Thornpaw's Moonstone Journey

Thornpaw wasn't too pleased to be waking up when she was but it was something necessary in becoming a warrior so she was going to hold her tongue for now. Though that wasn't going to stop the expressions on her face, the first being that of disgust as she ate the herbs provided to her. How did any other cats tolerate something like that? Of course with his impatient statement came her own reply, breaking her temporary promise of not really saying anything. "Chill your fur, I'm coming." She grumbled to the medicine cat apprentice. It wasn't like she was being slow about it, but she still did need to wake up which was hard to do.

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Thornpaw stepped inside the cavern that held the Moonstone. Her cold eyes taking in the equally cold stone. So this is where cats spoke to Starclan huh? It was a little impressive she had to admit. Of course she wasn't going to stand around and stare for long. The she-cat stepped up to the stone, settled down with her nose pressed to it, and fell asleep.

A starry shape streaked across the moors, easygoing and carefree, hardly seeming to slow as her surroundings became more rocky, tall pines overlooking stream-filled gullies. This stretch of Starclan's territory did not quite match up with how the forest territories bordered one another in life, but it mattered little. Sight landing upon the form of a cat materializing in the dreamy landscape, the she-cat padded forward cheerfully. Starlight shimmered, giving her pale gray tabby and white fur an almost opalescent quality.

"Hello there, Thornpaw," Swiftspirit had been surprised to be called to offer advice to a Skyclan apprentice rather than one of the clan she had joined, but her greeting was filled with warmth all the same. "My name is Swiftspirit, of Windclan."

"Tell me, what’s it like training in Skyclan? Have you enjoyed your apprenticeship so far? You’re almost to the end!" Swiftspirit had watched the forest from above, but she would rather hear it from the golden and white she-cat herself. The best way Swiftspirit could offer advice was if a cat was receptive to hearing it, and a bit of friendly conversation and patience went a long way.

Thornpaw blinked. A windclan cat? She was to talk to a Windclan cat? She supposed she couldn't complain.. she honestly didn't think she would talk to anyone. As far as she remembered wasn't Starclan only supposed to talk to important cats? She cleared her head as the starry warrior began speaking again. What was training like?

"It's different than I was expecting.." She said, a slight frown to her face as she recalled her training, having a large mentor meant that things they did were a little different to account for size. "Everyone in Skyclan seems so large compared to me that I'm having to make up for things in different ways to make up for my... small size.." She didn't like admitting she was small. In fact she hated having to acknowledge it but as time passed it didn't seem she was going to get any bigger. "There are a lot of personal challenges for me to overcome, but I suppose climbing trees is easier for me than it is others."

The apprentice unsurprisingly, seemed a bit surprised to be meeting a Windclanner, for which Swiftspirit didn't blame her.

Swiftspirit sat back on her haunches, striped tail curling about her paws as she listened to Thornpaw speak."Things will seldom be as you expect them to, in life." She mewed, "I never expected to gain as much trust and rapport with Windclan's leaders as I did, having not been born into the clan. I never expected to support and befriend someone who was against outsiders, but Shrikestar has always had my clan's well-being at heart, even above his own beliefs." She mewed, "Being born to one clan or another doesn't guarantee a cat's loyalty. You are small of stature, that is true. But physical stature does not denote strength or skill, just as strength doesn't denote having the wits to use it well." Swiftspirit's tail flicked, offering the pretty golden and white apprentice a small smile. "If your clan thought any less of you because you are smaller, you would not be sleeping in front of the moonstone and talking to me right now. Some things will be more of a challenge for you, while others will be easier. I was never a great fighter as some of my clanmates were, but I was observant and knew how to think, and I was quick and good at hunting. You might not be able to out-muscle your clanmates, but you don't have to. They are there to help protect you and cover for your pitfalls, just as you protect and cover for theirs, knowingly or not. Cats might not notice you among your larger clanmates, or branches would buckle under their weights while you could run across with ease. You are different from your clanmates, but it is an invaluable asset when cats have different strengths."