Leaf Fallen Forest

The wind was always uneasy during leaf fall leaving the colorful leaves sporadically placed on the cold hardening ground. Foxfeather, however, did not mind this. She took every chance she could get to escape from the clan’s camp to sit alone in the forest with the leaves falling down and the sound of the river’s rhythmic song soothing her. Her sense of hearing and smell were far greater than her sense of vision for it had never been crystal clear from the moment she was born thus making her far more receptive to the sounds and smells of the forest. Though, while there is always a side of good fortune attached to a curse, there is always the side that haunts the mind. Her inability to see in perfect sight made her unsuitable for warrior duties. In her days of apprenticeship, she was not able to train the same as other apprentices until their leader Skystar and the old medicine cat Lavendertail had found a solution to her disability. She herself would train to be the next medicine cat.1

She sighed in knowing her days as a medicine cat were limited. Her eyesight had progressively worsened and was mixing up herbs by their sight and not their smell as well as not being able to heal wounds on her clanmates. She was far from the age of an elder however. Only being close to 18 moons she was still quite young though her eyes disagreed with her body’s age. She had much to teach her own apprentice, Berrypaw, but knew once the training was over the two would venture to the moonstone so she could give the title of medicine cat to the apprentice with Starclan’s approval. 2

She wrapped her luxuriant red tail around her refined paws to keep them warm. She was a particularly different looking she-cat. Her name Foxfeather came from her appearance. Her rich color and markings were that of a fox as well as her build. Her paws were dainty but could run swiftly if necessary. Her eyes were a sight to see as many cats have said. Her eyes were once a stunning shade of blue as most cats described as blue as the river and sky. Now they were clouded grey with the small remnants of her once brilliant eyes. Her whiskers all kept straight and flawless unlike so many cats she knew. 3

She turned around at the sound of rustling of bushes behind her. She stood up and made an attempt to see if she could see who was near her. Her failed attempt had lead her to the smell of her apprentice Berrypaw. She was unsure where her apprentice was now but her scent still lingered close by. 4

“Berrypaw, you can come out now,” she mewed as a small russet colored she-cat poked out of a bush. She tilted her head and blinked her jade eyes. She padded over to her mentor and gently sat down nudging Foxfeather. 5

“Where have you been?” she questioned her mentor with a curious tone in her voice. Foxfeather glanced at her apprentice with a disapproving look as she tried to focus her weak vision on the petite cat.6

“How many times have I told you to not question me?” she scolded and the ashamed apprentice pressed her ears to her head. She then gave Berrypaw a softer look and sighed. She licked her face and went back to staring at the river which was about a fox length from her seat. 7

“It’s getting really dark and I wanted to make sure you’d be getting back to the camp alright,” Foxfeather tried not to take the gesture as an insult to her inability to see and just nodded to her apprentice. 8

“Berrypaw, what do you think about…your first trip to the moonstone?” the young apprentice’s eyes brightened.9

“Really Foxfeather? Already?” she asked elatedly. Foxfeather couldn’t help but laugh at the young cat’s enthusiasm. She looked up at the now dark sky and saw silverpelt shining down on the forest. 10

“I believe you’re ready, as does Starclan. You’ll get your new name…and then take over when we return…” Berrypaw looked at Foxfeather for a moment and tilted her head.11

“What do you mean?” she asked hoping the question wouldn’t get her snapped at again. Foxfeather looked down at her apprentice and pawed her head. 12

“I’m gonna be an elder soon, my eye sight is getting worse and I’ll be blind before I know it and I won’t be suited for the job as a medicine cat, I want you to take over as soon as possible and the sooner the better,” The two cats sat in silence for a moment letting the sounds of the evening fill the air and the fresh leaf fall wind ruffle their fur. Berrypaw shifted her paws uneasily at the thought of taking over so soon. She had been under the teaching of Foxfeather for quite a few moons but there was still so much to learn.13

“I took over when I was seven moons old. I had only had a month of training before Lavendertail was killed by a rouge cat. It was trial and error from their and then you came along as my apprentice. I’ve been medicine cat now for…11 moons and my eye sight is preventing it from being any longer. I want you to thrive and be medicine cat longer than myself, you’re ready, far more than I was,” she explained to the anxious cat. She looked up at the sky and prayed to Starclan that she was making the right decision, but as her own mentor had told her, “Starclan guides your roughest thoughts therefore when making a decision you are never alone” and she knew her decision on having Berrypaw take over so soon was not a random judgment. 14

“Berrypaw look up at the sky, can you see silverpelt?” Foxfeather asked. The apprentice nodded looking up at the band of stars aligned in the sky. “Silverpelt will always be there for you to turn to when you’re at your hardest time, I promise and don’t worry it’s not like I’ll be dead or anything, just considered an elder, now, this blind old cat wants to race you back to the den, come on,” she darted off back towards the camp and her apprentice followed. She glanced up at the sky once more and thought to herself ‘We’ll be visiting you soon Lavendertail, you better be ready for us.’15