Bloodpaw's Moonstone Journey

He didn't feel qualified to take apprentices to the Moonstone. Not anymore, not after what he did. Sagelight had yet to talk to his brother Spottedstar about what had happened; he was, honestly, scared about what his reaction would be. Of course he would never do it on purpose, never in a million moons...But that didn't change what happened. Sagelight got up from his nest with a grunt, his limbs feeling stiff and tired. It was a good thing he and Honeysong had already compiled traveling herbs together in bundles. He couldn't mistake those for anything else...After swallowing his share of the herbs with tired resignation, he grabbed the other bundle in his mouth and brought it to the entrance to the apprentices' den.

Today, he would be taking Bloodpaw to the Moonstone. Bloodpaw was Wolfcall's son, and Wolfcall was Spottedstar's son, which made Bloodpaw his grandnephew. Time had really flown by...it felt like just yesterday he was helping Blossomstep have her litter. Now, one of her kits was close to becoming a warrior...Sagelight shuddered a little at the thought. While SkyClan needed more warriors, it was hard for him to acknowledge how quickly time was passing. Was he getting old? He certainly felt like it sometimes.

Sagelight poked his head into the den, his voice heavy with exhaustion. He really needed more sleep... "Bloodpaw, it's time to go. Meet me out here, I have your herbs for you." No excitement, no spark of light that the medicine cat was known for. Just another morning, another day, another apprentice, and that was all.

Bloodpaw snoozed away in his den, recovering once again from sneaking off to the borders at night. The last time he'd gone out was two days ago to the Fallen Oak where he met Beecloud... an odd looking Thunderclan warrior. Tonight was the night that he was supposed to recover... but not so. He'd gotten enough sleep to function at about 80% mental capacity when Sagelight woke him.

For just a moment, Bloodpaw thought he'd been caught. It took him a few moments to register what Sagelight said or what he meant. Go where? .... oh... Ohhhh! Bloodpaw got to his feet and padded outside after Sagelight. He did notice how the medicine cat was acting as well. He didn't know a ton about Sagelight and rarely had to visit him, but he knew enough to see that he was.... off.

"Tired I guess?" Bloodpaw offered with a smile. A sleepy one. He looked at the leafy grassy thingies on the ground near Sagelight. Oh joy. He had to eat those.

"How many do I take?"

Sagelight was lost in thought, staring out towards the entrance to camp with an absent, glazed-over look. His ear flicked in acknowledgement of Bloodpaw's presence but he didn't react other than that. "T-r-d I g---s?" came the young voice. The medicine cat blinked, turning to look at him. "Sorry, I didn't catch that, what did you say...?" Curse his poor hearing...

Bloodpaw spoke again, gesturing towards the bundle of herbs at his paws. "Ho- m-ny do - t-k-?" came the voice again. Sagelight shook his head to try and clear it, sending a shudder of fur down his whole body. He was trying to be more present, he really was. Things were just hard right now. If he understood correctly, Bloodpaw was asking how many herbs to take. The older tom offered a slight, crooked smile reminiscent of his old bright grins. "You gotta eat all of them, they're all necessary. They don't taste very good, though. Just a warning. Eat those and we'll be on our way."

He'd forgotten that Sagelight was hard of hearing. He only remembered because it looked like he was straining to hear. Bloodpaw shook himself off as if he could literally shed sleepiness as if it were water. He would remember to speak up.

With a sigh, Bloodpaw braced himself for the bitter flavors that were about to flood his mouth. He shot his teeth toward the herbs and tried to get them down as fast as possible. It was all he could do to keep from wretching.

OOC: Time skip now or not yet?

(OOC: I'll handle the timeskip, don't worry about it! :3 )

Sagelight flicked his tail, an amused half-smile crossing his weary face as he watched Bloodpaw choke down the herbs. Once the young tom was done, he rose to his paws and led the way out of camp. "We'll stop at the creek for a little bit so you can get that taste out of your mouth, then we'll be on our way, sound good?" Without waiting for a response, he padded out towards the creek and let Bloodpaw take a drink, then set off down the familiar pathway towards Highstones.

From SkyClan, it was a rather long walk to Highstones, but the pair of cats made it in pretty good time. Luckily for Sagelight, nothing particularly out of the ordinary happened and they made it to the sacred slope with little trouble. The stocky medicine cat picked his way up the path to the Mothermouth and stopped outside the entrance, turning to face the apprentice. "The Moonstone is inside here. We have to go down a tunnel to reach it, so stay close on my tail and use your whiskers to feel for the wall. Please stay quiet when we go in, because this site is sacred. Now, when we make it to the cavern with the Moonstone, I'll stay behind at the entrance and you'll go inside ahead of me. Touch your nose to the Moonstone and StarClan will come and speak to you. Ready?" With a final, weary smile, Sagelight turned again and led the way down the tunnel. Once they reached the cavern with the Moonstone, he sat at the entrance just as he had promised and motioned with his tail for Bloodpaw to go in. The Moonstone was already lit, shining brilliantly against the darkness of the cavern.

