Briarpaw's Moonstone Journey

The time had come once more for a lucky apprentice to speak with StarClan, as they approached the end of their warrior training. In this case, it was another of Thornstar's last litter, and despite everything the thought of her adoptive mother still brought a little bit of heartache. The battles were over, but nothing could undo what had been done.

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

"Yes, Mothglow."

Briarpaw huffed slightly, giving the medicine cat a frustrated side-eye. The young apprentice had been having trouble sleeping, but that was nothing new- she'd been having those issues ever since she was a kit. It didn't make the constant fatigue any easier, though, but slowly it became more and more normal. She'd learned to work past it and to take what little sleep she could get. Pushing herself out of the den, she looked down at the mess of herbs before her. Without bothering to ask, she lapped them up, ignoring the taste to the best of her ability. "I'm ready when you are."

Mothglow's tail twitched as she led the way out of camp. After a long and overall uneventful journey, they reached Mothermouth; and Mothglow led the way through the tunnels until they emerged into the shimmering Moonstone's cavern.

She gestured to the stone with her tail. "Go on. I'm sure they're waiting."

Briarpaw grunted a little before following Mothglow out of camp, her fur a bit bogged down with sweat. It was certainly Greenleaf.

With the Moonstone now in sight, Briarpaw grew slightly anxious. What if what they had to say to her was bad...? Shaking her head, she moved forward and settled down next to the stone, touching it gently with her nose. Almost immediately, she felt drowsy. She was tempted to see what happened if she tried to fight that feeling, but instead let it wash over her, falling into a deep sleep.

Another unfortunate soul. Larksong sighed softly to herself as she watched the form of Briarpaw take shape within the astral realm that StarClan called home. The warrior couldn't help but sympathize with the struggles that the apprentice had faced already... "Briarpaw," she said as she stepped forward, the tortoiseshell dipping her head towards her. "I am Larksong of ShadowClan - I walked the forest when your mother had been but an apprentice. I have my words to share, wisdom that I had gained from my time living...But I am also here to answer any questions you might have. Ask, and I will answer before sharing my piece of history and knowledge." She barely restrained making a face at the words, almost wanting to scoff as she finished speaking. Stars, listen to her. She was speaking like one one would expect a StarClan cat to talk. She was certain that Smokestripe was laughing his tail off wherever he was hiding... She had hated sounding so formal in her living life and yet here she was, sounding no different than any other StarClan cat. But...On another paw, she couldn't help it. She was here to help Briarpaw, she wasn't so sure if being her...Casual self would put off Briarpaw or put her at ease. Ah well, she suppose she would find out sooner or later.

Briarpaw grunted as her eyes began to flutter open, and she took a moment to regain her balance as she looked around at the starry marsh around her. It only took a few moments for a beautiful, star-speckled she-cat to approach her, carrying a rather... disdainful look on her face. When she began speaking, Briarpaw immediately knew why. She wondered quietly if StarClanners were actually required to speak like that. Her heart panged at the mention of her mother, her spirit visibly dropping. "Is she here?" She blurted out immediately, thinking of her mother. She didn't realize it might not be clear who it was she was talking about.

Larksong's soft smile faded, and with that the 'all knowing' energy she had been putting forth. "Of course she is, Briarpaw. We were all disgusted with The Righteous' Few actions - giving her a place among the star was the least we can do to make amends when she was so maliciously stolen from you and your siblings. I am sure she would love to see you, but...Alas, apparently they thought I would be a good fit to speak with you," she said with a shrug of her shoulders, before she titled her head to glance at the apprentice. "But I can see why. Not the most sociable cat, can be a little rude...And like you, I'm not fully ShadowClan - my mother was a rogue. My father, Magpiestar...He had my brother and I as a means to an end - to have one last litter before the ability was taken away from him. Of course, he was just a warrior back then..." There was a long silence as she turned her gaze to the horizon, lost in thought for a couple heartbeats.

"...I found out the truth about my mother when I confronted my father about it. I was just an apprentice but I knew something wasn't right, that there had been something he hadn't been telling us. He confessed and...I didn't take the revelation well. I fled, left ShadowClan in an effort to track her down, get her side of the story I guess, but got caught by some Twolegs and lived as a kittypet for moons When I managed to get free and returned...My brother was gone. He had betrayed the Clan to the highest degree - turning his back against the Stars and vowed his allegiance to the Dark Forest. He had been banished not even a moon before my return. I've always felt it was my fault - maybe if I hadn't run, maybe if I had been there for him, he wouldn't..." It...Hurt. Not even here she could see her brother - he was gone, dead. But his soul had never been able to find rest here, instead he was banished to the darkest realm where not even the stars dared shine. She really wished she could have spoken to him one last time, find out what had caused him to turn against StarClan. Had it been her fault?

Finally, she shook her head. "Sorry, sorry. I'm suppose to be here for you, not to tell you my life story. I do suppose the point is that we have some similarities...So, if you have anything that has been bothering you, ask away. If not...I'll see if I can dig up some scrap of advice to send your off with."

Briarpaw's shoulder's felt tight as she listened to Larksong go on about how her mother was torn from her... As if she didn't already know. She huffed quietly when she mentioned being a good fit, and went on to talk about how they were similar. Then, she went on a long, drug out rant about how the she-cat had been stolen by Twolegs, and how her brother had committed treason. Instinctively, the large apprentice tensed up, muscles bunching together uncomfortably. She didn't want to be here- not when this she-cat was talking about... feelings. She was hardly relieved when she opened up the opportunity for the apprentice herself to ask questions... She should have come prepared, but it wasn't exactly something she'd thought about. "Um..." She began to panic a little, but it wasn't visible to the starry she-cat across from her. What in Scorchstar's name was she supposed to ask? As soon as she thought of something, she blurted it out, nearly stumbling over each word in the process. "What's the point in trying to find happiness?" After a moment, she decided she might need to clarify a little. "If everything is always going to go bad again, why should we ever try and make things better? It's just going to end up being torn to shreds right in front of us, and there's nothing we can ever do about it. Why should we fight for something that will never end up working out in the end?"

Larksong listened quietly as Briarpaw fumbled forth her question and she felt a pang of sympathy. It was hard to find a light after so much darkness - she couldn't fault the apprentice for questioning what the point even was. Larksong feared how she would have turned out if she hadn't made a very important friends. "...I had a friend named Smokestripe. He was a sweet cat - somebody who only saw the positive in things, I swear. I don't think anything ever weighed him down and even when he laid dying - with me unable to save him...He was happy, because he would get to see his kits again, even if that meant he had to say goodbye to his mate for some time. He taught me a very important lesson, that the warmth makes even the pain ebb away. The world might tear itself apart in due time but what good are we if we simply allow that to happen?," she questioned, fixing her gaze onto Briarpaw.

"How can we live day to day without looking for the reasons to smile and laugh? That makes living worth it. We have a choice, Briarpaw. We can either hate the world for all the pain...Or love our friends and family to make it bearable. The positive, the effort of making things better even for a little bit, will be far more worth it in the end. And besides, the world can never take everything from us. In StarClan, the happy moments live on. We can embrace the warmth we brought to the world while we are living and celebrate the lives that continue on due to our work. It isn't just about making things better for you, its for making things better for everybody."