Dreams of a disbeliever and a ghost [Private]

[Rani]

A failure in a long line of failures eventually just became another notch in the belt but the starclan issue stung in a particular way. Snakepaw never believed in the afterlife and their dead ancestors looking over them and judging? Was even more impossible. So while he'd approached the starcave and medicine cats relationship with starclan with his mind already set on a mass delusion or a cruel trick that everyone buyed into he was still disappointed when the ritual had ended in a uncomfortable nap in a cave with nary a dream in sight. His mother believed in starclan so much he knew and it brought her peace (it brought many cats peace) but if he a medicine cats apprentice couldnt make contact it had to be a lie....
Whatever. It was just whatever. And the growing distance between the young tom and everyone in the clan? That was whatever too. He had work to do it was for the good of riverclan what did it matter that he was being left behind in a dank den full of dying cats he was ~important~.

So he slept a lot. He napped he dozed he drifted off into dream (and they were only ever just dreams) waiting for the next patient he could fail wandered into his den. At least his dreams were generally coherent reasonable and lucid, it meant he might actually have a friend in whatever imaginary cats his mind conjured.

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[spade]

➳ Cricketpaw

Ears pricked and eyes bright as the starts glimmering in her pelt, Cricketpaw made her way swiftly across the territory. Thing had still been going good up in the stars, and the molly was glad that at least in the afterlife there was peace despite the chaos. Not that she didn't greatly miss her wonderful home. RiverClan seemed... to be doing okay. Well, as okay as once could do. There was only one issue in her mind, and that was focused on their currently medicine cat team - specifically, Snakepaw.

She had half a mind to whack him upside the head once she reached him. The mouse-brain didn't believe in StarClan? She'd show him. The young molly held her belief close to her heart, an honor she'd tribute to Geckoleaf and how her own mentor had been with her. With knowledge of his failed Starcave experience, however, Cricketpaw knew she had her work cut out for her.

Sliding through the bushes, the bengal appeared in a rather smallish clearing, dotted with flowers and the sounds of the nearby stream. She much preferred that if she was going to bring cats to StarClan who resided in RiverClan, they feel like home when they arrived. She took a seat and closed her eyes, knowing full well that Snakepaw was napping right now, conjuring his spirit to visit in her mind.

You're about to have one hell of a wake-up, kid.


// @Rani

[Rani]

Snakepaws ears flicked as a soft breeze flowed over them slowly blinking away to the sun as he roused from his sleep in his sleep. Clearly this was going to be a good dream then, maybe he could spend some time hunting and swimming like a warrior would (like he couldnt with the cold and didnt have time for) he certainly wouldnt mind spending some time relaxing. Blinking his venomous green eyes open fully and pushing himself to his paws he looked around the area only to sigh at the site of another cat. Maybe not so relaxing then.

"Alright I dont recognise you so this isnt a nightmare about Dogflame or Owlflight though you could suddenly start bleeding for another terror of me failing to save another clanmate. You know what there are way to many ways for this to go sour for me to list, hopefully youre just an apparition of my mind to offset the isolation or whatever do what you wish." The long and lanky tom would rather go try and find that stream or bask in the warmth of the sun. Which was what he was doing starting to languidly pad his way across the clearing taking his time and heading towards the stream sounds.
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[spade]

➳ Cricketpaw

As the tom appeared in front of her, Cricketpaw opened her eyes to reveal the brilliant blue hidden underneath. Wisdom shone from them, much more than what had occupied them during her brief time in the Clans while she was alive. She allowed him to speak, knowing that interrupting Snakepaw would just result in huffs and puffs from the tom. Both of which she didn't need or necessarily care for.

"You really feel as though your life is that against you, huh?" Her voice was slightly cold, though genuine concern rang towards the end. The bengal got up, and almost as if she had teleported, stood in front of Snakepaw, blocking his path. She was only a bit older than the tom if they were counting just living moons, so she was curious to see if he would actually listen to her.

"I am no figment of your imagination, unfortunately. My name is Cricketpaw. I was poised to be the next RiverClan medicine cat many, many moons ago. Though, I'm sure my legacy has all been forgotten and washed away by now."

Eyes blinking, she took a seat once again in front of him, patiently waiting for him to answer her first question and not bothering to elaborate on her response anymore until he did so.


