Chapter 3: Destiny's Call
"Asuna, hey, wake up." Asuna let out a yawn before opening her hazel eyes and rubbing them with a paw. She looked up and saw that Dovewing greeted her with a smile. "Hi! I hope I didn't disturb your sleep that much."
"No, no, it's fine, Dovewing." Asuna assured her as she got on her paws and stretched out her hindlegs and back. She looked around and saw that the cats around her were awake. "Oh no…was I asleep for too long?"
"A bit, but it's okay. You're just getting used to life here, after all. Besides, we have all day to train you and Suguha."
"Right…" Asuna let out a gasp. How could I almost forget about my dream last night? "Thanks for waking me Dovewing! I have to talk to Jayfeather about something!" The cream she-cat darted out of the warriors' den, leaving the gray she-cat and the others in the den confused.
"Jayfeather! Jayfeather!" Asuna called out once she set paw in the medicine cat's den.
"What now? Can't you see that I'm…?" Jayfeather's angered tone suddenly vanished when he realized that Asuna was the cat that barged in. "Asuna…what are you doing here?"
"Sorry for being so loud coming in here, Jayfeather. I just have some really important news to tell you and Leafpool about."
"Well that was fast. What happened, Asuna?" Leafpool asked as she walked over to where her son and Asuna were standing. Asuna saw that Briarlight looked over at her, and Alderpaw did as well, although he sat in the back of the den.
"Last night, I had a dream…and Firestar spoke to me."
"What? Did he tell you anything regarding the prophecy?" Jayfeather wondered.
"No, but he told me that I'm destined to walk down the path of a medicine cat."
"My father told you that?" Leafpool said, shock in her voice.
"Yes. He said that I was walking in StarClan last night because of that." Asuna explained. "He also told me that I was meant to become a warrior as well."
"He told a cat that just arrived in this world that she had to carry two roles? He has to know how ridiculous that request is." Jayfeather stated.
"Are you saying that I can't do it?" Asuna retorted.
"In a way, yeah, I am. There's no way that he can expect you to do both! That's completely mouse-brained!" Jayfeather spat, causing Asuna to flinch.
"I can't believe that you'd say that…" Jayfeather could sense the sadness in her voice and he turned his blind gaze away from her.
"Asuna…I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I'm sorry." He apologized. "It's not that I don't think you can't do it…but I don't want you being stressed out over it all. Having to remember what herbs do, where they grow, and what they smell and look like is a lot to remember."
"I have to try! Jayfeather, please! You were fine with teaching me a bit the other day, but what about now?"
"That was different. I was only going to show you the basic herbs, but now…I'd have to teach you everything." He spoke softly, returning his gaze to hers. "Like I said, I just don't want you stressing out over it along with warrior training."
"Well, we did just start training Alderpaw today, so it shouldn't hurt if we train Asuna along the way." Leafpool suggested. Jayfeather let out a sigh.
"You do raise a good point. Plus, it was something Firestar told her." Asuna cracked a small smile as she realized Jayfeather was finally on board with training her. "Asuna, know that a medicine cat's work is tough. Sure, we have Leafpool and I, but you and Alderpaw can be a huge help if something happens to either one of us. I need you to be diligent and responsible as a medicine cat. I shouldn't be asking this, but can I trust you, Asuna?"
"Yes, Jayfeather. I promise that I'll try my best and make sure to pay attention to everything I learn." She responded with confidence.
"Good. Again…I'm sorry for what I said to you, Asuna." He apologized, but suddenly felt Asuna get closer to him and give him a hug, similar to yesterday. More hugging? I don't think I'm a fan of this.
"It's okay, you were just worried about me." She broke away from him and let out a smile. "Thank you for this opportunity, Jayfeather, and you too, Leafpool. I won't let you down."
"We know you won't. Now, don't you have combat training with Lionblaze and Dovewing right now?" Leafpool asked with a small laugh.
"Right. I'll see you all later!" Asuna made her way out of the den and Jayfeather looked over at Leafpool.
"Could you go get Bramblestar for me? He needs to know about this."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"So let me get this straight: you have to learn how to be a warrior and a medicine cat?" Lionblaze asked Asuna as she and Suguha were practicing the Duck and Twist.
"Yeah. Firestar told me so last night in my dream."
"I can't believe you actually went to StarClan, Asuna. It makes me wonder why Kirito and I are here." Suguha told her after she got back on her paws.
"Well, I'm pretty sure it's only because my battle healing and first aid skills in SAO were high." She responded.
"I doubt it. Walking the path of a medicine cat is a huge responsibility, and add being a warrior to that? You must be a really special cat, Asuna." Lionblaze said.
"Lionblaze, can you stop hitting on my pupil?" Dovewing joked, causing the tom to blush.
"I didn't mean it like that!" He said before letting out a sly smile. "It would be rude for me to hit on my brother's love interest."
"W-what?" Asuna stammered, her face flustered. "Jayfeather doesn't like me that way!"
"You sure? He was pretty nice to you yesterday. Sparkpaw did say it was a rare sight." Suguha told her.
"Positive! He yelled at me today, so it's not like I'm a special case to him or anything like that!"
