Loonpaw's Moonstone Journey

Thornpaw padded towards the apprentice den carrying a tasteless bundle of herbs in her maw. This time, the preparations had gone better than the first time she'd done it. She place the herbs down in front of the anxious apprentice who she had rarely spoken to in the past. "Excuse me, its time for your journey." She bent her head down, nudged him to wake from his presumably restless slumber. Upon awaking, the herbs were consumed albeit they were horrid to swallow in its entirety. Once that was done with, Thornpaw guided Loonpaw towards the Moonstone where their journey would take them.

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The large, brown tabby made it through the last stretch of land before reaching the sacred Moonstone. "It's best to clarify this before heading in - it may take some time but with those herbs I gave you earlier, this should enable you to start your journey to Starclan. When speaking to your ancestors it may be tiring in various ways. Which is why I'll be here with you until everything is over and escort you back to camp." She flickered an ear to the Moonstone's direction. "Rest near the stone, and let the sleep take over." Without saying any other cryptic advice, the medicine cat apprentice took her spot close to the Moonstone and went to sleep.

Loonpaw blinked, long and slow, as Thornpaw stirred him from his rest. He flexed his claws and extended a crooked, toothy smile to her, tail pluming out behind him. "Hoo-oo," he hummed in greeting. "Thank you very much, Thornpaw."

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The journey was not nearly as exciting or tiresome as he had expected it to be. Thornpaw was very quiet. Silent as a hummingbird, she was, and Loonpaw wondered if it had to do with Spiderquill's disappearance. Thinking about it made him quiet, too. The odd apprentice was fond of the tom with a face like a barn owl's. He hoped that the medicine cat would return, and that he had just been off exploring. Twolegs had faces that were bare and pinkish; perhaps they mistook him for their young and brought him home.

In any case, he followed Thornpaw into the cavern and felt his heart bubble up. It was an place of echoes and darkness. Loonpaw mewed into the wall and heard his own voice behind him. It made him giggle softly. And, as he had expected, the stone was beautiful, and just like a moon of its own. He really felt that he was in the sky, with all the ancestors within the walls around him. He hoped that they had seven eyes, starry pelts, and great big wings. If he were in StarClan, he would want wings. Following Thornpaw's instructions, he knelt by the stone and pressed his entire cheek to it, as if cuddling with a beloved clanmate. There was a sleepy smile on his face as he fell into slumber.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw a great, shimmery field, like there had been when he passed through WindClan. Loonpaw heard scuttling under the ground and around the sparse trees, which he knew were telltale signs of land-prey. But nothing intrigued him more than the cat in front of him. He had gotten the starry pelt right, but she had no wings. She was very pretty, he thought. He liked how the orange in her pelt furled out like flames across her face, paws, tail, and across her back, though faint.

"You only have two eyes," he announced to her, coming closer fearlessly. "I'm Loonpaw. Like the bird, the bird that says hoo-oo." For a moment, his eyes, which were so normally curious, unabashed, and loving, became dark with worry. "The most pleasant dreams, I always forget. And this is a very good dream. Will I forget you when I wake up?"

On delicate, herb-stained paws, Fallowlight pushed her way through the starry field where she, for the first time in what felt like moons, would be meeting with an apprentice from her own Clan. Truly, the cream-coated she-cat didn't mind apprentices from the other four Clans, but getting to speak with those from RiverClan felt like a taste of home, however bittersweet it was. Today, she had the privilege of speaking to one of the most unique young toms she thought she'd ever laid eyes on. To be quite honest, she was rather eager, and when his black and white pelt came into view, her tail tip began twitching in excitement. In an effort to compose herself, she slowed her pace as she approached the tom, coming to a stop as he rose to his paws and greeted her.

"I'm quite happy with them, as well. Ain't you, darling?" She greeted in return, blinking her eyes humorously. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Loonpaw. My name's Fallowlight, a medicine cat back when Jaystar was still a leader, you see." Fallowlight's expression faltered for just a moment, her maw opening just the slightest as the tom's gaze darkened. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but Loonpaw quickly filled her in. "Ah, that's just the worst, ain't it? But no, darling, you'll remember this for the rest of your life, I reckon. Now, what is it you're wantin' to talk to me about? Or do you just want any ol' scrap of advice?" She purred sweetly, curling her tail over her paws as she waited for Loonpaw to respond.