Thistlepaw's Moonstone Journey

It would turn darker soon, and Fawnshine quickly got ready for the needed herbs for their journey. It was a new experience for her. Usually, Dovefrost would take care of things like this, but she found that he was more caught up in other necessities lately, and soon pushed herself to take care of so. After all, she was a medicine cat, too. And today was her first attempt at doing so.

Holding the prepared herb bundle in her mouth, the molly walked to the apprentices' den in search for Thistlepaw. She was Stoatstar's apprentice, yet she rarely had ever talked to her before. Maybe now would be a better occasion. She'd peer in through the branches and leaves, calling out for her. "Thistlepaw? We're going now, I've got the herbs ready. Make sure to eat them beforehand, it'll take a decent while before we're there." She mewed.

Once she had the she-cat's confirmation, Fawnshine would lead them there. And she stood, waiting patiently. (Or so it seemed.)

Thistlepaw had been claws deep into her nest, meticulously carving out the parts that had begun to feel crusty and flat from usage, and replacing them with fresh moss she had only recently collected today. Since taking her training a little more to heart and branching out to other warriors for help, the molly had found herself enjoying it significantly more and was finding it less strenuous day-by-day. Luckily enough, it worked out where she would have enough time to actually... look after herself.

A voice caught her attention, calling her out for their trip. Surprise worked its way through her, and she exited out after the medicine cat, eating the herbs as instructed. She was caught a little off-guard, honestly forgetting that it was today they were adventuring out to the sacred Moonstone.

Thistlepaw briefly recalled Stoatstar talking about the stone, and the trip she would have to undertake before becoming a full member of ThunderClan, where she would meet her ancestors. Swallowing sharply, she followed Fawnshine out, worry clearly plastered across her face.

Is something wrong? Echoed through the calicos head the entire trek to the towering stones, the trip taking less time than she thought it would. Although, unfortunately, that could probably be attributed to the anxiety felt in each pawstep leading away from camp rather than any other positive factor. A few sighs could have been heard from the apprentice if one had listened closely; the only real audible noise that had been heard from her all day.

Thistlepaw had followed Fawnshine intently, keen senses picking out her scent trail despite the dampness of the tunnel, whisking her tail along the narrow edges of the cavern. There was a burning sense of kit-like wonderment at the Moonstone, her breath momentarily disappearing as her eyes widened in awe. The medicine cat instructed her once more and she nodded, clearing her throat. "Okay, thank you Fawnshine," her voice was a little overly formal as the molly addressed her superior, dipping her head at her companion before touching her nose to the cold stone.

Darkness greeted her. As did immense confusion.

She believed in StarClan. Of course she did-- when Morningsun and the others died, she watched as StarClan was granted physical forms to fight with their living kin, the apprentice couldn't then deny their existence. And... maybe foolish, but she hoped Achelois resided in the stars. Her heart ached for a moment as she longed to see her closest relative once more, and this belief in warrior ancestors kept this hope alive.

And just like that, her eyes blinked wide open into the warm forest of StarClan. Thistlepaw remained silent, despite the excitement blooming in her chest, looking around with a fair bit of excitement as more came into view. A voice surprised her, and she turned to look at the molly now speaking.

"It's not every day that the stars wish for me to speak to a cat from another clan." The stars shaped into a pale siamese molly before the apprentice, though it was clear she wasn't of Thunderclan origin. "I'm Mallowmist, I was a Riverclan warrior who passed not long ago during the Dark Forest's reign. What's your name, pretty one?" She was certainly friendly looking for a cat who otherwise would've been the most typical sworn enemy to Thunderclan, but it was most likely the peace of the stars twinkling within her pelt. It was rather amusing, as a clear look would place her almost younger than Thistlepaw, or at least they appeared to be the same age.

There was a clear difference in scent despite the warrior's ethereal form, the smell of fresh water tickling her nose as it contrasted starkly with the forest surrounding the duo. The starry she-cat introduced herself as Mallowmist, a RiverClan warrior, and Thistlepaw bowed her head in respect. "My name is Thistlepaw. It's lovely to meet you, Mallowmist." She was a little surprised to hear a gentle purr at the end of her sentence, but attributed it to presenting herself as friendly.

"I have a great faith you for being a warrior, Thistlepaw. I took to being curious all of my life, constantly asking questions to where my leader was ready to claw my ears off for talking so much." She chuckled, signaling for the apprentice to follow her. The territory looked like a beautiful fusion of both Thunderclan and Riverclan, and she led the pair towards the one, signature feature of both: Sunningrocks. She took her place among the starry stone, and her blue gaze settled with a smile. "But it does not take thousands of questions to learn about the world. You don't have to say everything at once, or speak at any given chance. Keep using that as a gift, alright? Nothing is wrong at all with simply opting to observe. In a life or death situation, being able to look at the world around you and take in all the information that you can, may very well save your life." It was the best piece of advice she could ever give the apprentice, and one that she'd wished she had learned sooner. "Stoatstar's about to have a fine warrior among his ranks, I believe it. I'll always be looking out for you, alright?"

It was a lot to take in at once, but something she took with grace, bowing her head to the RiverClan queen. Despite her regular silence, this was a new one for her, being genuinely stumped as a lump grew in the back of her throat. For a moment, she was reminded of the affection and loved shared by kin, but became quickly aware that the other warm and strong feeling she felt was belonging. The last words shared by Mallowmist were ones that rang clear, potentially the clearest of the wisdom shared, and it filled her with warmth as she awoke in the cavern, eyes blinking rapidly against the rock.

Thistlepaw stood and stretched, looking at Fawnshine, before looking back at the tunnel they had previously emerged from, waiting for the medicine cat to lead the way.