Mistystripe's Medicine Cat Apprentice Ceremony

Where Mintwhisker had taught him with a stern, unsheathed paw, Aspenheart was determined to teach with looseness and curiosity. Mistystripe was already a trained young she-cat. She was not nearly as wily as he once was. There was no need for rules and guidelines. He could largely let her figure it out on her own and spread her own wings, so to speak. He didn't consider himself the soft and tender type, and he wasn't keen on making Mistystripe just like him. Aspenheart found himself more enthusiastic than he originally was. He devilishly considered all the dirty work he would no longer have to do by himself. Honey was so hard to harvest when you could barely walk, after all. An extra set of paws and Barleytuft's most mild daughter? Well, he couldn't have asked for a better move on StarClan's part.

He waited patiently in the clearing with two bundles of travelling herbs, déjà vu attacking his senses. It was a similar day when he himself had sought out the will of the ancestors. He felt old. At Mistystripe's approach, he pushed the herbs towards her. "Good day to sacrifice your training to a life of smelling like grass, eh?"

Mistystripe smiled as she padded up to her soon-to-be mentor. He had been nothing but kind to her this whole day, despite not even wanting an apprentice. She could tell that the two of them were going to have a good relationship, which excited her even more. It was weird, she had finally gotten through her training as a warrior, and now she was going to go through training once again. But this time was different. She would be learning to do what she had always wanted. Helping others. That was the honey, so to speak.

 "Good day to sacrifice your training to a life of smelling like grass, eh?"


She giggled lightly as the herbs were pushed in her direction. "It is the best day!" She exclaimed, her face beaming with joy. She had never known she wanted to be a medicine cat, but now that she was given the opportunity, it was as though it was her life-long dream being fulfilled! She almost felt like a kit all over again, except that she wasn't nearly this excited during her apprentice ceremony. 

Aspenheart smirked and flicked his tail at his soon-to-be-student to follow him as he hobbled out of camp.

"I'll give you your first lesson ahead of schedule, eh?" he began as they walked along. "Visiting the Moonstone as a warrior's apprentice is a rite of passage. It is not about receiving a message or interpreting a sign. It isn't exactly groundbreaking news, most of the time. It's a casual conversation. Guidance. Though I never experienced it myself, that's pretty much what I've come to understand it as. The role of a medicine cat at the Moonstone is a little more important."

Aspenheart took a moment to soak in the sunlight, taking a break from his ramblings. They walked along in near silence. It was nice. He took a breath and began his lecturing once more. "As an apprentice, they won't give you any large revelations, but you'll have to learn how to interpret signs. They do it differently for everyone. They're especially cryptic with me... maybe it's because they know I enjoy the challenge." His face grew dark. "The signs aren't always good. Sometimes they're scary. You have to build up a tolerance. You get a lot of bad news, Mistystripe. But, so it goes. It's important. You have to warn the clan sometimes. Make injustices known." And the medicine cat grew silent once more.

Up, up, up Highstones, he felt himself growing a little more used to Mistystripe marching beside him. He always preferred doing things his own way. He wasn't one to object to making a fuss, but something about her enthusiasm tended to melt his grumpiness. Would he still feel the same when she didn't adopt his same ideas about Organized Chaos in the herb stores? What if she grew disdainful of him?

What did Mintwhisker do to Amberdawn that she didn't do to him?

Looking at the grey she-cat, who was already so intrinsically different than him, he searched for kinship. He hoped to find it soon. They went down the tunnel into the cavern.

Mistystripe followed Aspenheart down the tunnel, a shiver running down her spine. Just as she had been when she was younger, Mistystripe was afraid of close quarters like this. But she was not going to let that, or the fear she now held thanks to Aspenheart's words, stop her from being a medicine cat apprentice. Aspenheart said that StarClan chose her. There had to be a reason for that! And she would not let some silly fears stop her from fulfilling her ancestors wishes!

Having been to Mothermouth before, there was a sense of familiarity in these tunnels. Soon she would be able to traverse them with no help at all. But for now, she would need to get used to the dark space, as she would be leading apprentices down to visit the moonstone just as she had. There would be many things she would learn under the guidance of her new mentor. And it excited her. But at the same time it terrified her. What if StarClan was wrong? What if she wasn't good enough?