// @Rani

[Rani]

Snakepaw grumbled at the words not willing to internalise them and what they said about his headspace too much. After all what did it say about his brain that his mind would conjure up a cat like this to interact with, sure he was lonley but he was also fairly happy to deny that to the end of his days, it hurt less. So while he was about to say 'Hard not to feel like it sometimes I suppose' he was interrupted by the teleporting act.

It earned a second of narrowed eyes and puffed fur before Snakepaw dismissed it away forcibly settling himself and decided he didnt care the weird quirks of this cat in his dream. He did hiss at them shortly at the irritation though there was no real anger attached. He just hissed at most anything anyway. "Alright let's take that appart before I move on. Youre Cricketpaw, ok thats believable anything can have a name and yours at least makes sense. Gonna be the next medicine cat ages ago is the unbelievable part though because in the clan Ive never heard of you and I know all the recent medicine cats because I basically interrogated everyone about the topic. And though your closing argument I suppose is an excuse but not one I buy. And finally let's address you're 'I'm real' argument with a simple; I dont believe you unless you can seriously prove it. Starclan isnt real and you're implying you are a dead past medicine cat. Thats kinda a contradiction. Im not getting into a circular argument over this though so if you really want me to believe this well the floor is yours." The serpentine tom didnt think she could prove it not in the slightest but his dreams tended to be as argumentative as himself and this seemed the quickest way to avoid a back and forth mess. Snakepaw wanted to enjoy this dream, enjoy something for awhile, so the faster he could shake this mess the better.

He didnt answer the first question though, not out loud.
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[spade]

➳ Cricketpaw

The molly almost wanted to laugh as she heard the frustrated hiss escape Snakepaw's lips. Now she knew why he must've been named Snakepaw in the first place, though she didn't speak any of her thoughts outloud. No, that would just anger him, and she had been tasked with a very important job. She wouldn't allow her sarcastic side to screw it up. Who knew the ripple effect that would cause?

His sentence rambled on, and Cricketpaw just waited patiently, not a single ounce of irritation or impatience appearing in her expression. She simply watched him, ears forward as she listened to everything she had to say. If she was being honest, the tom somewhat reminded her of when she was younger and alive in the Clans - at least the defensive part. "My, does Sparrowskip have their work cut out for them," she chuckled, though it was under her breath and not quite distinguishable. Using her voice a bit more, she gave a snort. "I don't have to prove anything to you; Clan history speaks for itself. My mentor, Geckoleaf, was the long-standing medicine cat. She trained a lot of apprentices - one of which being Juniperpaw. She actually stuck, believe it or not-" a pause as a grin creased her face.

"Next came Heatherfur, though she was a sign from StarClan themselves. Personally, I didn't quite agree with selecting a WindClan cat to take over Geckoleaf's legacy, but hey, I was dead and couldn't complain. She was eventually replaced by Shiverpetal who was a former SkyClan cat if I'm not mistaken. Rather interesting approach to the job. The next cat I didn't necessarily follow-" what was their name, even? "-Otterstone I think? Anyways, the cat that finally grabbed my attention again was Fawnsqueak. I mean, a warrior becoming a medicine cat? Who knew?"

Cricketpaw took a small pause to gauge if Snakepaw was listening still. To be honest, it wasn't like he could leave quite yet. As in control of this dream as he thought he was, it was actually Cricketpaw who called the shots here. One point to StarClan territory.

"When he took Sparrowskip under his wing I was excited to see him go places, and then," she paused once more, smiling towards Snakepaw, "he took you on as an apprentice. Though, I'm sure you had dreams of your own though. Becoming a warrior?" It was easy to read the tom - Lionstar's announcement of him being trained under Sparrowskip had rattled Snakepaw, throwing off carefully curated plans he had for his life.

But that was StarClan, often butting their heads in when things didn't quite go how they wanted them to in the Clans.

"However I must say," she continued, her tone growing lighter, "You do rather remind me of my old friend Daydream - a ShadowClan medicine cat who served many moons after I was killed. Though, I'm certain you're not familiar with a name that far back." A smile. "If I missed something, by all means, let me know."


