Rosepaw's Moonstone Journey

Littlebrook padded into the apprentice's den with an herbs bundle between her jaws. Setting it down, she called softly into the den. "Rosepaw, it's time to journey to Highstones. I have your herbs. Just meet me by the entrance."

Rosepaw woke from the warrior's words. She yawned and stretched then went out of the apprentice den. She went towards the entrance and smiled at littlebrook. "morning littlebrook want me to eat these?" she asked staring at the herbs.

"Yes go ahead and eat those. They will help with the journey." She responded warmly, purring softly in amusement at the young cats expression. It was always funny to see young cats reactions to the awful taste of traveling herbs. "Okay lets head out." She meowed.

As soon as they got to the thunderpath, she began explaining what Rosepaw needed to do, so she would cross safely. "Okay. Only move when I say to, okay? Now!" She yowled as soon as the coast was clear. As soon as they got to the other side, she gave a quick check over of the she-cat. As soon as the deputy was satisfied that she was fine, they continued on. "We're almost there now."

Rosepaw bounded after littlebrook even if she just ran across the thunderpath she was still really hyper. "this is awesome." she said smiling and bounding up to littlebrook.

Littlebrook smiled at the young cats enthusiasm before continuing their journey. "Come on." She called.

Soon they approaching the gaping hole called Mothermouth, and she looked the Rosepaw with serious eyes. "Okay this part might be a little scary, but you don't need to worry. As long as you follow me, you will be just fine." She told her reassuringly as she headed down towards the Moonstone. After several long moments of navigating the dark tunnels, it opened up to reveal the shining Moonstone. "Okay, now just touch your nose to the stone, and StarClan will be waiting for you." She meowed softly.

She shivered then followed her into the tunnel. She stayed close enough to littlebrook that she didn't need to be scared but far enough away not to trip the deputy. When she saw the bright light then the stone she was so surprised that she kept staring. The deputy's words got her out of the trance and she layed down by the rock setting her nose on it. She drifted off to sleep not knowing what she would see.

A shimmering cat with dark gray fur waited patiently in a starry landscape. When she saw a black-and-white apprentice appear, she let out a quiet sigh and stepped forward. It was time, whether she felt up to the task or not.

"Rosepaw," she greeted gently, and waited for the apprentice to voice any questions she might have.

Rosepaw noticed the starclan cat and got a little scared. Rosepaw was a small cat so the starclan cat looked like a giant. "yes?" she said with a nervous tone. This was her first time seeing a starclan cat and was in ahh at what she saw.

Lilacfall found herself suppressing a sound of amusement. She wasn't that much bigger than the apprentice before her, and more than that she was the least intimidating cat she could think of - but still, being face to face with the deceased had to be a little bit of a surprise, she supposed.

However, before she could get swept up in her own thoughts and be distracted, the small, starry she-cat spoke once more. "We all have lessons we must learn if we want to serve our Clan to the best of our ability. I chose to speak to you for a reason, Rosepaw. Do you know what that reason is?"

She thought about it. "umm to a,ways be loyal and kind." she said guessing.

Lilacfall considered Rosepaw's answer before trying to explain. "Well... To an extent, you have the right idea. But loyalty could mean many different things to many different cats. You must remember your first loyalty should always be to your Clan. Do you understand that?" she asked gently, but didn't wait for a response before continuing. "Kindness, however... Kindness is complicated." She had to think about how to word this, not wanting to sound cruel. "It ties into loyalty. You should always show the most kindness to your Clanmates. They should be your priority, above all else."

She nodded. "what if they don't show kindness. I don't like getting yelled at and I can't deal with crying." she said to the starclan cat. She looked familiar but couldn't place her.

Lilacfall seemed about to answer, but the starry landscape began to slowly fade, until there was nothingness and two cats standing within. As Lilacfall opened her mouth to answer Rosepaw's question, she too began to fade, and the only sound that could reach the apprentice's ears was a half-finished sentence that slowly faded into silence. "Sometimes, you have to..."

And with those words, Rosepaw was left to wake on her own.

Rosepaw woke and stretched her stiff legs. She yawned and went over to littlebrook and waited till it was time to go.

Littlebrook smiled as Rosepaw awoke, and she flicked her tail to signal they were to leave. It was always interesting to see the apprentices' expressions after they wake up, but Rosepaw didn't seem to have any emotion plastered on her face. The small tortoiseshell stayed quiet as they made their way back to camp to let Rosepaw reflect on whatever had happened.