pafp SMALL WORLD ♪ asking questions

[CASCADESONG]

He's been thinking. And yeah, usually he didn't bother himself with that sorta thing, but ever since that Windclan (Was that who they were called?) patrol had sauntered into town, there were all these questions buzzin' around in his skull. He thought Cicadastar was the only star there was, so who was this Sootstar lady crawling out of nowhere, hissing about respect and whatnot? And now he's wondering... what about medicine cats?

A weary gaze rakes across the clearing for a familiar cinnamon-striped pelt, rough scars and small body. He himself has had some worries since his arrival, standing at the river with the face of someone defeated, bleary, not-really-there. Their words had been strange then, blunt, and yet unsure. Cas' gaze had trailed their steps with a weary eye.

Even as he eased into place, settled into their role with a dopey grin and jokes to spare, Cas had always been... something close to worried, maybe.

Perhaps it wasn't so much of a surprise how he'd reacted, that other day.

He spots them, ears pricking atop his head as he does so. He was never the best at pep talks, at least, he doesn't think so, but at the very least, he could offer simple company. He doesn't betray his concern as he approaches, no, he's all sunshine and rain, posture straight and smile wide. "Heyyyy, Bee! Bee-bee! So..." he draws closer now that his intent of a conversation is known. Sea-green eyes watch them carefully, prepared to ease up on any probing if it was too much. "Star... Starclan picked you out 'cause you're like, a smart guy, yeah? So... hear me out. If there's more than one leader... whadya' think about, more than one medicine cat?" he says, lowering his voice into a dramatic sort-of-whisper. For the effect, anyways, anyone else could totally hear him.

[ Please wait for @BEESONG or @Reed :D ]​

 

[REEDRUNNER]

( ⚘ ) The dulcet weave of Mahi- no Cascadesong's- voice found Reed's ears easily. His chirping tempted their heat-hollowed head from the dust, the feline having spent far too long in a stretch of fierce greenleaf sun. With a shake of their broad ears, they slugged their bones into cooperation and slumped towards their friend. Halfway there they clocked Beesong, their tabby pelt visible behind the voluminous mass of Cas' fur.

The not-so-secret whispers woke them up a little, interest piqued. He had a point. Reed found themself bobbing their head genuinely on the comment of Beesong's intelligence. Seemed that way. And Starclan- well that was a topic they were very interested in. It just sounded very surreal and strange. Other cats had told of their silken night forms and celestial demands. Reed just didn't know how any of it worked.

And so, matching Cas' conspiritorial tone they chimed in softly, "How... mmm how did you even find out anyway? M-maybe other cats got the same?" Perhaps they descended from the sky again, or intervened with divine foresight?
​

(WALK 'TIL YOU'RE RESTLESS, SLEEP 'TIL YOU'RE TIRED )

 

[BEESONG]

The cheery voice of Cascadesong does not fail to reach them, the cinnamon tabby lifting his head from the assortment of herbs that lay at his paws, holding back the flinch that dares to reveal itself upon the sudden noice. The red tabby's optimism brings a grin to his own face, leaning towards the taller tom with eyes wide, swaying as the world spins from the sudden movement. "Hello, Cas-cas!" He echoes the other's greeting with a twitch of his whiskers, a hum of laughter reverberating in his throat. His mood has improved since his headache had faded, leaving behind a strange elation... yet his movements still possess a lingering weariness, his grin not quite reaching his eyes. He isn't quite sure what is a facade and what is genuine anymore; he's fallen too far into this routine of pretending.

They do not expect to be complimented; rather, they've grown to expect disappointment or something akin to it. One could not be surprised if they've expected the worst, after all. But Cascadesong calls them smart, which almost earns him a snort. "Maybe," they reply with a shrug, the word wrapped in layers of cynicism and disbelief. It's always nice to hope that's the reason why, but their optimism has long since been buried fox-lengths upon fox-lengths beneath the dirt. Still, Cascadesong does have somewhat of a good point. Beesong hums, brows furrowing as they think. "It makes sense, doesn't it?" They glance around at the camp, nodding. "I mean, RiverClan isn't special. Why would we be the only ones with medicine cats?" No, they're nothing special. They are all just cats trying to survive and protect the ones they love. And, from a logical standpoint, it wouldn't be sensible to deprive the other clans of a medicine cat. Illness and injury could easily wipe out an entire clan.

Or maybe that is StarClan's grand design, to control the warring by thinning their numbers. Maybe it's a punishment for being the causation of so much suffering.

Beesong could hope, but he must expect the worst as well.

His lips purse, momentarily, before he snaps from his thoughts and lets his face fall into an expression of neutrality. Listening to Reed, nearly flustering at the approval the chocolate smoke gives at Cascadesong's compliment, Beesong blinks at the question. He doesn't hesitate to answer, accustomed to obeying without second thought. "I kept having dreams," his head tilts towards the sky, only to drop quickly as the sun burns into his eyes. "Of the river, and cicadas. Every single night... Until I was drawn to this cavern the night before I came." Beesong's eyes scrunch as if recalling the blinding light from the crystals. There is a phantom pain behind his skull. "There was this... large stone that reflected the light of the moon from a hole in the ceiling. And when I touched it..." His throat grows tight, remembering Rain's starlit figure standing before him. "In my sleep, I talked to Rain. He told me that I was RiverClan's medicine cat." Beesong forgets in that moment that the pair might not know who Rain is.

