, lost in the a r o m a {dapplesong}

[Fogstar]

»Slowly, the tom's jade orbs fluttered open, revealing a slightly mishapen atmosphere. Faint rays of sunlight filtered into the den, and he could just barely hear the sounds of giddy apprentices waking their mentors.

It seems so long ago that I was Fogpaw!

Purring to himself, he rose to his paws and performed the same daily ritual; strech limbs, shake peat moss from pelt, and have a drink of the water that pooled up in the back of his den after it rained. Leaping down the boulders with great expertise, he gave a curt nod to the warriors who were grouping together a dawn border patrol. The fresh kill pile was full, the weather was perfect... what more could a cat ask for? But he knew very well that something bad was going to happen.

When the moon shines bright, and four become one...

Trying to ignore the nagging voice in his head, the leader decided that the best thing to do was hunt- it always seemed to calm his nerves. Slipping through the thorn tunnel, Fogstar quickly found himself on the ridge that surronded the camp. Where would he hunt today? Gazing across the thick forest, he decided that he would make his way towards the old twoleg nest. He hadn't been that way in StarClan knows long!

Trodding along the forestfloor at a swift pace, it wasn't long before he heard, and inhaled fresh blackbird scent. And behold, there it was, eating grubs and small seeds at the base of an old oak. Lowering his frame and allowing a majority of his body weight to balance on his haunches, he waited- funny enough, it seemed to be walking right into his paws!

When it was within leaping distance, he sprang forward, paws and gaping jaws outstreched. It didn't even see him coming, and with a small nip to the neck, it fell limp.

Thank-you, StarClan, for providing my Clan with this fresh kill!

Burying it beside the tree for later, he carried onwards. By now he could see the old nest, and several times he swore he could smell the ThunderClan medicine cat, Dapplesong. She was probably collecting thyme or catmint! The scent of the herbs was tantalizing, but the tom knew well enough that she'd probably claw his ears of if he drooled all over her carefully watched crop. Purring at the thought, he approached the crumbling structure.

“Dapplesong?”

He mewed, craning his neck around the stone corner.

[DappleSong]

Blue eyes blinked slowly as the pale grey she-cat looked up, her eyes flashing with irritability as she prepared to snap back a sharp retort at whatever cat was disturbing her. It wasn't surprising that she was going to tend to her herbs, and the she-cat didn't see any need to be so surprised over it.

When she saw it was her leader, though, she paused. It wasn't often that Fogstar called her, as she was often just alone in the den with her herbs. Not that she wanted any company in the first place, though. That would be annoying and unneccessary. After all, if no cat was hurt, there was no need to see the medicine cat. She was only there to heal, not to comfort, and Dapplesong was going to stick to that logic until the day that she went to join Starclan.

With a light dip of her head, the medicine cat turned to her leader, her eyes betraying none of her surprise, nor any emotion, for that matter. "Greetings, Fogstar." She meowed with a flick of her tail.

Her thoughts now turned towards the reason that he wanted to see her. Was there something the matter? After all, there'd been no word from Starclan the last time she had been to Moonstones, and she couldn't think of any reason other than Starclan that the leader would have to consult the medicine cat about.

In the end, she decided to ask for herself. There was no harm in that, was there? "Is there something wrong?" She meowed. "Is somecat hurt?"

[Fogstar]

» The smell of herbs was overpowering now, and the surrounding ground was dappled with specks of light from the rafters in the twoleg nest. He, too, dipped his crown in greeting, taking several hasty steps forward. Fogstar could tell that she hadn't been overly pleased by his appearance. He couldn't blame her, though- he didn't like being addressed so suddenly, either.

“No- the Clan is fine,”

He replied, flicking his tail dismissively. The leader was still debating whether or not to tell the medicine cat about the prophecy- would it be the right thing to do? Surely, she would of said something if StarClan had contacted her as well. Kneading his paws slightly, he continued.

“My apologies if I've- interrupted you, Dapplesong, but...”

Pausing, he looked at the she-cat straight in the eye.

“... It would put my mind to great rest if you could tell me whether or not you've received any signs from StarClan.”

No. He wouldn't tell her- not yet, at least. He needed his ancestors to tell him more!

[DappleSong]

So she was right. Dapplesong figured as much. The she-cat wasn't surprised, really. After all, what else was there to come to a medicine cat for other than to either interpret signs from Starclan, or to heal a wounded cat. There wasn't much else that she could think of to do but answer, though, and that was just what Dapplesong did.

"I haven't recieved any signs from Starclan lately." She meowed with a flick of her tail. "They were unusually silent on my last visit to Moonpool." Having no apprentice, Dapplesong couldn't have mixed views on Starclan's thoughts, and she was certain that if Starclan wanted to say something, they would come to her only, rather than another cat.

The only other option that she could think of was to go to Fogstar, though. And what he was asking her hinted that he knew something that she didn't. This, somehow, irritated Dapplesong, though she didn't view herself as the easiest cat to trust, she surely viewed herself as a cat that could be depended on when a crisis from Starclan was involved in some way.

"It's strange for them to be so silent." She meowed, trying to get at the problem from a different angle. "They usually send me signs about how well or poorly the clans are going to do. Now I'm not sure what to expect for the future. Don't you think so too?" Her last statement was directed at Fogstar, and the she-cat narrowed her eyes, her tail flicking idly as she waited for an answer.