Webpaw's Moonstone Journey

Rookfire padded into the apprentice den, looking for the face of Webpaw. The apprentice was deemed ready by his mentor to become a warrior, so Rookfire was told to give him a moonstone journey. The black tuxedo therefore prepared traveling herbs with honey the day prior, preparing to give them to the tom. "Hey, Webpaw, it's time for your journey to the Moonstone," he whispered, nudging the tom awake.

Once the apprentice was awake, Rookfire gave Webpaw the honey-filled traveling herbs. "The trip to the Moonstone is a long one, and these herbs will help you have the energy to go forward. It also has honey to make it taste better as well." When Webpaw ate his share of herbs, Rookfire ate the other bundle. Unlike Webpaw's, his didn't have honey in it, as he wished to save the honey for other cats with moonstones. At least he had eaten them so much like this that he started getting used to the taste (it still tasted bad, but he seemed to be much more tolerant of it now).

The two cats left once they were both finished with their bundles of herbs. They took the path that Rookfire had been all too familiar with to the Moonstone, which included crossing the Thunderpath in between ShadowClan and the Moonstone. Eventually, the two cats were at Mothermouth, ready to walk into the tunnels. "Okay, we're at Mothermouth now," the medicine cat mewed. "The Moonstone is in here. Grab my tail so you don't get lost."

The journey from Mothermouth to the Moonstone felt much shorter than what it really was. It felt like he was just outside Mothermouth, and now he was staring face-to-face with the Moonstone. "Alright, Webpaw, we're at the Moonstone now. All you have to do now is touch your nose to the stone to get your prophecy with StarClan." Rookfire watched the apprentice with his bright green eyes, just in case something went wrong. He didn't know what could go wrong with this, but he didn't exactly have anything better to do at the moment, so he decided to watch.

For once, the heat hadn't been so bad that day. Still hotter than Webpaw liked, but oh well– he got some decent sleep without feeling like a fire had crawled into the den and settled in his nest.

Before he even knew it, he was being shaken out of his rest. It felt like he'd only just closed his eyes.. With a yawn, he looked up to see it was Rookfire who had come to get him. He gave a questioning look, and the medicine cat seemed to understand without the apprentice needing to voice his confusion.

His Moonstone.

Suddenly fully awake, Webpaw quickly stretched his back and got to his paws, following Rookfire out of the den. After having the herbs pointed out to them, the tabby gave them a curious sniff before swallowing his share. There was a hint of tang to them, but the sweetness was more than enough to keep him from cringing at the taste. When Rookfire explained that the trip would be a long one, Webpaw's still-sleepy eyes lit up. More than anything he loved just exploring the territory, seeing what lay outside the camp walls.. He was beyond ready to go, and he hung close to the tuxedo when they finally departed.

The journey had, admittedly, been taxing. As they navigated the rocks leading to Mothermouth, the trek had started to wear on Webpaw, and he thought gratefully of the herbs he had been given earlier. Pausing at the entrance to look over the land around them– the expanse of moorland, the shadow of trees far, far in the distance –Webpaw sighed, smiling at the sight. He could move here and just look at this view for the rest of his life. He didn't have much time to dwell though, because Rookfire was waving his tail at him, telling him to use it as a guide. Webpaw gave a little purr and bit the soft fur as gently as he could, careful not to put any real pressure on.

It felt like the descent took ages, and more than a few times the poor tom almost lost his balance despite Rookfire's guidance, but soon enough a soft light came into view and quickly turned into a dazzling beam as they finally reached the Moonstone. It was dazzling, more than Webpaw could have ever dreamed it was, every face of it sparkling.

"I'm nervous," he spoke for the first time on their trip, shuffling forward until he was barely a whisker away. Giving the medicine cat a worried look, he crouched down, folding his legs under his chest before pressing his nose to the glittering stone. A wave of cold washed over him, and a shudder passed through him as he let himself fall asleep.

When Webpaw opened his eyes, he expected to see the morning sun shining down through the opening in the cave, expected to have spent the night asleep with no word of advice from StarClan. However, he found himself in a bright field, everything around him appearing warm and soft. The smell of prey was thick, and as Webpaw took his first few steps, his ear twitched at the sound of.. water? Driven forward by curiosity, he weaved through the gently swaying grass until he came to rhe river's shore. It sparkled like it contained all of Silverpelt and, cautiously, he dipped a paw in. It was warm, and so, so tempting.. but Webpaw could only watch the water follow its course, looking up to see if he could spot the end, watching it curve away out of sight.

So.. is this StarClan? It was...  A lot to take in. He settled down on the soft earth, content to spend his dream enjoying the babble of water. Maybe this was the advice StarClan was going to give him.. Or maybe it was just a nice dream.

