Post by ♫Featherdance♪ on Jul 25, 2009 20:07:42 GMT -5
Name: Featherdance
Age: 22 moons
Gender: She-cat (Female)
Clan: ThunderClan
Rank/Position: Medicine Cat
Appearance: Featherdance is a calico and tortoiseshell she-cat. Parts of her body are orange and black on white, and others are orange and white on black, so she is a kind of mix between the two colorings. Her build is relatively small and slender for a ThunderClan cat, and she is one of her clan's best runners mostly because of her weight. She has icy light green eyes, if you stare hard you may notice the slightest change of the color's depth from time to time, but hardly anybody can tell. Featherdance's fur is medium-lengthed, and her tail is long. Note: I will sometimes refer to Featherdance as a calico cat, sometimes as tortoiseshell. It's not that I'm being inconsistent, just that she has characteristics of both.
Personality: The most noticeable personality feature of Featherdance when you first meet her is that she is shy. She doesn't speak much, but by being around her often you know that when she does talk, it is almost always worth hearing. Featherdance likes being alone, though she doesn't resent company of others. The calico she-cat is considered an odd medicine cat, because even though she enjoys healing, she is also a fighter. Some cats dislike her because of this, telling her that she should just choose one thing and stick with it, and not live a paw in the world of a warrior, and a paw in that of a medicine cat. Featherdance holds lasting friendships... as well as lasting grudges. She is not easily offended though, often when you try to make fun of her or insult her she laughs along with you or just shrugs it off. It infuriates her, however, if you comment negatively about her family or friends, and when on that topic, her sharp claws are quick to slide out of their sheaths. Featherdance likes the rain and snow, and is not easily chilled by it. She doesn't mind getting her paws wet, but since she's not in RiverClan, can't swim. Thunder doesn't spook her in the least, but her nose is sensitive and she recoils from strong scents. One of her least favorite tasks as a medicine cat is gathering and applying mouse bile. Her future apprentice had better watch out -- they'll most likely find themselves doing every task that has anything do to with the putrid substance.
History: Featherkit - Kit: Featherkit was born to Swanpaw and Blazepaw when they were only apprentices and 10 moons old. Her parents, ashamed of themselves, decided to hide the fact that they had mated and had a kit before their training was even close to over. Swanpaw was lucky because it was only a single-kitten litter, so she would pretend to gorge herself on fresh-kill, even enduring senior warriors yelling at her for it, to make herself seem like she was gaining weight not because of pregnancy but because of eating habits. In reality, she hardly touched her food so that she wouldn't get any bigger than necessary. When the time came for her to go into labor, she snuck out of camp and gave birth to Featherkit in the forest. Hiding her newborn well, Swanpaw returned to camp after putting yarrow in her jaws. Once arriving back where others could see her, she bit down on the yarrow and threw up multiple times. Every cat believed her to be sick, and she was taken under the care of the current medicine cat, Frozenwing. Swanpaw was 'sick' for nearly half a moon before she returned to apprentice duties, and claimed that she had lost weight because of the illness. By that time, Frozenwing had guessed what had gone on, from the parsley in Swanpaw's breath and the sudden, not gradual, weight loss. When Blazepaw came back two sunrises after Swanpaw's faked sickness with a kit dangling from his jaws, Frozenwing's suspicions were confirmed. Blazepaw claimed that, "I found the kit while I was hunting. The poor thing seemed to have rolled into some mouse-dung, it smells horrible. Do you think a queen could foster her?" Frozenwing kept silent, however, knowing that this was none of her business and that it wasn't her job to blow the two apprentices' cover. The queen that received Featherkit was named Dewgaze, and currently had two kits of her own - Ebonykit and Scorchkit. Upon receiving her 'third' kit, the queen guessed right away what had happened after washing away the dung there was still a trace of underlying scent. Understanding what the two apprentices had done, she went to Blazepaw and told him, "Since you found the kit, I think you should name her-- and you can talk to your fellow apprentices to see what names they like, too." In truth, she wanted the true mother and father of Featherkit to name the little kitten. The next day, Blazepaw came back with the name 'Featherkit'. Frozenwing and Dewgaze never told anyone, and so the little tortoiseshell grew up never knowing her true past.
