Shade of Bracken

[♫ E§he ♥]

Brackenstripe lay in udder darkness. He couldn't decide if we was asleep or unconscious or.... dead. He Felt as if he had been bound to this black prison for moons, but then again, he had lost all track of time. He had spent only a few moments with StarClan, and they had told him that it wasn't his time. It had only been until a few minutes ago that he had started hearing voices. At first he wandered through the darkness wondering if he could find the source, but finally concluded that they came beyond his prison.
The darkness began to fade to a blur of browns and greens. The voices he began to recognize. Falconcry... Sunwing... Cinderstar. His eyes still were blurred, but he began to feel the soft moss beneath his banded pelt. He let out a groan, frustrated at his vision for not letting him see clearly. He tried to force the vision to clear, but it was like a dream he could not wake up from.
Slowly, his sight returned. He realized he was in the Medicine Cat den. That explained the strong scent of herbs.
He realized that he had not been fight with his vision, but struggling with his heavy eyelids.

He groggily raised his head to see the slender golden-baked pelt of Sunwing, the ash-gray pelt of Cinderstar, and the twilight-brown pelt of Falconcry. He let out a groan, suddenly realizing the intense thirst that burned in his throat.
The three were chatting urgently, and Brackenstripe didn't like to be ignored.
"What's there to eat?" He rasped. His belly gurgled as if with agreement.

[Måø§†]

Sunwing jumped out of her trance of thought as Brackenstripe suddenly woke from his unconscious slumber. She sighed with relief, Brackenstripe had not walked a oath to StarClan. She cringed as he rasped a few words. The words were unclear at first, but before she tried to understand them, Sunwing padded over to the small pool of cool pine water. When she got there she spoke, "Water. You shouldn't eat until you've replenished your thirst. You sound awful by the way."

Without waiting for a reply she grabbed a piece of moss and dipped into the water, it came out soaking and fresh. Bringing it over to Brackenstripes side she held the wet moss over Brackenstripe, squeezing the water into his slightly open mouth.

When she had finished, she laughed. He had missed the entire show. But her face turned serious again, it wasn't something to laugh about. Brackenstripe had been a tail away from staying in StarClan. And now, he might never be the same. He may not be able to recover correctly, and fight the way every apprentice trains to fight.

[Silver]

Cinderstar had been chatting urgently with Sunwing and Falconcry when Brackenstripe awoke. She felt instantly relived that Brackenstripe was alive. He croaked a few horse words, and Sunwing fetched him some water. Cinderstar turned to Falconcry, the medicine cat, and slipped outside. A warm breeze carried the scent of quickly approaching new-leaf. She padded over to the fresh kill pile, grabbing something for herself, Brackenstripe, Falconcry, and Sunwing. Sunwing's earlier words still echoed in her mind. You must learn not to doubt your decisions, because every decision you make teaches you things. Embersky is a great deputy, and I have chosen my place as a warrior, the brave and wise advice had confused Cinderstar at first, then surprised her. It seemed so... beyond her moons to say. But everyone wonders if they made the right decisions. Everyone. It is part of life... she shoved all thoughts aside as she re-entered the medicine cats den. She gave Sunwing a vole, Falconcry received a plump mouse, and Cinderstar gently placed a bird in front of Brackenstripe. She sat back, and chewed thoughtfully on the left-over squirrel. "You missed quiet a bit back there Brackenstripe. Be grateful to Sunwing and Falconcry, for you may not be in as good of a position without them," she mewed. It was true; the whole victory belong to Sunwing, and Falconcry had done a wonderful job of fixing everyone up. The only one that escaped with more than a handful of scratches was Brackenstripe. She nearly flinched as she remembered how Pantheress had leaped upon the warrior, while she had sat by and done nothing.

[♫ E§he ♥]

Brackenstripe nodded numbly at every question asked, his head still buzzing from the loss of blood. When Sunwing gave him water, most ran out the side of his mouth. His muscles began to ache, and the back of his neck was sore. He heard Cinderstar's voice, but couldn't turn his neck to look into her eyes. He swallowed what water stayed into his mouth, soothing his sand-paper throat.
"How long have I been asleep?" He croaked. His stomach growled with such intensity, that it almost made his jump.

He craned his neck, groaning about the pressure it put on his wound. He ate so fast that he almost inhaled a few feathers. He collapsed back into the moss nest, sighing with relief that he could now rest his neck. He looked to Cinderstar with a thankful expression. He could already feel the strength flowing back into his bones.
"What happened to Scarredheart?" He asked, his voice now sounding more like the brightness that everyone was used to.

[Silver]

"You've been asleep for about a day," Cinderstar said, burying the remains of her meal. "And Scarredheart is Scarredheart no more. We will refer to her as the name she had chosen for herself. Panteress," Cinderstar said all this with her normal eerie calm. "She escaped, but I have a feeling when-if- we see her again, she will be no threat. A friend, even," she said softly. Suddenly uncomfortable, she rose to her feet. "May StarClan grant you speedy recover and good health," she mewed, before leaving the den. Outside, she paused to soak up the sun's warm rays. In the distance, she could here birds calling to one another. New-leaf is here, she thought happily. But he happy thoughts were disturbed as Willowears came up to her. "Have you seen Embersky? I haven't seen her since the ceremony," he said with his usual casualness. Cinderstar scanned the clearing, as well as her memory. She realized she had not seen Embersky since the ceremony, either. When she had called for Embersky this morning, there was no reply. Embersky never showed up for the patrol either. "No, I haven't seen her lately," she said. If someone had looked upon Willowears and Cinderstar, they would have seen they had adopted the same posture, standing tall with ears alert and tails wrapped around their paws, speaking in the same casual tone.
"Thats not good," Willowears mused. He stood up, and padded back over to the elders den. Cinderstar asked some warriors, then slipped inside the medicine cats den again, slightly disturbed. "Have any of you seen Embersky? No one can scent her any where," she mewed, her voice wavering. One thought kept running through her mind. I will have to appoint another deputy! it was then she noticed that Falconcry wasn't there. "Where's Falconcry?" Now the panic was noticeable. She took a few moments to regain her cool.

[Måø§†]

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