Moonpaw's Moonstone Journey

Another day, another apprentice. Lumbering over to the medicine den, Burdockroot found Moonpaw. This time, she was at least a little familiar with the apprentice. This was one of the apprentices that found poision on her last herb hunt. Pushing the apprentice in the shoulder with her paw, she flicked her tail until Moonpaw woke up. "Follow me." She said, when finally they rose. Heading out of the apprentice den, Burdockroot checked behind her to make sure she was following.

Moonpaw blinked awake at the paw to her shoulder, a look of annoyance crossing her face only to immediately be shoved aside upon realizing just who had woken her up. Not family or her mentor, no. "Burdockroot?" She mewed sleepily, quickly shaking out her pelt and following the medicine cat. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"Moonstone." She called behind her, uncaring if any other apprentice stirred. Burdockroot returned to the den where a pile of traveling herbs lay in wait. There was only one, the one intended for Moonpaw. Moonpaw, going to the Moonstone. Maybe Nightstar would name her Moonstone. Now that would amuse Burdockroot. When the apprentice finally made it to the den, she nudged the leaves forward. "You can eat these. These are traveling herbs." She wanted to really stress the point she made after the herb hunt.

The moonstone. A thrill of excitement swept through Moonpaw. A trip to the moonstone meant that she was further along in her training, just as she had thought!

So these herbs were edible, meaning they were safe. Traveling herbs, though the apprentice was sure there was something more specific than that. She bent down to lap up the herbs... And nearly gagged, a startled hiss escaping her. These were disgusting! "What are these? That's horrible!" She lifted a paw, licking it and drawing it across her mouth as if that might help the wretchedly bitter taste in her mouth. "I'm... ready to go, I guess. Well, I'm awake now." Moonpaw grumbled.

Burdockroot watched with amusement as the apprentice gagged on the herbs. They never really bothered her, but almost every apprentice had the same reaction the first time. "Would you prefer that or sore, aching muscles?" She assumed Moonpaw asking what the herbs actually were was rhetorical. No way an apprentice would actually care. Standing up, she shoot out her fur and stretched her paws. "Come now. We'll be late." With a yawn she started stalking to the entrance.

***

The journey was uneventful like they all were. But soon enough, Moonpaw and herself stood in front of the cave entrance. Moonpaw would be familiar with this area, but not what lays inside. "Follow my tail. It's dark." Plunging into the darkness, Burdockroot didn't hesitate and followed her paws through the winding cave. At this point, it was sheer habit. Eventually, they emerged into the large cave, where the Moonstone had just started to shine.

"Lay down and touch your nose to it. Wake me when you wake up." With another yawn, the mottled cat walked to her usual spot and plopped down, curling into a ball with her tail over her nose. She kept her mismatched eyes open to make sure Moonpaw did as she was told.

Moonpaw said nothing in response to Burdockroot's words, rolling her eyes once the medicine cat had turned away. She quickly followed her however, eager to actually see the moonstone and speak with their supposed ancestors.

---

Burdockroot was right, Moonpaw realized grudgingly. The walk had been a long one, but Moonpaw hardly felt tired. The darkness of the tunnel didn't scare her, though she stuck close to the medicine cat as she led her down anyways, without a word, pawsteps as assured and confident as they always were. Eventually they came to the moonstone, and Moonpaw stood blinking up at the dazzling stone for a moment. Shaking off the sense of awe she felt, she padded up to the stone and settled onto her stomach, touching her nose to it as Burdockroot instructed. Her eyes closed, and though Moonpaw could have sworn she wasn't tired, she was asleep within moments.

A dark furred tom covered in a cloak of stars was already waiting for her. His blazing yellow eyes set upon the apprentice and for several heartbeats, he said nothing. Finally, the dark tom sat, his eyes unchanging.

"You think you're quite something, don't you Moonpaw?" The question was rhetorical really. He immediately spoke again, not giving her time to answer. "I am Burningwing of Shadowclan. In my time I did my best to keep Shadowclan free of outsider blood, despite Froststar's efforts to adopt every rogue kit in the forest." His voice and face betrayed nothing of his emotions. His tail flicked and then wrapped around his paws, shimmering starlight following it's feathery path.

"Have you ever considered your weaknesses, Moonpaw? Do you believe that not acknowledging them simply makes them disappear?" Now, he wanted her to answer.

