Olivepaw's Moonstone Journey

ooc; this takes place between the gathering and the meddie meeting because ohgodthetimelineissomesseduprightnow

The forest had been unnaturally quiet in the time following the Gathering. Each clan lay in wait for whatever could possibly come next. The worst part for Aspenheart was watching the young ones suffer through it as well. It was hard to shield kits from the horrors of the world, and even harder to shield the 'paws. But they all had to grow up eventually. He just wished it hadn't happened so quickly. Olivepaw was one such apprentice who seemed woefully disenchanted with the workings of the Clans. It was his hope that bringing her on this mission to meet with StarClan would help mend her broken spirit. It usually helped him. The ancestors tended to have a little more of a positive outlook on things.

Olivepaw was excused from her duties for the morning as she prepared for her pilgrimage. Meanwhile, Aspenheart collected the herb bundles. He had to admit that having Softpaw around really did help. He ought to swallow his pride more often. He bounced from his right paws to left paws, shivering a little as the cold ran through his thin and willowy frame. It did not take long to find the she-cat's tabby pelt trotting towards him. He mrrped a greeting and watched a little cloud form in front of his nose and disappear in the air. He hoped the cave would be less chilly. Was it considered desecration of holy ground if he built a nest in there? "Alright, bunny-hop, let's get moving! And if you complain about how bad the herbs taste I'm putting crowfood in the next batch!"

Olivepaw had been awake since sunup, excited about the upcoming journey to the Moonstone. She knew that it was the last thing that she needed to do before she could finally become a warrior, and she was ready to go. She trotted up to Aspenheart with a happy trill, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The only thing that had an effect on her mood was the disastrous Gathering from a few nights prior, and she still really hoped that things could end peacefully, but deep down she knew that things wouldn't end that way.
Hopefully talking to StarClan will ease my anxieties...

She almost wished for the days where she had been happy and carefree, the only worry being if Downpaw would stick a beetle in her nest as a prank. Regardless, life went on, and she chuckled at Aspenheart's quip before licking up the herbs and wincing at the taste. She fluffed up her fur at the cold breeze, but said nothing and turned to leave camp.
"I'm ready when you are!"

Aspenheart nodded and led the apprentice out of camp, watching the sky closely. It would be a shame if the weather went sour on an occasion like this. So far in his travels with the young folk, they hadn't been that unlucky. Of course, it was cold and the moor was practically barren, but that made the trek a little easier in his opinion. The hardened ground made it easier to keep his balance, though he still waddled as if he was constantly poised to jump on a mouse. Aspenheart was obnoxiously aware of how strange he looked.

He hoped Olivepaw didn't care that he was a few paces behind her, giving her directions from the back. He grunted and hobbled forward when they reached the thunderpath. The narrow tunnel that went underneath the path was hard to see in the dry grass. "Lucky for us, Goldengale is quite the thoughtful warrior!" he mewed as he wiggled into the narrow space. A monster ran across the thunderpath above him, shaking down dirt on his head. "Come on, Olivepaw! It's fine, the thunderpath is sturdier than any other tunnel-top on the moor!"

Olivepaw didn't mind being led from behind, and intentionally kept her pace to match that of the medicine cat's. With a nervous flick of her tail, she crept into the tunnel, keeping her head low. She had to keep herself from running forward, but once she broke into the open air on the other side of the thunderpath, she felt her claustrophobia ease.
Hopefully Mothermouth isn't as tight as that tunnel...

"Which way now?"

(ooc: you can timeskip if you'd like, its nbd)

The silver medicine cat shook dirt and dust off of his back as they emerged into the clear light of sunset. Olivepaw was clearly eager to reach the Moonstone by the way she was looking around. It made him smile to see somebody genuinely excited to be on the journey. At some point in his life, it had lost the enchantment. "Up Highstones and straight on 'till Mothermouth!" Aspenheart mewed.

---

Up through the rocky path, around to corner to Mothermouth, and down into the cavern, the pair walked in a sort of spiritual silence in anticipation for what was to come. There were only a few more moments when they stood in the cave before the Moonstone was illuminated by the moon's perfect angle. It sent beams of light across both cats' eyes in an ethereal manner. Aspenheart stepped back to allow Olivepaw her own moment with the rock. "Just touch your nose to it and fall asleep. The ancestors will do the rest."

Olivepaw was relieved to know that Mothermouth was nowhere near as tight a squeeze as the thunderpath tunnel, and found that her claustrophobia was kept at bay despite the darkness. When the Moonstone lit up with it's dazzling display, she stepped forward, laid down, and pressed her nose to the stone.

---

She woke in the balmy and lush forest of StarClan, warm breezes caressing her fur and scents of prey almost overpowering. She looked around, hoping to see a StarClan cat that was here to talk to her.
"Hello?"

"Hello, Olivepaw."

From behind the young gray apprentice meowed a kind voice. Behind her stood a tall and gorgeous light gray tabby molly with leaf-green eyes and a long, lustrous tail. Stars sparkled in her fluffy fur, which also danced in her eyes as she gazed at Olivepaw joyfully. While the former WindClan warrior would be practically jumping all over apprentices she met with in their dreams during their trips to the Moonstone in the past, she had learned with the help of Fernfeather and Swiftstep to control her emotions. At least, the way she physically demonstrated them.

Olivepaw turned around to see the soft gray pelt of Fernwing, and gave a happy trill. Even though she didn't know the name of the cat who stood before her, she was still excited to be there, and to meet the starry warrior.
"It's nice to meet you...!" she paused to let the StarClan cat to offer her name.

She remembered her initial reservations from before the journey, and the chaos that had happened at the disastrous Gathering.
"Do you have any wisdom for me? I'm nervous about the future for the Clans, especially after what happened at the Gathering..."

Fernwing listened to the apprentice speak, noticing her sudden pause. Then she let out a laugh. In her efforts to keep her eagerness under control, she had totally forgotten to give her name. ”Oh, please forgive me! My name is Fernwing. WindClan had been my home once, just as it is now to you, so that’s the two of us Clanmates by spirit.”

Now that that had been taken care of, the StarClan warrior listened in silence as Olivepaw spoke. Her smile subtly fell at her words. The tragic act committed by the ShadowClan and RiverClan leaders were definitely the talk of StarClan nowadays, and it honestly scared her seeing how some of the friends she had made here felt about what had happened. Well, except for Sweet perhaps. But then again, the former RiverClan queen had once fallen in love with a ShadowClan tom, and Torrentstar had once been her apprentice, so there was probably a lot of bias behind her opinion.

After taking a moment to consider what she would say, Fernwing finally shook her head, her smile returning to its former glory. ”I wouldn’t worry too much about them. Just continue your training and strive to be the best warrior you can possibly be for WindClan. All that matters is that you’re there for your Clanmates whenever they need you. Everything will work itself out in the end, you’ll see.”

Olivepaw felt her spirits rise at Fernwing's words. She knew that there was no point in worrying about things that she couldn't change, so she took those words to heart.
I'm gonna become one of WindClan's best warriors, and I'm gonna work hard to do it!

"Thank you, Fernwing, I'll be sure to remember that!"

Fernwing’s eyes arched happily, pleased with the apprentice. ”You’re going to be a magnificent warrior, Olivepaw. I look forward in seeing what you will have to offer for WindClan. Good luck to you.” With those final words, the StarClan warrior’s pelt began to glisten and glow, and when the light dimmed, all that remained of the molly was her scent.