Swiftpaw's Moonstone Journey

The sun peeking just above the horizon, Smallbean emerged from the medicine den, two herb wraps held tightly between his jaws. It was time for yet another moonstone journey, this time he was guiding Swiftpaw to meet with starclan. He set the wraps down outside of the medicine den, walking over to the apprentice den to wake her. He peeked his head inside the den and loudly whispered, "Swiftpaw, wake up, it's time to go to highstones!" He waited at the entrance until he saw the apprentice stir, then returned to the traveling herbs he had left in front of the medicine den. He quickly ate his, and once Swiftpaw had joined him he pushed the second pile of herbs toward her. "These are traveling herbs, they'll make the trip to highstones easier." He explained. Once she had eaten the herbs, he lead her toward the camp entrance, beginning their journey to the moonstone.

---

By the time they had arrived at mothermouth the sun was low in the sky, casting long dark shadows across the land. He looked into mothermouth before turning to Swiftpaw. "You'll want to stick close behind me, it's easy to get lost in these tunnels. Ready?" He gave the apprentice a quick nod before ducking into the cave, leading her down the path he knew would take them to the moonstone. It felt like moons, but the tunnel opened up to a familiar cavern, the moonstone sitting in the center. He walked to the other side of the cave, pressing himself up against the wall. He watched as the apprentice touched her nose to the stone and fell asleep, and he would stay sitting there until she woke again.

Being an insomniac, Swiftpaw had found herself tossing and turning during the night, waking up at the sudden sound of another cat snoring, a bird of prey in the sky overhead, the rustle of wind in her short fur. So naturally, when a voice called her name, her head snapped up, wide blue eyes blinking up at the medicine cat. What could he possibly want with her, of all cats? Had she done something? Was she in trouble? Had he somehow found out about her sneaking out of camp at night or her meeting Bearpaw at fourtrees? Was this where Windclan finally rejected a loner of unknown origin who shed little light upon her life before the clan?

Swiftpaw carefully stepped around the forms of other sleeping apprentices, making her way to the medicine cat with some hesitation. He spoke of traveling herbs, and she felt her earlier alarm ease up at the realization that she was not, in fact, in trouble. She hadn't traveled outside of Windclan's territory since joining the clan, and the mention of highstones had the apprentice tipping her head slightly, curious as to what this was about. Gingerly, she sniffed at the herbs. She knew nothing of their contents, and so naturally was wary of their intended effects. She hesitated a moment after he'd eaten his, then bent to eat her own portion of the herbs.

And nearly gagged at the bitter taste, a shudder making its' way down her tense frame as she swallowed them. Swiftpaw clenched her jaw, not trusting that the herbs would stay down if she attempted to speak, shooting Smallbean a look of horrified disgust before he turned towards the entrance of camp. Having little choice but to follow, Swiftpaw trailed after him, running her tongue over her teeth in an attempt to get rid of the vile taste of the traveling herbs.

---

At last they had reached highstones, and the small patched tabby turned to Swiftpaw, telling her to stick close to him and asking if she was ready. Swiftpaw wasn't quite sure what going into the tunnel and staring at a rock was supposed to accomplish, but she'd made it this far and wasn't about to turn back. At best, she'd learn something about the clans and their beliefs. At worst, nothing would happen, she told herself.

"I- Think so." She muttered, eyeing the mouth of the cave uneasily. Smallbean turned, heading inside, and Swiftpaw hurried to fallow, fur bristling as the cats were soon plunged into total blackness. All she could feel was the heavy weight of stone pressing around her, and it wasn't long before Swiftpaw was taking quick, shallow breaths. A turn in the tunnel system made her stumble slightly, and after that she stuck as close to Smallbean as she could.

Eventually the outline of the medicine cat's ears became visible in front of her, and not long after the two stood in a large cavern, a massive rock in the center of it. Swiftpaw stood still, struggling to slow her breathing as her gaze darted around the cavern, wishing very much that she could be anywhere else. There was a hole in the ceiling, but it was far too high and not nearly big enough for her to get to.

