The Whispering Cave

[Fawn]

..

[BEAR.]

Trotting beneath the canopy of trees that dominated the landscape, the silhouette of Aconiteheart followed the worn path to the mouth of the Whispering Cave. Ages of paws had beaten down the earth, hardening it to where life would no longer grow, and the ancient spirit couldn't recall a time when it was different.

Ducking through the entrance, his only pause was an insurance Grouseflurry and Rabbitfluff were behind him. Once the other toms were in his sight, he was gone; further into the tunnel until it opened into the cavern. Aconiteheart settled to a side, his tail wrapped around his paws as the spotted tabby gazed at the glowing stone in the center of the cavern.

"I hope you're already aware of what to do," the all-but-gone medicine cat stated. "But if you're not, for whatever reason - shall I blame the lack of knowledge being passed down? Lay down at the base of the rock, touch your nose to it, and close your eyes. The others will come for you shortly."

[The Cannibal]

Trotting beneath the canopy of trees that dominated the landscape, the silhouette of Aconiteheart followed the worn path to the mouth of the Whispering Cave. Ages of paws had beaten down the earth, hardening it to where life would no longer grow, and the ancient spirit couldn't recall a time when it was different.

Ducking through the entrance, his only pause was an insurance Grouseflurry and Rabbitfluff were behind him. Once the other toms were in his sight, he was gone; further into the tunnel until it opened into the cavern. Aconiteheart settled to a side, his tail wrapped around his paws as the spotted tabby gazed at the glowing stone in the center of the cavern.

"I hope you're already aware of what to do," the all-but-gone medicine cat stated. "But if you're not, for whatever reason - shall I blame the lack of knowledge being passed down? Lay down at the base of the rock, touch your nose to it, and close your eyes. The others will come for you shortly."
In all truth, Grouseflurry never would have expected that he would be the one having to take this journey, he would have never expected that he would be the one receiving 9 lives. When he became deputy, he expected that that's what he would remain as until the day he stepped down due to old age or perhaps because he just didn't deem himself fit for the job anymore. This was anything but what he expected. Was he ready for this? No. But that didn't mean that he wasn't going to try his absolute hardest to do the best he could for this already crumbling clan. They needed stability, a leader, someone who could hold them together while they were crumbling at the foundation. And Grouseflurry, he was going to try to be that cat, he had faith in himself and faith in Starclan to give him the strength and guidance that he needed. Tail held high in his perpetual optimism, the brown tabby followed the silhouette of the long passed medicine cat as he was led the way to the Whispering Cave.

Once they reached the entrance, the deputy would glance at the companion he had invited to accompany him, the stoic Rabbitfluff, a surprising choice but surely Grouseflurry had his reasoning behind it. As silent as ever, which was certainly strange from the talkative, cheery tom, he followed Aconiteheart down into the tunnel, a prickle of unease rippling through him as he walked through the darkness but he quickly replaced it with excitement like a kit walking up to their mentor as they're apprenticed. As the tunnel opened up into a cavern, his green gaze settled onto the sole thing in the room that could catch any cats attention. The glowing stone. This is what he needed to touch his nose to to receive his 9 lives. He was frozen to the spot momentarily, simply staring at the stone. His life was about to change.

Blinking a bit, Grouseflurry moved his attention from the crystal to the ancient medicine cat, offering a kind smile and a nod of his head. "Thank you, both for taking me here and for the reminder, I know what I must do, but the reminder is appreciated." Breathing out slowly and flicking his ears once as if to flick away any sort of doubt or uneasiness, the brown tabby slowly padded towards the glowing crystal, settling down at the base of it, tucking his tail close, before slowly leaning his head forward and touching his dark pink nose to the cold stone and closing his eyes to allow sleep to over take him.

After what truly felt like an eternity by the brown tabby, an eternity filled with emotions so intense and raw they would be ingrained in his brain forever, he would eventually open his eyes with a tiny, raspy groan, clenching his eyes shut momentarily and shaking his head, almost able to feel those 9 individual lives coursing through him, filling him with their virtues. After giving himself a small moment of adjustment, Grousestar would slowly sit up, staring at the crystal a moment longer before turning to look at Rabbitfluff with his signature smile. He was accepted by Starclan as the new leader of Skyclan.

