Juniperpaw's Moonstone Journey (2.0)

Sagelight shook out his fur as he padded out of his den, mouth full with two bundles of traveling herbs. Today he would take his youngest nephew Juniperpaw to the Moonstone. The poor black tom had been through a lot already. His first journey to the Moonstone, with Honeysong, had been rained out. Then his mentor and grandmother Firflower passed away...The lynx point tom sighed through the bundles in his teeth, a pang of sadness rippling down his pelt. He missed them, Firflower and Honeysong. He knew Firflower was looking down on them from StarClan but Honeysong...He could only hope she was up there too. All in all, this would be an emotional journey for both toms.

He set the two bundles of herbs outside the apprentices' den and stuck his head in the entrance to the den, calling softly, "Juniperpaw, come join me outside, it's time to go." While he was waiting for his nephew to wake up, he lapped up his share of the traveling herbs, completely unfazed at the bitter taste. He had to admit...it would be nice to spend time with the black apprentice. He very much enjoyed his company, he was fun and energetic and it made Sagelight feel younger. Hopefully everything would go smoothly on their journey.

His uncle's voice woke Juniperpaw from his troubled dreams. The black apprentice knew what it was about, and while a normal apprentice would have been enthusiastic, he was disheartened. He lingered in his nest for a few moments before finally responding to the call by standing, stretching, and stepping softly over his denmates to get out of the den. They'd all slept quite far apart to avoid building up body heat in the warm Greenleaf nights. When he saw Sagelight, Juniperpaw smiled a bright, affectionate smile and rubbed his cheek against his shoulder with a rumbling purr. No words were needed to tell the medicine cat how much Juniperpaw liked to see him. A pang of sadness rippled in his heart as he recalled the last attempt at a moonstone journey. Had StarClan denied him by sending the rain on purpose, or was it just a coincidence? At least he'd been able to make part of the journey with Honeysong before being sent back. Any time at all with his sweet sister was a blessing, especially now that...

Juniperpaw spotted his bundle of traveling herbs by Sagelight's paws and ate them quickly without waiting for instruction. The gross taste anchored him to the present, and this was perhaps the first and only time he wanted to stay out of his head and pay attention to the things around him.

Sagelight rumbled a purr in response to Juniperpaw's, giving the apprentice's head a quick, affectionate lick. The uncle and nephew were both equally happy to see each other, it seemed, which made Sagelight's grieving heart heal a little. He watched and stood idly by as Juniperpaw ate his herbs, feeling a pang of sadness that his nephew had to go through this whole process all over again. Hopefully this time, it would stick. When the black tom was ready, he led the way out of camp, tracing the familiar path he had taken for several moons now. The pair stopped by the creek briefly to let Juniperpaw get a drink of water, and then they were off.

This Greenleaf was hot and humid and sticky, and the journey to the Moonstone was long, but the two toms were blessed with short hair and an uneventful trip. Sagelight passed the time by talking with his nephew, asking about his training and what he had been up to lately. His company was encouraging. Finally, the medicine cat and apprentice leapt up the last few rocks that led to Mothermouth, and Sagelight stopped to face Juniperpaw. "Alright, we're almost there. I'll lead you down the tunnel to the Moonstone, it should be lit up already," he said, glancing up at the night sky to confirm his suspicions. "The tunnel is winding and very dark, so stay close on my tail and feel for the wall with your whiskers. When we reach the cavern with the Moonstone, I'll stay in the entrance and you go on in ahead of me. Touch your nose to the stone and a StarClan cat will come and speak with you." Sagelight smiled now, a tired but encouraging smile, and he leaned forward to touch Juniperpaw's head with his nose. "I'm so proud of you. You've come so far, and I know it's been difficult, but you're almost there. And...I know for a fact that Mom, Firflower I mean, is proud of you too." He gave his nephew another lick, then turned tail and led the way down the tunnel.

The pair of cats finally rounded one last corner and came into the cavern, the Moonstone filling the space with moonlight. Sagelight sat down just inside the entrance and motioned for the black apprentice to continue on in with his tail, watching him closely with a soft smile.

