Ebonypaw's Moonstone Journey

Sitting outside and watching the moon creep into view was doing nothing for Cloverheart. Two bundles of traveling herbs sat at her paws, and her tail beat the ground restlessly beside her. She'd been off her paws most of the day, alternating between busywork sorting herbs and laying curled up in her nest. She felt particularly sore that day, and knowing she had to make the trek to Highstones had filled her with a sense of dread she couldn't shake.

But she could see the top of the moon now, and wasting time would get her nowhere. Failing to send the little cat to the Moonstone would probably get her in trouble, too, so she quickly swallowed her own bundle of herbs before picking up the other. Making her way to the apprentice's den, she stepped inside and sought out Ebonypaw, setting the herbs down next to him. "Hi! It's time to go to Highstones," she mewed with a nudge to his shoulder. "I'll be right outside." With that, she backed out and waited for him to arrive.


It wasn't long before the dark tom made an appearance, and after that, Cloverheart wasted no time in pushing on out of camp. The trek had been tiring, and more than once she considered stopping altogether, but she willed herself on. By the time they had made it to Mothermouth, her legs were burning, and her chest rattled with deep breaths she tried to hide. "We're here!" The medicine cat rasped, cheery tone just a touch too forced. "It's dark in the tunnel, so stay close, okay?" She hummed, waving her tail before descending slowly into the tunnel.

It wasn't long before the brilliang light of the Moonstone came into view, and Cloverheart was quick to sit down, letting out a deep sigh as she did. "Pretty, isn't it? Lay down, touch your nose to it, Ebonypaw. StarClan will find you, and I will be here when you wake up."

Ebonypaw blinked awake, both from the scent of herbs and the voice of another. He had almost forgotten. "I'll be with you in a second," he murmured, his voice still slow and raspy with grogginess. Sleep had the habit of grasping him in a tight hold, unable to be shaken off easily. However, he mustered the strength to lift himself onto his paws and sniff the herbs he was given. They smelt bitter and earthy and tasted the same, but he ate them without complaint. They would help him in his journey, no need to badmouth them for their flavor.

The black tom trotted out the den, his fur quickly groomed so it wasn't a complete mess. "I'm ready to go, lead the way."


As tiring as the travel was, it was captivating. He had rarely approached the ends of the territory unless he was on border patrol, yet here he was compelled to walk beyond them and see new sights. Beyond the wetlands of Riverclan, past the moores of Windclan, and into the rocky, mountainous lands of Highstones. It was all beautiful. Ebonypaw was quiet as he simply absorbed the scenery, giving him the energy to continue on if only to see more.

It was only when they reached their destination that fatigue really gripped his bones. Yet, there it was.  The moonstone, glowing in the moonlight like a star that had fallen Silverpelt itself. He couldn't bring himself to move in sheer awe of it, but Cloverheart's voice shook him back to reality. Right, the task at hand.

Ebonypaw did as he was told, pressing his nose to the stone. It was cold, but comforting in a way before he curled up into a ball beside it. Sleep didn't take long to find him again, guided by exhaustion. Soon, his breath fell into a deep, slow rhythm as he was taken elsewhere.


His eyes fluttered open, finding not the moonstone, but a brilliant wetland field like home. A babbling brook was not far off, his ears flicking at the familiar sound of running water. Slowly, Ebonypaw stood, looking over the tall grass and reeds. "Um... hello?" His voice was small, not much of a call as it was just an unsure word. He didn't know who would visit him. A part of him hoped it would be his parents, but the other desperately it wasn't. As much as he wanted to see them again, he would prefer them to be outside wandering the world than somehow ending up here.

So he waited, unsure which face would show up, or if he would even know them at all. Probably not, he didn't know many dead cats.

Against the starry backdrop, one reminiscent of a more gentle arch of the river, there was the outline of a cat with ruffled fur. As the world around Ebonypaw became more clear, so did the messy, dilute calico coat. His pale fur was fluffed up in about every direction possible. Pale twin pools of light fixated themselves on the Riverclan apprentice. A broad grin painted itself across the tom's maw and he straightened up in an instant. When he spoke, it was a warm and welcoming sound, one that greeted the young tom as if they were old friends, "Ebonypaw! Welcome to Starclan. I have to tell you. The fishing it great here. Come look!" Peering over the edge, the former warrior watched the silvered, otherworldly fish dart about. When he touched the surface gingerly with one paw, they scattered, and he laughed to himself at the sight.