"Calm down, Asuna, I was only kidding." Lionblaze said. "Jayfeather's known for having a temper, so it's something to get used to."
"He did apologize for what he said though. I guess it's just because of the situation I'm in though."
"Well the only one who'll know the answer to that is him." Dovewing told her. "Anyway, let's get back on track. You both seem to understand all the battle moves, so why don't you put them to the test against each other?"
"Okay then." Asuna took a few paces away from Suguha. "Ready?"
"Yup."
"Wait!" Dovewing blurted out. "I forgot to tell you both to not use your claws and if you bite, do so softly."
"I think we know that we're not fighting to kill each other." Suguha responded with a giggle.
"Well then why'd you warn Kirito and I?" The gray she-cat muttered to Lionblaze.
"Because that's how it was two years ago, remember?" He responded. "Okay you two, start!" The two watched as they charged towards each other, Asuna immediately closing the distance between her and Suguha. Kirito wasn't kidding…she's fast. Suguha was used to sparring with Asuna in ALO, so she knew her usual attack style. The pale ginger she-cat rolled out of the way, causing Asuna to drift on the grass, almost stumbling. Now Suguha ran towards Asuna and pounced towards her to close the distance. Once she was on top of her, she began to attack her with paw strikes, but Asuna quickly parried each hit with her own forepaws, striking Suguha whenever she saw an opening. Suguha leaped off of her, allowing Asuna to get back up.
Like before, Asuna used her swiftness to run towards Suguha, and when she got close, she leaped into the air, causing Suguha to throw her forepaw forward, but she then realized that Asuna leaped over her. She quickly turned around but was greeted with a blow to her face with Asuna's hindpaw, dazing her for a moment. Asuna then tackled her, pinning Suguha to the ground, but right when she did, Suguha quickly bit into her shoulder and pushed her off. The two she-cats got up and looked at each other.
"This is…way harder than fighting with swords…" Asuna told her.
"Agreed. If only…I could use magic here." Suguha responded, panting for her breath. "Ready?"
"When was I not?" Suguha let out a small grin and ran towards her opponent. She noticed that Asuna just stood in place so she decided to leap over her, much like Asuna did before to her, but this time, she quickly repositioned herself in the air so that she was facing Asuna. The cream she-cat turned around, but was greeted by a blow to her head, causing her to leap back away from her. Asuna rubbed her head with a paw, but as she was, Suguha charged towards her again, causing Asuna to roll out of the way, grass now covering her fur.
"I thought you said you were always ready, Asuna." Suguha teased.
"I did. Now, let's see if you're ready for this." Asuna raised her back before darting towards Suguha at breakneck speed. Once she was close, Asuna didn't hold back and quickly threw her paws at her, Suguha trying to dodge each hit as best as she could. During the middle of the skirmish Asuna even quickly leaped to her side, causing Suguha to turn to dodge from there too, but Asuna's movements were too quick. As a counter maneuver, Suguha stopped trying to evade and instead tackled Asuna to the ground again, this time holding her forepaws down to stop her from attacking. Asuna tried her best to move away, but only her hindpaws flailed as she struggled to get out of her grip. Once she was completely immobile, Suguha brought her head down to Asuna's shoulder and gave her a soft bite, causing her to flinch. Asuna tried to shake her off, but was unable to, until an idea popped in her mind. She tucked her hindpaws below Suguha and kicked her off, causing some of her fur on her shoulder to be torn. Suguha tumbled on the ground, trying to get up from Asuna's sudden aggression. Asuna got to her paws and gave her shoulder a quick lick, looking towards her to see Suguha still trying to get to her paws. Now's my chance! Asuna dashed towards Suguha and as she was getting up, Suguha saw Asuna leap in the air and close in on her. It was too late for her to move and Asuna struck her shoulder with her right forepaw, causing Suguha to roll along the grass. Asuna panted for her breath and then looked over at Suguha, who wasn't moving. "Suguha!" She ran over to her friend's side and saw that she was laughing. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry Asuna, but I had to win someway too." She said with a giggle. "That was a good fight, Asuna. I thought I had you there when I got your shoulder, but I guess not."
"You got a mouthful of my fur though." Asuna said with a laugh before helping Suguha up.
"That was a great fight, you two." Dovewing told them with joy.
"Yeah, especially your speed, Asuna. Kirito told me that you were faster than him, and he wasn't playing." Lionblaze said. "You both were very agile, especially when jumping."
"I think that might come from flying in ALO." Suguha told him. "Well, at least for me I think."
"Maybe you both are capable of the Jump and Pin. Kirito wasn't, but after what we saw, you both might be able to pull it off." Dovewing said.
"How do we do it?"
"You leap towards a tree and bounce off of it, landing on your opponent, or you can climb the tree and then leap backwards and land." Dovewing explained. "Lionblaze, do you mind being their target?"
"Now you're just pushing being their mentor." He told her as he walked over to the front of a nearby tree. "Don't worry you two, I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" Suguha asked.
"She's right. I mean, you're not exactly invincible anymore." Dovewing added.
"I'm doing this voluntarily, so even if I was invincible, I would still get hurt…which I won't!" He quickly assured the two. "Asuna, why don't you go first?"
