Whispersong | MountainClan | Medicine Cat

[.Rain.]

Name: Whispersong
Age: Twenty-Eight Moons
Honors: SkyClan
Gender: She-cat
Clan: MountainClan
Rank: Medicine Cat
Relationships:

Moonstream -- Adoptive Mother
Swiftrain -- Adoptive Father
Nightdancer -- Adopted Sister
Ruffletail -- Adopted Brother
Dustpelt -- Adopted Brother
Dawnflower -- Adopted Sister
Soulwater -- Mentor (Deceased)

Appearance:

As a kit, Whispersong was small and skinny. She was awkward, with large ears, short whiskers, and a long tail. She has since grown into her ears, and her whiskers have grown out. Her long tail was shortened by a twoleg fox-trap when she was young, but it no longer pains her. The she-cat is still small, but no longer looks undernourished. She is only slightly smaller than the average she-cat.

Her slim frame is covered by thin, velvet-soft fur. It doesn’t do a very good job of keeping her warm, but in Greenleaf she never overheats. Although not necessarily unusual, her fur color stands out in the greens of the forest. She is pale, a hint of blue in her grey fur. One of her front paws is snow-colored, but the rest of the medicine cat’s body is the same blue-grey.

Her mother used to call her a "little blue-eyed beauty." Although all kits are born with blue eyes, Whispersong's never changed to a hazel or amber like most cats' eyes. When she was young her eyes were a true blue, somewhat dark in color. Now, her eyes are a much lighter tone, and have a green tinge to them.

Due to her size and her occupation, Whispersong is not considered a very powerful cat. Her strengths lie in her speed and agility, both of which help her to get to a sick or injured cat quickly. She is rarely injured or ill herself, surprisingly hardy despite her slender, fragile build. Her paws are dainty and she moves quietly, even more so than expected.

She is not particularly beautiful, but some cats consider her to be pretty. Her beauty is a very natural, understated sort. Her short fur always seems to be messy, no matter how often she grooms herself. Her fur is always clean, however, despite it looking constantly messy.

Personality:

Looking at Whispersong now, it is difficult to tell how painfully shy she was when she was young. She used to stutter when she spoke, if she ever spoke at all. She could never make eye contact with another cat. Loud noises frightened her, and she spent most of her time hiding in between her mother's legs or in the back of her den.

She is much stronger now than she ever was. Some cats still consider it a triumph when the she-cat looks them in the eyes and tells them what is wrong, not a stutter in her words. She still keeps one habit from her kithood, however, a habit that she will likely never break. She refers to herself as Whispersong, in the third person. She never speaks in what would be considered a normal speech pattern.

Whispersong is quite gentle. She never seems to have a bad word to say about another cat, and has never let something like borders stop her from helping another cat in need. She has never been much of a fighter, and this is still her weakest area. She truly despises the idea that she needs to learn to fight, and never paid attention to this part of her training.

She tends to become obsessive over certain things and is somewhat materialistic - an odd quality for a cat. She owns a small golden feather with black stripes that she found on a kithood outing. She is known to become angry and upset if another cat touches her feather, and most of MountainClan knows about the feather's importance to their medicine cat.

Her memory has been described as eidetic. When she wants to learn something, she just learns it. She knows her herbs and their uses very well, but is always looking for new things to learn and new ways to heal her Clan. Sometimes she seems like an elder, as she loves to tell stories. When she has nothing to do, she can often be found in the elders den, listening to stories with the kits.

Despite an obvious improvement in her social skills, Whispersong is still inept when it comes to making new friends, or even simply conversing with another cat. Sometimes she will stop during a conversation and stare into the distance for a period of time. Sometimes she will change the subject suddenly, and with no warning. Some cats say that Whispersong lives in her own little world, and struggles to remain in theirs.

She holds a very strong faith in SkyClan, and trusts them fully. She believes that SkyClan has a reason for everything, even if she isn't aware of their reasons or doesn't agree with their actions. Her faith has been tested at times, and has sometimes wavered, but she has never lost it completely.

History:

Kithood:

Moonstream, did you hear that?"
"Huh?"
"I said, did you hear that?"
"Obviously I didn't. I wouldn't be saying huh? otherwise. What do you hear, Swiftrain?"
"It sounds almost like... a kit."

The thin siamese tom took off, leaving Moonstream sitting in the dirt, confused. Finally, she heard the sound, too. The grey she-cat chased after her new mate, skidding to a halt when they reached the river. The two warriors looked around, seeing nothing.