Water to get the taste out of his mouth? Yes please, before too much mouth foaming starts. Bloodpaw hadn't been so thankful for water in his entire life. He purposely dunked his chin under the water to wash his face of the foamy saliva that had accumulated there, a common thing that cats did when they tasted something unpleasant. At least Bloodpaw had the decency to brave a little bit of water and not just wear it around.


*****


The herbs had proven to be useful. Even Bloodpaw was surprised that he neither felt weary nor hungry the entire journey there. He took in the sights, sounds and smells of the foreign landscapes. He'd hoped to see a Windclan patrol at some point, but to his disappointment the journey had been quiet. He wondered where Sagelight had gotten the herbs, not that he intended to ever be a medicine cat, but why didn't warriors use these herbs for combat? Having an infinite energy sounded... useful. Surely there would be side effects once the herbs wore off, as Bloodpaw was sure he'd discover, but this was an idea that he wanted to explore at some point. Maybe Sagelight would help him, maybe he'd be berated for his idea.

His thoughts then turned to paying attention to the medicine cat's instructions. He nodded once Sagelight was done speaking. Bloodpaw stalked down the tunnel and toward the Moonstone. The closer he got, the slower and lighter he stepped. He could practically feel the presence of Starclan in this place as it was... His mind flashed back to the gathering and to his conversation with Flintstar about the Righteous Few.... what if he met one of them?

Bloodpaw steeled his nerves and forced himself forward. He took in a deep breath and braced himself for this experience. Finally, Starclan was going to be a tangible entity for him... not just a whisper of a story like they had been to him his whole life. He was about to have proof that there was life after death...

Whatever Starclan cat comes to me... please... I want answers. If it takes a long time to answer my questions, so be it. Sagelight can wait. I don't know if I will ever get the chance to speak to you again. Bloodpaw lie down on his belly with his forelegs tucked under him. He leaned his head forward, closed his eyes, and exhaled slowly as his nose brushed against the surface of the Moonstone...

Alright... come to me...

A slight smirk began to form of Swiftflight's maw as Bloodpaw's pelt began to take form, the sleeping tom on the starry grass before him. "Hello, Bloodpaw. Time to wake up." He mewed, his fluffy white pelt ruffled by the slight breeze. It had been such a long time since he'd spoken to such a young, growing warrior- that task had been designated to the more put together and wise warriors. Not that he didn't quite fit that bill- but he could be rather sarcastic and chaotic at times, which could be misleading to such young minds. Nevertheless, he was here now to speak with Bloodpaw- and he hoped the conversation would at least be interesting.

Bloodpaw heard a voice that made him open his eyes. When he did... everything was different. He got up from his crouched position, his head turning this way and that way to take in his surroundings. His eyes finally landed on the starry pelt of an unknown cat.

"So... this stuff is real..." he muttered, mostly to himself. "Well... you know who I am. Who are you?" he asked. He shifted his paws in place. Even the grass beneath his paws felt different.

"I have a lot that I want to ask but I don'tknow where to begin. I guess... what do you already know about me?" Mostly he wondered if Starclan was omniscient. If they were, he didn't need to explain his little trips to the border were to try to save his clan from a crappy reputation. He could just ask if he was doing the right thing and if there were any pitfalls he needed to watch out for.

Swiftflight's gaze grew a bit brighter when the young SkyClanner woke up, nodding along with his statement. "What, did you think everyone you know conspired to trick you into thinking a Clan of deceased warriors watched over you every day?" He mewed sarcastically, settling down before the tom. "My name is Swiftflight. I died many moons before you were born, drowned saving a kit from the rapids." He puffed his chest out slightly, proud of at least dying for a good cause. He chucked at the tom's next question, casting lines across his face that showed that he was genuine. "I know everything I must. You're quite bold, thinking SkyClan's... What, safety? rests solely in your paws." Perhaps the reason Swiftflight rarely got to speak with the apprentices was that he had a tendency to poke at them in ways he probably shouldn't.

Bloodpaw shrugged at the question of everyone conspiring against him. "No, but it was possible that they were just wrong." Clearly they weren't though. So fine, Starclan was real.

