Smokepaw's Moonstone Journey

Sagelight padded out of his den with two bundles of herbs in his mouth, pausing in the entrance to his den to give a big stretch all the way down to his tail. He was definitely getting more sleep lately as per Spottedstar's request, but, with the stress of Honeysong disappearing, he wasn't recovering from his fatigue very quickly. As much as he hated to admit it, traveling to the Moonstone with apprentices wasn't very high on his list of things he wanted to do. At least, it was at the moment. But he really was proud of all the SkyClan apprentices that were nearing their warrior ceremonies, they deserved it.

The medicine cat shook out his fur lightly to rid it from the humidity that clung to it and made his way over to the apprentices' den. He set his herbs down outside the den and poked his head in, squinting around for a particular she-cat. "Smokepaw, wake up and meet me outside, it's time to go." While he waited for her to rouse from sleep and join him, he lapped up his share of the herbs, not even flinching at the bitter taste.

Smokepaw blinked awake at the sound of her name, taking a moment to stretch before quickly making her way out of the den. Time to go? It was oddly early for Sunflower to--

Oh, right. Mornings were hard. The realization that it was Sagelight speaking to her and not her mentor had Smokepaw's ears pricking forward and her head just a bit higher as excitement chased away the last vestiges of sleep from her mind.

"I'm guessing I have to eat them all?" Smokepaw asked wryly, gingerly sniffing at the herbs. Well, best to get it over with, she decided, then quickly lapped them up in the hopes of avoiding some of the more unpleasant tastes in the bundle--

Oh, Starclan, were the herbs foul. "Well, I'm definitely awake now..." She managed not to choke on the bitter herbs as she swallowed, though she was sure she wasn't doing a good job at hiding the half-disgusted, half-impressed look as she regarded Sagelight. She at least only had to take the herbs once. How many apprentices had he taken to the moonstone? How many leaders? Was he unable to taste anything at all now, with how many times he must have taken the herbs? Smokepaw was afraid to know those answers, honestly. Either way, she was ready to move whenever the medicine cat was.

((Timeskip?))

"Yes, eat all of them, they'll help curb your hunger and keep you energized for the long journey," he confirmed, nodding. A knowing smile slipped onto the tom's face as he watched her expression change once she had the herbs in her mouth. He laughed softly, rising to his paws. "Good, I'm glad you're awake! We've got quite a walk ahead of us." Sagelight led the way out of camp, tail raised high like a flagpole as they started on the familiar path to Highstones.

Luckily, although the weather was hot and sticky, their journey was uneventful. The medicine cat passed the time by striking up conversation with his charge every now and then, asking her questions about how her training was going. Finally, just as the moon was starting to rise beyond the mountain ridge, Sagelight picked a careful path up the slope and stopped in front of a tunnel entrance. He turned to face Smokepaw to give her instructions. "When we go in, stay close to my tail and feel your way with your whiskers. It'll be very dark, but don't worry. It's better if you stay quiet, this is sacred ground. I'll take you to the cavern with the Moonstone, it should be lit by the time we get there. I'll stay behind in the entrance and you go on ahead of me. Touch your nose to the stone and a StarClan cat will come and speak to you." With a final, encouraging smile, he turned tail and led her down the winding, dark tunnel. They arrived at the cavern and Sagelight sat down in the entrance, motioning for Smokepaw to go on in with his tail.

Sagelight was right, Smokepaw realized. While the journey to highstones had been long, oddly, the apprentice wasn't anywhere near as tired as she would've been otherwise. She found that she was particularly hungry, either. The herbs had tasted terrible, but Smokepaw found herself grateful for them as they traveled.  Aside from the small conversations they had, the journey was uneventful, and Smokepaw kept quiet, gaze taking in all the territory that she had never seen before.

Smokepaw paused uneasily at the entrance to the cave, looking nervously up at Sagelight. She was supposed to follow Sagelight into that? What if she got turned around, or stuck in a narrow passage? But Sagelight was motioning for her to follow him, and so Smokepaw hesitated only a moment before ducking into the tunnel after him. It wasn't long before she couldn't see at all, and the apprentice tensed, whiskers twitching as they brushed against cool stone. Abruptly her nose bumped into hard stone at a turn in the tunnel, and Smokepaw stumbled back a step, hackles rising in involuntary fear. How was she supposed to do this if she couldn't see where she was going? She edged around the turn quickly, nearly stumbling again as Sagelight's tail brushed her face.

Stone pressing around her, Smokepaw carefully continued forward, breathing quick, somewhat unsteady. Occasionally she'd stumble slightly, unused to relying solely on her whiskers, but eventually she could begin to make out a faint light ahead of her. When they finally emerged into the surprisingly brightly lit cavern, Smokepaw had never been so relieved as she struggled to control her breathing. At this point, her fur had been completely on-end for most of the journey, and eyes still widened in fear took in the sight of the moonstone. This was where they communicated with their ancestors? There was a hole high above them, letting in moonlight. Smokepaw clung to that knowledge, the sky was still above them, there wasn't a mountain on top of her...

