Jaypaw's Moonstone Journey

A light rain was falling through the forest on the morning that Mossbloom was to take Jaypaw to the Moonstone, and the chirps of the birds in the limbs along with the sunlight peeking through the light cloud coverage was reassuring that it would remain a drizzle rather than turn into a downpour. She chirped to herself, the sound echoing slightly off of the walls of the den. Feeling more lighthearted than she had in previous days, she emerged from the ferns before turning towards the apprentice's den. At this point she probably knew where all of the apprentice's slept just based on the number of times she had popped in recently, yet she still hesitated before waking the figure she thought was Jaypaw to ensure that the pelt and scent matched. Relieved to find that it did, she nudged the tom awake. "I hope you slept well, Jaypaw. It's time to wake up so we can head on our way." Retreating from the den, Mossbloom waited as the tom woke fully and made his way to her.

Mossbloom's gentle prodding roused Jaypaw from his slumber. He'd been dreaming of battling, faceless cats and giant birds with the necks of snakes. And he'd been winning. But his enemies faded away as consciousness took hold, and the apprentice blinked back into reality with a sigh. But then he realized... there was only one reason that the medicine cat would be waking him this early. His Moonstone journey had to be today! Before Mossbloom was even halfway out the den, Jaypaw was on her heels, touching his nose to her haunch in an enthusiastic greeting.

"I'm ready!"

Apprentices were usually excited for their Moonstone journeys, but she had yet to experience such an excited welcome. Usually they were far too tired to show their excitement until the journey started, but Jaypaw was different. She could definitely see the tom's mother in him. Turning and touching her nose briefly to the apprentice's, she smiled as she presented his herbs to him. "Here are your herbs, go ahead and eat them and we'll begin our journey. Just a warning, they are bitter, so we'll go to a stream nearby so you can get the taste out of your mouth before we get too far into the journey." Sitting back as the tom turned towards the herbs, she waited near the entrance. "After the stream, would you like to lead the way to Fourtrees, and then I'll lead from there?"

There was no hesitation as Jaypaw gulped down the herbs, so eager to be on their way that the taste didn't even phase him. He hurried after Mossbloom as she headed towards the entrance, "ok I'm read- wait, no! I'll be right back!"

Turning quickly, Jaypaw sprinted towards the warriors' den, peeking inside to locate his mother and then creeping around the other warriors to crouch beside her. His voice was a low whisper as he rubbed his cheek against hers, purring loudly. "Mother, I'm going to the Moonstone!" he whispered excitedly, trying to and yet not wanting to wake her. "I won't be able to train this morning but I'll be back soon, okay that's all love you bye!" He licked her forehead for good measure, then wound his way through the other sleeping warriors and belted back to the medicine cat.

"Okay now I'm ready!" he told her, "to the stream!" He hardly waited for her to lead the way out of camp before he was ahead, galloping through the undergrowth but careful not to get too far ahead. He knew exactly where the stream was, and it didn't take them long at all to make it there. Even though the taste of the herbs hadn't bothered him, Jaypaw still rinsed his mouth, gulping down a few mouthfuls of still-icy water. He knew from what he'd been told that the journey was a long one, and he didn't want to be thirsty the whole way!

Just as she prepared to step through the camp entrance, Jaypaw suddenly stopped and turned, sprinting away with an exclamation. Mossbloom paused midstep and looked to where he had gone, and a gentle smile formed on her face as she saw him disappear into the warrior's den. It wasn't long before he came back, slightly breathless as he charged ahead up the ravine and into the undergrowth towards the stream. She trotted after him, pleased that he wasn't getting too far ahead of her, and she caught up to him as he lapped the cold water of the stream.

"Dacedream is very proud of you, as is all of ThunderClan. Are you prepared for what's to come? Do you have any questions for me?" She turned towards Fourtrees after a few laps of water, her chin glistening with water droplets. "I'll have you lead the way to Fourtrees, and you can ask away! I'll answer to the best of my ability. Make sure you don't move too fast, you don't want to tire yourself out too soon as well, we have plenty of sun left to make it in time." The medicine cat purred as she let the apprentice take the lead, following behind him.

