Ashpaw's Moonstone Journey

Mothglow gathered up the travelling herbs, setting them gently on the ground before calling out in the direction of the apprentice's den. "Ashpaw! Are you almost ready to go?"

The time had come once more for a lucky apprentice to speak with StarClan, as they approached the end of their warrior training. The ceremonial trip held a new sort of weight now, she thought, after everything that had happened in the past several moons. Trust was difficult to regain, and it had certainly been broken - she found herself conflicted, sometimes, even now.

But that was done. It was in the past. And she had the chance once more to share a part of her world with her clanmates, if only for a day.

Ashpaw padded out of the apprentice's den when she heard someone call her name. When she saw Mothglow she nearly jumped in excitement. It was time for her Moonstone journey! Feeling unusually optimistic, she decided not to unleash her foul temper on anyone. "I'm ready!" she called as she quickly made her way to the medicine cat. "Are these for me?" she questioned when she spotted the bundle of herbs laying near her.

"They are. You have to eat them before we can leave," Mothglow confirmed, tail twitching in amusement.

"Oh," Ashpaw responded distantly, crouching beside the bundles and licking up the herbs. Making a face at the bitter taste, she swallowed the last of the leaves. She padded toward the camp entrance, stopping to ask, "Should we get going?"

"Yes, follow me," Mothglow nodded, leading the way out of camp. The journey was uneventful, but not at all unpleasant thanks to the newleaf weather, and she couldn't help but feel relieved as they approached Mothermouth. Worry that something would happen nipped at her like the leaf-bare chills, but those thoughts were easier to shake off now.

She led the way through the tunnels silently, and sighed in relief when they emerged into the Moonstone cavern and everything seemed perfectly normal. The Moonstone was shimmering, bathed in moonlight, and she gestured to her with her tail. "Touch your nose to the stone, and let sleep take you. I'm sure your ancestors are waiting to see you, Ashpaw."

Ashpaw followed Mothglow down the dark tunnel. Everything was pitch black, and she couldn't even see her paws. She hoped she wouldn't run straight into a rock wall. She watched the glimmering Moonstone for a moment, hesitating at the cavern entrance. She shook her head. There's nothing to be afraid of, she scolded herself. Quickly she padded forward until she was right in front of the glowing crystal. Following Mothglow's instructions, she lay down before touched her nose to the cold stone with her eyes closed.

Breezepaw was standing when Ashpaw awoke. Tail waving in an unusual show of happiness, the StarClan warrior ran to his sister, stroking her tail along her back. His sister was the cat he got along with best, out of every living and StarClan cat. “Ash!” he exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you!” The dark tabby took a step back and examined her. She’d grown. Where he was still gangly and kit-like in build, having been barely an apprentice at death, Ashpaw had grown more muscular, looking more like the warrior she would soon be.

Ashpaw blinked open her eyes, finding herself in unfamiliar surroundings. She glanced around, wondering where she was before she realized - StarClan. "Wait, what?" she sounded confused when she saw her brother. "Great StarClan, I'm so glad to see you! I missed you so much!" She showed a rare smile. Then her expression changed, and she unleashed the pent up fury that had gathered since her brother's death. "How dare you just die and leave me alone? You were like my best friend!" she screeched. As fast as her anger took hold, she changed back to a neutral tone. "You're shorter than me now," she observed. "You can tease me no more about being short."

Breezepaw grinned at his sister's happiness, running his tail down her back. His ears tilted back slightly as her mood changed and she berated him for leaving him. "It's not my fault I died..." he muttered quietly, then flicked his ears up as she continued to speak. He grinned cockily as she mentioned height. "Eh, you may be taller, but now I'm stronger." At least that was one thing StarClanners got. His tail flicked as he sat beside his sister. "So, you're going to become a warrior soon, right?"

Ashpaw snorted. "You might be stronger, but you're gonna use your strength without brains," she teased. She sat down beside Breezepaw, tail curled neatly around her paws. "Yeah, I'm gonna be a warrior soon," she responded. It wasn't like she could ask her brother about being a warrior since he hadn't made it into warriorhood. She sighed. "I just can't believe I'll be a warrior soon, without you there. I miss you a lot," she admitted quietly.