"Maybe it was just the river?" asked Swiftrain. Moonstream shook her head, her motherly instincts strong now that she could hear the kit. She knew that there was a kit in need.

When they found her, she was soaked to the bone and so thin that she seemed to be on the brink of starvation. Moonstream didn't have to think twice. She picked up the pitiful scrap of blue-grey fur in her jaws and ran back to camp, forgetting about the fresh-kill that she and Swiftrain had just hunted.

When the she-cat got back to camp, she went immediately to Soulwater, ignoring her Clanmates' questions. Soulwater, MountainClan's medicine cat at the time, had been sorting herbs when the warrior rushed into her den, frantic.

Although Soulwater had never been very welcoming to intruders in her den, particularly those not from MountainClan, she couldn't leave the kitten to die. It was lucky for the young she-kit, for she didn't have a name at that point, that Moonstream was newly pregnant and beginning to produce milk. It was difficult, but she managed to feed the tiny kit. It was actually a good thing that Moonstream didn't have much milk, Soulwater had said. Too much nourishment too quickly would hurt the kitten.

It was several more days before Soulwater decided that the kit would live, and told Moonstream to give her a name. At that point, the kit was conscious, although she couldn't yet speak. For this silence as well as her quiet movements (Soulwater was able to forget that the she-kit was even there at points), Moonstream gave her the name of Whisperkit.

Some cats believe that Whisperkit's mother was sucked into the river's current, while others say that she was abandoned because her mother couldn't take care of her. Rumors circulated for a long time, even after the tiny kitten had settled into life with Moonstream and Swiftrain.

---

A moon after she had been found, two miracles happened. Moonstream gave birth to a healthy litter of three, named Dawnkit, Dustkit, and Rufflekit. Swiftrain also found another kit inside MountainClan. The bouncing, speckled one-moon-old kitten was named Nightkit, and brought into Whisperkit's growing family.

At first, Whisperkit was resentful of the noisy new arrivals taking all of Moonstream and Swiftrain's free time. She had been the first, however, and her parents managed to find time to interact with her. Whisperkit quickly grew tolerant, and later, friendly, to her foster siblings.

She became close to all of the kits during her later kithood, and they all loved their older sister. Still, however, she preferred to stay close to her mother or to wander into Soulwater's den rather than play with her siblings. Even when they could rile her, she was never as playful as the rest of her family. Part of this may have something to do with Moonstream's protective nature. Whisperkit didn't gain weight very quickly, even with extra milk, herbs, and, later, fresh-kill. She was very undersized, smaller than her youngest siblings. Even with her intelligence and thirst for knowledge, Moonstream always fussed over her as if she was one of her youngest siblings.

---

When she was three moons old, Whisperkit was overcome with curiosity, wanting to see the place where she had been found. During this time of her life, Whisperkit had a thirst for knowledge about her past. Moonstream and Swiftrain had never been secretive about her past, but they didn't know very much about where the she-kit had come from. Like all kits, she had been forbidden to leave camp.

Whisperkit wandered out of camp anyway, excited and afraid to be out and about. She was looking for the river, listening intently for the sound of the water. She was listening so intently, and was so unfamiliar with the territory, that she didn't know to look where she was walking, or to look where she flicked her tail.

SNAP!

The trap was so sharp that at first she didn't even notice it biting into her tail. Then she screamed in pain, wriggling in a desperate attempt to get free. This only made the teeth tighter around her tiny excuse for a tail. Again she cried out, and this time a patrol of warriors heard her.

It took all four cats to get her free, tearing her tail to shreds in the process. Immediately one of the warriors took her to Soulwater. The Medicine cat gave her an exasperated sigh, seeing that tiny Whisperkit had gotten herself into trouble once more. Still, she didn't lecture and didn't scold. It was important that Whisperkit calm down, or she could die.

One of Whisperkit's favorite story-telling elders was in Soulwater's den at the time, getting a poultice for her aching joints. Smiling softly, she told Whisperkit a story. Her voice was soft, and Whisperkit was quiet despite the pain, just barely conscious. She did love stories.

Of course the kitten got an earful when Soulwater had finished patching her up. Moonstream had been frantic looking for her, and for a moment, when she came into the Medicine Cat's den, she couldn't even speak. She just nuzzled her daughter. Swiftrain spoke to her sternly, but Whisperkit didn't hear what he said. She only heard his voice. He spoke with a mixture of concern and anger, making little Whisperkit want to shrink away into nothing.

