Sagelight's Medicine Cat Apprentice Ceremony

Mintwhisker sat up slowly, yawning. She carefully groomed her thin fur before easing herself out of her nest. As she gathered various herbs, she glanced outside the mouth of her den, pleased to see that the sun had yet to rise. The sleepy-purple time just before dawn had always been her favorite. It was quiet and soft, and fog covered the forest like a blanket. Her friends used to sneak out of camp at this time when she was a warrior apprentice so Rippedsky didn't assign them to any morning patrols. She could still remember the first day she left, and how difficult it had been to walk in the deep snow. How many times did her Fernpaw have to dig her out of a tree well? She smiled at the memory.

The taupe she-cat made her way out into the center of camp, turning her murky gaze towards the warrior's den. She gripped the herb bundle tighter in her jaws and plodded towards it. "Sagelight," She grunted loudly once she reached the entrance. "Wake up, it's time to go."
Mintwhisker retreated to the mouth of her den to wait, her tail twitching impatiently. The sun would be rising soon, and they had to be at the border by then if they wanted to make it to Highstones before nightfall.

Sagelight had been tossing and turning all night, much like the night before his first Moonstone journey not too long ago. While then it had been from excitement, now it was from uncertainty. He was still so confused and lost and the decision he had made the day before was a big one, but hopefully this next journey would clear some things up for him. Mintwhisker's voice pierced through his fitful sleep and he stirred with a grunt, taking a moment to stretch out his stiff limbs. "'M comin'..." he mumbled, sitting up. The former warrior gave his pelt a quick lick and blinked the sleep out of his eyes before leaving the den to meet Mintwhisker.

"Good morning," he greeted, smiling softly in the misty morning air. The medicine cat had his herbs waiting for him and he bent down to lap them up, distinctly remembering his conversation with Amberdawn the morning of his last journey. He had hoped he didn't have to eat these herbs again any time soon, and now here he was. Sagelight laughed softly to himself, whiskers still twitching from the bitter plants. He found that laughing and smiling often brightened his mood, especially when he was feeling so uncharacteristically somber. Perhaps laughter really was the best medicine.

He looked up at his new mentor, blue eyes shining as he tried to focus on her blurry form. "I'm ready when you are, Mintwhisker."

Mintwhisker nodded, waiting for the tom to finish his bundle of herbs before leading the way out of camp, stifling another yawn. No matter how many times she made the trek to Highstones, she couldn't get used to leaving so early.
Luckily, the pair made great time- Sagelight wasn't an easily-tired apprentice or a kit, and Mintwhisker quickly found that she had to stop and take a break much more often than he. The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon by the time the two clambered up the steep slope to Mothermouth.

"Right," Mintwhisker began once she had caught her breath, "Stay close to me.  The tunnels are very dark, and it's easy to get lost if you don't know where you're going. Use your whiskers to sense the tunnel walls."
And with that, she padded calmly into the pitch-black maze of tunnels that lead to the Moonstone.

A short while later, the pair emerged into the large main cavern. It was difficult to see- the Moonstone had yet to light -but the taupe she-cat could just make out Sagelight's form. Mintwhisker turned towards him, her murky eyes glinting. "The ceremony begins."
"Sagelight," Her voice echoed off the cave walls, hers and not hers at all. It blended with the voices of her ancestors, growing stronger with each sacred word she spoke. "Is it your wish to enter the mysteries of Starclan as a Medicine Cat Apprentice?"

The trip to the Moonstone went smoothly. The closer they got, the more Sagelight felt a growing ball of excitement and nerves in his stomach. Finally he was starting to feel like his old self again. He followed closely behind Mintwhisker as they entered the tunnels. He could hardly see a thing, both because of the darkness in the cave and because of his already poor vision. He nearly bumped into the medicine cat when she stopped and he took a step back, squinting to try and find her form in front of him.

A strange voice rang out and it took him a moment to realize that it was Mintwhisker. The echoing of the cave wasn't doing anything for his hearing and he shook his head as if to clear it, struggling to hear exactly what she was saying.

This was it. This was the moment of truth. The gray and tan tom took a deep breath to steady himself, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. "Yes. I'm ready." he declared, strong voice echoing all around them in the cave.

Mintwhisker nodded as the Moonstone burst to life behind them. The moon had risen- it was time.
"Very well. Step forward." She instructed, waiting for the warrior to approach her before continuing the ceremony.
"Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this warrior. He has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant him your wisdom and insight so that he may understand your ways and serve his clan for moons to come." Her third ceremony, her third time reciting the sacred words. They came to her as easily as they had the first time.
"Sagelight, when you are ready, press your nose to the Moonstone." She gestured to the glowing rock, her murky eyes bright. "Once you fall asleep, you will be greeted by a warrior of Starclan, and the ceremony will be complete. Congratulations."

Sagelight shrunk back at the sudden harsh light, letting his eyes adjust. He stood frozen in his spot much akin to a deer in headlights. There was a rush of excitement and fear in his stomach and he willed his paws to move, stepping forward until he was right in front of the glowing crystal. The first step to his new life. It felt...good. The tom crouched down, tucking his paws neatly under him as he craned his neck forward to touch his nose to the stone. Just like last time, the ground dropped out from underneath him as he fell into inky blackness.

