Flowerpaw's Moonstone Journey

Already having eaten his herbs for the trip, Sagelight set the other bundle outside the apprentices' den and headed inside. The sun was barely up; the earlier they left the better, but he decided to wait a little longer to rouse Flowerpaw than usual. Mornings were starting to become cold and windy before the sun rose and it was much easier to stay in the warmth of his den. He had a job to do, however, so he was going to do it. The medicine cat searched for Flowerpaw's pale form in the darkness. Spotting her, he picked his way around the other apprentices' sleeping forms and prodded her gently with one paw. "Flowerpaw, wake up, it's time to go," he mewed. "Meet me at the entrance to camp." With those final parting words, he backtracked out of the den and waited for his friend to join him.

A familiar voice woke her from her sleep. The nothingness of her dream broken by the one she once considered a friend. Blue eyes looked up at the medicine cat before he retreated back outside of the den. She blinked, confused for a second as to what Sagelight had wanted. And then she remembered. He was taking her to the moonstone finally.. Did they care now that she was ready to sacrifice herself for Foxfire? Despite everything? She didn't know. She wasn't sure if she cared.

Stepped out of the den, she stretched. Her sharp teeth exposed as she yawned heavily. Once she straightened out, dull blue eyes landed on the herbs meant for her. Carefully she picked them up and ate them, not letting the disgust for the taste show on her face. The pale she-cat made her way over to Sagelight and nodded. Not really offering any words to the tom.

To say that Sagelight was a morning person was an understatement; he was a bit of an "all-day" person. He stood when Flowerpaw emerged from the den, greeting her with a grin. "Good morning!" he chirped, moving to brush his tail against his friend's flank. "We've got a long day ahead, we should better head out. We can stop by the creek for a drink of water, it'll help wash the taste out of your mouth. Are you excited?" He walked as he talked, motioning for her to follow as he led the two out of camp. They should make it to Highstones in good time, provided that nothing happened on their way there.

She didn't understand how he was so perky. How he was able to tolerate how early in the morning it was. Though his greeting made a little warmth spread through her from the cold morning. He was still treating her like a friend. His tail brushing against her only made her light up a little more, but she still remained a bit flat, though there was a little brightness in her usually dull eyes. Her brown and white paws pushed her to follow the tom as he spoke. She would appreciate getting something to drink. Not for the bitter taste but more so for her dry mouth. A morning drink was always part of her routine when it came to waking up. "I'm not really that excited." She didn't know who she would see, if she saw anyone at all. She wouldn't be surprised if Starclan left her too. "I'm probably not going to see anyone." Besides she didn't know what they would say to her if she did speak to someone. There wasn't anything that could be said to her.

"That's okay, not everyone's excited for their Moonstone journey." He replied quickly, walking ahead of Flowerpaw to lead the way. He turned to look over his shoulder at her when she spoke again, worry creasing his features. "What do you mean? Of course you're going to talk to someone. Do you...not believe in StarClan?" He slowed his pace, hanging back to walk with her.

"Flowerpaw...It's okay if you're scared. But StarClan is there to help us as much as they can, trust me. They can't stop bad things from happening, they can only help prepare us for the inevitable." He gave his friend a soft, reassuring smile and butted her shoulder with his playfully.

The pair of cats made good time, reaching Mothermouth just in time. Sagelight turned to Flowerpaw, giving instructions. "I'll lead you inside to the cavern that holds the Moonstone. Follow me closely and use your whiskers to help guide you. Once inside the cave, I'll wait for you by the entrance and you go ahead and touch your nose to the Moonstone. A StarClan cat will come to you. Ready? Oh, and one more thing. I'm proud of you, Flowerpaw, I think you're doing a great job." The medicine cat grinned at her one last time before leading the way into Mothermouth.

They reached the cavern with the glowing Moonstone and just as he said, he waited outside the entrance and gestured for Flowerpaw to go on ahead.

She shook her head at the tom jumping to conclusions. "No! I believe in them. I just don't think they would want to see me." She kept her mouth shut after that. His following words just leaving her confused. She knew they helped the clans but she didn't see why they would want to talk to a cat like her. She was just going to be forgotten about anyway. She gave the tom a small unsure smile after he butted against her shoulder.

They may have made good time to get to mothermouth but for the apprentice it felt like ages. She was uncomfortable to say the least. Spending one on one time with a cat she thought forgot about her.. Maybe it was just because he had to spend time with her. That was most likely it. Once they got back to camp it would go back to how it was. Though his words before they entered the tunnel only left her more confused, and by the time she wanted to respond it was time for her to speak to Starclan... Oh boy.. Here she goes..

The pale apprentice padded up to the glowing stone. She settled down, her body shifting slightly in nervousness. Would she actually see someone? She quickly pressed her nose to the stone, the cold shocking her for a moment before she fell asleep.

She awoke again. The area around her wasn't as bright as she was expecting it to be. The stars still shone above her, but there was a slight fog. Not really the Starclan area she was expecting but she didn't get any bad feelings about where she was. Did they not want her to see? Did she not deserve to be here for attacking a leader? Dull blue eyes looked around. "Hello?" She called out. She took a step forward only to have her paw sink. What..? She turned her gaze to the ground only to see her foot engulf in marsh. She recoiled in disgust at the feeling. Staying rooted to her spot where dry ground was.

She waited patiently, her eyes scanning what she could see of the area around her. It looked like the Shadowclan territory of Starclan... or at least the parts she had seen from her border patrols. But why Shadowclan? Why wasn't anyone talking to her? Where was these Starclan cats that she was promised? Time was running out! The stars were starting to fade, and she could tell that she was going to wake up soon.

Then she felt it. A gaze had settled on her back. She quickly twisted in her spot, looking for the stare that had settled on her. She was being watched for sure.. why weren't they showing themselves? "Where are you? Who are you? Why... Why won't you speak to me? What did I do?" She asked, her voice growing softer by the second as she gave up hope. They weren't going to speak to her. They were there.. watching her.. but they refused to talk to her. Out right ignoring her. She let out a sigh of defeat as her vision started to fade. The territory around her being reduced to darkness. All she could think about was how Starclan had left her too, they were going to forget about her just like everyone else, and she just had to accept it.. She was going to accept it no matter how much it hurt..

"You are losing yourself Flowerpaw, causing you to lose everything else. Get your head out of your tail and focus."

She woke with a start. Flinging herself back, away from the stone that no longer glowed in the moonlight. Her chest heaving with fear. Someone spoke to her.. At the end. The voice had growled at her, but it was quiet. So hushed that if the wind blew the words would have been lost forever. But what had they meant? Focus on what? How was she losing herself? Mind focused on the words she heard at the end of her dream she didn't notice really as her paws carried her to the exit of the cavern. Back to Sagelight.