Mistpaw's Moonstone Journey

His duty was his duty, and it must be done, no matter how bad he was feeling about himself. At least, that's what he mumbled when he woke up at the crack of dawn, only for his bad ears to hear. Sagelight was simply going through the motions at this point; he had done enough Moonstone journeys that he could do it with his eyes closed if he wanted to. As he was gathering the traveling bundles, he eyed the blurry spot of the herb storage where those seeds were hiding. After the incident, he had shoved them all away in a very deep corner where no one could ever find them again. But...he couldn't bring himself to throw them away completely, it was still possible that some cat may need them. So there they lay, haunting him. With a heavy sigh, Sagelight lapped up his share of the traveling herbs and brought the second bundle out to the apprentices' den.

Today he would be taking Mistpaw to the Moonstone. Just yesterday he had taken her brother Bloodpaw. They really did grow up so fast...Sagelight gave his fur a shake to calm his racing mind and poked his head into the den, squinting as he looked for his grandniece's sleeping form. "Mistpaw, meet me outside. It's time to go, I have your herbs for you." The medicine cat's voice was as dull and lifeless as he looked. But things would get better soon, they always did...right?

((Wait Mistpaw is related to Sagelight? Wow...))

Mistpaw shot up in panic as her name was called. Was it training time? Did she oversleep? What she saw next made her sigh with relief and become more nervous at the same time. The medicine cat of SkyClan, Sagelight, was standing at the entrance of the apprentice’s den. It must be her moonstone journey...the journey she both dreaded and was excited about. “Yeah...up.” Without another word, Mistpaw padded towards the bundle of herbs and lapped the bitter plants up. Ew...oh thank StarClan I only get to eat traveling herbs once... Mistpaw then nodded at Sagelight with a look that said: “Okay, I’m ready.”

(OOC: yep! Wolfcall is Sagelight's nephew, which makes her his grandniece :3 )

Sagelight watched, bleary-eyed, as Mistpaw roused herself and came out of the den to eat her herbs. She was remarkably calm about it, which he appreciated; some apprentices made a big fuss about having to eat the bitter herbs. He smiled softly towards her and lead the way out of camp, tracing the familiar path towards Highstones. "We'll stop really quick at the creek so you can get a drink, I'm sure you'd like to get that taste out of your mouth," he called over his shoulder, glancing back towards his charge. "After that, we'll be on our way."

Thankfully, the journey to the sacred mountains were uneventful; Sagelight wasn't sure he could take another shock on his nerves. He was much quieter than usual on the journey there, thoughts clouding his tired mind. If Mistpaw had questions, he would answer, but kept his answers short and sweet. He wasn't in the mood to be particularly chatty. The stocky medicine cat led the way up the slope to Mothermouth, at which point he turned and addressed Mistpaw with a serious, solemn look in his bright blue eyes. "The Moonstone is inside here. We have to go down a tunnel to reach it, so stay close on my tail and use your whiskers to feel for the wall. Please stay quiet when we go in, because this site is sacred. Now, when we make it to the cavern with the Moonstone, I'll stay behind at the entrance and you'll go inside ahead of me. Touch your nose to the Moonstone and StarClan will come and speak to you. Ready?" With a final, tired smile, he turned tail and led the way down the dark tunnel, stopping once they reached the cavern with the Moonstone. Sagelight sat at the entrance just as he promised and motioned with his tail for Mistpaw to go in; the Moonstone was already lit up.

Mistpaw nodded, before padding towards the Moonstone. Curiously, Mistpaw flicked her tail at it, watching as moon beams danced across the tip of her tail. “Well...here goes...” She gently pressed her nose towards the crystal, before collapsing into a deep sleep.

When the pale-furred apprentice woke once more, she was no longer laying beside the Moonstone.  In place of the dark, damp cavern was a beautiful moonlit clearing, surrounded by tall oak and elm trees that seemed tall enough to touch the sky.  The small floating specks of light floating around were ethereal fireflies, not stars, but in combination with the silvery grass and heavenly swirled sky above they gave the place a feeling of unattainable grandeur.  This was a place of the dead, an everlasting gravesite where the upright and good-hearted could live forever.  However, it's denizens allowed visitors, and tonight it was Pansyface's turn to play host.

"My, how long has it been since I've greeted an apprentice?  Ten, twenty...thirty moons?  Pfft, when did I get so unpopular?  This cannot stand..."  A slender, well-groomed molly with star-painted white and gray fur appeared out of the shadow of the forest.  The playful spark in her murky green eyes and the way one side of her smirking maw curled more than the other gave off the distinct impression of youthfulness.  No one would've known that, at one point in her starry life, it had seemed unlikely that she would ever smile again.  Coming within a polite range of the young SkyClanner, Pansyface bent her head to greet her, though it came off more as a curtsy than a respectful or sage-like gesture.  Compared to her surroundings, the former SkyClan warrior seemed almost totally ordinary, perhaps even a bit informal.  Like a living cat.

"Hello Mistpaw, my name is Pansyface!  I was once a loyal warrior of SkyClan long, long, long before even your grandfather was a twinkle in his mother's eye.  Tinylegs is my father, the old geezer."  Sparing a moment to huff amusedly, she rolled her eyes.  What is he, immortal?  Did we forget to take away his remaining lives?  How he continues to thrive while being older than dust is beyond my comprehension!  "Anyway, it's always a pleasure to meet the newest generation of SkyClan, and you Mistpaw are very promising already, I can tell. First of all, what a beautiful pelt you have!  That cream and gray blend together so wonderfully, like the sky at the moment of dawn.  Ooo, and those eyes!  Toms must be lining up across camp to get a glimpse of you - or she-cats, whatever your preference.  I don't judge."  

Lifting a forepaw and giving it a few licks, Pansyface drew it over her ears as she continued on.  "Ohh, don't mind my ramblings!  They've always said I'm a bit vain, but really, I simply think that taking pride in your appearance is a much more important thing than most clan cats make it out to be!  At the end of the day, what matters is your skill, your wit, and how hard you'll fight.  For yourself, for your clan, for your family, or for someone special, our claws and hearts guide us towards what we truly value.  So, how about we get to know each other Mistpaw?  I've talked enough already."  The tip of her graceful tail sweeping across the grass, Pansyface settled down onto her belly and crossed her forepaws, waiting with inquisitive eyes and perked ears.

"Tell me about yourself, and what you cherish."

Mistpaw woke up to see a white and gray she-cat greeting her. As the warrior complimented Mistpaw about her pelt and her eyes, her pelt warmed in embarrassment. “Thank you...I uh...I’m Mistpaw of SkyClan, a-as you already know...I have tons of siblings, some being Bloodpaw, Firekit and Adderpaw and a few others I haven’t...interacted with much. My mother and father are Blossomstep and Wolfcall, I am the grandkit of Spottedstar and...yeah.  My best friend is Ivypaw and...well, I am quite shy.” The gray tabby apprentice blushed as she admitted to herself, and Pansyface, that she was shy and quiet.