The Third Gathering

[Raccoonstar]

NIGHTLEAF

Nightleaf smiled at Smokeleaf, for clearly she did not realize that this young tom was medicine cat now! Of course, she had only known because of half moon, which apparently Smokeleaf did not recall. Her smile rapidly faded as Silentstar spoke. As a medicine cat, she knew she shouldn't judge, but Silenstar awoke a strange feeling inside her that included both fear and admiration. She didn't know why this happened, but she shook the strange feeling away and continued to sit silently, both in voice and in thought.

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

[glow=green,2,300]Stormleaf[/glow]

"How is IvyClan?" Nightleaf asked. Stormleaf noted with irritation that she probably thought he was still an apprentice. He shrugged it off immediately. It wasn't her fault.
"IvyClan's doing well," he replied, curling his tail around his paws. "We have a few new kits--healthy one's too." Amusement crept into his voice as he added, "I just hope their tempers are more pleasant than some of our warriors."

"Late? It's your mentor who's late. Where is Redleaf?"

Stormleaf blinked as Smokeleaf spoke. He hesitated for a moment. The question was inevitable and he had been expecting it. But his voice still sounded choked as he replied.
"It's Stormleaf now," he murmured. "Redleaf died of Greencough not two moons ago. Didn't Silentstar announce it?"
He fell silent. Why didn't Silentstar announce Redleaf's death? Was it because he thought that a young tom like Stormleaf taking over an experienced medicine cat's job was a weakness? Or perhaps he forgot in the excitement of becoming leader. Stormleaf flicked his tail dismissively. It didn't matter. Now that the other clan's medicine cats knew, he didn't have to worry about it anymore.

Stormleaf watched as they registered this somewhat shocking peice of information. Had Redleaf been close to any of the she-cats? Sure, medicine cats knew each other--it was a natural part of the job. But had he formed any close friendships?
Looking into his felows' eyes, Stormleaf couldn't detect any emotion other than brief surprise and slight sadness, not the mourning of a dear friend. Then again, he thought, they were as skilled at hiding their emotions as he was. But still, they were from other clans. Why would they be friends, especially with IvyClan, who were known for being cold and distant.

Shrugging again, Stormleaf's ears twitched as Silentstar spoke. His voiced warmed.
"Yes, Woodstripes had her kits," he purred to the medicine cats. "It was a fairly easy birth. She probably could of done it on her own."

He noted the other cats expressions as Silentstar finished his short speech. They were unsure about the IvyClan leader, Stormleaf could tell. And why shouldn't they be? he asked himself. Look at all that we have done in our past. All that our leaders have done. He couldn't blame Silentstar for IvyClan's history; Silentstar had only been a leader for a few moons. But he had the makings for a cruel and short reign. Stormleaf hoped that his leader would rule wisely.
He absently looked up, realizing that he had been daydreaming. Hoping that the other medicine cats hadn't been paying too much attention to him, Stormleaf sat up straighter, his green eyes emotionless.

[glow=blue,2,300]Hazelpaw[/glow]

Hazelpaw frowned as Falconpaw replied.
"I don't know. Maybe--"
She fell silent as Silentstar started his speech. More IvyClan kits? She hoped they grew up to be friendly and not a jerk like she heard Windpaw was.

[Seafeather]

Seastar

It seemed as though all of the clan leaders were here. Silentstar had talked of new lives, so she would let him exert his happiness. She nodded her head for him to speak first. She didn't want to speak first. She had nothing good to say besides the fact that they had three new apprentices. Seastar was feeling a little dizzy...having no good sleep for a while then going on a long trek through hill and dale wasn't the perfect combination. Then Seastar suddenly felt weak, then she was falling. Falling! She tried to upright herself but couldn't before she smacked into the ground landing flat on her back. The air rushed out in a whoosh. Then all went black, the only thing Seastar recognized was pain in her neck and a sharp tense pain in her left back leg.

Skyleaf

Skyleaf nodded along with Smokeleaf, Stormleaf, and Nightleaf. Smokeleaf made an awful comment about Redleaf being late. Didn't she know? She would wait for Stormleaf to tell her, she wouldn't tell Smokeleaf. She wouldn't dare. Blackness came over Skyleaf for a split second, then the feeling of falling. Seastar was falling from the fifth to the lowest branch back to the ground. "No!" She screeched then ran to her, Smokeleaf running past her.