Featherpaw - Medicine Cat Apprentice: Featherpaw grew up strong, and was thoroughly excited for her apprenticeship. She had formed an unbreakable bond with Frozenwing - the white she-cat had come to check on the kit very often after finding out about her past. Now, Featherpaw was determined to become a medicine cat's apprentice. Not every cat in the clan liked the idea -- the rumor about the calico kitten mysteriously appearing from the forest one day was that she was part WindClan, if not entirely. Featherpaw's small stature and lightning-quickness gave her clan that idea, though no one could ever think of why a WindClan cat would leave their kit in ThunderClan territory. But Featherpaw never believed a word of it, and stuck stubbornly to believing that Dewgaze was her birth mother. In the gathering after Featherpaw had been found, ThunderClan's leader had asked WindClan if they were missing kits, with the excuse that there had been a fox spotted on the moors. Receiving a 'no' as an answer, the forest had dropped the subject. But now Featherpaw's heritage rose up again as a problem when she asked Frozenwing to be her mentor -- and the medicine cat had accepted. But Featherpaw soon proved her position when StarClan sent her a message the day of her apprenticeship: Snow and flame shall meet and entwine, on beasts of the forest it will dine, before it moves upon StarClan's chosen, with sticks of fire and hearts long frozen. Frightened half to death of the blurred fire and ice she saw in that dream, Featherpaw shook Frozenwing awake and told her the prophecy even before she realized that she was breathing like she had just run across the forest ten times. The prophecy came true a moon later, when a massive blizzard hit with snow that reached a tall cat's jaws, and while floundering around trying in vain to find food, a warrior saw Twolegs with their firesticks take down a great deer and eat it. The warrior managed to steal some of the leftovers and bring it to camp, but the meat was tough and half-frozen and only enough for two cats to eat. Many warriors died that winter from starvation, but the latter half of the prophecy had yet to come true. It didn't fail to, however, when near the end of the massive winter, when the clans were so weak they could barely cling on to life, Twolegs captured an entire patrol of cats who were never seen again. When the winter was over, the twolegs left too, and peace was restored to the forest - but only for seven moons, for then BloodClan invaded camp. Featherpaw, being a medicine cat's apprentice, however close to her full medicine cat name, could only helplessly from the sides as cats were killed and blood spilled. Not being able to do anything infuriated her. But when the dust and flying fur from the battle cleared, she found Dewgaze thrown against the thorn barrier, her eyes starting to glaze over. Shrieking her rage and grief, Featherpaw ran over and tried to heal the cat she believed was her mother, but the tabby she-cat shook her off. "Too late." the dying cat murmured. "Don't waste your herbs on me..." before her chest rose and fell for the last time, and her green eyes stared sightlessly up at the sky. Featherpaw bent over double, clawing at the ground and blinded by her emotions. She yowled at the sky, "BloodClan!! I'll tear you to SHREDS, I'll avenge my mother's death, I swear it!!!!!" The whole clan was staring at that point, and Swanfeather, her birth mother, had the courage to pad over. "Featherpaw." the white she-cat meowed. "Come take a walk with me, there's something you need to know." Featherpaw didn't want to leave Dewgaze's side, but reluctantly followed. In the forest, Swanfeather led Featherpaw to the place she had hidden her so many moons ago, and told her the truth, hoping it would make her kit feel better about Dewgaze's death. Featherpaw was silent for a long time, then hissed quietly, "You lie. You are no mother of mine! And even if you were, you could never even dream of being half the mother Dewgaze was!!" Furious and half-mad, Featherpaw raced back to camp and yowled, "Oakstar!!! I have something to tell you -- actually, something to tell ThunderClan." Puzzled, the leader called a clan meeting and let Featherpaw speak. The she-cat hopped onto the Great Rock and announced, to Swanfeather and Blazestripe's horror, "Perhaps you