Smokepaw's Moonstone Journey

Rookfire got out of the medicine den, getting ready to bring another apprentice to the Moonstone. It was cool seeing them grow before his very eyes. It seemed like Smokepaw had just gotten out of the nursery, and now she was on her way to becoming a warrior. Grabbing two packets of traveling herbs - one filled with honey and the other without it - the black tuxedo padded into the medicine den. "Hey, Smokepaw, wake up," he said, nudging the apprentice. "It's time for your Moonstone journey."

The medicine cat gave Smokepaw the packet of traveling herbs with the honey in it. As usual, the black tuxedo took the herbs without the honey, as he had eaten them this way many times before, and he wanted to make the apprentices' Moonstone trips as pleasant as possible. The bitter taste of traveling herbs didn't exactly help, so he added honey in them to mask the taste of the herbs. Rookfire's batch, however, did not have honey, which meant that his bunch of herbs tasted terrible. Well, after moons of eating them this way, they weren't exactly terrible anymore. But they were by no means pleasant to gulp down. Once the two cats had finished eating their herbs, Rookfire nodded to Smokepaw. "Alright, let's go!"

Smokepaw, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, absentmindedly began to chew the herbs. Her eyes grew wide and it took all her willpower to not spit it out. “Why did StarClan make these taste so bad,” she gagged. “Please tell me the taste will get out of my mouth soon.”

With a gleam in her eye, the molly trotted after Rookfire, full of questions. “Am I really going to go to StarClan? And see a real StarClan cat? Will I be able to explore StarClan, or is that breaking the Code? OH MYSTARCLAN, will I get to see a prophecy or explore the Dark Forest or… or…” Smokepaw seemed like she was about to explode with excitement. “Or something!”

She took a breath, then looked up sheepishly. “I ask a lot of questions.”

OOC: Please tell me how long you want the journey to be, and I can adjust accordingly!

Of course, Smokepaw grimaced at the taste. Even though honey made them not as bad, they were still a far ways away taste-wise from good old fresh-kill. "Honestly, I don't think they control how herbs taste," the black tuxedo mewed. "Though it's strange how these herbs can taste so bad and yet be good for us, I'll admit it." Why did a bad taste appear on a good plant? Why couldn't it just be a good taste on a good plant? That way, none of the apprentices he had to take on moonstone journeys - and also him - would have to suffer through the terrible taste before going on their journey.

As Smokepaw rambled on and on with questions, Rookfire chuckled. "Don't worry about all of the questions," he said, grinning at the apprentice. "You've never been here before, so it makes sense that you're curious. And it makes the trip interesting for me." Taking a deep breath, the black tuxedo answered them one by one. "Yes, you're gonna go to StarClan. And see a real StarClan cat. I'm not sure who, but they probably have picked the cat out for you already."

"You can't explore StarClan, not because it's forbidden by the warrior code, but because you can't exactly be wandering around while their cats try to give advice to you. After all, your mentor can't teach you how to hunt properly if you just wander away into the marshes!" Rookfire said with a chuckle. "On a more serious note, I really hope you don't receive a prophecy while in your dream, since that would probably mean that StarClan would have had to decide to warn ShadowClan as urgently as they could. Or it's the Dark Forest, which is probably worse. At best, the Dark Forest doesn't care about the cats of the living; at worst, they want to see the clans and the structures that we've grown up with burned to the ground. Speaking of the Dark Forest, it would probably be a bad idea to explore there, and I'd think that StarClan would even forbid cats from appearing there."

OOC: we can timeskip after this post, thanks!

“Mmm…” Smokepaw considered Rookfire’s words. She kinda wanted to receive a prophecy, even though that would mean dire times indeed. On the other paw, going into the Dark Forest did seem a rather frog-brained idea. “You’re right,” she admitted. “I wonder which StarClan cat I’ll get. Hopefully someone who will tell me about…stuff…” She didn’t quite know what, exactly, she wanted to know about, but anything would do. “I heard that wicked apprentices get lost in the passages of Mothermouth and are never seen again! Is that true?” She asked as she settled into a trot, following the medicine cat. Too many questions and too little time.

