Fawnsong's Medicine Cat Apprentice Ceremony

Dovefrost had made the long trip from Thunderclan to come here. He had given Fawnsong some more time to recover before they made the trip to the Moonstone together. He had gotten somewhat used to the trip by now, having made it numerous times at this point. He still wasn't adjusted to the openness of Windclan territory but it was more bearable than it first had been. He nodded to the guard before stepping inside the camp, before heading to the Medicine Den.

"Fawnsong are you ready to go?" He asked the tom. He hoped today would go well. It was cold but the trip was needed. Fawnsong had to meet with Starclan, officially as a Medicine Cat Apprentice.

With nothing much to do, the ginger tom was lurking in the darkness of the medicine cat den waiting silently for Dovefrost to arrive. Despite isolating himself inside the cave to rest, heal and hide from his own clanmates, he wasn't inactive at all. Fawnsong refused to become lazy and complacent after what happened. He failed as a warrior and the Thunderclan tom had given him a second chance... he couldn't mess it up. No matter how painful it was to abandon his dream the tom was determined to make himself useful in the way his clan needed him to be.

The sound of steps approaching made him stop from circling around. From the deep of the den, the silhouette of the soon-to-be medicine cat made its appearance. The wounds were closed and free from infection but the scarring... The pink flesh of the tom's flesh was mistreated and had a scraggy, rough appearance. Thanks to Starclan his eyes were intact but the swollen skin plus the scars still made it difficult for him to open his amber completely. Fawnsong had considered using something to hide the scarring so the kits wouldn't get scared of him every time they went to seek medical attention.   "Yeah, I'm ready." He mewed as he left the comfort of the shadows to approach Dovefrost.

Dovefrost nodded. "Alright let's get going. We don't have much time to waste." The large white tom turned around, and with a flick of his tail he set out. This time, reaching Highstones wasn't going to be it's usual long journey. There were still going to be it's own dangers, especially with crossing the Thunderpath. Once they reached that point, Dovefrost began to speak. "Once you start making the trip on your own, especially when taking the apprentices with you, this is one of those points you have to be careful of. Monsters are weird.. They act one way most of the time, but can suddenly act another. Always be diligent." He told the other tom. Once there was a pause in monsters, they crossed.

Highstone wasn't that far after that. He didn't take a moment to pause. Instead looking over his shoulder. "Stick close, mothermouth is dark. Don't panic and follow my scent if you need to." The tom explained before diving into the dark tunnel. It only took a moment before arriving at the glowing stone.

The large white tom approached the stone, before turning to face his future apprentice. He recalled the words Mossbloom spoke to him all those moons ago, letting them pass through his own maw. ""Warriors of StarClan, I present to you this warrior. He has accepted the path of the medicine cat, even after his warrior training has completed. Please grant him your wisdom, guidance, and council, that he may understand your ways and heal his Clan in accordance with your will. Fawnsong, if you accept this path, and wish to walk it alongside me and your clan, press your nose to the Moonstone. StarClan will speak to you and share their will." He told the warrior. The choice was entirely on Fawnsong now.

Agreeing with Dovefrost, the scarred warrior followed Dovefrost closely. Now that he was healed, he could keep up with the large tom's pace. As they travelled, Fawnsong recalled his moonstone journey with Swiftspirit. Back then he went to meet his ancestor so they could guide him in his path through warriorhood and now... that path seemed to be a short one.

As monsters crossed the Thunderpath, making his back shiver, he listened to Dovefrost's indications and nodded. He wouldn't forget his words... now that he was becoming a medicine cat apprentice, his clanmates' lives were his priority. Letting them die in the Thunderpath would only show how unfit he is to be a healer.

