Tigerpaw's Moonstone Journey

Beechpaw had grown accustomed to making trips to the moonstone from Riverclan's camp, but now they were back home. She was to be taking Tigerpaw to the moonstone, and he'd be the first apprentice to go since Skyclan had returned to their own territory.

Picking up the bundles of herbs she'd made, Beechpaw stepped into the pre-dawn clearing, making her way towards the apprentice den. Few cats were up at this hour, and she didn't blame them for wanting to sleep in, but this had to be done. She didn't know Tigerpaw all that well, aside from the fact that her father was his mentor, and her mother had taken an interest in the half-clan cat and his siblings when Redfall had brought them to the clan. Truthfully, she didn't care about the origins of the tom or his siblings. They were still Skyclan, and from what Beechpaw had heard, were working hard. In the end, that was what mattered.

"Tigerpaw, time to get up." Beechpaw called softly into the den, hoping to not wake any of the other apprentices in the process. That done, the large apprentice retreated a few paces, swallowing her bundle of traveling herbs.

"Eat these, we've got a long trek ahead of us if we're to reach the moonstone before dark. They taste horrible, but they'll keep your strength up and prevent you from getting hungry." She said when Tigerpaw made his way out of the den, lightly nudging the herbs in his direction.

Tigerpaw had already been awake when Beechpaw called out to him. He lifted his head, tufted ears flicking forward, and was on his paws a moment later. He didn't think he was sick, so why did SkyClan's medicine cat want him? Brow furrowed in confusion, he followed her out of the den, listening to her explanation and wondering if it was supposed to make sense.

"Journey? Moonstone?" he echoed. "Why do I have to go?"

Beechpaw paused at his question, partly confused about the apprentice's confusion before she remembered. Tigerpaw hadn't been raised in the clan, and those who did raise him and mentor him weren't much for talk of Starclan to begin with.

Now, how could she explain it properly?

"The moonstone is where we go to communicate with our ancestors. It's where the leaders receive their nine lives, and where medicine cats meet every half-moon. It's a requirement that all apprentices visit it once before becoming a warrior." She began.

"You'll dream of a Starclan cat, and they'll offer advice they think you need or let you ask questions." Sometimes they'd even smack the dreaming cat, but Tigerpaw didn't need to know that. Beechpaw was fairly certain that the smack had been purely for her, not something that happened to most apprentices who went dreamed of their starry ancestors. The smack had stung at the time, but Beechpaw felt a faint smile tugging at her maw now at the memory.

Beechpaw's explanation still didn't make much sense to him, but Tigerpaw accepted it with a silent nod, and leaned down to take the herbs. As she'd predicted, they were disgusting, and Tigerpaw had to swallow them down twice to get them to stay there. As he followed Beechpaw out of the camp, he deliberated on what exactly she meant by dreaming of their ancestors. Tigerpaw had dreams, obviously, but they mostly consisted of hunting, and stalking... sometimes, when he was lucky, he dreamed of his mother.

Her face flashed in his mind's eye now, something to fill the void of silence that had taken up most of their time travelling. Tigerpaw sighed gently. He knew she wouldn't be there to talk to him. Sienna wasn't a clan cat... besides, she was still alive.

Beechpaw watched as the ginger and white apprentice at the herbs, giving him a slightly amused, slightly sympathetic look. Yeah, the taste definitely hadn't been one of her favorite things. Maybe her taste buds were dying from eating them regularly, and that is why she was slowly becoming numb to the bitter taste.

She led the way out of camp, making sure Tigerpaw followed her.

---

Beechpaw paused as they reached mothermouth, allowing Tigerpaw to catch his breath from the rough scramble to where they now stood. The moon slowly rose into the dark sky, and soon enough he'd be dreaming of the ancestors. Beechpaw eyed the rising moon for a moment, before her gaze turned to her companion.

"Okay so... We're on sacred ground. The tunnel is dark and kind of cramped, you won't be able to see much, but if you use your whiskers and stay close to me you'll be fine. When we reach the cavern with the moonstone, just press your nose to it and lay down."