"Skyclan's safety is all of our responsibility... just some are better at it than others." He forced his mind to stay clear, just in case Swiftflight was a mind reader. "My goal is to become Bloodstar eventually, but I know I need to become deputy first. I guess that means I'd be working for my dad at some point. It's his trust and confidence that I need, but I think I could get that with the approval of the rest of the clan." His gaze focused on the starry warrior's eyes. "Any ideas on how I could go about doing that? And I mean above and beyond. None of this, 'do your hunting patrols well and defend your borders' stuff. Every clan cat does that. I need ideas on how to do more."

"Interesting theory." Swiftflight said mockingly, quieting himself when Bloodpaw began to speak again. "And you think you're better at it than most of your Clanmates, I assume?" The fluffy white warrior laughed in amusement, whiskers twitching as Bloodpaw went on about becoming deputy, and eventually leader. "How about setting your sights on becoming an actual warrior first, eh?" Swiftflight couldn't help himself- this poor tom was taking it so seriously, but somehow, he just found it hilarious.

"I mean, with how confident you are in your own abilities, you should already have allllll the she-cats pining for you, right?" Swiftlight's tail tip twitched every couple seconds as his laughter died down, his expression growing a little more serious. "Alright, alright. I better get to it, before Crowstar comes and slaps me right into the mist." Settling down a bit, the tom locked his eyes on Bloodpaw's. "I promise that doing your patrols and defending the borders will give you more credit among the Clan, but if you want to do more... Well, I've got a couple ideas, but I can't just give away all my secrets, can I?" Shaking his head, he let out another light chuckle. "Kidding, kidding. But sometimes... The best friends you can have come from outside of the Clan, not within. It seems that's not what you're looking for though, now it is?" A smirk began to build on Swiftflight's maw, more... mischievous than his usual goofy grin. "Anyway... You seek to be respected, so do something worthy of respect. For you, I would use your... assets to your advantage. You're strong, and you've not too terrible of a fighter. Make sure they know that you'd cross every line to ensure their safety- they must know they are protected, and trust that you are there for them and have their best interests at heart- even if they don't see that that's your goal. Do with that what you will... There are many ways to go about it." Swiftflight mewed. His tone had grown more and more serious as he spoke, which was quite unusual for the fluffy tom.

Bloodpaw listened to the starry warrior speak, but the more he did, the less Bloodpaw knew how to feel about seeking Starclan's guidance.

"And you think you're better at it than most of your Clanmates, I assume?"

"You assume incorrectly." But he held his tongue aside from that, kept his emotions stable and kept his mind clear.

"How about setting your sights on becoming an actual warrior first, eh?"

"That's... what I'm here for..." He forced his mind to be clear of any snark, but he was wanting to get snarky at this point. One thing he did not like he was being talked down to.

"I mean, with how confident you are in your own abilities, you should already have allllll the she-cats pining for you, right?"

"I don't know... I've never looked at them. They're not a priority for me right now." Bloodpaw almost stopped listening and was about to cut Swiftlfight off, thank him for his time, and try to force himself awake. Finally though, it seemed the warrior was going to speak intelligently rather than just poke and prod at him. Even still... Bloodpaw was left at the end of that conversation still... wanting. He knew all of this already. Maybe Swiftflight wasn't who he needed to talk to.

"Okay. Is Starclan willing to throw an opportunity or two my way to give me a chance to stand out? Waiting around for Spottedstar to get old, then waiting around for my dad to get old is a lot slower of an ascent than I'd like. I love my dad, but if..."

No.... do not think like that... He scolded himself.

"If I were to prove to be a better fit for deputy before...." He stopped himself again. There was no good way to word this. Maybe because what he was asking for was not... good. Was it? Bloodpaw eventually shook his head and dismissed his thoughts entirely.

"Help me get there and I will be the best leader Skyclan ever has had and ever will have again. I will make it so." He spoke with such conviction and confidence that he was sure Swiftlfight would scoff at him some more. Let him. Bloodpaw's goal was to convince Starclan to send opportunities his way, whether they laughed now, then thought about it later, or not. Only time would tell. If Swiftflight had nothing more to say, then Bloodpaw supposed he'd asked the questions he needed to and made a request that he felt was necessary. The rest was up to Sstarclan.

Swiftflight deflected Bloodpaw's comments as they came, letting him take in the information before speaking again. "StarClan has thrown opportunities your way, you just haven't realized it. Everything happens for a reason, and those reasons tend to be very complex and rely on many factors." He said vaguely. He raised a brow at Bloodpaw's next suggestion, even if it had been cut off. "If what? If you... interfered? And how, exactly, are you planning to do that? I am genuinely curious." After waiting a moment, he decided to add a bit of wisdom to his last statement. "Sometimes we have to make things happen for ourselves. In many cases... It's only a matter of how. I believe you, Bloodpaw. Tell me your plans."

