Note: This is from a DA RP GROUP

Call of the Lion

Brightstar's POV

Silence was all that Brightstar received as the flame-point leader passed through the camp entrance, her tail twitching softly at the peculiar silence and stillness of the air. For a heartbeat, she held her breath, fearing the worst for her Clan, but movement in the entrance of the Warriors den relieved her, the slim form of Bloomingrose stepping out alongside her larger brother, Lionclaw, the two littermates' head bent close as they murmured to each other. Her eyes softened at the two, her whiskers quivering softly with fondness. The two had lost their mother not long ago, in a battle with rogues. She shivered softly, her pelt crawling at the thought of another deadly battle. Not only had she lost many warriors, but she had lost the Medicine cat, as well. The leader slowly brought herself back to reality, her eyes glinting softly in the watery morning light flooding into Rushclan's camp. "Otterthorn must have ordered out a few patrols." She murmured softly to herself, her tail whisking over the ground gracefully. The camp was relatively quiet, everything still, and Brightstar pushed on across the clearing, her paws carrying her towards the ever-looming medicine den. It had been moons since Rushclan had a Medicine cat, seasons even. Waterheart never took on an apprentice, having still be young herself.
With a few sighs, Brightstar carefully pushed her way into the empty, dusky den, her eyes scanning the shadowy emptiness briskly. How lonely it felt, how cold it felt. In the corner, Waterheart's nest was untouched, the once-green nest brown and cracked, and the herbs scattered in the storage were dead, and ruined. The leader's eyes flashed slightly, and she settled down on her haunches, her gaze raking the walls, like claws scoring down upon an opponent's retreating backside. It felt like an eternity as she sat in silence, everything around her drowned out by blood rushing through her ears.

"Brightstar!"

The leader snapped open her eyes, her pupils dilating as the den around her suddenly became engulfed in flames. For heartbeats, the flame-point feline stood frozen, paws glued in place by fear and rising panic. And then, clear, blue eyes shone through the orange flames, the flaming outline of a strong feline burning through the rest of the flames. Brightstar's paws trembled, ears straining against the sudden cries of helpless cats, and against the whispers of warriors. All around her, flames burned, threatening to burn her, too, but then... 'The lion has his calling...' the chilling message was revealed to Brightstar, and suddenly, she felt herself drop, her head buried beneath her paws as she fought to catch her breath. "Brightstar?"
Just beyond the leader, Otterthorn had stuck his head in, his pale-blue eyes burning with soft confusion. He slowly made his way in, resting his tail soothingly over the leader's heaving flank, "Are you alright, Brightstar? You look like you've seen a badger." His timbre was light with a tone of gentle teasing, and he sat back on his haunches with a considerate flick of his long tail. He watched as Brightstar slowly sat up, her eyes reflecting the flames she had seen. "Otterthorn." She began softly, forcing her voice to even out. "I'm fine, Otterthorn." The leader insisted softly, but her gaze remained unfocused, her ears tingling softly. "I think I have received some sort of prophecy.." She revealed, turning to finally look her Deputy in the eyes. Her expression was unreadable, her posture betraying her confusion greatly. Otterthorn felt as though he had never seen his leader so troubled before, and gingerly flicked her flank with his tail, "A prophecy?" He sounded just as surprised as he had thought, continuing on in a quieter, more conserved tone, "Do you...know what it's about?"
His question was met with a hard-stare, one that made his skin beneath his coat crawl. That answered it, and he nodded slowly, ears trembling. "Well...let's try and figure it out, perhaps?" He suggested quickly, hoping to relax his nerved leader. To his relief, Brightstar visibly relaxed, her shoulders falling into a not-so-tense state, "There was fire." She began, looking around the den as though it would creep up on them, "And then these blue eyes and a burning cat. All around me I heard the cries and whispers of warriors, and then, I wad told something chilling..." She paused, noting Otterthorn watching her with an expectant gaze. "The lion has his calling..." She finally recalled, closing her eyes softly. Her paws shuffled softly, as she thought long and hard on what this could mean. She had never once received such a peculiar message before, but upon entering the Medicine Den— Lionclaw!
"Otterthorn...I think it's a sign from Starclan about the Rushclan medicine cat." Brightstar forced out, her eyes widening now. "The lion! The lion is Lionclaw! Otterthorn! How did I not realize this sooner!" She nearly wailed, pushing herself to her paws, "Lionclaw has always shown interest in the Medicine cat den! Of course! It's his calling! His destiny! Lionclaw is meant to be Rushclan's medicine cat!" Her pelt bristled now, but with anticipation, and she quickly hurried past Otterthorn's surprised figure, hurrying her way towards the ledge where they would meet.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own fish, gather beneath the leaders ledge for a clan meeting!"

