Mosspaw's Moonstone Journey

Mintwhisker padded out of her den, two bundles of traveling herbs held loosely in her jaws. Despite... everything, life must go on. And that meant only one thing: Moonstone journeys.
"M-Mosspaw, wake up." Mintwhisker peered into the apprentice's den, her voice muffled by the herbs. "It's t-time."
When the apprentice finally stirred, Mintwhisker withdrew from the den and allowed her grandfather's apprentice to grab a bite to eat before they left. "You're going to want to eat t-those herbs." She mewed dryly, nosing the bundle in Mosspaw's direction. "I know they t-taste awful, b-but they'll give y-you energy and k-keep the hunger at bay until w-we make it back." Once she had made sure Mosspaw had swallowed everything, she lead the way out of camp, her murky green eyes bright.

---

"Watch your step," Mintwhisker carefully padded up the steep base of the mountain, wending her way gracefully past rocks and boulders. When the pair finally arrived at the top of the mountain, the Medicine Cat paused for a moment, catching her breath. "Stay close b-behind me." She nodded at the tunnels. "It's e-easy to get lost in there."
The short-legged she-cat lead the way through the tunnels, making sure to keep her tail outstretched in case Mosspaw required any extra guidance. After a short while, the pair emerged into the main chamber, which was already filled with Moonlight that reflected off of the Moonstone. "D-don't be afraid." Mintwhisker sat down near the tunnels. "T-touch the Moonstone, and you'll f-feel a strong u-urge to fall asleep. Once y-you do so, you'll f-find yourself in Starclan. I-I'll be right here w-when you wake up."

ooc; i never saw this, im so sorry

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Mosspaw had barely been asleep when Mintwhisker came to wake her up. There was something in the air that told her today was the day; she would be seeing Starclan today. She silently hoped to see her father, Rippedstar; she had a lot she wanted to discuss with him. She also missed him, too; even though the chances were unlikely, she prayed that she would see his bright eyes and smile tonight. Quickly stepping to her paws, she weaved her way in between the sleeping bodies, hesitating when she spotted a sibling of hers, or two. She hoped they would be okay without her there. "I won't be long," The black and white she-cat vowed silently, before stepping out into the warm air. The night sky immediately took her breath away; stars danced happily alongside the moon, shining upon Skyclan's forest and making it look twice as beautiful as it did in the day. She couldn't suppress the smile tugging at her lips, eyes shining in pure admiration as she gazed into the darkness. She regretted sleeping through all of this; Clearpaw was right, they were truly missing out on plenty of things worth noticing. Making a mental note to stay up a little later just to gaze into the night, Mosspaw turned to Mintwhisker, who had nosed traveling herbs in her direction. Swallowing thickly, she downed the herbs, her muzzle wrinkling at the foul taste. "Okay, let's go," She meowed once finished, and promptly followed the medicine cat out of camp, but not without taking one last wistful look towards the apprentice's den as she forced herself not to worry about her siblings.

---

The journey seemed to go by in a blur. One moment, she was leaving the beautiful forests of Skyclan behind, and on the next, she was following Mintwhisker straight to the top of the mountain, closer and closer to the Moonstone. The she-cat couldn't help but hold her breath as they retreated into the cave, the place growing darker and tighter until she couldn't see in front of her and had to rely on the medicine cat's tail occasionally brushing up against her face. Just as she thought it was over, the tunnel was illuminated by a bright light, and both apprentice and medicine cat stepped into a small enclosure that held the Moonstone, glittering brightly. As she recited the instructions, Mosspaw stepped closer, lost in the way it shined with captured moonlight. It was nothing like she had imagined; Starclan, it was better than she expected. Twitching her whiskers, she padded forward and pressed her nose against it, shuddering at how cold it was. Immediately, tireness swept over her, numbing all her senses and giving her the strong urge to sleep. Realizing that fighting it was no use, she collapsed on the ground and closed her eyes, the last thing her eyes captured was Mintwhisker's dull green eyes staring back at her expectantly.

Eventually, she awoke, laying in the midst of a beautiful meadow. Tentatively, she stood upm giving her muscles a brief stretch before looking around at her surroundings. Tall grass and flowers gently swayed in the small breeze, which brought an odd sense of comfort. She could see trees and streams in the distance, sparkling alongside the stars. So this was Starclan? It truly was amaxing, but she didn't look forward to being here any time soon. "I made a vow to protect all my siblings for Mama and Papa, I don't plan on breaking it until the breath in my lungs runs out," She reminded herself of her vow, determination flickering in her yellow-green eyes. After a while of waiting patiently, a cat began to materialize. Her eyes lit up, hoping it was Rippedstar, but a new face met her eyes. Disappointment caused her excitement to falter, but she refused to let this cat see.

"Hello. I am Mosspaw, of Skyclan. Who are you?"

Mosspaw's expression didn't concern Cherrymist in the slightest. After all, no expression had ever bothered her, really. The blind she-cat approached, with unfaltering grace filling her every stride, until she had fully closed the distance between herself and the apprentice. Foggy and bleak eyes were fixed on a point off of the other's face, staring into the distance whimsically.

"Welcome to StarClan, young one. I am Cherrymist, of SkyClan." she blinked kindly, though her face was alien when it came to the concept of smiling. A flurry of star-dusted white fur, the deceased queen looked around. Not really seeing anything. "You are so close to the end of your journey, huh? It's nearly time for you to begin truly defending your Clan." Cherrymist chattered idly, her voice fast, light and unnaturally jiggly. Suddenly, she looked purposefully, and straight into the young cat's eyes. "Do you think you are ready?" her tone changed, motherly but strict.

Mosspaw blinked at the question, being taken aback by the Starclan cat's sudden change of tone. It caught her off guard for a moment, but she quickly regained her confidence and responded quickly, "I do believe I am, Cherrymist. I made a vow when I was a kit, to protect my family and clan at all costs, until my very last breath. I've been preparing to keep this vow my entire life; becoming a warrior changes nothing." She prayed that the former Skyclan queen was satisfied with her answer; the black and white she-cat returned her gaze, but noticed the murky, unfocused look in her eyes. Ah, so she was blind. It made sense, really. Cherrymist hadn't looked directly at her without looking into the distance.

The white cat paused, taking in the apprentice's determined words. Her expression softened only the slightest bit, and she nodded her head thoughtfully. "Very well, Mosspaw. Go. Honor your vow, and make SkyClan proud." Cherrymist mewed, turning away from her as soon as the last word was spoken, padding away purposefully until she dispersed, akin mist itself.

"Wait-" She took a step forward as Cherrymist padded away, fading in a cloud of mists and stars. She wasn't sure if she had heard her, but she had hoped so, "Can you say hi to my father for me, Rippedstar? I...Tell him I love him." Mosspaw quickly blinked back tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Tell him I miss him.." The overwhelming feeling to sleep returned. She fought if for a few seconds, not wanting to leave yet. She wanted to see him. He was supposed to be here. The Skyclan apprentice tried taking a step forward but fell to the ground, her body going limp as her eyelids fell.

---

Mosspaw awoke in the real world, gasping as she jerked awake. Breathing heavy, she turned towards Mintwhisker, who had kept her promise and stayed. The black and white apprentice then turned back towards the Moonstone, a part of her tempted to try and go back. Swallowing thickly, she stumbled up to her paws, tail tip twitching and eyes wide. "O-Okay...I'm ready to go back now."