here we are again (closed)

The warming breeze that blew through camp brought along new, fresh scents to Olivestone's nose as she groomed her pelt. She knew Morningpaw would already be awake and raring to go, so she figured that going to the den to wake her apprentice would be a pointless task. She rose to her paws and padded over to the apprentice, mewing a greeting.
"You ready for your first day as an apprentice, Morningpaw?"

She flicked her tail, gesturing for the apprentice to follow, and led the way onto the moor.
"So, what do you want to do first? Hunting, seeing borders, what do you have in mind?"

It was a question the new apprentice had been musing on all day- a whole wide world of possibilities had been opened to her! She could attend gatherings, tag along on patrols, train her battle skills, help the elders, learn to actually hunt-- well, that last one, perhaps, should wait a little while, given how it went last time. As much as Morningpaw tried to ignore it, sometimes she could still feel that horrible beak around her-- Focus! You're an apprentice now!

And so she was. Morningpaw gave a firm nod and followed her mentor, asking after a few moments; "Maybe we could look around the territory? I've only really seen a tiny part of it so far."

Olivestone nodded in response to Morningpaw's choice. She tried to figure out the best and quickest way around the territory, and set off in the direction of the Thunderpath, signaling to Morningpaw with her tail to follow.
Once the younger cat was trotting alongside her, she spoke.
"The first thing we're going to see is the Thunderpath. It's a dangerous place, so stay by me."

When the pair approached the hard surface that snaked through the grass, she slowed to a stop a few fox-lengths away, and signaled for Morningpaw to do the same.
"This is the Thunderpath. Monsters travel on it, though where it goes, and why, only StarClan knows."
The familiar rumbling began and she crouched down in the grass as a glittering blue monster raced by, kicking up a smelly wind in its wake.

The Thunderpath... all she'd heard before today was 'don't go near it!'- but they'd never really told her why. And truthfully, she'd always wondered- the apprentice bounded along with excitement, wondering just what dangers might lie ahead. But as her nose scrunched up at the scent of asphalt, her enthusiasm waned, and she dropped to a hunting-crouch beside Olivestone.

"Ugh, it smells like... well, like Thunderpath, I suppose-- what do you mean by 'monsters', though? More geese, or- bigger? Eagles? Badg--" The cat's fur stood on end as the rumbling reached her ears, and her words trailed off, following her mentor's gaze, her eyes fixed on the great blue beast that whooshed by.

"You really didn't mention they were that big-- did it see us? Is it going to come back around?"

Olivestone wrapped her tail around the apprentice in a gesture of comfort, and spoke once the rumbling had faded away.
"They typically only stay on the Thunderpath, and they ignore us, for the most part. As long as you stay away from the path, you should be safe."
She stood and looked across the Thunderpath, over towards ShadowClan territory.
"ShadowClan's territory is across the path and deep in the marsh over that way. Between them and RiverClan, I don't know how they don't have webbed paws by now!"

She chuckled and led the way along the border towards Fourtrees, and before long, the four oaks towered over the pair, sporting lots of buds and new growth.
"Ah, Fourtrees. This is where Gatherings are held, every full moon, and all five Clans meet under a truce. If any fighting breaks out, StarClan will end the gathering early and force everyone to go home."

"Well, at the very least," Morningpaw mewsed mused after a moment, "ShadowClan will have to cross the Thunderpath if they come this way too. And I doubt the monsters are picky about who they eat..." (Much like another creature she could think of.)

The apprentice followed her mentor as closely as she could, trying her hardest to keep up and take in all the sights, sounds, smells, sensations- a whole new world, a dazzling place she never knew. But as the two cats approached Fourtrees, she slowed, staring up at the great oaks in awe.

"Whoah... wait-- does this mean I can finally go to the Gathering? And- can StarClan really just make people go home? How?" She'd never admit it, but Morningpaw knew far too little about the workings of her ancestors- almost all her questions thus far had been about the physical aspects of being a warrior, not the spiritual ones. Perhaps Olivestone was willing to rectify that. "... and- can I ask a really silly question?"

Olivestone chuckled as she sat down, flicking her tail. "You're right, ShadowClan has to cross the Thunderpath to get to any of the territories on this side of the path."

"Also, yeah, you'll be able to go to Gatherings, now that you're an apprentice!"
She paused as she took in the other part of Morningpaw's question, recalling her own first Gathering and the disaster that it was. While her second Gathering had been okay, she'd heard stories from the cats that had attended the last one, and she'd experienced the downpour StarClan had sent, even though she'd stayed home on her warrior vigil that night. She'd wondered what exactly Finchstar had said to make StarClan react in such a way.

"StarClan usually sends clouds to cover the moon when the truce is broken. From there, the Gathering is declared over, and the leaders take their Clans home."
She pricked her ears when Morningpaw spoke again.
"Hm? There are no silly questions, you can ask me anything, I'll try to answer the best I can!"

Of course, Olivestone had said there were no silly questions, but to Morningpaw, it was a very silly question indeed, comparable to 'why are we called WindClan?' (which, admittedly, was another question she had- she'd ask that one later). But her mentor had always been warm and open, and hopefully this time would prove no different-

"So... we give thanks to StarClan when we hunt... and we go home when they tell us to... and Aspenheart talks to them-- so..." The apprentice paused for a moment, thinking, before continuing; "So they're important. Like, really important. I just- I don't get- nobody's really told me--"

The apprentice's voice softened to a whisper as she mewed, "Nobody's really told me why? Am I allowed to ask that?"

