Brookpaw's Moonstone Journey

❒ Brookpaw had awoken with an exaggerated yawn and a long stretch. Even with her groggy mind, she could feel her excitement rolling off her in waves. Today, she was finally given the privilege to travel to the Moonstone and speak with a Starclan can. Because of this, however, she was also feeling a tad melancholy and nervous. She hoped to finally meet her mother or see her father or Duckkit again. She had missed her immediate family a lot and just wanted to tell them all about her training. She truly hoped they were proud of her. She was trying her best each and every day. Hopefully, if she met her mother, she'd like how she turned out. Brookapw had been told that her mother had passed away during the birth of her kits. In a way, this would be as if she was opening her eyes for the first time and actually seeing the smiling face of her mother who was more than ready to raise her kits instead of a cold, empty nest and only her sister wriggling desperately beside her. She'd never met her mother and she hoped that the streak would end today.

❒ After having eaten the bundle of bitter herbs that Dovesight had prepared for her, she licked her mouth and nodded at the young medicine cat. "I'm ready," was all she said before Brookpaw was led out of the camp. She took a deep breath and let it out. It was time to make her nest and lie in it—so to speak.

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❒ The journey to the mystical stone had been a long and tiring one but Brookpaw had had a great time getting to see what lay beyond her clan's borders—perhaps even see what was beyond the clans themselves. It was only a taste but it had been a good one. She hoped to be able to see a little more one day. For now, they had a task to finish. She can think about all this at a later date.

❒ Sucking in a breath as her eyes set upon the glowing rock, she carefully stepped up to it after Dovesight had instructed her on what to do. She plopped herself down and eyed the Moonstone before tentatively pressing her nose to it. She shivered at the cold surface but suddenly began to have a hard time keeping her eyes open. Before long, she could no longer struggle against Starclan's pull and her world dove into a peaceful darkeness.

❒ Blinking her eyes awake, the young brown tabby sat up, a bit disoriented. Her head felt a bit fuzzy but as soon as she was clearly thinking again, she felt a rise of panic before softly giggling in relief. For a moment there, she had thought that Starclan had somehow shoved her away and had placed her back on Riverclan soil. However, the more she looked at her surroundings, the more in awe she became. She was in Starclan. She just happened to be brought to a place that looked very similar to her home. However, that wouldn't be the biggest surprise she'd receive that day.

❒ Before she could even process much, Brookpaw was startled by a sudden voice then a blurry figure rushing over to her then pulling her into an embrace. Her blue eyes were wide and she felt herself stiffen. She had almost pulled away instantly but something about this made her tough attitude melt away—she herself was melting into the embrace. Whoever this was made her feel things. She was scared but also wasn't. They had no ill intentions it seemed so that had made her relax even further. It was all so confusing to her but her questions finally received their much needed answers.

❒ The mystery she-cat's words had finally processed and she pulled away with a gasp to get a better look at her. The she-cat, Mallowmist, was very pretty. Her heart constricted and she felt her throat tighten as she gazed upon the face of her mother. She tried to say something, anything but no words left her. She tried to blink away the tears that were escaping but it was much too late for that. "Mama," she whispered hoarsely. She offered a shaky smile. "L-Look mama. I-I see you." At that point, she couldn't fend off the sob that had broken through her defenses. her whole frame shook as she pressed herself against Mallowmist in desperation. She buried her face in the older molly's chest. She never wanted to leave. She finally had her wish. It was something she'd been looking forward to since she was a kit.

❒ Some time passed before Brookpaw had calmed down enough. Her head was whirling and she felt a tad overwhelmed. She carefully lifted her face and stared up at her mother. She wanted to remember what she looked like—wanted to remember what she sounded like. "M-Mama? I- You said you were proud of me? Are you always watching me? Are pa a-and Duckkit doing the same thing? Are they watching me too? I-I've always dreamed of this. I've always wanted to see you. I've always wanted you to be proud of me and hearing you say it is so surreal. It's almost like a dream b-but I know it's not..." She trailed off as her eyes turned to stare ahead. "You'll be there? At my warrior ceremony? You and pa and Duckkit? Will you see me earn my warrior name?"

❒ For the first time ever, Brookpaw could feel her heart practically soar! Her mother was wonderful! She was like what Brook had expected a mother to be like and more! Every word that Mallowmist spoke soothed the young molly's worries. She was never alone. She now knew that she had more siblings than just Duckkit! How awesome is that? She had a loving family that would always be there for her no matter what. She was never truly alone and it was about time she understood that.

❒ She couldn't help but beam up at Mallowmist. "T-Thank you, mama! I can't wait for my ceremony! Now that I know you guys will be watchin' me, I want it to be even sooner than ever!" she gushed excitedly. "You also mentioned that I had other siblings. What were their names? O-Oh! Can you tell pa that Storm and Grebe have joined his group? Like the one where you gotta have "dance" in your name to be in it?" She chuckled playfully and shook her head. "I'm kiddin'! I like all their names actually. I hope mine's just as good. Somethin' that's totally me!"

❒ Calming down her eager self, Brookpaw sighed contently. "I'll miss ya, mama. I know that you and the others will be watchin' me b-but it's just that you're all so far away." She pressed herself against the older she-cat with a wistful smile. "Have ya talked to Mapleleaf? Her kits and Owlshriek miss her a lot. I feel sad every time I see them lookin' so down..."