Tinypaw's Moonstone Journey

Cloverheart yawned, stretching the cold from her limbs with a slight grimace. It felt like she was making more trips to the Moonstone than usual lately... where had all these apprentices come from? She swore she must have missed half those ceremonies. Or maybe she did watch them, but in a heartbeat they were on her heels at once anyway. There was nothing she could do except get it done though, so shaking off the bitter taste of herbs, she pushed out of the den, set to find the cat she was taking with her tonight. Tinypaw was easy to find in the apprentice's den, and she gave the cat a gentle nudge, setting the bundle of herbs she'd made for her off to the side. "Good morning, Tinypaw. When you're ready, eat those. I'm taking you to the Moonstone tonight." Then, like usual, she politely backed out to wait.


The trip to Highstones was getting harder the longer leaf-bare stretched, but the important thing was that they made it. Quietly muttering to herself and trying to keep from huffing, but she hadn't collapsed on poor Tinypaw halfway there like she thought she might. Giving the apprentice a look to make sure she had stuck by, Cloverheart dipped into Mothermouth, steering them through the tunnels until light spilled out towards them. "There it is. Moonstone is pretty, isn't it?" The medicine cat hummed, wasting no time in settling beside it. "Come on, you can lay down next to me. Just touch your nose to the stone, and when you fall asleep you'll wake up in StarClan! Go ahead, it's not too bad. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Today was the day. Her mentor has informed her of the journey and since then she has been unable to sleep in expectation. What would Starclan say to her? Would she even be able to make it through the long journey? Sure, she has been training a lot to overcome her small physique but she still got more tired than her peers after hours of walking.

Cloverheart snapped her out from her thoughts. In a jump, she stood up, lifting her head up to meet the medicine cat's gaze. At her command, the dark apprentice nodded and without hesitation swallowed the herbs. Just like Perchfall warned her, they were bitter and they almost make her throw up, but she contained herself. She looked at the exit of the den, her mind still worrying about her limitations. The apprentice closed her eyes and calmed her breathing: Stop with this nonsense Tinypaw... you're Perchfall's apprentice, the deputy's apprentice. If she believes you're ready, then you are. You have proven yourself... you have fought a raccoon, saved a cat and provided food for your clan. I... deserve... to be warrior. Though the last thoughts were more hesitant than the rest of her inner monologue, the moly stepped out of the den, joining Cloverheart.

------

The journey was a tough one. Sure, they didn't meet any enemy cat or a predator but the long walk have left Tinypaw exhausted. The snow didn't help either and the dark-furred could feel her paws trembling. But she didn't complain because Tinypaw didn't want to bother the medicine cat. It had to be exhausting to do this journey with so many apprentices and also for medicine cat meetings. However, all the exhaustion seemed to fade temporarily when they finally reached the Moonstone. Tinypaw eyes shone amazed at the beauty of a stone she had never seen before, seemingly taken out from the stars themselves. "It's... wonderful" She mewed, her gaze still fixated on the shiny rock. Like in a trance, the dark apprentice followed Cloverheart and settled down next to the Moonstone. The apprentice hesitated for a second... she wasn't a strong believer of Starclan and she had doubts... would she truly see those starlit plains the elders talked about? Was there a place for all of them when they die? There was only one way to find out. "Let's do this..." She muttered as she closed her eyes and pressed her nose with the stone.

----

For a few seconds, Tinypaw could not feel the ground under her paws and was unable to open her eyes. It was like floating in the river, but no water was around her and she was still able to breathe. Anxiety grew on her and she tried to scream but her body didn't respond. Before she could start panicking, the floating sensation stopped. It was like being gently put in her moss bed by her mother when she was a kit. Carefully, she opened her eyes and her gaze met an endless forest with streams and prey running freely. Tinypaw stood up, amazed. It was like her home in Riverclan but made from a "starry" material. After all... it seemed like the elders weren't fantasies after all.

A wide smile grew on the apprentice face. She could hear a river nearby and excitement filled her mind. Maybe I can finally swim fo real without freezing myself! With that gleeful thought, the dark-furred molly ran to the noise, almost forgetting she was supposed to meet a Starclan cat. When she finally arrived, a black and white cat with shimmering, star-like fur was waiting. The stranger met her with a smile and with her tail invited her to approach her at the beach. Shyly, Tinypaw approached her but when she got near enough she realized this she-cat was even smaller than her. Was she a kit or something?

"You must be Tinypaw. I have been waiting for you. Please, lay down and watch the river with me." The amber-eyed molly spoke with a kind, motherly voice. Somehow, she made her feel safe. Tinypaw did as she told her and then turned her green gaze towards her.

"Who are you?" She mewed, after a few seconds of hesitation.

The tuxedo she-cat responded, looking at the landscape: "I'm Tinytip, a former warrior of Riverclan. I lived in your clan for many moons under Ivystar and Jaystar's leadership. Not your Jaystar, of course."

The apprentice was shocked. "You were a warrior?! How... did you manage to do it? I mean... I'm already struggling with my size and everything is more difficult to me because of being small. You must be like... a super cat or something."

The Starclan warrior chuckled at the young cat's comments and looked at her with a smile. "Not really. Being small wasn't a big issue to me because no one ever made me feel small. Nor my mentor or my denmates. Sure, the name Tiny doesn't help, but I was a good warrior. I provided to my clan and even defeated one of the biggest warriors of Thunderclan there have ever been while we were at war defending the Sunningrocks: Specklefang. I even got the chance to fight side-by-side with Jaystar, known at Jaystream at the time, against the Thunderclan leader: Blizzardstar." The warrior could see how amazed and interested the young she-cat was with her stories, so she continued. "don't get the wrong idea though. I wasn't a fighter. During my last moons alive I served my clan as a queen, caring for the kits of younger queens while they were eating or doing their warrior duties. I died during a flood, saving the kits with another perma-queen by my side."

The Starclan warrior stood up and touched the apprentice shoulder with her small paws. "Tinpaw... I have seen your struggles during your apprenticehood and how sometimes your size... can make you feel useless. But I can assure you that if you want to be a warrior, then you will be it. Size is trivial. You're strong as you are because of your heart. You have a warrior's heart. You're strong, curious, attentive and smart. You will be an excellent addition to your clan and family. Don't ever forget your value."

Tinytip approached the younger cat and touched her head with her muzzle, licking it motherly. Tinypaw smiled and closed her eyes. Somehow, she knew this was her goodbye. Before she could be swept away from Starclan back to the world, she mewed: "Thank you... I won't forget you..."