Rowankit's MCA Ceremony

There had been hushed chatter about it for a short while; the gentle urge for the barely 10 moon old medicine cat to take on an apprentice of her own-- a measure deemed necessary by the lack of healers throughout all the clans, and by the few moons ThunderClan had spent without the aid of a medicine cat. Unease gave energy to her paws, she felt incompetent, for StarClan's sake the molly was hardly more than a kit herself, but Mistedsong had done his best and for that she was eternally grateful. Applestem shook out her thick coat as she stood, attempting to refocus her vacant gaze, blinking rapidly a few times until the world came back into view. The calico barely had to stretch to grab the pile of herbs in her maw, being quite short for a daughter of Lightningstar; although that was truly just due to her not being the same age as the youngest ThunderClan warrior.

Focus! she wanted to hiss to herself, finding once more she had become distracted, and she forced herself out of the den into the slightly cool clearing, finding that the breeze passing through the ravine was more than enough to snap her back into reality. Making her way to the nursery, she deposited the leaf bundle on the ground, clearing her throat to make sure she hadn't inhaled anything. "Rowankit!" Applestem called out, voice gentle and soft, and she waited patiently to see a glimpse of him, hoping to Highstones and back that he had heard her. The medicine cat unfortunately lacked any sternness or volume to her voice, something that was thoroughly a disadvantage in situations where she needed to call one's attention like this. "Rowankit, I need to speak to you!" She tried once more, debating on whether she should enter the den or not. Better not, I'll give him a little more time, the molly told herself, curling her fluffy tail over her paws as she waited.

Rowankit was restless. He'd known that he should sleep and get plenty of rest but... Excitement coursed through him, setting every hair on his pelt alight with a constant buzz. For once in his short life he struggled to sit still, fighting the urge to get up and pace or just run in an attempt to release that excess energy. Though he knew that actually doing so would provide little relief. Instead, he'd spent the night alternately sneaking out of the nursery to gaze up at the sky and shifting sleeplessly near his mother and siblings. Ultimately, he'd managed a frankly astonishing lack of sleeping. Despite the deprivation, adrenaline still surged, like tiny, biting ants crawling through his fur.

Time crawled by but, simultaneously, before he knew it, morning had arrived. Applestem's soft call jolted Rowankit to full awareness. He popped to his paws immediately, liked he'd been shocked, before hurrying out of the nursery on full alert. His hazel eyes locked onto his slightly older sibling."I'm here Applestem." Despite the sleepless night, Rowankit somehow still appeared just about as calm and put together as ever, bushy brown tail flicking almost lazily.

A warm smile crossed her muzzle, happy to see her brother, but she fought to keep her head from disappearing among the clouds. "You have been chosen to be the next medicine cat apprentice of ThunderClan-- my apprentice!" The molly squeaked happily, allowing him no room for debate on if this is what he wanted or not. "So today we'll be making the trek to Highstones to get you officially acknowledged by StarClan," Applestem babbled a little, reciting the words that had once been said to her. "I've brought you some herbs to make the travel easier." She lifted a white forepaw, opening the leaf bundle and pointing to the herbs with a steady claw. "This right here- this pile contains burnet, chamomile, sorrel and a little bit of honey. Burnet provides strength and is good for queens while chamomile is both soothing and strengthening. This will give you the necessary energy to get to Highstones," Applestem prattled on a little, attempting to explain the herbs she had learned about over the last few months.

"Sorrel is really good for curbing an appetite- so you won't need to eat on the journey there. And the honey... while it's good for infections and sore throats, it's going to help those herbs go down a lot better. But don't tell anyone I let you have some, we just have a lot of it at the moment and I figure it's... a treat of some description." The molly looked a little guilty, knowing that going into Leafbare she should be conserving their stocks of things like that, but it's not every day a kit becomes a medicine cat apprentice. "Alright, when you're done with them, let's get going," Applestem mewed, before sitting and waiting patiently for the tom to finish with the herbs.