The flame-point's yowl rang clear through the camp, bouncing off the sheer walls of the rockface. Patrols had returned in time, as did Lionclaw and Bloomingrose. Brightstar watched in silence as cats emerged from their respective dens, murmurs breaking out among the gathering cats of confusion and worry. Tail raising, the cats quieted, and Brightstar's sharp eyes scanned over each feline. "I have received a message from Starclan!" She declared loudly, her head held high, not an ounce of hesitation or doubt traced in her voice. "They have revealed to me Rushclan's next medicine cat." She continued on confidentiality, noticing Lionclaw's hopeful stirring in the corner of her eye. "I was in the Medicine cat den earlier, and not too long after arriving, Starclan spoke to me. Flames had engulfed the den, warriors cried and whispered, and a burning cat appeared in the fire."
"Brightstar! What if you are interpreting this wrong! What if it means devastation to Rushclan!" One warrior called out, revealing to be Snakesnarl, the red tom shifting on his paws. Brightstar met his comment with blazing eyes, "That is what I believed at first, too, Snakesnarl," she addressed  calmly, tail flicking. Finally, she set her solid eyes on Lionclaw, "But then I heard the whispers clearly. 'The lion has his calling.'" Brightstar paused as whispers arose among her clan, and she watched Lionclaw's expressions flash. With a slight purr, she finally leapt down, "Lionclaw! Please step forward!"

Lionclaw's POV

"Lionclaw." Bloomingrose softly prodded her sleeping brother with a paw, her ears twitching. Lionclaw let out a groan, the warrior hissing slightly in annoyance, "What?" He mumbled groggily, sleep evident in his voice. The dark brown and red tom opened his eyes slightly, peering up at Bloomingrose, whom loomed over him with annoyed eyes. "Get up you lazy furball." She growled softly, rolling her eyes and backing up, "Almost every cat is gone except for you, you lazy lump of fur." Lionclaw opened his jaws in a mild protest, but bit back his comment, eats flat. He was never much of a morning-cat. The large warrior rose from his nest with a powerful stretch, his pelt messy and ruffled, bits of his mossy nest bed clinging to his side. Bloomingrose huffed, watching as her brother began to groom his long pelt, tail twitching impatiently. It felt like seasons before Lionclaw finally straightened out his pelt, now fully awake and aware. He nodded, simply, eyes bright, "Come on!" He mused, jogging ahead of his sister as she pressed on to catch up.
The two slipped out of the Warriors den, the morning light stinging Lionclaw's eyes for a few heartbeats as he adjusted to the light. Lionclaw padded alongside his sister, the taller feline's tail flicking delightfully. The tom had found himself starting to ramble to his litter-mate about the empty Medicine Cat den, his eyes seeming to glow with a longing. "Would mom be proud if I became a medicine cat? he asked quickly, the question sudden, his ears burning with embarrassment. Surely she would cuff him and scold him for ever thinking such a thing. His sisters answer however surprised him. "I'd think so," Bloomingrose meowed,  perking her ears forward, "StarClan knows we need a decent one." The young warrior walked along side her brother. She remembered a time when she had nearly been the same height as him. Now, he towered over her. That didn't bother her too much. She needed her small size. She wouldn't be quite as attractive if she loomed over most cats like her brothers did, so she thought, "Make sure a catastrophe like the rogues never happens again." Lionclaw smiled slightly down at his sister, purring as he drew his tail gently over her back. He had always been fiercely protective over her, especially after the battle that took the lives of some of those important to him.
"If I become the medicine cat..." he paused, thinking over his words gingerly, a soft, fond smile on his lips, tugging at the edges of his mouth. "I'll never let another cat close to me, or anyone else die." His ears lowered, voice dropping a soft whisper, for a moment his timbre growing shaky and grief-stricken, That's a promise. Bloomingrose smiled up at him. "You become the medicine cat, I'll become the leader and we'll both ensure that no one close to us is ever killed again," she purred, bumping up against him.
The pretty she-cat had grown quite a bit in the last few moons, not in size, but in maturity. She was suddenly a little more serious about her clan and protecting those around her. A lot of cats had died, and many of them had been close to her. She clung tight to her brothers. She mewed quietly. "Do you want to go hunting?" The feline gave a soft purr, leaning to lap his sister's ears with a ginger warmth. "You'd make a wonderful leader." He delighted softly, whiskers quivering. Lionclaw grinned, recalling how his biggest goal as a kit was to be leader one day. Great Starclan how that had changed.
Lionclaw admired Bloomingrose's maturity greatly, his tail whisking softly as he paused, "Hunting sounds great." He entertained softly, eyes blinking. Bloomingrose purred loudly, managing a small giggle, "Thank you, Lionclaw. Let's go fishing, I'm good at that." Bloomingrose was a very efficient fisher. She'd probably be able to pass that on to an apprentice one day. If she ever got one of course. She needed to live long enough first.
Her pace quickened. "We need extra anyways, it's disappearing faster and faster these days." Lionclaw nodded in agreement, his eyes lighting up. "I can collect herbs maybe too." He added with hope,  The tom whisked after his sister, dipping his head quickly to Brightstar as they passed by the leader.
The warriors jogged through the open territory towards the best place to hunt for fish, carrying a conversation warmly with each other. Bloomingrose grinned softly, pulling ahead of her larger brother with a teasing hiss, "I'll race you!" She challenged with a playful growl, bounding ahead. Lionclaw narrowed his eyes, his claws flexing as he wriggled his shoulders, "You're on..." The feline leapt into a swift canter, his sister just ahead of him. He was fast, but his sister's slim form made her a tough opponent to out-race. Before he knew it, he was at a panting drag, huffing as his sister bragged on her win. Lionclaw shot her a look, and settled down beside her, his eyes looking over the rippling water. "I bet I could outfish you..." he muttered, instantly regretting it. He sucked at fishing. Bloomingrose grinned softly at him, shoving him playfully aside as she placed herself at the edge of the ripping pool. Her ears trembled as she rose a paw carefully, and like lightning, struck down into the water, a fishing being thrown into the air and onto the ground. She quickly snapped her jaws around the tender fish, and it slowly stopped fidgeting. Lionclaw huffed, and quietly waited, his paws raised just barely off the ground. He was more tense, eyes darting. He lashed out, managing to hook a fish with a claw. "I did it!" He yowled like an excited apprentice, hurrying to end it with a swift bite. He smiled happily at his catch, and at his hunting sister, and quietly settled back down beside her.