[Fawn]

In all truth, Grouseflurry never would have expected that he would be the one having to take this journey, he would have never expected that he would be the one receiving 9 lives. When he became deputy, he expected that that's what he would remain as until the day he stepped down due to old age or perhaps because he just didn't deem himself fit for the job anymore. This was anything but what he expected. Was he ready for this? No. But that didn't mean that he wasn't going to try his absolute hardest to do the best he could for this already crumbling clan. They needed stability, a leader, someone who could hold them together while they were crumbling at the foundation. And Grouseflurry, he was going to try to be that cat, he had faith in himself and faith in Starclan to give him the strength and guidance that he needed. Tail held high in his perpetual optimism, the brown tabby followed the silhouette of the long passed medicine cat as he was led the way to the Whispering Cave.

Once they reached the entrance, the deputy would glance at the companion he had invited to accompany him, the stoic Rabbitfluff, a surprising choice but surely Grouseflurry had his reasoning behind it. As silent as ever, which was certainly strange from the talkative, cheery tom, he followed Aconiteheart down into the tunnel, a prickle of unease rippling through him as he walked through the darkness but he quickly replaced it with excitement like a kit walking up to their mentor as they're apprenticed. As the tunnel opened up into a cavern, his green gaze settled onto the sole thing in the room that could catch any cats attention. The glowing stone. This is what he needed to touch his nose to to receive his 9 lives. He was frozen to the spot momentarily, simply staring at the stone. His life was about to change.

Blinking a bit, Grouseflurry moved his attention from the crystal to the ancient medicine cat, offering a kind smile and a nod of his head. "Thank you, both for taking me here and for the reminder, I know what I must do, but the reminder is appreciated." Breathing out slowly and flicking his ears once as if to flick away any sort of doubt or uneasiness, the brown tabby slowly padded towards the glowing crystal, settling down at the base of it, tucking his tail close, before slowly leaning his head forward and touching his dark pink nose to the cold stone and closing his eyes to allow sleep to over take him.

After what truly felt like an eternity by the brown tabby, an eternity filled with emotions so intense and raw they would be ingrained in his brain forever, he would eventually open his eyes with a tiny, raspy groan, clenching his eyes shut momentarily and shaking his head, almost able to feel those 9 individual lives coursing through him, filling him with their virtues. After giving himself a small moment of adjustment, Grousestar would slowly sit up, staring at the crystal a moment longer before turning to look at Rabbitfluff with his signature smile. He was accepted by Starclan as the new leader of Skyclan.
Drawing closer to the Whispering Cave, the moral hesitance became overwhelming. While he couldn't think of a cat more qualified to take the leadership from a missing Lemonstar, there were doubts swimming in his head about the timing of this event-- should they give him additional time? Wait for a sign from StarClan? Or, was going ahead without him the best course of action? If Grouseflurry received nine lives from StarClan, that would solidify his status as the leader and reassure them that they weren't making an error in judgment. They couldn't dawdle longer when they were lacking a leader and a medicine cat; this was something that had to be done, and Rabbitfluff remained stunned that Grouseflurry would invite him to such a sacred ceremony but was determined to accompany on this mission.

The visitor he hadn't expected was Aconiteheart, who identified himself as an ancient SkyClan medicine cat and accompanied them in place of Ebonypaw -- it was both an honor and delightfully horrific to be in his presence. Rabbitfluff hadn't realized that when his clanmates said they were being watched over that they were genuinely under the watchful eye of their ancestors.. but as demonstrated this evening, StarClan was never far. With the reassurance of Aconiteheart thinking it was time for SkyClan to move on from a missing leader, Rabbitfluff felt slightly more confident about this journey. The night had been eye-opening for a multitude of reasons and hopefully marked the beginning of new glory for the Clan, as Rabbitfluff was convinced Grouseflurry was the right one for the task. He was loyal and hardworking, not to mention had a heart of gold.

The sight of the Whispering Cave rendered him speechless for a moment, mind unable to comprehend its impossible geometry and natural allure. The gorgeous, dangerously beautiful crystals that lined the cave had stolen the ability to formulate words from the tom. Shaken from his thoughts at Grouseflurry's statement, Rabbitfluff tore his gaze away to offer the brown tabby a solemn albeit shaky nod, trying to hide the barrage of emotions coursing through him: apprehension, amazement, fear, and a distant affection.