She hadn't realized what her little adventure would do, After this incident, Whisperkit was just a little more sullen, a little more nervous. She jumped at any sudden noise, even one so simple as a warrior dropping a pile of prey onto the fresh-kill pile. It was a while before she felt brave enough to explore the edges of MountainClan camp again, but she felt safe enough to begin returning to Soulwater's den when she was four moons old.

---

Two moons later, Whisperkit again left MountainClan camp. She and her siblings, along with Swiftrain and his friend Spottedcloud, were going on an excursion. Whisperkit was more nervous than excited, and climbed on Swiftrain's back. She could still feel the pain in her tail. She loosened up soon enough to play with her siblings. First, however, Swiftrain took her around the clearing to show her that there were no twoleg traps.

Feeling safe, she climbed off of her father's back to play in the pebbles. Something golden-colored caught her eyes, and she ran to it. It was a feather, long and gold with black stripes. Whisperkit brought it back to her father, excitement in her eyes. It was such a pretty feather, such a unique feather. She would treasure it always.

Not a day later, Whisperkit found herself mostly alone in Soulwater's den. The medicine cat had been working a lot, and the long days and nights were catching up to her. Whisperkit had promised to alert her if any cats came in need of the medicine cat's assistance. For the most part, the little she-kit was looking through the herbs, trying to memorize them. It wasn't an easy task when she didn't know their uses or their names.

A young warrior named Dewclaw walked into the den, heavily pregnant and breathing hard. Whisperkit padded quickly over to her, and asked what was wrong. Dewclaw's pain was too much for the warrior to reply to little Whisperkit's question, but she didn't need to. Whisperkit could see.

"Soulwater!" she shouted. "Dewclaw's kits!"

For a moment, it seemed as if the whole world had stopped. Dewclaw's breathing was faster, and the medicine cat still hadn't awoken. In desperation, Whisperkit raced to the back of the den and pounced on the flame-tipped female. It was that pounce that finally woke Soulwater from her nightmare.

Soulwater may have been there to help, but the worst was yet to come. Dewclaw had four healthy kits after Whisperkit left. After all, she was merely a kit and didn't need to see such things yet. Soulwater kept her busy by having her fetch Silverclaw - Dewclaw's sister, and Spottedcloud - Dewclaw's mate.

There was something wrong with the fifth kit. Whisperkit could tell by the sudden change in atmosphere. Dewclaw gasped in pain, trying desperately to croak out Soulwater's name for help. Silverclaw was whispering in Dewclaw's ear. The thing that most told Whisperkit that something was wrong, however, was that Spottedcloud pushed past her to be next to his mate.

And Soulwater did nothing to stop him. The medicine cat had a very strict policy - no toms allowed in her den while a queen was giving birth. Not even the queen's mate. Whisperkit knew that something had to be wrong. Afraid and unsure, feeling like an intruder, she backed out of her idol's den.

She didn't know what happened next, just that she heard a loud crack and some screaming. She couldn't help herself, she started to whimper. Soon there was relief. The fifth kit had been born safely. She heard his name. Badgerkit.

---

She was supposed to have become an apprentice by then. She wasn't sure at the time why her apprenticeship had been delayed, just that Moonstream had told her she couldn't become an apprentice yet.

Whisperkit still liked to spend time in Soulwater's den, especially now that Badgerkit had been born. He spent what seemed like an equal amount of time in Soulwater's den and in the nursery. He was fragile, and everybody was careful around him. Due to her gentle nature and quiet movements, Whisperkit was the only cat, other than Badgerkit's siblings, parents, and Soulwater herself, allowed to be near him. Because he couldn't go see the elders - Whisperkit's favorite activity, She memorized their stories to tell him.

She was watching the den for Soulwater again when her leader came to speak to the medicine cat. Franticly stuttering, afraid of such a powerful creature, Whisperkit shrank into the shadows, calling Soulwater in a shaky voice. When the medicine cat awoke and emerged from the shadows, little Whisperkit began to leave. Her leader stopped her, and she looked up curiously.

"Whisperkit has reached her age of apprenticeship, and I had been thinking about suitable mentors for her. And I realized that she had been spending a considerable amount of time with you, and has already shown talent that a medicine cat should possess. I have already spoken to Moonstream, her mother, but I feel I can't go through with her apprenticeship until I had both your opinion on the matter, and yours too, Whisperkit."