think that I'm Dewgaze's daughter, sister of Ebonypaw and Scorchpaw, or maybe that I'm half-WindClan and half-loner, but NO! I was brought into this world by them!" she pointed viciously with her tail at the two cats, one white and one orange, sitting side by side, eyes stretched wide. "And when they were only apprentices." A gasp rippled through the cats, and Swanfeather bowed her head, much to Featherpaw's satisfaction. Snarling, she added, "But I am no daughter of theirs. The only thing we share is my birth, and nothing more." After a pause, Featherpaw proceeded to announce, "And I am giving up my position of medicine cat apprentice!!" This time, shocked exclamations rose from the audience, the loudest from Frozenwing, who leaped to her paws and demanded, "What are you talking about?! You've been my apprentice for more than seven moons, you're connection with StarClan is remarkable, and you are only a moon or so away from your medicine cat name!!" But Featherpaw persisted. "I'm training as a warrior's apprentice now, and one day, I'll avenge Dewgaze's -- I'll avenge my mother's death."
Featherpaw - Warrior's Apprentice: Oakstar reluctantly apprenticed Featherpaw to a senior warrior, Sunclaw. She was by far the oldest apprentice, but that didn't bother her in the least. She spent all of her spare time training, if not on her own, then with her mentor or any other cat she could pull away for a moment. She ate fast, slept little, and hardly ever talked, putting every last bit of attention, strength, and desire into becoming a fierce fighter. Soon, she could fight as well as any warrior, but that didn't satisfy her. She continued to train, but Sunclaw and Oakstar had her made a warrior before she had planned to finish. Featherpaw had only been a warrior's apprentice for four moons.
Featherdance - Warrior: Featherdance continued to train as a new warrior, but her new duties took away most of her spare time. Not daunted by other cats' laughter, she always imagined her opponent was the BloodClan cat that hat slaughtered her foster mother. Frozenwing had seen the cat, a BloodClan favorite, and a formidable fighter. Featherdance hardly put any attention on hunting, so that was a skill that she was pretty bad at. But Featherdance never cared, and throughout her entire warrior status she contiunued to practice her battle skills. While she was a warrior, Featherdance made her closest friend -- Willowheart. The marbled she-cat was one cat who didn't look down on her for abruptly switching from medicine cat to warrior, and Featherdance admired Willowheart's endurance of name-calling and unwillingness to yeild and become what others expected of her.
Featherdance - Deputy: Featherdance was made deputy when Oakstar died, and Willowheart took his place. The two she-cats were good friends, but Featherdance had never expected to gain such a rank. Oakstar had been killed by Twolegs, who came again with their firesticks and shot down an entire patrol of cats. Frozenwing had been with him, and was killed too. Featherdance was again submerged in sorrow, and although she never ate much normally, she hardly even sniffed her food after the death of her former mentor. When Willowstar was announcing the deputy of ThunderClan and chose Featherdance, the calico she-cat stood up and politely declined the position. She pointed to the vacant medicine cat's den and sadly mewed, "That's where I belong, in Frozenwing's den. With her death, ThunderClan no longer has a medicine cat, and I've received a dream telling me that I should be there, not out in the training grounds. I-I'm not worthy of the position, but if you're willing, I beg that you appoint me as ThunderClan's medicine cat."
Featherdance - Medicine Cat: Featherdance referred to her den for a long time as 'Frozenwing's den', and never got over the fact that she had broken the white she-cat's hopes for her. Featherdance gave up her training in the forest as a warrior, but hasn't relinquished her skills quite yet, and will never give up her determination to avenge Dewgaze's death. She now tries her best to be a good medicine cat to ThunderClan, and make up for the trouble she caused when she was younger. The young tortoiseshell can be seen sorting herbs or wandering out of camp in search of them, and hopefully she'll remain that way for a long time to come.
