Sparrowkit's MCA Ceremony

Ebonyleaf sat down in the middle of RiverClan camp, looking around quietly and giving small nods to the cats who passed her way. Although her presence had long been accepted in the clan - after a few good moons of training Cloverpaw (who'd gone back to warrior training in the end) - there was never a single moment that she didn't feel like a complete outsider in the middle of the camp. Life here was familiar, but so different at the same time. The cats were far more proud and laid back, and in her eyes, spent a lot more time sunbathing and gossiping than hunting or patrolling. Maybe that was a bias judgement of her, though. Still, she hadn't expected the need to come back to this place any longer. The calico had been here so long already, she was already getting used to the taste of fish and was afraid their scent would be stuck to her pelt soon; but with the end of Cloverpaw's training, RiverClan was left once again without an apprentice.
She didn't have much of a choice, did she?

The she-cat was told that her new apprentice was the daughter of the late Reedstar. Ebonyleaf held back a smile and an uneasy sigh, not entirely sure what to expect.

Sparrowkit came strutting out of the nursery all pomp and purpose. Her chest was puffed out, her fur had been groomed and slicked back, and her head was held high with pride. Snowkit and Oakkit would become apprentices to warriors soon, but she was going to become something more, something special. The medicine cat was the leader's most trusted adviser and councilor, the Clan's only trained healer, an envoy and a messenger to StarClan. She'd always known she was made for something more. Her brothers could go and fight and hunt like the rest. She'd be the one whispering in Sunstar's ear and help rule the Clan. Maybe one of them would even become leader one day like Father. Probably Oakkit. Snowkit could be deputy. He never takes any action and he's pretty dumb too.

The ShadowClan medicine cat was RiverClan's ghost, always haunting their camp but never really being one of them. She was as familiar as Midnightsky and Fishpelt, but a complete stranger at the same time. Ebonyleaf never ate fish, only came to camp when the sun had begun to set, and never looked quite comfortable among all of Sparrowkit's Clanmates. She'd first come to them to train Cloverpaw, but the idiot dropped out before she could finish her training as a medicine cat. Stupid. Who'd want to give up all that for the warrior's den? Warriors got to have mates, but Sparrowkit didn't care about any of that. Toms were dumb and kits were dumber. Any more cloying cooing from the queens in the nursery and she'd throw up.

Sparrowkit paused, twitching her whiskers. She'd heard bad things about ShadowClan. They were murderers and moon-worshiping rogues, who ate snakes and couldn't stand in the sun without burning up, and hated the code and were as mean to each other as they were to others. Father had once led an attack there to avenge one of his warriors after ShadowClan killed her, she'd heard, but people always got shy when you asked about it. Ebonyleaf didn't quite fit the description. She was smaller than she should have been at her age, with mismatched eyes like Oakkit, but her stare didn't feel as unnerving. It was hard to imagine her eating a trespasser. And she's going to train me? ShadowClan cats were supposed to abhor the weak, she was told. They fed deathberries to their elders rather than hunt for them, and killed their kits rather than let warriors starve. Why would Sunstar let her train her?

"So?" she snapped at last, lashing her tail. "Are we going to the Moonstone? That's what they told me. The Moonstone's far away, isn't it?" Sparrowkit's ears flicked and she looked away, into the deepening twilight. Usually there'd be crickets and frogs croaking at this time of night, but since Leaf-fall came she heard them less and less. "Well, I mean duh, of course it is." She said it with enough certainty that it had to be true. It was by WindClan, or by ShadowClan, or somewhere in the mountains. Of course. I know that. "We should get traveling herbs then. For endurance. Right? Well, for you, anyways. RiverClan cats don't need stuff like that. I can manage fine on my own."

The moment Ebonyleaf saw the young she-cat come marching out of the nursery, she instantly knew she was in for a handful for the next couple of months. When she'd met Cloverpaw, the apprentice had been shy, quiet, and - to phrase well enough - quite feeble in her demeanor compared to the rest of her clanmates. The way this kit pronounced herself though, you'd think she was striding into the gathering with the light of StarClan bearing down on her shoulders. Perhaps that's what she imagined, or what she was expecting. As the apprentice drew closer, she recognize the proud look on her face, seen so many times on the late RiverClan leader.

'Oh, StarClan...' The ShadowClan cat thought to herself, the end of her tail twitching with mild irritation at her new apprentice's attitude. She should've expected as much, she supposed. This was going to be a long next few moons. Holding back a sigh, Ebonyleaf got back up on her feet and shook her head nimbly. "We have no use for traveling herbs." The medicine cat said simply, "To speak to StarClan, a fast is required before hand. That means nothing edible - including herbs." Mallowroot had told her it was a matter of respect, and that the lack of earthly prey helped strengthen the temporary bridge to their ancestors. She hoped the young one hadn't eaten anything, as she'd instructed Cinderfur as much.

Turning away, the she-cat padded out of camp. "You're right about the long walk, however. We should get a move on." The calico didn't look back, expecting her new pupil to follow. She slipped through the entrance and into the chilly water with seemingly little effort.
After having crossing the moat into their camp so many times, she had grown used to the water. Disgusting.

