Redpaw's Moonstone Journey

Today was a day that didn't come often. Oh, apprentices became warriors often enough, and the trek to Highstones was an essential part of that process, but today the trip was for one of the cats Mothglow felt closer to than most. Redpaw was a sort of kin to her, though there was no blood tie between them - Mothglow had kept a watchful eye on her for much of kithood, after all, when it had seemed uncertain and even unlikely that she'd ever be an apprentice.

And yet here they stood, Mothglow with her bundle of traveling herbs outside the apprentice's den. "Redpaw! Time to go!"

Despite having to wake up early, there was an unusual spring in Redpaw's step as she pushed her way out of the apprentice's den, meeting Mothglow in the clearing. The medicine cat was one of the few cats she considered family that were still in her life, despite not being related by blood, and as a result, Mothglow was one of the few cats that could consistently see a side of her that most others did not. With a smile, she joined the medicine cat outside the den, and stooped down to sniff one of the bundles that sat at Mothglow's feet.
"Hey, Mothglow!"

She then ate one of the bundles, and curled her lip a little at the bitterness, but it didn't last long, and she sat up, licking her lips.
"I'm ready to go when you are."

"Now is fine, then," Mothglow purred. "Despite everything, I'm sure you'll be alright - there hasn't been any trouble, as far as I can tell," she added, referring vaguely to the situation with StarClan. She didn't mention it often, now, but Redpaw was close enough to her that she felt she ought to say something as she led the way out of camp. "They'll be perfectly willing to see you, I'm sure. It's us they don't like."

Despite the stars' volatile nature, the journey to Highstones was uneventful but not unpleasant. As they reached Mothermouth, however, they paused outside the entrance. "Stay close," Mothglow warned as she entered the tunnel, and with that she began the silent part of the trek, emerging at last into the cavern, the Moonstone shining under the light.

"This is it," she said simply, settling into her waiting place. She would keep a watchful eye on Redpaw as she slept, the way the stars kept watchful eyes on their waking lives. Though, she noted internally with a hint of bitterness, less judgmental.

Redpaw wasn't sure what she felt as the pair left the camp and began the trek towards Highstones and Mothermouth. She felt excitement, for sure, considering it was the last thing she needed to do before becoming a warrior, but there were also feelings of unease, and even if she didn't want to admit it, anger. StarClan had been the ones to rip a mother from her young kits, and no matter what Thornstar had done, she certainly hadn't deserved such a cruel fate at the claws of the stars' whim. From her own experiences in her early moons of life, and witnessing the aftermath of the former leader's death, Redpaw wasn't sure she wanted to put her faith in the stars any longer. Nonetheless, the Moonstone journey was required to become a full warrior, and on the journey she went.

As the pair padded along, she wondered what had become of Cardinalcry, and she couldn't figure out if she wanted to see her mother in StarClan or not. Certainly, seeing her there would mean that they could talk again, but it would also mean that she'd died alone, separated from her Clan. If she weren't, then that meant that she was still wandering alone, fending for herself without the warmth of the Clan... without... her. Her mother's departure had left a hole in her heart that had yet to heal, and while Redpaw hoped that her mother would one day return, she couldn't deny that she wished she could talk to Cardinalcry again, even if it meant that her mother were in StarClan.

Glancing over to Mothglow, she felt a little bit of the sadness about Cardinalcry's desperate flight ease, and wondered how the medicine cat had ever set her paws on the path that she now tread, especially considering all of the wrath that StarClan was demonstrating towards the Clans as of late. Regardless, the red-pelted apprentice appreciated the kindness that the medicine cat had shown to her in the aftermath of everything that had happened to her in her first moons of life. Since then, Mothglow had become a sister to her, and Redpaw hoped that nothing bad would happen to her, like everyone else she'd cared about before.

Her deep thoughts followed her from the moment they left camp, until the moment their paws entered Mothermouth, the darkness swallowing them as they descended into the earth. The cold air stung her ears, nose and paws, but she didn't stop until the pair entered the Moonstone's cavern. Having already been told what to do, she settled down gingerly in front of the stone, hesitating for a moment before pressing her nose to the stone. Sleep soon overtook her, and the cavern disappeared.

When Redpaw opened her eyes once more, she found herself in the lush green forest of StarClan, where greenleaf never ended and the prey always ran well. She took a moment to look around at her surroundings, marveling at just how beautiful the forest could get, and found herself hoping to see her mother's strikingly red pelt, so much like her own. Her heart sank a little when Cardinalcry was nowhere to be found, but she shook her head and sat back, trying to figure out what she was going to say to the StarClan warrior that would hopefully speak to her.

Though her bright red pelt may have resembled that of the poor apprentice's mother, Blazeflight had two prominent features that distinguished her from Cardinalcry. The starry she-cat was missing a back leg and had a stump as a tail, two things that the other she-cat wasn't lacking. Shaking out her pelt, she approached Redpaw with a gentle smile, careful not to scare her in any way. "Hello, Redpaw." Her whiskers twitched a bit as she sat down in front of the ShadowClan apprentice, making herself comfortable after introducing herself. "I was a ShadowClan warrior, many moons before you were born." The she-cat's voice was sweet and soft, her own attempt at comforting the young she-cat before her.

The strikingly red pelt of the StarClan warrior that stepped into the clearing with her almost looked like her mother, though the differences were very clear. The cat that stood before her was missing a leg, and her tail, though judging by her demeanor, it didn't seem to slow her down. Redpaw blinked kindly as the StarClan warrior sat down before her and spoke, her voice soothing and kind.

When it was her turn to speak, the apprentice had a little trouble finding the words she wanted to say. Nonetheless, she managed to ask,
"Why is everything so tense right now? Why is StarClan angry with the Clans?"

She paused for a moment, before adding,
"And... this is unrelated, but have you seen Cardinalcry here anywhere? I don't have to talk to her now, I was just wondering if anything had happened to her after she ran away."

Blazeflight took a deep breath as Redpaw asked the question every StarClanner seemed to dread recently when they spoke with the Clans. "Redpaw," the short-furred tabby said slowly. "I... I can't quite answer that question. I apologize, dear." She didn't know quite how to explain why she couldn't explain it, but it was just impossible. "What I can tell you, however, is that everything is going to be okay. In the face of your fears, you must find the light- look to those who you know are there for you, and hold on to them dearly. Pain is only temporary, and what comes of it can only make you a stronger, better cat." Offering a gentle smile, Blazeflight leaned in a bit to answer Redpaw's final question. "Cardinalcry does not rest among the stars, young one. She may not reside in ShadowClan, but she still lurks among the land of the living." With a small wink, Blazeflight returned to her normal position, waiting to see what else Redpaw might have to say before departure.

Redpaw expected as much when she'd asked the question, but she still felt a little bit of disappointment as she nodded along with what the StarClan warrior said. "Makes sense."
The advice still eased the apprentice's fears a little, and upon hearing the news that her mother still lived, she smiled at the other cat.
"Thank you. Maybe I'll get to see her again one day."

She paused for a moment, before asking, "One last thing. What's your name? I'd like to know who you are before I have to go back."

Nodding her head gently, Blazeflight looked to the smaller she-cat as she spoke. "Oh, how rude of me! I'm Blazeflight," A smile formed on the red-furred she-cat's maw, and she leaned into the she-cat in a gesture of comfort. "I wish you the best, Redpaw. Good luck, young one." With that, the stars began to fade as Redpaw was sent back to Highstones, Blazeflight's fleeting image slowly dissipating from sight.