The Call [Closed, Solo]

She was climbing. Diving in and out of the trees, feeling the wind tousle her fur like it had when she was a much younger cat. Back when she had last been in Skyclan territory, she had just been named an apprentice, not long after her friends Blackfeather and Ravenheart. Now, in this dreamy world, Dawnpaw felt as young as she had in those days. Her breathing was never short and her muscles burned with strength instead of exhaustion. Oh, how she missed that feeling. Being away from the clan had robbed the she-cat of a life as a warrior. Instead of moons spent hunting alongside cats she cared for, the light brown cat had spent fighting for survival. It was a miracle that any of them had made it back at all. Her pace slowed as her heart tightened at the thought of Blackfeather's final moments. With no medicine cat to cure her of whatever ailment had troubled her for moons, the black warrior had met her end.

Immediately, her head began to hang low as the overly lush forest around her shifted into darkness. The thoughts had transformed her beautiful dream into a borderline nightmare. It pressed on, darker and darker until Dawnpaw thought the creeping void would fall her from the shaking branch she had settled on. Then, everything turned. Her world spun for a brief moment before coming back into focus. The light of thousands of stars, far, yet close, penetrated the pressing blackness. Even the tree she was perched on had become emblazoned with the shine of the new world. Everything seemed familiar as if she had seen it all before. Perhaps last time she spoke to Mistypool...

"Looking for me?" Dawnpaw's head whipped around to once more meet the eyes of her older sister. The late she-cat's pelt was lighter in contrast. A cream coat with light brown markings to compliment it. She had always admired the former medicine cat's beauty, along with looking up to her for many other reasons. If it weren't for her role, there was no doubt that Thrushclaw would not have hesitated to become her mate, alongside several of the clan's other toms. Now, her coat shimmered with the world around it. A soft smile lit up the now older cat's maw as she thought how the toms would only further lose their minds now. Were they all in Starclan too now?

"Mistypool... I didn't think I would see you again after our last meeting. It had been so long since Starclan spoke to us... why now? Why bring me back? What more is there to do? We came home... the others are coming home... what next?" All of her questions seemed to fall off her tongue with ease, but they were more the result of her mounting confusion. Her eyes pleaded with the medicine cat to provide answers.

Where her sister's whiskers twitched with amusement, followed by a soft laughter, Dawnpaw was surprised. This wasn't funny. Rippedsky's life, her life, the life of Blackfeather, they were all in Starclan's paws. Frustration threatened to rise in her chest and she prepared to say something more, but the Starclan cat spoke up first, "Starclan never forgot about you. I never forgot about you. In fact, that's why we have brought you here today, Dawnpaw. We have a task for you, one important in rebuilding the clans, that is... if you choose to accept it." She paused to glance up at her sister, the mounting grin only growing wider, "Starclan has chosen you to lead the next generation of medicine cats. I'm sure you remember a thing or two from your days shadowing me in the den. The rest, we will teach you. But, without someone to teach them, those destined to heal their clans will not know what to do. We need you."

As the Starclan cat spoke, Dawnpaw stiffened. It was crazy. Was Starclan crazy? Had they gone mad? To chose her. She barely knew anything. Cobwebs stopped bleeding, poppy seed for pain, avoid the deathberries... What little knowledge she did possess in that instant ran through her head like the currents that coursed through Riverclan territory. It made her feel small to realize how little she knew at that moment. Mistypool's gaze seemed to bore into her as she waited for an answer. Her mouth was dry. All of Starclan was watching somewhere in the distance. Eventually, she swallowed the cotton-mouth and managed out, "Okay. If it is what Starclan calls me to, then I will do it. Guide my paws, Mistypool." Although the she-cat's bones were brittle, and if Skyclan were in its natural state she would have been an elder, Dawnpaw could not bring herself to turn down the ancestors.

"Good. Step forward." Everything shifted once more and they stood at the edge of the moonpool, something she had only seen once before. However, as it came into sight, her old heart pounded like it had upon seeing the clan's territory again. When Mistypool's mouth moved, it sounded as if there was a chorus of many other voices behind it, and Dawnpaw shivered at the sound, "Dawnpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." She meowed, pushing any fears to the back of her mind. This was the will of Starclan.

"Then with the powers of StarClan, I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Dawnpaw, from this moment you will be known as Dawnbreak. We honor your devotion and bravery, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat." She had not expected the ceremony, nor a full name after all this time. But, she accepted it. With a brief intake of breath, Dawnbreak tried to control her breathing. She found that as she exhaled, everything felt lighter than it had in a long time. Mistypool stepped forward to press her head to Dawnbreak's. In a few short moments, all of the missing knowledge was poured in her. It burned like fire through her mind and through her body, but she took Mistypool's memories. Flashes of her healing Thrushclaw, walking with him, being with him. It was obvious her sister was allowing her to know that she had loved the warrior in her life but still chose to devote herself to the clan.

Still reeling, she took a step back and dipped her head to the Starclan cat. As her sister stepped away, the dream territory began to fade out and she shook herself awake. Standing up onto aching paws, a new determination was alight in her eyes. There was a job to be done.