Hope was taking swift bites from a juicy rabbit, blue-gray tail resting on Sun's trembling back. Neither of them were ready to overcome the news of this sudden journey, but Sun was taking it even worse than Hope, herself, who was the only one who was actually supposed to be going.
"Calm down," she soothed. "We might not even be gone for that long. We'll probably be back within the next few moons, whether we fulfill the intended purpose of ths journey or not."
Sun could only give a shaky nod, shifting her position so her golden flank was pressed against Hope's. It was moments like these that it truly felt like they were family.
"Hope? Sun? Are you ready? It's about time to go, the sun has almost risen."
The two she-cats turned her head to see Hurl, who had most likely been the one to speak. He was accompanied by Bronze.
Hope dipped her head, leaving Sun to finish the rest of the rabbit. "I'm ready. Sun?"
Sun nodded uncertainly, her blue gaze unreadable. "I'm ready," she said in a soft mew.
Hurl sighed. "We'll both miss you deeply. Make us proud," he said with a gentle smile, resting his tail on Hope's shoulder. It wasn't often that he showed affection, so it was a welcome gesture.
Hope nodded. "We will, I promise. We should get going," she mewed with a sideways glance at Sun, who nodded in agreement. Her eyes were fixed on Hope, and she still seemed a bit shaky because of the whole ordeal.
"Very well," Bronze said, his voice gruff and dry- he visibly didn't use it often. "Cassidy has some sort of… plant to give you two. She says it'll help you on your journey." Though his demeanour was calm and serious, unspoken emotion filled his eyes as he looked down at his own tenderfoot. There was no doubt they would miss each other deeply.
Hope stood up to meet the brown advisor at the camp entrance, but waited as Sun quickly stood up to nuzzle her mentee. After that, she turned to face Hope and gave a slight nod of her head and flick of her tail to signal that she was ready to go. The two young she-cats headed towards Cassidy.
"Hello," the small brown she-cat greeted, bright yellow eyes gazing steadily at Hope. "This is burnet- you are to consume it, it'll give you strength on your journey. It's one of the few herbs my mother taught me about when I was young." She nudged two thick, bright green stems full of strange pink flowers towards the two tenderfeet. Hope and Sun both ate their own in turn.
"The whole group will miss you," Cassidy rasped. "Have courage, young ones. Fulfill whatever is meant to be fulfilled, your purpose shows itself in the moon and stars."
Hope smiled, she didn't know the old brown she-cat well, but her words still warmed her heart. "Thank you," she meowed. "We should be on our way."
Cassidy dipped her head and let the two pass. Hope draped her tail over Sun's back as they padded out of camp, looking at her reassuringly.
Sun smiled back, and for now, it seemed like everything would be alright. She held on to the feeling as best she could, as she feared it may not last long.
Sun stopped abruptly at the Rushing Fire of Dragon's Breath's farthest western border, gazing out into the wide, open land beyond. Hope looked with her, feeling a pang of longing to turn around and waltz back into camp, going back to her regular, everyday duties. But she couldn't- Sun could, but she couldn't. She was destined to do whatever the moons wished her to, and there was no way she could let everyone who was counting on her down. Taking a deep breath, she took an unsteady step forwards.
"We may be leaving home for now," she said gently to Sun, "but we will never truly gone. Perhaps we may return, like I said earlier. We have a purpose, just like any other cat. It's time for us to accept that." Her mew caught on the last few words. She was trying to reassure herself just as much as she was trying to reassure the golden she-cat beside her.
Sun took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go, I'm ready. No more dwelling on home or the past, we have to accept our fate." She bounded across the stretch of open more with confidence, and Hope matched her speed, eyes shining. She was finally meant for something, and it made her feel nice inside.
But that couldn't stop the creeping feeling that this journey wouldn't be easy, and that at some point, it would all come crashing down.