"Okay." Asuna ran towards the tree and climbed up for a few seconds before quickly twisting her body in the air so she was now facing forward, landing perfectly on top on the golden tom, whose body was now pressed to the ground. "Lionblaze, you're okay, right?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine." He assured her. "Do you mind getting off though?"
"Right, sorry!" Asuna quickly moved off of the tom's back.
"Okay Suguha, you're next." Dovewing told the pale ginger she-cat.
"Are you sure you're fine with this, Lionblaze?"
"Yeah. I mean, it's an optional technique, but it could be useful on your adventure." He told her.
"Alrighty then." Suguha began to climb the tree and when she was at a reasonable height, she leaped off towards Lionblaze, landing on his back.
"Okay…maybe two was too much…" He told them. Suguha was quick to get off of him and she helped him up. "Thanks. At least now we can see that these two can do something Kirito can't."
"Well, we did practice climbing a bit yesterday." Asuna admitted.
"That explains a lot." Dovewing said with a small laugh. "Great job today you two. Now you're pretty much set, but we'll put in some fighting practice here and there when we have the chance." She added. "Oh! We should get going so you can start your medicine cat training, Asuna. You don't want Jayfeather yelling at you."
"I don't think he will. He knows that being a warrior and medicine cat's going to be hard for me." She assured her.
"I guess you're right. Anyway, let's go so Lionblaze can rest. I bet his back's killing him right now." The three she-cats shared a laugh while the golden tom followed behind them.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"Nice catch, Kirito!" Cherryfall praised the black tom with praise as he carried a mouse in his jaws. "From your form, to how you slowly crept onto it, everything was excellent."
"Thanks. I guess it helps that my searching skill in SAO was maxed out." He told her once he dropped his mouse down to speak.
"What's even more amazing is that Cherryfall didn't even need to teach you!" Sparkpaw stated. "I thought being an apprentice and catching prey on my first try was great, but what you did tops that off!"
"Well what you did is still impressive, Sparkpaw, so don't discredit yourself too much." Kirito replied with a small laugh. "It's actually pretty cool how all those skills in SAO are apparently becoming useful here, although maybe it's just because I'm a cat and have better senses or something."
"Regardless, if you can hunt like that, you'll be a huge help to the Clan." Cherryfall said.
"I hope so. It's the least I can do for letting us stay in ThunderClan." Kirito turned around and saw that there was a thrush looking around. "There's a bird over there. Mind if I try and catch it?" The she-cat shook her head. Kirito dropped into a hunter's crouch and slowly approached the bird. It doesn't seem to notice me yet. Perfect. Once he was close enough, Kirito quickly lunged forward, striking the thrust with his forepaw, killing it with one swift strike to the neck. He then carried it with him and dropped it where his mouse was.
"That was even more amazing than your last catch!" Sparkpaw exclaimed. "Are you sure that you're not a warrior, Kirito?"
"Positive. All this just seemed to come natural. I think it helped that fighting yesterday got me a bit more accustomed to how to move as a cat."
"Like Sparkpaw said, it really is amazing that you can accomplish all of that in the span of only two days of training." Cherryfall added. "Anyway, I think we're done for today. Thanks for letting Sparkpaw train a bit before we actually went hunting."
"No problem. I don't want her falling behind in her warrior training." He said before picking up his thrush and mouse. "Okay, let's go." The two she-cats giggled at the tom's muttered voice before they made their way back to ThunderClan.
"I wonder how Alderpaw's doing with Jayfeather today." Sparkpaw thought.
"I'm sure he's doing okay. It'll take more than Jayfeather yelling to stop him." Her mentor responded.
"I just feel bad for him. He wanted to be a warrior, but now he can't. It's like he gave up, even though he didn't want to."
"I understand, but being a medicine cat is a very big responsibility, an honor even. If StarClan wanted him to become one, he must have something good in store."
"Maybe he'll help with the prophecy now! Aw, now I wish I was a medicine cat!" The apprentice pouted.
"I dunno, I think you'd miss being a warrior in a heartbeat." Kirito added, his voice still muffled by his prey.
"Speaking of being a warrior; Sparkpaw, things are going to be different starting tomorrow."
"You mean today too, right? It's the first day Lelouch isn't out here with us, and neither is Molewhisker and Nightheart."
"Oh, right." The warrior said, her voice low. "Anyway, tomorrow we'll start going out along with the hunting patrols and border patrols. Try to behave like you've been doing so far, okay?"
"No promises."
"Sparkpaw…"
"Okay, I'll behave."
"Who knows? Maybe we'll be on patrol with Lelouch, Nightheart, or my brother too, so it might feel like it used to."
"I guess that does sound fun."
"Yup. At this rate, you'll be a warrior in no time."
The three approached the thorn tunnel leading into ThunderClan and made their way through it and into the camp. Kirito broke away from the group and dropped his prey in the fresh kill pile.
"Did you catch both of those on your first time out?" He turned around to see Squirrelflight standing behind him.
"Oh, hey Squirrelflight." He greeted the deputy. "Yeah, I did. Pretty sweet, huh?"
"I'll say. For your first day of hunting, that's quite a catch. I'll have to start putting you on hunting patrols, if you don't mind." Kirito shook his head.