// @Rani

[Rani]

At this point the apprentice had resigned himself to not getting to go to the stream and swim for this dream but he suppsed some (weird really weird) social interaction could go worse. Even if he did feel obligated to argue their existence with them.
While the Sparrowskip thing earned a "I represent that comment thanks." he mainly stayed quiet, taking in the incredible amount of information that was just being dumped on him. With that barrage finished and the pause Cricketpaw made afterwards Snakepaw finally piped up to respond with a sarcastic lisped "Well Im sorry to disappoint but theres a bit of a history with younger cats not knowing history. No ones told me anything about past medicine cats and Im not sure anyone left alive in the clan knows any of those names anymore. So while I recognise Fawnsqueak the rest of the names are new to me, Ive no way of knowing if these are just made up names in a dream or ~special starclan given knowledge~ and no way to find out so thats a bust for you. Maybe try knowledge I can actually prove myself for your evidence youre not my own mind driving me insane." He did find it interesting though. Even if he didnt particularly care a ton about his role other then doing it it irked him to know literally nothing about it beyond the bare essentials so even this potentially made up history was nice.

Then came the next statement that earned another hiss this time in anger though it wasnt truely directed at Cricketpaw. "Took Sparrowskip under his wing? Sparrowskip knows as little about herbs as I do Fawnsqueak taught nothing Ive never even met him. And I wasnt taken on I was assigned and you seem to know it." His snappish tone quieted here to a more defeated quiet contempt "I was going to be the best of warriors once 'starclan had another plan' though ha. More like Lionstorm had a fool idea he refused to reconsider. And I dont take being compared to a shadowclan cat I dont know a huge compliment by the way thanks, for all I know this guy could be horrible." The toms temper flattened pelt to warmed by the sun and the area was just to peaceful compared to the medicine cats den to keep up the useless fury. So he simply sighed and shrugged.
"I wouldnt know if you missed something I dont know anything expect like five herbs and thats it."
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➳ Cricketpaw

Suppressing a sigh, the young molly watched Snakepaw with an unreadable expression. It was apparent to her that this would take more than the StarClan given knowledge she possessed. Perhaps maybe teaching him some herbs? She figured she knew much more than he did.

"You said you only knew about five herbs... can you tell me what they are?" she questioned, deciding to change gears and try the teaching approach. Not that she would teach him, but simply show him that she possessed healing knowledge as well.

Would a figment of his imagination conjure up herbs he didn't even know? Cricketpaw thought not, and figured this would be her best shot at getting through to him.

"I mean, you must know about burnet, used in traveling packs to bolster strength and help with minor cuts, correct?" A grin. "Or perhaps how you should only use sorrel in small amounts, lest you want to end up hungry for the rest of the day."


// @Rani

[Rani]

"Herbs? I guess if youre the the medicine cat apprentice you claim that is a shared.... interest? Knowledge? Whatever. The herbs I know are poppyseeds for pain and sleep, catmint for greencough, honey for sore throats (though Ive no clue got to get it without being stung half to death), and marigold applied to cuts to prevent and cure small infections. Though it does little to help for the deep very serious infections Ive found, its not enough sometimes..."

Mapleleaf and Owlflight dying slowly and painfully in the medicine cat den, infection spread everywhere in their body and turning their blood sour. He didnt know marigold then but now had a horrible feeling that it still wouldnt have been enough if he did. And then there was the other issue.
"Ive no clue what youre talking about. Like seriously I dont even recognise those names much less the plant theyre attached to. Whats a travel pack? You take it while traveling to make it easier or something? That'd be really useful for those pointless trips to the starcave those are super tiring. And what does sorrel do?" This was probably all fake or made up herbs his brain was creating during this dream but Snakepaws brain was hardwired to hyper focus on new herb knowledge already. With no one available to him who had a good knowledge bank of these things the tom had started to be on the constant look out for tid bits he could pick up from others from anywhere. So while he thought this all was probably nothing his brain hooked on it anyway and Snakepaw needed to know more.... Just in case.
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[spade]

➳ Cricketpaw

She already was growing to like this tom. He reminded her so much of Daydream - they too had also wanted to be a warrior before the life of the medicine cat was forced upon them. They were stubborn and ruthless and their words could slice frozen lakes, but once you got to know them, there was a whole other world to explore.

Cricketpaw was curious if the same was true to Snakepaw.

"I can teach you. If you'd like that is. But if you think I'm just a figment of your imagination then, perhaps you already have all the knowledge," she replied, tail tip flicking behind her as she watched the RiverClan medicine cat through thoughtful blue eyes.


// @Rani