Juniperpaw followed obediently, grateful for Sagelight's kind words. Though the journey had been pretty long, he felt energized enough to step into the inner tunnel with some bounce. He'd finally do it right this time, and maybe his dad would be proud of him for taking another step closer to being a warrior. And Wolfcall would be happy, too, even though he'd been so busy with his own kits lately. That was okay. Juniperpaw was fine to be in the background of everybody's lives. They all had important things to do. With one more glance back at his uncle, the black apprentice stepped up the the glittering stone and laid down next to it. He tapped his nose gently to the surface and felt his eye flutter closed.

With a large forepaw, Swiftflight stepped forward and gently prodded Juniperpaw's shoulder. It hadn't been too long since he'd last spoken to an apprentice, and he would never readily admit that it hadn't gone the best. Bloodstrike was an interesting cat, to say the least. Now, however, that was irrelevant, as it was Juniperpaw's turn to speak with a StarClan cat. The former SkyClan warrior was meant to give him some life-altering advice, to set him on the right path and shape him into a worthy warrior. That was something that Swiftflight already knew was unlikely to happen, as he hadn't done much good in his living moons to merit such wisdom. But nonetheless, here he stood, watching as the young tom blinked his eyes and marveled at the starry landscape around him. There was a stark difference between the two of them- Juniperpaw had a pitch-black coat with marvelous yellow eyes. Swiftflight lacked such dark colors, with a pelt purer than freshly fallen snow. He also boasted a large frame with muscular hind legs, and while SkyClan hadn't failed to train the apprentice and grow his strength, the young tom just didn't compare to Swiftflight's size. Perhaps the coming moons would grant him growth, but Swiftflight doubted that much. Clearing his throat to bring Juniperpaw to attention, he began by introducing himself. "Name's Swiftflight, former SkyClan warrior from before your time. I'm here to guide you on the path to warriorhood by answering any questions you may have and offering you some advice." He said plainly, flicking his tail. For now, he would leave the floor open to Juniperpaw to present any questions of his own. If he couldn't come up with any, then he'd have to figure out some odd scrap of advice and hope that it was enough to satisfy the other deceased warriors.

The sight of StarClan's territory was lovelier than words could explain. His yellow eyes opened wide, taking in as much of it as he could, before realizing that someone else had nudged him. Juniperpaw wasn't surprised by Swiftlight's presence. StarClan had been a truth to him since the very beginning of his life. Who would question the ancestors who looked out for them, even when it seemed like they were far away? The black cat turned to the white one, a calm smile curling his mouth. A purr rumbled almost inaudibly in his chest, his friendly and welcoming nature already taking charge. There was no sense of fear or intimidation from the small tom; he was used to being shorter and thinner than most cats in his Clan. The apprentice dipped his head in deep respect. "Hello, Swiftflight! I'm Juniperpaw. You probably already know, though," He chimed, eyes sliding bashfully to the side. So this StarClan cat could offer advice and answer questions? Juniperpaw hummed while he considered what he wanted to ask. He had many questions about the strange habits of beetles and where the moon disappeared to every now and then, but somehow it seemed like Swiftflight wouldn't answer that type of curiosity. His heart settled on his question, nervousness beginning to bundle up in his stomach as he considered the one sentiment he'd thought about ever since his younger friends, Wrenspring and Redfall, left the apprentice den. "Um, so... do you think... will my dad love me when I finally become a warrior?" Juniperpaw meowed quietly, picking at the ground with a toe and peering up at Swiftlight with hesitation in his bright eyes.

Swiftflight let his gaze wander a bit as Juniperpaw pondered the question, his tail tip and whiskers twitching subconsciously. His face formed into some sort of a scowl that he scrambled to cover when Juniperpaw's maw opened once again, confusion wracking his brain. "That's an... Odd question. The answer is... Rather obvious, I think, but okay." Clearing his throat, the tom stiffened as he looked down at the apprentice. "Your father already loves you, unconditionally. The way everybody shows love is different, and although you may not feel like he does, Spottedstar loves you. I am sure of this." Swiftflight shifted uneasily on his haunches, uncomfortable with the question itself. "Is... Is that all?" He said slowly.