Spottedwing

Spottedwing just flicked her tail to Iceglade who was pretending to play deaf when the unthinkable happened. It was as if it was in slow motion. Seastar...falling...to her death? "NO!" She ran faster and comprehended the situation much faster than most. Then thud, she hit the ground. "SEASTAR!" She screeched. "SEASTAR! SEASTAR!!"

[Fallinggaze]

Fallinggaze----
Fallinggaze had seen something moving out of the corner of her eye. She looked up and saw Seastar lying on the floor. With eyes widened, Fallinggaze ran to Seastar where her eyes were shining with tears of disbelief.
"Seastar! No Seastar!" shouted Fallinggaze. "Be alright! Be okay!"

[fαllεη •]

The news fell onto Smokeleaf's heart like a boulder. Redleaf, dead? Her old friend... She stared at Stormpaw, now clearly Stormleaf, with shock in her eyes.
Redleaf died of Greencough not two moons ago.
And she hadn't even come to the Gathering that night, not even to hear of her old friend's death. Redleaf. He'd been as good a friend as she'd ever had, doing his best even under the reign of Shatteredstar. He'd lent her herbs when seasons were especially tough, and she turned a blind eye -ha ha- to do the same, when he'd accept them --which wasn't very often, and even then, he would declare it 'just relieving her of her debt'. They had talked, following the same route to the Moonstone, for most of the time after she succeeded Pebbleleaf, and for the time when she worked alongside him. Pebbleleaf had liked the IvyClan medicine cat well enough -Pebbleleaf liked everyone- but had never understood why Smokeleaf had felt the need to befriend him. Maybe it was because, unlike her, he'd looked forward to being a medicine cat. Because he'd always defended his clan with everything he had and had a passion that belied his chosen walk of life. Despite the fact that he'd been IvyClan, and thus not prone to affection, their sharp banter had always kept her wits about her.

And now he was gone.

Smokeleaf closed her eyes, refusing to let the medicine cats -by StarClan's whiskers, they were all so young!- see her grief. But she wouldn't cry; she never had. After all, she'd see Redleaf again soon, wouldn't she? Every half moon. She could keep seeing him, if StarClan willed it, exactly as she had every day before his death... She told herself this. It seemed to make it better, and yet at the same time it was so much worse. What if StarClan didn't want her to see him? What if there wasn't enough time for them to talk? How in the Dark Forest's name would Stormleaf cope? He was so young... 'Oh Redleaf. What did you do to deserve this?' Nothing, of that she was sure... But Stormleaf was still young. She'd seen him at the medicine cat Gatherings, and Redleaf had told her that he was a competent apprentice. Still, she hadn't asked after him, and he hadn't told her anything. A strange vision of herself getting sick clouded out her good eye, and she flinched. If something happened to her, FrostClan would have no medicine cat. What then?

Suddenly, there was a sound to her right -curse that blind eye!- and she looked up in time to see Seastar. Falling.
Her mind couldn't comprehend what she'd just seen for a few moments, and she had to fight the urge to laugh. Hysteria. She was fighting it, and she would win. All she needed was a little time to get over the hilarity of the situation. Mighty Seastar, falling like a baby bird... Revulsion flashed across her face as she realised what she'd just thought. 'Have you no shame?!' But before she could properly berate herself, she bounded through the mess of cats, pushing aside those who would not get out of her way. If you asked her, she would tell you that it was urgency; certainly not an outlet for her grief and self-loathing.

"Get out of my way," she growled, pushing her way to where her leader lay. A brief bubble of the sick, sick amusement welled up in her chest, but she crushed it. Seastar had fallen right onto her back; there was a possibility of damage to her backbone or the top of her head, and her left hind leg had taken a good pounding of the impact.

---

((OOC: Sea, can I ask for the extent of the damage? I don't want to say something about a bone breaking through the skin when all you had in mind was a scratch or two XD.
To Sunrise: I'm sorry if you don't want me to power-play their history like that; I'll happily change it ^^;))

[owlfeather]

Owlfeather saw Seastar with the corner of his eye, and as she fell to the ground, his heart skipped a beat. "Great StarClan!" he breathed, and then made his way to her. All of the cats were gathered around her, and he leaped upon a boulder and yowled: "LISTEN TO ME! If you do not get away from her, none of the medicine cat's can help, so FAN OUT!" his voice echoed through the hollow, and he awaited the silence of the cats.

