OVERCLOCKWISE \ medicine cat ceremony

[BERRYHEART]

Everything dressed in blue... lovely. Beauty was something so often taken for granted by those who took no time to observe it- but Berryheart knew well the art of observation, had taken many an afternoon to simply appreciate the aesthetics of his new home. It was yet another merit he found in the forest- speckled with golden light, verdant even as the leaves began to fall. But this place- for he could only assume this stone, lit seemingly from within, was indeed the moonstone- was like no other he had ever encountered. Azure light painted black fur navy, white splotches starlight-blue. It had been... easy to find, even in this darkness. An aimless trek- seemingly so- had lead him here. And yet, it still whispered... or perhaps he just needed a nap.

As he closed in, a nose touched ice-cold stone, and everything faded away. No, not faded- more was seized by a sudden claw, a strike.

In dreams did white-toed paws often step; Berryheart knew the plain of reverie well, having spent a good amount of time there, though there was something about this slumber that felt distinct. Despite knowing he was not within his body, there was a distinct lack of the delirium that dreams often waltzed with- no, in this world, this ghost-lit clearing, he felt entirely awake. Aware.

It was this awareness that allowed him to feel the eyes boring into the back of his head- and such a feeling brought with it the surge of deja-vu. That feeling of being watched had brought this destiny crashing down upon him in the first place- the Executioner, lingering behind him and delivering to him the truth of his future. But thinking of it that way sounded so... obligatory. It was not mandate that had brought him here- no, it was a compulsion as fierce and driving as any he had ever felt. Dulled eyes, hooded in the pleasantry of this wonderfully unique experience, moved with his cranium to fix upon his observer.

"Hello." It was quiet, spoken with the slightest lilt of a smile. There was a spirit here, star-sequinned- did he recognise that face?

/ @HARE WHISKERS !!!! ​

[ PENNED BY PIN ]​

 

[HARE WHISKERS]

It's under somber conditions that the young tortoiseshell is brought here on this night. A mistake by the stars themselves, a call that had cost a life, and nearly more. It is not what StarClan had hoped, not at all. What was meant to be a new beginning full of peace and hope and love had become blood-stained the moment it had begun. Not even the spirits themselves could foresee what the first cat he called here would do with her newfound role.

But the stars would be hypocrites if they didn't take their own advice and move forward. So move forward they did. A new chosen one, a new healer for ThunderClan. A new omen-seer, a new pair of ears on which delicately weaved prophecies would fall. Yet another cat he himself knew in his marsh home.

"Hello, Berryheart," The grizzled tom greeted, husky tone alight with celestial vigor. Shimmering paws bring him closer until he stands before the warrior with his head held high, ember eyes boring solemnly into the other's. "You've listened to our call. Thank you."​

 

[BERRYHEART]

Yes- yes, he did know this tom. Amber eyes, though starlit, gazed to him in their levelled greeting. And words flew moon-touched, echoed from his maw- it was Boss Guy, in the flesh. Or rather, in the soul, he supposed... illuminating the clearing like a lightning-bug, blue. An uncommon colour in nature... it was precisely why it was his favourite. In its rarity upon forest floor, the hue had become a prize- and here it was presented to him in abundance, and spoke, spangled. He returned the greeting, head dipped in polite acknowledgement. Only then did he turn completely around, facing the tom he had known so many moons ago.

"No problem. I had to check there hadn't been a mistake." His words exited his awry jaw carefully, dropped eyes letting a slow blink overtake them. Drowsiness usually seized him through such an action, but... not now. Could he dare to think about slumber in this company? It occurred to him then that the fact he was in this company was an answer in itself to his curiosities. Our call. That compulsion- had it been just curiosity?

Berryheart's brows furrowed, his expression illustrating clearly that he was thinking of his next words carefully. A gradual baritone delivered his pondering. "So I'm to be their healer? Just like that?" As much as he tried to level his apprehensions, he could not help the thickness in his tone, the apprehension that refused to dislodge itself from his throat. Never, never had he been unprepared- and even if he had been, it would only have been himself he was letting down. Now- a whole Clan was to look to him when ichor, that which sent his head spinning, was spilling out from them?​

[ PENNED BY PIN ]​

 

[HARE WHISKERS]

The bicolor's eyes twinkle in amusement as the slightest of smiles creases his jaw. "Just like that," He affirms, giving the tom a small nod. He eases himself back onto his haunches and continues, deep voice thunderous. "We believed we had made the right choice with Cinderfrost. We were wrong. Your clan bleeds now because of our mistake - you are the cobweb to staunch that bleeding. You will care for them, heal them, guide them with the messages you receive. You will be their link to us, their ancestors." He stands once more and pads closer, now only a mouse-length away from Berryheart.

"With our help, you will serve ThunderClan for many moons. Berryheart, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between clan and clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?" Twin burning suns stare into lopsided olive spheres, the old tom waits, filled with the hopes and wishes of every spirit he walks with in this glimmering forest.​

 

[BERRYHEART]

And there it was- his answer. How lovely to have it concrete- that this transition was an instantaneous one, not anything he had to do anything for. Of course he had to learn his medicine- of course- but the title was bestowed upon him with the words of a spirit and nothing more, and it would be through his own merit that he was to gather knowledge of how to truly be their healer. Cobwebs... yes, they bound wounds, stunted bleeding. And what lovely poetry, that he was to be ThunderClan's binding gauze... this galaxy-written destiny was beginning to sound rather dreamlike.

Almost letting his eyes shut, Berryheart's mind snapped back to attention, aware that letting his whims whisk him away for even a moment would be detrimental to his understanding of what he was truly getting into. Boss Guy closed in, firelight eyes burning into his. They stained his vision with their brightness- and though there was clearly one pair of eyes, one nose, one spirit before him, the speckled tom's chest swelled with the feeling that there were more onlookers than the empty clearing was letting on.

He could not deny the weight of the vow presented to him. Serving for many moons- protecting all cats equally, even at the cost of his life. Always had he been cautious in demeanour- apart from the Great Battle Berryheart had never feared for his life, and even in that conflict it had been him who had spared his opponent's life. But who would he be to deny this? An opportunity, a destiny that was unique to him- something that would truly set him apart, and fulfil the gap in his knowledge that was holding him back from knowing all!

Nodding, he banished his uncertainty. To falter in the face of this would be folly. ​

[ PENNED BY PIN ]​

 

[HARE WHISKERS]

That nod lifts a weight off of Hare Whiskers' starry shoulders as he lifts his chin, the corners of his lips turning upwards in a slight smile. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I name you medicine cat of ThunderClan. Learn from the other medicine cats, for their will teach you what they know. You are your clan's link to us, Berryheart. Use our messages and words to guide your leader when she must look to the stars. You will know what to do." He leans forward to press his nose to the tortoiseshell's, and the clearing seems to spring to life. The trees glow brighter than they had before, and even the ground underpaw shines brightly. The glimmering around them grows and grows, blinding, until it is engulfed in pure, white light. When Berryheart opens his eyes again, he will be back at the Moonstone, the moon beginning to set.

// SORRY THIS IS SHORT I'm sick but wanted to finish the ceremony for you </3​