Her breathing evened out somewhat, and Smokepaw stepped forward determinedly. She was here, and this had to be done. She couldn't back out now, even though Sagelight could probably smell the terror that radiated from the apprentice even now.

Sagelight, right. What was it he had said to do? Crouch and press her nose to the moonstone? Yes, that was it. Smokepaw did so, a shock running through her at the coldness of the stone when she touched her nose to it. The sooner she was asleep, the sooner she'd be able to forget about the earth closing in from above. If she fell asleep sooner, she'd be able to speak with Starclan sooner. And maybe they could leave sooner. Smokepaw would never disrespect her ancestors, but she definitely didn't understand why this had to be done in a mountain.

Starclan, take me, she thought, praying that sleep would come quickly.

The wide, open fields of StarClan territory greeted the dark apprentice with gentle winds. It was lush and deep green in the moon's bright light like Greenleaf in the living world but without the oppressive heat. Standing only a few pawsteps in front of Smokepaw was a young tomcat who looked to be an older apprentice or new warrior, his cream tabby pelt softly glowing with the glitter of clusters of starlight. His amber eyes glinted with genuine friendliness. "Welcome, Smokepaw!" He meowed brightly with an unusually clipped lilt. The tom's long tail waved high in the air and he dipped his head respectfully to the living apprentice. "My name is Eye of the Prowling Lion, or Lion's Eye if you prefer. I was also given the name Lionpaw in life if that makes you more comfortable. Are there questions I can answer for you tonight?" The tight space of the tunnels had frightened the poor thing. Lion's Eye hoped the open space of StarClan's land and his gentle purrs would comfort Smokepaw.

Smokepaw blinked awake, and she was no longer in the tunnels. Rock no longer pressed in suffocatingly on every side. Relief swept through the she-cat as she inhaled fresh air for the first time in what felt like hours.

Smokepaw took in the cat standing in front of her curiously. He looked young, she realized with a start, older apprentice age, possibly not dissimilar to Smokepaw's age herself. His fur shone with starlight. So Starclan are real, then.  The thought was gratifying, almost grounding. Smokepaw shifted so that she was sitting in front of him as he spoke, rather than lying down as she'd been.

"Smokepaw," her voice was steadier than she thought it would be. Dimly, she realized that he had greeted her by name, and Smokepaw felt embarrassment prick at her pelt. What an impression she was making of herself. Get it together! Smokepaw scolded herself.

Questions? Where to begin. Smokepaw had many, all burning on the tip of her tongue, yet new questions formed as the strange cat spoke to her.

"You... Aren't originally from the clans, then?" She hoped the question wouldn't offend. The name and accent were different, not in a bad way. Yet the name didn't seem like it could be that of a kittypet or loner. Something about it spoke of the formality of a group with more organization than that. Some older clan of cats, maybe? Smokepaw thought back on the history she knew, which admittedly, wasn't much, and her mind came up blank.

The tom had said he was also given the name Lionpaw. A fellow apprentice, then. That such a young cat was in Starclan should've been an unnerving reminder of Smokepaw's own mortality. Yet there was a strange sort of comfort in that knowledge, too.

He laughed a pleasant, light-hearted chuckle and sat down across from her. "Good guess! I am from the Tribe of Endless Skies. We were once SkyClan cats, but now we live in the mountains beyond Highstones. Our bloodlines have only recently reuinited - I'd say... four or five generations ago? But then we went our separate ways again. I died in your forest, however, as a member of SkyClan. I walk the skies of both the Tribe and the Clans, one of the very few cats with such a privilege." Lion's Eye thought fondly of his days learning how to be a Clan cat. It had been quite a difficult task for a number of reasons at the time, but these days he was grateful for the time he'd had. No doubt she would be interested in the way he died or why the Tribe left their cousins behind again, but he wouldn't push information on her if she didn't want it.

"Tribe of Endless Skies?" Smokepaw echoed, now thoroughly curious. "I've never heard about them, no-one seems to be willing to talk about history, at least not that I've heard. I'd be interested in hearing how you came to be with Skyclan, if you don't mind sharing?" Genuine curiosity shone in gray-green eyes as she looked at Lionpaw. How had Smokepaw never known that there were other groups of cats that mingled with Skyclan? Did any of the living cats even remember it? Maybe some of the older members of the clan, Spottedstar or Sagelight? They were among the oldest cats in Skyclan, that Smokepaw knew about. Would they have heard stories about it as kits or had they lived through it? Smokepaw wanted to ask.

"What was the Tribe like? What about Skyclan, back then?" Smokepaw was sure that Lionpaw's answers would lead to more questions, at the very least.