"That would be awesome! I'm sure Asuna, Suguha, and I are at least trained for the basic tasks, so don't hesitate to ask us for help whenever you need to."
"I'll make sure to." She replied with a smile. "Feel free to take something from the pile. The elders, queens, and kits were brought food already."
"Thanks." As Squirrelflight left, Kirito looked over the pile to see what he wanted to eat. Man, a fish or rabbit would be good right now…or maybe one of Asuna's sandwiches…
"Have you tried a thrush yet?" Kirito looked up from the pile and saw Nightheart, who greeted him with a smile.
"Hi Nightheart. Actually, I caught this thrush today. Is it any good?"
"Well if you caught it then it should be. Nothing's better than a piece of prey you caught by yourself." She told him. "By the way, Asuna's in the medicine cat's den if you were wondering." Kirito dropped his thrush and looked at Nightheart.
"What happened to her?!"
"Oh, no, no, she's okay, don't worry." Kirito let out a sigh of relief. "Last night, Asuna had a dream and she was told that she had to become a medicine cat and a warrior."
"Really? Is that even possible?"
"It's never been heard of. Don't worry though, you and Asuna can still be together." Nightheart said with a small laugh, causing the tom to blush.
"I guess that's a relief. Thanks for telling me, Nightheart."
"It's my pleasure. I thought you'd want to know, and I was kind of hungry."
"Take that mouse over there." Kirito pointed over at it was a claw. "I also caught it today."
"Oh. Well…thank you, Kirito." Nightheart picked the prey up. "I guess I'll see you later." Kirito gave her a nod before the she-cat left to eat her prey. With the thrush in his mouth, Kirito walked over to the medicine cat's den. He walked inside and saw that Jayfeather was explaining herbs to Asuna and Alderpaw.
"Hi Kirito." Leafpool greeted the tom. "Did Asuna tell you the news yet?"
"Nightheart told me when I got back to camp." Kirito told her after he put his thrush down.
"Kirito, do you mind getting that thrush out of here? I don't want the scent lingering with any of the herbs, and we're kind of busy here." Jayfeather told him.
"Oh shoot! Sorry about that Jayfeather! I just wanted to see Asuna and how she was doing." He said. "I should get going then. See you later, Asuna!"
"Bye." Asuna waved her paw as her boyfriend left. "Sorry about that, Jayfeather. I didn't exactly see him yet today."
"It's okay. He didn't know. Now where were we…oh, right here." Jayfeather gave the yellow flowered plant a sniff. "This is goldenrod. It's good for cleaning wounds. Over here is watermint. It helps with bellyaches." He explained. "Alderpaw are you getting this?"
"Yeah. Do you mind if I take a sniff of it?" The medicine cat shook his head.
"You should take a sniff of it too, Asuna." Jayfeather told her. The cream she-cat sniffed the plant. It smells like a weaker version of mint. She thought as she brought her head away from it. "Finished?"
"Yes, Jayfeather."
"Good. Now this one right here is yarrow. It induces vomiting in case a cat has swallowed poison, and it's also an ointment for cracked pads."
"How do we get them crushed to that state? Do you use some sort of rock?" Asuna asked.
"Well, no. We chew any herbs that need to be directly applied, so get ready for some unpleasant tastes when the time comes." Asuna noticed the tom crack a small smile. "Anyway, let's continue."
Jayfeather explained to the two cats the functions of the rest of the herbs for about ten more minutes, Leafpool helping as well. The brambles leading to the den were suddenly broken through and they saw it was Sparkpaw.
"We're busy right now, so this better be good." Jayfeather told her.
"Cherryfall sent me to tell you that Purdy has a bellyache. I'm here to pick up whatever cures it." Jayfeather looked back at Alderpaw.
"Alderpaw, what do we need to give Purdy?" The apprentice looked around, forgetting what the answer was.
"It's watermint." Asuna whispered over to him.
"Oh, um…watermint." Alderpaw answered.
"Good. Now find it in the storage." Alderpaw looked around for it, but as he did he could tell that Jayfeather was impatient waiting for him to bring it. He grabbed a yellow flower and gave it over to him.
"This is goldenrod. It's used for wounds, remember?" Jayfeather scolded him. "Asuna, go get some watermint, please." Asuna now looked into the storage and came back with a green plant. Jayfeather gave it a sniff. "This is catmint. Purdy has a bellyache, not greencough!"
"Oh…Sorry Jayfeather." She apologized.
"Sorry isn't going to cut it when lives are at stake, Asuna." He told her, picking out the needed herb from the storage. He then handed it over to Leafpool, who joined Sparkpaw in going back to the elder's den. Jayfeather let out a sigh. "You two need to pay attention. Cats' lives depend on us doing things right, understand?"
"Yes, Jayfeather." The two cats answered.
"Good. Now go get something to eat." As they were walking, Jayfeather turned his head over to them. "Asuna, stay here." Alderpaw looked over at her.
"I'll be fine." She told him before they parted. She walked over to where Jayfeather was sitting. "Jayfeather, I'm sorry for getting it wrong. This is a lot to take in."
"You got it wrong on purpose, didn't you?" He told her.
"What do you mean?"