Rookfire gave Smokepaw a grin. "I'm not sure who you'd get, to be honest. Every cat's different, and different cats need different cats to guide them on the right path." Really, the definition of the 'right path' could even vary from cat to cat. Different cats had different moral values, and they all had their justifications. Maybe they were anecdotal, maybe it was the Warrior Code, maybe it was something different.

When Smokepaw asked him about wicked apprentices getting lost in the Mothermouth, Rookfire was happy to talk to the she-cat about it. "Well, I as the medicine cat usually make sure that the apprentice that I'm taking grabs my tail specifically so that they don't get lost in Mothermouth, so that's not exactly that likely. And even if I didn't tell you, I'd think that you'd at least be able to find your way out. Maybe."

As the two cats crossed the Thunderpath without any problems, the two cats eventually reached Mothermouth. "Here's Mothermouth. Like I said earlier, remember to grab my tail so that you don't get lost. Just don't yank me backwards, 'kay?" Eventually, the two cats padded into Mothermouth. Rookfire led the way, guiding Smokepaw through the winding tunnels. "Honestly, now that I think of it, it would probably take an insane amount of time to get out of the Mothermouth if you got lost here. So make sure you have a firm grip on my tail, got it?"

Finally, they stepped into the cavern with the Moonstone. "Here's the Moonstone," Rookfire said, grinning at Smokepaw. "Touch your nose to it, and you'll get your StarClan cat." Sitting down near the cavern, he waited for Smokepaw to touch her nose to the Moonstone.

Smokepaw’s jaw dropped at the sight of Mothermouth. Rookfire went in like it was no big deal, so she quickly closed her mouth and followed. The darkness was unnerving (even in ShadowClan there was always some light), but the awe-inspiring sight at the end was worth it. Gingerly, almost afraid she’d break it, Smokepaw tapped her nose to the Moonstone.

The wind was blowing over her fur, ruffling it. After a few moments, she realized that couldn’t happen in a cave. Smokepaw opened her eyes.

Before her stood a tomcat with a pale ginger coat and bright amber eyes. His mouth was curled in a kind smile, and he dipped his head to the apprentice after she’d taken in the sights - the rolling hills and trees of stars and the brilliant night sky of StarClan. ”Hello, Smokepaw. My name is Eye of the Prowling Lion, or Lion’s Eye, but you may call me Lionpaw.” The starry tomcat spoke with a hypnotic lilt that gave away his foreign origins. That along with the strange name was enough to cause questions as to his presence in this clan apprentice’s moonstone dream. ”I once lived in the mountains with my mother and my Tribe. We sought shelter with one of your Clans - SkyClan - because of a danger we could not survive on our own in our homeland. I died in a battle at Fourtrees to protect the Clans and my Tribe. I understand apprentices in your culture speak with their ancestors to seek wisdom, and I have been invited to speak with you. Smokepaw, what questions do you have?” Lionpaw’s smile never faded.

He had entertained a few apprentices at their moonstone journeys; he was about their age and he understood why another young cat would help soothe fearful or curious apprentices through this right. Sometimes he played games with them and other times he shared about his home with them. Each apprentice was special and unique to him. Lionpaw had no doubt that Smokepaw was equally precious, and he listened eagerly for her response.

Stars shone constantly in a brilliant sky. Trees stretched their branches towards the starlight, stars hanging from their leaves like ethereal fruit. Somewhere, a river flowed, and the sound of its waters was the sweetest sound she had ever heard. Smokepaw stood wide-eyed and slack-jawed in wonder, taking it all in. StarClan was better than she could have ever imagined.

