Honeypaw's Moonstone Journey

Smallbean set his eyes on the rising sun, uncertainty clouding his gaze. This would be his first time taking an apprentice on an actual moonstone trip, opposed to how he had helped apprentices communicate with starclan in the past by allowing them to sleep in the medicine den. He knew the way there and back, so surely it couldn't be that hard?

After making up the herb wraps he padded into the apprentice den, lightly nudging the sleeping form of Honeypaw. "Honeypaw, wake up, it's time for your moonstone journey." He whispered, trying his best to not wake the other apprentices. He walked outside and waited until the young she-cat came out to join him. Once she had, he retrieved both of the herb wraps and set one down in front of her. "Oh- you need to eat those. I know they don't taste very good, but they'll give you strength during the journey." He gave the explanation before eating his own herb bundle, briefly scrunching his nose at the bitter taste. Whenever Honeypaw had finished eating her herbs, he lead her toward the camp entrance, beckoning her with his tail.

---

The sun had almost set by the time the two reached mothermouth. Smallbean's mood had long since calmed, the small conversations he shared with Honeypaw made him feel more confident. Stopping at the entrance to the cave, he turned to face the apprentice. "Make sure you follow me closely, the tunnels are dark and difficult to navigate if you've never been here before. Once we've reached the moonstone, touch your nose to it." Giving her a quick nod, he walked into the cave, not stopping until the tunnel opened up to the cavern that held the moonstone. Stepping back, he sat down near the edge of the cave, giving space for Honeypaw to walk past. There he sat, waiting for Honeypaw to wake again.

Honeypaw was fast asleep in her den. Her dreams were pleasant, full of little other than hunting in the fields of WindClan territory. While she sometimes had nightmares about her mother's passing, ever since she went out with Nightwind that one morning, the frequency had reduced significantly. With her newfound confidence in herself, she felt moons older.

Then she felt a paw on her back, making her yawn. Honeypaw mumbled about a few more winks of sleep until it sank in just what Smallbean was saying. Her Moonstone journey... HER MOONSTONE JOURNEY! Instantly, she was wide awake and almost trampling the other apprentices to meet with the older cat. Her eyes were expanded into veritable full moons, watching Smallbean grab the herb wraps. "They can't taste that bad!" she declared intrepidly before scarfing down the bundle. Almost immediately, she regretted her courage, attempting not to throw up the bitter-tasting herbs. Dear StarClan, she wanted to rub her tongue on treebark to get the taste out! But regardless, she followed Smallbean with a sense of excitement. If she could talk to StarClan, that meant she was really a Clan cat!

---

By the time they got to Highstones and Mothermouth, the memory of the terrible herb taste had long since faded from Honeypaw's mind. Rather, she was entirely focused on the task at paw. Over the course of the journey, she'd talked endlessly about all sorts of things. Hares, flowers, the world beyond the Clans. Maybe more hares. She really did like the taste of them. A curt nod was given to Smallbean, indicating her understanding. All at once, words were unable to exit her mouth. Comparative to how talkative she was before, one might've thought someone tore her tongue out. She walked down, down, down into the cave, keeping very close to the older cat. She gasped at the sight of the Moonstone as they arrived in the cavern. And, the second her nose touched the enormous crystalline structure, she felt calm. So calm, in fact, that she fell asleep.

The starlit form that greeted Honeypaw wasn't one that had ever expected to speak here; a large black she-cat with amber eyes. "Honeypaw," she spoke curiously, the name strange on her tongue. Some things, it seemed, would always be odd, even with however long it had been. All the same, she'd been waiting for this, and the time had come to do something right. "I must say, it's nice to finally meet you. Ah, you don't know me - my name is Raven."

Honeypaw's eyes grew wide watching a cat appear from nothing but wispy, sparkling stars. A real StarClan cat! She nearly gasped upon hearing her name. Of course, she'd been told StarClan was always watching, but it was special to her knowing they cared enough about her. It meant they recognized her as a Clan cat! Blinking, she struggled to think of something useful to say. "H-hi. You look a lot like my mama--" she said, pausing as she heard just Raven. "Raven...? Raven... what? Where's the last part?"

"Just Raven," she laughed quietly. She ought to have expected something like that, she supposed. "Well, once upon a time it was Raven the Wise, though no longer... Time has that effect, making you realize you never knew nearly as much as you thought. But I don't carry a Clan cat's name as you do, no. Is that really so surprising?"

She sat patiently, tail curled around her side. "Yes, I suppose I would look quite a bit like your mother. Well, she is my daughter; that much is to be expected. I failed her in many ways, but... I suppose I'll consider this my second chance." This was spoken with a wry expression, lowering her head for just a moment. "All that aside, there is something I think you need to hear."

Honeypaw's head tilted to the side. The only cats she'd known with names like those were the Asylum, whom Rookpaw had fled. "Aww, I'm sure you're really, really wise! After all, you're in StarClan. You get to watch all the Clans all the time!" she cheered. Of course, she tried to curb her own enthusiasm. "I... guess not every cat follows the Clan ways. My mom never got a warrior name, but she was old enough to be one."

Clan name or not, this was a cat who had some connection to her ancestors. Thus, she had to be treated with respect. Yet her eyes went even wider, almost exploding out of her head. "You're... your my grandmother!" she squeaked. "Is... is mama in StarClan too? What about Amberkit and... and Beekit?" For moons, she'd been haunted by the body of her mother. Rookpaw had defended her kits to her last, with two of them fleeing into the grass. Honeypaw, however, stayed and cried over Rookpaw's lifeless body. Expectantly she looked at Raven. "What... what wisdom are you willing to share?"

"Your mother is here, yes," Raven nodded, brushing off the apprentice's praise without a second thought. There was a sparkle in her eyes that she'd sorely missed, another chance to atone for a lifetime of mistakes. "As for the others you've mentioned, I cannot say for certain where they've gone. Perhaps you will find them for yourself, in time."

Honeypaw asked it, then, the question she'd been waiting for. What wisdom she had to share. "For you, Honeypaw, I have only this to say: you belong where you choose to. Your home is the place your heart resides, more than anything else. Tell me, how else could I be here before you, were that not the truth? Let no one dissuade you from the path you have chosen to walk."

If nothing else, Honeypaw had the comfort of knowing her mother had her eternal rest. There was, also, the hope of meeting her siblings again someday. Honeypaw's eyes were glimmering with a strong inner light. A light that, no doubt, was hereditary from Rookpaw and, occasionally, Lizardtail. "So, that means they can still be out there..." she whispered.

Coming to the Moonstone, she hadn't been sure she would see any cat at all. As she learned, her grandmother was a rogue who chose StarClan. On one paw, such love broke the Warrior Code. On the other... didn't the dedication mean something? Either way, she settled in and listened to Raven. Your home is the place your heart resides... The words echoed in her mind as Raven began to fade into starlight. She managed to hear each of the following phrases clearly, but she quickly realized she was waking up.

One last murmur before she returned to the depths of Highstones reverberated through StarClan's hunting grounds: "Thank you. I'll do my best."