Birchpaw's Moonstone Journey

Sweetheart's second son... her youngest kit.

The large deputy walked out the medicine cat den as the sun hid in the horizon and the moon started to rise. Today he had to guide Birchpaw to the Moonstone and he was a bit conflicted about it. Unlike Shadepaw, he was so different from his brother, more similar to his mother and that scared him. Sweetheart wasn't exactly the most trustworthy she-cat in the clan, just like Nutfur, for example, and he feared the idea that her son could be the same.

He sighed, trying to avoid those ideas. It was wrong to judge a kit for his parent's actions. He was nothing like Ivystar and he was still her son. He had to have more faith in the younger ones, he thought as he sat down waiting for the young tom to come.

Birchpaw padded up to Jaystream. He smiled at the deputy, knowing this would be his first trip to the moonstone. "Hiya Jaystream!" He said. He looked at the deputy, but then his bright yellow eyes dropped to the pile of leaves sitting at his paws. He stared at the herbs, and wrinkled his nose at the bitter smell. He pushed the dread of eating the herbs to the back of his mind and ate the little green leaves. "Ack, they taste like crowfood!" he said.

The tom couldn't help by the smile by that cheerful greeting made by the young tom. He was wrong. He couldn't judge Birchpaw for something that happened before being born. He was his own cat... not just a copy of Sweetheart.

Jaystream chuckled when he ate the plants and made a disgusted face. Right after that, he ate the herbs, used to that bitter taste. "These aren't a good fresh piece of fish but I can assure you that they will give you more strength than fresh-kill. Come. It's time to leave." He purred standing up and starting to walk.

During the whole time they walked between the reeds and under the shadows created by the tall beech trees, the deputy always kept an eye on the apprentice to make sure he was fine following him. After all, he was taller than most of his clanmates and his legs were longer, so he usually walked faster than them. However, he never stopped until they reached the wooden bridge created by the Twolegs. "Do you see that bridge? We avoid crossing it. There, dogs and twolegs walk and it's dangerous for clan cats like us. That's why we will be using this way." He mewed guiding the tom to a bunch of rocks that created a natural path for those who knew how to use them. "Jump after me and only land on the rocks where I step. After we cross the river, we won't be any more on our lands so don't let your guard down." No more words were needed and the deputy did what he said. Like a frog, he jumped and jumped until landing on the other riverbank.

Birchpaw followed the tall deputy through Riverclan territory until they reached a large arched structure. It was made of wood and was obviously made by Twolegs. He faintly smelled dog, but it was stale. He listened as Jaystream told him that this is the Twoleg bridge and the dangers. Jaystream had also told him to use the stones in the water instead of the bridge and to use only the ones he did. Birchpaw watched Jaystream cross the little path of stones in the water. He looked as the water neatly trickled past each one, making little waves in the water. He started moving towards the water, remembering which rocks to step on. He stepped on the first stone, and then hopped to the next. He jumped the rest of the way over until he reached the bank. His foot had only slipped once. He looked off beyond where they were and saw little rocks against the sky. That must be Highstones he thought.

The tom noticed that the apprentice was looking at high peaks of the sacred mountains, already knowing that those were their destination. He smiled briefly and just kept walking to them, crossing firstly the Fourtrees and then arriving at the Thunderpath.

His gaze landed on the dark grey path and he touched Birchpaw with his tail, telling him to stop. "That in front of you is the Thunderpath. I'm sure you've heard of it and the monsters that cross this place. That's why you'll run to the other side when I tell you to, understood?" The deputy crouched, feeling the movement of the ground under his claws. Without warning, he suddenly leapt forward, saying out loud the signal to start. "Run!" He ran to the other fastly. He only calmed his breathing when he reached the Windclan's side and as he recovered, he looked at the Highstones. They were getting closer...

Birchpaw followed the deputy as they approached a long black surface. It reeked of something called monsters, and twolegs. All of a sudden the ground started trembling beneath him. He looked up and saw A huge monster zoom past, making his fur blow with the large gust of wind it created. At Jaystreams mark, just after that monster had passed, he ran across the long thunderpath. When he made it to the other side, he sat for a moment and panted. "The monsters are fast" He commented. He smelled the air. He realized that they were being smothered in Windclan scents. They must be in Windclan territory. He looked back at Highstones, their jagged peaks clashing with the sky's amber colors. Birchpaw now realised now that the sun was beginning to set.

"They are indeed. And pretty deadly too... Let's go, we're getting closer." He mewed after checking the apprentice was fine. There were no trees that could cover their heads and the tom felt exposed as always. The only thing that surrounded them was the everlasting grassy moors and a few bushes that were spread across the territory. Riverclan was prettier for the deputy but he couldn't say that the view of this territory was horrible.

