Amberpaw's Moonstone Journey

The flame-pelted tom stirred awake, feeling like his mind was shrouded in clouds. In anticipation for the Moonstone journey, Amberpaw hadn't been able to sleep well. It felt like he had finally fallen asleep just before Echopaw woke him up. With some effort, the large apprentice rose to his paws and shook the moss from his long fur. Then, he  moved toward Echopaw and offered him a polite smile.

"Good morning," he purred, voice a groggy rumble. "Thank you." The ginger tabby sniffed at the herbs before gulping them down. Not even a look of disgust crossed Amberpaw's face at the bitter taste - he kept his composure well. Then, he stared expectantly at Echopaw. I hope the journey isn't full of awkward silence...I don't know if I could stand minutes of it, let alone hours!

The more their journey went on, the more Amberpaw decided he liked the Javanese tom-cat. Questions and compliments were met with honest - yet polite - answers and shy thank you's. The dark ginger-swirled tom wondered how he had never spoken to Echopaw before. He wish he had, because Amberpaw could see himself being good friends with the medicine cat apprentice. Amberpaw assured Echopaw that, in the future, he would go to him with any issues that popped up.

Amberpaw sensed Echopaw's tension as the two weaved their way through foreign territories. Yet, Amberpaw felt nothing but determination. If a situation were to arise, Amberpaw knew he would defend himself and Echopaw even with his life. He had moons of warrior training under his paws, and he felt prepared for anything. However, when they reached the Mothermouth, a bout of nervousness set in. This was actually happening - Amberpaw was going to meet with Starclan. He had never seen a Starclan cat before. What were they like? Would they scold Amberpaw for something he had done? Would they praise his hard work? What if no Starclan cat chose to speak with Amberpaw? He kept these thoughts to himself as he plunged into the darkness behind Echopaw.

The moonstone was, perhaps, the most beautiful thing Amberpaw had ever seen. The fiery tom took a moment to take in its beauty, before he obeyed Echopaw. The stone was cold against his nose. With amber eyes held tightly shut, the apprentice took several deep breaths. Slowly, his heavy breathing eased up as his body relaxed. But he didn't feel much of anything. Okay, what now? He waited a few more minutes, then opened his eyes as he went to call out to Echopaw for further instruction. But...he was no longer in a cave. He was outside, in the open air, under a bright, starry sky. "Wow," he gasped as he took in the scene around him.

"Pretty striking, isn't it?" came a lilted voice from behind Amberpaw, a starlit figure padding up to stand beside him. "Almost makes the whole being dead thing worth it."

She waved her tail in greeting. "My name's Batbite. It's Amberpaw, yeah? It's always nice to see someone who's not dead, y'know- not something that happens every day."

Well, not that she would ever take her mate or her kits or her brothers or her father for granted, however many days of this eternity she hadn't let herself dream of passed her by- but moments with the living were rare and precious, now, something to be cherished just as much as them. Still, dwelling on things like that wasn't really her style. "Almost a warrior, huh? How are you feeling?"

Amberpaw couldn't help but stop and stare at the Starclan cat. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but it wasn't this. The she-cat who was speaking to him was so...informal. So...casual, so...normal. He felt like he was in camp, sharing tongues with one of the warriors. Not receiving great wisdom from the spirits of his ancestors. This wasn't by any means a bad thing, though.

The apprentice let out a nervous chuckle, unsure how to respond to the stranger's initial comments. "Greetings, Batbite," he said politely as he dipped his head in respect. He was caught off-guard by the way she talked about being dead. After all, this was the first time Amberpaw met a dead cat. This was the first time Amberpaw actually thought about the afterlife, and how he could join Starclan at any moment. A badger attack, a swallow of the wrong berry, a slip into the river. Life was so fragile.

"I'm feeling..." how was he feeling? Excited? Nervous? Ready? Unqualified? "...I'm feeling like I will finally be able to serve and protect Thunderclan to the fullest of my abilities. I feel like Briarrose has prepared me well, and I am no longer the naïve apprentice I was six moons ago. I am ready to devote all of my time and energy to the good of the clan." The flame-pelted tom searched Batbite's face for her response.

Oh, she loved talking to apprentices. They always seemed surprised at her: the relaxed posture and carefree attitude that even death itself couldn't take away. She knew she wasn't the image most cats had in their mind of StarClan, that she certainly wasn't the sort of cat she had once pictured— but then again, the one she'd spoken to when it was her turn to visit this very place had been her own flavor of odd, hadn't she?

"Hey, slow down a sec," Batbite shook her head. "I'm asking about you. It's good that you're dedicated, sure, but you can't just let yourself be all work, all the time. Protecting your Clan only matters if you're a part of it, yeah? They're your family, your community— you have to let yourself be a part of that. Otherwise, what's the point?"

She stretched, tail swishing lazily from one side to the other. "All I'm saying is, you need to let yourself actually live your life."