He took a moment to deliberate as they walked, past experience guiding him towards Fourtrees. He'd only attended a pawful of Gatherings, but he knew the path well. "Hmm. Well. What do I do, when we get there? Do I have to talk to StarClan? Do you think they'll dislike me because I'm half RiverClan?"

The thought had been niggling at the back of the apprentice's mind ever since he learned about StarClan's current disposition towards clan hoppers. He didn't think that counted for him, since he was born and raised in ThunderClan, but he technically was half-clan by blood. Would that matter to them? Even though he'd never broken the code himself? Suddenly, Jaypaw was filled with doubt. His paws slowed as Fourtrees grew nearer, and he glanced over his shoulder at Mossbloom, searching for reassurance.

The apprentice led them through the territory towards Fourtrees like a natural. There was a moment of pause as Jaypaw considered the questions he had to ask, but when he started the questions came quickly. "When we get there, we'll wait for the Moonstone to light up with the light of the moon. You'll know when that is - trust me. It will blind you for a moment. I suppose you don't have to, but it's something that the clans have been doing for moons, and I think that our ancestors enjoy the chance to speak with their kin or kin of friends to help guide them on the right path." The tom's last question didn't particularly surprise her, but she wasn't entirely sure of the answer. Normally, she would say absolutely not, but given the current circumstances... 


"No, they won't. Your mother came to ThunderClan as an apprentice, not even a moon past her apprenticeship. The majority of her training was in ThunderClan, and she took the oath as a ThunderClan warrior. She is as much ThunderClan as Houndheart, or Ferretnose, Oakstar, or myself. You as well, Jaypaw. As far as I'm concerned, and as far as any sensible cat would be concerned, you are ThunderClan through and through." Ignoring the way her pelt seemed to tingle as she spoke, she smiled reassuringly at the apprentice when he glanced back, quickening her step to be beside him. "You'll be just fine. I'll take the lead from here, alright? It won't be long before we're in WindClan territory."


Mossbloom led the way through the clearing at Fourtrees, climbing up the bank that signaled the start of WindClan's moors. Pausing to look over the rolling, open area that the other clan called home, she flicked her tail as she began to cross it, eyes trained on the distant blurry peaks of Highstones. 

Jaypaw seemed to accept Mossbloom's explanation without complaint or skepticism, but he remained quiet for a long while after that, lost in his own mind. When he was a kit, the idea of speaking to a StarClan cat seemed exciting, it was something he looked forward to. After all, how often did one get the chance to speak to their ancestors? Cats who had lived and died long before he was born?

Now, though... he wasn't so sure. StarClan had proven themselves a dangerous enemy. They'd murdered two leaders for the crime of falling in love, and creating half-blood kits. And Jaypaw himself was a half-blood kit. There was no hiding it - no hiding the way water rolled off his pelt as if it were impenetrable, no hiding the webbed paws that made him swim twice as well as any cat without. StarClan was punishing cats for creating multi-clan abominations like him. So why would they want to speak to him in friendship now?

Jaypaw's legs were aching by the time they reached the other side of WindClan's territory, and after that, he hung way back, uneasy at the prospect of being on no clan's territory.

Jaypaw was silent as the two crossed WindClan's territory, and Mossbloom let the silence continue as they crossed the final border of the clans. Noticing Jaypaw's hesitance, Mossbloom gave him a reassuring smile. "Just another adventure, Jaypaw. We're not far now, and your mother made this journey with me too. If we keep at this pace, we'll beat her time!" She purred, hoping to lift Jaypaw's spirits some as they neared the roaring Thunderpath, preparing to cross into the very final stretch of the journey. "Run when I say run, and don't look back. I'll meet you on the far side, and then we'll be very close." A couple more monsters hurtled by before Mossbloom gave the signal and pelt across the path, looking for Jaypaw on the far side.

