Stormpaw's Moonstone Journey

Amberdawn readied the herbs, and without meaning to think about it a part of her wondered if she should be doing this while she was doubting herself so much. She shook her head and finished prepping them. It wasn't about herself; it was about Stormpaw. He had a right to visit the ancestors, and her quavering faith shouldn't stop her. She approached her in the apprentices' den before dawn broke, gently prodding the she-cat awake. "Hey, Stormpaw," she murmured softly. "We've got a long way to go. I'll be at the entrance." The golden tabby padded back out and sat by the entrance with their herbs, waiting patiently.

OOC: Stormpaw’s a she XD

IC: Stormpaw was woken up from a rather uneventful sleep by a prodding paw. The large apprentice lazily wondered if it was her mentor waking her up. That was likely why she felt her heart nearly jump up her throat as she saw Amberdawn— the messenger of Starclan herself— looking down at her. While Stormpaw was significantly less religious than her peers, the gray-furred watcher agreed that medicine cats were one step down from holy. ”Hm?” She opened her jaws to ask what was happening, before seeing the bundled herbs the ginger was carrying. It was her Moonstone Journey. While on the outside Stormpaw was calmly getting ready, inside she was panicking. What if she said something wrong? What if there was a problem and she gave the wrong answer? What if Starclan didn’t want her? While all those questions bugged her to death, she didn’t do anything about it; she didn’t want to seem fretful to her peers.

After getting her thick fur groomed and her nest made, the storm-furred she-cat picked her way towards where Amberdawn was sitting. Beside her were two piles of herbs wrapped loosely in a large leaf of some kind- these were obviously the traveling herbs. With a little hesitation, Stormpaw ate her pile, her fur pricking from the rancid bitterness of it. ”When do we go?” she bluntly asked, her tongue still tingling from the taste.

Amberdawn always hated when she accidentally startled some cat or disturbed them from a pleasant dream; fortunately, today's traveler seemed to have woken up alright. The medicine cat waited patiently. After a short while, Stormpaw emerged with her pelt looking sleek and clean. She was ready to see StarClan, wasn't she? The warrior apprentice seemed to need no direction - many of her friends had made the journey and shared their experiences, no doubt - as she grabbed her packet of herbs and ate them. Pleasantly surprised, Amberdawn lapped up her own herbs, letting a subtle shudder pass over her body to ripple her pelt. Well, these herbs were perhaps a little younger than she'd have liked - maybe a day in the sun would help with that tartness.

The medicine cat licked her lips, and Stormpaw asked shortly when they would be leaving. Amberdawn felt her fur prickle. I suppose this will be a quick and quiet journey, she thought. "I suppose that means you're ready now," Amberdawn murmured quietly, standing and turning toward the entrance. She looked over her shoulder. "We'll go the speed you choose." Then the golden tabby began to exit the camp; her steps felt heavy as stones.

Stormpaw let out an internal sigh as Amberdawn seemed impressed with her. She was worried the medicine cat would be harsh and think she was trying too hard, but luckily nothing happened. The apprentice followed her senior out of the camp and into the pre-dawn woods. They were much darker than she was used to-- Stormpaw rarely left camp before dawn in the past-- but that wasn't what bugged her about it. It was the silence. Stormpaw usually hated talking to others, but she didn't hate noise. There was always murmurs and meows, and birdsong, and all sorts of things bustling in the background that kept things interesting. At this time of day even the birds were asleep, and the only noises were the rustling of their paws. The grey she-cat figured a little small-talk would help ease the awkward silence surrounding them.

"Is your job immer- er, interesting at all?" Stormpaw murmured, and then immediately cringed at herself. She somehow managed to mess up a sentence. A single sentence.

Starclan, she was terrible at talking.

The speed that Stormpaw had chosen was respectable. It was a good pace, in Amberdawn's eyes. She might have gone a bit slower for a less eager apprentice, but if Stormpaw was willing, all the better. If she'd realized how quickly the apprentice would want to go, she might even have been able to allow the she-cat to sleep a bit longer. Nonetheless, though, they left the camp with no pomp or circumstance, slipping out into the early, early day.

They hadn't gone far before, it seemed, Stormpaw grew tired of the tedious quiet. The she-cat made an attempt at small-talk, asking Amberdawn was she felt of her job. "As a medicine cat?" Amberdawn asked, although she knew that was exactly what the apprentice meant since that was all it could possibly mean. "W-Well, um, yes, it is interesting," she replied after a moment of uncertainty. "Dreaming with StarClan especially - I am glad I get to help share that experience with my Clanmates. I sometimes wonder how different it is from what I see as a medicine cat."

