Private Thread Plot Thread The Birds and the Bees (28LG21)

Without passion you don’t have energy, without energy you have nothing.

･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ

Berrypaw, as restless as he was, always seemed to struggle with sleep, but on this day, he had work extra hard on training to make up for his injury earlier in the moon and pushed himself to work as hard as he caught. And the end of day exhaustion was the result of that. Heaviness weighed down his eyes as he glanced over at Cedarpaw curled up in the nest, he let out a purr, she looked peaceful. He sure that she had fallen asleep prior to him getting there, but there was no true guarentee that was true, he wasn't even truly sure if she was sleeping now or just shutting her eyes. Regardless, he knew Cedarpaw would be safe in camp. Even if he didn't personally enjoy being crammed in camp all day.

A small, squeaky yawn came from the young tom as he finally closed his eyes to rest, though a thought still clouded his mind, several really, nothing worry inducing or life changing, just what he would be working on tomorrow what prey he would eat that day, if he would be on den duty again, maybe he would actually get the nests sorted out correctly this time, time would tell...

The thoughts soon faded to silence as Berrypaw finally fell into a sleep when the moon, if it were in the sky, would be at it's highest. Sleep was sleep.

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.

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((With Chloe's permission, as life is gnawing on them.))
Cedarpaw lay curled not far from his brother in their own nest in the den, breathing with the slow rhythm of sleep. 

--

The black of sleep gave way with the feel of a gentle breeze into a field of snowy white grass around the pair of apprentices. The stems were tall and some budding with the first signs of the grains that would grow on them. The air held the warmth of late green-leaf and full with the heat that pervaded Lion's Glory.

The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living. - Cicero

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The sense of heat seemed to move, blowing and growing as it slowly became visible amoungst the grasses. The air around the moor chilled, draining into a shimmering fog. First a sense within it of the form of flowing hair, and then it rose and swirled, rising until it stood far taller than a Clan Cat did, so tall it might be as large as the bears that occasionally wandered towards the Twoleg Camp on the far side of RiverClan territory.

The fog tightened, experiencing a moment of color before sinking down amoungst the grasses to leave a figure that started golden and faded to white. He moved slowly at first, face raised to the sky above. Around that face fell flowing fur in a ruff far greater than any normal cat. The creature was one of great power, his body laced with muscle that moved under the short furred hide. The tail that arched over his back was thin with the same short hair until it reached the end, where it was tipped in the same luxurious hair as the ruff.

The Lion, for what else could it be to apprentices told of LionClan when they were kits?, brought his face down and turned eyes of icey blue towards them. The movement brought life to the mane around his face. The hair danced as if caught in winds that could no longer be felt. He drew close to the pair of young cats, lowering his face to look closer at them. His rounded ears shifted as he waited a moment prior to speaking in a deep, but gentle rumble.

”I greet you, Windborn Cubs.” The voice held a note of warmth. ”I hope you are ready to learn this night.”

Without passion you don’t have energy, without energy you have nothing.

･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ

The apprentice shifted his gaze to the mighty ancient creature, though they held no fear, on the contrary, confidence filled his chest when the creature approached and spoke of learning. "I learn from my clanmates." He chirped, not with aggression or snappy attitude, but more of a matter-of-fact statement laced in misplaced confidence. This was a random dream! He wouldn't get hurt here for confidence of a beast of great times. "But your greeting is recieved, great cat." he added, flicking the tip of his pale tail.

A flick of his ear signed the energy building in the tom as he glanced over at the vast, white field of grasses, his paws shuffled, almost desperate to burst through the field like the WindClan warrior he was going to grow into. But instead of cowering of bowing to the great cat, he held his head high, glancing back at his sister with a small smile. Encouraging bravery over fear.

"Medicine cats and leaders commune with ancestors." Berrypaw piped in, sniffing the grass beneath his paws, it smelled of nothing in particular, but it was different from the mossy bedding of his nest and he stretched out his body, of which he was slowly growing into, yet he was still small, undersized from the unfortunate timing of his birth... he's been told that moons go when he asked. Though that never truly hindered him from being a good apprentice.

"You've got the wrong pair. We don't know healing." 

"You're a star in my sky!"

⚝──⭒─𖣂.ೃ࿔ ✈︎ *:･𖣂.ೃ࿔ ✈︎ *:･─⭒──⚝

When Cedarpaw ‘awoke’ in the world of sleep, her instinct was to remain calm and to enjoy the feelings that she was experiencing. But when the molly noticed the towering form in front of her, she started to bristle, too scared to yowl before she had noticed her brother was there as well, seemingly fearless compared to her. 

Had he experienced something like this before? She couldn’t recall having experienced anything like this before herself. But remembering that something like this probably wasn’t completely unnatural, she attempted to force herself to relax. She couldn’t take her eyes off of whoever this was, even with other things seemingly happening around the pair as the figure spoke to them.

This was a lion. Upon the realisation, any remaining fear Cedarpaw had initially seemed to dissolve as her doubt shifted to a mix of admiration and awe. What a beautiful beast. Why didn’t the clan cats of today have round ears like that? They were so cute. Perhaps their triangular ears were better-suited to the moors they inhabited? She wasn’t sure.

“H-Hi!” the apprentice stuttered out when the lion first greeted the two of them, her voice sounding like a mix of a surprised chirp and a squeak. However, when her brother told what she presumed to be the LionClan feline that he had the wrong pair, Cedarpaw frowned. “Berrypaw, I don’t think LionClan cats make mistakes like this.”

The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living. - Cicero

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“There is wisdom in looking to your clan, young Berrykit.” Hetasha’s bass voice rumbled while the unfelt wind made his mane dance around his head. “But sometimes Ancestors commune where they will.” The great lion lowered himself, the grasses fading to white where he lay. He studied Berrypaw for a long moment before turning his blue eyes towards Cedarpaw.

There was the rumble of a laugh in his voice as he spoke. “You would be wise to learn from your Sister, Berrypaw.” The admonishment didn’t stop the purr that rose. “Little cub, cautious Cedarpaw, your devotion to the ancestors here shows the strength of spirit you have.”

Then sighed a great sigh, looking at each in turn before closing his eyes for a moment as if refocusing himself before Hetasha continued. “I’ve come with a warning for you both.” The voice was somber. “Your lives have been wrapped in secrets. But secrets only keep if all are dead.”

Without passion you don’t have energy, without energy you have nothing.

･ﾟ✧⭑🍓⭑✧･ﾟ

At Cedarpaw's response, Berrypaw gave a shrug. "This is a dream Cedarpaw." He whispered her to her. "Only leaders and medicine cats get the meaningful ones. At the Moonstone remember." He chirped soft enough to be out of earshot of the lion before puffing up his pale cream chest at the lion, his fur not flowing at Hetasha's mane but he puffed his short pelt out like it was something to be proud of. Sunbear looked much more like a lion though...

"Cats make mistakes, not matter how big or small." Berrypaw added onto his sister's words with his tail high, boldly taking a few steps toward the white lion before him. "What's with you ancient cats and all that vague nonsense anyway? Can't you just tell it how it is? If it's so important why do we have to spend the time figuring it all out?" he spoke with a flick of his tail, and yet, he still didn't seem angry or aggressive, perhaps how ridiculous the situation was seemed louder than anything else, he found it funny.

Berrypaw shook out his fur, as if the warning might had well just be sitting on the tips of his fur strands. However it did resonate, Berrypaw just didn't quite understand any of it yet. Maybe eventually. "How do we know you're not just a lion from an elders tail, Hetasha right? LionClan leader?" he trilled, more intrigued and amused than mocking or agitated. This was fun!