There was no light in the dark cavern. The Moonstone did not glow. This would surely be a sign of Mistystripe's acceptance into the ways of the medicine cat. It was up to her now.

He could not see the she-cat in the shadows. He had an eerie sense of remembrance. The boom of Mintwhisker's raspy voice sounded like a chorus of ancestors all those many moons ago. Oh, how well she had taught him. The more time went on, the more he felt pity for her. No more time for introspection. He cleared his throat.

"Mistystripe," he called out, hearing his own nasally voice echo around the walls. He hoped he remembered the words. "Is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat apprentice?" And there they were, dripping out of his mouth without a second thought. The smells of musty earth and wildflowers hit his nose, and he recognized the spirits of WindClan were near. They guided his tongue.

It was dark, and quiet aside from the sounds of the two cats breathing. The moonstone did not glow. Was this a sign that Aspenheart misread the omens? Was she not meant to be his apprentice? No, it had to be her. Aspenheart had faith in her, so she would need to have faith in herself. 

When Aspenheart spoke up, it shocked her a little, but she nodded to his words. Not like he could see the action, but she still did it. “Yes. With all my heart I wish for this.” She honestly had no idea how these ceremonies worked, so she was just going with the flow. It wasn’t like she has been able to see these before or anything like she was a regular apprentice ceremony. She was in the dark, both literally and figuratively. But she would learn in time.

At Mistystripe's enthusiastic declaration, the moon passed over the gap in the cavern, lighting the rock with all its color. With long shadows cast on the walls, Aspenheart felt that the stone had not glowed like this in quite a few seaons. It was familiar, welcoming, soft. He smiled a little.

"StarClan, the time has come for me to appoint an apprentice... as is your will." His eyes shifted to the stone, which almost seemed to pulse in approval. "I present to you, Mistystripe of Windclan. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat, and will dedicate her life to healing all who need it. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan to the best of her ability." A deep breath, a pause. "From now until you complete your medicine cat rites, you shall be known as Mistystripe: medicine cat apprentice of Windclan. May StarClan light your path with their strength, and pass their knowledge through you."

Aspenheart waved Mistystripe closer with his tail and lay beside the Moonstone, beckoning her to him. "They wouldn't have taken you if they didn't think you could do the job," he promised. "They screw it up a lot, but even when they're wrong... well, they're right. They put fate in our paws and trust that we know what to do. So, I hope you know what to do. Touch it."

Mistystripe nodded, touching her nose to the smooth stone. Just as happened before, the world slipped from beneath her feet as she drifted into her slumber. When she awoke, she was in the familiar territory of StarClan. But Brookclover did not stand before her this time. Instead, enshrouded by mist that seemed to cover the lands, was a brown dappled she cat. She was a very rugged cat, with hard, green eyes that seemed to stare her down. That seemed to judge her where she stood. 

“Mistystripe.” The cat spoke at last. “My name is Briarstream. I was once a warrior of WindClan, just as you were. But it seems both of our fates lead us elsewhere.” Her tail flicked behind her. “StarClan has chosen you to be the next medicine cat apprentice of WindClan, Mistystripe. Not many cats go through apprenticeship twice, you know.” The she cat, Briarstream, tried to joke. But her voice was so hard, Mistystripe couldn’t tell. 

The she cat gestured behind her, where a crowd of StarClan cats have formed. “Cats of StarClan! Mistystripe has come among us, relinquishing her warriorhood! She has chosen the path of a medicine cat, so that she may help others and connect with us, as many before her have done!”

She then turned back to Mistystripe. “No turning back now girl. You have been gifted a fate few others are lucky enough to have. You have the ability to help others in need, just like you always wanted. Use this gift wisely. Never turn a cat down. And do everything in your power to save another life when given the chance. And there will be times a dying cat will be left in your care.”

Mistystripe couldn’t tell if Briarstream was trying to help her or scare her away, but either way, she was not backing down. Like Briarstream said, StarClan chose her, and she would live up to this destiny. One by one, the crowd of cats began to fade until only Briarstream was left. She smiled, as if pleased, before she too faded, leaving the newly named Medicine Cat Apprentice wondering if this was all a test that she had passed. A test of willingness. 

Waking up, she found herself in front of Aspenheart once more. She smiled at the tom. “I-I think I am ready now!”