Flashkit's MCA Ceremony

The night lulled into morning without a sound. As the night's stars faded away unnoticed, not even the smallest bird sang a song. To some, the dawn's display would have been a blessing, for there was silence at long last, or, at the very least, most cats would sleep in. Logleap, however, twitched anxiously in his nest. Every chirp and rustle within the camp startled him to his senses. Afterall, he had hardly slept in two days.

But being sleep deprived was a small consequence in the scope of Thunderclan. He had come to a decision after a moon of observing the spirited but compassionate she-kit by the name of Flashkit. The intrigue captured within her eyes was a curiosity that perfectly fit in the paws of a medicine cat. She was everything he envisioned that his future medicine cat apprentice would be - smart, quick-witted, but understanding. She would have to be able to embody these traits to deal with the prideful mess that was Thunderclan - and himself to be truthful - but he had sudden faith that Flashkit was the one.

A strange spark swept through Logleap as the realization struck him. Flashkit was meant to be his apprentice. The thought drove him to his paws, and he grabbed the herb bundle at his paws. He hardly remembered preparing it. In this strange daze, Logleap stumbled into camp. Soft sunlight brushed his brown pelt as he scanned the camp in the early-morning mist. Small steps on shaky paws led him closer to the nursery.

The worst he could get was a "no", right? The medicine cat's attempts to reassure himself fell short as he peered into the nursery ahead. Just a simple question, nothing more. "Fl-flashkit?" he whispered coarsely into the den. "Wake up." the tom meowed. His tail-tip twitched nervously. "Important news I have."

Flashkit sometimes dreaded going to sleep, because she knew that the nightmares would start. Sometimes it wasn't until right before she woke up, but inevitably she would find herself in a swirl of emotions, unable to control them. When she would look down at her paws, they would be covered in blood, and she would be helpless to stop them from slashing into the cat in front of her...

She woke with a start, confused at first as to where she was, but soon enough the nursery came into focus for her, and she tried desperately to calm her breathing. She quickly realized that perhaps it wasn't just her nightmare that had awoken her this time, but Logleap's voice that was calling her name.

She padded over to the entrance to the nursery, joining the medicine cat outside and sitting to lick her chest fur, still trying to calm her racing heart.

"Y-yes, Logleap? What is it?"

Logleap was certainly surprised by the speed Flashkit possessed. She emerged from the den within heart-beats of his call. In his strange and weary stage of mind, he could hardly process her arrival, only that they were supposed to go to Highstones. It was a long and difficult trek across lands that Logleap himself, afer moons of traveling, was barely familiar with.

But first, the herbs. "Consume these leaves here." he instructed her. His green gaze scanned the camp once more before flashing back to the she-kit. "Be careful. Bitter." his warning spoken, Logleap bent down to quickly eat his own bundle. He had learned, over his many years, that the nastiness of the herbs was lessened through speed. The faster they were gone - the less time to worry about one's disgust. He swallowed again, this time choking back his own nerves as the she-cat looked to him for answers.

"I've decided." a brief pause ensued as Logleap collected his scattered thoughts. "Strong and brave. Compassionate but quick-witted." the medicine cat nodded to himself in rhythm to the words as he spoke them. "Flashkit, I want to be your mentor." he admitted abruptly.

"If you are a yes - we leave for the Highstones." Logleap meowed to her. "But to be a warrior - you continue your sleep." he offered the other option, just in case.

She had definitely moved like a monster were on her heels, but that was just what happened when one was awakened from dreams such as the ones that she had been having recently. Her claws were sheathed, now, but they felt heavy as though they had actually been ripping into flesh. Just thinking about it was enough to make her breathing quicken again, and she sort of assumed that was why Logleap was offering her herbs, although a more awake version of Flashkit might have realized that made no sense. Were her nightmares getting that obvious?

