Wrenpaw's Moonstone Journey

Another apprentice, another Moonstone journey.

Sagelight...looked a bit of a mess. He wasn't eating enough, and working himself too hard. His apprentice was a great help but these times were not treating him nicely at all. The stocky tom dragged himself out of his moss nest in the medicine cats' den and pulled together two traveling herb bundles. Blinking much-needed sleep out of his eyes, he pawed through them to double-check they were correct before lapping up his share of the herbs. The taste didn't bother him at all anymore, which he supposed was a good thing. The medicine cat took a moment to stretch out his stiff limbs before padding out of his den and towards the apprentices' den. He poked his head inside, peering around in the darkness for the apprentice he needed.

"Wrenpaw," he called, doing his best to keep his voice low. "Wake up, it's time to go. Moonstone journey. I've got your herbs out here with me."

Sleep proved to be restless. Wrenpaw had drifted into nightmares and found himself tossing and turning in the nest. When Sagelight called his name, he shot up instantly, meeting the medicine cat's gaze. His eyes were wide for a moment before he shook his head and realized it was merely his clanmate. The tom shook his pelt in an effort to shake away sleep. This was to be the time of his moonstone. There was a lump in his throat at the thought of facing Starclan. Although he was sure they would find him as loyal as the best Skyclan warriors, he remembered the intimidating nature of the cats who had interrupted the gathering. Regardless, this meant he was a step closer to receiving his warrior name.

He padded from the den, and found the spoken of herbs. As he dipped his head to eat them, his nose wrinkled at the scent. Wrenpaw shot Sagelight a questioning look but didn't say anything before scarfing them down. Immediately, the apprentice nearly gagged on the bitter plants but he managed to choke them down. Still using his tongue to try to dispel remnants from between his teeth, the tom looked at the medicine cat and meowed, "I'm ready to go now.... as long as we don't have to eat anymore herbs along the way."

Sagelight watched over Wrenpaw quietly as he ate his herbs, although his gaze looked distant and absent-minded. He blinked back to reality when Wrenpaw spoke up, just managing to catch the last part of his sentence. The medicine cat smiled and shook his head, chuckling softly. "No, no more herbs. They are pretty bitter, but you get used to them the more often you eat them. I hardly taste it at all anymore." The tom got to his paws and led his apprentice charge out of camp, holding his tail high to keep him on track behind him. "We'll stop by the creek soon to get some water for that taste in your mouth, then we'll be on our way to the Moonstone."

The two cats managed to make it to Highstones by nightfall, just in time for the Moonstone to light up the cavern it was held in. Sagelight felt rather stiff and sore this time around...Usually he was in better shape than this. He didn't let his discomfort show, however, both physically and mentally. There was no reason why StarClan wouldn't speak to young Wrenpaw, now that everything seemed to be over, but he couldn't help but worry about it nonetheless. The pointed medicine cat shuffled his paws a little to relieve the pressure on them and turned to face Wrenpaw, looking him over briefly. "Are you ready? When we go in, stay very close behind me, it's very dark and the path is winding. You'll have to feel for the tunnel wall with your whiskers. When we reach the cavern with the Moonstone, I will stay behind at the entrance. You go ahead and go in and touch your nose to the stone. StarClan will speak to you then." And with that, Sagelight padded into the pitch-black tunnel.

At the mention of dispelling the awfully bitter remains from his maw, the tom's ears perked. Eagerly, he followed after the medicine cat. As the pair traveled along, Wrenpaw's ears were stiff and on guard as his eyes glanced through the foliage around them. The apprentice knew of the medicine cat's defeaned senses and stuck near his side. Just in case. At the back of his mind was the memory of hostile, starry foes whose claws and fangs were ready to strike at a moment's notice. Although his gait was casual and he showed no external signs of fear, Wrenpaw was ready. Just in case.

Their journey to the moonstone passed by quicker than he imagined it would. Maybe it was the fact his excitement was stifled by measures of uncertainty. Regardless, it wasn't long before the peaks of Highstones rose up in the air before them, lit by the fading hues of scarlet and gold. Wrenpaw stayed at Sagelight's side as they scaled together. As he peered into the unceasing blackness, the apprentice nodded as he took in the words directed towards him, "I'm ready."

The voice didn't waver and a certain curiosity washed over his pelt as he abandoned sight in favor of seeking out some semblence of truth. Perhaps Starclan would soothe the uneasiness that he felt towards those who disobeyed Spottedstar. Maybe they would condemn it? At this point, he wasn't sure and decidedly, that was okay for now. Once he'd found that conclusion, it was then the dazzling light broke through was seemed like an eternity with out sight. After marveling in awe, Wrenpaw considered for a moment if that was what Sagelight felt when he dreamed. Peering at the medicine cat as if asking permission for a mere moment, he finally twitched his whiskers in a brief farewell and settled down at the stone.

