[squidz]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

| BERRYSHINE |

small & nimble dark brown she-cat with darker flecks and light, leafy-green eyes | the collector | dreamwalker |

[ riverclan medicine cat | she-cat | 20 moons | timid, kind, hardworking ]

—

Sigh... she'd tried to gently persuade Owlstar not to come to this Gathering, but of course, the stubborn leader would never had listened unless she'd been physically unable to walk. Berryshine had confined her to the medicine den as best as she could, wanting to be sure that she took all the rest she needed and didn't exacerbate those pesky injuries. And by pesky, she meant life-threatening; she'd almost witnessed her leader die at the paws of an otter. Had Berry not gone to the river that day, who's to say that she wouldn't have succumbed to the injuries right there?

Oh, and it was only worse when Sunheart had taken his... fall. She was still reeling from that, too. The small brown molly inhaled shakily, eyes narrowed in thought. She'd nearly lost both of her friends and high ranks in the span of a quarter moon... her little heart wasn't sure she could take it. But thank StarClan they'd only been close calls, and not death tolls. She couldn't imagine being on her own again, not when RiverClan had been doing so well these past few moons. And she'd essentially considered both Owl and Sun to be like family by now... at least he'd heeded her directions to stay home, given that he physically couldn't walk at the moment.

The train of thought was interrupted when she felt a nudge; glancing up, green eyes met the one-eyed stare of her leader, who was giving her a chummy smile. Berryshine sighed, trying to relax and return it with a watery smile of her own; there was no use hiding the worry that shone in her gaze, but she knew Owlstar wouldn't turn back now. Berry was just dreading watching her clamber up those Seastones. "...Be careful, o-okay?" She murmured softly, just a whisper in the warm breeze as Owlstar pulled on ahead.

The medic had hung back just long enough to make sure her leader made it safely up the Stones. A wave of visible relief went through her, though there were plenty of internal winces and sympathy cringes mixed in there. But as she'd taken her time, Berry paused; there were... new cats up here. Several, actually. Since RiverClan was last, she saw that ThunderClan had an entirely new set of high ranks. Bumblestar was gone... was she dead? Wait, no, Berry could spy her in the crowd... retirement didn't seem like the feisty cat's nature, but there was probably a whole tale to be told there.

After helping them out with the otters, and Bumblestar stepping down... did this mean RiverClan's problems with ThunderClan were over, for the time being? Gosh, Cobs... if only you could see this!

Naturally, her gaze then turned to the perch where she belonged as she approached. Wait... what happened to Wolfhawk? Dismay bubbled in Berryshine's chest; she'd formed a tentative friendship of sorts with the medicine cat, and he was one of the few she didn't have to fear every moon. Was he here...? And these two, his replacements... what would they be like?

Hopefully, not another terrifying presence like Sleepysunrise, who was... also here. Gathering her courage and wriggling her haunches, the small brown molly took in a deep breath before bounding nimbly up the Stones.

She was the last to arrive, so all formal greetings were to be made. Clearing her throat awkwardly, the she-cat tried to stand up straight with her unassuming form, managing a nervous smile. "O-Oh, ah... h-hello, Lightningstorm. I hope a-all is well," she greeted firstly, meeting the WindClan medic's eyes. The calico never struck her as a red flag, and was actually quite friendly. Then her gaze slipped over the other two Clans, and... well, Sleepysunrise was here, of course. But Silentpaw wasn't. Instead, this golden tom was practically latched onto her, one whose pelt reminded her of Sunheart's.

"O-Oh, um... i-i-is this your... n-new apprentice?" Her voice shook more than usual when addressing Sleepy, and her eyes were fixed on the rocks below her instead of the black-and-white she-cat. To give her credit, Berry was trying her best; it was a miracle she'd even tried talking to the fellow small she-cat. It was tense, and awkward, but... still an attempt, on the road to internally healing from her pain. Berryshine was never one to hold grudges or hate, even if Sleepy's soulless stare was forever seared into her mind as nightmare fuel.

Speaking of soulless stares, there was a warrior in the crowd whose gaze was prickling her pelt. She wasn't on the Stones, but her face was fixed right on the medicine cats as if intently assessing every one. Berryshine had a strange sixth sense that turned her head, and she had to blink a few times to register the resemblance. It was a brown she-cat looked almost scarily like Berry, with just a slightly lighter pelt, branch-like markings and spots, and... soulless green eyes.

She gave a start. It was like looking at a distorted reflection of herself in a rippling river.

Realizing she'd lapsed into a bit of an unnerved silence (why did this one's eyes remind her a bit of Sleepysunrise's...? Oh, StarClan, please don't tell me there's two of them—), Berryshine cleared her throat again, trying to cover up her brief falter. It is rude to assume! And besides, that one wasn't on the Seastones, even if Berry could still feel those piercing eyes boring into her pelt like a brand.

Her attention was instead diverted to the new ThunderClan medicine cat. One that was brown-and-cream, with a rather elegant air about her that surprise Berryshine at first. It was almost... intimidating, how regal she looked. Maybe because she was just really pretty, or carried herself well.

"A-Ah, um... h-hello. I'm Berryshine, of... o-of RiverClan..." Why did she say that? Of course they knew what Clan she was! Another small, slightly awkward cough. So much for first impressions. "Y-You, uh, must be ThunderClan's new... medicine cat. I-It's a pleasure to m-meet you. And, um... W-Wolfhawk, is he...?" Okay? Dead? Hurt? Retired? No good words could follow that, so she just trailed off and averted her gaze for a moment. The question was borne out of a genuine-seeming concern that was clear in her expression, though her shuffling paws and twitching tail probably made her look like an anxious apprentice on their first day of training — she didn't want to overstep during first impressions, after all.

[ @Marigoldwhisper - Owlstar | @korok - Sunheart (for your viewing pleasure) | @Alchemist Kitsune - Lightningstorm | @Estelle - Sleepysunrise | @Rani - Bleedingpaw | @SuspiciousMindz - Treetiger (edit: THEY... STARE. NOT MEET.) | @Dreamingstars - Dragonflypaw ]