Prophecies And Omens
StarClan's messages are not always clear. Perhaps the hardest part of a medicine cat's job is reading the omens that are hidden in the natural world. Do they truly come from StarClan? What do they mean? How can they guide our pawsteps?
It is easy to misread their meanings or to manipulate how they are read. For instance, RiverClan's medicine cat, Mudfur, found a moth's wing lying outside his den, which he took to be a sign that Mothwing should be his apprentice, even though she was the daughter of a rogue cat and Tigerstar. However, as Leafpool later discovered, Mothwing's brother Hawkfrost actually left the moth's wing there on purpose, intending to trick Mudfur into believing it was a sign. His plan succeeded, paving the way for Hawkfrost to blackmail his sister into manipulating future signs to his benefit as well.
Some cats see signs everywhere; others doubt that StarClan is behind them. If our spirit ancestors can walk in our dreams and speak with us, why would they need to use such cryptic messages?
But there have been some undeniable omens. Before the battle with BloodClan, Firestar saw instead of his own reflection the face of a lion in a pool. He realized this was a reference to the lion and tiger prophecy and that only by combining the four Clans into LionClan could he save the forest.
As WindClan returned from their exile, the WindClan medicine cat, Barkface, saw the dawn clouds stained with blood. He interpreted that the day would bring an unnecessary death. It was true. On their way back to the ThunderClan camp, Fireheart and Graystripe were attacked by a RiverClan patrol, and a warrior named Whiteclaw fell to his death over the edge of the Gorge.
Prophecies, on the other hand, are proclamations from StarClan that foretell huge events in the future of the Clans. Although they may seem ominous and hard to understand, they mark significant turning points in the span of Clan history.
If you would like to create an omen or prophecy, please post it here.