With that, she turned toward the yawning mouth of the tunnel before them, beckoning Tigerpaw to follow. The narrow, twisting passage had grown familiar to her, and soon enough a faint blueish light could be seen as she led her charge down the tunnel.

Then the moonstone was before them, in all its' glory. The moon was visible through a hole in the cavern's ceiling, illuminating the stone and turning the cavern brighter than the tunnel had been. Beechpaw stepped aside, then beckoned Tigerpaw toward the stone with a flick of her tail.

Something instinctive inside Tigerpaw made the fur along his spine tingle as the Mothermouth yawned above them, and he found himself unable to speak as he followed Beechpaw down the dark, dark tunnel. He stuck close to the medicine cat, paws unsure on the cold stone of the tunnel, and at times even trod on her paws in his haste to prevent their separation. Even when finally light blossomed ahead of them, Tigerpaw still, despite attempts, was unable to relax. The light did little to allay his discomfort, especially when coming from the suspicious glowing stone that by all accounts was just unnatural.

What was this place?

Tongue peeking out to wet his lips nervously, Tigerpaw looked up at the much taller medicine cat with fear sparkling in his mismatched eyes. But her instructions had been clear: if he wanted to be a warrior, he had to do this. Short tail lashing once, the apprentice took a hesitant step towards the stone, and then another, and then another. Before he knew it, it was close enough to touch, and his breath frosted in the air, reflecting off the smooth, bright stone back into his face. Tigerpaw swallowed hard, and then leaned forward, pressing his nose gently to it.

...

When Tigerpaw opened his eyes, he was no longer in the tunnel, and several blinks later, he realized that this was not a dream. Or, at least, it didn't feel like a dream. He could smell prey on the warm air, could feel the grass lush beneath his paws, and the sky above twinkled with a billion stars. "Where am I?" He whispered.

"You're in StarClan!"

Tigerpaw startled, whirling around to identify the source of the voice. He didn't have to look far. A mottled brown tom, probably only a little older than himself, was sitting there staring at him. "Who are you?" Tigerpaw demanded, and the tom grinned good-naturedly, tilting his head.

"I'm Timberpaw. I was in SkyClan once, too."

That eased the ginger tom's mind, and he allowed curiosity to color his stare. "Why did you leave?"

"I didn't want to go, but..." Timberpaw's demeanor faltered a bit, and he looked down. "I had to." For a moment, Tigerpaw could have sworn he saw ghostly white scars at the other apprentice's throat, but he blinked once and they were gone. Timberpaw looked up, and he grinned again. "But I'm in StarClan now. It's great here, really! And sometimes I get to talk to cats from the other clans - like you." He nodded. "I'm supposed to give you some advice, so... what do you want to know?"

Tigerpaw hesitated. Advice? He wasn't sure what he wanted to know... or if there was anything at all. This was all so surreal - he was dreaming, but he wasn't. "I..."

"I know it's weird. Especially because you're only half-clan and all, but I promise, this is normal! StarClan watches over all the clan cats, and even though your mum wasn't one, you are! I think... I think you'll be great. Really!"

"Really?" The ginger tom looked down, conflicted. He had always believed that his half-outsider blood made him lesser than the rest of SkyClan. But here was this starry tom telling him something exactly the opposite.

"Really," Timberpaw confirmed. "Blood matters. It does. But it's not everything. Kittypets have become clan leaders. Rogues and outsiders, too! Blood is only the beginning, what really matters in the end is how you apply yourself. If you want to be great, keep telling yourself you'll be great. How you start your life doesn't dictate how you direct it."

Tigerpaw nodded slowly, finally looking up to meet the other apprentice's eyes. "Thank you."

Timberpaw smiled. "You're welcome, Tigerpaw. But I think it's time to go, now," he turned, as if hearing a voice call to him that Tigerpaw could not. "Good bye, and good luck!"

Before he knew it, the ground beneath him was cold once more, and Tigerpaw grimaced, stretching limbs that had stiffened while he slept. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Beechpaw was still there, and relaxed when he noticed that she was. "I didn't know what to believe, at first..." he said in a voice just above a whisper. "But I think I know, now."