The moon, having risen in the sky above while they'd wandered the tunnels, inched its way into sight, and the cavern was suddenly bathed in a pale glow. Swiftpaw blinked hard at the suddenness, gasping at the suddenly dazzling stone before her. Glancing at Smallbean once more, she gingerly stepped forward and touched her nose to it like she'd been told to do. A sudden shock of cold swept through her, and Swiftpaw fell asleep far more quickly than was natural.

He'd never been to the Moonstone, and didn't hold any regrets over that, either. Who in StarClan would want to walk through a bunch of tunnels underground and touch their nose to a big, spiky glowing rock that practically knocked you out as soon as you touched it? Some rabbit-brains, probably. Everyone was always in awe of the big glowy rock and StarClan and everything.

Murkpaw's glowing amber-green eyes slitted to a half-open state, the cream tip of his tail flicking in irritation as he waited for this apprentice he'd been told to meet to wake up. Little glitters of stars - really annoying, if he was honest; who would want to have stupid glowing bits in their fur? - dusted his dark pelt, somehow making it look ethereal as the breeze rushing across the open plain ruffled his short hairs. This place is the only good one around here.

And then, like a rabbit popping out of a burrow, she faded into view. She was about as white-furred as a winter rabbit, too, and the smell of her pelt made his nose wrinkle slightly - something about it wasn't quite WindClan. But then again, she'd been around those cats who'd come with the murderers that sent Raventail and Dappleshine here, hadn't she? He flicked an ear as she opened her eyes, not bothering to stand up and greet her as all the senile, old ones seemed to like doing. "Hello and welcome to the land of rabbit-brained star lovers. I'm supposed to talk to you. So hi."

The wind tugged at his fur, and hers - whispering mischievousness, the wide, open plains stretching to the horizon and running forever. Where it went, he would follow. He was WindClan, after all. If she'd chosen the Clan he loved, then she must've been as well. With a suddenness that almost seemed of the breeze itself as he completely ignored her, he leapt to his paws, a wicked glint in his eye.

"I hope your name means something, rock-head."

With that, his lean form darted away, whirling to follow the wind that pulled them both. If she was really WindClan, then she couldn't refuse.

Show me you can run.

Eleos blinked awake, and she was no longer in front of that bright rock. And this did not have the feel of a normal dream. A dark figure stood before her, fur shot through with stars, and Swiftpaw's eyes narrowed slightly, the faintest flicker of surprise showing in their pale depths. So, the clan's ancestors existed, after all. She'd always kept an open mind about such things, but to have it confirmed before her was a first.

"I'm hardly star-struck by your presence, though confirming that someone's ancestors exist is certainly interesting." Swiftpaw lifted a shoulder in a shrug, pale eyes surveying the landscape and the seemingly only other occupant with curiosity.

And before she could speak, the tom spoke once more... And if that hadn't been a challenge, Eleos didn't know what was. He spun and darted away from her, and Eleos had only a second to blink in stunned silence before she was on her feet and chasing after him. The wind served to push them both forward, and Eleos would be lying if she said it didn't feel strangely freeing.

Windclan she wasn't, not by blood, but her skills had improved considerably under the tutelage of these cats. It would be a shame not to put them to good use. Dayspring had named her Swiftpaw, and while she was with this clan, she'd do her best to prove that the name had been accurately given.

Her pawsteps darted after him, and Murkpaw let a wolfish grin tug at his maw, a feeling almost like blood pumping through his veins spurring him on. Wind rushed through his body, lighter than red fluid, and more binding. His friends had been born with the blood of WindClan, a stupid ancestry that boasted about their ability to run and feel the wind. They said they owned the wind, smugly sat back, and said nobody else could ever truly run like them.

They owned the wind.

The wind owned him.

Springy grass rushed under his paws and he pulled further ahead, flicking his tail back at her and disappearing over the knoll of a hill. For only a second, his dark pelt brushed with cream flicked out of sight, and the wind spun. The air spiraled, twisting in a dancing whirlwind, and he leapt for the pale pelt that followed, tumbling them end over end in a chaotic tangle, the chase abruptly hitting a wall and screeching to a halt. Moldy bedding and rabbit-dung, that had felt good. "You're stupid, but fast. Good." He grinned and lunged, pressing his paw to her forehead above flashing blue eyes-

And the world exploded into a screeching white, a sound ripping through the air in the roar of the Thunderpath, shaking the ground and splitting everything with a deep, bass scream that blasted from above. Darkness rushed over, howling air pummeling at fur and skin and bones, rattling to the soul. Pain shooting through spine and rib cage; once-proud, leanly muscled legs; crackling in every hair like an agonized cry. The stink of foul smoke and musky badger stole every gasped breath.

