Dreamypaw's Moonstone Journey

Skyclan had plenty of warriors now, but there were still apprentices that needed to visit the moonstone. Muddythorn exited the medicine den into the cold dawn, the icy wind swirling and reaching under his pelt, not even his unusually thick and insulated fur able to keep it out. Hunting had become more and more difficult, which worried the medicine cat about future illness. Hungry cats were weaker cats, and much more susceptible to sickness. For now, he just had to hope that he had enough traveling herbs that withheld hunger for these journeys.

Muddythorn padded quietly into the apprentice den, and gently nudged Dreamypaw awake. "It's time to go, your herbs are outside." He mewed. Even the herb bundles had been cut down in size when he gave himself less stems than usual. Maybe he was being paranoid, but running out of herbs because he was using them himself wouldn't help anyone.

The pair got moving quickly, slipping slightly on the muddy patches where the ground hadn't completely frozen yet. Light snow dusted the forest, promising to grow deeper soon. He had to admit, the walk did feel longer with less herbs in the cold weather, but Muddythorn made it just fine.

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Luckily, there wasn't much ice on the trail up to mothermouth. Standing outside of the tunnel, Muddythorn explained to Dreamypaw, "The tunnel before we reach the moonstone is very dark. I'll lead the way, so stay close to my tail, and when we reach the cavern, lie down beside the moonstone and close your eyes. Sleep should come quickly, and Starclan with it."

As soon as the apprentice touched her nose to the Moonstone, the darkness gave way to stars. A night sky simply covered in them, dazzling and shining fit to stun any mortal fortunate enough to glimpse the show. If the apprentice looked around, she would find her surroundings towering trees, taller than even the ones in SkyClan, full with leaves and fruit. The harsh season the Clans were experiencing did not affect the stars.

A solitary black pelt seemingly formed out of the shadows. An apprentice, hmm. At least this one had not suffered the fate Dreampaw had.

“Greetings, Dreamypaw. What wisdom do you seek?”

Smokepelt flicked her tail slowly. “That will not serve you well in the forest. You will have plenty of time to discover the wondrous mysteries someday, I assure you. Does nothing press upon you, not even the ordinary, day-to-day business of life? If so, you are fortunate indeed, and the stars hold little for you.”

The starry-pelted she-cat sat down in the grass beside the apprentice, watching her closely.