She gagged a bit at the taste, but swallowed them anyway, fighting every urge to spit them out. They seemed to be important. She felt her pelt flush warm at his description of her. She wasn't sure if she agreed, but it sure felt nice to hear. Her eyes widened in surprise at his next words.

A medicine cat? Was that her path to follow? She looked down at her paws, and for a heartbeat it was like she was back in her dream and she could see them stained red. She was overcome with the urge to run to Highstones and never look back. Perhaps it was a selfish reason, but Flashkit didn't want to have to do the things she saw every night when she slept. At the mention of continuing her sleep, she quickly shook her head.

"I would be honored to go to Highstones with you, and become your apprentice."

He blinked knowingly as Flashkit gulped down the bulk of the green herbs - most of them used to give strength and fill their stomachs - with a grimace and squirm. She would have to learn to practically love these very herbs, as it seemed he ate them every moon for a journey. She seemed so far from nervous as she spoke. Logleap had never been asked to be the medicine cat when he was an apprentice - it had been his only choice. But Flashkit, she had the chance to choose her own path. It was terrifying to watch her deliberate over whether or not she would join him as a medicine cat.

Honored. What a peculiar word to use. A small smile of joy emerged from Logleap. Patchkit - his apprentice. What a strange, but fitting, phrase. The tom's whiskers twitched as he met her green eyes with his own. Logleap and Flashkit, the healers of Thunderclan. Just hearing it, Logleap swore to Starclan he would teach her as best he could.

"To highstones we go, then." Logleap informed the young she-cat. The entrance to camp grew closer as he approached it with Flashkit hopefully at his heels. Sunlight flooded him as he emerged into the territory, waving the young kit on with his tail.

(we can timeskip if you would prefer)

To highstones. Flashkit felt a thrill course through her veins at those words. This was such a monumental decision, and perhaps she didn't fully grasp just how big of a difference it would make on her life at that moment, but it felt entirely right to the kit. She followed her soon to be official mentor, feeling like she was dreaming as she left camp for the first time in the dawn's light. She glanced back at the nursery just once, hoping her mother wouldn't worry when she awoke to her daughter missing along with the medicine cat.

(Timeskip sounds good!)

Logleap took the first few steps out of the camp, taking a deep breath of the cool morning air as a sharp wind whisked by. His whiskered twitched thoughtfully as he glanced down at the kitten, soon to be apprentice, by his side. Hopefully, if all went well, they would not be eaten. It had to be called Mothermouth for a reason, afterall. He gave Flashkit a few heart-beats to grow accustomed to the rich soil underpaw - and then he began his characteristic stalk through the forest. To Highstones.

time jump

The journey had been far longer than he was planning it to be. He had forgotten how scary the trek itself was - and had been jumping, sprinting, and hiding (in that very order) at every small noise that escaped the surrounding landscape. Without a warrior apprentice to protect him, no offense to young Flashkit's abilities, everything seemed far more dangerous. But, despite it all, they had finally arrived. The Mothermouth loomed before them, the darkness inside engulfing all light and life. The sunset behind them faded into darkness all too fast for Logleap's liking. He could hardly see his own paws before him - and he was not even inside the cave yet. A shiver erupted down his spine as fear coursed through his blood.

"Follow closely, Flashkit." he murmured - electing to omit the whole 'if you don't follow you will become lost and die' lecture - as he ducked into the neverending darkness. The walls closed in around him, a sensation Logleap should have been used to, but he still jumped slightly as the cave grew tight and narrow. He stuck out his tail behind him, allowing Flashkit to use it for guidance as well if she needed it.

As it always did - the tunnel branched into two. A harsh wind blew up from the left, covering Logleap in a layer of dust. A sneeze escaped him, and he automatically ducked into the right tunnel. Water droplets tickled his whiskers as he continued in the downward spiral. The smooth yet dampened walls erased the dirt and grime from his pelt. He closed his eyes in expectation when a small gleam shone through the head of the tunnel.

