Sollight's Guidance Tallclan's Venture

Travel to the trees of silence

A/N Hope you enjoy reading this, these books are a huge passion project so it means alot to see you reading!
(Crossposted on Ao3, can also be found in the clangen discord server!)

The moon flitted through the vines of the den, slowly spreading across the apprentice den's floor, teasing a young, black tuxedo cat. The young tom twitched for a moment before his bright green eyes shot open and slowly scanned the area around him. The cat's fur bristled slightly as he turned his attention to the intruding sun, almost scolding it for waking him from his sleep.
His long, black and red tail twitched for a moment, before curling back around his body as the apprentice allowed his head to fall back down onto the den's floor. He sighed for a moment, and soon slipped back into his deep sleep, unaware of the bright blue eyes that followed him closely.
"Sleep well, young apprentice," Whispered the lightly sparkling cat as its ragged black tail drifted over the young cat's lithe form.
"Soon you will find yourself unable to sleep, eyes heavy with truama from the distruction witnessed. You wont see the world the same, oh selfish sun."
The black sepiea point touched his nose to the younger cat's forehead for a moment before slipping out of the den and climbing the stars. Leaving only a trail of moon dust behind him, and a white splotch on top of the calico's head.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Buzzardpaw!"
Whined a thick pelted, ginger tom, as he swatted away a taller, much longer tom
"I dont need to be cleaned like it's my apprentice ceremony!"
Buzzardpaw swatted the younger apprentice, Featherpaw, back before continuing to groom the other cat.
"It is your first gathering, though." He replied stubbornly, black tail lashing angrily behind him as he aggressively patted down a particularly stubborn peice of hair.
"I Know- its just, Im grown enough to clean myself." His voice still carried a hint of a whine, as he licked his paw and fixed the fur tuft himself.
"You are the one representing our clan," Purred Buzzardpaw, as he sat himself down beside the other cat, tail curling around his brother's body reassuringly. "Im just trying to make sure you aren't embarrassing yourself, silly,"
Buzzardpaw could practically feel the eyeroll within the younger tom's tone as he turned to face the elder and much taller calico, "Wow, what a great older sibling you are."
They both glared at eachother for a moment, before breaking out into a fit of laughter, eyes filling with tears as they pushed one another back and forth.
"Buzzardpaw, Featherpaw, its time to go!"
Called a Medium haired chocolate calico she-cat from across the clearing, accompanied by a much longer pelted chocolate calico point tom that stood beside her.
The two cats quickly trotted over to their mentors, still lightly harassing the other in the process.
"You two had better get your energy out during the way to the gathering, else you will get kicked out," Teased the elder she-cat, as she playfully nudged Buzzardpaw's shoulder.
"Is that true?" wondered Buzzardpaw to Buzzardmoon, green eyes wide with interest as he hopped from one paw to the other, clearly exited to finally get out of the clan and see other cats. Ones that have been rumored to be a few good foxlengths taller than the entirety of the clan.
"I dont know, Buzzardpaw, no one had ever been so annoying that all the clans were collectedly upset about it." Offered Mumbleflower with his own reply, his voice was as soft as always and provided a hint of comfort to the slightly anxious tom.
Featherpaw hummed in agreement, standing close beside the stocky frame of Buzzardmoon as he glanced up at the setting sun, "Its not like the clans would ever agree on that type of stuff anyways."
The three other cats nodded in agreement, paitently waiting for Webstar,Dawnwillow and Sandylight to exit the leaders den and send them on their way.
"Tallclan!" Shouted a blue tortiseshell from across the camp, standing tall and indipendent infront of a Black Rosseted tabby with a crooked jaw, plush fur and yellow eyes.
"It is time for us to leave for the gathering, warriors Brightlight and Lichenshine are to stay behind and sit in vigil for the night.
Multiple yowls of agreemnet shouted through the clearing and Sandylight soon poked their head from between the vines that hid the medicine den from sight. They looked creepily simmilar to Featherpaw and half the clan often wondered if they were distantly related in some way.
The small trio of cats trotted up to the younger group, and Webstar motioned for the five to follow her as she slipped out of the moise cave and out into the dry air beyond.
It wasnt long before the group of seven found themselves scaling the cave's wall and crossed the rocky moor into no-cats land. They walked for three days, and stopped every now and then to rest their sore and aching paws. Sandylight would reach into their leaf pouch and treat their paws whenever they could, before the group set on once more.
"Jeez, sometimes I wonder if it really is worth it to live so far out of the way." Complained Featherpaw as he leaped across a particularly deep cliff.
"We dont have as much competition for prey, its a good treat in no leaf so we dont have to stress as much as the other clans." Explained Sandylight as she followed in Featherpaw's path.
The young tom only groaned loudly, and the group fell into silence once more.