Rowankit's eyes widened at Applestem's announcement. He was going to be the medicine cat apprentice. They were going to travel to Highstones. Today. He was going to meet Starclan! All the hours spent asking the elders for stories and asking questions and he was going to meet Starclan! The buzz of energy that had been surging through him all night finally had a source even if retroactive. Unless... That had been a sign from Starclan as forewarning? All the tales of signs and prophecies tended to be too vague for Rowankit's liking, lacking in the details he found most interesting, much to the frustration of the elders.

Belatedly, he nodded in excitement, whiskers twitching eagerly. The fluffy tabby watched as Applestem pointed out the various herbs and their uses. There were so many! He certainly wouldn't remember them all but tried to remember what she said as best he could, despite how his mind already spun. He leaned forward to sniff them. Each scent was surprisingly distinctive though overall mixed into bitter and sickly sweet with a sharp tang. Not really a pleasant smell, but one he could get used to.

Rowankit obediently dipped his head to lap up the pile of herbs. His nose wrinkled at the foul, bitter flavor, though the honey did significantly help mask the taste. He licked his lips a couple times to make sure he'd gotten all the herbs before looking back to Applestem eagerly. "I'm ready." he solemnly mewed. The lashing of his tail one of the only visible signs of his excitement. He was going to meet Starclan!!

Happiness swelled in her chest as she saw the excitement on his face, being reminded of her own feelings just a few moons prior when Mistedsong had taken her to the Moonstone. It's so far, she thought, slightly annoyed for a moment, but forced herself out of the stupor and smiled at Rowankit. "Alright then, let's go!" Joy rang clear in her voice, and she got to her paws, stretching real quick before making her way to the stones that provided an entrance and exit to the ravine. "Mind your step, and go as slow as you need. We'll be up before you know it," Applestem said to the tom, making to stay a stone or two behind him, ready to catch him in case he fell.

---

The sun was now dipping below the horizon, and she feigned a yawn as she cast a look skyward, finding delight in the orange and red hues that painted the sky, ones matching the shades of leaves dappling the leaf-fall trees. The ground beneath the mollies paws was now hard but warm, the rock retaining some heat from the previous day. Every so often Applestem looked behind her, making sure the kit was still following along, knowing how hard the journey was for a kit leaving camp for the first time. "You're doing well, Rowankit. We're almost there!" She tried to be encouraging, but the molly was largely lost in her own memories of recently coming here to get her full name. She desperately tried to remember what Mistedsong had said to her a few moons ago, just hoping it'd come back to her when they got there.

Before long the entrance to Mothermouth loomed before them, and she cleared her throat, trying to remember which way to go. "Alright, as we go into the tunnels, it's almost impossible to see anything -- just stay close to me and we'll get there in one piece," Applestem said, lacking the confidence she should've, swallowing hard as she began the trek down. The path diverged, and without thinking she immediately followed the right path, feeling relief that it was the same one she had travelled with her former mentor twice before. "When you visit, make sure to take the right tunnel, as the left is unstable and incredibly dangerous," She mewed, more reinforcing the thought in her own head than informing her soon-to-be apprentice.

As the ground levelled out and the cavern widened, she sat patiently with her tail curled over her paws, waiting for the moon to cross over and light up the stone. Almost as if StarClan had waited for the duo to arrive, the cavern was suddenly engulfed in the brightest light imaginable, one she squinted against for a few heartbeats as the medicine cat adjusted. Turning to Rowankit, she gestured with him to step forward, to stand within reaching distance of the Moonstone and feel its light on his fur. "Rowankit, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan and return to ThunderClan as a medicine cat?" Applestem asked, a warm look across her face.

Rowankit's eyes all but glowed as Applestem lead the way out of camp. As he began the climb up the ravine, he realized with a jolt that he'd never even set paw out of camp before and now he was going to Highstones. He stayed quiet as he went, mind racing to what lay ahead of him.

