Rainpaw's Moonstone Journey

Rainpaw blinked awake and squinted, sleepily irritated at the sudden awakening by the soft nose nudging him and the sudden cheerful voice. But when he blinked enough to focus on Wolfblossom in front of him, he shook the sleep from his head. As Wolfblossom spoke and nudged the traveling herbs towards him, Rainpaw understood. My moonstone. An equal amount of nervousness and excitement swirls in his chest, sleepy desire to curl back up in his nest instantly forgotten.

Taking a breath and nodding obediently, Rainpaw drew himself to his paws and quickly ate the herbs. He wrinkled his nose at the taste, but didn’t otherwise react as he fell into step behind his aunt.


He remained quiet throughout most of the walk to Highstones, taking in his surroundings curiously and sticking close to Wolfblossom. “Yes ma’am,” He said before following her into the dark. He tensed at the way the absolute darkness pressed in on him, but he could faintly feel Wolfblossom’s tail in front of him and see her ears outlined in the dark, and he trusted her. He followed her pawsteps.

He squinted at the sudden brightness of the moonstone, breath caught in his throat. He looked towards Wolfblossom with uncertainty for a second, sudden nerves tingling his paws, but after a moment he followed her earlier instructions. He settled down in front of the Moonstone, hesitated a second longer, then leaned in and pressed his nose to the cool stone surface. It was only then that he realized the source of his nerves. Starclan, please accept me... He closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he found himself in a starry field. His breath caught at the sight of it, taking in the grass that swirled around his paws, the pools full of stars around him. It was strange, it was beautiful, and Rainpaw found himself overwhelmed and speechless for a moment.

Newtspring

For a few moments, the field surrounding Rainpaw was still and quiet. Just long enough for him to take in the scenery with awe. Then the tall, thick grass around him rustled, and with no further warning, a large cat shot forward. He connected with Rainpaw hard, shoving him off his paws. They went briefly rolling before heavy paws were planted against the apprentice’s shoulder, holding him in place. Then a deep and rich laugh, and the weight was released.

The cat stepping off Rainpaw was tall, a head or so shorter than Birdstar. His thick coat was smooth, and the stars that glittered throughout it added to its glossiness. The patches of orange that broke through the darker fur of his body seemed to glow like little brands of fire. His smile was the hook, though: lopsided, all teeth, and completely genuine.

“Been a heartbeat since I’ve talked t’someone outside’a stuffy ceremonies.” Another guffaw rose out of his chest, and the large tom casually relaxed onto his haunches, golden eyes surprisingly focused on Rainpaw. “’M Newtspring. Think we’re… what, ‘M your uncle or somethin’ like it. Close enough.” Feathery tail flicked, beckoning Rainpaw to stand and sit a little closer. “So, what’cha wanna talk ‘bout, nephew? SkyClan actually treatin’ somebody well for once?”

Rainpaw had begun to relax, breathing in the strange, unfamiliar scents around him. He had just enough time to flick his ears back at the sound, before he let out the most undignified squeak of a sound. Multicolored eyes blink rapidly up at his assailant as he sat beneath heavy paws, too stunned to even fight back. Then the cat was laughing, releasing him, and Rainpaw just sort of laid there for a moment, feeling like a fish that had washed up on shore.

The cat in front of him was stunning, stars in his brilliant pelt, and despite himself Rainpaw found a tiny smile tugging at his lips as he met that sharp, lopsided grin. His own smile was barely more than a twitch, looking almost like a grimace thanks to the confusion still painting his features, but it was there.

He rolled back onto his paws as the cat, Newtspring, spoke. His uncle? Something warm settled in Rainpaw’s stomach at that, at being called Nephew. He doesn’t think he’ll ever stop marveling over being accepted into his strange, wondrous family, and to be accepted in turn by Birdstar’s ancestors, by his ancestors… It soothed the part of Rainpaw that was still partially convinced he’d never really be a part of anything, quieting that anxiety into near non-existence.

Rainpaw padded a little closer, hesitant, but eventually settling so he was at Newtspring’s side. He had to tilt his head back to look at Newtspring’s face, not as far back as he had to in order to look at Birdstar, but still. Suddenly overwhelmed, Rainpaw felt more like a kit than ever before, someone small and scared and seeking guidance. It took him a moment to remember how to speak.

“They treat me well,” Is the first thing Rainpaw managed to say. “It’s- It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Newtspring. I-I was a little afraid…” He trailed off. What he was afraid of didn’t matter anymore, did it? He was here now. “Well, anyway. I suppose all I would like to talk about is…What makes a good warrior? Skyclan has done so much for me. Birdstar has done so much for me. I wouldn’t be here without them. I just… I don’t want to mess this up. I need to make sure I can give it all back.”