He woke in the same grassy area he had been in before, although much closer to the tree line of the nearby forest. He was sitting right in front of the entrance, the trees an expansive shadowed land before him. Was Rippedstar going to come talk to him again? Sagelight fidgeted nervously, curling his tail tightly around his gray paws. He inhaled sharply, gazing deep into the woods, and called out, "Hello? It's me again, Sagep--I mean, Sagelight. I'm back already, ha...Rippedstar? Is this the path I'm supposed to be on? Is anyone there?"

Most cats described StarClan as a utopia sort of realm, which was entirely true, but being the kind of tom thaat he was, Antdrop never really understood why everyone worshiped it so much, but even so, he wasn't complaining. The black tom's life had unfortunately ended too soon due to a hunting accident and now, he lived alone in the starry fields, wishing nothing more than to see his little brother and family again, no matter how crazy things might have gotten recently...

Admittedly, when he was younger, he'd despised Tinystar, but he hadn't realized how lucky he was until it was all gone. If only he could've changed his ways earlier, then maybe things would have ended differently.

Per usual, Antdrop usually sat alone on the empty, cloud covered moorlands or ran through the starlit filled forest, thinking about nothing in particular. He'd been a part of numerous Moonstone journeys, but this time, he'd been given a slightly different task; to conduct a medicine cat apprentice ceremony. He'd watched as other cats of StarClan granted young kits or apprentices their right to be trained in the ways of a medicine cat, so he wasn't worried, though it would definitely be a different experience all together.

Noticing a shape begin to appear not far from where he sat, the black tom lifted up his head from where it'd rested on his paws and focused his gaze on the young warrior. The tom's pelt didn't shimmer with sparkling stars like those of deceased cats, which meant he was probably the cat in which he needed to speak to.

Standing up, he gave his black pelt a shake, sending specks of stardust falling back onto the misty ground. "I am Antdrop. Son of Crowstar and brother to Tinystar," he introduced himself stoically as emerged from the hazyness of the forest. Like always, there was no emotion on his face even when "welcoming" a cat to StarClan. Even when he was among the living, the warrior had never been a very social cat and preferred to keep to himself, since that way, life was much more simple, and he was perfectly fine with things being that way.

"You are Sagelight, I presume?" the slender black tom mewed, his tone bland and face emotionless.

Sagelight stood as he saw a shadowy figure approach, taking a moment to realize it was a cat. He gave the StarClan tom a smile although he was rather disappointed that his kin hadn't come to talk to him again. Maybe his grandfather was busy with other important things. He gave the black cat a respectful nod, squashing his emotions down so he could do this ceremony correctly. His tongue got the better of him anyway.

"Whoa, you're Crowstar's son? I bet Tinystar misses you a lot. He always has seemed kinda lonely...Yeah, I'm Sagelight! My grandfather was Rippedstar. I guess we're both descended from really important cats, huh?" He laughed softly. Antdrop was pretty stoic, but that was okay. Sagelight had enough enthusiasm for the both of them. "So, Antdrop, I'm ready for my ceremony. I hope I will make you and the other SkyClan cats proud." The tabby tom's warm smile had faded into what he hoped was a professional expression.

"Yes... I suppose we are," he mewed, giving the tom a curt nod of his head. While Rippedstar had managed to take the role as one of SkyClan's leaders, he still didn't particularly like the tom, though that wasn't what they were here to discuss and there was a more important task at paw.

Waiting for the bouncy tom to finish speaking, Antdrop stood up a little taller and met Sagelight's gaze once more.

"Sagelight, upon Amberdawn deserting SkyClan, you have been chosen to take her place as the next Medicine Cat apprentice. Mintwhisker, like all cats, has her own flaws, but she is very knowledgeable in the ways of medicine and herbs, and will teach you all that she knows." And after saying just a few short sentences of tradition, the ceremony was over.

Sagelight stared deep into Antdrop's eyes as the black tom recited the sacred words, then bowed his head gratefully. A feeling of warmth spread through his chest, a swelling of pride at himself. This was so exciting, but he must be professional. He looked back up at Antdrop, whiskers twitching as he tried to suppress his excitement. "Thank you for speaking with me, Antdrop. I will be sure to make Tinystar, Mintwhisker, and the rest of SkyClan proud." he mewed solemnly.

"Oh, is there anything else I need to know before I go back?" What if he got a super cool amazing prophecy his first few minutes as a medicine cat? He broke into a toothy grin at the thought, unable to hide his emotions any longer.

He was personally glad to see that SkyClan's healing would be left in good paws, but even so, he didn't dare get his hopes up just yet, seeing as though cats and their views on things were always subject to change...

"Just remember, stay true to who you are, don't let anyone tell you who you can and can't be, and above all, follow the code as if your life depends on it, because it does," the black tom finished. It seemed to be somewhat of an ominous warning, but was something he thought everycat should hear, medicine cat or not.

With that, Antdrop gave Sagelight a dip of his head, internally wishing the tom good luck on his future endeavors. Taking a few steps back, the StarClan inhabitant turned around and faded into the dark, starry abyss that was the forest, leaving the medicine cat apprentice to wake up from his dream.

Hopefully, if lead on the right path with the right cats to guide him, Sagelight wouldn't make the same mistakes that his other family members had...