Flashes of more than that - hunger, loneliness and lack of warmth, burning thirst and a rumble that droned in rushing waves. Familiarity of leaves all around, tucked around to encase with the last lingering traces of a milky scent and the memory of a gentle voice - broken by a rustling sound, and a white-and-grey face, curiosity in its eyes turning to concern. The leaves turned to a snug den, filled with a scent of milk and squirming bodies - not right, not home. Amber eyes sparkling with good humour loomed curiously overhead, a friendly voice, a welcoming outside that beckoned as paws darted into it.

And wind - soaring wind that thumped in every heartbeat, sped through legs, huffed in lungs. Freedom in every bound, the taste of salty red and cut-off squeal of a rabbit. Victory that rushed in electric crackles.

Broken quietness, shuddering breath, the world dimming as tears glimmered in two pairs of eyes - amber and yellow. Stars that flickered, and a sigh of last breath escaping from broken lungs, leaving the rank smell of blood and pain behind as the soft wind tugged with a gentle voice - the rasp of a tongue that didn't belong to the stars, but every breeze and whispering sigh.

Amber-hazel eyes blinked, the glow of a thousand stars fading to leave them their usual colour as he took the memories back. Stepping back, he yawned and stretched his lean frame - one that wasn't all that different from Miss Snark there. "It was a stupid way to die, but I'm nobody's ancestor. Somebody's rock-brained ancestors live here - and most of them are too busy being starry to run - but mine don't." He gave her a sideways glance, sitting down a comfortable distance away and wiping his paw on the grass. She stinks. "They gave me someone who doesn't care. It's good - I like it. Everyone else would stare at me like I'm a starry example of everything good and stupid. You look at me like you want me to die again." Maybe that wasn't quite accurate, but he had just blasted her with the way he'd died and lived, and then again to how he'd died - just to wrap it up. She had to be a little grumpy over that. "So how'd you end up in this crazy Clan, rabbit-brain?"

Eleos' paws carried her after the starry tom seemingly without effort, the wind in her fur hardly noticed as she gave chase. The starry figure in front of her commanded her vision, and she slid to a halt, fur bristling as the stars shifted and turned, reversing direction. The tom bounded towards her, and the air was driven from her lungs as the pair of cats collided, tumbling across the grass in a tangle of limbs.

The arrogant tom called her stupid... And fast. Not fast enough to avoid the paw pressing to her head-

The world went white, then dark. A horrific screech of noise, hot, acrid foul-smelling air rushing at her, then pain exploded across her ribs, her spine. She was falling, tumbling to the hard stone-

Loneliness, cold, the sense of hunger and thirst. Abandoned? An friendly, if unfamiliar face lined with concern or worry. Then warmth, comforting darkness, the scent of a queen's milk and small bodies pressing against her own. A warm voice overhead, shining amber eyes, the sound of pawsteps receding. As jarring as the previous memory had been, maybe more because it was so wholly opposed to the lingering agony exploding across her senses.

Memories- This wasn't her. These weren't hers.

As quickly as the previous memory registered, it was replaced. Paws flying across open moors, the wind in her lungs. The coppery taste of blood and the squeal of a caught rabbit. Triumph at a successful hunt, freedom singing in her veins. And then it was gone, the light fading as pain-wracked shuddering breaths rattled the fallen cat's ribcage, tears stinging.

As soon as she'd been released from the tom's grip, Eleos backpeddled hard, pale fur bristling as she stumbled away from him. Eleos drew in a ragged breath, and it felt like fire. Her lips wrinkled in a snarl, claws reflexively sliding out as wide blue eyes snapped to the starry tom. It took a moment for her to register that he'd been speaking, and Eleos shook out her pelt as if the memories were water clinging to her fur. The acrid stench of the thunderpath, blood and fear lingered in her nostrils. She let him speak, focusing on trying to even out her breathing and slow the rapid heartbeats making her chest ache.