It felt as though moons had passed when Lionclaw and Bloomingrose made their way back towards camp, their ears perking in sudden surprise as Brightstar's yowl rang into range. The scrambled quickly, eyes wide. "A meeting?! About what!" Lionclaw bounded ahead, his fish gripped firmly between his jaws and he pushed his way back into camp. Cats gathered, and he was quick to place his prey in the fresh-kill pile, and take a seat, Bloomingrose following in a more calm manor.

"I have received a message from Starclan!" Brightstar's words echoed hopeful in his ears, eyes stretched wide as he leaned forward with perked ears. "They have revealed to me Rushclan's next medicine cat." His heart seemed to race a million miles, blood rushing through his ears. Lionclaw held his breath as Snakesnarl suddenly spoke up, ""Brightstar! What if you are interpreting this wrong! What if it means devastation to Rushclan!"
That comment quickly shattered Lionclaw's hope, his eyes staring back up at Brightstar in a helpless plead. Brightstar was silent, Lionclaw growing more anxious every heartbeat he felt. That is what I believed at first, too, Snakesnarl," she addressed  calmly, tail flicking. Finally, she set her solid eyes on Lionclaw, "But then I heard the whispers clearly. 'The lion has his calling.'" Lionclaw felt his heart burst, and he choked on his own unspoken words, as Brightstar leapt down and called him forward.

"Lionclaw, I know this is not how Medicine Cats are properly named, but I believe Starclan has named you Rushclan's new medicine cat." Brightstar purred, making Lionclaw's eyes glow, and she continued, "Lionclaw, By the power of Starclan, I give you the new name of Lioncall, for your calling to be a Medicine cat. I wish I had realized sooner, that you had the potential to be the Medicine Cat, and I am very happy to officially give you the rank of Medicine cat. I know you will serve this clan well."

All around him, his clan-mates cheered, Windpath and Bloomingrose the loudest. Lioncall purred loudly, feeling Brightstar's muzzle rest firmly upon his forehead, "Thank you." He whispered, softly, tears welling in the corners of his eyes, "Thank you, Brightstar..."

Credits
Lioncall - Ticcinsu
Brightstar - GingerTheWarrior
Bloomingrose - PeepsAreAwesome
Windpath & GotC - Kitai473
Otterthorn - GuardianofAllator
Snakesnarl - oopsie-daisies