Finally, they reached the tunnel that would lead them to the Moonstone. Unlike Swiftspirit, the Thunderclanner didn't offer him his tail to follow him but Fawnsong didn't mind. He enjoyed the darkness and felt comfortable under a ruff of dirt and rocks. It felt safer than Windclan's open moors. Even with his eyes half-open, the brightness of the Moonstone still made the tom blink twice to get used to it. Walking beside Dovefrost, the warrior stood in front of the shining rock and listened to his future mentor's words. Though his choice was made, the warrior still hesitated for a second. Would this amend his mistakes? Would he be more useful if he becomes a medicine cat and not fight for his clan? Was this truly his fate? Questions swarmed his head but even with all that inner noise inside, he laid down and closed his eyes. Slowly, he pressed his nose against the stone, letting the darkness take over. He knew that soon enough he will be welcomed into the starry plains...

A petite grey and white cat sat before the young tom. Her dazzling green eyes fixated on his frame. Once on the path to warriorhood, he was now before Starclan, ready to set out on the path of a warrior cat. She remembered moons ago her own course drastically changing. While Sageleaf had eventually learned to love her position and found herself excelling at it, dreams of becoming a warrior alongside her brother, Slatethroat, had been dashed away in an instance. It had driven them apart and sent him on a much darker journey. However, the more time she had to sit in this everlasting paradise, the more she considered that perhaps his darkness went deeper than the one pivotal moment - maybe it had been in him all along.

It was as she stared at Fawnsong that many thoughts coursed through her mind. Her tail flickered in a slow, rhythmic arc as she thought. Many things worried the she-cat, some far more pressing then others, but it seemed like for the moment she was preoccupied with thoughts of Slatethroat. Sageleaf silently cursed herself. This was supposed to be a ceremony for the tom before her, a life-changing moment. Perhaps its spoke to her too personally, perhaps she was too distracted. Shaking her head slightly, the former medicine cat spoke, "Welcome, Fawnsong. I am Sageleaf, a former Windclan medicine cat. Starclan welcomes you as the new medicine cat of Windclan. I can say I'm surprised to see you go down this path, or disappointed. But I am sorry about the circumstances."

Her words were genuine and her voice brimmed with compassion. Although in life she had been known to have a rough paw when needed, Sageleaf was a sweet and kind being at heart. It was her care for the cats of the forest that had kept her invested for so long. Many cats faded into the surreal background of their resting place but she had devoted herself to a greater cause and likely always would. There were so many careful words she could have chosen but she settled on this, "The path that a medicine cat walks is not always an easy one. There will be days that you're more exhausted than cats returning from patrols, or when it feels like all hope is lost. Keep going. Even when the light is dim, keep going, Fawnsong. I look forward to seeing you as Windclan's medicine cat."

When he opened his eyes, he was pleasantly surprised. The blurry vision that had covered his eyes seemed temporarily gone and the tom was able to appreciate the beauty and mystique of Starclan once more. He sat down and waited, his heart beating faster with each second. He feared meeting Silentstrike again... What would he say seeing him here, about to take the path of the medicine cat? Fawnsong believed for the longest time that his destiny was warriorhood; that had to be the reason why he and his brothers survived the harsh trip to Windclan. But here he was...

The petite silhouette of a she-cat relieved him a little, though he looked at her with lost and serious green eyes. Sageleaf's words only confirmed what he deeply feared... Starclan had made their decision and this was his path now. Sure, the ginger tom could reject it but... he wouldn't be able to bring himself back to the clans. He would run away from his fate, travelling alone and lost in the world without his family by his side. That alternative wasn't an option for him. The ginger-white warrior let out a dry and tired chuckle when the former medicine cat addressed the circumstances of this situation. From a third-point view, it had to look pretty depressing.

As the grey and white she-cat continued talking, all Fawnsong did was listen, his amber eyes fixated on her. Questions started to form in his mind while Sagelead talked about the difficulties of the medicine cat path and when she was over, he lowered his head as he was asking permission for him to speak. "I... thank you for coming here and informing me of Starclan's will. I will train hard to be the medicine cat my clan needs. But, if you don't mind, may I ask you something before leaving?"