Whisperkit was blown away. Of course it had been her dream to become medicine cat, but she hadn't thought it would come true. She stuttered, stumbling over her words before she could find a reply. This was what she had been dreaming of her entire life.

"Yes," she said strongly, not a stutter in her voice. She looked to Soulwater, questioning. Soulwater just had to say yes! She just had to!

"Opinion?" the medicine cat echoed thoughtfully. Then she smiled. "Yes, I'd be delighted to take Whisperkit as my apprentice."

---

Apprenticeship:

"Let all cats who are old enough to catch their own prey gather at the Great Tree!"

Whisperkit was more than ready. She raced out of the nursery, excitement taking her out of her usual reserved character. She practically wriggled with excitement, sitting between her mother and her eldest foster sister - Nightkit. Nightkit had to be six moons old at that point. She was only half a moon younger than Whisperkit was, after all.

"This moon, two kits have reached the age of apprenticeship, though they will both be leading very different paths. Nightkit and Whisperkit, come up here please." Whisperkit was overjoyed. She ran to the Great Tree ahead of her hyperactive sister, watching the rest of her family out of the corner of her eye.

Despite Whisperkit's seniority, Nightkit was apprenticed first. She didn't mind.

"Nightkit, it is high time you were given the title of apprentice. From this day forward, you will be known as Nightpaw. Silverclaw, you are a very skilled warrior, and are patient and understanding. I hope you will pass on your knowledge to this apprentice, as Nightpaw's mentor." She watched as her foster sister touched noses with Silverclaw, glad that she knew Nightpaw's new mentor. Silverclaw had been very kind and very calm throughout Badgerkit's birth. She would be a good match for such an enthusiastic little she-cat.

"Whisperkit, you as well have reached the age of your apprenticeship, but you will not be leading the path of a warrior. You will be the next medicine cat apprentice of MountanClan. Soulwater, your knowledge and skills of healing and the spiritual world is unmatchable by any other cat in MounatinClan, and I hope you will pass your thoughts on to Whisperkit, who from now on will be known as Whisperpaw."

She would never, ever forget the moment that she touched noses with Soulwater, feeling as if a jolt of energy had been pushed through her tiny frame. Once she had stepped back and the Clan had cheered "Nightpaw! Whisperpaw! Nightpaw! Whisperpaw!" the young she-cat darted back to the nursery. She looked around it for one more time before picking up her feather and bringing it back to the den that she would now share with Soulwater. After placing the feather in a small nest next to Soulwater's - the medicine cat had prepared for her apprentice's arrival - she darted back to the ceremony.

Trouble began again almost immediately. It was as if Whisperpaw and Soulwater could never find peace. Dustkit and Rufflekit, feeling neglected in the excitement, had decided to race around the Stone-Hill. In a flash Rufflekit was down on the ground, crying out. Whisperpaw saw blood. Afraid, she ran to him. "Rufflekit!" she called, worry in her voice.

The kits were obviously afraid, and with good reason. They had no way of knowing that Rufflekit had only torn his claw. For all they knew, he was going to die. "MOMMA!" Rufflekit blubbered weakly.

Whisperpaw remembered that cobwebs could stop bleeding. She had to do something to help her foster brother. His paw could fall off if she didn't help! Truthfully, the new apprentice knew that idea was completely out-there, but she couldn't help but think it.

A nearby branch had cobwebs and she tugged them off roughly, a clear sign of her nerves. Usually she was much more gentle. She brought them over to her foster brother, not entirely sure what to do. She was thankful when Soulwater took control.

“There’s no need to worry. He’ll be fine. It hurts, yes, but you can’t die from losing a claw. Now, what I need everyone to do is to help me get Rufflekit to my den. Whisperpaw, would you please wrap Rufflekit’s paw in that cobweb? When you’re done, Moonstream and I will transport Rufflekit to my den. I’m sure we’ve got the right herbs for this.”

Thankfully, they managed to heal Rufflekit. He had lost a claw, but he was fine otherwise. He was even excited, showing off the scar as a "battle wound."

---

Soulwater brought her to the Skypool not long after to be accepted by SkyClan. This was it, the true test of her abilities. She hadn't even started training yet, but this was the moment where she would learn if she truly was to become a medicine cat or not. Whisperpaw followed her mentor's tail closely, having never before visited the sacred place.