A low snort escaped Eleos as the tom's words registered.

"If a permanent death would keep you from doing that to me again it might be worth considering." Perhaps that quip had been unwise, but adrenaline had a way of making even a sensible cat do unwise things. Fine, the stars definitely had some sort of power. She would've liked to claim that the herbs the medicine cat had given her before this trip had contained some strange mushrooms, but no. Eleos found herself sure that this could've happened herbs or not.

"Neat trick." She added, tone far too chipper for someone who had just lived the memories of another cat's life and death. Who needed stories when the dead could literally make you relive them? A shudder ran through her, though the starry cat in front of her probably didn't need that as a clear indication that he'd had an affect. Her tail curled over her paws as she sat in an attempt to hide their trembling.

How had she come to Windclan? "What, you mean to tell me that you didn't see for yourself? The living seem quite sure of themselves that you know all." Eleos shrugged. She'd answer the question anyways, since he'd asked and she was stuck here for the moment. "My mother died a few moons ago, and the family scattered. I wandered, and strayed a bit too close to their territory, chasing after a rabbit. Softbreeze found me. I'll admit I was surprised I didn't get claws in my fur for catching prey so close to their border." It was a true enough answer. Her mother had died for a cause she had believed in, and without that Eleos felt lost. Mother had set her on this path and in a blink, she was gone. She'd joined Windclan because they had given her a place... But there were days where it didn't feel like home.

"It was more of a surprise how much of the clan was ready to accept a rogue into their ranks." She admitted finally, pale eyes returning to the Starclanner. Most of the clan had accepted her without question, with the exception of her mentor Tawnyflare (the hypocrite) and one or two of the more prideful warriors. Eleos supposed she couldn't blame them for being wary of her, and they even had good reason to be. Yet... It stung, even though it perhaps shouldn't have. She was a stranger in their midst after all.

A glimmer of teeth showed again at her dry, shaken quip, a hint of amusement twitching briefly at his whiskers as he drew a paw idly over his ear. It almost made him want to invite her to try, just to see how good her fighting skills were - but the rest of StarClan probably wouldn't like it if he sent an apprentice back with claw marks all over her, since even if he could just pop his own out to absolute perfection once again with a flash of light, she couldn't really. Drawing his paw over the other side of his head, he listened with half an ear as she spoke - funny how these cats spilled everything to some stranger just because they had starry fur and were supposed to be wise, being dead and all. Never made sense - if you were dead, you hadn't been smart enough to stay alive.

"Mmf. I'm supposed to be StarClan or some rabbit-dung. Asking useless questions is part of my job. Don't worry, Finchbreeze told me all about you, rabbit, and I've seen a little." Giving memories wasn't the only ability they had, after all. Sometimes having stupid sparkles and a reputation that made everyone think they spat rainbows and grew flowers wherever their paws touched had some benefits. He swabbed his paw with his tongue one last time as she finished speaking, and languidly stood up again, shaking his pelt out and sending stars cascading and swirling. "Eh, they do that. Did it to me. Look young enough and lonely and they'll take you in. It's just what they do."

He padded forward, each silent step leaving a brief glittering trail that faded as the breeze caught it, and murky yellowish eyes met hers with a hint of curiosity as his paws stopped before her. "WindClan takes in the cats nobody else wants." A hint of daring probed at her as the end of his tail flicked, his gaze turning piercing. Siblings scattered to the ends of the earth and loneliness rose from her pelt like the scent of rain on the wind. "Why didn't they want you?"

Swiftpaw tensed slightly as the starry tom approach once more, speaking of what he knew without revealing much. He'd been told something about her, and seen a little... Curiosity won out over adrenaline-fueled hostility for the moment. "Finchbreeze?" Swiftpaw prompted. The name wasn't one that was familiar to her, but if it had been brought up here, maybe she could gleam what information she could.

His question gave her paused, debating what to say. Her family had been a diverse lot, but that had led to tension and jealousy as much as it had led to love and respect and the close-knit bonds of siblings. They had all wanted mother's attention, such a precious, limited resource like the last piece of fresh kill in the dead of leafbare. None of them had ever been unwanted, not truly, Eleos thought.