As they walked, the grass started to disappear the ground beneath their paws became rocky and sharp. The mountains were now standing in front of them, tall as ever. In no time, they were at the Mothermouth. "This is the main entrance to the Moonstone's cave, Birchpaw. Inside the tunnel is quite dark and you won't even see your own paws, so follow me closely." Jaystream entered the cave not saying much and in the darkness, he guided the young tom through it.

They only saw the light when they arrived at their goal. The grey tom stepped into the cave illuminated by the brightness of the sacred rock. He walked to it, dipping his head respectfully for a second, and then he settled down, his eyes fixed on Birchpaw. "Is time. Touch the Moonstone with your nose as you close your eyes. A Starclan will be there to welcome you. Good luck, young one."

Birchpaw trudged on through the moorland with Jaystream. It wasn't long before the giant mountains of highstones were standing before him. He followed the deputy into the large hole in the rock face. Jaystream was right, It was pitch black, and he could barely see a tail length in front of his nose. Birchpaw padded through the long rocky tunnel, and it seemed that with every step he cut his pads on the little pebbles and shards of rock. After what seemed like a moon of walking through the tunnel, they reached a chamber with a large, bright white stone in it. His bright yellow eyes had to adjust to the light, and he blinked a couple of times before looking up at the Deputy. He wondered what to do until he heard Jaystream tell him. He steeped over to the stone, and looked up to see a hole in the roof of the cave. She moon shone through, targeting it's light onto the Moonstone. He stood looking at the moon for about a heartbeat before laying down and touching his nose to the mysterious stone.

Birchpaw felt a shiver rush through his body, chilling him to the bone. He opened his bright yellow eyes. He sniffed the air. Woodland scents flooded his nose, and the sound of crickets hung in the air. He sat up, and looked around. The woods waited behind him. He suddenly felt full of energy, as if he could run for a moon straight. He ran straight through the woods, running through bramble bushes and clumps of bracken. after a while, he started to feel a bit winded, and stopped at a stream to lap up some water. He was going to start running again, until he realized he didn't know where he was. He was about to start calling for help when a cat appeared out of nowhere. It's like she just appeared from Silverpelt above. It was an unfamiliar act, that was for sure, and she was a silver tabby."Who are you?" He asked.

(OOC: i hads lots of muse hahaha XD)

A pretty, young-looking she-cat materialized just in front of Birchpaw. Flowers that were previously bent and old blossomed at her webbed feet as she shifted her weight from one paw to the other, her feathery tail sweeping the ground. As she did so, Birchpaw could see that the stream was suddenly dimly illuminated and fed into a beautiful crystal-clear lake that was previously shrouded in darkness. The lovely pool of water filled with the most colorful fish, their colorful fins impossibly bright. Stars seemed to shimmer through the lake's depths, sparkling so vivaciously it was as if they were winking at the apprentice. The entire scene was astounding- it was as if Birchpaw had stepped into another world where everything seemed brushed by the light of Silverpelt. 
Flowerpetal stepped forward with a small, warm smile. Her sleek silvery-taupe pelt rippled as she moved to show the power and grace the youthful she-cat possessed. The speckles on her pelt shone brightly, making it seem as if her fur was flecked with frost instead of spots. "Greetings, Birchpaw." Her voice was as light and sweet as nectar, bringing with it thoughts of warm Newleaf days and the clean freshness of rain. "And welcome to Starclan. My name is Flowerpetal. I'm the mother of Swanpaw- yes, the infamous apprentice. She takes after her father." The young she-cat allowed herself a light laugh, the sound light and lovely. Flowerpetal's mint-green eyes brightened as she looked at the tom as if delighted by the apprentice. "But this meeting isn't about me. Every apprentice has expectations when they speak with their ancestors." She flicked her tail and turned, beckoning the young tom towards the pool. "Tell me, Birchpaw. What do you expect to learn from this meeting? What question would you like to have answered?" Flowerpetal padded towards the bank of the pool, sitting near its edge and wrapping her tail around her paws. She turned to Birchpaw, giving him a deep, searching look. "I'll do my best to speak as truthfully as I can, but I'm not all-knowing. There are some things even senior Starclanners cannot answer."

Birchpaw said the first thing that came to his mind. "Do you think you can tell me a way to stand up for myself?" He said. He remembered how his brother always bullied him and Birchpaw had always cowered in fear. He always knew that at one point he would have to stand up for himself.


(OOC; tell me if this is too specific or an easier question ;D)

Flowerpetal smiled gently, her eyes kind. "There's no real way for me to teach you how to stand up to anyone, Birchpaw." The taupe she-cat flicked her tail. "Just know that, in the end, they're hurting and retaliating in anger. Because of that, you're worth two of them. Know that and speak your mind, and nobody will disrespect you." The spotted warrior's ears twitched as she began to fade. "Good luck, Birchpaw. I believe in you. Don't let Shadefang stop you from doing what you want to do, no matter what it is."