What was to come next, only Starclan could say.

"Wrenpaw!"

The pale tabby's heavy paws crashed into Wrenpaw's side, and the pair of toms rolled over wildly in the starry grasses of StarClan's celestial plains. The attacker lifted his chin and laughed, stars glinting in his coat like the ancestors who had appeared in the last few Gatherings. "You didn't see me coming, huh? You are so tense. But so dedicated!" He removed his weight from Wrenpaw and stood to shake his pelt clean. He was young, roughly the age of a new warrior, and he was powerfully built like a SkyClan cat. The tom spoke with a strong lilt that betrayed his foreign ancestry. "My name is Eye of the Prowling Lion, or Lion's Eye," he introduced himself, bowing low to the ground in respect to Wrenpaw despite his casual attitude, "but when my Tribe came from the mountains to seek shelter with your forest Clan, I was given the name Lionpaw. You can call me either." Lion's Eye lifted his head and peered at the gray and white tom with cheerful mischief in his gaze. He was clearly considering another surprise attack, but he kept his respectful distance. His smile softened and he looked at Wrenpaw with compassion in his eyes. "Friend, I watched your journey across the forest. Something weighs down your heart. May I know what bothers you?"

What Wrenpaw expected, and what he received were two vastly different things. His name was chirped once before the tom's legs were bowled out from underneath him. Rolling to the side, the apprentice found himself entangled with a Starclan cat. As they rolled to the side, his breath was forced out of his lungs and for a moment he considered that he might indeed have to fight Starclan. Perhaps those who didn't side with the Righteous Few were disappointed in Skyclan for fleeing to fight alongside the others? However, there was a bought of laughter that caused him to blink in surprise. No claws nor teeth pricked his pelt.

'You didn't see me coming, huh? You are so tense. But so dedicated!'

Wrenpaw was pinned for only a moment before the cheery voice chimed and the weight was lifted. He rolled and regained his footing, staring towards Lion's Eye with a guarded look as he still was uncertain about the situation unfolding around him. With steady footing, the tom now noticed his attacker's slightly funny mannerisms of speaking. With a quick explanation, his question were answered. Skyclan told tales of the foreign ancestors who held the blood of their original ancestors. Even now, he was certain some of his clan mates shared kinship with these legendary cats. The starry cat sat across from him. There was a glint in the other cat's eye that caused his crooked tail to flicker and he briefly remembered his mantra from the journey there. Just in case.

But the pressing question came, and even with the churning in his heart, Wrenpaw found himself at ease with the playful Starclan apprentice. Something reminded him of his friends back home, of Juniperpaw and Redfall. If he and Lionpaw had lived at the same time, perhaps they would have been friends. It was this specific question that conjured his friend's face from the warrior ceremony not long ago. Wrenpaw's gaze shifted to the glistening landscape, "I know Starclan's been at war too, so my questions probably seem small to someone like you. But, if I'm honest, I'm lost, Lionpaw. I'm torn between my loyalty to my clan and my friendships. Was I wrong for not fighting alongside the rest of the forest? Should I have cared about the other clans in a way that I don't? Redfall is brave for going into battle, I, just... he disobeyed our leader. Everycat who stayed did. How can I trust them after that? And Wolfcall too? He's our deputy for Starclan's sake."

A frown crossed his maw and he realized his sides had begun to heave slightly from the exasperation. Ears lowered slightly with embarrassment, Wrenpaw finally looked at the other tom once more. There was a plea for answers in his gaze. Devotion to his clan and warrior life versus the care he had for his friend threatened to tear him in two. Life was far easier without the idea of multiple paths to be trod.

Lion's Eye nodded, suddenly very serious. "It has been a confusing time for everyone. Your questions are just as valid as anyone else's, Wrenpaw." He hummed, cocking his head to the side and trying to recall if any of his own life experiences were relevant to Wrenpaw's situation. He had his struggles between the Clan and the Tribe, yes, especially as the young representative chosen to bridge the cultures. The question he frequently asked himself had been about who had true authority over Lionpaw and the other Tribe cats: Stoneteller or Rippedstar? Lion's Eye had never come to a conclusion. He avoided the issue entirely by dying. In the meantime, however, he had learned a thing or two about Clans and how they operated.

