Mallowpaw's Moonstone Journey

Picking up the small bundle of traveling herbs from the medicine cat den that Oceanlight had set out for him, Tinylegs padded back to the camp entrance where Mallowpaw sat, waiting for him. Today, he would make his first ever trip to the Moonstone, seeing that he was helping out Rippedsky while he recovered. 'I just hope he gets better soon,' he thought to himself, worried for the deputy's health.

Setting down the herbs at Mallowpaw's feet, Tinylegs looked up to the apprentice. "Eat these. They're not very yummy, but they'll help you on our journey," he mewed reassuringly. Leaning down, he scooped up his portion into his little muzzle and chewed away, trying not to show his disgust towards the bitter tasting plants. Trying to swallow down what was left in his mouth as fast as possible, the small white and grey tom looked to the apprentice once more. "Ready to get going?"

Mallowpaw turned her head to the sound of pawprints coming to her. She nodded her head at Tinyleg's explanation. She wrinkled her nose and held her breath before beginning to eat the bitter herbs. After a few seconds of gagging, she managed to finish the awful tasting plants. The apprentice turned her blind gaze towards the temporary deputy and gave him a smile. "Y-Yeah. I'm ready."

OOC: sorry for the late response, Thanksgiving had me busy ;;

IC: Giving a nod to the she-cat, Tinylegs turned towards the camp entrance and began making his way towards it, but made sure to keep slow enough so that she was able to stick next to him. For the little tom, it was odd having to slow down for some other cat, seeing that he was usually the one who cats slowed down for, but he didn't mind, seeing that they weren't in a rush.

Padding out of camp, the two cats made their way towards their destination, slowly but surely. "So, are you excited to become a warrior?" the small tom asked cheerfully with a smile on his muzzle.

OOC: That's alright! :)

IC: "Y-Yeah! I want to be a great warrior like my father and you! You're very skilled!" she chirped. The she-cat always admired Tinylegs and her father Cloudroar. They were different yet amazing warriors. Her face fell when her mind started to wander in all sorts of bad places. "T-Tinylegs, am I weak? Will I ever be a-as good as my father?" She asked sadly. She kept her gaze away. Her milky blue eyes held many negative emotions.

Padding out of camp with Mallowpaw at his side, the two of them began their journey to the Moonstone. The little tom chuckled at her enthusiasm, always glad to see apprentices be excited to become warriors, and when the she-cat finished speaking, he looked to her and noticed that her once cheerful expression fell. What in StarClan's name... why did she look so sad now?

Worried, Tinylegs opened his jaw to speak but shut it when the apprentice began again. Was she weak? Why in the world would she think that she was weak? A bit confused, the two kept a steady pace and the little warrior thought about what to say.

"You're not weak," he began, hoping that he'd say the right thing. "If anything, you're a very strong apprentice and I have no doubt that one day you'll be as strong as Cloudroar," he mewed softly, a reassuring smile resting on his muzzle. He hated when his clanmates down in the dumps and seeing Mallowpaw like this tugged at his heart.

Mallowpaw's smile returned. "T-Thanks Tinylegs. I hope I will be!" She decided to lighten up the mood further. "How many battles have you been in?" she asked thoughtfully.

Glad that he had been able to help lift the young she-cat's spirits, a smile grew on his muzzle and he perked his ears when she spoke again. How many battles had he been in? It was a sort of odd question, seeing that battles shouldn't define how strong a warrior was, but if she was curious then he wasn't going to ignore her question.

"Not very many actually, and I'm glad to be able to say that," he began, looking to the apprentice, his cheery smile not fading for ever a moment. "While some cats boast about how many wars they've fought or skirmishes won, battles are what kills cats," he added, his tone turning slightly more stern than it had been moments ago. "A true warrior shouldn't fight because he or she hates what's in front of him, but because they love what's behind them. These days, it seems as though most cats forget this nowadays, but being a warrior isn't about fighting battles because we despise our rival clans or want to guard our "oh so precious land," but because we love what we're protecting. Our friends, family... warriors were made to serve and defend them, even it doesn't look like it," the little tom finished, looking to Mallowpaw. Maybe he'd gone a bit overboard with his words of wisdom...