"Mom held us together. Without her..." Eleos shrugged. "We all have our own paths to walk, do we not?" She could probably guess where some of them had gone, and mother wouldn't have liked the answer to that question at all, though she'd been a curious soul who had enjoyed learning what she could. She'd believed in sticking together, had had a strong sense of loyalty to those she called family. Still, that was their decision, just as it had been Eleos' decision to join the clans. She felt less alone than she had, but it still didn't feel quite like home.

Home was what one made of it, of course. Could she turn Windclan into that in time? There was a part of Eleos that wanted to keep them all at tail's length. On the other paw, Swiftpaw had even grown to like most of her clanmates. For all that Eleos despised sleeping out under open stars (it was simple instinct, after all) she'd come to genuinely enjoy the feel of the wind in her fur as she ran. With each passing day it felt a little more natural. She'd inherited her mother's innate sense of curiosity and strong desire to learn about the world around her, and Windclan had fulfilled those desires and more.

He didn't bother to reply to her prodding question, her eyes sparking with curiosity for a second, though he did note with a vague feeling of amusement the hint of tension as he padded up. His job wasn't to get interrogated, just answer whatever questions she had about life or whatever mousedung she was having problems with. So far, this whole thing was going just great; he'd gotten to run, mess with her head - all that kind of thing - and she hadn't gone all sappy and teary on him for it. Some part of him had forgotten what it was like to deal with cats that didn't glow like the stars and spew wisdom with every breath.

He flicked an ear, regarding her. Another thing about StarClan cats was that they also didn't keep so many secrets. Or try and act so casual. Now she was just making small talk and brushing him off. "Sure. You won't find her here, though." He turned away with a twitch of his tail, adding pointedly, "Maybe you should walk a different path if you want to see her again."

Finding a patch of springy moor grass, he settled down on it and glanced over his shoulder. So she was still there. It seemed she wouldn't go away any time soon. "Depends if you want to see her again. Looks like the rabbit-brain didn't do a good job of keeping the scars off your pelt, anyway."

Swiftpaw eyed the starry tom for a moment. Part of her wanted to be baffled at the strangeness of the situation, and yet... She gave her head a shake with a soft huff.

He spoke, and Eleos rolled her eyes. She and her family hadn't much cared for what had already been lost, and she had never thought her mother would wind up among the souls of someone else's dead. If there was an afterlife for her, Eleos didn't know it and was content not to. "I think I like being among the living, but I'll keep that in mind." She commented dryly. If all the ancestors were like this tom, she'd be happy to let this be her last meeting with them. He wasn't what she'd expected at all, and maybe if he hadn't messed with her by sharing memories that were still too vivid in her mind she would've even liked him a little.

She sat a distance away from him, merely offering a snort at his comment about the scars... The first comment any clan cat living or dead had even made about them, actually. All the scars showed was that she had survived and grown, learned lessons that these clan cats would probably never understand. And really, it wasn't the business of this dead cat to judge.

"Perhaps, but I get to wake up and go back to camp. I'm still alive." Unlike him.

He snorted at her statement, tucking his paws underneath him. "I was too. You know how that ended. Didn't even get a stupid warrior name."

Wasn't like that mattered much, anyway. He'd been Murkpaw for most of his life; getting some stupid change to his name was pointless. Though the "paw" thing was a little annoying. His paws were about the least murky thing on him, unless he slogged through mud for some reason, and no sane cat would do that - not that it stuck anymore.

Slitting his eyes, he felt the breeze ruffle his fur, the endlessly rolling moors broken by ghostly heather and gorse rippling under the starry sky. "Most boring part about this whole thing is the talking. I'm supposed to give you some kind of wisdom or rabbit-dung; unlucky for you, I don't spout the Warrior Code every other second and eat glow bugs, even if my fur looks like it." He glanced sideways at her. "But if I did, I'd tell you to stick with those rabbit-tails down there. Don't leave them just because you feel like it, or I'll claw your starry face when you end up here," He said flippantly. Wasn't like it was much of a threat, anyway, since she'd just heal instantly even if he actually used his claws. Of course, if she ended up in the other place, he'd just aim for the throat, and if she somehow went to the Mist... well, he'd just take a casual wander over and give her a slap to the face anyway.