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Sagepaw smiled at the medicine-cat's laugh, her yellow eyes bright, "
Yeah, let's get going." The quiet black she-cat wasn't the most talkative and wouldn't disturb Heatherberry's journey. Sagepaw wasn't the most talkative but the journey was peaceful and there was much to look at along the way. Crossing through the swamp, the forest, across the road, the moors, the pair finally reached the rocky path to the high stones. Sagepaw was silently buzzing, bright yellow eyes wide, ears upright and alert, nose and whiskers twitching, mouth open to take in everything unknown around her.
Up the slope above the pair, a dark tunnel in the mountainside yawned tall and narrow. Unlike the marshes at night, it was completely black and impossible to see what was inside. The slender black she-cat flexed her shoulders, confident she could easily navigate it. But sensibly and safely held the end of Heatherberry's tail in her jaws as the pair went in.
Gradually Heatherberry came into view in front of Sagepaw, the tunnel light enough she could see the outside of the medicine-cat's whiskers brushing the sides, and then it opened up into a cavern. Sagepaw squinted against the light of a glowing stone. The walls were high, light at the bottom by the moonstone and fading into invisibility with the night sky speckled with stars high above. From up there, the moon cast its light down onto the stone. It was an unusual wonder.
Sagepaw was curious when Heatherberry invited her to get closer to the moonstone. She followed the medicine-cat's instructions. "
Thank you. Sleep well. I will."
- - -
Sagepaw woke up back in the marsh, or someplace like it. It was a part of the marsh she had never seen. It was very beautiful. There were no stars above, but everything glittered as if with fresh rain. Flowers and herbs bloomed, fragrantly mixing with the earthy scent of the water and mud. Sagepaw looked around, but she did not see any other cat...
...Until she caught a glimpse of a flicker of white through the trees perched on mounds of earth above the still water. She might have mistook it for a moonbeam, if there were any lights in the sky. The cat noticed she had been seen and looked as if she wanted to approach but withdrew shyly.
The moon-white cat hesitated, skirting around the marshes as Sagepaw's eyes tried to follow her but lost her. "
Hello? Excuse me - wait!" The apprentice followed through the shimmering swamps, trying to find her again. Her paws slipped silently through mud and water. But she found herself wandering in the beautiful place alone.
- - -
The dream was fading away and Sagepaw was blinking her bright yellow eyes open again. She stretched, stood up, and shrugged at the dream. She wasn't very talkative herself. She padded over to wake Heatherberry politely.
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