Frogpaw's Moonstone Journey

"It's time to head out Frogpaw!" called Morningpaw cheerily as sat by the camp's entrance, bundle of herbs by her paws. Her blue-green gaze held an unidentifiable emotion as she scanned the clearing for any signs of the apprentice. After her private talk with Scorchstar about the terrifying prophecy, the medicine cat apprentice was nervous to head to the Moonstone. It had brought her clan a very bad prophecy. She was told to keep it from her clan-mates until further notice. She disguised her worries with her normal cheery attitude.

Frog was padding impatiently just outside the apprentice's den when she hear Morningpaw call from near the camp's entrance. The apprentice hated being addressed as Frogpaw, but since the medicine cat apprentice was so friendly Frog couldn't be too angry. She just sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically before beginning to stride towards the other she-cat. "Drop the 'paw, please," Frog mewed, "Frogs don't have paws." The gray apprentice sighed and chuckled a little, shouldering Morningpaw in a friendly way. "Anyways, I'm ready! Lead the way."

As Morningpaw looked at the apprentice and opened her mouth to speak, her muzzle slowly beared a playful smile when Frog quickly corrected her. "My apologies! I'll assure you that I will remember it." Replied the tortie as she shouldered Frog back with a bright smile. As she got up, she felt the herb bundle shift slightly, reminding her that they were still there. "Ah! Before we actually go, I need you to eat these." said the medicine cat as she slid over the herbs to the other she-cat before continuing to explain, "They'll help you keep your strength up and hunger down. It's very necessary for this journey. However, they are very bitter." Morningpaw then began to wait for Frog to eat them.

Frog was pleased that Morningpaw agreed so quickly, though she wasn't surprised; the medicine cat apprentice had always been friendly and accommodating, since it seemed to be part of her job. Frog just appreciated that someone respected what she wanted to be called! In fact, the other apprentice was very playful, and Frog had a feeling she was going to enjoy the journey even if they were just going to visit a bunch of dead cats at a rock underground. At least Morningpaw was friendly! Even when Morningpaw reminded Frog of the herbs she'd need to eat before their journey, she did it in such a sympathetic and friendly way that the apprentice just nodded and ate them obediently.

Frog padded to Morningpaw's side, licking her lips and muttering, "Yuck." Knowing the taste would soon go away, however, Frog mewed, "Alright. I guess now I'm ready."

Morningpaw nodded with a smile and got up from her sitting position. "Let's get going then!" said the apprentice with an enthusiastic tone of voice. Her blue-green eyes were filled with warmth as she began to lead Frog to the Moonstone.
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Time Skip!
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It had seemed like a fairly quick journey since Shadowclan wasn't terribly far from the Moonstone. The journey had been pleasant. The two had conversed about many random things as well as the environments around them. The medicine cat and Frog were at Mothermouth when Silverpelt was blanketing the sky above them above, having just taken over.

Morningpaw looked behind her and offered the other apprentice a smile as she began to enter the dark entrance tunnel. "Stay close Frog. It's pretty dark in here. I don't want to lose you in the dark." warned the medicine cat as she beckoned the apprentice to follow her inside. She offered the other a smile before completely stepping inside.

The two eventually walked into the main cavern, Moonstone already glowing its mystical hues and tones. The she-cat sat down at the cavern exit and nodded to the other before addressing her, "Press your nose to the Moonstone and a Starclan cat will talk to you. Once your finished, we'll begin to head back home."

Frog had worried that the Moonstone journey would be more strenuous or exhausting than it really wound up being. Thankfully, Morningpaw was wonderful company, and the two had conversed pleasantly for most of their short journey - though it was the farthest that Frog had ever traveled from camp. She was relieved to learn that, despite their different positions within the Clan, Morningpaw really wasn't so different from the other apprentices after all. Maybe a bit of a goody two-paws, but after seeing what a mess RiverClan's medicine cat had made through her selfishness, Frog figured it was probably better for ShadowClan that way.

Morningpaw warned her to stay close and that it was dark, and a part of Frog scoffed. We're ShadowClan, she thought haughtily, we couldn't possibly get lost in shadows. However, as soon as Morningpaw disappeared, Frog followed, and she quickly felt the unnatural darkness pressing in around her. After only a few moments she realized that she could sense almost nothing - just the warm pelt of the medicine cat apprentice in front of her, the feeling of cold stone pressing against her paws and upon her pelt, and the sound of air whooshing past them. Her stomach knotted as she realized she certainly would get lost here without Morningpaw, and so she stayed as close as she could manage.

Then, light began to creep around the apprentice in front of her, and Frog felt her thumping heart beginning to slow a little as she saw the light at the end of the tunnel. When they broke into the clearing, Frog gasped in awe. The sight of the Moonstone was unlike anything she'd ever seen - like the full moon nestled in a jagged stone underground. Morningpaw's voice caught her attention, instructing her, and she obeyed, the nerves now beginning to creep in.

What will I see? she wondered as the world went black around her.

---

Frog woke standing in what seemed like ShadowClan's territory, though glittering stars dusted everything. She rapidly blinked her bright green eyes, taking in her surroundings. "So, this is StarClan," she murmured, parting her lips to take in the scents around her. There was mouse and vole, lizard and frog, robin and thrush... All the smells made Frog's lips water, and she wondered if she could catch and eat something here and feel full when she woke up.