-----

The world went on forever. The shear expanse of everything was hard for Rowankit's young brain to fathom. The forested safety of Thunderclan territory, the wide open, rolling hills of Windclan, the strange twoleg settlements, the terrifying black thunderpaths, and now the immense rocky slopes of Highstones. He was. Exhausted. For the vast majority of the journey, the traveling herbs and excited energy had kept him going but even that struggled to keep a kit going for such a long distance. Rowankit's still kitten-soft paw pads ached and throbbed with every step though he soldiered on without complaint. He looked up at Applestem's encouragement and acknowledged her with a ripple of his whiskers, but was too tired to reply. Trudging after her, but still managing to not lag behind.

Arriving at Mothermouth, Rowankit stared into the pitch black hole in the stone. The stirrings of excitement began to return, filling him with a second wind of energy despite the complaints of his paws and overused muscles. He was going to meet Starclan. He swallowed, mouth dry, and gave Applestem a decisive nod. As they stepped into the tunnel, the cold of the eternally dark caves hit him like submerging into icy water. He shuddered, fluffing out his coat to stave the worst of it off. Rowankit stuck close to Applestem as his vision failed him in the pure blackness. Relying on his nose and the motion of her tail through his whiskers which strained to pick up anything around him. It felt wrong to speak in the deathly silent caverns. The silence only broken by their own breathing and paw steps. His sense of direction entirely failed him as he followed his older sister through the dark. Could the cave go all the way to the stars? Winding up into the sky? It didn't feel like the path went up but the worn smooth stone gave nothing away. They could have been going in circles for all he could tell.

The tom pointlessly blinked into the nothingness at Applestem's instruction. Take the right tunnel. Her voice seemed to echo loudly through the silence. The right tunnel. The right path. The correct path.

Follow the path.

Words echoed through his mind like a looping song. Circling and almost distorting on every repetition. He shook his head. The deathly silence made the cavern feel far larger than it was. Stretching infinitely in all directions.

After what felt like hours, the cavern did expand. It was just barely bright enough to make out shadowy silhouettes but not much more. Rowankit heard more than saw Applestem sit so he silently copied her.

The cavern lit up. Rowankit flinched, eyes slamming shut at the inundation of light after so long in the dark. He slowly peaked an eye open, blinking rapidly to try to adjust to the bright glow emitting from the stone. It glimmered like a star itself, enlarged and dragged down into the cavern. His mouth went dry as he gazed at it, entranced by the glow, the feeling of power and peace that it seemed to give off. The feeling of sheltering against his mother's stomach during a bad storm, knowing that she would keep him safe. His mind spun in every direction at once.

Motion from Applestem caught his attention and he quickly stepped forward as she bid. The glow cast by the Moonstone gave her an ethereal look. He gazed up at her, eyes sparkling, before calmly responding, "It is."

She nodded, drawing in a light breath as she prepared her next words carefully. "Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this apprentice. He has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant them your wisdom and insight so that they may understand your ways and heal their Clan in accordance with your will," Applestem recited, head tilted skyward addressing the stars that glittered high above. The molly felt like a bundle of nerves, this ritual now meant she was a complete medicine cat; not only in charge of her clan but to train her successor. A shiver passed through her spine and she swallowed hard, forcing excitement onto her face as she looked back at her brother, noticing the way the white patches on his fur glimmered in the light of the Moonstone.

"Press your nose to the stone, and go forth to meet our ancestors. I hope you enjoy visiting StarClan as much as I do." With that the molly settled onto the stone beneath, craning her neck forward to touch her nose to the cold stone. Within a few moments, she found herself awoken by the rustling of leaves, and she waited patiently for her apprentice to awake among the stars.

As though in a trance, Rowankit moved towards the Moonstone, time nearly stood still, everything silent apart from the pounding of his own heart. This was it. It felt like he should feel nervous or apprehensive of finally meeting cats of Starclan but only eager excitement coursed through his veins. His nose finally touched the brilliant stone, sending a flash of nearly painful cold radiating through his muzzle. Without even realizing it, Rowankit blinked awake. When had he fallen asleep? The thought was immediately dismissed as the sound of rustling leaves caught his attention and he looked around, clearly no longer by the Moonstone. "Is this... Starclan?" he breathed to himself in wonder as he gazed around the wooded clearing. Quickly catching sight of his sister a short distance away, he padded over.

