The hard, smooth stone of Highstones was no stranger to Mistedsong's white paws, but the grey tom was usually there for a proper reason, and on this night, he stood before the Mothermouth completely by himself. The oppressive blackness of the cave seemed even darker when he didn't have another cat with him to focus on leading. The familiar cold burn of anxiety licked at his ribs, and at this point, the medicine cat figured he ought to be comforted by it, because it was definitely his default state anymore.
At the very least, his paws hurt considerably less than the last time he had walked the dark winding tunnels in the Mothermouth. Training Blackclaw had been rewarding, as the ShadowClan cat was incredibly gifted, but he was quite glad to not be crossing the forest every few days. If he weren't entirely immobile by the time he saw his fifth leafbare, he would be thoroughly surprised.
It surprised Mistedsong how much longer the tunnels to the Moonstone felt when he was by himself, and he figured it was due to his apprehension at being here alone in the first place. If he got lost, there would be no help for him, but that was an unreasonable worry anyway, given that he knew the way to the Moonstone better than he knew himself at that point. He let out a relieved puff of a sigh as a soft glow finally lit his olive eyes. The medicine cat's pawsteps continued with renewed vigor, his whole body relaxing as he finally made it into the massive cavern that held the Moonstone.
The towering glowing white-purple Moonstone bathed the small tom with the brightest light he'd ever seen from anything besides the sun itself. It almost blinded him at first, and the magnificence of the stone illuminating the whole cavern took his breath away. Mistedsong found himself thanking StarClan subconsciously for the beautiful sight ahead of him-- it made the lonely trek to see it entirely worth the ache in the base of his spine.
The light from the Moonstone was so radiant that it filled the cavern with an almost physical warmth, a homeliness that the medicine cat knew was his brethren in StarClan. He felt more at peace in the waking world than he ever had. If he closed his eyes, he could almost smell the scent of lavender and honey that had always clung to Spottednose's fur, could almost feel her slight frame pressed against his side on the cold nights of leafbare.
Mistedsong shook himself out of his stupor, approaching the glimmering monolith before him with slight trepidation. He might as well visit StarClan if he had come all the way here just on a theory, right? He pressed his pink, scarred nose to the cold stone, a peaceful sleep fogging his mind and dampening his worries.
A warm greenleaf breeze rustled Mistedsong's long fur as his eyes blinked open, the ever-present tiredness no longer making them feel sandy. "Mistedsong, what brings you here? You've brought no apprentice," the honeyed voice of Spottednose meowed as he turned to greet his mentor. He pressed his cheek to hers, glad to see her without having to worry about pretenses.
"I came to test a theory," he explained. "The last time I brought an apprentice here on a half-moon, the Moonstone was exceptionally bright, and the connection with StarClan stronger than I'd ever felt. It's just the same tonight." His green eyes roamed the small field they stood in, recognizing it as one of the few clearings in SkyClan territory. "This feels just as real as the waking world. You look just as alive as any living cat," Mistedsong observed.
"Things have been.. trying, lately. The pack of rogues seems to be lurking ever closer within our borders, and multiple cats have been attacked. Myself included," he sighed. "I feel that we will need StarClan's guidance more than ever in the coming moons. I may come back next half-moon with the other medicine cats, Mistedsong proposed, realizing that the other Clans' medicine cats would benefit from meeting with StarClan more as well.
Spottednose nodded thoughtfully. "You've become quite an impressive medicine cat, Mistedsong. I'm proud of your heart-- not all cats in your position would seek to help the other Clans," she mused, tail flicking. "You'd best get back to your apprentice or she might think you're ignoring her existence," the she-cat chuckled, and Mistedsong nodded. Blizzardpaw was finally beginning to recover from the rogue attack well enough to resume her training. If Mistedsong was being honest with himself, he would only just consider himself healed, but his duties required him to be active long before his body was really ready for it. The tom relished in how good his body felt in StarClan, and he was not eager to leave, but Spottednose was right.
"Be careful, Mistedsong. Take care of yourself, or you won't be able to take care of everyone else," Spottednose meowed, rasping her tongue over her apprentice's ear. The field faded from his vision, leaving a warm feeling in his chest and a renewed sense of purpose in Mistedsong's head.
The tom blinked his olive eyes open blearily, the cold stone beneath him sending a shiver down his spine. He got to his feet and stretched his tired legs, committing the sight of the radiant Moonstone before him to memory before he began the trek back to the surface. This time, he spent the journey home worrying less about getting lost and more about how best to address his fellow medicine cats in meeting each moon. It would surprise him greatly if it didn't take quite a bit of convincing to get the rest of the medicine cats to make the trip to the Moonstone an extra time each moon.
He chuckled to himself as he stepped into the open air, just in time for the sun to peek over the horizon and bathe Highstones in soft rays of yellow and pink. If any of the other medicine cats complained about the distance, he would just have to point out that he had the furthest to travel, and if he could do it while crippled, then the rest had no right to complain.
Tue May 05, 2020 9:47 am