Dovepaw's Moonstone Journey

A frigid drizzle had plagued the snow-speckled moorland during the darkest hours of the night, but the stormy clouds had thankfully cleared away by the early hours of dawn. While the ground underpaw was rather muddied, the fresh rainfall had cleared away much of the lingering frost and snow that had fallen several sunrises ago. Slipping away from the meager shelter of Mottleheart and Featherlight's den, Brindlewhisker carefully held the pitiful amount of herbs between her teeth as she picked her way across the damp clearing, doing her best to avoid any puddles that had sprung up overnight. After speaking with Spiderfur and Ashstar, she had been delighted to find out that another one of her daughter's was on the verge of earning her Warrior name. Just in the nick of time as well, considering how tense things had become between the Clans.

Picking a slightly dry spot beside the gorse barrier, Brindlewhisker reluctantly sat down, eagerly awaiting Dovepaw's approach.

Oh, Dovepaw was so excited, it was too difficult for her to find the words to explain it. Today was the day that she'd be traveling to the Moonstone to speak with StarClan, and that was something that almost every apprentice should look forward to. With a bright smile, the gray tabby padded out of the apprentices' den and glanced up briefly at the sky. Despite the fact that the camp was a little wet, which meant that the territory probably was damp, too, Dovepaw wasn't upset about having to go through it. What laid at the end of the journey was enough of a reward for her. There was only one bad thing about the situation, and that was the fact that there were traveling herbs to be eaten. The apprentice would just have to swallow them down anyways.
"Hey, mo-" The gray tabby paused before she could finish saying 'mother'.
She was an apprentice, nearly a warrior, and she had to act a bit mature, right? Well, it would be foolish if she mentally grew up in a matter of seconds, but she certainly wasn't a kit anymore.
"I mean... hi, Brindlewhisker," Dovepaw corrected herself quickly, but she still had her usual playful glint in her yellow eyes.

The WindClan cat swiftly lowered her head and lapped up the traveling herbs without being asked. The taste instantly exploded in her mouth and covered her taste buds. Despite the fact that Dovepaw had just told herself that she wasn't a kit, and should act at least a bit mature, her reaction was immature. She struggled to swallow the herbs down, and even coughed a little bit after she managed to get them down her throat. After shaking her head a couple of times while frowning in disgust, the tabby looked over at her mother again.
"Alright, I'm ready to go!"

"Must all my kits love calling me by my full name? It makes me feel quite old." Brindlewhisker let out an over-exaggerated sigh at Dovepaw's playful words, returning her daughter's teasing gesture in the form of a brief wink. Straightening up and watching as Dovepaw obediently consume the herbs that had been prepared especially for her, the scarred she-cat let out a little chuckle in response to the sight of her kit struggle to fully swallow down the dreadful tasting plants. Swiping her tongue around her lips as she warily recalled the foul taste of her own herbs, her attention returned to the apprentice once more. "Then I suppose we shouldn't delay any longer!" Rising to her paws, Brindlewhisker pressed her cheek against Dovepaw's before she slipped through the prickly gorse barrier, wincing as the sharp thorns pressed against the fur atop her spine.

Dovepaw grinned after Brindlewhisker offered her a wink.
"Sorry, mother." The gray tabby emphasized the final word.
The sour, unpleasant aftertaste of the traveling herbs still lingered on her taste buds, but she tried her hardest to let her sense of taste be the last thing on her mind. The she-cat affectionately purred as her mother pressed her cheek against hers, and she scampered the follow the deputy out of camp. This was so exciting! What would the StarClan cat that she spoke to tell her? Well, more importantly, who would her StarClan cat be? What if it was a former WindClan leader? Or deputy? As long as it was somebody great, Dovepaw didn't care. All she could really hope for at this point was that she wasn't treated like an ignorant kit when the chosen StarClan cat spoke to her.