The pale tabby scuffed the grass beneath his paws, soft and springy compared to the rugged mountains of the skies he preferred to walk. His answer would be the answer every young and curious cat dreaded to hear: "I'm afraid it's all about finding the right balance. Your duty is to SkyClan alone once you've sworn the oath. But you are also expected to evaluate your leader and his choices. That doesn't mean rebellion, mind you - not unless he's done something truly terrible - but leaders make mistakes, too, and should be accountable for them, too. That means you are free to disagree with your leader and feel differently about his choices and even tell him as much. And you probably shouldn't agree with him all the time, because then you are not thinking for yourself at all. In the end, though, it is part of the Code to obey, so you must eventually do as he commands, even when you disagree or feel there are better paths to take. He has been gifted leadership by StarClan. We are capable of handling leaders who stray too far." He paused, knowing that Wrenpaw was hoping for specific advice on the cats who stayed and fought at the Gathering. StarClan had gone to aid them, but it wasn't exactly their jurisdiction to say what should happen to SkyClan's rogue warriors or how the apprentice felt about them.

"This role of questioning the leader is especially relevant to the deputy. Wolfcall must be an advisor to Spottedstar, not his apprentice. And Redfall followed his mentor into battle. However, Wolfcall didn't fight because he disagreed with his leader, but because he was more devoted to his mate. And Redfall disobeyed Spottedstar by obeying Swansong. She and Blossomstep had their own convictions about the situation. What you must figure out for yourself is if their choices correctly reflect the values a warrior should pursue and then apply that understanding to your own choices. Until then, they are still your clanmates. They deserve your trust and loyalty like every one else because they are what makes up SkyClan: not an idea, but the cats within. Your best solution is to speak with them personally about why they stayed behind so that you may understand them now and hopefully in the future." Lion's Eye meowed, still gravely serious. It was a non-answer on what Wrenpaw should do, unfortunately, and the StarClan apprentice couldn't tell him exactly how to approach his clanmates. He'd gone and died before he could really process that his own mother had caused countless deaths and injuries to the Clan cats who had welcomed them into their homes, and even in death, he still avoided thinking of the problems that had plagued him in life. And yet he still found himself occasionally guiding a young soul. "I once advised Spottedstar similarily. I told him he needed to have trust. He was an apprentice then, just like you. I don't know if it stuck, but I hope you remember it."

Cracking into a wide smile, the apprentice leaned forward into his forepaws with his haunches waving into the air. His thick tail swept the air behind him, and he let out a playful growl. "But before you go, I want you to do me a favor. Come get me back, Wrenpaw!"

Wrenpaw had fallen back onto his haunches in what could only be described as some crestfallen sitting position. His shoulders hunched forwards as a further indication of his defeated feelings. The apprentice blinked slowly as the Starclan cat nodded and as he sucked in a low breath, he straightened up, prepared to consume every bit of wisdom this other tom would bestow on him. Immediately, there was a sense of relief that came from Lionpaw's acknowledgement of his questions. If a Starclanner didn't find his plight to be trivial and insane, perhaps he wasn't insane. Conflicting devotions tore him apart but such was the way of the world.

What came not was not the advice that he had hope for, something that might light the correct path and help him know with certainty that his paws would walk in the way they should. As Lion's Eye continued on, all the apprentice could to was listen intently. His head nodded slowly as he began to understand but his tail still twitched with light measures of uncertainty. So that was it. Wrenpaw would have to constantly seek the truth and make his own decisions. He sucked in a deep breath, allowing the afterlife air to fill his lungs. Dedication to Skyclan and it's cats would always be first; he would never doubt his devotion. His eyes drifted to his paws, studying one of his pads as he turned it over. As much as he mad his own decisions and felt this tug, so did his clanmates. Even if he questioned the way they did things, like Lionpaw said there would always have to be respect and trust between them. It was up to Spottedstar to address the clan and their decisions. Maybe Wrenpaw needed to talk to Redfall. He definitely had to.

As the Starclanner mentioned Spottedstar, the gray and white pelted apprentice looked up immediately, "You talked to Spottedstar? Really? I won't forget Lionpaw. I'll use everything you've told me to help become the best warrior ever." There'd been a brief pause but after talking about it Wrenpaw felt as if there was some comfort in the uncertainty. At least, his Starclan advisor seemed to think that way. Now he sought to offer up a genuine smile to the other tom, determination in his gaze. When he met Lion's Eye, there was a teasing look in the Starclanner's gaze. It was Wrenpaw's turn for the chase. He leaped to his paws and sprang forward using his own powerful Skyclan hindlegs, pinning Lionpaw this time, and looking down at him with measures of respect and appreciation.

"Thank you."