Olivestone flicked her tail when the words had left Morningpaw's mouth, and she had to admit that the answer wasn't immediately available to her.
"Let's come over here for a bit."
She led the way to a little dip in the hill leading back up to WindClan territory, and settled down in it, signaling for Morningpaw to do the same.

"StarClan is important because they are all of the Clan cats that lived before us, the ones that made the rules we live by and forged the paths that we now tread. We give them our thanks because the life we now live wouldn't be possible if they hadn't made it this way back in their time. We have them to thank for our Clan and our families."
She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Did you know that I wasn't born in WindClan? Ferretdance and I were found on the moor, alone, our mother dead and our father gone. Arcayus and Elmskip brought us into the Clan, and they, along with the Clan, raised us. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love WindClan, and I strive every day to make my Clan proud."

She almost looked surprised at herself for the long speech she'd given, and cleared her throat.
"Anyway, sorry for the tangent, did that answer your question?"

The tabby nodded along, listening intently to Olivestone's words- it all kind of made sense, she supposed? StarClan were their ancestors, which meant that they were kind of owed some respect for having existed and made everything possible, which means going 'thank you!' when she caught prey was the least she could do- but one thing didn't quite add up...

... and as the words "Did you know that I wasn't born in WindClan?" parsed through her mind, she blinked- out of surprise, and out of concern. She didn't mind, of course, far from it- Morningpaw thought it was actually kinda cool- but--

"Is StarClan... okay with that? You being... well, Heatkit said Sunpaw told Smudgekit that she overheard Swallowflight say something about the last Gathering- and Heatkit is a reliable source on these things."

Olivestone chuckled at Morningpaw's words. She appreciated the concern, and opened her mouth to speak.
"Ferretdance and I were brought in as kits, and there's a rule in the code that says that no warrior will abandon a kit in need. We fell under that rule, and as such, we were brought in when we needed a home. I won't abandon the Clan that brought me in and raised me as their own. Even so, Finchstar would never throw us out for not being WindClan by blood, no matter if StarClan wills it."

A wave of relief washed over Morningpaw as she nodded, pushing aside her concerns at Olivestone's words. The StarClan she knew, the StarClan Olivestone described, and the StarClan she'd heard about from Heatkit talking to Smudgekit who heard from Sunpaw that Swallowflight-- anyway, that StarClan- were all different, but... maybe that's just how it worked?

"Okay, that makes sense. Just- wondering if they were going to... you know. Anyway- I think you're right on that one, Finchstar really does seem like he'd literally go up there and fight StarClan to keep you around." A pause, and then a quieter, amused, "Maybe we should call him Punchstar..."

"Why do they care so much, though? About- blood and stuff?"

Olivestone bobbed her head a couple of times as she searched for the right words, and chuckled at Morningpaw's "Punchstar" comment.
"I wouldn't leave WindClan even if StarClan themselves came down and begged me to. It's also worth mentioning that StarClan isn't a monolith- that is, not every StarClan cat is the same. Not every StarClan cat is pushing for the blood purity stuff, only some."

She flicked her tail again.
"As for why they care so much, I don't know. Why let it go for so long if they cared as much as they do now?"

A gentle nod, a quiet sigh, and Morningpaw shook her head, equally confused. "I don't know... but if they changed their mind before, they can change it again, right?", she meowed hopefully. She didn't sound so sure.

"But what about Pun-- Finchstar? If they gave him nine lives, couldn't they take it away for going against them?" It wasn't a thought she particularly wanted to entertain, but it was a thought she had nonetheless- but with it came a more determined resolve, and a slight realisation.

A warrior's first loyalty is to their clan- and that means those within it. WindClan wouldn't exist without the living, breathing cats constituting it- and though StarClan may deserve respect, they'd just have to wait their turn, Morningpaw thought. (Not that she'd ever yowl it at the stars, of course. That's a very good way to get struck by lightning or... whatever it is that happens these days.)

"Either way, I think I get things a little better now. The conclusion I'm drawing is that everything's very confusing and I just want people to get along but apparently that's too much to ask," Morningpaw mewed, her words laced with all the wisdom of a cat who's really only six moons old but somehow gets it. "So! Where to next?"

Olivestone chuckled and stood, stretching out her legs before shaking her pelt out.
"Pretty much. Now, before we move on, I want to make note of two Clans I haven't mentioned yet. ThunderClan and SkyClan both live in the woods on this side of the Thunderpath, and as similar as their territories are, their lifestyles are quite different. ThunderClan prowls the forest floor, using the undergrowth to their advantage to hide in and to sneak up on land prey like rodents and squirrels. SkyClan, on the other paw, uses the tree canopies to their advantage, hunting the birds that nest there, and I've heard that SkyClan warriors can cross their whole territory without touching the ground once."

"Personally, I like to keep my paws on the ground, and my face to the sky. I've been told there are areas in ThunderClan territory where the sky doesn't show because of how thick the leaves on the trees are. As for where to next, we'll follow RiverClan's border until we meet the gorge."