-time skip-

The weak sun of the day had helped chase away the lingering dampness that still plagued the territories after the rain, but the earth still felt moist and frigid underpaw even during the warmest hours of the short day. Brindlewhisker and Dovepaw had arrived at the Highstones with plenty of time to spare, and once again the Deputy was grateful that their territory was so close to the sacred stone. The pair had been able to enjoy the meager warmth of the day as they lounged around outside of the Mothermouth, contentedly resting away the Leafbare-short day. Now that the sun was slowly being swallowed by the imposing outline of the Highstones, Brindlewhisker found herself stirring once more, carefully monitoring the rapidly dying light of the day.

Nudging Dovepaw, Brindlewhisker sat back on her haunches as she watched the dozing form of her daughter, pupils dilating in the dusky light. "It's almost time for us to head into the Mothermouth. Are you ready to go?"

Dovepaw immediately glanced up so that she could meet the eyes of the deputy and mother figure that had been her guide to Mothermouth. It was practically impossible for the gray tabby to hide her excitement as her ears perked up and her yellow eyes glittered with glee. She was ready for the grand reveal. Who her StarClan cat would be, and what they’d end up saying to her. Well, it wasn’t like she had many flaws for them to point out, so they’d probably end up praising her for moons and moons upon end until she got bored and woke up. No, that was a silly fantasy… she’d never get tired of being complimented! Hiding back a smug grin so that she wouldn’t expose any of her thoughts, the WindClan apprentice nodded as a response to Brindlewhisker’s question.
“Ready as I’ll ever be!” The she-cat exclaimed, joyfully.

"Remember, just stay close behind and you'll be fine." Brindlewhisker mewed, moonlight-drenched face still retaining its previous softness as she gazed at Dovepaw. Twisting around and easing her way into the unfortunately familiar tunnels of the Mothermouth, her paws instinctively following the invisible trail that laid along the damp and frigid stone they walked upon. Feeling her whiskers brush against an especially tight passage, Brindlewhisker's pupils flared as she caught sight of the familiar weak light that was associated with the Moonstone.

With each step they took, the unbearably tight stone walls gradually widened and widened until the pair of WindClanners found themselves in a surprisingly spacious cavern. Already drenched in the dazzling light of the moon, the Moonstone threw dazzling reflections upon the jagged stone teeth that rose up in the cavern. Pausing a few tail-lengths away from the Moonstone and twisting around to give Dovepaw a soft nudge, the Deputy exhaled a steaming breath before speaking. "This is the Moonstone- perhaps the most sacred place in all of the Clans history. It serves as our connection to the next life and all of those who reside within it. To communicate with StarClan, all you must do is press your nose against the stone and wait until you fall asleep. I hope that our ancestors give you the answers to everything you seek." Brindlewhisker explained softly, her voice bouncing strangely in the wide space of the ancient cavern, as she settled down on the damp and uncomfortable stone.

ooc; ack. this doesn't have the amount of detail that i want, but i gave up after my posts kept deleting themselves.

Dovepaw didn't hesitate. The gray tabby padded up to the glowing Moonstone and pressed her nose against it. After feeling the cold sensation that the rock sent through her entire body, her vision went black and she drifted away into a sleep that was so peaceful, only StarClan could grant it. It didn't take long for the WindClanner to open her eyes and find herself in a beautiful and serene forest setting. Was this where StarClan cats hunted and frolicked all the time? No, Dovepaw didn't want to die, but knowing that she'd be coming here when her time was up was awfully reassuring.

Now, all that was missing was the StarClan cat that was supposed to greet and speak with her. The idea of a well-renowed, powerful, high-ranking cat lingered in her mind as she impatiently waited for the starry cat to appear. She didn't even care that her expectations were so high.

"Hello?" She shouted, turning around so that she could see if any cat was behind her, "I didn't eat nasty herbs and walk all the way here just so that I could talk to air!"
Dovepaw flinched when she heard another voice coming from directly behind her, and she spun around so that she could be face to face with the star-pelted tom.