The sight and smell of the Thunderpath almost made Jaypaw recoil in fear. He hunkered down in the grass at the edge of the strange black surface, bottle-brush tail quivering behind him. He was... he was supposed to cross this? Like? Walk on it? With his feet?

Yep, that's what Mossbloom said, and the instructions hung in his brain as he watched Mossbloom dart across. A second. Another. He... he was supposed to follow. So he did, even with every single instinct within him telling him to flee in the opposite direction, he followed the medicine cat, making it to the other side with seconds to spare as a monster thundered over the path he'd just crossed. A terrified silence, punctuated only by Jaypaw's rapid, panicked breathing.

But he'd made it.

Suddenly, a laugh. The apprentice belted out a near-hysterical laugh, leaping to his paws and pointing at the Thunderpath with a victorious whoop. "That was... that was insane! That monster almost ate the both of us! But we made it! Just wait til mama hears about this, Mossbloom, I betcha she'll be impressed!"

Mossbloom turned back towards the Thunderpath, and was a little shocked to see Jaypaw's hind legs clearing past the edge just heartbeats before another monster rushed behind him. Letting out a sigh of relief, she rushed over to his side as the silence drew on, only to be taken aback by the sudden bout of laughter that come from the tom's throat. She blinked in surprise as he whipped around, a victorious whoop coming from him, and then she relaxed a she realized that he was alright, just winded, excited, and that the laughter was probably the terror mixing with the adrenaline. "They are certainly very fast, we just have to be faster! She certainly will, Jaypaw, I'm certain of that." Mossbloom purred as she let Jaypaw have his moment of victory before motioning for him to continue following her. "We'll have to cross again on our way back to camp, so be prepared for that!"

Without delay, the two continued on as the grass turned to stone underpaw, and the previously distant peaks of Highstones now loomed over them as dusk gathered. The peaks stood out starkly against the soft glow of the sunset sky, and it wasn't long before the moon rose above the horizon and it was time. Laying her tail gently on the young tom's shoulders, Mossbloom nodded to him before leading the way down through the tunnels until the reached the cavern of the Moonstone, glowing brilliantly. "Settle down and press your nose to the Moonstone, Jaypaw. StarClan will come to speak to you then."

Fueled by the "victory" at the Thunderpath, Jaypaw's strength and good spirits returned for the rest of the journey, and he trailed Mossbloom with little regard to his sore muscles and and fatigue, even towards the end of the journey. He would have so many stories to tell Dacedream, it was gonna be so cool.

When they reached the Moonstone, he hesitated at the entrance nostrils flaring as he tested for scents. There didn't really seem to be any, though. Certainly nothing that he should be worried about. It was a little scary, walking into the darkness, but he trusted Mossbloom, and followed her through, listening to her instruction and padding forward to touch his nose to the Moonstone...

When the tom opened his eyes, a vast, starry landscape was lain out before him. Amid the navy blue tinted forest, which was speckled with dazzling tinges of light, was a the bulky frame of an imposing cat. This creature's pelt, underneath the speckles of starlight, appeared to have once been a tabby. The paws were nearly as large as Jaypaw's face. Across the Starclanner's face were many scars, the most prominent being a seven-clawed scar over his one eye. From beneath this scar, he regarded the apprentice with a dull green gaze. One might have expected a brighter gaze, given his residence among the star's, but even in finding his peace, Beartooth was as much of a lively creature as he had been in life.

There were few things that caused him to step from his eternal nesting place. It just so happened on this particular day, that Houndheart's son was to visit the moonstone. That knowledge alone, amid the memory of his son, had formed a lump in his throat. Now, as he looked at this tom, all he could see were the similarities to another cat whose blood ran through Thunderclan as well. Swallowing the lump, he stared into the eyes of Ridgelight. It was almost humorous how traces of previous lives didn't just simply disappear over the years. Although, now, he found himself wishing that it would have. Only painful memories tainted the love he once had for the she-cat he'd grown up with.