"What else does it mean? When you handed over the catmint, I could faintly smell watermint on you. I'm guessing you told Alderpaw the answer too, right?" Asuna looked away from the medicine cat's blind gaze. "I understand that you're feeling sympathy for Alderpaw, but he has to learn. If I know you understand herbs, it'll be a relief for me so I can focus more on him when he needs help."
"I guess I didn't think of it that way." Asuna said.
"It's okay. I understand that you're a really kind and sweet cat, Asuna." Jayfeather told her, a sudden blush covering his face. "I-I meant that in a friendly way!" He quickly stammered, causing her to giggle.
"Thank you, Jayfeather. You know you're not as mean as everyone thinks, either. You're just very committed and care for the safety of others."
"T-thanks, Asuna. It's nice to have a cat that understands me to an extent." He told her. "You should go get something to eat now."
"It's okay. I'm not that hungry. Do you mind if I help Briarlight?"
"Go right ahead." He said with a smile. Asuna was happy that she could bring out that side of a cat everyone referred to as being grumpy most of the time. She walked over to where Briarlight was and saw the she-cat roll a ball of moss over to her.
"You just throw the ball and I try to catch it. It helps me stretch." Briarlight explained. Asuna gave her a nod and began tossing it towards her. She was surprised at how agile the she-cat actually was, especially in the state she was in.
"You're really good at this, Briarlight." Asuna told her after she tossed the ball of moss back at her.
"Well when you have to do this every day, what do you expect?"
"Has she dropped it yet?" Jayfeather wondered.
"Not yet. She's a professional." Asuna told him, and Jayfeather let out a small laugh.
"When Lelouch's here with her she misses it more often." While the moss ball was flying towards her, Briarlight missed it, the cat flustered by the tom's comment.
"No I don't! I miss it the same amount of times!"
"Aw, you like Lelouch, don't you?" Asuna said with a giggle.
"Asuna!" Briarlight threw the ball of moss at the she-cat, hitting her in the face. "Just throw the moss, please?"
"I think I'll go get Lelouch in here. Jayfeather did say you miss catches with him, so he'd be better helping you."
"No! I mean…"
"I'm just kidding, Briarlight. Here." Asuna threw the moss ball towards her. "I can't let you not see him though. He likes helping you, right?" She nodded. "Then I'll tell him to come in from time to time."
"He usually comes in whenever he has the time." Jayfeather told her. "Although asking him might make her even happier." Jayfeather felt the ball of moss hit him, causing Asuna to let out a small laugh. The medicine cat's den feels like a small family, and I'm glad that I get to be a part of it. Hopefully balancing out my warrior duties and medicine cat duties works well.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Asuna padded through the forest with Leafpool to collect some herbs that were needed. It had been a half-moon ever since Asuna started her medicine cat and warrior training, and luckily it wasn't as difficult as she anticipated. I can't believe that Kirito, Suguha, and I have been here for two weeks already. We haven't really found what was in the shadows at all yet, but hopefully we set out on that quest soon.
"Asuna, I'm so glad that you're learning so much about being a medicine cat, especially since you're also a warrior." Leafpool told her.
"Thank you, Leafpool. I couldn't have done it without you and Jayfeather teaching me. It's also good that Bramblestar was fine with me just alternating my tasks each day."
"Right, and you've been doing well remembering what herbs are needed to treat certain aliments. My father was right to give you such a task." Asuna blushed at the she-cat's praise. "Now, we're out looking for marigold. Do you remember what it does?"
"It helps stop bleeding and infection, right?" Leafpool nodded.
"Excellent. Do you remember where it's found?"
"Near water, so we should look around the lake or the stream." Asuna answered.
"Very good, Asuna. Let's go find some." Leafpool took the lead and made her way towards the lake. Once they were there, the two looked around and sniffed the air to find marigold.
"Over there." Asuna walked over to a nearby bush and saw a patch of the yellow flower growing. As she went to pick it up, a reflective glow filled her eyes and she stepped back.
"Asuna, are you okay?" Leafpool asked as she walked over to her. The cream she-cat stared at the flowers and suddenly saw a blinking cursor in front of her. It blinked a few more times before forming into the menu screen similar to the one used in SAO. The only menu available to her was her inventory.
"What's going on?" Asuna lifted a paw up and moved it up and down. Despite her inventory being empty, knowing that her paw actually caused it to move was surreal to her. Why is it appearing all of a sudden?
"What is that?" Leafpool asked.
"You're seeing it too, right?" The medicine cat nodded. "It never appeared until today. I wonder if Kirito and Suguha have seen it." Asuna saw the x in the corner and pressed it with her paw, closing the menu. "That was strange."
"You're telling me. Is this something you've seen before?"
"Yes. It was back in SAO. It was the menu interface, but I don't know why it appeared." Asuna walked over to pick up one of the marigold flowers and right when she had it in her mouth, the two she-cats watched as it disappeared. Asuna stepped back and she and Leafpool noticed the blinking cursor in front of Asuna's face again. Asuna pressed it and opened the menu, now seeing that her inventory held marigold in it. She hovered a paw over it, causing a picture of marigold to appear, along with how it was used and where to find it. She now pressed on the marigold and the two watched as the flower dropped from in front of Asuna.
