, stepping out of the den and craning her neck over the boulders.
A massive group of blackening clouds were heading their way, filled with lightning and rumbling. They tumbled over the tips of the mountains, swirling and tossing up gusts of cold wind as they went.
Spritepool padded up next to her friend and sat down beside her, observing the weather with concern in her deep blue eyes. Her tail began to flick nervously.
"Storms like these don't usually happen until the start of leaf-fall," the elderly cat stated hesitantly, peering at the oncoming gail.
Before she was able to soothe her friend, Kavacloud was suddenly hit with a blinding flash of strange multicolored light. The world around her began to fade away. She started panicking, crest glowing into the dark that slowly engulfed her. Nothing could be seen. She was floating in a sea of absolute emptiness. The only thing that could be heard was the far away echo of Spritepool calling her name.
"W-where am I?" she trilled into the blackness around her. No cat responded. The singular light around was her red crest, flashing with fright.
You are with us, a voice, soft and quiet, answered her question after a few heartbeats of complete silence. Kavacloud tilted her head and got to her paws. She was still on some sort of solid ground that she couldn't see. In the distance, a faded starry silhouette sat patiently. The Healer took a few steps forward.
"StarTribe..? she asked. Her small voice echoed until it was no more.
I suppose you could say that, the voice replied, come closer.
Kavacloud gasped and nodded her head fervently, picking up her pace and closing the distance between her and the sparkling feline figure. Her heart was pounding violently in her chest. As she approached the strange entity, the world around her sparked to life, flashing awake in different places with bright stars and swirls of silver mists. Kavacloud squeaked with surprise and fell back, glancing around with wide violet eyes.
Come, the voice demanded again, I must tell you quickly, before the storm hits.
Kavacloud scrambled to her paws and bolted over to the starry cat, closing the final stretch between the two. A closer look revealed that the StarTribe member was a she-cat. Her twinkling fur bore a tint of blonde, although her eyes were nothing more than two blinding star-like orbs. She was beautiful and elegant, tail wrapped around her vanishing paws.
"T-tell me what?" Kavacloud asked meekly, dipping her head in respect. This was her first time meeting with her ancestors, holding her own with deep gratitude.
There has been an omen where we live, delivered to us from the stars, the StarTribe cat began, opening and closing her eyes, and you must know.
Kavacloud gulped, and nodded. Her head lowered once again to listen to this noble ghost.
Beware the stone, the she-cat echoed, the evil, the talon, and the thorn will come together, bathing the forest in blood.
Kavacloud raised her head, gazing into the she-cat's eyes with confusion and fright. "Stone? Talon? Thorn? What do you mean?"
The starry cat simply narrowed her eyes and placed a single paw on the Healer's shoulder, sprinkling her white pelt with glittering dust.
The gem and the star must reunite to discover the secrets that lay within.
"What secrets?!" Kavacloud mewled loudly, her heart starting to flip in her chest. The ancestor didn't answer, and instead, began to fade away.
"N-no! Please! Don't leave me, I don't understand!!" the Healer screamed into the darkness where the StarTribe cat once stood.
Before anything could make any sense, the darkness melted into the world she was so used to. The camp surrounded her again, blustery winds of the oncoming storm swirling into her fur.
"Fox-dung, Kavacloud!!" Spritepool's worried voice cut into her haze, a single paw shaking her violently.
"W-wuuhh..." she mumbled, and her eyes sprung open. Kavacloud whirled around and glared into her old mentor's eyes, listening to the scrambling of paws around her. StoneTribe was preparing their dens for a fierce storm.
"I've recieved a prophecy," Kavacloud whispered, flinching at Spritepool's horrified gasp.
"What did our ancestors tell you, dear girl?" the elder asked, her crest lighting up frantically on her forehead.
Kavacloud took in a deep breath, placed her tail on Spritepool's, and opened her mouth.
"Beware the stone. The evil, the talon, and the thorn will come together, bathing the forest in blood. The gem and the star must reunite to discover the secrets that lay within."