"I highly doubt the herbs are that disgusting. Then again, I wasn't alive long enough to taste them," The StarClan spoke calmly, like it was a normal, typical conversation for him, "Anyway, I'm Rookpaw- no, I'm not from WindClan, I'm from ThunderClan."

Dovepaw immediately launched into complaining, "A ThunderClan cat? Why couldn't I have gotten a WindClanner? Ugh, whatever, at least I didn't get a RiverClan cat or one of their allies. Why are you an apprentice? I don't get it. I wanted a strong, ferocious leader who would tell me how to become great, not some apprentice. What are you supposed to teach me? You died young!"

Rookpaw rolled his eyes but remained still, "Just because I died young doesn't mean I have a young mind. Joining your warrior ancestors means receiving the knowledge that StarClan blesses you with. You, Dovepaw, are careless and stupid because you're young and alive. Now, walk with me."

Dovepaw reluctantly followed after the fluffy, black tom and slowed down her pawsteps once she was beside him so that her pace matched Rookpaw's. She didn't appreciate the tom's sass. None of this felt very fair to her. She wasn't a helpless kit in the nursery that could be scolded, she was an apprentice now, and she was going to be a warrior very, very, soon. When she had thought about her moonstone journey, she hadn't expected to be mocked by an apprentice that wasn't even apart of her Clan.

"Let's just get this over with," The gray apprentice sighed, "Yell at me, tell me what you want, smack me over the head, and then I want to wake up."
Rookpaw shot Dovepaw a look, "I'm not going to yell, and I'm not going to smack you over the head. I'm here to help you, Dovepaw. I want to see you succeed - I want to see the whole forest succeed, but if you grow up with the attitude that you have now, then you won't just doom yourself, you'll doom those that are around you."

Dovepaw said nothing.

"Growing older means getting bigger, stronger, and more mature. A cat could be the oldest one in the forest, but without any sign of maturity, they won't gain any respect. You want to be respected, don't you? I suggest you show respect to others, first."

The gray tabby she-cat stared at the fluffy black tom for a couple of silent heartbeats, "I do respect others! I can't help it if there are some mouse-brains in my Clan. I respect cats who respect me. I'm friendly with everyone unless they treat me rudely! Didn't you see what happened with Wolfkit?"

Rookpaw shook his head, "Call him Wolfkit all you want. His name, after he was exiled from WindClan, became Wolf. I saw what happened, I know what occurred, and I felt it to be very unfair that he never got a chance to speak. You were too quick to act, Dovepaw. I know the term 'actions speak louder than words' is true, but your rash nature could really get you in serious trouble."

The she-cat silently exhaled and gave the StarClan tom an irritated look, "Why can't you tell me something good about myself? Do you think I'm just a completely terrible cat?"
"No!" Rookpaw exclaimed, "You have many good sides to your personality. You're loyal, determined, and you're not afraid to speak your mind. Those traits will get you far in life. You just have to learn how to calm it all down. Too much of anything is dangerous."

"Calm it all down? What do you think I am? A kit? I refuse to be downgraded."

Rookpaw didn't respond negatively. He simply touched his nose to Dovepaw's forehead, "I think that you're a talented young cat with plenty of potential that needs to be unlocked in order for you to be truly successful. Think of me before you do something stupid, okay? Farewell, Dovepaw."

The starry figure of Rookpaw and the realm around her was beginning to rapidly fade away, and the gray tabby tried her hardest to stay awake.
"Wait!" She shouted, "Aren't you going to-?"

Darkness.

When Dovepaw's eyes shot open, she half expected to see Rookpaw again, but she blinked in realization once she saw the shimmering Moonstone in front of her. Letting out a soft, exasperated sigh, the apprentice turned around so that she could face Brindlewhisker.
"Welp," She began, shrugging, "I'm ready to go, now."