RP Sample: Featherdance yawned, opening her eyes. She blinked in the faded sunlight which was filtering down from the den's roof. Rolling out of her mossy nest, the calico she-cat stretched luxuriously and settled down to wash her ruffled fur. A groan from deeper inside the den told the medicine cat that her patient had awoken, and she postponed her washing to pad over. On the way, Featherdance stopped to pick up some fresh cobwebs and a poultice she had made the night before. "How are you feeling, Splashpaw?" she asked, peeling off the old bandage, applying the poultice and pressing on the fresh cobwebs. "Does it still hurt?" The apprentice grunted. "Yep, but don't make it heal too fast... okay?" Featherdance mrrowed with laughter. "So you want a scar to show off to your friends?" Splashpaw looked a little embarrassed, so Featherdance didn't press the topic. "Okay then, but if I catch you peeling off those bandages, I'll shred your fur off so you'll have plenty of scars to boast." she meowed before walking away.
Featherdance emerged from her den, her amber-green eyes adjusting to the sunlight. Birds chirped overhead, and the air smelled fresh from last night's storm. The tortoiseshell bounded towards the camp entrance, slowing down only to dip her head to the guard. She loved this, running alone in the morning forest before gathering herbs. It was exhilarating to be alone, when she didn't have to fit anyone's expectations and run as fast as her legs could carry her. When all she could hear was her pounding heart and gasping breath, Featherdance stopped. A leaf swirled down from a tree above, and a squirrel clattered noisily to a higher branch. Laughing, Featherdance, jumped up and hooked the leaf with her paw, pinning it down like prey. Suddenly the happiness melted off her face like spring snow under sun as she saw where she was. This was where Swanfeather left me as a kit... Hissing at no enemy in particular -- or perhaps at her past, she whirled around and sprinted away from the place. It always made Featherdance scared, but she wasn't sure why.
Age: 22 moons
Gender: She-cat (Female)
Clan: ThunderClan
Rank/Position: Medicine Cat
Appearance: Featherdance is a calico and tortoiseshell she-cat. Parts of her body are orange and black on white, and others are orange and white on black, so she is a kind of mix between the two colorings. Her build is relatively small and slender for a ThunderClan cat, and she is one of her clan's best runners mostly because of her weight. She has icy light green eyes, if you stare hard you may notice the slightest change of the color's depth from time to time, but hardly anybody can tell. Featherdance's fur is medium-lengthed, and her tail is long. Note: I will sometimes refer to Featherdance as a calico cat, sometimes as tortoiseshell. It's not that I'm being inconsistent, just that she has characteristics of both.
Personality: The most noticeable personality feature of Featherdance when you first meet her is that she is shy. She doesn't speak much, but by being around her often you know that when she does talk, it is almost always worth hearing. Featherdance likes being alone, though she doesn't resent company of others. The calico she-cat is considered an odd medicine cat, because even though she enjoys healing, she is also a fighter. Some cats dislike her because of this, telling her that she should just choose one thing and stick with it, and not live a paw in the world of a warrior, and a paw in that of a medicine cat. Featherdance holds lasting friendships... as well as lasting grudges. She is not easily offended though, often when you try to make fun of her or insult her she laughs along with you or just shrugs it off. It infuriates her, however, if you comment negatively about her family or friends, and when on that topic, her sharp claws are quick to slide out of their sheaths. Featherdance likes the rain and snow, and is not easily chilled by it. She doesn't mind getting her paws wet, but since she's not in RiverClan, can't swim. Thunder doesn't spook her in the least, but her nose is sensitive and she recoils from strong scents. One of her least favorite tasks as a medicine cat is gathering and applying mouse bile. Her future apprentice had better watch out -- they'll most likely find themselves doing every task that has anything do to with the putrid substance.