Pacing as he awaited Grouseflurry's return to consciousness, sheer relief washed across Rabbitfluff as he finally did after what seemed like an eternity, and he couldn't help but wonder how it'd gone. Given the nature of the ritual, he didn't believe Grouseflurry could provide any specifics, but he was eager to know if StarClan had accepted him as the leader. Once they were at the mouth of the Whispering Cave and preparing to travel back to SkyClan, he glanced toward Grouseflurry, only now realizing the spectral stranger, Aconite, had disappeared. It didn't surprise him, and he brushed it aside in favor of inquiring, "How did it go?" There was an excitement to his meow, reminiscent of a kit on his first day of training. A purr rose in his chest, and he went on, "Should I be referring to you as Grousestar?"

[The Cannibal]

Drawing closer to the Whispering Cave, the moral hesitance became overwhelming. While he couldn't think of a cat more qualified to take the leadership from a missing Lemonstar, there were doubts swimming in his head about the timing of this event-- should they give him additional time? Wait for a sign from StarClan? Or, was going ahead without him the best course of action? If Grouseflurry received nine lives from StarClan, that would solidify his status as the leader and reassure them that they weren't making an error in judgment. They couldn't dawdle longer when they were lacking a leader and a medicine cat; this was something that had to be done, and Rabbitfluff remained stunned that Grouseflurry would invite him to such a sacred ceremony but was determined to accompany on this mission.

The visitor he hadn't expected was Aconiteheart, who identified himself as an ancient SkyClan medicine cat and accompanied them in place of Ebonypaw -- it was both an honor and delightfully horrific to be in his presence. Rabbitfluff hadn't realized that when his clanmates said they were being watched over that they were genuinely under the watchful eye of their ancestors.. but as demonstrated this evening, StarClan was never far. With the reassurance of Aconiteheart thinking it was time for SkyClan to move on from a missing leader, Rabbitfluff felt slightly more confident about this journey. The night had been eye-opening for a multitude of reasons and hopefully marked the beginning of new glory for the Clan, as Rabbitfluff was convinced Grouseflurry was the right one for the task. He was loyal and hardworking, not to mention had a heart of gold.

The sight of the Whispering Cave rendered him speechless for a moment, mind unable to comprehend its impossible geometry and natural allure. The gorgeous, dangerously beautiful crystals that lined the cave had stolen the ability to formulate words from the tom. Shaken from his thoughts at Grouseflurry's statement, Rabbitfluff tore his gaze away to offer the brown tabby a solemn albeit shaky nod, trying to hide the barrage of emotions coursing through him: apprehension, amazement, fear, and a distant affection.

Pacing as he awaited Grouseflurry's return to consciousness, sheer relief washed across Rabbitfluff as he finally did after what seemed like an eternity, and he couldn't help but wonder how it'd gone. Given the nature of the ritual, he didn't believe Grouseflurry could provide any specifics, but he was eager to know if StarClan had accepted him as the leader. Once they were at the mouth of the Whispering Cave and preparing to travel back to SkyClan, he glanced toward Grouseflurry, only now realizing the spectral stranger, Aconite, had disappeared. It didn't surprise him, and he brushed it aside in favor of inquiring, "How did it go?" There was an excitement to his meow, reminiscent of a kit on his first day of training. A purr rose in his chest, and he went on, "Should I be referring to you as Grousestar?"
As soon as they were out of the tunnel, the new leader paused to take a deep breath of the clean air above ground, shaking out any sort of apprehension or feelings of doubt now that the ceremony was over. Starclan had chosen him, had accepted him, had granted him 9 lives. He had a feeling there would be hard times ahead, but.. He could do this. Skyclan would survive this if he had anything to do or say about it.

"I.. Believe it went well?" Chuckled out the tabby as he continued padding ahead after his momentary pause, almost seeming to be filled with new vigour, new life, new energy, and yet, he was still the same Grouseflurry he was before, just with a new titled bestowed from Starclan.
"Ah yes, I believe that's the proper title, though you can call me Grouse. I know you're a stickler for formalities, but Grousestar.. Sounds like a big mouthful. Grouse is fine." Stated the tom with a nod of his head and grin, glancing over at his traveling companion.
Time to go back to clan and announce that he was the new leader.