Hickorypaw's Moonstone Journey

Featherlight gathered the two bundles of travelling herbs from the entrance of her den and prepared for another first in her life. There had been a lot of them recently, hadn't there? She searched out the cat she was looking for, and quietly called out to catch his attention. "Hickorypaw," she said softly, "I believe it's almost time to go."

The tall tom ran up to the medicine cat and greeted her with a grin. "I'm here and ready to go!" he chirped.

"You've got to eat these first, then we can go. They're travelling herbs - Moonstone is closest to WindClan of all the Clans, but it's still going to take a little while." Featherlight purred, it had been some time since she spoke to an excitable apprentice for more than a few moments, and Hickorypaw's excitement may have been starting to rub off on her. "I assume you've heard that they taste rather awful. That is, unfortunately, true." Despite that, she was used to it herself, and so ate her own small bundle quickly without even making a face.

Hickorypaw sighed and began to eat the herbs. He flinched at the bitter taste and once he was done, he looked up at the medicine cat. "They were very bad." he said with a strained smile. He nodded to signal that he was ready to go.

"Let's get going," Featherlight declared, setting off towards the moonstone. She didn't have many opportunities to speak to apprentices when it wasn't immediately relevant to her work as a medicine cat, and she could think of several questions she would very much like to ask, but settled on one in particular. "What is it like, Hickorypaw? Being a warrior's apprentice? The thrill of hunting and fighting... It's something I've never known, and I've always wondered what it's like."

"Well, it's very exciting and just gets the blood in your veins flowing. I'm always pumped when i'm on patrols since there may be a slight chance for a battle. You get taught so many things like the best battle moves for a specific opponent or strategies that work for different types of enemies. I'm always excited for these types of lessons. Of course there are slow, boring days but that usually follows up with a great hunting patrol or just a regular patrol." Hickorypaw grinned at Featherlight. "How's it like being a medicine cat?"

She had to think for a while before she answered, struggling to put her feelings into words. "It's... Not quite as exciting, I suppose." After all, the only battles she fought were against illness and injuries. "Some days it's quite peaceful, and others it's difficult. But I wouldn't give it up for anything," Featherlight answered. "Ah, at last. It's easy to lose your way here, so follow me closely, alright?"

Hickorypaw nodded and smiled as he followed the medicine cat closely. Once the pair got into the main cavern, Hickorypaw went ahead and settled down in front of the stone. He then looked back at Featherlight and grinned before turning back to the bright rock. He pressed his nose to it and soon fell into a deep dream.
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The tall apprentice awoke in a breezy field with fireflies dancing about. His green gaze held wonder and awe. He sat down and began to wait for the destined Starclan cat to come speak with him.

A starry cat began to appear in front of the eager tom. Her young, gentle features gave knowledge that she must of joined Starclan at a young age. Fawnpaw dipped her head in a greeting. "Hello there Hickorypaw! My name is Fawnpaw. Now tell me, what do you have on your mind?"

Hickorypaw's eyes widened as a cat began to appear before him. Her brown pelt carried stars, a sign that she was indeed a Starclan cat. The apprentice dipped his head as well. He respected all Starclan cats, no matter how young or old. "Well, I just want some affirmation that I am ready enough to become a warrior. I've trained hard and long but do you think that's enough to earn my warrior name? I've grown wiser and physically stronger but i'm not sure if that's sufficient for me to help my clan in the best ways possible."