Shadepaw's Moonstone Journey

Beechface stretched outside her den, blinking away the last remnants of sleep. It was too early to be up and about, but that was the only way they'd make it to the moonstone on time. She almost envied Windclan for having a much shorter trip... Almost.

Picking up the two bundles of traveling herbs, the silver tabby trotted across camp, setting the bundles down and poking her head into the apprentice den, gaze picking up on the sleeping form of the poor apprentice that was to be her charge for the next two days. Shadepaw reminded Beechface of herself... And maybe that had to do with the fact that she was her daughter, not the niece that she struggled to make it seem like.

"Up with you, Shadepaw. We've got a day's worth of walking ahead of us." Beechface almost didn't want to wake the gray apprentice, she would rather have let her sleep. Beechface stepped back to wait for the apprentice, using the time to eat her portion of the traveling herbs. The bitter taste went hardly noticed for the medicine cat, though she'd taken care to sweeten Shadepaw's portion with honey. Not that it helped much, but it would have to do.

When the apprentice made her way out of the den, Beechface nudged the herbs in her direction. "I tried to sweeten them with honey, but the traveling herbs are bitter by nature." It was her usual warning to the apprentices, and without fail they all had the same reaction to them. "We'll stop at the creek on the way, don't worry." She added, somewhat ruefully remembering Lichen's reaction to the herbs not too long ago.

Falling silent once more, Beechface turned to lead the way out of camp. She had very little idea of what to even say to her, and her pelt prickled with discomfort... Guilt. Shadepaw and Birdsong couldn't know the truth, she'd resigned herself to that, but the lie wasn't any easier to swallow than it had been when Ravenclaw had volunteered to raise the kits as her own. Beechface had to admit though, that her sister had done a better job of it than she ever could have.

A voice roused her from sleep and Shadepaw raised her head, blinking for a moment in the dark of the den. Beechface was here...was it time for her Moonstone? Did StarClan think she deserved it now? Hurriedly, the dark gray apprentice smoothed any stray clumps of fur on her pelt with a rasp of her tongue and padded out to join the medicine cat.

"I appreciate the warning, at least," she mewed, sniffing the herbs at her paws for a moment before gulping them down. If they tasted bad, she wanted to get it over quickly. An involuntary shudder ran down her spine; they didn't taste very good at all. The honey didn't do much, if anything. Weakly, Shadepaw smiled, looking up at Beechface. "I'm ready to go when you are. You...said we could stop at the creek, right?" Anything to get that taste out of her mouth.

"Yes, we'll stop at the creek." Beechface mewed, whiskers twitching in amusement. The herbs weren't something any sane cat enjoyed, but she'd become desensitized to the taste. One of the many punishments that came along with being a medicine cat meant she had to eat them far more often than she'd ever wanted to. She led Shadepaw from camp with a twitch of her tail, and would allow the apprentice a moment at the creek before moving on. They needed to be at mothermouth by sundown, and Skyclan's territory was a long trek from there.

"How has training been going?" Beechface wound up asking most apprentices the question, but few times did she ask out of genuine interest. Mostly it was a way to keep their mind distracted from the long, boring walk ahead. The question served that purpose here, too, but Beechface was genuinely curious to know what her daughter thought. Her mentor was... Vulturecry, she recalled. Another family member she hadn't spent nearly as much time with as she would have liked.

Shadepaw practically dunked her whole face in the creek, gulping in water before the pair continued on their journey. Beechface questioned about her training, and the gray apprentice took a moment to think on her answer. It was bad to lie to the medicine cat, right? Would StarClan punish her? She sighed, sending a glance Beechface's way. "It's...going," she mewed hesitantly, debating whether or not she wanted to share her actual feelings. "I mean, don't get me wrong, Vulturecry is a great mentor. I guess...it's more of an internal issue..."

Beechface couldn't help it, her whiskers twitched in amusement as Shadepaw all but dunked her head into the water in an effort to get rid of any lingering taste. The pair continued onward, the woods around them growing denser with more foliage as they passed into Thunderclan territory.

Shadepaw's answer was hardly a really answer, and Beechface's tail flicked. "Internal problems? Something bothering you, then?" She felt confident that she would know if her daughter was injured, and by all appearances Shadepaw was a perfectly healthy apprentice. No, it wasn't anything physical that would be holding her back.

Shadepaw took a moment, looking down at her paws as she walked. Beechface was her mom's sister, and the medicine cat. She was family. Plus, she was pretty sure she could trust her to keep a secret.