History: Featherkit - Kit: Featherkit was born to Swanpaw and Blazepaw when they were only apprentices and 10 moons old. Her parents, ashamed of themselves, decided to hide the fact that they had mated and had a kit before their training was even close to over. Swanpaw was lucky because it was only a single-kitten litter, so she would pretend to gorge herself on fresh-kill, even enduring senior warriors yelling at her for it, to make herself seem like she was gaining weight not because of pregnancy but because of eating habits. In reality, she hardly touched her food so that she wouldn't get any bigger than necessary. When the time came for her to go into labor, she snuck out of camp and gave birth to Featherkit in the forest. Hiding her newborn well, Swanpaw returned to camp after putting yarrow in her jaws. Once arriving back where others could see her, she bit down on the yarrow and threw up multiple times. Every cat believed her to be sick, and she was taken under the care of the current medicine cat, Frozenwing. Swanpaw was 'sick' for nearly half a moon before she returned to apprentice duties, and claimed that she had lost weight because of the illness. By that time, Frozenwing had guessed what had gone on, from the parsley in Swanpaw's breath and the sudden, not gradual, weight loss. When Blazepaw came back two sunrises after Swanpaw's faked sickness with a kit dangling from his jaws, Frozenwing's suspicions were confirmed. Blazepaw claimed that, "I found the kit while I was hunting. The poor thing seemed to have rolled into some mouse-dung, it smells horrible. Do you think a queen could foster her?" Frozenwing kept silent, however, knowing that this was none of her business and that it wasn't her job to blow the two apprentices' cover. The queen that received Featherkit was named Dewgaze, and currently had two kits of her own - Ebonykit and Scorchkit. Upon receiving her 'third' kit, the queen guessed right away what had happened after washing away the dung there was still a trace of underlying scent. Understanding what the two apprentices had done, she went to Blazepaw and told him, "Since you found the kit, I think you should name her-- and you can talk to your fellow apprentices to see what names they like, too." In truth, she wanted the true mother and father of Featherkit to name the little kitten. The next day, Blazepaw came back with the name 'Featherkit'. Frozenwing and Dewgaze never told anyone, and so the little tortoiseshell grew up never knowing her true past.
Featherpaw - Medicine Cat Apprentice: Featherpaw grew up strong, and was thoroughly excited for her apprenticeship. She had formed an unbreakable bond with Frozenwing - the white she-cat had come to check on the kit very often after finding out about her past. Now, Featherpaw was determined to become a medicine cat's apprentice. Not every cat in the clan liked the idea -- the rumor about the calico kitten mysteriously appearing from the forest one day was that she was part WindClan, if not entirely. Featherpaw's small stature and lightning-quickness gave her clan that idea, though no one could ever think of why a WindClan cat would leave their kit in ThunderClan territory. But Featherpaw never believed a word of it, and stuck stubbornly to believing that Dewgaze was her birth mother. In the gathering after Featherpaw had been found, ThunderClan's leader had asked WindClan if they were missing kits, with the excuse that there had been a fox spotted on the moors. Receiving a 'no' as an answer, the forest had dropped the subject. But now Featherpaw's heritage rose up again as a problem when she asked Frozenwing to be her mentor -- and the medicine cat had accepted. But Featherpaw soon proved her position when StarClan sent her a message the day of her apprenticeship: Snow and flame shall meet and entwine, on beasts of the forest it will dine, before it moves upon StarClan's chosen, with sticks of fire and hearts long frozen. Frightened half to death of the blurred fire and ice she saw in that dream, Featherpaw shook Frozenwing awake and told her the prophecy even before she realized that she was breathing like she had just run across the forest ten times. The prophecy came true a moon later, when a massive blizzard hit with snow that reached a tall cat's jaws, and while floundering around trying in