Sparrowkit didn't miss a beat. "Of course. I knew that." Even though she was less than half her size, she somehow managed to look down on her, her hackles raising. "I was... testing you." She bound after her, only pausing at the water's edge as Ebonyleaf slipped in. The setting sun had turned it into the color of fire and blood, reflecting the sky. Since the start of Leaf-fall, the stream had rarely felt warm, and it seemed to her that it'd begun to swell into a small torrent from all the recent rains. Sparrowkit breathed in a deep breath and plunged in, the water coming up to her stomach. The water felt like icy claws digging into her skin, and by the time she emerged from the other side, soaking and panting, her paws felt numb. She didn't dare utter a word of complaint, not around her. Ebonyleaf hardly seemed bothered. The kit padded after her, filling her lungs with crisp twilight air. Her carefully groomed fur now just felt shaggy and wet. All that work for nothing.

She wondered who Oakkit and Snowkit's mentors would be. Oakkit will be a warrior faster... He actually has a bit of ambition. He was a charmer, handsome except for his eye, and a smooth talker. Oakkit always knew what to say and what to do, he was bold and funny, and he had Father's look. Snowkit didn't look like either of their parents and just did what other people told him to do. She'd be better than both. The path to become a medicine cat was supposed to be harder and longer, but she would finish twice as quickly than the rest of them. And then we can all rule RiverClan together.

a totally not late post.

Ebonyleaf hardly paused for a breath the entire journey up to the Highstones and only bothered to glance and check if Sparrowkit was still behind her once or twice. For a bit she wondered if she should try and make some sort of conversation, any little bit that might allow her to get to know her new apprentice, but she supposed - with the first impressions that she had - that it wasn't worth the trouble, and that their only focus at the moment was to reach the Mothermouth in time for the ceremony. She just assumed the young one could keep up, even as they padded alongside the horrid Thunderpath, or as she took shortcuts through the shadows.

The timing was well placed, even still. By the time that they had slipped inside and reached the center of the cave, the moonlight was pouring beautifully from the ceiling and reflecting off the Moonstone, giving off the radiant, unearthly shine that the medicine cat had come to be so familiar with. The sheer power that it gave off would've been enough to scare any ordinary cat. It had scared her last apprentice and caused her to give Sparrowkit more than one curious stare before starting to recite the sacred words.

"Sparrowkit, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as RiverClan's next medicine cat?"

Sparrowkit was panting by the time they finally made it to Mothermouth. Her paws ached. Her legs ached. Her everything ached. They'd crossed over the whole territory, skirted past Fourtrees, hurried over WindClan's moor, and crossed over the Thunderpath to here, where jagged stones rose on the horizon like crooked teeth and Mothermouth gaped in front of them like an open maw, a yawning pit of pitch blackness, unnaturally square. All that way without so much as a break or any endurance herbs to help them on their way. The gravel was rough under her paws and her pads were bleeding, but she bit back her complaints as they entered the tunnel. She wouldn't let her hear her whine. Whining was for kits, and she was going to be a medicine cat.

Chills ran down her spine when they walked in. The tunnel was darker than anything in her nightmares. Stale dusty air filled her lungs with each breath, and smooth stone walls enclosed around her, occasionally giving way to other branching paths who led to StarClan knows where. She couldn't see a mouse-tail in front of her face, and she was forced to practically nip at Ebonyleaf's heels as she trotted forward through the darkness. Once or twice Sparrowkit thought she lost her and all her courage would leave her, forcing her into a humiliating scramble forward in a desperate attempt to find her new mentor again. Just when she thought that they'd be walking forever though, the faint scent of heather hit her nose. Heather and fresh night air, and a silvery unearthly light somewhere in the distance. The tunnel opened up before her, and suddenly she was standing in a clearing, facing the Moonstone.

Her breath caught in her throat at the beauty of it. To call it a stone was an insult; it looked more like ice. It was pure, sparkling, and clear, framed perfectly in a ray of moonlight that filtered in through a hole in  the ceiling. She wanted nothing more than to touch it, to just stare at it. For a moment all her fatigue was forgotten.

"What is it made of?" she blurted as soon as Ebonyleaf spoke, not even looking in her direction. Her mouth moved at a million miles a minute. "I've never seen a rock like this, and there's always a bunch of different rocks and shells on the riverbank. Is it a rock?" Sparrowkit turned to face her, tail lashing. "It's more like ice, don't you think? I've never seen ice before though, except for this one time when there was this little patch of frost by the stream in camp, but then it melted when the sun came up. This would melt too, wouldn't it? And it doesn't really look wet or slippery, even though it's smooth. Plus, it looks like it's stuck in the ground. What do you think? Do you know? Or is it a mystery? 'cause it's definitely not just a rock. Or did StarClan make it or something? Did it come from the moon? Is that why they call it the Moonstone?" She gasped. "It kinda looks like a star! Is that what stars are? Like up in the sky? Is it a fallen star? Does it grant wishes? Is that why it's sacred? Is that how we get to talk to StarClan, because we're talking to a star?"

Sparrowkit blinked, suddenly remembering. "Oh, sorry. Were you saying something before?"