Daisypaw's Moonstone Journey

Scorchfang padded to the entrance of ShadowClan's camp with two carefully wrapped leaves filled with herbs held delicately between his jaws. Both Nettlesting and Silentpaw were too busy to tend to any apprentices in need of their rite of passage: journeying to Highstones to share dreams with StarClan at the Moonstone. So, Littlestar decided he should take over this Moonstone journey for Daisypaw, who was more than ready to make the trip. He placed the wrapped herbs by his paws and gulped one of them down with a grimace and a cough at the incredibly bitter taste. No matter how old a cat could grow, he thought with a soft half-hearted chuckle, swallowing down the disgusting herbs would never get any easier.

With his ration consumed, he waited for the young apprentice by the entrance, sitting down patiently and curling his large, bushy tail over his paws.

Practically leaping out of the apprentice den, Daisypaw made his way over to the deputy, a wide smile on his muzzle. "Come on! Let's get going! I'm ready to become a warrior!" he exclaimed, unable to stand still as his paws kneaded the earth bellow. As one of the oldest apprentices of ShadowClan, everyday he yearned to become a warrior and after what seemed like ages of training and waiting, it was finally time that he would be sleeping in the same den as his father!

Scorchfang purred with amusement at the apprentice’s energy, remembering perfectly well how excited he was to become a warrior as well. He stood up and nudged the bundle of herbs over to Daisypaw with his paw. ”We’ll get going just as soon as you eat these. They’ll taste terribly bitter, but they will keep your stamina up and your hunger at bay.”

Giving a firm nod at the deputy's instructions, Daisypaw leaned down and scooped up the herbs. Swallowing them down and trying not to dwell on the horrible, bitter aftertaste, he stood up a little taller and met Scorchfang's gaze. "I'm ready!" he mewed, excitement bubbling through his veins.

"Great! Let's get going, then." Scorchfang led the apprentice out of camp and through ShadowClan's territory, crossing over the border into the land owned by no Clan cat. He and Daisypaw walked alongside the border of WindClan territory until finally they reached the wide Thunderpath. Stars, he really hated Thunderpaths.

"I know you may have crossed Thunderpaths before," Scorchfang began, "but this one is far more active than the one in our territory. Don't put a paw on this Thunderpath until I give the word. And when I tell you to run, I mean run, as if there is a horde of foxes right on your tail, okay?" Trusting that the young tom will heed his instructions, he waited for a bit for a wide gap between monsters, and once there was one, he yowled, "Run!" He let Daisypaw go first before following close behind his tail, so that he could pull the apprentice away from an oncoming monster or push him onward if he tripped or froze in place.

Thankfully, the two reached the other side unscathed, and Scorchfang panted heavily from the sprint. He turned to Daisypaw. "Are you okay, Daisypaw? Can you keep going?"

Following the deputy through the forest, the two of them soon reached a part of the Thunderpath in which they were to cross. Listening to Scorchfang, the apprentice gave a firm nod that he understood the instructions and readied himself. Waiting for a few moments for the older tom's signal, he sprinted faster than he ever had in his life when told to. Skidding to a halt on the other side and silently thanking StarClan that they didn't live on a surface such as the hard, gross smelling path in which he'd just crossed, he turned around to see Scorchfang catch up to him.

"I'm fine," he huffed confidently and gave his pelt a shake, ready to keep going. A simply sprint across a the Thunderpath wasn't enough to wear him out that much, especially when the excitement of becoming a warrior overcame any tiredness.

"In that case, let's keep going." Scorchfang continued leading the apprentice the rest of the way to Highstones, climbing up the ragged mountain until they reached the entrance of Mothermouth. As the sun had not yet completely set, he was able to do one of his favorite parts of Moonstone journeys: apprentice reflections. He sat down and smiled at Daisypaw. "We still have some time left before we can go in. So, how was your apprenticeship? Do you feel you've been taught everything you needed to know to become a warrior? Are you satisfied with your mentor's teachings?"

Nodding, Daisypaw followed Scorchfang, constantly reminding himself to not even thing about becoming tired, for he was almost at the reward of the journey; talking to a StarClan cat and becoming a warrior, so in the end, all of this work would really pay off.

Finally reaching the entrance of the cave in which they'd soon enter, Daisypaw let out a yawn and stretched out his claws. Turning to look at the deputy, he thought about the questions that the older tom asked.

"It was fun" he started, sitting down so that he could rest his paws just a little. "I mean, with my mother, the leader, as my mentor, her mind was sometimes on other things, but who better else to train you than the leader herself, so I'm satisfied," the white and ginger tom mewed, ever so slightly puffing out his chest at the thought of being the son of Littlebrook and Mudfoot. He couldn't ever have asked for better cats to be his parents.

