It was on a particularly uneventful night that Lostspark’s memory recalled the little ThunderClan apprentice who’d attended the Gathering a couple moons back, and had acted as merry companion to herself and Mossfreckle. Amber hues settled on the bark beneath her paws, her claws caressing the rough yet familiar bark of her perch as she lay there, precariously close to the edge of falling off and lost in thought.
Elkpaw. She recalled his name now, along with his mentor’s; Redhawk. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a small thought sparked, and Lostspark found herself wondering how the snake-besting apprentice was faring. …Oh wait, she didn’t have to wonder. She could just check on her own, since her visits to Wolverine had given her this weird being-able-to-dreamwalk ability.
[ Dreamwalker Active ]
It was with that thought that Lostspark fell asleep. The familiar darkness of her dreamscape formed around her, shadowy tendrils weaving their way up her limbs faster than ever, eager to pull her under, to encase her in another never ending nightmare. Sheer panic sped Lostspark’s heart up to rival that of a rabbit’s, and then calmed significantly as Lostspark forced her mind to weave a new dream, a new landscape of lush grounds and sunny skies.
The illusion was hard to keep up, darkness lurking menacingly at the edges of her vision at all times, but not to be seen when one turned towards it. She would likely have a brain splitting headache when she woke – or maybe even later on in this dream, but it was worth it if she got what she was intending here.
Methodically, Lostspark shut her eyes and imagined a mental paw reaching out, rifling through sleeping consciousnesses, resting souls, searching for Elkpaw’s. She found his eventually, gently ushering him into her dreamscape. Hopefully he would not pay mind to the shadowy wisps just out of reach, watching and waiting.
“Hello, Elkpaw.” The former Medicine Cat murmured, re-opening her glassy eyes and smiling faintly at the golden-pelted youngster who’d materialized in her sight. Her smile faltered a bit at the roughened sight of him, however. What had happened?
Y'know, it was really funny how dreams worked. Whenever Elkpaw was awake, he was hurting, but even though his injuries remained in his sleep, he never felt a thing. Was it his head playing tricks on him? Or was there something else at work here? He didn't really care, honestly, as long as he was able to not feel much at all for a while. It just had him curious.
But maybe dreams were always that funny, because when he opened his eyes for this one, he saw a face! A friendly one!! His waking pain was immediately forgotten, as a massive smile split his features and he scrambled up to bound over to his ShadowClan buddy. Maybe not all ShadowCats were nice, but he knew this one was!
"Lostspark!! Hi!!" Elkpaw chirped. Man, even his broken ankle didn't hinder him here, what a score! The darkness that lingered at the edges of the dream went completely unnoticed with his excitement. "It's been so long!! How are you?? How's herby things and Mossfreckle??"
"You're hurt." Lostspark commented with a frown as the gleeful apprentice bombarded her with words. They were welcome, though, and he reminded her... of Cloverpaw. Yep, that was right. She could finally pinpoint why his insistent chirping did not bother her. Then again, Lostspark was biased to apprentices. Or anyone on the younger side who didn't toe the line of getting on her nerves.
Deeming to draw out the answers behind his injuries later, the former Medicine Cat tilted her head to the side at his questions. How was she? Jeez, it was sad she couldn't remember the last time someone had asked her that. "Well enough." She murmured softly, and then offered the young tom a rare smile. Thinking about his name brought back a faintly vivid memory. One of her first gatherings as ShadowClan's Medicine Cat, where she had been blind.
'Despite the losses, though, life carries on. We welcome Swankit, Elkkit, Sunkit, 'n Brindlekit to our nursery, and Cloudpaw 'n Plumpaw as new apprentices.'
Bumblestar's words. Lostspark wouldn't say it was safe to assume he had siblings, but three other names had been announced alongside his, had they not? Unless that Elkkit had something unfortunate happen to them and this one was different, the moons lined up.
"Mossfreckle and his... herby things... are fine." She shrugged, ducking her head to eye Elkpaw's wounds. "Do you have siblings? Who hurt you?" Two vastly different questions... but oh well.
Hurt? Yeah, he was hurt, but right now, it didn't hurt. Elkpaw thought that was pretty okay, all things considered. It could be a lot worse; he could be unable to even dream now, after that encounter.
The thought made his smile waver, but Lostspark's own cheerful expression brought it right back to his face in full. He sat down, beaming brightly up at her as his tail whipped back and forth across the ground.
The next duo of questions were definitely an odd pair. "Sunpaw, Swanpaw, and Brindlepaw," he recited off. "Mama and Papa, too! Um, as for who hurt me..."
He trailed off, brow pinched as he decided whether or not to tell her. Would she get angry that he'd been on her side of the border without permission? "It was a ShadowClan cat. I'd been told your Clan wasn't nice to be around, and I thought that if I came over to give someone a hug, it would help! But I crossed the markers and I got caught. She, um." Elkpaw swallowed and ducked his head. "She hurt me pretty bad. I fell into the ravine after trying to get away. Someone else found me after a while and got me back up to ThunderClan's side. So I know you guys aren't all bad, because you aren't and he wasn't." He tried for another smile, though this one was a little more wobbly than before. "It's- it's my fault. I shouldn't have been over there."