The moonstone. They had finally arrived. The tunnel ended in a spectacular cavern. Logleap turned to look at the young kitten, hoping she had followed him. He wasn't sure he could muster the courage to search for her if she hadn't.

Flashkit was grateful for the bitter herbs by the time they reached Mothermouth. It had been a long journey, even longer than she had expected. Most cats got to train in their own territory before making the trek, but her nursery-soft paws had just taken their first journey all the way out here. She nodded, glancing anxiously over her shoulder at the setting sun as she was told to follow closely. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but she was at the very least nervous. About all of it. Going into the cave, meeting StarClan, becoming a medicine cat apprentice...None of these things were necessarily going to be easy.

At least the trip through the darkness was relatively simple, with only the one branching path that she noticed. She paused for a second, trying to puzzle out where the scents on the wind came from, but it was too strong for her liking and she quickly hurried after Logleap once again. She felt relief as the tunnel widened into a cavern, much happier now that her whiskers didn't constantly brush the walls.

"Logleap, what was to the left? That windy tunnel?" She asked, as she took in the cavern. The moonstone sat before her, and she felt very small. She gulped, trying not to be afraid of what she was about to do. Surely, if she was meant to have her paws on this path, she was not meant to be scared?

Shortly after arriving in the tunnel, Logleap adopted a small squint to aid him as the Moonstone's gleam beat on his eyes. He wanted to, for the first time in his life, shrink back and hide into whatever shadows were available rather than lavish in this light. The gaping cavern before them was huge and far more intimidating then the shadows he had formerly feared. He would give anything to just curl into a ball and hide, waiting until it was all over.

But then there was Flashkit on his heels. He released a breath of relief. At least she was alive. Already she was so curious about the life before her, the new life she had chosen. Logleap's eyes flickered between her and the tunnel behind her as he considered her question. His own fear clawed at his throat. What was to the left? He flinched slightly as he mulled it over. No one had ever survived the left path - at least not long enough to tell their tale.

"Death, I suppose." he murmured to the young she-cat. He couldn't help the strange shiver that overcame him as his eyes glanced at the dark tunnel once more. Logleap turned back to the she-kit, finally able to notice the expression on her face. It was the same emotion he saw in his own reflection every day. Fear. Perhaps the medicine cats of Thunderclan were doomed to face such terror for all their lives. But that could not be. He had chosen Flashkit to undo his own mistakes done out of fright.

The tom cleared his throat. "Don't be afraid to be afraid." he offered the advice to her with a silent sway of his tail. "Flashkit," he addressed her. That was the easiest part. He cursed his own mind as it collapsed slowly. The rest of the ceremony felt like a far off dream as the fear of screwing up flowed around him. But Logleap would not drown in the sea of fear today.

"Do you wish to enter the puzzles of Starclan and return to Thunderclan as a medicine cat?" Logleap swallowed back his bile. Honestly, that didn't sound too far off.

Flashkit's eyes were as round as the moon. That had not been the answer she was expecting, but then again, she wasn't sure what she was expecting. Of course it was death. Part of her was still curious, but she shoved it away. Maybe someday she would find out, but tonight was not the time.

Don't be afraid to be afraid. She nodded. She wasn't sure about that statement, either, but it stirred a feeling in her chest that was comforting. Something told her there would be much fear in her future, but it would be possible to get through it by embracing it.

"I do," Flashkit responded, feeling the need to be formal for this. Her life was about to change forever.

His green eyes raked over the young she-kit as she sat before him. Her fur, normally multi-colored and full of character, was bleached pure white by the glare of the moonstone as they shifted forward. Wisps of fur danced with the small gusts of wind inside the cavern, but for heart-beats after her words, there was only silence and the wind.

Logleap himself had to take a moment to simply absorb it all. This was it. This was the moment. After this - he would no longer wake up alone and seek the morning light. He would have an apprentice to teach, someone to pass on his knowledge to. Logleap exhaled through his nose and counted to three.