Pale green eyes blinked open to a marsh that shimmered with starlight. A dark tom sat before her, just as covered in stars as their surroundings were. Burning yellow eyes watched her, and Moonpaw squared her shoulders. She wouldn't give away her misgivings or anxieties. She would appear strong, as a proper Shadowclanner should. An ear twitched at his words. He was Shadowclan, at least, that meant his words might be worth something.

Thought she was something? Why yes, in fact. Why wouldn't she? Burningwing didn't give her time to answer, and that was fine. He likely knew what her answer would have been, anyways. There was little point in stating the obvious.

"Hmm, is that where Nightstar gets it from, then?" She asked dryly. She knew that Froststar had been leader before Nightstar, though she knew little of the old leader beyond that. There hadn't been any more rogue kits since Nightstar's return to Shadowclan... Yet. And hopefully it would stay that way. The warrior he'd brought into the clan had supposedly been Shadowclan before disappearing, but Moonpaw had little chance to interact with the calico. She would reserve judgement... But her hopes were not high. Just because Nightstar trusted a stranger who had been gone longer than her parents had been alive, did not mean that Moonpaw trusted him in the clan.

"It doesn't." Her tail twitched, did he think she was that stupid? "Still, that doesn't mean they should be in Shadowclan." She had heard the stories of how much trouble rogues could cause in the past, even those who had been former clan cats themselves. "Why invite potential trouble into the clan when the forest will give us enough of it as it is?" She countered.

"No, rogues certainly don't belong in Shadowclan. I think my death proved that well enough to your current leader. At least he has some sense. I made my point with him before my death and drove it home with my skinned corpse. The rogues that attacked did me that much of a favor at least. I'm happy to see Shadowclan the way it is now; it made my death worth it." Alright maybe he was monologuing a bit. He'd been dead for a long time and rarely got to speak to anyone currently in Shadowclan. Sue him.

"Shadowclan is great and it will only get stronger if it stays on this path. You... I hope you will help keep it the way it is. Do you have anything you'd like to ask an old, dead cat? There is more wisdom in us lifeless types than you'd guess." An attempt at humor? From Burningwing? Clearly he was losing his mind. His head was "in the clouds" as one might say.

So he'd been killed by rogues... And skinned. Moonpaw felt like the story was vaguely familiar, and even more of that a horrifying one. some of her clanmates wore the pelts of predators, and Moonpaw understood that it was intimidating, as much as she could never hide her own pelt like that, but to skin a cat? She couldn't imagine any of her clanmates being that barbaric. Burningwing had an interesting outlook on it, viewing it as his point driven home. "Wearing the pelts of predators is bad enough, if you ask me. But to skin a cat? That's truly disgusting. And it took that depravity to make them realize?" She muttered, dark striped tail curling over her paws.

"Of course I want Shadowclan to stay on its' current course, but there's still room for improvement, to be better than we currently are." Nightstar was a good leader, but he had faults just like anyone. Shadowclan could have a better leader. As far as advice went... Moonpaw's brow furrowed in thought. She hadn't thought a Starclanner would ask her that. "I was expecting to be talked at, not asked." She admitted slowly. Part of her wanted to say she didn't need advice... But Burningwing had been Shadowclan. He seemed reasonable. Perhaps not advice, but a chance to learn. "You mentioned having troubles with rogues... Seems like Windclan is litter better with how they don't seem to understand what a border is. Or how they attack Shadowclan repeatedly." The clans should be better behaved than that, but well, they couldn't all be Shadowclan. "Seems like there's not much of a difference between clan and rogue if they have no respect for Starclan's laws."

Burningwing patiently listened to Moonpaw speak, though his lip curled at her mentioning cats in Shadowclan that still wore pelts. Vile creatures. Absolutely disgusting practice. "I'd hoped that after two of their own members were skinned alive, the practice of pelt wearing would be banned. Maybe that's a suggestion to pass on to Nightstar. He listened to me reasonably well when I was alive, perhaps he would listen to me now. It's not a Shadowclan thing to do, why allow it?" His tail twitched in irritation, but he soon settled it and listened some more.

"Windclan has had many many generations of rogues just waltz into their territories and make families there. Windclan is not what Windlcan should have been. They are nothing more than a group of organized rogues and... well perhaps they don't necessarily deserve the breath in their bodies." Shrikestar was fine, but even he was only one cat. How could he undo the damage the previous foolish leaders had done? It would take many many seasons of strong leadership and strict laws to help Windclan recover what was lost. The other Starclan cats could yell at him if they wanted. He couldn't care less. He was right and he was not about to apologize.

"My time has grown short, Moonpaw. If there is anything else you need, speak now. Starclan does not want me to linger for too long."