"Whoa…that's amazing, to say the least." Leafpool told her in awe.
"I know. It's like a medicine cat's dream." Asuna told her with a small laugh. "I'm still unsure of why it appeared now. This isn't my first time touching or collecting herbs."
"Maybe it's a way to help you balance between your medicine cat and warrior tasks." Leafpool suggested. "It will be a big help if you have to go out to find what's in the shadows. You'll always have medicine in stock."
"It seems like I've trained for nothing now." Asuna said, letting out a sigh. "You're right though, Leafpool, maybe this is meant to help when we find what's in the shadows."
"Yup. Do you mind collecting some more? We'll need to go back and tell the others about this."
"Sure." This time, Asuna placed a paw over the marigold and watched as they disappeared and were now in her inventory. "Okay, let's get going." The two began their walk back to ThunderClan, but on their way they stumbled across the hunting patrol that was out right now.
"Asuna, Leafpool!" They saw Kirito approaching them alongside Nightheart, Ambermoon, and Molewhisker. "What's going on you two?"
"We were going on our way back to camp." Asuna told him. "Kirito, just a few minutes ago I was out picking herbs with Leafpool and…well I guess it's better if I just show you." Asuna swiped a paw down in front of her and the others watched as the menu appeared.
"What in the name of StarClan is that?" Nightheart wondered, looking all around the screen in front of the she-cat.
"Asuna, how'd you do that? I thought it wasn't working when we got here a few weeks ago." Kirito stated.
"I know. I just saw a sudden reflection in my eyes for a second and the next thing I knew, I saw the menu begin to start up. It lets me store herbs without carrying them and it tells me everything about them."
"That sounds pretty cool, Asuna." Ambermoon commented. "It would make it so much easier to help other cats." The others watched as Kirito now tried to move his paw down to open the menu, but to no avail.
"Man, if I could do that I could catch as much prey as I wanted to. It sucks having to limit it to what I can carry." Kirito let out a sigh.
"Well you have to remember that we should only catch prey when needed. Catch too much and it'll end up becoming crowfood." Molewhisker stated.
"The same goes for herbs, Asuna. It's a neat thing to have, but try to only pick when necessary." Leafpool told her.
"Right. Actually, can I see the mouse that you have, Ambermoon?" Asuna asked the she-cat.
"Sure." She dropped it down and Asuna placed a paw over the piece of prey. She waited for a few moments but then moved her paw away.
"I guess it only works on herbs."
"Still Asuna, having that menu is a huge benefit." Kirito told her. "Mind if we head back with you?"
"What kind of question is that?" Asuna told him with a giggle. The hunting patrol joined the two she-cats and headed back to ThunderClan. Once they got back, Leafpool, Kirito and Asuna immediately headed over to the medicine cat's den.
"Did you both not find anything?" Jayfeather asked as he sensed the two cross through the brambles.
"More like, we found something out." Leafpool told him. Asuna opened up her inventory and summoned the marigold at her paws.
"Whoa…Asuna that was amazing!" Alderpaw told her. "How'd you do that?"
"What'd she do?" Jayfeather asked.
"Asuna just made marigold appear out of nowhere!" Briarlight told him.
"Well, I had to still pick it up in the forest, but somehow, the inventory menu that I use in games appeared and it allowed me to store the marigold without carrying it. It also tells me what it's used for as well."
"So all this time you didn't know what they did?" Jayfeather wondered, his tone sounding as if he was suddenly betrayed.
"No, I just found this out today, honest!" She told him, trying not to make the tom worry. "Cherryfall, do you mind if I try something?" She asked the she-cat who was now in the medicine cat's den. The other day, she went over to the Twolegplace with Sparkpaw and Sorrelstripe and ended up stepping on glass, so the medicine cats were helping to mend her wounds, but for now her injuries were almost fully healed.
"Um…sure."
"Thank you. Now, let me look at your injured pawpads." Cherryfall put her paw out and a sudden glow filled Asuna's eyes, just like when she saw the marigold this morning. Unlike last time, however, no menu opened up and instead the interface was only visible to Asuna's eyes. She looked at the injury, and right next to the cut it told Asuna what was needed. "Jayfeather, comfrey root is needed for this injury, right?"
"Well, yes, but before that you should check for infection."
"There's none." She told him before going into the medicine cat storage and looking for the root. Because she only needed to walk a few pawsteps, she didn't bother putting it in her inventory so Asuna walked over to Cherryfall and chewed on the root to make the poultice needed to treat her wound. Once she placed it on, the glow in her eyes disappeared.
"Wait, so you were able to tell what type of injury it was and what was needed for it, along with if it was infected or not?" Jayfeather asked.
"Apparently. It just happened for the first time today."
"Amazing." Jayfeather was speechless at Asuna's sudden skill. "Wait, let me get something out from the storage." Jayfeather looked around and took out a patch of green leaves. "Check what this is." The glow appeared in Asuna's eyes again and she looked at the herb, but where the information about it would appear, a row of three question marks took its place.
"I don't know." Asuna told him, the glow in her hazel eyes disappearing.
"Really? So your power doesn't give you a glossary of herbs." Kirito stated.