"In other words, protect the ones you love. Not because you want to prove that you're the strongest warrior, but because your heart tells you that it's the right thing to do," he added with a reassuring smile, praying to StarClan that he hadn't bored the apprentice with his rambling.

Mallowpaw nodded and took in everything the warrior said. "W-Wow. I-I've never thought of that before. Many apprentices want to be the strongest physically but our hearts are the strongest part of us. We must do what is right and protect the ones we love from danger. We must also forgive the ones who do us wrong because it's what makes us good role models." The apprentice felt that she gained a lot of knowledge. The she-cat kept silent as they continued to walk. She was deep in thought.

Glad that he was able to fill Mallowpaw with some useful words of wisdom, the tom purred in delight as the two walked onward towards their destination.

{timeskip}

After their little chat, the two cats kept a steady pace, continuing their journey towards Highstones. They kept walking for what seemed like forever, past the Thunderpath and some Twoleg homes, but soon enough, Mothermouth was in sight. The large Highstones loomed ahead, but the Leafbare sun still shone in the sky, lighting their path, though he knew night would be upon them soon.

Padding over to a spot closer to the entrance of the ominous cave, the little white and grey deputy settled down on a soft patch of a dirt to groom his fur and rest, letting Mallowpaw have free range to rest or explore the area. After a little while longer of waiting, the sun began to dip low over the horizon and darkness enveloped the sky above them.

Standing up and flicking the tip of his tail, he beckoned the apprentice to the tunnel opening. "It's time. Make sure you stay close behind me and don't forget to use your nose and whiskers to guide you. It's going to be very dark," Tinylegs mewed with a smile. With that, he stepped into the passage and began to lead the way downward where the apprentice would meet with StarClan.

Mallowpaw nodded and followed silently. She was a little weirded out by the ominous tunnel but knew the Moonstone wasn't too far away. The darkness didn't bother her since she was blind but he decided to stick closely to Tinylegs.

Walking down the dark tunnel, it wasn't very difficult for Tinylegs to make his way through the cramped space, seeing that he was small enough that he didn't exactly need to crouch down. Able to feel Mallowpaw right behind him, he kept a steady pace, and soon enough, the two of them reached the Moonstone.

Lifting his jaw, the little tom took in the comforting, damp scent of the cave and sat down near the entrance that lead back through the tunnel. "Touch the Moonstone whenever you're ready. I'll be waiting here for you," he mewed with a smile, though he doubted Mallowpaw could really see him through the darkness.

Mallowpaw nodded, a little hesitant. She then walked toward the moonstone and breathed in. The apprentice began to lie down and touch her nose to the mystical stone. She soon started to feel drowsy. Eventually, Mallowpaw fell asleep and entered into Starclan's territory.

The she-cat woke up a bit startled. She looked around expecting to see darkness but what she "saw" was farther than that. The place was beautiful. Small little bugs danced around her, lights turning on and off from their little tails. It was a bit chilly but she felt at peace. The she-cat's nose wrinkled at the scent of Starclan. Eventually, Mallowpaw sat down and waited for the chosen Starclan cat to speak with her.

Littlepaw's small figure began to emerge from the surrounding area. His warm amber eyes shone as he walked up to the she-cat. "Hello Mallowpaw. I hope you remember me! I'm here to talk to you." the young apprentice teased. His face held some sadness to it but he didn't want to let it show. Mallowpaw was on her moonstone trip and he'd like to try and make it memorable.

Mallowpaw's head snapped at the direction the voice was coming from. It was Littlepaw! Her old den-mate. Her eyes glazed over with grief and guilt. Littlepaw never got to become a warrior. "L-Littlepaw. I-I'm so happy to see you here! I mean I-I still wish you were alive but I can't believe you're talking to me!" she stuttered breathlessly.

Littlepaw let a small sigh escape him. He walked closer to the she-cat and sat in front of her. "Mallowpaw, calm down. Be still. Let us talk as if I was still alive." he smiled gently at her before continuing, "How have you been? Have you trained hard?" he asked the she-cat.