Beechpaw's Medicine Cat Apprentice Ceremony

Sagelight peered around at the makeshift camp SkyClan was currently residing in, limited vision inspecting the general state of the Clan as they woke up for the day. Slowly, slowly SkyClan was healing, but it would take time. For now, though, they would be alright without him, at least for the day. The medicine cat hadn't slept much the night before, fretting about the path he would have to take to the Moonstone. He and Beechpaw needed to leave as soon as possible to make sure they had enough time...

Speaking of Beechpaw...it was time to break the news to her. He had been nice about it, giving her a choice as to what her fate would be, but with everything going on, he hadn't received a concrete answer yet. He desperately needed an apprentice and she was the only option StarClan had given him. So, as much as he hated to leave his Clan for so long, the ceremony must be done and he would not take no for an answer.

Sagelight rose to his paws and padded out of his makeshift den, heading for the small shelter that was now the apprentices' den. The sun was just barely rising and he had to get a move on. He poked his head into the den, lowering his voice as to not wake the others.

"Beechpaw. I need to speak with you, meet me in my, uh...den. Immediately."

Beechpaw flinched awake at the urgent voice, hackles momentarily rising as she was woken rather abruptly from her dreams. Still, she was almost grateful to be pulled from the nightmare earlier than expected.

Recognizing the voice had been Sagelights, the scarred apprentice pulled herself out of the den, being careful not to wake her siblings or the other apprentices as she did so.

"Sagelight?" The apprentice tipped her head quizzically, though she already had a sneaking feeling about his waking her early. They had put off formality long enough, hadn't they? And he still needed an apprentice. They'd been stuck in twolegplace for longer than anyone wanted, and it was beginning to show. It wasn't their territory, and the local wildlife and rogues had made that clear.

The medicine cat said nothing as they walked back to his den. He began preparing travelling herbs, paws busy with the task. There was tension in his posture, however, as he struggled with how to say what he wanted to say next. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he finished the first bundle and pushed it her way, then began on the second.

"...We're going to the Moonstone today. It's time you had your ceremony. The Clan needs an extra set of paws helping me, so I'm afraid you don't have a choice anymore." He paused and took a moment to lap up his share of herbs he had prepared. His voice was curt and serious, a far cry from Sagelight's typical bright demeanor. "Eat your herbs, please, we need to leave as soon as possible. I'll have to find my way to the Moonstone this time, I'm unfamiliar with this territory." He left his makeshift den, padding out with a glance towards her to make sure she was doing what she was told. The pressure of being the only medicine cat in times such as these were weighing on him for sure, but hopefully after today, he would have some respite.

Sagelight spoke, and the apprentice simply nodded. She had had an idea this would come eventually, didn't she? She'd already been helping him gather herbs in addition to continuing on as a warrior for the moment, simply because the clan couldn't spare a capable hunter when they'd first found themselves here.

She'd been going back and forth on the decision, and maybe she'd never be truly sure on if this was the right thing to do. But as she helped Sagelight, things seemed a bit less foreign to her initially-warrior-trained eyes.

Beechpaw lapped up the herbs, grimacing at the bitter taste, and turned to follow Sagelight wordlessly. There was nothing she could really say at this point, she knew what had to be done. Whether she wanted to or not, the clan needed a second medicine cat.

The medicine cat was mostly quiet on their long journey, concentrating deeply on taking the right path to make sure they got to their destination safely. Along the way, occassionally, he would point out various herbs as they walked. He could distinctly remember his own medicine cat apprenticeship and the vast amounts of herbs and uses he needed to memorize, so he was doing his best to help Beechpaw out in her process.

It took the pair of cats significantly longer to reach Highstones than would usually be the case if they were coming from SkyClan territory, but with Sagelight's guidande, they eventually found their way without much issue. The moon had already risen high in the sky by the time they reached Mothermouth, and the older tom turned to his charge with hushed tones. "Stay close to me when we go in, the tunnel is dark and winding. Use your whiskers to feel your way. We must hurry. Follow me." He gave Beechpaw a serious look before darting into the tunnel. He kept a brisk pace despite his aching paws, but made sure to always be able to feel his apprentice on his tail behind him.

