Timberpaw’s Moonstone Journey

She’d put this off for as long as possible. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them to prolong it any more. Timberpaw was ready for his Moonstone, and Henpaw wouldn’t put it off any longer. It was almost funny, a ‘paw taking another ‘paw, like the old saying about two blind cats leading each other. Still… even if she didn’t want to talk to him at all, she had to get this done. It was her duty to WindClan. And Timberpaw.

Henpaw glanced up at the sun, gauging the distance to Mothermouth. She’d only been there twice, but it was a quick enough journey for her. They’d leave about sunhigh… and it was about sunhigh now. She could not put this off any longer. They had enough herbs, and she’d taught some cats the basics… but what if something big happened? She lashed her tail, but she had no choice. She had to do this. At least WindClan was the closest to Mothermouth.

“…Timberpaw!” She beckoned him over with a flick of her tail and pushed the traveling herbs forwards. “Eat these. We’re headed to the Moonstone.” Her tone made it clear that this wasn’t the time to talk about… stuff. She bent down and ate her herbs, not without a grimace at the foul taste. She hadn’t flavored either of the bundles with honey. It was hard to get and she didn’t have any, as she hadn’t dared stray far from camp. Besides, if he couldn’t take the herbs’ taste, he couldn’t take the life of a warrior. With a lash of her tail, Henpaw swept out of camp, beckoning for him to follow.


It hadn’t been a hard journey (at least not for her) and the sun was slowly setting as they reached Mothermouth. “Follow me. It’s gonna be pitch black, so use your whiskers. When we get to the stone, touch your nose to it. Come on.” With this brief explanation, she padded into Mothermouth, making sure Timberpaw didn’t get lost. Finally, they rounded the final corner, and Henpaw sat down with a relieved huff. She flicked her tail, showing him to touch his nose to the Moonstone.

Timberpaw was, in fact, sleeping, facing away from the den's entrance, or exit. He knew it was his moonstone journey, he knew it was tonight. He didn't want to see his sister. But when he saw her shadow on the den's wall, he turned his head back to face her. He didn't break eye contact as he ate the herbs, and he was so.. fuelled by emotion that he didn't care about the taste. He stood up once he was done

He ignored her the whole way, looking in the opposite direction and shutting his eyes, flicking back his ears. He didn't want to take in the the pretty moor at sunset, he just wanted to get there, get it done with, and come back. Maybe he'll feel better another day. He wanted to swipe at her, but also cry and apologise at the same time, the emotions in his stomach were almost too much to handle. The air felt tense, even when they got there.

After some hesitation, he followed his sister inside, not really wanting to, finally, around the last bend he was at the moonstone and he looked at her, the moonstone, his paws. It was super bright, but once his eyes adjusted he approached it, took a breath and touched it with his nose.

He woke up in a starry plain, feeling a little lightheaded. He looked around, eyes wide, looking for the Starclan cat that was supposed to meet him, but also a little worried that the cat might yell at him for starting an argument or... something.

The apprentice she had been sent to speak to had faced his own challenges, not just physical ones but emotional ones as well. It was a bitter thing to swallow, believing that those that are supposed to support you seemed to think that you weren't capable, but with any luck Timberpaw had pushed through those invisible shackles to grow into the young warrior he was destined to be. The starry she-cat watched him for a heartbeat as he looked around, searching no doubt for whoever would be speaking to him. She padded forward, the grasses brushing lightly against her paws as she closed the distance some before speaking up. "Hello, Timberpaw. My name is Dappleshine. Welcome to StarClan!" She purred, lowering her head in greeting before looking the apprentice over with a warm smile.

Timberpaw sat in the grass (at least, he thought it was grass) of the starry field the area he sat in was similar to his clan's territory. It was so similar, in fact, that he felt right at home among the stars. Henpaw wasn't with him there, so nothing felt tense, but there was a twinge of sadness as he stood there, alone.

Finally, though, a cat padded towards him, with a welcoming gaze, a friendly smile. Something he could've once gotten from Henpaw before they argued. The pretty start cat introduced herself, but he had no need to do the same as the she-cat seemed to already know his name. "Hi..." He looked down, he felt somewhat uncomfortable. "You... Starclan doesn't hate me, right?" He looked up again, wanting to cry a little. "For.. um... yelling at Henpaw? I feel like a horrible cat.. she must feel the same and I don't know... I don't know what to do, I mean- if I had never said anything, she would've kept pushing me around but we'd both be happy but- I don't know why I just... yelled.." He lowered his ears and sunk to the ground, gazing up at the starry cat. Was Starclan angry with him? Was this cat going to snap at him, tell him what a horrible cat he was? Whatever she was going to say, Timberpaw was nervous, ashamed, and somewhat upset, his emotions felt like they were swirling in his belly, and he felt a little dizzy. He was shaking slightly, and looked really, really afraid.

He was really, really afraid.

The young tom looked uncomfortable as he greeted her quietly in return, and Dappleshine sat down in front of him as he looked back up to her, looking ready to cry. He continued, and crouched low to the ground, trembling. She shook her head gently, her tail settling around her paws. "No, Timberpaw, StarClan doesn't hate you. I don't think that Henpaw does either. I think she was surprised, and a little hurt, by your outburst, but I don't think she hates you. You say that if you hadn't said anything, you both would be happy, but that's not the truth, is it? You wouldn't have been happy if she kept pushing you around. You may have been able to fake it, but it would have only lasted so long before your emotions exploded." She mewed, her voice soft and kind. "I do think that there were better ways you could have gone about telling her how you felt that didn't involve snapping and yelling, however, you both are young. There's a lot you don't know, and have yet to learn. Emotions are a difficult thing, something that some cats never fully grasp. What I think you should do, is once we're done here and you return, I think you should go to your sister. I think you should apologize for yelling at her, but you should also explain how you've felt, how she's made you feel, calmly. If she gets agitated, I recommend telling her that you are stepping away to give her space, and once she can relax herself she can seek you out." She offered, gazing down at the shaky, wide-eyed apprentice with a small reassuring smile.

Timberpaw looked at the pretty Starclan cat as she spoke. Her words calm, kind and reassuring. He felt glad that Starclan didn't hate him for what he did. What she was saying was true. If he kept in all his emotions for so long, he wouldn't stay a happy cat. Even if it hurt him now, he would be better in the long run. Still, despite the Starclan warrior comforting him, he felt tears run down his fur.

Once the Dappleshine had finished. Timberpaw let out a shakey breath. "You really think she doesn't hate me, Dappleshine?" His tail curled around his body, his tail trembling. "Will it be that easy? Giving her space, apologising?" He lowered his head slightly, turning away. "Why is everything so difficult..?" He muttered. "I feel dizzy and tired, even though I'm dreaming. I want to talk about this, to an important cat but Henpaw's the medicine cat." He glanced back at the warrior. "How can I even think of approaching her? I- I think she might just turn me away..."

"I really don't." She purred, confirming what she had said once more. She shook her head slightly, a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. "Unfortunately, no. Apologizing and making things right isn't always the easiest thing. But something I learned is that the most difficult things in life are often the most useful, beneficial, and needed ones. We don't have much more time left, but if you want to talk to someone else then I recommend you reach out to your leader or deputy. They are they to help and guide as well. Alternatively, there is also your mentor. If she turns you away the first time, then just keep trying. Wait a day, and try again. Bring fresh-kill with you, or something along those lines. If she still refuses to speak with you, then speak to your deputy or leader and explain what's going on. They should be able to help. If you've exhausted all of those options, then you know that you tried your best, and that the burden to set things right is not firmly on her shoulders."