Kitepaw's Moonstone Journey

It was a cold and dreary morning, a fine drizzle of rain coating the forest and dripping from the colored leaves above ThunderClan's heads. Shaking off a large droplet that landed directly on her head as she left the medicine den, Mossbloom approached the apprentice den with her bundles of herbs. Today was Kitepaw's day to jourbey to the Moonstone, and she had hoped that the weather might have been a little nicer.... It wasn't meant to be though. Stepping into the den, she took a moment to appreciate the warmth and lack of misty rain within before approaching the she-cat where she slept in her nest. With a gentle paw, she prodded the she-cat's side. "Kitepaw, time to get up! We travel to the Moonstone today. Meet me by the entrance of the camp when you're ready." The medicine cat mewed softly before turning to go stand by the camp's entrance, the herb bundles at her paws.

Not long ago she had been ordered to rest in preparation for her moonstone. It was a momentous occasion for every young cat before they had their warrior's ceremony. After a short while of her mind buzzing at the thought of the whole ordeal, Kitepaw had managed a rather peaceful sleep. Dreams caused her sides and whiskers to twitch in agitation but if there was anything unpleasant crowding her sleep, it had quickly been forgotten.

The prodding of Mossbloom's paw had roused her in an instant. Ears pricked and it only took a moment before the slender she-cat had risen to her paws. She took a moment to stretch, extending her limbs and flexing her claws into the earth. It was going to be a long journey. But, the russet she-cat was ready for the next step on her path to becoming a full warrior of Thunderclan. As she padded towards the medicine cat, the soft flicker of a smile danced between a more stoic expression. While she was honor and duty bound to her clan and the code, Starclan was a mystery to her, one that she had hard time believing was more than simply a bedtime tale for kits. The Righteous Few, Lichenmask and his followers, surely those had been contrived just to send naughty kittens sinking back into their nests.

Kitepaw gave no indication of these swirling thoughts but dipped her head respectfully to the medicine cat. Mossbloom had been a healer since the dawn of time, she was certain of that. There was the usual, natural tilt of her head head as she addressed the elder she-cat, "I'm ready to go, Mossbloom."

Moosbloom purred, returning the flickering smile of the apprentice. "Then let's get going." She purred, nudging the now empty oak leaf to the side as they turned to head out of ThunderClan's camp, into the damp forest. The travel through ThunderClan territory and into Fourtrees was relatively dry, the trees overhead sheltering the pair for the most part, aside from the occasional droplet from a leaf above. However, as they were about to step into WindClan's territory, the wide open moors before them, the rain hardened to a steady pace, but not quite a downpour. Frowning at their luck, Mossbloom turned to the apprentice. "We'll try to stay in the tall grass and gorse as much as possible, it will help shelter us from the rain at least a little." She mewed, ears flattening to her skull as she stepped into the open space, the rain immediately seeping into her pelt as they traversed the moors. "When we return to camp, both of us are going straight to the medicine den, to get dry and to make sure we don't develop a cough or fever." She ordered as the rain let up to a misty drizzle again as they left WindClan's territory behind.

They crossed the Thunderpath easily, it appeared that the monsters disliked the rain as much as they did, but as they climbed up the path to Mothermouth the sky opened up and it started pouring. Motioning to Kitepaw with her tail, she swiftly led the way to just inside Mothermouth, sheltering in the entrance to the tunnels to get out of the rain before shaking out her fur. Water splattered against the walls of the cavern, and she shivered, looking to Kitepaw. "Well, this journey certainly could have gone better." She mewed, offering a small smile before continuing. "Hopefully the rain lets up so the moon can shine on the Moonstone for us tonight." As she spoke, the rain let up suddenly, and a gap in the clouds could be seen. With a purr, Mossbloom nodded to Kitepaw. "I think that's a confirmation. Well, let's head down, shall we? When we get to the cavern, please press your nose to the Moonstone. StarClan will take it from there." She purred before leading the way through the tunnels to where the Moonstone glowed in front of them.

Kitepaw wasted no time in hurrying her delicate pawsteps after the medicine cat. Ears swiveled as they traipsed through the forest in haste towards the moonstone. For a short while, the journey was light and filled with easy conversation. The she-cat found herself taking the time to glance around their territory and found herself remembering flashes of the various patrols she'd attended throughout the moons. There were very few times that she actually had spared a moment to consider her surroundings, driven by the duty of whatever task had busied her paws at the time. It was then she decided to enjoy the forest more. Even on such a seemingly dreary day, and in the dullness of leaf fall, their forest was vibrant with vivid colors and entrancing twists of undergrowth.

When they padded out onto the moorlands, she found herself reminiscing of their own home already. Why cats would want to willingly live in such a barren, open land was beyond her. Disdain proved to be warranted as the steady rainfall easily saturated her coat. Kitepaw growled softly in agitation at the sensation as it chilled her slender frame. But when the medicine cat spoke, the sound died away. The apprentice shook her head and coat for a moment before finding such a movement to be fruitless. Then, she pressed on after the elder she-cat. This persistence eventually lead to the easing up of the tumultuous weather. Another moment, and Kitepaw would have surely lost her mind as such maddening moisture.