He shakes his head, chuckling to himself as if it was all just a bad dream. "Pretty crazy, yeah?"​

 

[SMOKESTAR]

The brittle grass overwatered and crinkling beneath his paws was the only signifier of his presence outside the shadow he cat, almost as tall as he was-stretching out across the clearing at the center of the camp almost ominously. Though Ember's expression did not settle on his previous visage of indifference but rather something a little more intrigued. This was the first time he'd heard spoken of the direct connection to the dead that guided this entire spectacle forward. To him it was simple: life didn't simply end when you died. It couldn't be that final, couldn't be that echo of emptiness that he once thought would be all of their fates one day. That something else was there, surely it was true. What sort of world would this be if you died and that was it.
This talk of StarClan and deceased cats molding the dissaray of loner groups and lost souls into something more shaped, it did sound crazy. Absolutely asanine and foolish. A tale for kits to dream of things better than being buried in the ground to feed the worms. But he believed it, silly as it might be. Wholeheartedly even.

"It would make sense..." The dark tom finally approached properly, rather than listening off to the side and as he sat he looped his tail into a neat curl at his paws, "Pardon....couldn't help but overhear." Because Cascade was whispering the same way a kitten whispered, hissing their words loudly as if the tonal shift would keep them subtle-not that this felt like deliberate hushed conversation. "...though if there is a Sootstar to parallel Cicadastar..there is a medicine cat to parallel you surely." His burning gaze locked onto Beesong briefly, he knew only faintly that the tom came from SkyClan and how odd it was that the stars would uproot someone for a destined role. Did SkyClan not need a medicine cat too? Perhaps they had picked another? Who knew...was having two medicine cats not something allowed? "Odd though that it would just be you...I would actually guess there might be more healers to balance out how large the groups will get....you'd think there'd be more than one each clan even." Eventually kits were going to be born, eventually new cats would join in time, the size of the clan would double, then triple...to have it all fall on Beesong's small shoulders seemed almost cruel. What would they do if anything happened to Beesong too? Die slowly? What a mess. Maybe that was why there were other medicine cats in clans as well-to help their fellows? It was sensible.
Ember fell silent then, his tone had remained neutral throughout and his words clipped and curt; he'd talked enough most likely for the week let alone the day itself. But it was all rather interesting to think about.
​

riverclan --- warrior--- tags

 

[Frostdrop.]

GOT A HEAD FULL OF SPIDERS​

---

Frost tended to mind her business but at the whispers of Cascade and Beesong's responses and Ember chiming in, Frost couldn't help but making her way towards the others, bi-colored eyes examining all of them with a curious look in her eyes before she frowned slightly at the words tossed about. She shook her head a bit before curling her tail around her paws to listen in on what was going on. Something about dreams and telling Beesong that they were the medicine cat and Ember's words, comparing Cicadastar and Sootstar together and she snorted a bit before looking up at Beesong calmly. "A dream was the reason you were made medicine cat? But aren't dreams normally like... just dreams? Nothing more?" she questioned calmly with a tilt of her head, bi-colored eyes showing signs of confusion in them.

She looked over at Ember as he prompted his own thoughts and ideas, one of a second medicine cat and she hummed at the thought of there being more than one and she frowned a bit. "But why would they allow more than one? If what Beesong said, you'd have to be chosen by this...Starclan, so why would they make more than one cat 'special'?" she asked with a shake of her head, none of that made sense to her, but of course she was just a former loner who barely knew of the "clan's" ways so she couldn't really say for much.​

"speak""Thoughts"​

 

[REEDRUNNER]

( ⚘ )Beesong's mention of dreams had Reed's eyes slit almost comically, thoughts spinning as they considered their own night-time memories. The feline didn't think the visions of slipping onto a gelatinous river were relevant though...

With a shake of their floppy ears they recentred on the conversation, immediately overwhelmed by the cats that had encroached in the meantime. Shuffling back not so subtly Reed cautiously listened to their input. Ember's consideration was a fair one- why wasn't there another healer? It would definitely help Beesong out. The cinnamon cat seemed tired more often than not, a sight that often left them feeling disheartened.

Giving Cas' an uncertain look, for their own benefit, they then piped up after Frostdrop. "It would be, h-helpful- Could the stars be waiting for uh, another suitable medicine cat?" Clouded jade eyes strayed to the ground, brushed across by a chalk-painted paw nervously.
​

( WALK 'TIL YOU'RE RESTLESS, SLEEP 'TIL YOU'RE TIRED )

 

[CASCADESONG]

The warm greeting has his whiskers twitching in amusement, a further grin spreading upon his face as he acknowledges the arrival of his friend. They bring up good points, all of them. Surely that had to be the case. A -star and medicine cat seemed to be a handy pairing, leader and healer respectively. Even is Sootstar was a little... interesting, Starclan saw her fit enough to give her lives, so why not her very own medicine cat? That word Ember uses... parallel, woah. It brings totally new thoughts to his mind. "Like a reverse Beesong?" he questions, eyes going wide at the thought. "Windclan's medicine cat: Spiderscream." He's calling it now, that's it.

Though... Soot isn't exactly the opposite of a Cicada, so he supposed it wasn't a direct parallel. It was trickier than that. Dreams. imagine being given your destiny through dreams. Is that why they'd came here so suddenly, even when his eyes were dead and body sagged with effort? He didn't even seem to like the water that much...

That wasn't very nice of them.

No, there must be a reason. They just gotta connect the dots. "Whadya' think a Windclan medicine cat would dream of? Soot— fire?" That sounded like a horrible dream. He probably wouldn't show up for a destiny like that. This whole thing seemed kinda... Not great. With Frost's words, he lets out a hum, face twisting into a look of confusion. "You could say that with Cicadastar too though, an... that's not true anymore, there's another star, so..." Eventually, he nods in agreement with Reed "They're totally waiting for another, yeah?"​