Most cats described StarClan as a utopia sort of realm, in which Mudfoot agreed with entirely. The land in which he "lived" in now was a mystical place, and a pretty decent one at that. The russet tom's life had unfortunately ended too soon and now, he lived with his beloved mate, Littlestar, in the starry fields, wishing nothing more than to see his eldest son and family once more. Per usual, he'd been enjoying a peaceful day on the empty, cloud covered moorlands, concentrating on nothing in particular. Noticing a shape begin to appear not far away from where he sat, the tom lifted up his head from where it'd rested on his large paws and focused his gaze on what seemed to be an apprentice. The young she-cat's pelt didn't shimmer with sparkling stars like those of deceased cats, which meant she was probably just visiting, which was of course good. Standing up, he gave his red shimmering pelt a shake, sending specks of stardust falling back onto the misty ground. With him being what looked to be the only cat around, he knew what needed to be done. "Here for your Moonstone journey?" Mudfoot asked softly as he approached the apprentice, though he assumed that was what the younger cat was here for.

Frog had just decided that she was going to give hunting a shot and had begun to drop into a hunting crouch when a voice spoke near her. The gray apprentice immediately shot upright and whirled around to find the source of the voice. Frog was surprised to see a cat before her, but when she saw the stars swirling in his pelt she understood. He was a StarClan cat! "Ah, yeah, I am," she replied. After a moment, Frog asked the stranger, "Who are you? I don't think I know you. Isn't StarClan supposed to send somebody familiar?"

Chuckling at her question, Mudfoot's ears flicked and his tail swayed gently back and forth. "I'm Mudfoot, son of Magpiestar and mate to Littlestar," he mewed proudly. Of course, he was adopted into his family, but that little detail wasn't important to tell the curious apprentice. "And not always, little one. We do not choose who gets to talk to which cat, it just happens," he explained, a smile still on his muzzle. "What might your name be?"

The gray she-cat almost felt annoyed by the tom's chuckle; she wondered if he was laughing at her, but then he answered with his heritage and reconsidered. Wow! They sent me an important cat! Frog thought, feeling excited as well as a bit self-important. Son and mate to leaders is pretty cool! Mudfoot spoke again, somewhat explaining StarClan's process - or lack thereof - for deciding who spoke to who. He asked her named and she replied, "Frog. Just Frog. Frogs don't have paws." She continued to look around StarClan and asked, "I thought StarClan would know every cat's name; why don't you?"

Listening to the apprentice, Mudfoot's ears perked in curiosity as she told him her name. Just Frog? Clan apprentices always had 'paw' after their name, but maybe she had initially been a rogue? Whatever the reason, it didn't really matter to him, seeing as though she was standing before him, which meant she believed in StarClan, at least to some degree. "While we are watching the clans from above, we don't hear everything that the living say, which includes everyone's names," he purred. "Well then, since we've gotten the formalities out of the way, follow me," the starry pelted warrior mewed as he turned away from the she-cat and began making his way towards their destination. While StarClan was admittedly a beautiful place, like everything, the twinkling starlit field didn't last forever. In the distance, as if almost perfectly split down the middle, the dimly lit plains faded into a misty darkness. If some-cat were to go close enough to the darkness, the glinting eyes of the exiled could be seen through the grey, hazy, fog, and their taunting, whispering voices, could be heard. Luckily for them, they weren't going to go anywhere near there.

Walking for a few moments, the two made their way up a small hill that overlooked the vast plains. Flicking his fluffy russet tail back and forth as he halted to a stop, the tom pointed his muzzle towards the ominous darkness that sat over yonder. "Do you know what that is?" he asked as he turned to look at the apprentice.

Frog was too distracted by her surroundings to really notice Mudfoot's reaction to her name and question. She listened to his response as she continued searching for ethereal prey in the glimmering foliage. She nodded, thinking, At least he was honest that they don't know everything. I feel like I can trust this dream. The ShadowClan apprentice noticed movement at the edge of her vision; Mudfoot had begun to leave. Frog tore her eyes away from their surroundings to watch the shimmering warrior. She quickly began to pad after him, her rapid steps sending up pretty swirls of stardust.

Frog wanted to see more, but she knew it would be more important to follow Mudfoot, so she focused mostly on him and her footsteps during their short journey as she tried to keep up. At the top of a hill, Mudfoot pointed to something in the distance, and Frog strained to focus on the darkness before them. "No," she responded to him honestly. "What is it?"

Standing still as the apprentice spoke, Mudfoot turned to look back on the ominous darkness that loomed across the moorlands. "It's the Dark Forest," they amber furred mewed. "It's where cats who fall away from StarClan go, and trust me when I say it's nothing to brag about," he continued. "Cats who lose sight of who they are in themselves and their clans end up there. So never let your beliefs of your loyalties in your family and clan falter, little one," he finished and looked back down at Frog, his tone more serious than before. While it seemed a bit extensive, a cat's loyalty in their family and clan could mean life or death someday, so being faithful in their loved ones was everything.

Frog continued to gaze at the eerie darkness; though it was far away, she felt her blood cooling and felt uncomfortable to be looking into it. Some part of her was certain that eyes were looking back at her. Then Mudfoot explained they, likely, they were. Frog felt unnerved and licked her shoulder nervously, breaking her eye contact with the shadow. The StarClan cat spoke, explaining what the Dark Forest meant. The gray she-cat nodded once at the tom's words: "Never let your beliefs of your loyalties in your family and clan falter, little one." "Of course not," Frog replied boldly, though her voice wavered slightly as she glanced at the darkness. "I'll be loyal." But what does loyalty mean?

Glad that she seemed to understand the basis of what he was saying about the Dark Forest and the cats that inhabited it, Mudfoot took a moment to think about other advice might be of use to the apprentice. "In all of my moons that I'd lived and even being up here in StarClan, I've learned that loyalty means nothing unless it has, at its heart, the absolute principle of self-sacrifice. While you may think you're being loyal to your clan just by hunting and providing for your clanmates, doing such trivial tasks only goes so far," he mewed with a nod of confirmation as to reassure himself that what he said was the right thing to say.