Mountainpaw's Moonstone Journey

Dennis had slept today. He was disproportionately proud of himself for that. And it had been his own choice, not unconsciousness due to exhaustion. A real win in his book. His dreams had been... uh. Rather alarming, involving a certain WindClanner. He prayed fervently to whatever ancestors were listening that StarClan couldn't see into his dreams. Oh, he missed her. He didn't even see her at meetings anymore. Without the medicine cat excuse, it was getting difficult to see her. They'd left things in a weird place, and he-

His thoughts were brought to a halt by a moonbeam filtering through the mouth of his den. It was almost as if StarClan was reminding him of the task at hand. Nosy glittercats. He sighed, heaving himself to his feet, and ate his herbs inside the den. He trotted over to where Mountainpaw slept, her body intertwined with her sister's. It was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began, but he tapped on the lump with less fur and hoped he'd hit his target. He had. Two huge blue eyes flew open, alond with the glint of teeth as a huge grin spread over her face. Dennis watched as the huge apprentice untangled herself with shocking ease, like she did this every day. In fairness, she probably did. Her grace, however, ended there as she trampled Dennis in her excitement. Trying not to yelp and wake the other apprentices, he bit his tongue and waited until his sister was safely out of the medicine den.

"Dennisbro are you okay?? I didn't mean to step on you! Are your bones broken? Can we still go talk to the star cats???" Her wide eyes glittered with concern and Dennis couldn't help but smile. He batted her on the nose with the herbs. "Eat them. It'll make the journey easier. My bones are fine, by the way."
Mountainpaw swallowed the herbs without complaint, and Dennis chuckled when she crinkled her nose and tried not to comment on the taste. Pressing his shoulder against hers(though he was more at elbow level for her, it was symbolic okay), he guided her out of camp and prepared himself for the non-stop conversation this trip would prove to be.
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"And that's the story of how Karbo and I learned not to eat the red mushrooms! Did you like the story? Was it good?" Dennis inwardly groaned. He loved his sister, really, but after fifteen such stories it got old pretty fast. "I know, Mountainpaw. I was there, remember? I was a main character in your story." He ascended the quickly steepening hill, nudging Mountainpaw once they got to the top. "Here we are, we just need to go through the tunnel! You ready?" He waited for a nod before entering the tunnel, hoping that Mountainpaw wouldn't step on him in the dark.
Mountainpaw was beside herself with excitement. Story forgotten, she hopped after Dennisbro into the tunnel. It was dark, darker than anywhere she'd ever been in her whole life! They travelled in darkness for a little bit before something big and glowy and blue filled her vision. She was practically vibrating at this point. It was just like Karbo said! Dennis opened his mouth to speak, but Mountainpaw already knew what to do and didn't have the self control to wait. Barrelling into the Moonstone, she squished her short muzzle into the rock and promptly fell asleep.

She opened her eyes somewhere even glowier and bluer than the Moonstone. Her mouth hung open. "WOAH! THIS IS SO COOL!" So this was where all the star cats were playing hide-and-seek! "HELLO? Is anyone there?"

Mountainpaw's voice echoed through the vast and unending space that comprised Starclan territory. Slowly, the scene around came into focus. The ground was rough and rocky, with trees that stretched in an honorable effort to reach the highest planes. This was reminiscent of the forest lands in which Skyclan cats resided. But there was a major difference. These trees, the foliage, down to the tiniest leaf... were all studded in something akin to glistening dewdrops. Here the stars weren't a distant dream - they were the very fabric of reality.

From the well-shaded depths of the scenery, the shadows seemed to twist and writhe. This effort quickly revealed the form of a cat. Much like everything else, the she-cat's pelt was laced with star dust. A bulky frame, not much shorter than Mountainpaw's, was coated in silken black fur. Around her neck was a glorious main that almost seemed to have stolen the inky blackness of a raven's feather. She was imposing and sleek; the very epitome of what one might consider to be a warrior. And her face was plastered with a warm and genuine grin.

"Not sure you remember me too much, huh, Mountainpaw?" The she-cat's whiskers twitched and as she closed the distance between them, her tail flickered the apprentice's coat, as if greeting an old friend, "It's okay - you've been through a whole lot - and traveled half the forest to get there!" Settling back on her haunches, the late warrior's eyes closed in brief contentment. A moment passed before they flickered back open and she focused on Mountainpaw, a sudden realization in her gaze.

"I guess I should tell you who I am. That might help... my name is Featherfall."

Mountainpaw's jaw flew open as if she was catching a fish. But instead of snapping closed, it hung like that as she took in the newcomer. She was so pretty! No, more than pretty- she was ma- mage- majestic. Yeah, that was the word! Stars rippled through her inky black pelt as she spoke, and Mountainpaw was willing to bet that the good-natured twinkle in her eye was made up of real stars too. There was an odd air of familiarity around her- she talked funny, in a way Mountainpaw had never heard from any RiverClanner. But she felt like she'd heard it before...