She looked curiously at her companion. "What have you heard about sharing tongues with StarClan?" the medicine cat asked curiously.

OOC: Short

Stormpaw listened closely as they padded down the predawn forest, despite how little was being spoken. She was simply grateful that the medicine cat responded at all, instead of leaving her alone to cringe over her poor social ability. "In all honesty, I didn't hear much," the grey cat confessed, "I guess that is what makes it more exciting. The most I heard was that you go up to the Moonstone, which is this big... rock, I think? Anyways, you touch noses with it, and then Starclan appears." She paused for a moment as she scrambled over a fallen tree in the path. "Most of the cats I've seen didn't say too much about it, not that I was prying or anything. I guess I'll just find out the rest when I get there."

Amberdawn was surprised by the she-cat's response; many of the other apprentices she'd taken had heard rumor at least, even if it was wildly incorrect. Still, Stormpaw took that fact well, even considering it perhaps a bonus. Amberdawn nodded along as the apprentice explained what she had heard; they approached a stone and touched it and StarClan showed up. When Stormpaw had finished by commenting on the quietness surrounding the situation, Amberdawn smiled ever so slightly. "A lot of cats are quiet about it because it's a deeply personal experience; a cat's message is special for them, and it can feel like a secret to keep. What you do with what they share is up to you."

The medicine cat continued walking, knowing how far they had to go.

---

At long last the pair approached the Mothermouth. The sun had set below the horizon not long ago, but darkness came fast. Amberdawn glanced up at the moon, then aside to her companion. "This is it. Do you have any more questions before we go down?" she asked.

Mothermouth was... immense. Even compared to the trees of Skyclan, there was nothing like it's size. A massive gaping hole in the hillside, deeper and darker than any cave she'd seen before, like if the universe simply forgot to exist there. For a moment Stormpaw felt like she forgot to breathe, faced with the everything that this place was.

"No, I don't think I do," she murmured, not taking her eyes off of the monolithic cabe.

Stormpaw was awed by the view of their destination. Indeed, Mothermouth was a sight to behold on it's own - nevermind the immense glowing stone in its depths which created a path to the ancestors. Amberdawn understood the apprentice's facial expression of awe and felt her heart warmed at the respect her Clanmates so often showed their ancestors. When the young she-cat said she was ready, Amberdawn nodded. "Okay then. I'll lead the way. When we arrive in the cave, you'll feel the air open up around you. The Moonstone may be lit when we arrive; we'll see. You'll simply touch your nose to it and StarClan will take care of the rest."

Waiting for another moment to give Stormpaw time to process, Amberdawn then began to descend. The moonlight on her back disappeared into cast shadows, and soon she herself was dark as the tunnel.

The path was dark, and cold. It didn't bother Stormpaw too much, as her fur was thick, but she could still feel the air prick her whiskers. At a certain point there was so little light that she could barely see what was in front of her, but could still sense Amberdawn ahead. A couple of times the walls would close in or she wasn't sure where her paws were, but she continued on nonetheless.

After what felt like moons, they finally entered into a large opening. There was a tiny amount of moonlight coming from a triangular hole in the roof, which was just enough to see. The room was large, and the walls were somewhat smoother than the rest of the tunnel. In the center was a monolithic crystal embedded into stone, which was what truly took her breath away. Clear and unmarked, with edges sharper and smoother than anything she had seen before. Barely another breath had passed until the moon fit cleanly into the hole in the ceiling and light flooded in. A beam hit the Moonstone, causing the gem to glow light a blue sun, almost blinding in its brilliance.

Several more seconds passed before Stormpaw remembered to breathe. "I just touch it, right?" she asked.

The walk was familiar now, at last, with Amberdawn's paws certain. Not once did a flicker of a doubting thought enter her mind. She was comfortable in the dark, winding cave tunnel that lead to the Moonstone now in a way she hadn't been comfortable before. Repetition likely impacted that. She had gone down many times now, and each time the apprentice had followed her wordlessly and they all made it safely. It was nearly instinct. That was almost as strange as doubting the path.

They drew into the pale light, stepping from the tunnel into the open cave, and Amberdawn drew to a stop, her tail flicking Stormpaw gently to let her know they had arrived. A second passed - two, three - and then the cavern bloomed to light as the Moonstone began to radiate its ethereal light. Amberdawn turned her head to look softly and patiently at Stormpaw. The apprentice's face was agape with awe for several moments before she breathed, and checked what to do.

"Yes, you just touch it," the tabby, silver-washed in the light, confirmed gently, smiling a little. "StarClan will carry you where you are needed. I'll be here with you when you awaken; everything will be well."