vain to find food, a warrior saw Twolegs with their firesticks take down a great deer and eat it. The warrior managed to steal some of the leftovers and bring it to camp, but the meat was tough and half-frozen and only enough for two cats to eat. Many warriors died that winter from starvation, but the latter half of the prophecy had yet to come true. It didn't fail to, however, when near the end of the massive winter, when the clans were so weak they could barely cling on to life, Twolegs captured an entire patrol of cats who were never seen again. When the winter was over, the twolegs left too, and peace was restored to the forest - but only for seven moons, for then BloodClan invaded camp. Featherpaw, being a medicine cat's apprentice, however close to her full medicine cat name, could only helplessly from the sides as cats were killed and blood spilled. Not being able to do anything infuriated her. But when the dust and flying fur from the battle cleared, she found Dewgaze thrown against the thorn barrier, her eyes starting to glaze over. Shrieking her rage and grief, Featherpaw ran over and tried to heal the cat she believed was her mother, but the tabby she-cat shook her off. "Too late." the dying cat murmured. "Don't waste your herbs on me..." before her chest rose and fell for the last time, and her green eyes stared sightlessly up at the sky. Featherpaw bent over double, clawing at the ground and blinded by her emotions. She yowled at the sky, "BloodClan!! I'll tear you to SHREDS, I'll avenge my mother's death, I swear it!!!!!" The whole clan was staring at that point, and Swanfeather, her birth mother, had the courage to pad over. "Featherpaw." the white she-cat meowed. "Come take a walk with me, there's something you need to know." Featherpaw didn't want to leave Dewgaze's side, but reluctantly followed. In the forest, Swanfeather led Featherpaw to the place she had hidden her so many moons ago, and told her the truth, hoping it would make her kit feel better about Dewgaze's death. Featherpaw was silent for a long time, then hissed quietly, "You lie. You are no mother of mine! And even if you were, you could never even dream of being half the mother Dewgaze was!!" Furious and half-mad, Featherpaw raced back to camp and yowled, "Oakstar!!! I have something to tell you -- actually, something to tell ThunderClan." Puzzled, the leader called a clan meeting and let Featherpaw speak. The she-cat hopped onto the Great Rock and announced, to Swanfeather and Blazestripe's horror, "Perhaps you think that I'm Dewgaze's daughter, sister of Ebonypaw and Scorchpaw, or maybe that I'm half-WindClan and half-loner, but NO! I was brought into this world by them!" she pointed viciously with her tail at the two cats, one white and one orange, sitting side by side, eyes stretched wide. "And when they were only apprentices." A gasp rippled through the cats, and Swanfeather bowed her head, much to Featherpaw's satisfaction. Snarling, she added, "But I am no daughter of theirs. The only thing we share is my birth, and nothing more." After a pause, Featherpaw proceeded to announce, "And I am giving up my position of medicine cat apprentice!!" This time, shocked exclamations rose from the audience, the loudest from Frozenwing, who leaped to her paws and demanded, "What are you talking about?! You've been my apprentice for more than seven moons, you're connection with StarClan is remarkable, and you are only a moon or so away from your medicine cat name!!" But Featherpaw persisted. "I'm training as a warrior's apprentice now, and one day, I'll avenge Dewgaze's -- I'll avenge my mother's death."
Featherpaw - Warrior's Apprentice: Oakstar reluctantly apprenticed Featherpaw to a senior warrior, Sunclaw. She was by far the oldest apprentice, but that didn't bother her in the least. She spent all of her spare time training, if not on her own, then with her mentor or any other cat she could pull away for a moment. She ate fast, slept little, and hardly ever talked, putting every last bit of attention, strength, and desire into becoming a fierce fighter. Soon, she could fight as well as any warrior, but that didn't satisfy her. She continued to train, but Sunclaw and Oakstar had her made a warrior before she had planned to finish. Featherpaw had only been a warrior's apprentice for four moons.