Still, the mist commanded her pelt itch as they crossed the Thunderpath. It was her first time crossing the black stone and the surprising ease was lost on the young apprentice. After all this time, the Highstones finally rose before them. Such a place was imposing in a way that the four great oaks failed to be. Not only did the gray stone rise high into the sky, it threatened to swallow the horizon. Suddenly, Kitepaw felt smaller than she ever had before. Standing next to a tom even as large as Jaypaw had failed to raise a lump in her throat like this. When Mossbloom spoke, a mere nod was the response this time. And it wasn't until they approached Mothermouth that Kitepaw found her tongue once again.

"Thank you, Mossbloom." There was no need that a thinly veiled belief of such matters was barren as a spider's web. If the medicine cat believed that dead cats touched the skies and parted the clouds, that were for her to contemplate. Staring into the darkness, Kitepaw blinked a few times. If Mossbloom wanted to believe there was hope at the end of this gnawing darkness, then so be it. Her paws seemed to stall. When they finally moved, it was with a hesitance that she pushed through with great effort. Like swimming through the river at the border. She had never swam herself but the motion reminded her of watching Riverclan cats. It never occurred to her that perhaps it was something that she did too often, drawn, like a cat enticed by a pretty minnow, it seemed.

Ears strained forward, one seeking any echoing sounds and desperately seeking a sense of direction. The other merely accompanied it out of a sense of companionship. Her head tilted slightly with each step as they navigated the twists and turns. Now, Kitepaw would never admit such a thing to any cat, especially not in as blunt as way as she experienced it, but as the dazzling brilliance of the Moonstone washed over the cavern a sense of awe painted her features. Underneath the silvery light, her russet coat was washed and painted with otherworldly vibrancy. Her eyes were twin pools of golden light. Stilled steps were now driven by a sense of wonder rather than hesitation.

She padded forward and stiffly settled down. Kitepaw stared at the stone for a moment, as if trying to deduce the very origin of such a magnificent beast. There were no answers. Even if Starclan wasn't real, her bones were heavy-laden and soggy. Now was the time for rest. Her tiny pink nose touched the stone, chilling her frame in a way she didn't think was achievable. Regardless, with chin rested on the worn stone, the apprentice welcomed sleep... and whatever else came with it.

Golden sunlight filtered through leafy branches, a gentle breeze scattering the shadows across the forest floor not unlike a tabby cat’s pelt. A dark mass resting across one of the wider boughs, shapeless except for a single outstretched paw across the oak bark and towards the ground. On the wind came a chill, but the warmth of the sun easily overpowered it to those avoiding the shadows. In this setting a new scent, not quite distinct from that of leaves and underbrush, something familiar, floated upwards to the nose of the StarClan cat. The black form rose and made its way down amongst the leaf litter. Her strange, loping gait might have been off-putting to the younger cat, but this wasn’t unusual. Not often did a cat see someone with only three legs.

“Welcome, Kitepaw.” It was lovely to see a grandchild of hers once again. “I am Darkflight, former leader of ThunderClan.” She found herself almost jumping right into ceremonial words, despite the fact that she’d been dead for many seasons, and hadn’t been leader for far more. Old habits die hard.

“I know that you have your skepticisms about StarClan; you may look around if you like. We all end up here in the end, so don’t be surprised if you run into someone not from ThunderClan. Borders, territorial claims, they lose their meaning when death cannot reach you anymore.” She gave the young she-cat a comforting smile. Being untouchable by death was technically a lie, but Kitepaw didn’t need to worry about having another existential crisis about her spirit fading away while she was... still alive. Darkflight’s pelt was still as richly colored as ever, with the stars nestled in her pelt gently glowing and fading in time with her breaths. She was lucky to still have cats old enough to remember her down in the forest; though they were certainly living far longer than she thought they would. What was Dustcloud’s secret?

The first thing she noticed of the Starclan cat was the unusual motion of her limbs. An awkward gait shifted the black mass that comprised Darkflight. Kitepaw's eyes widened ever so slightly. If this truly was more than a figment of her imagination, than this meant the she-cat before her had been a warrior; a warrior with only three legs. Her head shook slightly and her ears twitched. Was her mind projecting the thoughts of what she wanted to see? Strength in cats with differed abilities? Admittedly, this was a rather unusual deviation from her restful delusions.

Darkflight's words caused her gaze to flicker up and lose the prior moment's gloss. Not just a warrior, a leader. The idea was thrilling, undeniably so, even if she was far from quick to pick up a belief in dead ancestors after a mere moment of dreamed interaction. She spoke of the borders disappearing after death, something that drew a soft snort from the apprentice. And yet, it stirred curiosity. Unintentionally, her thoughts flew to the River, to the border where she had tussled with Jaypaw. Now wasn't the time for such things. There were only so many moments to be had with this phantom.

Her paw prodded the ground and she glanced around before casting a weary glance to Darkflight, "Ignoring the fact I'm still not sure if you're a part of my imagination or not... why have you brought me here, Darkflight? What could Starclan possibly have to share with me?"