Dappleshine swam across the river, eyes locked on the figure on the far bank. Her paws had never failed her in the water, her training never leaving her as she swam. She had nothing to fear in these currents, however. Stepping out of the river near the tom, water streamed from her pelt. Droplets reflected the warm light making her pelt sparkle, pairing with the glittering of the stars that dotted her long fur. She smiled at the tom where he had settled, lowering her head in greeting before meeting his eyes. "Hello, Webpaw. I'm Dappleshine, former warrior of RiverClan and WindClan. Welcome to StarClan." She gestured with a wet tail around her before returning her attention to the apprentice. "Does it call to you?" She asked, nodding towards the water.

The splash that disrupted the river's smooth rhythm startled Webpaw out of his thoughts, and with a flick of his ear he turned his head to see a cat he didn't recognize swimming towards him. Was he going to be chased away, scolded for sitting so close to the water's edge? He wanted to scramble back into the taller grass he had come from, but before he could make up his mind she had reached him and started introducing herself. So, this really was StarClan, and... she had been from two Clans? Like him? "Hi, Dappleshine," he returned softly, sparing the river another glance when she asked about it. "It... it does. It shouldn't, but it does." Everything in him ached to sink into the water in the same easy way she had, but he held himself in place by following up with a question of his own: "Were you half-Clan, too?" Webpaw supposed he wasn't really half-Clan, but it felt close enough. "Or did you just... move?"

Dappleshine tilted her head slightly as she looked at the tom before settling down next to him. "No, both of my parents were RiverClan. My father died before I was born, and my mother only moments after I was brought into the world. I was taken in by Torrentstar of RiverClan and nursed by Thornstar of ShadowClan, so my heart has always been between two clans. Then I fell in love, with a tom in WindClan. When I told Torrentstar, he chased me away without giving me any chance to speak with him about it. My daughter went to ThunderClan... So there was a part of me in almost every clan. My heart was with each of them, always." She explained, purring as she looked down at their reflections in the rippling water.

"Tell me, Webpaw, Why do you say it shouldn't call to you?"

Webpaw listened intently to her story, with only the periodic twitch of his whiskers to show he was paying attention. He couldn't imagine how that must have been for her– he felt torn enough with only two Clans to think about, but four... He gave himself a shake. That would've drove him wild.

He looked up at Dappleshine, tail twitching as he thought on the answer. "Well, I don't know how to swim." He tried to sound casual, shrugging slightly as he said it. "And because I'm a ShadowClan cat. I'm not... supposed to swim." As he said it, he felt heat rise to his ears. It sounded silly saying it like that, but he had been born and raised in the dark marshes, and what he knew was stalking between the shadows, not keeping himself afloat.

Dappleshine blinked, searching the tom's gaze before returning her eyes to the rippling water. "Why don't you learn? It's not too difficult, and I'm sure you could find someone willing to teach you. I've taught a cat outside of RiverClan how to swim before." She mewed softly, looking back to the tom. "Who says you're not supposed to? What rule is there preventing you from learning? Each clan has something they excel in, but that does not mean the knowledge can't be shared. Right before I was born, there was a huge flood that swept through all of the clans, forcing us apart. I shudder when I think of how many lives could have been saved had the knowledge of how to swim, at least the basics of it, was shared." The StarClan cat's tail wrapped neatly over her paws as she looked back to the water, looking between their reflections. "At the end of the day though, it is your choice whether or not you chase your desires, or accept things as they are. However, I encourage you to follow your heart, as I have done so many others. It will never lead you astray. At least, it never has in my experience." Dappleshine smiled to herself, even with all of the heartbreak, sorrows, and trials, she wouldn't change a single aspect of her life.

Webpaw nodded along as Dappleshine spoke, keeping his attention focused on the way their images rippled in the river's reflection. He hadn't thought about it that way... sharing knowledge between the Clans. She definitely had a good point. Swimming couldn't be too bad, really. And this was just a dream, right? He could swim to his heart's content without risk of consequence or feeling too much guilt for feeling like he was betraying his home with all his thoughts of RiverClan.

His mind was made up, then. With a deep breath to steady himself, the tabby got to his paws, took a few steps forward, and unceremoniously dropped into the water.

For a few moments, he seemed to just sink, suspended right under the water. He made no effort to resurface, either; he was breathing as easily as on land, so he took great delight in seeing the way everything looked from underwater. The way everything moved, the warped glitter, how every little motion of his body changed what he saw. He was pretty certain he could stay under here forever... But soon enough he was kicking his legs, pushing himself up until his head broke the surface and he could shake some of the water droplets from his fur.

"Hey, Dappleshine?" He called from where he was floating. Now that he was in the water, he realized he didn't really know what he was doing. He paddled towards the shore, but his movements were slow and heavy, and what was meant to be his great return to land ended up being a lot of hopeless splashing and treading water. "I don't know how to swim." He hoped she understood the silent thank you in his tone. He didn't know how, but she had given him the option to learn– the option to exist in a space somewhere between two Clans. He kicked his paws to keep himself from sinking fully, letting his chin sink just under the warm water.