"My name is Beartooth and this is Starclan." The former deputy pushed away the reminder of Ridgelight, and sought to find the differences in Jaypaw's pelt and expression as he spoke. As usual, the manner in which he spoke was formal and matter of fact, masking whatever emotions were hidden beneath the intimidating exterior. As he settled back on his haunches, the tom let his tail be strewn out behind him and his many claws gripped the earth as he spoke once more, "What have you come here for?"

What Jaypaw saw when he first opened his eyes was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. He'd been born in Leafbare, during the roughest of the seasons where it was cold and unkind and just surviving was a challenge for some. But here... the first thing he noticed was the warmth. It wasn't warm like a nest beside his siblings in the apprentice den, or even warm like being curled at his mother's belly in the nursery. This was different. All-encompassing.

His fur stirred by a warm breeze, Jaypaw bounced to his paws, and he felt none of the weariness from the trip to the Moonstone. He lifted his nose to the sky, nostrils flaring, and a scent reached his nose a second before...

My name is Beartooth and this is Starclan.

He half-turned, having not even realized he had company until the cat spoke. Beartooth. Jaypaw's brow furrowed, and he tilted his head. Beartooth was... "My father's father," he said, a question in his voice. "My grandfather." With a curious expression, the apprentice studied the large tabby in front of him. And then a question. What have you come here for?

He was taken aback by that. Shouldn't StarClan know that? He had to speak to them, to get their approval or something, in order to become a warrior. But somehow he knew that there was deeper meaning to the starry cat's question. His eyes dropped to the ground, and the wonder and excitement he'd had upon first waking here melted away, leaving only the uncertain apprentice standing in a clearing that seemed somehow colder now.

"I'm scared," he said quietly. "For my mama. For my sisters." His eyes lifted to meet Beartooth's, an expression somehow both accusatory and desperate in their sapphire depths. "Why does StarClan hate us, Beartooth?"

Jaypaw spoke of their shared blood and he felt his elongated fangs instinctively dug into his lower jaw. This apprentice reminded him far too much of both Ridgelight and Houndheart for him to push it away. They were kin. All of the pain that came along with it was not this young tom's fault, it was something he needed to deal with silently. Beartooth glanced away for a moment, staring into the star-speckled grass.

The Thunderclan apprentice spoke. There was a pure desperation in that tone, coupled with an accusation of sorts. It drew the former deputy's gaze. He longed to stare into afterlife earth once again, to avoid those eyes and the questions that came with it. Somehow, the Thunderclan undergrowth seemed sweeter in this moment. There things had been easier in ways, straight-forward with the code guiding his paws. Starclan, with as much peace and freedom as it brought from the miseries of life, seemed to impress an invisible weight over shoulders. That pressure only grew as he looked into the twin pools of light.

Long teeth dug deeper, the memory of pain digging into his starry flesh. The scars he'd worried into his pelt over life, still marked his maw. How many times had he felt this uncertainty? Shouldn't it had dissipated as he faded into the afterlife? How could he reassure this young tom when he could hardly find something soothing within his own churning soul? Beartooth dipped his head ever so slightly, digging his claws into the earth before exhaling a long, slow breath. As he spoke, he couldn't bring himself to glance up.

"Starclan doesn't heal the things in hearts of all cats. Those who have condemned the forest are not all of Starclan. Regardless of what happens, I will be watching over you." It was less of a reassurance, but more of the truth, a vow that he could offer to Jaypaw. Beartooth didn't know what was to come, or how far the Righteous Few would go. His own fears matched that of this kit. But he hoped that perhaps, with some sliver of reassurance, they could brave this in their own respective ways. No matter whose pelt or eyes he held, the other blood that ran through his veins, Beartooth believed Jaypaw would make a great warrior. He would make it through these trials and helped the cats he loved in whatever way he could. Beartooth swore he would to the same, in his own silent and stoic way.