Dandelionpaw's Moonstone Journey

"Time to get up, Dandelionpaw." Beechface called softly into the apprentice den. She'd recovered from her injuries and had recently returned to normal apprentice duties, and Ravenclaw thought she was ready to take the next step to becoming a warrior. Beechface hadn't found a reason to disagree beyond her reluctance to make another needless journey to the moonstone, so she'd pulled together two bundles of traveling herbs and now stood in front of the den, waiting for the apprentice to make her way out into the camp.

"These will keep you from getting hungry or tired... They're bitter, not much to be done about the taste." She mewed half-apologetically pushing one bundle of traveling herbs towards Dandelionpaw, before eating her own portion. The sour taste had long since stopped bothering Beechface, but she would rather have used the herbs on something that wasn't a waste of time. Not that she had much of a choice in the matter.

The large tabby turned, leading Dandelionpaw out of camp. Leaves crunched underfoot, though they weren't hunting to have to watch their every pawstep. At least the days were becoming cooler.

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Beechface sat at the entrance to mothermouth, gaze lifted to the evening sky as she judged how much longer they needed to sit around waiting. The sky was smudged orange and purple, the sun's rays half-hidden by cloud cover. Despite the traveling herbs, Beechface found herself weary, and she quietly stretched, forcing herself back to her paws.

"The tunnels are dark, grab my tail if you need to and make use of your whiskers." She began her usual warning, it was repetitive, monotone... She was sick of saying it and she was sure most apprentices would be glad to not hear the warning repeated ad-nauseum. "When we get to the moonstone, touch your nose to it and lay down. Starclan will visit you in your dreams." She doubted they'd have anything useful to say to any apprentice, they'd certainly never been useful when it came to giving her advice or warning.

Beechface turned, leading Dandelionpaw into the tunnel. The path was a familiar one and she despised that she could have walked the path in her sleep if she wanted to. A few hours of watching Dandelionpaw sleep, and then they could get out of here.

Eventually the tunnel began to lighten up ahead, and Beechface stepped aside once they entered the chamber that held the moonstone in all its' unfounded glory. The moon shone through a crack in the roof of the cave far overhead, the large cavern bathed in soft light. Beechface gently nudged the apprentice forward, then sat near the tunnel's exit to wait.

Dandelionpaw was glad that she had returned to her apprentice duties and her wounds from her recent fight had mostly healed. She heard a soft call from the entrance of the den and swiftly stood up. She saw Beechface pushing some herbs towards her. Dandelionpaw quickly ate the herbs and gagged at the bitter taste. She followed Beechface out of camp and felt the crunching of leaves under her paws.

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They had made it to Mothermouth, even though it had taken them almost all day. Dandelionpaw looked up at the sky, watching the pretty sunset. She bounded after Beechface and followed her into the dark tunnel. Her head swept from side to side, using her whiskers to navigate the tunnel. After what felt like forever, the tunnel began to light up and she squinted her eyes against the bright light. A shaft of moonlight shone on a stone, illuminating the cavern. Following Beechface's instructions, she sat down next to the Moonstone. Dandelionpaw touched her nose to the Moonstone and fell into a deep sleep.

When the soft chittering of the starlit birds came to a silent halt, Swiftflight knew that meant the young SkyClan apprentice had finally made her appearance after a long and arduous trip with Beechface, all the way to the Mothermouth. With a firm, almost goofy smile plastered onto his face, he approached the she-cat and not-so-gently prodded her side, not fully realizing that she still felt pain in a way he hadn't for moons. He bit the corner of his lip and let out a sigh. It'd be alright- she was only dreaming. Yes... Just dreaming, and she wouldn't feel a bit of pain. Besides, he hadn't poked her that hard anyway, had he? Lost pondering his thoughts, he likely wouldn't have noticed even if the she-cat did awaken, and for a moment got so lost in his thoughts that his maw hung open awkwardly. With a jerk, he remembered where he was and looked down at Dandelionpaw, squaring his shoulders as he prepared to bestow upon her some life-changing wisdom that would change her life forever... Hopefully.

Dandelionpaw felt a sharp poke in her side and opened one of her eyes. Peering around, she saw a starry forest clearing. It closely resembled SkyClan territory, and she turned to the cat standing in front of her. He appeared to be lost in his thoughts, but soon snapped back to attention. She wasn't quite sure what to do once she awoke in StarClan. The only thing that came to her mind was to introduce herself to the starry cat. "Hello! I'm Dandelionpaw! What's your name?" She looked around the clearing once again and watched a bird flying through the trees. "Is prey in StarClan the same as prey in the forest?" She mewed to the tom. It wasn't really the best question, but it was the best she could think of.

Swiftlight nodded, slightly nervously, when the she-cat woke up. He hoped he was doing this right. "Um... I know. StarClan knows all and all that. Anyway, I'm Swiftflight." He grinned, hoping that he didn't come off too stand-offish or goofy. "I used to be a SkyClan warrior." He added, nodding eagerly. Clearly, that was an achievement to behold, because SkyClan was the best Clan there was. No questions asked. He tilted his head slightly at her question, a toothy grin peeking out after he realized she'd noticed the plump sparrows and swifts (his namesake) flying around the territory. "Mmm, they're even better." Settling in on his haunches and wrapping his fluffy tail gently over his paws, he locked eyes with the she-cat, attempting to bring the conversation back around a bit. "So... Are there any burning questions you wish to ask me?? Any sort of advice you need?"

"Nice to meet you, Swiftflight!" She enthusiastically meowed to the StarClan tom. She listened to his question and thought about it for a while. There wasn't anything that was super important that she wanted to ask. "Uhh, not really..." She mumbled out loud. She sat for a long time thinking about anything she wanted to ask. "Do you know any good places to hang out with friends, I guess?" She meowed at last.