[Fallinggaze]

With chaos in front of Fallinggaze, she ran off, and found her apprentices.
"Mother!" shouted Firepaw. "What happened?"
"Quiet my apprentices, everything will be just fine. Let the medicine cats do their job," calmed Fallinggaze.
"We're not kits anymore," reminded Sunpaw with a smile.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Dewpaw. "But seriously, what happen?"
Fallinggaze closed her eyes, "Seastar fell!" she whispered dramatically with fear and sorrow in her voice. She opened her eyes to see her apprentices' eyes widen and their jaws drop.
"Is she okay!?"
"She'll be okay," said Fallinggaze looking towards the gaggle of cats. 'I hope!' she thought.
"My apprentices," started Fallinggaze with another glimpse. Her eyes fogged with tears as she looked at her paws. "Everything will be fine." A tear drizzled down Fallinggaze's cheek with the words.

[owlfeather]

Didnt you just like.double post? >.>

Quoth Fallen: She did. But I've edited them in, so I'll delete this if you like?

[Seafeather]

Seastar

All was black, and painful. Every time she tried to look for light her head hurt. Everything hurt. Especially her back leg and near her neck. A broken bone? Yes definitely, but whether the pain in her back leg was from her leg being broken or by her broken neck, she wasn't sure. But her upper vertebrae was definitely broken. Light flashed before her, everything looked as if it was greenleaf. She felt no more pain. Water gushed through streams and burst their banks by a tail length, mice flitted through the undergrowth, and birds sang sweet and harmonious melodies. Seastar walked along a trail that was barely worn down and came to the Moonplace. Ranks of starry warriors surrounded the glittering pool, all conversing as if an argument broke out. One, a very familiar one, walked up to Seastar. His white, starry pelt glittering in the sun light, his piercing blue eyes staring straight through hers. "Snowstar!" She gasped. He flicked her mouth with his tail, not being mean, but a kindly gesture.

"It is not your time," he stated. Time? My time to not what? "You must return to your clan, they need you. But one of your lives have been taken, the fall broke your back and it's not recoverable. StarClan have done all they can, you have to work hard to be back where you were. Farewell...my old friend." He faded into darkness as did the others. Seastar was in blackness for a while then moonlight shone on her face.

"Get out of my way!" Seastar smiled. Smokeleaf... Seastar let her head fall back to the ground and fell asleep. Maybe she would wake up at her camp...her lovely camp with the smell of pine and snow.

[//Sunneh// is FuMiNg]

Stormleaf

Stormleaf watched Smokeleaf's expression curiously. She seemed to be taking it harder than the other medicine cats, but, after all, she had known Redleaf longer. Still, Stormleaf couldn't help but wonder...
His attention was wrenched from the elderly she-cat's face as he heard a gasp of pain, then murmurs of horror. Stormleaf turned, almost afraid to look. He berated himself--he was a medicine cat, for StarClan's sake!--then flattened his ears in surprise as he saw Seastar laying on the ground, only her rising and falling chest to show that she was alive. He started to limp towards her, then stopped as Smokeleaf shoved through the crowd of cats to reach her leader. If Smokeleaf couldn't help the leader, Stormleaf thought, no one could. Seastar's medicine cat was the most experienced healer in the forest.
He turned to Silentstar, and saw no emotion in the leader's face. Was Stormleaf experienced enough to save him if he was hurt? Stormleaf hoped so--he hated the feeling of helplessness that came with the inability to heal another cat.
He took another falting step back, wondering if the other clans thought him a coward for backing off, or too cold-hearted to help. If so, they were wrong. He was doing what he thought was best for both Seastar and Smokeleaf. He finally got clear of the circle of medicine cats and sat down, studying their actions. All Stormleaf could do was sit until Silentstar told him it was time to go, or until he felt as if Smokeleaf needed his help. And wait.
He stirred as he felt a sudden disturbance in the air, like the beating of a butterfly's wings. Small, discreet, but life-changing. Stormleaf winced as he realized what it was. Seastar must of lost a life. It was strange that he knew that, since Seastar wasn't even his leader, but he assumed it came with the position. Redleaf had mentioned that once, Stormleaf remembered. He shifted slightly, fascinated.

OOC: That's fine, Fallen. ^^ Fantastic, even. XD

[Seafeather]

*sings* Fallen, reply!! lol you can delete this ^^