With a start, she focused on the starry tom in front of her. What questions did she have? Smokepaw nearly snorted, but that would be disrespectful and rather odd-sounding in this ethereal paradise. “I have… too many questions. Like… what is the Tribe? Why were you named that? Can I go visit the Tribe? Where is it? How did the Clans and the Tribe meet, is there more than one Tribe, and why did you join SkyClan, of all Clans? What enemy did you flee? Should I be worried about that? Should I be worried about how you died at a Gathering, of all times? Is someone going to break the sacred truce? Is that why you’re telling me this?” Smokepaw took a quick breath, and decided she’d better let the tom talk before she deafened him with her flood of questions.

He laughed. Excited responses were his favorite. Lion’s Eye purred and gestured with a flick of his tail for her to follow, and they traipsed through the starlit forest until they came upon a little clearing with a crystal clear pool in the little. He crouched at the edge and beckoned for Smokepaw to stand next to him. “The Tribe is like your ShadowClan, but we live far away in the mountains. You wouldn’t be able to find us unless you traveled for many moons. We don’t have rival Clans or Tribes. Our life is hard and isolated, but we love each other deeply and we carry on the traditions of our ancestors.” The reflection of the two cats changed with a slight ripple. It showed beautiful mountain ranges and peaks that marred the bright blue sky. With his words it shifted through heavy rains, bright white blizzards, and the familiar cave of his Tribe’s home. The moon streamed through holes in the ceiling and cats laid in groups, swapping stories and prey in abundance. Lion’s Eye looked lovingly on his home, a bittersweet smile on his muzzle.

“No, I don’t have reason to believe the full moon truce will be broken in the near future. I only know of battles at Fourtrees happening because the Clans unite to protect their home, and each other. I was born in a perilous time for the Tribe of Endless Skies. Our naming traditions follow the pattern of whatever the mother sees during and after the birth of her litter. The first thing my mother saw when her litter was born was the eyes of a Sharptooth—a great, big cat called a mountain lion—peering at her. I… was the only one of my litter to survive. My mother did as well. My Tribe fled the mountains to escape the Shaptooth’s terrible stalking, but my mother… made a deal with forces that she had no business having contact with.” The image in the pool shifted into the terrible gaze of the mountain lion, hungry for blood and death, as it stared through the mountain’s foliage. Lionpaw’s shoulders sagged. He loved his mother fiercely and he missed her, but he had to be honest in telling her story.

“Those forces followed the Tribe to the Clans’ territory because their part of the deal was to protect the Tribe. However, they were attacking Clans that didn’t have anything against the Tribe! They were abusing their tether to the living world: my mother. She is responsible for her own actions, but the forces caused great suffering and loss to the Clans. A great battle against shades of the afterlife took place at Fourtrees. I was killed by the forces almost immediately. I was the first blood of the night. When she and the shades were defeated, my Tribe was told by our ancestors that the Sharptooth had fled our mountain range because it no longer had a reliable source of food and that it wouldn’t be returning. Some of my Tribe stayed. Most went home, and home is where you’ll find them today.” The images swirled and stormed within the pond, battles and death and mourning painted on the faces of the cats of his time. It was a great pain to remember, but he dutifully answered her questions. He swore to keep his Tribe alive by whatever means possible, including in the hearts of the Clan cats.

The reflection cleared, once again showing the serene stars and the two apprentices’ observing expressions. He sat back. “I walk the skies of both StarClan and the Tribe of Endless Stars. I had a paw in both worlds; I was trained by Rippedstar of SkyClan. My job was to be the bridge between the Clans and Tribe. After all… it is no longer well-known in your forest, but… SkyClan and the Tribe are one. My Tribe was formed many, many seasons ago when SkyClan fled the forest because it was on the brink of extinction. In the end, our ancestors are one in the same. I suppose if there’s any reason at all for our meeting, it would be so I could tell you that all Clans, and even my Tribe, have something in common. It is easy to get caught up in the rivalries of the forest and the politics of the leaders, but in the end, you share so much with all the cats of your forest—you follow a code of conduct. You share customs, like naming ceremonies, and you swear upon your lives to protect what you love. It makes you strong in ways loners and kittypets can never be.”