Swanpaw's Moonstone Journey

Dennis sighed deeply as he cambered to his feet, swaying for a bit as usual before he got his balance. Another night, another Moonstone journey. This one would most likely prove to be a quiet one: Swanpaw didn't speak, which was quite alright with him. He was horrible at conversation anyway, so a quiet trip would perhaps be best for everyone involved.

He grabbed two herb bundles with his mouth and trotted out of the den. Well, 'trotted' was being generous; he was too old and didn't have enough legs for a real trot. Whatever the case, though, he made his way to the apprentices' den and tapped the white she-cat on the shoulder. "You ready to go? Here, eat these." He pushed the herbs towards her and ate his own bundle before going to wait outside of the den.

Swanpaw wasn't really asleep. Her mother had told her to be prepared for this night. The night where she'd go to the moonstone and talk to Starclan. Despite the boring-ness of the story her mother told her, she was a little excited for her own.

Well, it was mostly her upcoming warrior ceremony she was excited about, her moonstone journey was the last bridge she had to cross before she finally received her name.

There was one thing she was scared about, however, I might even seemed like the simplest thing to other cats but for her, it was like a boulder came crashing down in front of that bridge, breaking it.

How could she talk to a Starclan cat if she didn't speak?

She had been practising for this, but, when she felt the taps on her shoulder, her fear started to build up again.

She can't go back now, she can't run away. Swanpaw had to do this.

Swanpaw wasn't aware of the worried look on her face at that moment, but as she snapped back into reality, she grabbed the bundle and walked outside, her legs feeling weak.

She ate the bundle of herbs without a word, her expression didn't change from that worried, wide-eyed look she had carried from inside of the Apprentice den. She waited for instructions from Dennis as she looked at the ground, her feathery tail curled around her paws tightly.

Dennis smiled gently at the quiet she-cat, noting her nervousness. "Don't worry Swanpaw. I've never seen an apprentice who was disappointed with their Moonstone, or at least they've all hidden it very well." He got to his feet and slowly set off out of camp, making sure his travelling companion was following.

It took them a tad shorter than usual to get to Highstones. Dennis chalked it up to the dogs, who despite not being on the way to the Moonstone had Dennis moving faster out of nerves. His lungs worked double-time to keep his legs moving as they ascended. "You ready? If you need to take a break you can, we have all night." He smiled kindly at Swanpaw again. "When you're ready, follow me into the tunnel. Its dark as pitch in there, but if you follow me you'll be alright."

Despite Dennis missing one of his legs, Swanpaw found it quite difficult to catch up. Why was that old cat moving so fast anyway, she would've asked, if she spoke.

Swanpaw let out a long exhale after the two finally got to mother mouth, it was oddly shorter than she thought it would've been, was it the speediness of Dennis' walking speed or was her mother overexaggerating her 'long conversations and slow moving pawsteps' of her journey? Of course, it wouldn't be totally out of the ordinary for her mother to be hyping up things, it was basically apart of her mother's personality now.

She looked at the entrance, then to Dennis. Her tail flicked behind her, nothing could possibly assure her now that she would be fine. Maybe she'd be the first apprentice to be disappointed by their moonstone. After a long pause, Swanpaw finally nodded and looked back into the cave. Maybe her body was ready to move on, but her mind wasn't.

Dennis nodded, and though he had a small feeling that Swanpaw was still nervous he set off towards the cave. He travelled slowly through the winding tunnel, making sure he was right next to Swanpaw as he guided her through the dark.

It wasn't long before a pale blue glow illuminated the stone walls of the cave. "Here we are! That's the moonstone. It's nice and easy- just get comfortable and press your nose up to it." He got closer to the crystal and sat down. "StarClan will do the rest. I'll be waiting for you here."

Swanpaw followed the medicine cat through the winding tunnel. She wasn't used to being blind, she kept losing tack of where Dennis was and had to press herself against the tunnel walls to figure it out.

Her eyes had just gotten used to the darkness when suddenly a bright light popped out of nowhere, causing her to wince. Once her eyes adjusted to the light she looked around in awe.

This place was so much prettier than she imagined, she looked at Dennis as he spoke but she wasn't fully listening. She heard the important parts but was distracted by the pure beauty of the moonstone.

Swanpas gazed at its beautiful, glowing surface and took in a breath. No turning back now. Not when she was just about to take her first step across that moonstone bridge.

She layed down, tucking her paws underneath her body, and after hesitation, she closed her eyes and pressed her nose against it. It was cool, yet calming, she felt her muscles relax, her eyes get heavier until she finally drifted off.

When energy came back to Swanpaw, she was afraid it didn't work, she refused to open her eyes until a cool breeze ruffled through her silky white fur. She almost let out a gasp of surprise and she opened her eyes to see grassy planes surrounded by trees and the nice sound of running water.