Featherdance - Warrior: Featherdance continued to train as a new warrior, but her new duties took away most of her spare time. Not daunted by other cats' laughter, she always imagined her opponent was the BloodClan cat that hat slaughtered her foster mother. Frozenwing had seen the cat, a BloodClan favorite, and a formidable fighter. Featherdance hardly put any attention on hunting, so that was a skill that she was pretty bad at. But Featherdance never cared, and throughout her entire warrior status she contiunued to practice her battle skills. While she was a warrior, Featherdance made her closest friend -- Willowheart. The marbled she-cat was one cat who didn't look down on her for abruptly switching from medicine cat to warrior, and Featherdance admired Willowheart's endurance of name-calling and unwillingness to yeild and become what others expected of her.
Featherdance - Deputy: Featherdance was made deputy when Oakstar died, and Willowheart took his place. The two she-cats were good friends, but Featherdance had never expected to gain such a rank. Oakstar had been killed by Twolegs, who came again with their firesticks and shot down an entire patrol of cats. Frozenwing had been with him, and was killed too. Featherdance was again submerged in sorrow, and although she never ate much normally, she hardly even sniffed her food after the death of her former mentor. When Willowstar was announcing the deputy of ThunderClan and chose Featherdance, the calico she-cat stood up and politely declined the position. She pointed to the vacant medicine cat's den and sadly mewed, "That's where I belong, in Frozenwing's den. With her death, ThunderClan no longer has a medicine cat, and I've received a dream telling me that I should be there, not out in the training grounds. I-I'm not worthy of the position, but if you're willing, I beg that you appoint me as ThunderClan's medicine cat."
Featherdance - Medicine Cat: Featherdance referred to her den for a long time as 'Frozenwing's den', and never got over the fact that she had broken the white she-cat's hopes for her. Featherdance gave up her training in the forest as a warrior, but hasn't relinquished her skills quite yet, and will never give up her determination to avenge Dewgaze's death. She now tries her best to be a good medicine cat to ThunderClan, and make up for the trouble she caused when she was younger. The young tortoiseshell can be seen sorting herbs or wandering out of camp in search of them, and hopefully she'll remain that way for a long time to come.
RP Sample: Featherdance yawned, opening her eyes. She blinked in the faded sunlight which was filtering down from the den's roof. Rolling out of her mossy nest, the calico she-cat stretched luxuriously and settled down to wash her ruffled fur. A groan from deeper inside the den told the medicine cat that her patient had awoken, and she postponed her washing to pad over. On the way, Featherdance stopped to pick up some fresh cobwebs and a poultice she had made the night before. "How are you feeling, Splashpaw?" she asked, peeling off the old bandage, applying the poultice and pressing on the fresh cobwebs. "Does it still hurt?" The apprentice grunted. "Yep, but don't make it heal too fast... okay?" Featherdance mrrowed with laughter. "So you want a scar to show off to your friends?" Splashpaw looked a little embarrassed, so Featherdance didn't press the topic. "Okay then, but if I catch you peeling off those bandages, I'll shred your fur off so you'll have plenty of scars to boast." she meowed before walking away.
Featherdance emerged from her den, her amber-green eyes adjusting to the sunlight. Birds chirped overhead, and the air smelled fresh from last night's storm. The tortoiseshell bounded towards the camp entrance, slowing down only to dip her head to the guard. She loved this, running alone in the morning forest before gathering herbs. It was exhilarating to be alone, when she didn't have to fit anyone's expectations and run as fast as her legs could carry her. When all she could hear was her pounding heart and gasping breath, Featherdance stopped. A leaf swirled down from a tree above, and a squirrel clattered noisily to a higher branch. Laughing, Featherdance, jumped up and hooked the leaf with her paw, pinning it down like prey. Suddenly the happiness melted off her face like spring snow under sun as she saw where she was. This was where Swanfeather left me as a kit... Hissing at no enemy in particular -- or perhaps at her past, she whirled around and sprinted away from the place. It always made Featherdance scared, but she wasn't sure why.