A small smile graced her face as she felt the sense of complete awe emanating from her younger sibling, and Applestem nodded her head gently, before peering around for a familiar face. "Gingerleaf?" The calico's voice rang out softly, being lost among the trees that dappled light on the clearing they had awoken in. The young molly frowned for a moment, turning to apologise to her companion, before a familiar scent hit her nose.

"Sorry, sorry! I lost track of time, it's well uh- it's a little difficult to keep track of time when time never really seems to pass. Ignore me, how are we? And also, hello Rowankit! Welcome to StarClan!" An orange she-cat had emerged, chatting her whiskers off, taking a seat near the duo and offering a kind look to the soon-to-be apprentice. The sunlight breaking through the leaves caught her pelt, giving her the look of a cat on fire, and it never ceased to amaze Applestem how it did that.

"I've been busy, being the sole medicine cat is proving to be a bit of a challenge-- hence why I'm taking on an apprentice already." A weak smile plastered itself across her face, doubt showing in every crack of her faux excitement, something she hoped her incredibly alert kin wouldn't pick up on. It wasn't his fault she was unfit for this; but for his sake she would have to try harder.

Gingerleaf frowned for what couldn't have been longer than half a heartbeat, but it felt like it stretched on forever for the medicine cat. "You have not only my blessing, but that of the stars. Rowankit, The ThunderClan molly, one who had been gifted in healing during her time in the forest turned to address the young tom, softness and sincerity in her eyes. "From this day forward, you will be known as Rowanpaw, and a ThunderClan medicine cat. I trust Applestem will teach you all you need to know, as I once taught her. May the stars guide your paws." Words of a quickly familiar ritual came from Gingerleaf, and were quickly overtaken by chanting.

"Rowanpaw! Rowanpaw!" Echoed around the clearing, and began to fade as the medicine cats awoke in the Moonstone cavern, reverberating off the stone walls for a brief moment.

"Welcome to being a medicine cat!" Applestem chirped, all previous doubts and worries seemingly washed away for now. "Let's head home, before your excitement turns to exhaustion," She teased lightly, standing up and arching her back in a large stretch, before heading up the tunnel and into the sunlight.

At Applestem's call, Rowankit gazed around the clearing, searching for the cat the name belonged to. It felt like the entire forest held its breathe as they waited for the first Starclan cat to appear. When she finally did appear in a flurry of movement and words, Rowankit was taken aback a moment. Gingerleaf was not what he'd been expecting based on the stories the elders told. It was... disconcerting. But at the same time set Rowankit more at ease. All the stories of Starclan painted them as mystical and all knowing. But. All of Starclan was, at one time, living, breathing cats. It was logical that dying wouldn't immediately grant you immense knowledge, it would come with time from the collective of all those who came before. So, Gingerleaf being a newer member, of course she wouldn't be like the stories.

Even so, the way her coat caught the rays of sun breaking through the trees made it glow like fire. He politely dipped his head in deference. So entranced, was he that he took no notice to Applestem's uncertainty, instead fully focused on Gingerleaf.

Something in him stirred at her words, the blessing of the stars. It coursed through him as he received his new name and title Rowanpaw, a ThunderClan medicine cat. May the stars guide your paws. It felt. Right.

His pelt prickled as the chanting of his name swelled through the clearing, echoing loudly. Even as he opened his eyes in the darkened chamber of the Moonstone the voices continued in his ears. Rowanpaw. He pulled himself to his paws, legs stiff from crouching in the cold cave. He turned to Applestem as she awoke, eyes glimmering in the dark "I will learn all that I can," he solemnly murmured, tail twitching with excitement.

As Applestem led the way out of Mothermouth, he realized with a pang that despite his excitement he hadn't even spoken to Gingerleaf. He'd come all this way, met with Starclan, and yet.... With a soft exhale he brushed off the disappointment, there was always next time. And there would be a next time.

As Gingerleaf had said. The stars would guide his paws.