She was trembling when she neared the pool, from a mixture of excitement and her famous nerves. Soulwater nudged the tiny apprentice forward, and Whisperpaw stumbled before regaining her footing and laying down in the mossy nest. She closed her eyes, knowing almost instinctively what to do.

She didn't notice when she fell asleep, but she did notice the sweet scent of SkyClan. She was in their realm now. She shivered despite the mild temperature, and the SkyClan cat before her purred lightly. Soulwater returned the purr, and Whisperpaw realized who the cat standing before her was. It would make sense that Lightheart, Soulwater's former mentor, would be there to accept Whisperpaw to her rank as a medicine cat apprentice.

"Whisperpaw," Lightheart murmured. Whisperpaw had heard the stories about this pale-furred she-cat. She had been crazy, they had said. MountainClan's medicine cat, at the time of Lightheart's birth, hadn't believed in SkyClan. When Lightheart, Lightkit at the time, was born, SkyClan knew that it was her destiny to become a medicine cat. They started sending her visions, to strengthen her.

Instead, they had broken her. She'd gone crazy due to all of the stress that had been forced upon her at such an early age. She'd become a medicine cat, but she had been broken. It hurt Whisperpaw's heart to remember this story, and its mention of Soulwater's apprenticeship. Soulwater had been treated roughly by the insane Lightheart. Whisperpaw wasn't sure she would have been able to handle it. She looked back at Soulwater, remembering just another reason why she respected her mentor.

They seemed to be close, and the thought made Whisperpaw smile. She nodded to Lightheart, who didn't seem crazy at all. SkyClan must have healed her. "Whisperpaw, do you promise to do your best to learn all that you can from Soulwater? Do you promise to uphold your Clan's honor and care for your Clan to the best of your ability, for the rest of your life?" Whisperpaw nodded, growing more bold by the day.

"SkyClan accepts you as the future medicine cat of MountainClan. Good luck, Whisperpaw."

---

She continued to play with Badgerkit, and Soulwater allowed her to think of the young black-and-white tom as her special patient. Soulwater still took care of his important treatment, but Whisperpaw loved to tell him stories and give him the herbs that Soulwater prepared. She learned a lot from taking care of him.

She was nine moons old when Badgerkit woke up worse than he had any other day, even those frightening moments when he was a newborn. Whisperpaw knew that her friend needed help, help that she couldn't provide. She yelled for her mentor, and as if she'd had a premonition, Soulwater appeared.

"Whisperpaw, I need you to chew and mix together the tansy, ginger, mint, and poppy seeds. Leave half of each pile for me to use, though. I'll need those for a different poultice. When you're done mixing, try to get Badgerkit to swallow some of the mixture. Honey helps it go down faster, and so does water. I have some of each tucked away in that corner there. It's all on the moss." As she was known to do, Soulwater immediately took command.

Unsure of what she could do to help, Whisperpaw did what her mentor had commanded as fast as she could. "C-c-come on B-bad-dgerk-kit-t...it-t will mak-ke you b-bet-tt-ter... Whisp-p-perp-paw will b-be h-here for-r you alw-ways-s... Whisp-p-perp-paw will mak-ke you b-bet-tt-ter. D-do you n-need-d help-p-p t-to sw-wallow-w?" her stuttering, which she had been working so hard to control, was worse than it had ever been. The kit began convulsing again, and Whisperpaw felt hopeless.

She tried to get the mixture down his throat, but he kept coughing it back up. She tried again, chewing the herbs into a thick liquid. it was no use. Badgerkit convulsed once more, and was still.

"No... No. NO. NO. NO!"She screamed the word like it would bring him back, but she knew that her efforts were hopeless. Badgerkit was gone. He had trusted her to save him, and he was gone.
"St-t-tarC-cl-clan...T-tak-k-ke c-care of hi-h-him..."

She didn't say anything for a long time, only vaguely aware that her mentor was talking.

"Whisperpaw, listen to me. I know how it feels. I know they'll tell you 'it wasn't your fault' and 'there was nothing you could do' and 'he's happier now in SkyClan', but they just don't understand. It hurts to not be able to save someone who we care about. It hurts even more to think of the what if's. What if I had tried this? Would he still be alive? But the answer you're looking for will never show itself. Whisperpaw, you must remain in the present. I know you feel like you've failed, but that failure will help you know more. When I lost my first patient, she died of burns. Now I know just the right herbs to use to heal those burns, so no other cat will ever die of that again. So Whisperpaw, learn. Learn how to save your Clanmates even better. Your Clan needs you. SkyClan picked you for this path, and you will succeed as a medicine cat. Be strong, Whisperpaw. And know that I'll always be beside you."