Soon, the pair emerged into the glowing cavern that held the Moonstone. The brilliant crystal was already lit, so Sagelight had to declare the ceremonial words quickly. He turned towards Beechpaw, his back to the Moonstone. For a moment, he breathed deeply, eyes closing as he channeled the spirits of his ancestors. Bright blue eyes opened once more, his voice filled with a heavy, unusual presence as he recited the sacred words he once heard during his own ceremony.

"Beechpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a Medicine Cat Apprentice?"

The journey was long and mostly silent, the sturdy apprentice keeping pace with Sagelight. She listened as he pointed out herbs, grimly determined to commit each one to memory. There was no going back now, and she knew that she had to commit to being a medicine cat. Occasionally, if she was feeling confident enough, she'd point out a herb that she already knew, determined to memorize them. Otherwise, the large apprentice kept a stony silence.

Eventually, they reached highstones. The apprentice had been surprised at the effectiveness of the travelling herbs. While their bitter taste had mercifully faded long before they reached highstones, by rights she should have been dead on her paws by this point. Except she wasn't. By the time they reached the entrance of the cave, the moon was high above. Swallowing hard, nervous energy pricking at her pelt, Beechpaw followed Sagelight into the tunnel.

She was very much not enjoying the feeling of the tunnel's walls closing in on her, but Beechpaw merely grit her teeth and pushed forward. Some instinctive part of her wanted to turn tail and run, but she would not allow herself to be ruled by instinct. Forcing herself to take slow, even breathes seemed to help, at least.

Eventually, after what felt like moons in the darkness, Beechpaw began to make out the faint shape of Sagelight's silhouette in front of her. They emerged into the cavern that seemed lit by the Moonstone itself, and despite her misgivings, the apprentice was awed by the sight of it. Sagelight spoke, and it took a moment for Beechpaw to be sure her voice was steady when she replied,

"It is."

Sagelight nodded at her response, a small smile coming to his face. While he did have to force it out of her a little bit, he was glad she had finally agreed to become his apprentice officially. He wasn't sure what he would do if she had said no for whatever reason. Relieved, he confinued with the ceremonial words.

"Ancestors of StarClan, I present to you this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your infinite wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and serve her Clan for many moons to come, even after I have joined your ranks."

With the ceremony now complete on his end, his voice returned to normal and he stepped forward, touching his nose to Beechpaw's forehead with a light, proud purr. "Congrats, I'm honored to have you as my apprentice. Go, touch your nose to the Moonstone. A StarClan cat will come and speak with you. I'll be here, waiting."

Beechpaw allowed Sagelight's nose against her forehead, and she seemed to visibly relax a bit as the ceremony was concluded. She was still uneasy about becoming a medicine cat, and just hoped that she would be able to serve her clan. It wasn't what she'd ever wanted, but she owed them that much, at least. His next words were unexpected, as evidenced by the slight deer-in-the-headlights look that briefly crossed her face.

Dark eyes turned to the Moonstone, and Beechpaw once more took a steadying breath before settling next to the glowing stone and touching her nose to it. It wasn't cold like she'd expected the stone to be, and it wasn't long before the apprentice was dreaming.

The tom's shimmering pelt caught the dim light of StarClan. The plains where he met her were much like WindClan's earthly home, but there were more streams in the place. The gentle babble of creeks and buzzing cicadas rang in both cats' ears. It was picturesque, it was quaint, it was all a warrior (or grumpy medicine cat) could want from an afterlife. But he was not content to fade into the background, as Barleytuft had. He was a restless ghost. If he didn't haunt apprentices, what else was he good for? He ignored the groanings and eye-rolls of his friends among the stars as he entered Beechpaw's dream. They couldn't stop him, and they knew it.

"The path you're setting out on is, in my opinion, more difficult, more thankless, and more draining than any life a warrior could lead," he said simply. "But that's why StarClan sought you. You're tough, Beechpaw. I see that sense of duty; it bursts out of every hair on your body. You can handle the hardships that comes with it."

The medicine cat rounded on her, a bright, tilted smirk gracing his lips. He was like an imp: gangly, large-eared, nasally in voice. "They call me Aspenheart. I was the medicine cat of WindClan for many seasons. Recently, Softbreeze has taken her place as the sole medicine cat of my Clan. I expect that you'll meet her soon. I'm here to issue a warning, because I see myself in you. There are things that I'm ashamed of. Every ghost has regrets."