"I'm kinda weird, I guess. I've...taken longer in my training because I didn't think I was ready. Let's just say that I really like using my claws...I don't exactly like having to use them, but once I do, it...feels so good. Battle is exciting, and hunting is fun, and I like sinking my claws into flesh." Shadepaw frowned, her ears lowering a bit. "I'm not like my sister Birdsong. I'm more like Bloodstrike, I guess, but I don't want to be known as someone violent. I'm not violent, I just...I don't know..." She shrugged, glancing over at Beechface to gauge her reaction.

"...You used to be a warrior apprentice, right? Before you became a medicine cat?"

Beechface listened as Shadepaw spoke, and despite the apprentice having her misgivings, Beechface couldn't help a gentle smile cross her face. She was more like her than she knew... And yet she couldn't help feeling uneasy, too. That drive for violence really did seem to run in the family.

"Enjoying fighting doesn't automatically mean you're violent or a lesser cat, Shadepaw. Ravenclaw enjoys a good fight as much as any cat, and she's one of our best warriors." Her voice didn't crack at Ravenclaw's name, Beechface couldn't praise her sister enough, truthfully. She was the respected warrior, the epitome of the proud Skyclanner. And she'd do anything for the clan, Beechface knew that first-paw.

Shadepaw's question earned a sharp, bitter laugh from the medicine cat, "Wolfstar- Wolfcall back then- was my mentor. We both thought Sagelight was joking when he wanted me to be a medicine cat. Hunting and fighting came naturally to me, and healing... didn't. Still doesn't. Prophecies and omens... even less so. Starclan likes to be cryptic and I can't stand it. And then there's the mousebrains that are injured often enough that I might start to think they want to be in my den." She could ask Wolfstar or Bloodstrike about that, and both her father and grandfather would be honest with the apprentice. She could ask most of the warriors in the clan too, it's not as if it were some well-kept secret that Beechface had absolutely detested her role as a medicine cat. She was still honest about that, at least.

( OOC: we can timeskip after this! it's about time we finish this lol )

Shadepaw nodded as she listened, frowning thoughtfully. "That's true, Mom is pretty strong..."

She pricked her ears as Beechface continued. StarClan obviously wanted her to be a medicine cat...but if she hated it, why stay? StarClan would understand, right? "If you really dislike it so much...why do you keep doing it? You could stay as long as it takes for you to get an apprentice and train them, and then you can leave. I know I wouldn't like being stuck in a position I hated...I think StarClan would forgive you."

"Mhmm, and she's one of the best cats I know." Ravenclaw was loyal and brave and willing to do whatever it took to keep her clanmates safe. If only things hadn't been so tense and difficult between them... But that was on Beechface, not Ravenclaw.

Shadepaw's words pulled the medicine cat from her thoughts, and she laughed softly. "That's my plan, though finding someone that actually wants to do this rather than be a warrior is proving difficult. Can't say I blame anyone for preferring that." How could she, when she had been so vehemently against becoming a medicine cat herself? "I won't take an unwilling apprentice." She added.

---

The sun was setting as the pair made the last climb up to mothermouth. They'd made good time, the journey broken up by idle chatter. Beechface paused at the entrance to the cave, looking back over her shoulder at her daughter.

"Stay close to me, and use your whiskers or hold my tail if you need to. The passage gets dark, and is very narrow in some areas. When we get to the moonstone, touch your nose to it and lay down." She'd wait a moment for Shadepaw to confirm she was ready before turning, stepping into darkness. The winding tunnel was pitch black until they were nearly upon the moonstone, the faint glow from the chamber allowing them to finally glimpse the ancient stone surrounding them. Beechface stepped into the chamber with the moonstone, shifting to the side and gently nudging Shadepaw forward. Starclan would be kind to her, she hoped. All she could do now was watch over the apprentice while she slept.

Shadepaw smiled a little at her aunt's laugh, her tail waving. "You never know, Beechface, some may prefer to heal!"

After some time, the pair made it to the entrance to Mothermouth. She listened carefully to the medicine cat's words and mewed her affirmation before following the gray cat into the darkness. It occurred to her that some may be afraid of the heavy dark like that, but it didn't bother her too much. Besides, she was already buzzing with anticipation.

A light met her eyes and she blinked a few times as she stepped into the cavern, the Moonstone lit before her. It was beautiful, nothing like she'd ever seen before, and she had to pause to admire it for a moment before she padded down to the stone's base. Shadepaw shot a look over her shoulder at Beechface and gave her a warm smile, then turned back and got herself comfortable on the ground. She didn't know who she would meet up there...Hopefully they were nice.

