Sparkpaw's Moonstone Journey

Fawnshine

Stirred awake from her rest by the sunlight seeping into her den, Fawnshine opened one eye, blinking slowly. She let her senses slowly return to their usual activeness, whiskers twitching as the familiar scent of herbs flooded her nostrils. Forcing herself to rise from the moss bed, she stretched, paws padding to the herb shelf, searching for the herb poultice she had prepared the night prior. It didn't take very long for her to find it, having it left in a more prominent spot. Picking it up in her jaws, she exited from the medicine den, approaching the apprentices' den instead, in search of a certain apprentice.

"Sparkpaw?" She mewed, softly, standing by the entrance of the den. "It's time for your Moonstone journey." Once Sparkpaw had awoken, Fawnshine set the herb bundle down in front of the apprentice's paws, gesturing for her to eat it.

Sparkpaw ☆ ThunderClan

Sparkpaw's golden eyes flashed open the moment Fawnshine shook her awake. The morning had finally arrived; she'd watched her siblings take their moonstone journeys, and had heard stories of both Dayquill and Blazefang's own journeys when they were apprentices. Now it was Sparkpaw's turn.

Her excitement was quickly extinguished as the ThunderClan medicine cat presented her with a bundle of bitter-smelling herbs. "Do I need to eat...all of them?" Sparkpaw asked, pushing the bundle with an orange paw. "What do they do, exactly?" She couldn't imagine it was anything good, considering how awful they smelled. But still, Sparkpaw wanted to memorize every part of this journey, including the herbs she was being made to choke down.

Fawnshine

Fawnshine hid an amused smile as Sparkpaw asked about the bitter-smelling herbs. It was a question she had been asked often, so she didn't seem surprised. Though, the reaction of the apprentice as she questioned it caused her to smile softly, nodding. "Yes. These herbs, called traveling herbs — chamomile, burnet, daisy leaves, and sorrel, all serve their own purposes in aiding your journey to the Moonstone. In short, they help lessen your exhaustion and hunger," She explained, speaking with a calm voice as she motioned back to the herb bundle. "They indeed don't smell, or taste the best, but I assure you would appreciate the help they provide. I take it you wouldn't want to be exhausted on your journey?" She raised a brow. Fawnshine rarely used sarcasm, but she found interest in her question.

Patiently waiting for Sparkpaw to eat the herbs, she stood still, tail held up in stance. Once the apprentice had finished, she nodded, walking over to the exit of camp to lead her out on her journey. "Now, shall we go?"

Sparkpaw ☆ ThunderClan

Sparkpaw had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the medicine cat's words. Of course she didn't want to be exhausted -- and she hardly would be, with or without the traveling herbs, because her paws were already itching to be out of ThunderClan territory and off to commune with StarClan. Whatever that could mean.

----

The sun was high in the sky by the time the pair of cats neared their destination. Fawnshine had hardly spoken on their journey, which suited Sparkpaw just fine -- in fact, she didn't think she would have the words to explain what was going through her head as they crossed the clan territories. By doing this, she was committing herself one step further to being a warrior of ThunderClan...whatever else might be in her blood. WindClan isn't where I belong, Sparkpaw told herself firmly, narrowing her eyes against the bright sun. I just want to do this. I'm ready.

"Are we there yet?" Sparkpaw asked Fawnshine. She hadn't meant to sound like she was whining; her paws were aching, and she was starting to get tired despite the aid of the traveling herbs, but inside her heart was singing with excitement.

Fawnshine

"Yes, it is right ahead of us." Fawnshine gestured by her tail to the large cave in front of them, only separated by the Thunderpath. Looking both left and right, her whiskers twitched, making sure there was no sight of approaching monsters before leading Sparkpaw across. As per usual, she paused in front of the Mothermouth, reminding the she-cat to follow her. "Inside the tunnel will be dark. Follow my scent, or the tip of my tail closely. I don't want you to be lost. It'll brighten up soon when we reach the Moonstone."

Once she had received Sparkpaw's confirmation, Fawnshine nodded, leading her inside. The pitch dark swallowed them, and her tail lifted, reflecting the slight shine of the Moonstone as they approached closer. Once the area brightened up, she motioned for the young she-cat to step up to the Moonstone, standing beside her in wait. "Touch your nose to the stone, and StarClan will do the rest. I'll be here when you awake."