"My guess is that it uses the knowledge that she's gained as a medicine cat." Jayfeather answered. "We've never gone through what this herb was at all, so it makes sense that you're unaware of what it is along with its function." The medicine cat then turned over to Kirito. "Have you or Suguha experienced anything like what Asuna is?"
"I haven't, and neither has Suguha." He answered. "Wait, could this be tied with the prophecy?"
"It's possible. Having a power like that could help in the future." Leafpool said.
"Um…I think I might know something." Alderpaw spoke.
"About what? Asuna's power?" Jayfeather said. "Spit it out! What do you know?"
"Well…it's not that I know about her power, but... I think only you four should know about it." Alderpaw said. "It's prophecy-related." Alderpaw urged Jayfeather, Leafpool, Kirito, and Asuna to come out of the medicine cat's den. Once they were outside, Alderpaw continued. "Yesterday at the Moonpool…I had a vision with cats that Sandstorm apparently knew about and she said that they might need help." When he finished, he could see a glow of pride in Leafpool's eyes.
"Wait…does that mean…quest time?" Kirito asked, a smile on his face.
"Calm down, Kirito." Jayfeather told the tom. "We should go talk to Bramblestar about this."
"Right. See, Alderpaw? StarClan has a lot in store for you!" Leafpool added. "Alderpaw, while the two of us talk to Bramblestar, you should tell Suguha and Lelouch about it as well." He nodded and walked over to the warriors' den to fetch the two other cats.
"So, what's going on?" Suguha wondered once she and Lelouch joined up with the others.
"Last night I had a vision of cats that might need our help. Sandstorm knew about them, but I'm not sure how." He explained. "Leafpool and Jayfeather are talking with my dad about it now."
"Let's hope this brings us closer to whatever is in the shadows. We haven't really been given any clues at all." Lelouch stated. "Who knows? Maybe you'll be the hero here and we're just here to help you, Alderpaw."
"Do you really think so?" Alderpaw's eyes beamed at the tom's words, especially since he revered him so much.
"Totally, Alderpaw. If that vision means anything, we'll save the Clans because of you." Kirito added. The group continued talking for a few minutes until Alderpaw saw Jayfeather and Leafpool walk out of Bramblestar's den. The two medicine cats approached the group and once there, Leafpool looked over at Alderpaw.
"Your father wants to talk with you." She calmly told him.
"O-okay." Alderpaw slowly made his way to the leader's den, awaiting whatever Bramblestar had in store for him.
"So, what did Bramblestar say?" Suguha wondered.
"Well, he believes that Alderpaw's vision does mean that there's a quest involved. How he knows I'm not sure." Jayfeather informed them. "However, after talking, Leafpool and I began to agree with what he was saying." Leafpool nodded.
"So it's official then? We're going on a quest?" Kirito asked, and Leafpool nodded. "Yes!"
"Kirito, you have to remember that this whole thing isn't a game. StarClan sent Alderpaw this message and that means that this is of utmost importance." Leafpool warned the tom.
"Right, sorry. I'm just a bit excited."
"Maybe a bit too excited." Suguha told him with a giggle. "Let's hope that we find what we're looking for."
"You're bound to find something. I'm sure StarClan wouldn't just lead you on a quest for no reason." Jayfeather assured her. "Come to think of it, maybe this is why Asuna was given her medicine cat scanning and inventory ability."
"But that means that this quest could be dangerous too." Leafpool added. "Make sure to stay on guard at all times you four."
"We will. With all the training we've gotten, I'd say we're already prepared." Kirito said.
"Don't worry, Leafpool. I'll keep them all in check." Lelouch assured her, being the warrior with the most experience out of the group. After a few minutes passed by, Alderpaw walked out of the leader's den with Bramblestar behind him.
"So, Alderpaw, what did you talk about with Bramblestar?" Asuna asked once the apprentice approached.
"Sorry, but we have to get going." Bramblestar told her once he approached. "You all stay here for now. I'll tell you all you need to know later." The two proceeded to walk towards the elder's den and they watched as the elders all walked out except for Sandstorm.
"I wonder what all that's about." Lelouch said before walking over to Graystripe. "Graystripe, what happened?"
"Bramblestar wanted to talk privately with Sandstorm about something." He replied. "Whatever it is, I just hope it's nothing that'll put ThunderClan in danger."
"I'm sure it's nothing like that." The black tom assured him. "Thanks for telling me though."
"No problem." Lelouch now walked back over to the group and saw that Squirrelflight was now amongst them. "Oh, hi Squirrelflight. I'm guessing you're here to talk with us about Alderpaw?"
"Actually, Leafpool just told me about him. I'm a bit appalled that Bramblestar didn't tell me yet."
"Maybe he thought you were busy. You are the deputy after all." Asuna said.
"I guess you're right. I did just send out a hunting patrol." Out of nowhere, they heard Sandstorm yelling in the elder's den. "What's wrong with mother?"
"She's talking with Bramblestar. Maybe you should go check it out." Leafpool told her sister.
"Right. I at least should have a say in whatever's going on in there." The deputy left the group and headed over to the elder's den.