"I'm glad to hear it. There's no doubt in my mind that Littlestar is very proud of you, as am I. I look forward to your warrior ceremony." Scorchfang looked up at the sky, finding that the sun had set behind the horizon, the bright, nearly full moon beginning to climb up the darkening sky. He stood back up. "Looks like it's time to head in now. Keep close to me, Daisypaw, and you won't get lost."

Making sure the young tom's nose always touched the tip of his bushy tail, the deputy padded into the dark cave. As per usual, he was unable to see his own paws in front of his face -- though it didn't really help that his coat was nearly as dark as the night -- but he was still able to navigate through the tunnel with practiced ease.

It didn't take long for the two toms to enter the large cave room where the Moonstone stood. Almost as soon as they began approaching it, the moon shone directly over the hole in the ceiling, igniting the mythical stone in an intense bright light. Scorchfang squinted his eyes until they adjusted to the sudden lighting in the room, and he turned to Daisypaw. "This is where you must continue your journey on your own, Daisypaw. When you are ready to speak to StarClan, touch your nose to the Moonstone, and you will be whisked away to their hunting grounds in your dreams. Good luck." He nodded to the apprentice before making his way to his favorite corner in the cave, curling up on the bone-cold floor, his paws shifted beneath his belly to protect it from the heat-draining chill.

Glad to hear that the even the deputy awaited his warrior ceremony, Daisypaw gave a nod and followed Scorchfang into the darkness of the tunnel. Staying close behind the older tom so that his nose just barely touched the tip of Scorchfang's tail, it didn't take long for the two of them to reach the cave where the moon shown down onto the Moonstone, giving it a soft glow.

Turning to the deputy, Daisypaw listened to his instructions and then laid down when he finished speaking. Although excitement made his pelt tingle and butterflies fluttered about in his stomach, he forced himself to close his eyes. Stretching out his neck forward so that his nose touched the cold stone, soon enough, he was on his way to meet with StarClan themselves.

Daisypaw had been transported to StarClan’s hunting grounds, and when he opened his eyes there was already a StarClan cat standing before him. She had a thin brown pelt with pale paws, tail-tip, and patch of fur on her chest in the shape of a heart, and they danced with sparkles and stars. She looked down at the apprentice, her amber eyes shimmering with kindness and affection. ”Welcome to StarClan, young Daisypaw. My name is Sweet, but you may call me Sweetheart if you wish. Tell me, is it advice you seek from me?”

Opening his eyes, Daisypaw stood up, his jaw gaping open. Stars filled the air around him and covered the cloudy looking ground. Taking a step forward, the tom couldn't help but let out a giggle as he sent glittery mist up into the air around him. This was really StarClan? It was everything he'd ever imagined it'd be!

Hearing a voice, Daisypaw looked up to see a tan she-cat standing in front of him. Listening, he couldn't help but feel relaxed at the sound her voice and nodded when she asked him a question. "Yes," he started. "Tell me how I can become the best ShadowClan warrior so that I can one day lead the clan, like my mother," the apprentice spoke, puffing out his chest fluff and standing up a little straighter than before. Tonight, the younger tom's slightly ambitious side was shown for the first time and while he'd never dared to say anything of the sorts before, seeing as though he was taught to be humble, he couldn't help but share his request and hopes with this supernatural cat of the past.

Sweet gazed at him kindly, and an amused purr rose in her throat. "It's lovely to see how much you care for your Clan, and I'm also pleased that you hold a healthy, natural ambition within you. I suppose my only words of advice would be to remain loyal to your Clan, befriend your Clanmates and gain their undying trust, and follow the code no matter what. However, it's not necessarily the most popular cat who is chosen to one day succeed their leader, but rather the fair balance of loyalty, strength, kindness, and justice a cat holds in their heart."

Her expression didn't change as she gave what she hoped would be sage advice for the young tom, though her amber eyes couldn't seem to hold back a saddened glossiness as her eyes panged with the threat of tears. If only she had practiced what she preached when she was alive. If only she had never fallen in love with ShadowClan's deputy and birth her half-Clan son who she saw possessed a dark evil in his heart. Well, perhaps she could just save this apprentice from making the same mistakes she did.

Listening to the she-cat, Daisypaw let every word soak in as he didn't dare take his eyes off the older she-cat. Everything Sweet said made sense, and in that moment, he vowed to follow her words till the very end. "Alright, I understand," he mewed with his chin held high. While what she finished with saying something about not needing to be the most popular  struck him with some slight confusion, he decided not to say anything about it. "I'll make sure to uphold all those values, I promsie," the ginger and white apprentice mewed with a slight dip of his head.

”You will make a magnificent warrior one day, Daisypaw, perhaps even a great leader.” Sweet smiled warmly at the tom and took a few steps back, then began to slowly fade away. Once she disappeared, the stars in the sky began to glow so bright everything became so bright that the apprentice would have to close his eyes.

Once they opened again, he was back in the cold darkness of Mothermouth by the Moonstone, the glow of the mythical rock now extinguished. Scorchfang’s soft breathing could be heard as he slept in the corner of the cave.