"HELLO!! My name is Mountainpaw. But you already know that! How do you know that? Do you guys watch us from up here? That's so cool! I wish I lived up here so I could know everyone's names without having to ask. I-" She stopped herself, taking a deep breath. This was special, she didn't want to ruin it by talking too much. It almost hurt to reel herself in, but she didn't want to scare off Featherfall. Closing her eyes for a moment and then reopening them, pretending this was the start of a new conversation, she grinned at the black she-cat. "What do you mean, remember you? Are you one of my friends? I wouldn't just forget having a friend as cool as you though. I wouldn't forget any of my friends. I can name all of them! Sneezingpaw, Dennisbro, the cool ThunderClanner I hurt the r- ri- uh, chest bones of... See, I remember them! But I don't remember a Featherfall. Did you change your name from something? Maybe I know your old name! Like Dennisbro, some people call him Spiderhill or whatever!" She blinked expectantly at Featherfall, her smile a bit forced. Where did she recognise her from? Her brain was not used to this kind of stress. The only time something like this had happened was at that gathering with the crying cats, when Karbo cried too. That wasn't a good day.

It was humorous to see the apprentice's jaw slack with astonishment. Featherfall's whiskers twitched again, slower this time, as she was left digesting the excited bombardment of words from her sister. There was a flicker of recognition in those vibrantly colored eyes. Admittedly, a flutter of hope wriggled in her chest like a bird on the verge of flight. But there was still a gap, something preventing the she-cat from remembering her kind. The sensation became a slow squeeze, forcing the air from her impressive lungs. Truly, with their imposing statures, it was easy to see the relation between the pair.

"Two little kits snuggled at the belly of a queen in Skyclan camp. One named Featherkit... and one Mountainkit." A sadness touched the edges of her gaze, forming gentle tears. With a couple blinks, the Starclan warrior dispelled them. She wasn't here to dwell on the circumstances of her short life and the things that could have been. It had been painfully heartbreaking to see how fractured the frail remnants of her kin was in the forest below. Finally, there came a low sigh as her lungs deflated with truth, an honestly that needed to be plainly stated, "I'm your sister, Mountainpaw. Smokefeather and Bloodstrike of Skyclan are our parents. Their blood flows through your veins..."

Although her expression had become a pained smile, as she told of the circumstances of their birth, Featherfall found a defeated frown etched into the edges of her maw. Mountainpaw had a free spirit about her. It seemed to be as vast and unyielding as the very name that she was given. But, as easy as it would be to let this all slip away and rejoice in the moment of reunion, there were things far greater than a selfish need for comfort. And that was an experience that she was here to share in with her blood and bone. There was a brief pause before she meowed once again, drawing a tad closer, with a tone that seemed abnormally soft for such a large creature, "It is easier to forget the things that we don't want to remember, but they're a part of us."

As she squeezed her eyes shut, all she could see was a flash of sharp claws, and feel a sting of sting of pain. Almost so real it couldn't be a memory.

The forced smile on Mountainpaw's face finally cracked and fell away, making way for a confused frown. A rare expression for the bubbly she-cat, but one that was well-deserved. She must be hearing wrong. She already had a sister. She'd always had a sister. Sneezingpaw had never not been there. Mountainpaw opened her mouth to object, but nothing came out. No. No no no no no. Featherfall was wrong. She had her confused for someone else, like the cats at the-

Oh stars, the gathering.

She sat down, eyes trained on the ground as she filtered through her memory. Training, her ceremony, her kithood. There was always a sister by her side. She squeezed her eyes shut, spurring her mind on to remember. Her first memory of RiverClan- she was barely three moons old, wisps of silver still scattered throughout her fur. Why didn't Sneezingkit have any silver? Further. She had to look further. Playing hide and seek with the stars, looking for someone. A dappled she-cat, thin and hollow-eyed, inconsolable. And a fluffy spotted kit, barely three moons old. "S-sorry! My sneezes made me -sniff, sniffle- bump into you. I'm Snee– achoo!–zingkit!"

Mountainpaw's eyes shot open as she flew to her feet. She looked at Featherfall as if for the first time. She could see the resemblance now, though the silver pelt was long gone. For once in her short life, Sneezingpaw was momentarily forgotten. "F-f-"

She barreled into her sister, abandoning words as she wrapped her paws tightly around her. Her solemn words from just seconds prior fell on deaf ears as the oversized cat nuzzled Featherfall, terrified that if she let her go she'd leave again. "I looked for you! Ma said you were gone but I didn't believe her. I said it, I did- I said you were up in the stars! And you are! Have you been here the whole time? Why didn't you come back down when I called?" Her eyes were wide and shiny as she pulled away a bit, suddenly conscious of the fact that she now had two sisters. Two! Now that they were together again Mountainpaw could bring Featherfall back and then all three of them could go back to SkyClan. They could bring their RiverClan family with them! Hope blossomed in her chest and her grin resurfaced.