Bloodpaw stared for several seconds, stunned. Swiftflight... believed him? A few more heartbeats passed before Bloodpaw's daze left him and he shook off what he perceived as his own gullibility. Swiftflight didn't believe him, not really. How could he? He had no real reason to actually believe anything Bloodpaw was saying. Still... part of his plan was this. He had to convince Starclan to stay their wrath for a while if he were to succeed. He took in a breath to steel his nerves before speaking.

"Okay, hopefully Sagelight doesn't think I've died in here. This won't be a fast explanation." Oh boy, I've done it now... He didn't think this would end up being his first step, yet here it was. He always pictured a medicine cat loyal to his cause doing this for him, someone more diplomatic and who held better sway with Starclan than some uppity apprentice.

"I know enough about Skyclan's history to know that we follow the code that you have set for us better than the other clans, and that is why the Righteous Few spared us while they attacked and took the lives of other clans' cats. We have followed your code to the point that we are now in a predicament, that as far as I know Spottedstar is ignoring or just isn't sure what to do about it.

I know litters with other clans and outsiders of Skyclan is forbidden. I understand why even, to preserve Skyclan as Skyclan and not, kit of mongrel A and half kit of Kittypet B. It's noble. It's pure. I love the idea of it. But all of Starclan must see that while once it made us strong, it is now making us weak. My choice of potential mates for the future is slim, unless I start considering my sisters. I have five for crying out loud! Skyclan can't be the only clan suffering from this either, though we are probably suffering the most, as we have no way of getting fresh blood into our clan as long as we so strictly adhere to your warrior code.

As Skyclan's leader, I intend to temporarily abolish it, but only if Starclan agrees to allow this time of reprieve. I will start making Skyclan better by making our bloodlines better. My next step is to increase our numbers by putting other laws in place that would only ever apply to Skyclan. First, since she-cats are the bearers of kits, they will be more readily accepted into Skyclan, but never be permitted to leave without leaving a litter behind first to be trained as Skyclan warriors. The loss of one cat at that point no longer matters, as we have replaced her with at least one kit that will be raised one hundred percent Skyclan, and that is assuming that she only has one. Toms will be under accepted under heavier scrutiny, as we will only accept strong, healthy warriors if they are to be coming from the outside.

A similar law will be put into place for them to leave, if they so wish. They will have had to have at least one litter. With these laws in place, Skyclan's numbers will grow dramatically, and the new members of Skyclan will be not only healthier, but also have a better selection of mates in the future without worrying about too many of us being related.

I also wish to introduce a new tradition for Skyclan apprentices. Before they become warriors, we will collect several of them together. As a rite of passage, I want them to hunt a predator as they do with prey, but as a team. They will have one experienced warrior leading the charge to assist if needed. Having them hunt a predator together gives the apprentices the battle experience that they need, but also teaches them how to fight as a clan cooperatively. I feel too many apprentices hunt or fight only with their mentors, which is fine, but leaves their skills much to be desired in larger battles. I also think this will strengthen clan bonds beyond just an apprentice, the mentor, and whatever medicine cat that has to fix them up. Only once they bring a predator down or at least chase it away, will they be given warrior ceremonies. This will cut down on predation on our clan members as well.

You may find this next view of mine to be very cruel, because it is, but it will ensure that only the strongest of our clan survive to have litters... the predators will kill plenty of apprentices, I am sure. But they won't kill the good ones, just the ones who are too slow, too hesitant to make fast decisions, too overconfident, or those that have underlying illnesses that would be detrimental to be passed on to future Skyclan cats.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that with these laws in place, as well as Starclan's leniency to allow this to happen, Skyclan will become stronger, more numerous, healthier and have a stronger bond with each other over all. No more of this inner-clan conflict nonsense that we have now. Once Skyclan has stabilized, I would gladly revert back to the old Warrior Code, or leave instructions for the leader after me to do so."

He went quiet for a few moments, wondering if his soul was about to ripped from his body and thrown to the Place of No Stars for his suggestions. If that was what would happen, so be it. It was things that needed to be said, and if Starclan didn't consider it now, maybe they would in the future.

"I hope you, nor any other Starclan cat, takes offense to my ideas. I will always have my clan's best interest at heart, and I will risk my pelt and my soul to trying to find ways to improve and protect my family."

And with that, Bloodpaw fell silent and awaited whatever was to befall him, good, bad, or nothing at all.