Dappleshine smiled to herself as the tom seemed to consider what she said for a while before standing. With a deep breath, he lowered himself into the water, and she watched silently as he remained submerged for a while before his head broke above the water once more. When he looked to her, she nodded and slipped into the water as well, paddling up to him. "It's a lot like walking, Webpaw. Use your tail and head to direct you, and your hind paws to propel you." She swam around him a couple of times before swimming a short ways away, allowing him to watch what she did.

Webpaw listened carefully to her instructions, watching with sharp eyes as she circled him before paddling away. Just like walking? That was easy enough. Even though it felt like the water soaking his fur was trying to pull him under, walking was plenty easy. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, he kicked out his hind legs, forepaws flailing a bit aimlessly, but after a few strokes he seemed to get the hang of it. His movements were still choppy, but he was moving at all, water coursing around him as he paddled over to the StarClan warrior. "Am I doing it? Hey! I'm swimming!" His voice was bright with mirth, and in celebration of this discovery, he spun in a rough circle. Even if he didn't have the confidence to try the river any time soon in the waking world, here he was, in StarClan, swimming. He turned himself back towards Dappleshine, offering an earnest smile. "I didn't know I could do that. I really like StarClan." It pained him to think he would have to wake up soon, but knowing he could do this in any dream made it an easier thought to manage.

Dappleshine purred as she watched his choppy movements slowly become better, and soon enough he was swimming. It wasn't pretty, persay, but at least it wasn't drowning! She grinned at the tom as he swam in a rough circle before turning back to her. "You did it! Well done, Webpaw!" She exclaimed, waiting until he had come closer before continuing, her voice taking on an air of solemnity. "StarClan is nice, but Webpaw, you still have so much to do among the living. You have your whole life ahead of you, and I can't wait to see what you do with it. Now, I know your heart is being pulled in more direction than one.... And that's a hard thing to manage. Especially when your heart and mind seem to be on different pages. However, I encourage you, consider your options. Choose which one you think will be best for you in the long run. It may not be an easy thing to do, and it most likely won't seem obvious. You may have to give up some things in order to enjoy others, and you have to decide if those sacrifices are ones that you are willing and able to make. Only you can make that decision for yourself, no other." She advised him, a sad smile on her face. With a glance over her shoulder, she sighed and turned back. "We don't have much more time... The sun will be rising soon..." She trailed off, gazing at Webpaw. Would he have any other questions? Anything else to say?

Dappleshine's praise made Webpaw's pelt warm, and he was going to open his mouth to ask just how long he could stay here with her when she started speaking first. Her tone had... changed, and he sank his jaw under the water again, half-ready to fully submerge himself if it turned into scolding. He hated being snapped at, but really, what cat didn't? But her voice stayed gentle. No anger in her, just advice, plain and simple.

He liked that, plain and simple.

He rolled the words around in his head, humming softly to himself, sending up a small swirl of bubbles. Sure, he wanted to spend the rest of his days lazing around in the river, and fleeing to RiverClan would give him easy access but he wasn't sure if he could really do it. He didn't know how to fish, wasn't sure if he'd even remember how to swim, he didn't know any of the cats there. He felt so out of place at home, but at least he knew the names, the faces, he had family there– RiverClan, he'd have nothing. Except maybe a grandmother he wasn't sure would want him around.

He cast his eyes down, looking at his chest, his legs, taking in as much of himself as he could. He had the perfect ShadowClan pelt, too– dark, and marked with his even darker stripes. He was thin, too, easily able to carry himself on quiet paws. It was like he was perfectly designed for a life of stealth, stalking through dark marshes and living by the light of the moon.

Wordlessly, Webpaw turned away from Dappleshine, paddling back towards the shore. Suddenly, he didn't feel much like talking. Stepping onto the grass, he watched it shift underpaw, like it was struggling to maintain shape. After shaking his fur out, he turned back to Dappleshine, something sad in his eyes as he looked at her. "I think I'm ready to go home now." His mew was quiet as he raised his head skyward, half expecting to see the sun here. Instead, there were only stars, more than he could count. "Thank you for you time, but I... I want to go home." He swallowed hard as he said it. ShadowClan had always been home, even if it didn't feel like it... But maybe that was where he truly belonged.

"Of course. You have a bright future ahead of you, Webpaw, make it all your own. You only have yourself to answer to in the end." Dappleshine purred as she touched her nose to his gently. As she started to fade, she looked into his eyes a final time. "StarClan will light your path. Trust in us, and in yourself." With those final words she was gone, leaving behind only a slight shimmer where she had stood moments before as Webpaw's vision faded into darkness.