Soulwater was crying too when she finished speaking. Whisperpaw looked up at her mentor, surprised. Soulwater had never cried before.

---

Badgerkit's death was still fresh in her mind a moon later, when she heard her leader's call to gather again at the Great Tree. She was recovering, just as well as all of the other cats who had loved Badgerkit. She would never be the same, but she would be okay.

"We're gathered here to witness the growth of three kits. They've reached the ages of apprenticeship, and it's time for them to press on into the next stage of life. Rufflekit, Dawnkit, and Dustkit, please come forward." Whisperpaw purred in excitement, cuddling close to Moonstream and Nightpaw. Her younger siblings were finally going to be apprentices!

"Spottedcloud, you are a strong and knowledgeable warrior, as well as a caring father. I hope you will be able to pass down your skills as Rufflekit's mentor. Spiderfur, your hunting and fighting skills are to be admired, and I hope that you'll be able to pass down your skills to your new apprentice, Dawnpaw. Dustkit, you too are old enough to begin to learn the warrior code. Your strong wit and care for others will aid you well, and I do hope that I'll be able to teach you more as your mentor." Whisperpaw cheered with the rest of MountainClan, feeling their collective joy. Rufflepaw, Dawnpaw, and Dustpaw had mentors! And Dustpaw was apprenticed to the leader of MountainClan! It was exciting.

"Whisp-perp-paw g-gonna miss you g-guys..." she murmured to them when they came over to see her. Her fears were voiced aloud. The fact that she had barely seen even a glimpse of Nightpaw since their apprenticeship told her that warrior apprentices were always very busy. She didn't want to sacrifice the visits to her siblings she had always made. "P-promise you'll v-visit-t Whisp-perp-paw?" she asked slowly.

Her siblings smiled at her. "Whisperpaw, would I ever let a day pass in which I did not say hello?" Asked Dustpaw. "Exactly!" Dawnpaw agreed. "Anyway," purred Rufflepaw, "We'll probably be pestering Soulwater to get a sight of you all through apprenticeship! And when we're warriors and you're a medicine cat, I'll go fight foxes for you so I can go see you!" Rufflepaw had always been a jokester, and his words made Whisperpaw laugh.

---

She learned the herbs quickly and grew close to Soulwater. All in all, Whisperpaw loved being a medicine cat apprentice. Although her siblings sometimes wondered how she could do it, for Whisperpaw, there had never been another choice. Medicine cat apprenticeship just felt so right. She was seventeen moons old when she heard her leader call again for a ceremony, once which would be important to her.

"Nightpaw, your enthusiasm has been observed by the entire Clan, and I know you will use it to protect RiverClan well. From this day forward, you will now be known as Nighteyes. Dawnpaw, your gentle nature is admired by many cats. You will now be known as Dawnflower. Rufflepaw, with boundless energy, you've been able to train hard and well. Your warrior name is Ruffletail. Dustpaw, you have learned the ways of the warrior code well, and you've grown much since your day of apprenticeship. I am proud to give you the warrior name Dustfur."

Whisperpaw cheered despite her sadness at seeing her siblings become warriors without her. Nightpaw's training had gone quite slowly, partly due to Silverclaw's young age, and she became a warrior with her younger siblings. She wasn't upset by this fact, however. Nighteyes had always been able to bounce back from anything.

She was the first to congratulate her younger siblings, even before Moonstream got the chance. Swiftrain had vanished a moon before, and while Whisperpaw missed her father, she had always been closer to her mother.

---

She was nineteen moons old when she made one more trip to the Moon Den with Soulwater by her side. She could feel the energy in the air and she knew, without being told, that this was it.

She was to become a medicine cat.

---

Medicine Cat:

"Soulwater, Whisperpaw is nervous. What does Whisperpaw say? What does Whisperpaw do?" She could barely keep up with her mentor's long strides as they hurried toward the Moon Den. She was too excited to keep quiet, even though that was what she sensed she should do.

