Silverpaw's Moonstone Journey

In a better mood than usual, Smallbean crawled from his nest, stretching out his back legs before getting to work. It was time for another Apprentice to visit the moonstone, this time it was Silverpaw. The medicine cat didn't know the younger tom well, but maybe the trip to Highstones would be a chance for him to get to know the apprentice better. After whipping up some travelling herbs, he carried the bundles outside before skipping over to the Apprentice den to wake Silverpaw. He approached the younger's nest and gave him a slight nudge. "Silverpaw, time to wake up! Meet me outside the medicine den when you're ready!" And with that he left, returning to the medicine den entrance to eat his travelling herbs. He smiled when he saw Silverpaw approach, gesturing towards one of the herb bundles. "Those are for you. They're travelling herbs. They're a bit bitter!" He said, swallowing his own with ease. Once Silverpaw had eaten his herbs, the medicine cat lead him toward the camp entrance before ducking through.

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Having finally arrived at Mothermouth, Smallbean wasted no time before going over directions. "Make sure you stay close to me when we enter the cave, okay? It's easy to get lost. Once we arrive at the moonstone, touch your nose to it and close your eyes." He explained to the younger tom. He waited a moment before he started walking toward the cave, making sure he caught the last rays of daylight before entering the pitch black that was Mothermouth. He lead Silverpaw through the tunnels, letting go of a breath he didn't know he was holding when the cave opened up into the cavern that held the moonstone. Looking at the stone now, he felt a pang of guilt. It grew worse every time he saw it, still, he kept his composure, stepping out of the way so that Silverpaw could get through. He sat down and watched the younger tom before closing his eyes. Maybe he just needed some time to think.

Silverpaw awoke from a particularly good rest by a gentle nudge and the familiar voice of the Medicine cat. He hadn't really interacted much with the small tom but he was always ready to get to know others better, something he was rather known for in the clan. With a hefty yawn and a few seconds to stretch away the lingering morning grogginess, the active young tom was up and ready for the trip.

The gray-furred tom followed Smallbean's instructions and arrived at the Meddie's den as soon as he could, eager to get started on the journey. However, once he noticed the bundles by the other's paws, he knew that they had one more thing to do before heading out... and Silver was most likely not going to be a fan of it.

Eyeing his bundle warily, the apprentice only hesitated for a moment before chowing down on the traveling herbs. Smallbean wasn't lying in the slightest. They were bitter. Silverpaw's face scrunched up in displeasure before softening once most of the taste had gone away. Thank StarClan that it was a one-time only thing... hopefully.

Once that was over, he couldn't help but grin at the Medicine cat. It was finally time to go! "I'm ready, Smallbean! Let's get goin'! Can't wait any longer!" he said with a giggle, green eyes sparkling with his staple enthusiasm. As Smallbean led them out of the camp, the young tom made himself promise to stay close by and not wander off if he saw something interesting along the way. He was known to get a bit distracted and it was probably not a good idea to be so in unfamiliar territory.
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The trip to Mothermouth had been exhilarating for the apprentice. He drank in all the sights and sounds, all the smells and feelings that he had never experienced before. He nearly went astray a couple of times but restrained himself enough to manage just appreciating the views from afar. Despite that, and the herbs he had to eat before, he was certainly feeling the effects of a day's long journey. His paws were sore and he was feeling his energy beginning to sizzle out. It wasn't at the point that he was fully tired, just a bit less energetic than normal.

Silverpaw nodded as the older tom listed off directions before leading him into the dark entrance. It was much darker than he expected so he stuck very close to Smallbean. He really didn't want to get left behind or trip. As soon as the had reached the cavern's entrance, Silverpaw had to stop for a bit and bask in the mystical glory that was the Moonstone. It was beautiful. A sight to behold. He shook himself from his daze before slowly making his way over to the glowing stone. Before he fully settled down, he looked back at made a mental note as to where the Meddie was before focusing back on the Moonstone. He laid down as comfortably as he could and gently pressed his nose to the stone. It was cold and had a scent he couldn't really identify. He breathed in, then breathed out. Slowly, his eyes fluttered close and before long, the world around him faded away.

With a gentle smile painted onto the elegant, star-speckled tom's face, Silentstrike stepped forward slowly as Silverpaw woke up among the land of the ancestors. He waited for a moment, letting the young tom's body and mind re-orient to the wondrous landscape of his surroundings. After enough time started to pass and Silverpaw began to stir, Silentstrike called out to him, "Time to wake up, Silverpaw." Curling his tail around his paws lightly, Silentstrike patiently waited for him to come to.

Slowly but surely, the gray-furred apprentice blinked away the grogginess from his eyes as he became more and more aware of his new surroundings. "Woahhh..." he whispered to himself, green eyes wide with awe and wonder. This was StarClan? It... It was beautiful. So mysterious and different! He had certainly expected the place in the sky to be mystical but this was something else...

His head turned every way as he took in the sights and the sounds. He wanted to explore so badly but he knew that he was there for another reason... and that reason was right in front of him. He shyly gave the starry warrior a smile before politely dipping his head. "H-Hello." he greeted with a soft stutter. He was a bit overwhelmed with the whole situation but he was going to try his best to not make a fool of himself. 

"StarClan is beautiful. I'm honored to be here. Were... Were you a WindClan warrior from before?" He slowed down a bit and took a deep breath. Once he was calmed enough, he continued, "Sorry for talking so quick. I'm just so... excited to be talking with a StarClan cat!" His face showed his eagerness plainly. He wasn't sure what he should say next. He should probably ask the questions that have been on his mind for a while now. That was probably a great place to start.

Watching as the apprentice slowly came to, Silentstrike stood back and let him take in the beautiful, awe-inspiring scenery around him. Their time together was far from infinite, but there was certainly enough for him to admire the landscape and take it all in. Once he turned and greeted the starry warrior, Silentstrike dipped his head slowly as well, giving a firm nod when the tom questioned his occupation in life. "Yes, I was indeed a WindClan warrior. In my elder moons, I retired with my mate, Quailfeather." Silentstrike opted to leave out the part where his family was attacked by dogs, or when the floods hit and drowned them both. It wasn't appropriate material for what was meant to be the guiding paw to a young and upcoming warrior, though it did cause a twinge of pain in the tom's stomach.

"That's perfectly alright, and you certainly aren't the only one." The white tabby assured, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his maw. "We might as well accomplish our purposes," Hew mewed, ears twitching ever so slightly. "Are there any burning questions that you desire to ask?"

The young tom nodded at the other's response, a solemn feeling filling up his chest then dissipating a few moments later. He decided not to further pry into the warrior's past life as he felt like that was most likely a sensitive topic. Besides, it wasn't what he was there for anyway. He wasn't sure how much time he had with the tom but it probably wasn't enough to just babble away.

Silverpaw returned the older tom's slight grin with one of his own. "Well..." he began, paws shuffling as he thought hard about what he'd say. "I've been wondering about this for a while now... Do you think WindClan's doing the right thing by letting in so many outsiders? I personally don't have a problem with it. Many loyal warriors have either not been fully WindClan born or have been non-clan born. However, will this hurt the clan in any way in the long run? It's been happening a bit more than normal and I only want what's best for the clan... I-I understand if this is something you can't really answer but I just wanted another opinion on this..." His demeanor was rather subdued by the end. This topic had been a bit of a bother in his head for some time now and he was hoping to get even the barest of responses, just to try and soothe his mind.