"Cats of StarClan, I present you with Flashkit." he began. He looked down at the she-kit once more. "She has chosen the sacred path of a medicine cat." Logleap took a shallow breath before continuing, "Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she will understand your ways and heal Thunderclan in accordance with Starclan's will." he concluded.

The tom, drained from speaking so formally and all at once, was dismayed to know that he still had more to say. The moonstone stood for a reason. "Time for the moonstone. Place your nose against it and take a, um," Logleap shrugged slightly. "nap."

There was something powerful about being in the cavern at all, but especially when she realized how much the light from the moonstone changed everything. It made everything look so pure and white, like she and Logleap were StarClan cats themselves. She shivered as her new mentor spoke, more words and more formally than she had known him capable of.

"A...a nap?" She tilted her head, but shrugged and stepped towards the moonstone all the same. She could feel how important and sacred it was, a heavy almost physical feeling coming from it. She felt fear and awe flood her entire body, all the way down to her individual toes, and had to push through it to settle herself close and press her nose against the moonstone. She closed her eyes, feeling that heavy powerful wave sweep through her from where she was touching the glowing stone.

She blinked her eyes open, surprised to find herself standing and not in the cavern, instead there was grass and twinkling lights everywhere. Was this StarClan's territory?

Lush grass blades flattened underneath the paws of a large she-cat as she trekked towards the soon to be medicine cat apprentice of Thunderclan. The surrounding scenery was darkened due to the shadows of night, but the bright stars always found a way to illuminate the territory. Twinkling stars adorned the gray pelt of the she-cat as she approached. Her eyes gleamed yellow and reflected the beam of lights all around the terrain. As Flashkit thought - this was indeed Starclan.

"Welcome to Starclan, young Flashkit." she greeted the calico as she moved to sit before her. She allowed Flashkit a moment to settle - perhaps she had grown too accustomed to her former apprentice Logleap - before she continued. "I am Grayleaf, the first medicine cat of Thunderclan and former mentor to Logleap." she informed Flashkit casually. Her own achievements brought her great pride. To be the first medicine cat - it had been a grand challenge.

"You are more than ready to become the medicine cat apprentice. I have never seen Logleap so confident in someone - know that Starclan openly welcomes you to the mysterious path of medicine cat." She stepped closer still, towering over the young she-kit as her pelt shimmered. "You come from a grand bloodline, and you will no doubt continue that line of greatness."

Her serious facade dropped for a heartbeat as she searched Flashkit's eyes. "Logleap will need your aid in the coming moons. Even when hope is lost - remember Starclan is here. We are always here." As she spoke the word here, she tapped her tail to Flashkit's heart. And with that, the terrain began to swirl into stars and darkness. Flashkit was now Flashpaw - and Grayleaf did not envy the path ahead. But this apprentice was strong and capable, she was sure of it. She closed her yellow eyes and stepped away as the she-kit faded from Starclan.

She was sitting here with the first medicine cat of ThunderClan! Flashkit's eyes widened like miniature moons in her face, and she dipped her head low in respect. She would've never thought she'd get the honor to be here, let alone to meet a cat as important as Grayleaf!

That she was accepted was amazing beyond her wildest imaginings as well. Just earlier she had been troubled in her sleep by dark dreams that twisted their claws in her heart, and now...all she felt was peace and a sense of confidence. If Grayleaf and Logleap were so sure of her, then she must be, as well.

"I won't let you down." She vowed, taking each word to heart with the tapping of Grayleaf's tail. "Thank you..." As everything began to swirl and fade to darkness, she stretched her eyes wide and strained her ears, desperate to catch every little bit of StarClan that she could to carry with her. Flashpaw, her new name echoed inside of her head as she blinked her eyes back open next to a much less bright moonstone than she had originally laid down beside.

"It was beautiful, Logleap. Now, I need to go and tell my mother and father that I am Flashpaw, medicine cat apprentice of ThunderClan."