Soulwater didn't hear her plea, and she let it rest. She trusted SkyClan to show her what to do. She trusted herself to so things right. When they walked into the Moon Den, Soulwater stopped. She was obviously waiting for Whisperpaw to start, but she wasn't sure what to do. Help, SkyClan! Badgerkit! Anyone?

Her paws wanted to pad over to the moss and lay down, and she let them. SkyClan was there to help her. Whisperpaw closed her eyes, feeling SkyClan all around her. "SkyClan..." she breathed, just barely audible.

We are here... We are here for you, little Whisperpaw.

Recognizing Badgerkit's voice, the she-cat opened her blue-green eyes to the dream. Her eyes darted around quickly, catching sight of Soulwater behind her. Soulwater's eyes were fixed upon Lightheart, and Whisperpaw smiled at the golden she-cat. The crowd of SkyClan cats took her breath away. In that moment, Whisperpaw knew that she was ready for this. Her anxiety melted away. This was the moment she had been longing for her entire life.

"Whisperpaw," Lightheart said in a commanding voice. "You have trained hard. Whisperpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from the rivalry between cat and cat, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

Nodding, her eyes wavering, Whisperpaw murmured her answer. "Yes."

"Then, by the power of SkyClan, I give you the name Whispersong. May you rest easily, and never waver from your promise."

All at once, the starry cats were gone and she looked back at Soulwater with wide eyes.

---

Soulwater died a moon later. There was nothing that Whispersong could have done. She walked into the den that she shared with her mentor and began to put the herbs away that she had gathered. Soulwater had been lying in her nest, her eyes closing drowsily. Whispersong had smiled and continued sorting herbs. To keep from waking Soulwater, she had kept her pawsteps extra light.

At first, she didn't even know that her mentor was gone. She just scented SkyClan's sweet scent. She knew, however, as soon as she looked at her mentor, that Soulwater was gone. She was still and silent.

Soulwater had been far from old. She had been thirty-two moons old when she had taken Whispersong on as an apprentice, eighteen moons before her death. She hadn't exactly been healthy, but she hadn't been on her deathbed. Nothing had killed her, it had just been her time to go. Whispersong knew not to argue with SkyClan.

She had gone peacefully, but Whispersong didn't miss her any less because of this. She would always love her mentor, and she would always miss her mentor, Above everything, Soulwater had become her best friend.

She has been a medicine cat on her own for almost four moons now, but she is not really on her own. Whenever she needs guidance, she can feel her mentor's comforting presence, and she feels safe. When she needs to take control, she remembers Soulwater's gentle yet commanding presence, and she feels brave.

Roleplay Example:

The thin she-cat padded along a fallen log, her footing swift and sure. She had never been strong, but she was strong enough to do her duties. It had been a long time since she had been afraid of the forest, and she found comfort in it.

At that moment, the medicine cat was gathering herbs. A recent bout of greencough had diminished her stores of catmint and tansy, two herbs that were important to her. Tansy had many uses within the Clan, helping to ease coughing and used in a poultice for aching joints. It was one of the herbs that Whispersong used more often. It was hard for her to remember the time when she hadn't known the herb's uses.

Her sea-glass eyes darted around her surroundings. There was an abandoned twoleg house nearby, its garden full of catmint, if she remembered correctly. She just had to find it, a task not always easy in the ever-changing forest. She paused, lifting her single white-furred paw as she looked behind her. "Come on," she said quickly, anxiously. She hated being low on herb stores. She tried to be kind - after all, the warrior was helping her of his own free will, but she was anxious.

"We're almost there," she mewed quietly as the warrior came closer. She wasn't exactly sure if she was telling the truth, but she trusted SkyClan to guide her way.

Pictures:

Kit
Adult (By Aster)
Eyes

Codeword:

Potatoes.

[.:Fawn:.]

@.@ Ow, my eyes. The length of her history...everything...

xD great StarClan, Rain. Having read this once, I know it's all good, but I just thought I'd point this out before accepting it.

Soulwater's name should be changed. xD It's in the "Names to be avoided" thing you wrote.[/font]

[.Rain.]

I know, but I roleplayed Whispersong for more than a year starting from Whisperkit, and her mentor's name was Soulwater. Soulwater's roleplayer was and still is absolutely amazing, and I just feel like it's a dishonor to her to change Soulwater's name.

Can't you excuse it for the quality of her bio? xDD.

[.:Fawn:.]

-nod-

xD Of course.

Accepted as Medicine Cat of MountainClan!

[/center]