"Maybe that wasn't the best idea. My sister gets her attitude from Sandstorm so…let the yelling ensue." The group looked towards the elder's den, waiting for the anticipated argument. From what they were able to hear, they found out that Sandstorm was practically telling Bramblestar to let her join them on the quest, but they were all unsure why. They waited for another private conversation to finish until they saw the four cats leave the den. Bramblestar and Squirrelflight made their way up to the Highledge while Alderpaw and Sandstorm sat together near the area.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" The leader called out, prompting all the cats filling that criteria to join around the area. "Cats of ThunderClan, Alderpaw has been given a vision regarding the prophecy from StarClan." He began. "He must find the place he found in his dream because we believe that it'll help 'clear the sky'. Because Sandstorm has knowledge about what Alderpaw saw, she will accompany him."
"Sandstorm? She's an elder! She deserves to rest." Whitewing called out.
"Believe me, I'm aware. She was going to claw my face off if I refused." He told her, feeling a bit embarrassed by his announcement.
"But what about Alderpaw? He's too young to take on something like this." Thornclaw stated.
"I'm aware, but since he was given the vision, this is his journey to go on. Besides, he's not going at it alone. Lelouch, Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha will join these two on their quest to bring peace to the Clans. They were brought here by the prophecy, so this must be their first pawsteps in aiding us all."
"Can I come too?" Sparkpaw asked, running over to where Alderpaw was. "Please?" Bramblestar looked down at his two children and then back at Squirrelflight, worry filling her green gaze. The two spoke for a while and once they finished, Bramblestar looked down at the two.
"Very well. I'll let Sparkpaw tag along with you." He answered. "And in that case, Molewhisker, Cherryfall, and Nightheart will go along with you as well. I'm aware that Kirito, Suguha, and Asuna have been given proper training, but in the case of some sort of emergency, I'm sure these three can help. They were your mentors after all."
"This is amazing! Thanks, dad!" Sparkpaw told him.
"I'm just trying to keep the Clans safe. You all will leave tomorrow at dawn." With that, Bramblestar stepped down from the Highledge, leaving the Clan to talk amongst each other.
"Someone must be a happy father." Suguha said with a giggle, causing a blush to form on Lelouch's face.
"Well…why wouldn't I be?"
"Speaking of which, here she comes." Kirito stated, waving a paw as Nightheart approached them, Ivypool padding alongside her. "Welcome to the team, Nightheart."
"Thanks, Kirito. I'm glad Bramblestar chose me to help you all on this quest. It's an honor, really."
"Right…" Ivypool said, sounding discouraged from it all.
"Mother, are you not happy for me?" Nightheart asked her, and Ivypool quickly shook her head.
"No, it's not that at all! Of course I'm proud of you!" She gave her a lick to the forehead. "It's just that…having you both leave worries me. I can't bear the thought of losing you both to this journey, wherever it takes you."
"Ivypool, we'll both be safe. If anything horrific happens to us, no matter what, I promise that I'll do whatever I can to make you see Nightheart again."
"But what about you? We're finally a family again and you're saying that you might not come back?" Lelouch shook his head.
"I'm only saying that if the circumstances arise, I'll protect Nightheart at all costs."
"I know you will." Ivypool pressed her head into her mate's black coat. "Suguha…are you crying?" Kirito asked, looking over at his cousin, who was wiping her eyes with a paw.
"No, it's just that…how can you not cry at a love as strong as that?" She responded. "Look, even Nightheart's crying!"
"What? N-no, I just…I like seeing father and mother happy like this." She replied, her violet eyes glistening.
"See? You're creating a scene." Lelouch whispered over to Ivypool. "Okay, how about I rephrase what I said and promise that we'll both come back to see you? Is that better?"
"Very." She told him with a smile.
"Hey guys, we didn't want to interrupt whatever family moment was going on." Molewhisker stated once he, Cherryfall, Sparkpaw, Alderpaw, and Sandstorm joined the group.
"It's okay. I should probably let you all finish talking about this whole journey. I'll see you both later, okay?" Ivypool told her mate and daughter.
"Bye, mother." Nightheart received a small lick from her before Ivypool left back to the warriors' den. "Sorry about that everyone. Anyway, it's nice to see that we'll all be working together."
"Yup. I'm sure with all of us, this quest can't possibly be hard!" Sparkpaw said with pride.
"Sparkpaw, I know you don't like me telling you this, but please try to keep calm and listen to everything we tell you on this journey. We just want you to be safe." Cherryfall told her apprentice, who nodded her head, but she wasn't convinced.
"Hey Sandstorm, since we're all working together, can you tell us what you know about the cats in Alderpaw's dream?" Kirito asked her, but she shook her head.
"Sorry, but what I know really is a secret that I can't speak of." She responded.
"Well, I guess if it made you eager to join us then it must be helpful." The tom replied. "So, who's going to be our leader?"
"Kirito!" Asuna gave the tom a shove. "This is Alderpaw's quest, so he's the leader. We're just here to help." Asuna flashed a small smile towards the apprentice.
"Right. Sorry about that, Alderpaw." He apologized.
"It's okay. Even I'm in disbelief still that I was put on this quest by StarClan." The apprentice responded. "So…I guess that we're heading out at dawn tomorrow. I'm sure with all of you by my side, there's no way we'll come back empty pawed."