Blossompaw's Moonstone Journey

A bundle of herbs nears his paws, Swiftstep was ready to take another apprentice to the Moonstone. The deputy had called Blossompaw not too long ago so she must be heading his way. They were to leave as soon as possible so they didn't have to rush to Mothermouth. As most apprentices know by now, Swiftstep absolutely loved giving tours during the exciting trip so he wanted as much time as he could get.

Blossompaw padded from the apprenrices den eager for this trip. She had grown accustomed to her new home's ways though one thing she was unsure about but tried to beleive it was true was that Starclan was real. She knew she wasn't born in the clan so she wasn't sure if she would be visited but she would find out. Eagerly making her way over to her mentor

The tom grinned at the she-cat and pushed forward the bundle of herbs that had been prepared for her. "Here ya are darlin'! Eat these before we head out. They'll keep your strength up and hunger down. I must warn you though, they're awfully sour." said the brown tom. Swiftstep was proud of his apprentice. She had come such a long way and had become an excellent apprentice despite being an outsider. He prayed to the starry cats above that she would find endless happiness. She deserved it.

She blinked at the herbs and nodded slowly eating them quietly only for her nose to wrinkle at the taste"you weren't kidding about the taste"She mewed before she smiled some standing ready to go.

The tom purred and rose onto his paws as well. He beckoned the younger cat to follow his lead as he exited the camp. The mentor and apprentice duo were on their way to the Moonstone!

~Time Skip~

After a long while of traveling and a moment of pure excitement after bolting across the Thunderpath, the two toms were finally in front of the outside entrance. During the trip, Swiftstep had taken the time to point out certain landmarks to the apprentice so the journey would be a bit more interesting. She also needed the knowledge of what beyond Windclan.

The brown tom stepped into the dark tunnel that led to the Moonstone after Blossompaw had caught her breath. The duo then entered the cavern lit up by the stone's enchanting glow. The deputy sat down by the cavern exit and then began to address the apprentice, "Okay, touch your nose to the Moonstone and a Starclan cat will talk with you there."

Blossompaw had quite enjoyed the journey to the moonstone even forgot her anxiety about whether or not a starclan cat would even visit her but once she stood in front of the moonstone all the anxiety came back. She swallowed nervously and nodded stepping forward and getting comfortable as she touched her nose to the moonstone. The cold stone instantly swept her into sleep awaiting and hoping a starclan cat would visit her.

Most cats described StarClan as a utopia sort of realm, in which Icestorm agreed with entirely. The land in which he "lived" in now was a mystical place, and a pretty decent one at that. The grey tabby's life had unfortunately ended too soon and now, he lived with his beloved mate, Ashstar, in the starry fields, wishing nothing more than to see his brother and the rest of his family again.

Per usual, he'd been enjoying a peaceful day on the empty, cloud covered moorlands, concentrating on nothing in particular. Noticing a shape begin to appear not far away from where he sat, the tom lifted up his head from where it'd rested on his white paws and focused his gaze on what seemed to be an apprentice. The young tom's pelt didn't shimmer with sparkling stars like those of deceased cats, which meant he was probably just visiting, which was of course good. Standing up, he gave his grey shimmering pelt a shake, sending specks of stardust falling back onto the misty ground. With him being what looked to be the only cat around, he knew what needed to be done.

"Here for your Moonstone journey?" Icestorm asked softly as he approached Blossompaw, though he assumed that was what the younger cat was there for.

Blossompaw was starting to open her eyes as she 'woke' in the moors of Starclan. For a moment she was in awe and then she saw the starry cat approaching her and here eyes widened her anxiety over the moment passed"y...yeah I..I'm on my moonstone journey"She mewed ears pricking.

Glad that he assumed as much, he gave the she-cat a nod. "Welcome to StarClan. I'm Icestorm, Warrior of WindClan and mate to Ashstar," he mewed. "Well, before time gets away from us, I suppose we should get started," the starry pelted warrior added as he turned away from the she-cat and began making his way towards their destination. While StarClan was admittedly a beautiful place, like everything, the twinkling starlit field didn't last forever. In the distance, as if almost perfectly split down the middle, the dimly lit plains faded into a misty darkness. If some-cat were to go close enough to the darkness, the glinting eyes of the exiled could be seen through the grey, hazy, fog, and their taunting, whispering voices, could be heard. Luckily for them, they weren't going to go anywhere near there.

Flicking his grey striped tail back and forth as he halted to a stop on a small hill, the tom pointed his muzzle towards the ominous darkness that sat over yonder. "Do you know what that is?" he asked as he turned to look at the apprentice.

Blossompaw blinked and nodded smiling some"its nice to meet you"She mewed before she followed after Icestorm. Her tail flicked about excitedly for a moment. She followed him to the hill and blinked looki g at the looming darkness. When he asked if she knew what it was she shook her head quietly ears lowering some"No...I don't"She mewed

Standing still as the apprentice spoke, Icestorm turned to look back on the ominous darkness that loomed across the moorlands. "It's the Dark Forest," they light grey tabby mewed. "It's where cats who fall away from StarClan go and trust me when I say it's nothing to brag about," he continued. "Cats who lose sight of who they are in themselves and their clans end up there. So never lose sight of your loyalties in your family and clan," Icestorm finished and turned his head to look back down at Blossompaw.

Blossompaw blinked her ears flattened for a moment"Does the clan...and Swiftstep count as family....I have none and I'm not clanborn"She mewed quietly. She didn't know why but she felt she needed to state that because for a moment she was filled with doubt that she belonged even though growing up since she was found she felt she did belong.

Listening to the apprentice, he personally didn't know how it felt to be so alone, seeing as though he had family whom he loved deeply and cared about. But of course, he wasn't here to brag about his good fortunes. Gathering his thoughts while he waited for Blossompaw to finish, his muzzle held a soft smile as he met her gaze. "While you may not have any blood-related family, always remember that the clan is your family," the tall tom began, turning his gaze to look back over the moorland. "Family isn't defined only by blood. It's defined by commitment, love, and respect. It's when cats stand beside their clanmates when others need them the most and having each other's backs. Family is choosing to love each other, even when you struggle to like each other," he mewed, reflecting back on his life in WindClan. "Never give up on your clanmates, Blossompaw. Make them your family," he purred, turning back to the down-stricken apprentice and hoping his words would help her along her path. With that, he watched as the apprentice began to fade away, most likely returning to the living world, her pale tabby pelt leaving behind a starry silhouette. "May StarClan light your path," Icestorm added before Blossompaw disappeared entirely from his sight, leaving the StarClan cat to go about his usual business in the stars above.