The dark gray apprentice touched her nose to the stone and felt her paws immediately give way beneath her. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a forest much like SkyClan's own, in a clearing with a stone set in it. Shadepaw raised her head, looking around for any movement. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Up here." A voice called from the trees. Flowerthorn had sat up in the branches waiting on Shadepaw's appearance, but now that the apprentice has finally arrived it was time for her to move closer and out of the comfort of the branches.

The pale warrior quickly stood and jumped down from the tall trees coming to gracefully land on the single rock jutting out with ease. Blue eyes meet the apprentice's own. "It's been a while since I have spoken to any of the living, usually I wouldn't get picked for this sort of thing, but I guess the rest of Starclan felt this was right." Flowerthron said.

"It seems you have a lot on your mind, Shadepaw. I'm here to help with that." As much as she didn't want to. It seemed even in death not much changed, she still avoided everyone as best as she could.

A light-colored molly leapt from the branches above, landing on the rock in front of her. She was also a SkyClan cat, one Shadepaw recognized. "...Flowerthorn, right? You're Foxfire's mate?" She stood to greet her. "It seems like StarClan has been doing that more and more lately...But, I'm glad they picked you, it's nice seeing a friendly face!"

Flowerthorn already knew what was up, apparently, which was a bit baffling to the apprentice. Was StarClan really that perceptive? Or was she just easy to read? Shadepaw gave a half-hearted smile. "You're good...I do have a lot on my mind, actually. I've realized something about myself during my training, which...I delayed my ceremony on purpose because of it. I've noticed that I'm...really good with my claws. I really enjoy it, it's fun for me, feeling flesh and blood between them...N-Not that I would ever hurt anyone on purpose! I just...I don't know. It's hard to explain." She sighed, looking away. "Maybe you can help? I feel...dangerous."

Flowerthorn nodded, to both the fact that Starclan was doing that a lot these days and that she was Foxfire's mate. She felt a small pang in her chest at the mention of her mate. She hated the fact that she could never follow up on her promise, and the fact that he wasn't dealing with all of it too well. She hated to see him wallow in his nest never doing anything with his day. Maybe she could fix that.

"Experience." Was the only answer she had to being 'good'. Blue eyes remained focused on Shadepaw as she began to talk about her issue. Which.. was understandable. Flowerthorn had liked the same thing. Or rather was a little more aggressive than she should have been but there wasn't much to change it. "I may not be the best at this whole advice thing, but I will share what I can. I had a similar issue myself. Aggression came naturally to me. If it wasn't for Foxfire I probably would have remained in a bad situation, but knowing I have someone to rely on really helped."

The pale warrior shifted in her spot, sitting down and curling her tail around her paws. "Finding someone to help you in those tough moments might be good. It will also take a lot of self discipline to help control it." Was she saying the right thing? She didn't really know. "I also recommend lots of hunting. It will help in the long run." Then a smile appeared on her maw. "Also no one will really care if you start a fight at the border now and then. Border skirmishes are natural, as long as you do it within reason."

She drifted off, her thoughts consuming her for a second, then turning to Foxfire. She snapped out of her thoughts quickly. Maybe this apprentice could help him? "I know no one really asks this, but would you be willing to help me out? I would like to send a message to Foxfire." Of course she wasn't going to press on the issue if the apprentice didn't want to.

Shadepaw tilted her head to one side as she listened, green eyes focused intently on the molly before her. As much as Flowerthorn claimed to be bad at advice, her advice was actually very helpful. She smiled, a genuine one this time, her feathery tail passing along the ground as she waved it.

"...I think you should give yourself more credit, Flowerthorn, because that really helped. That's a great idea...Maybe, next Gathering, I can make a border friend that will want to spar with me! And...you're right, hunting often will be good for me. Thank you, Flowerthorn,  I really appreciate it!"

Her ears perked up when the StarClan warrior asked her for help now. Pass along a message to Foxfire...She nodded, her smile growing sad. Poor Foxfire...Maybe this would help him get some closure. "Of course, what do you want me to tell him?"

Flowerthorn smiled. She was happy that she managed to have the answers this apprentice wanted. Her starry form shifted as she thought about what she wanted to say to Foxfire.. "Tell him this for me, 'Remember that promise you made me? Live for me please, don't linger on what was anymore.' Hopefully that would be what he needed. Hopefully he would remember what they talked about all those moons ago, back when she was a whole lot younger.

"It's time for you to go. I hope to see you again, but not anytime soon." She stood up in her spot ready to return to the trees. "Thank you for doing this for me, I miss Skyclan.. I really do." With that the pale warrior leapt back up into the trees ready to return to her resting.