Hurt? Yeah, he was hurt, but right now, it didn't hurt. Elkpaw thought that was pretty okay, all things considered. It could be a lot worse; he could be unable to even dream now, after that encounter.
The thought made his smile waver, but Lostspark's own cheerful expression brought it right back to his face in full. He sat down, beaming brightly up at her as his tail whipped back and forth across the ground.
The next duo of questions were definitely an odd pair. "Sunpaw, Swanpaw, and Brindlepaw," he recited off. "Mama and Papa, too! Um, as for who hurt me..."
He trailed off, brow pinched as he decided whether or not to tell her. Would she get angry that he'd been on her side of the border without permission? "It was a ShadowClan cat. I'd been told your Clan wasn't nice to be around, and I thought that if I came over to give someone a hug, it would help! But I crossed the markers and I got caught. She, um." Elkpaw swallowed and ducked his head. "She hurt me pretty bad. I fell into the ravine after trying to get away. Someone else found me after a while and got me back up to ThunderClan's side. So I know you guys aren't all bad, because you aren't and he wasn't." He tried for another smile, though this one was a little more wobbly than before. "It's- it's my fault. I shouldn't have been over there."
Yes, Lostspark was very much pissed over the fact that a damned ShadowClanner had hurt Elkpaw. Internally, she was bristling with indignation. Externally, the smile on her face did not waver, though the darkness at the edges of her vision swelled for a brief moment before receding once more.
Brow furrowed, Lostspark idly aimed to wrap her plumed tail around Elkpaw. “Do you remember what the cat who hurt you looked like? Or their name?” She asked gently, voice low.
The curl of her tail was greatly welcome, and Elkpaw didn't hesitate to snuggle into it. Even through the dreamscape, it felt solid and warm - a comfort he really needed, something Mama and Papa hadn't been around to provide lately.
Her questions had him kneading the ground with his paws, and he leaned sideways to bump his cheek against her shoulder as he tried to think back to the attack. The memory made his fur stick out despite the fuzziness, but he could just barely make out a few distinctive hints of color.
"I didn't get a name. But she was mostly white, I think, with black- or, no, um, brown stripes." Like the branches he had initially thought were reaching for him when her claws first dug into him. He couldn't keep himself from shuddering at the memory of her eyes as they flashed from the shadows. "Amber. Her eyes were amber."
Elkpaw blinked away the ickiness the recount made him feel. He tilted his head up to look at Lostspark, his own eyes big with concern. "What'll happen to her, if you figure out who she is?"
Despite what she had done... he couldn't bring himself to wish her harm.
Lostspark blinked down at the apprentice as he snuggled into her side. For a moment, she stared, at a loss, before her gaze softened with realization. He had a part of her in him ; he yearned for affection as she had for so long and still did. The former Medicine Cat lowered her head in an attempt to rest her cheek against the top of his, plumed tail curling tighter around him, a silent reassurance.
Elkpaw's description filled out a certain box, and Lostspark had to force herself not to bristle with anger. Her gaze drifted and met the young tom's wide yellow eyes at his question, and Lostspark's brow furrowed slightly. "You tell me. What do you want to happen to her? I will see it from there."
The longer she remained wrapped around him, the more relaxed Elkpaw felt. But the comfort didn't do much to relieve his inner turmoil. Would she want him to ask for something harmful? Wish her the sort of cruelty she had forced onto him?
"...I just don't want her to hurt me again," he said quietly after a long moment. "Or anyone else." Lostspark could take that as she wanted.
The longer she remained wrapped around him, the more relaxed Elkpaw felt. But the comfort didn't do much to relieve his inner turmoil. Would she want him to ask for something harmful? Wish her the sort of cruelty she had forced onto him?
"...I just don't want her to hurt me again," he said quietly after a long moment. "Or anyone else." Lostspark could take that as she wanted.
Lostspark had grown more distracted the longer they sat here together. Her head was pounding, throbbing with pain. The cheerful scenery around them was turning dark, a spiderweb of cracks crisscrossing along the plains they sat within. A reminder that this was not the real world.
Yep, it was time to go. “Elkpaw… it’s time to wake up.” She wanted to say she would see him at the Gathering, but did not want to promise something she could not give him for certain. “Go rest yourself. See your Medicine Cats if you need to. Those injuries won’t heal themselves.” She paused before dipping her head to attempt to nuzzle him, a gesture to send him back into his own dreamland or the waking world. “If they refuse to heal you, find me at the border.” She doubted it would happen, but regardless.
thunder and ice, lookin’ for life. [p]
Re: thunder and ice, lookin’ for life. [p]