She stood up, the place seemed so... magical that she had forgotten all about her non-speaking anxieties. That moment wouldn't last forever though, because a cat was watching her, waiting for her to come.

(OOC: will put in dialogue color later, posting on mobile)

A pretty marbled tabby watched Swanpaw as she sat by the stream, smiling softly. She beckoned the apprentice over with a feathery tail, giving a light purr in greeting. "Hello, dear," the warrior mewed, dipping her head. "Swanpaw, right? I'm Myrtlebrook, of RiverClan. Welcome to StarClan." Green eyes looked the white apprentice over, an intelligent gleam in them. It had been some time since she had been called to speak in a Moonstone; she had spent her days in StarClan swimming in the streams and sharing tongues with her mate Berrycloud. But, it seemed her lazy days in paradise were interrupted, as someone needed her presence. Myrtlebrook didn't mind in the slightest, she was always happy to help.

"What can I help you with, dear? What's on your mind?"

Swanpaw was staring at her reflection in the water before she caught a glimpse of another cat sitting nearby, the dead warrior beckoned her over so Swanpaw padded over. She was a little hesitant but the cat seemed understanding and nice. She waved her tail in hello and nodded as the she-cat asked about her name. Myrtlebrook was a pretty name. The tabby said she was also a Riverclan cat. It was going well, no questions that required her voice, until the Starclan she-cat asked a question.

Swanpaw stared at her with her big yellow eyes, well there was one thing on her mind, but she didn't really know how to act it out. Kind of ironic, really, because her question was just that. How could she get cats to understand how she communicated? She opened her mouth and closed it, shaking her head. It probably made her look crazy, the thought making the fur on the back of her neck stand up, she was trying to tell Myrtlebrook that she didn't talk, and really hoped the she-cat understood.

She should've been good at acting out by now, her life was basically a game of charades, but, nobody really cared to interact with her, ignoring her, even, just because she chose to live her life in silence. So Swanpaw got no practice with acting out her feelings and as a result, was probably really bad at it.

Myrtlebrook's brows furrowed and she tilted her head to one side, frowning thoughtfully. Could Swanpaw not speak, or was she simply shy? Padding closer, the warrior had the idea to sit next to the apprentice rather than in front of her, to try and take the pressure off. She didn't remember having to interact with a mute cat in her lifetime, but that didn't mean she couldn't learn how, even in death.

"Take your time, Swanpaw. I won't watch you, if that helps at all. I understand being anxious about talking to others, I was never a talkative cat in life myself." Myrtlebrook tucked her tail around the smaller molly in a comforting manner. "...Is that what's on your mind? You have trouble communicating?"

Swanpaw felt comforted by the starry cat, looking up at her. Swanpaw thought that it'd be much harder to communicate to Starclan cats but the she-cat seemed to understand. After the she-cat had finished talking, she nodded. That was exactly what was on her mind, most cats didn't seem to understand her, so she needed advice on how to use more 'words' without talking, while also being understood.

Now that she thought about it, cats that aren't that talkative probably used their actions more than words, so maybe quiet cats were her key to communicating. Looking back up at Myrtlebrook, Swanpaw had a look in her eye that said 'I really need some help.'

Myrtlebrook hummed thoughtfully, gazing up at the bright blue StarClan sky overhead. "Let's see...If you don't like talking or can't talk, you could try gesturing with your paws, head, and tail. You know, nodding your head for yes, shaking your head for no, things like that. It would be interesting to see a cat that made their own language with their tail, hmm? What do you think?" The pretty tabby she-cat turned a green gaze back towards Swanpaw, smiling gently.

Swanpaw thought for awhile, nodded, then after a pause, tilted her head. How was she going to make cats know her language? Cats of other clans too would be hard. She stared at Myrtlebrook with a confused gaze. Hoping that was all it took to let the tabby know what she needed. Swanpaw had already been gesturing with her tail, head and paws, it was just that other cats never seemed to know what she was signalling.

OOC: Short, but I'm on mobile

Alright, it seemed that one didn't quite click. Myrtlebrook noted her confused expression. "I can't say I've worked with mute cats before...But perhaps, make your movements bigger? More expressive, I think. Subtlety won't work when you can't communicate using words."

Swanpaw thought again, thinking about using bigger signs, maybe she could use smaller signs too, just not as many as she was using before. The she-cat looked up at the medicine cat, nodding her head and curling her tail, her ear flicked, trying to show that she was thankful for the dead warrior's help.
(OOC: Again, short but still stuck in mobile-)

Myrtlebrook smiled, getting the message that Swanpaw was thankful. "You're welcome, dear," she purred, her form beginning to dissolve into stars. "Oh, it looks like our time is up. Wake up, Swanpaw....Be safe, don't come see me too soon." She giggled a little, and Swanpaw saw no more of StarClan or Myrtlebrook as the dream faded.