Boarpaw's Moonstone Journey

Mapleleaf was currently sitting at the camp's entrance, waiting for Boarpaw to appear. The she-cat had called him before sitting down. She had one bundle of herbs at her paws for the tom. She originally had two but not too long ago, she ate the one for her. The medicine cat was going to lead him to the moonstone. A small smile made its way onto her muzzle at the thought.

Boarpaw padded over to the medicine cat, seeming a bit antsy about meeting StarClan. Or, see if it was real, or being rejected and not even getting to speak to them! What would happen then? He shuffled his paws before dipping his head to Mapleleaf. He'd seen other apprentices go on their journeys so he didn't hesitate to eat the bundle of herbs, the tang was nothing in comparison to the rancid carrion he grew up on as a kit.

OOC: I'm sorry for the wait! Life is getting real hectic! :0

IC: Mapleleaf smiled as the apprentice asked no questions and quickly ate the bitter herbs. "Let's get going then!" she purred with a smile. The medicine cat then began to lead the apprentice to the Moonstone. First the duo got out of Thunderclan's territory, then they passed Fourtrees, the pair soon traveled quickly through Windclan's territory, and finally they speedily made their way through the Abandoned Barn.

Both cats were on the other side of the large Thunderpath after having to sprint across it at an exhausting speed. Mapleleaf had stopped them both close to the Moonstone entrance to take a small break. They were to wait until Silverpelt was adorning most of the sky. "Boarpaw, tell me when you're ready to head in." the sand-tabby said. This apprentice didn't really cause much trouble along the way and the medicine cat truly appreciated that.

Boarpaw took a bit of time to catch his breath. He had never been here before! His eyes wandered the new lands as he rested. Then, he spoke. "I didn't think clan life could get any more beautiful than the forest. It's amazing all over... I suppose we should head in now. No use in stalling. Do you think StarClan will welcome me when we go in? Sharptooth thought I was a monster when we first met each other." It was obvious that he didn't want to let himself get too nervous before meeting StarClan.

OOC: I'm sorry for my lateness! Forgive me! :(

IC: Mapleleaf pressed herself against the apprentice in a reassuring way. "I'm positive that Starclan will accept and welcome you! You are part of Thunderclan after all! And you should know by now that Sharptooth doesn't really think before she speaks or acts. Don't take offense to anything she says about you." The medicine cat then guided the tom down the narrow path to get to the Moonstone cavern. Once they got there, the she-cat had to blink a few times to adjust to the blinding light. "Touch your nose to the stone and a Starclan cat will meet with you." she directed as she made herself comfortable, ready to wait for Boarpaw.

Boarpaw flinched as his eyes fell upon the stone. He couldn't believe it! How was it glowing like that? Why so brightly? He cautiously crept up to the stone, flinching a few times before carefully touching the stone with his nose. It was cold and almost instantly, he felt himself slip into a peaceful state as his eyes closed. When. He opened them, he was in the starry plains of StarClan, completely shocked. How was this happening? Where was he? Was this a dream? He could never imagine something like this...

Shrewheart had never been to get caught up on other cats looks. He himself had numerous scars, and while he didn't have nearly as much as right before he died, quite a few still stayed on his body as trophies. Even without scars, he had never groomed his fur too much or paid attention to how he and others looked. Still, Boarpaw was a sight for sore eyes. At first, he had doubted he was actually a cat. But Sharptooth seemed to like him, so he had offered to talk to the rather over-aged apprentice. It was clear that his former mate believed in this ugly tom, but he wondered if the cat believed in himself. The world was strange, so he could never really be sure. As the apprentice entered StarClan's territory, he did his best to seem large and noble, letting the soft breeze sway his fluffy pelt slightly. While he didn't really care about how this cat thought of him, the intimidated look always made him laugh. Not that this was what the meeting was about, but it was a nice side effect.
"So Boarpaw, is there anything you've been worried about lately?" Shrewheart's voice a tinge of sarcasm in it, as if making fun of all the other StarClan cats who really did say that all the time. "Really, I don't care. I already know what I'm gonna yell at you about. The only reason I haven't started already is because you saved Sharptooth, so I thought I'd give you a chance." Striding towards Boarpaw, he looked the tom over again. The more he got accustomed to his strange appearance, the less strange he appeared. That was good. While it hadn't bothered him, it had distracted him a bit. Now hopefully they could actually talk without anything making the apprentice seem less serious.

Boarpaw blinked and stared at the tom. The younger was skeptical of the cat but when he mentioned Boarpaw saving Sharptooth, he seemed surprised. "How would you know about that? Nevermind... I've been worried about my place in ThunderClan. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. I've got nothing but loner blood. Actually, it's worse since I was born a kittypet. Sharptooth has been hurt more than once thanks to me and I put her reputation at risk when she killed Pigeon to save my life. Leopardstar believes in me but, that doesn't mean the rest of the clan does. What if I'm causing more trouble by being a clan cat than just staying a loner? I was willing to die to remain part of ThunderClan but, what if that's not the right thing for the clan?"

"StarClan sees everything for crying out loud. Of course I knew you saved my former mate," Shrewheart said loudly, shaking his head. Continuing to listen to Boarpaw, he was glad the tom had the same concerns about himself as he did of him. While the apprentice was completely scared over nothing, he could start to see why. Though it was a bit foolish, it wasn't something that he couldn't help pretty easily. Bored, he listened to the tom's entire spiel, waiting until the question that made up the end. Of course, there just had to be two, so he almost started speaking before the apprentice was finished. Did he really need to say so much to get his point across? Really, he could have just said that he was scared that he was bad for the clan because he was pure kittypet and that would have said just as much. "Why do you think that blood matters so much? The deputy is literally pure ShadowClan, and the leader is pure rogue! Blood means nothing in this situation. What your feeling is what most apprentices feel right before becoming warriors. You think you aren't good enough. That your more of a burden than a help. Well you're wrong. You are one of the few cats that makes Sharptooth happy, and every cat that doesn't believe in you is a pain in the butt that you just gotta overcome. I don't even understand why you think you caused ThunderClan trouble by joining. The only bad thing was Pigeon, Sharptooth killed her, everything is fine, your done. You are just as good, probably even better, then apprentices born into the clan who are about to become warriors. Lighten up. Seriously."

Boarpaw's whiskers twitched as Shrewheart spoke, reassuring him that he had no reason to worry about his place. Perhaps it was time to just let the past go for good then. It would be traitorous to himself to drag along his past and let it hinder him further. "I suppose I was being rather pessimistic. I'm far more critical on myself than on others. I... Thank you, Shrewheart." The one point that stuck with him was the fact that he made Sharptooth happy. He remembered how quick she was to scold her kit when he made fun of him. She called him a hero and grew furious at Pigeon when that horrible name 'Mange' was used repeatedly toward him again. Maybe she was just loyal to her clan but, he had a feeling she took some value in the fact that he could lighten her mood. If that was his purpose in the clan, he'd give no protest. Ah, he was such a sap sometimes. Oh, well. The tom looked at Shrewheart, offering a snaggletoothed smile. "Well, I suppose this is it then. Did you want me to pass on any messages for you? It's the least I could do." He could feel reality slowly taking over, the cold floor pressed beneath him in Mothermouth, the stone's shine hurting his eyes even in his sleep.