Username: uunicorn
Cat Name: Whitewhistle
Gender: She-cat
Rank: Medicine cat
Clan: Spiritclan
Age: 4 years
Prompt:"Our dearly beloved medicine cat has decided its high time they take on an apprentice to pass their knowledge to, to which end I grant Strawberrykit the new name of Strawberrypaw, may you serve our clan as wisely as your predecessors."
Whitekit's heart sank, all that time practicing meditating, learning the scents of various herbs and helping out in the den with injured cats, all for the grouchy old medicine cat to choose someone else as their apprentice? She knew she was still young yet, but surely it wasn't an egregious sin to choose a young apprentice, or better yet, wait until she was old enough. As the clan cheered and yowled for the new apprentice she felt tears brim at her eyes and turned away, slinking back into the shadow of her den.
Moons passed and Whitekit became Whitepaw, still roped into helping collect herbs and materials, after all, most of the other apprentices didn't know which ones could help the healing process and which would hinder it. Great. Her vast knowledge came in useful for
Something at least... Her disdain for the clan's medicine cat only grew, as she had curled in on herself, becoming a silent, brooding figure in the camp. But her anger would not hold forever.
When they got sick, Whitepaw found herself once again at the old cat's beck and call, but it was not quite the same this time. Perhaps for some cats, the knowledge that waiting to take on an apprentice could have left it too late would have thawed their icy feelings, Whitepaw understood, but a small part of her disappointment remained, Strawberryfur, busying herself around the medicine den fretfully, was still but an apprentice too, surely she must also be lacking sorely for the knowledge that her mentor was meant to pass on. Whitepaw's thoughts drifted but the clammy paw grasping onto her jolted her mind back to the sick old cat, eyes dulled and tired, looking straight through her almost. "You will understand with time, apart one day, team the next." The words flowed with ease, lacking the coughs that usually accompanied them.
But she didn't understand, not then at least, and even when the beloved medicine cat had left them, and she had joined Strawberryfur, pooling their knowledge and earning their warrior names together to better serve their clan, she still didn't understand. Perhaps she never would, but the words clawed at her thoughts often.
