Username: Woebegone
Cat Name: Palemoon
Clan: Juniperclan [not yet created, this will be my founder]
Rank: Medicine cat
Gender: Female
Age: Thirty moons
Prompt: (400 words + 1 art/extra max)
If one were to walk through the rows of twoleg nests and through the carefully contained forest at the end of the street, they would find a long-abandoned house. Should they enter the hazardous building, they would find a thriving colony of cats, sharing the shelter through the night only to part ways each morning.
At least, they
were thriving.
If one were to enter the house now, they would hear the rough, labored breathing of a dozen sick cats.
Palemoon lived among this sickly colony. She spent all her time nowadays gathering herbs and testing them, searching desperately for something that helped alleviate the illness. Everything she tried seemed to fail. With countless days and sleepless nights spent searching and nothing to show for it, she began to consider giving up.
It was then that the healthiest of the colony gathered, saying their goodbyes as they fled, hoping to spare themselves of the sickness. Palemoon realized how dire the situation had become.
That night, she fell into a fitful sleep, finally letting herself rest as hopelessness consumed her. She dreamed of herbs and of their uselessness in the face of this strange illness. As her dream faded out, she saw an herb she'd never used before- one that she had been raised to fear.
She awoke with a start and searched her memory, forgetting all of her dream but the last few moments. A flash of red appeared in her mind, and she forced herself to her feet, slowly making her way out of the house and into the yard. She finally stopped at the base of the Yew tree. Kits were taught to fear the tree the moment they could walk, and to
never eat anything that came from it.
But her dream consumed her thoughts. The red berries seemed to call to her, and with the stars watching over her, she gently pulled them from the tree. With shaking claws, she plucked the dark seed from the berries' center. She was faced with a decision, now; to trust her dream, and take the risk of consuming deathberries, or to continue desperately searching the area for something that could help.
As her legs collapsed beneath her, the last of her strength ebbing away, she realized she truly only had one hope. Closing her eyes, putting her faith in the stars, she ate the first berry.
[399 words]
[[Does research count as an extra? If so...]]
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