Aspenheart came very close. "For all the good that your strong will can bring you," he whispered mournfully, a whisker away, "Stubbornness... Combativeness... That constant need to be listened to, and to be obeyed... it'll bring you crashing down. Pick your battles. Level your temper. You are the spiritual advisor to your leader, and you are above all clan politics. You need to reason, and be reasoned with. You need to find sympathy for others. Especially sympathy, Beechpaw, for StarClan's sake. You're in service to your clan, now. Not yourself."

As the tom began to stand up and turn around, he lifted his back paw and gave her a firm thwap on her shoulder, enough to make her teeter a bit. "But, no pressure," he snickered. "Sagelight's a good tom. He'll teach you well. Tell him I said hello, and I hope I see him soon... not too soon, though!"

The tom faded away, back to the starry plains, where he could continue to run, leap, and jump for the rest of eternity... or until the next apprentice came by.

Beechpaw opened her eyes to wide, open plains and the sound of softly gurgling water. A far cry from Skyclan's territory of rocky gullies and tall trees. A starry-pelted tom came into view, and Beechpaw blinked owlishly up at his approach.

The tom spoke of how the path before her was a thankless one, and Beechpaw had the distinct impression that he spoke from experience. Was she tough, really? She'd fought, physically, against many things. The scars beneath her long fur proved it. But Beechpaw was less sure that this was why Starclan chose her than this tom seemed to be. A name was given, and the tabby apprentice nodded. Windclan, medicine cat. It made sense that a medicine cat would be the one to visit her dreams tonight, probably the most sense she'd ever been able to make of Starclan's decisions in her very limited, very biased, experience.

Did the lanky tom truly see something of her? How could he? They didn't even know each other. Indignation rose, but the she-cat grimly quelled it, with some effort. The tom was here to offer guidance, was he not? Much like being a medicine cat, Beechpaw supposed, she didn't have to like it, but she had little choice but to endure his "wisdom."

Did I make the right choice, in becoming medicine cat? Am I truly the right cat for the job? She wondered, not for the first time and probably not for the last. Much as she didn't like it, the tom did have a point regarding her combativeness and temper. Sympathy? Beechpaw knew her own flaws, she hadn't been shy about admitting them when Sagelight had summoned her into his den the day before the fire had swept through Skyclan territory. Yet at the time, there'd been little reason to change or think much on them. She'd thought the older medicine cat had been playing some sort of cruel joke. Nobody in their right mind would've asked the bloodshed-prone she-cat otherwise.

Now though? She'd agreed to help him hunt herbs, had agreed to become his apprentice because it was what the clan needed. Maybe some self-reflection was in order, after all. Medicine cats weren't known for fighting in combat, they were supposed to be supportive and do the exact opposite of inflicting harm on others.

"No pressure? Right. I'm just responsible for my clanmates health... And a spiritual guide. Who in their right mind would listen to my guidance? Skyclan is doomed." She choked out the words, sounding every bit as strangled as she felt, now. His paw caught her roughly by the shoulder, an admonition if she'd ever been given one. Beechpaw stared at the tom, affronted. His next words had that affront turning into a strangled sputter. Was he... joking...? About Sagelight, being in starclan? Was this what the afterlife did to cats? Were all of them so jaded and twisted? Indignation burned within her once more at how casually he seemed to joke, but... he was already dead, wasn't he? Perhaps that changed one's perspective on things.

Still, Aspenheart's words had given Beechpaw a new perspective on things. Most of her clanmates would have commented on the responsibility, and how the decision wasn't to be made lightly, and that was true. Yet the young she-cat hadn't really considered anything beyond that.

This strange Windclanner was right, though. She had more important things to focus on now that weren't just her own wants and desires. And he was right about Sagelight being a good cat. Perhaps he didn't deserve her harsh judgement and ire over things that were necessary. She'd seen how tirelessly he worked for the clan, after all, and the tabby-and-white apprentice had never thought it would be easy.

The tom faded from view before Beechpaw could formulate another reply, maybe that was for the best as she gazed out over the plains, listening to the cicadas and soft bubbling of water. She had things to think over, and while she'd wake soon enough, there was something oddly soothing about the dreamscape she had found herself in after the previous days of nightmares when she closed her eyes.