Salmonpaw's Moonstone Journey

The older than the rest tom woke with a start to find the medicine cat apprentice in front of him. With a yawn, the lump stood up and carefully walked out of the den behind her, careful to not step on any tails. With a sucessful exit of only stepping on one, Salmonpaw made it out. Not saying anything much, Salmonpaw lapped up the herbs like he had seen many others do.

After he finished eating the herbs, Mistlepaw led the tom outside of camp and into the territory. He was clearly eager to get this over with, and earn his warrior name. She couldn't blame him for being so focused on that; she would've been too, if it was her path. Sighing gently, the gray and white tuxedo remained quiet, allowing a comfortable silence to fall between the two cats. Neither of them made any attempt to break it, so it stayed like that for quite some time. She almost retorted something as the tom crossed the river: he was known for being a drypaw. She held her tongue, though; the last thing she needed was for him to take her light hearted joke the wrong way.

So, the silence remained, all the way until they stood at Mothermouth's entrance. "Stay close. Feel free to grab my tail, it's easy to get lost," she meowed, before crouching and padding into the tight tunnel. She crept forward, using muscle memory to guide her into the Moonstone's cavern. At last, they entered the small cave, bathed in the stone's pale light. "Go on now, Salmonpaw. Starclan awaits," she beckoned him towards the spiraling crystal.

It was the first time he had actually crossed the river, doing it only because he needed to to become a warrior. He walked with silence the rest of the way.

As Salmonpaw made it to the Moonstone, he silently followed directions and pressed his nose against the rock.

Mistlepaw watched as Salmonpaw settled down by the stone and prepared to enter the dream space. "I'll be right here when you wake up," she meowed quickly before his nose touched the cold surface. As he fell limp with sleep, she allowed her back to slump back against the wall. She could be here for a while; might as well catch up on sleep, too.

~~~~

Torrentstorm waited patiently in the starry meadows of Starclan. Today, he would be conversing with Salmonpaw, a Riverclan apprentice whose ceremony was long overdue. While the tom's true heritage was certainly in question (he hadn't been present at the flood physically but he sure was there), he would make a fine warrior, wherever he ultimately decided he'd reside. Alongside his blood, it was revealed to several medicine cats that he..would go down a questionable path regarding love. It made his chest feel fuzzy and strange. If Hailsong was in a different clan, would he be doing that as well? Sacrificing his clan's trust for the love of his life? The thought alone made him squirm, so he tried not to dwell on it. He focused his mind on what he would say to him, regardless of his future.

As the apprentice materialized and woke up, the silver tabby purred and said with a welcoming smile, "Hello, Salmonpaw. I'm Torrentstorm, a former warrior of Riverclan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

As Salmonpaw woke up in StarClan, a tom stood before him. He of course, didn't know who he was. Still, Salmonpaw eagerly sat before the former warrior and curled his tail around his paws. "Hello Torrentstorm, I am Salmonpaw. A RiverClan apprentice." He said awkwardly, yet politely.

A chuckle erupted from the tom's maw, followed by a deep purr. Salmonpaw was a spitting image of him when he was young. Polite, yet too anxious for his own good. "Ease up, bud. I won't bite!" he meowed firmly, though his eyes shone with warmth and affection. "You're probably here for some advice, so I'll give you some. To sum it up, follow your heart. There are going to be things in life that..that makes what you feel wrong," his eyes darkened as he remembered Hailsong, but he quickly pushed the thoughts away, "but what matters is how you feel. Don't let assumptions get in the way of doing what you think is best for you, Salmonpaw. I made that mistake before, and it ended up being the worst mistake of my life..and afterlife." The slender gray Starclan cat shifted uncomfortably on hiss paws, a soft sigh escaping from his chest. As much as he tried not to think about it, the dilute calico kept reappearing in his mind. He so badly wanted to forget. He wanted to discard his feelings and burn away the memories. But her touch lingered on his fur, and her voice tickled his ears during the faintest ears. Here he was, giving this young tom advice about love, when he couldn't even follow it. "What a hypocrite I am," he hissed internally.

After a brief, sad silence, the tabby tom finally spoke again, "you've got a lot ahead of you, bud. While I can't downright reveal everything to you, I want you to know that you will go through some troubling times. Your heart and your loyalty will be put to the ultimate test. Whatever happens, follow what feels right. There are no wrong or correct choices. There is only what you, and you alone, believe is right." He gazed at him intensely, as if he was peering into his soul. A satisfied look came across his face and he relaxed, a small smile reaching his lips once again, "good job on crossing the river, by the way. You weren't as much of a dry paw as I initially thought."