Ebonypaw's green gaze scanned the starry landscape for a cat, soon locking on to the materializing shape of a tom. He didn't look like anyone he recognized, but no other observing cat would have been able to tell with how warm of a welcome he received. He was frozen with shock and awe. Having someone so reverent treat him like a friend, it certainly made him feel more special than he ever did before.

He accepted the cat's invitation, padding over to look into the waters. "Oh wow..." He murmured, crouching down to watch the fish. They were beautiful, their scales almost glowing like they were made of stars themselves. And so plentiful too! "Stars, definitely fitting for Starclan." He chuckled softly, looking over to his ancestral companion. "I'm... sorry but I don't quite recognize you. Were you a Riverclan cat in life?" Awkwardness tainted his tone as he looked the cat over. They had greeted him so kindly, it felt wrong not to know who they were.

Once the apprentice came over, Sparkfrost flicked his tail against Ebonypaw's pelt. Together they witnessed the great dance of the otherworldly fish. It was a beautiful and unforgettable sight. The former warrior was still entranced with it after so long. The voice of the other caught caused his head to snap up as if he forgot they were there to do anything more than peer after the shimmering creatures slipping through the starry river. Whiskers twitched and he grinned sheepishly, "Oh yeah! I'm Sparkfrost. I was the kit of Jaystar and Goldeneye. Although, Starlord was like my father... you don't happen to know any of them, do you? I guess its been a while since we were in the forest." Sparkfrost laughed lowly to himself, tipping his head to the young tom.

Most of those names didn't feel very familiar to him. Especially not Starlord. Was star even allowed as a prefix? What if they became leader? Would their name be Starstar? Or would he use their suffix to avoid confusion and become Lordstar? What even was a lord in the first place?

Jaystar, however, did strike a bell... if only from an elder's story. He had never met the cat personally. "Jaystar? They were a few leaders before Ivystar, right?" He felt quite honored to be met by a leader's kit. "Yeah, I recognize that name. Nice to meet you Sparkfrost, I'm..." He blinked as he remembered he was greeted by name. "Well, Ebonypaw, as you know." His tone dropped into awkwardness, giving a little chuckle. He supposed he go through conversation pieces the way he normally would.

"Do Starclan cats just... know this stuff or do you watch the cats below?" Ebonypaw tilted his head curiously. They had to know more than the average cat in order to give prophecies, though how cats received that information was still an enigma to him. "Because... It would be nice to know if I was doing things right... if you can see that kind of stuff." Hopefully that wasn't going to be too heavy of a question. He didn't want to burden anyone with his insecurities, Starclan or the living.

"Ivystar, Jaystar, Ivystar, Jaystar..." He chucked, repeating the apprentice and then rolling the names over his tongue a few times, "Before and after Ivystar, more times than one. If you ever have kits name one Ivykit, maybe they'll be leader someday... she was my sister too, you know? Ivystar. The best sister. Even when I couldn't remember she had become a warrior along with many other things." Sparkfrost shook his head slightly. It was an unpleasant thing to remember. His mind had been riddled with such confusion - a life he hadn't lived, growing up alongside littermates that grew up without him.

"Anyways, uh, seeing things? Well, I mean the future is easier to interpret up here but... still foggy. Starclan doesn't know everything. We're mostly cats like you just with stars in our fur. I think you'd look rather nice with a starry coat too - all that long fur. When it's your time, of course. Someday." Sparkfrost had begun to chatter away. He could have forever if the stars would let him, and if Ebonypaw didn't have a clan to return to. Flickering his tail, the odd tom tipped his head slightly, "Doing things right? Well, do they feel right?" His dull green gaze became focused down the bridge of his nose as he contemplated an answer, and waited for more input from the apprentice.

He didn't know if it was comforting or disappointing to learn Starclan cats were no different than him. He always imagined them as all-knowing, celestial-like beings. However, they were just... normal cats. He didn't have to live to the unrealistic standards an omniscient being might have, which was a relief, but that also meant Starclan was fallible...

He gave a soft chuckle at the tom's... compliment? Apparently he would look good when he died, something he never thought about before. "Thanks, I guess I'll have something to look forward to when I get here." When... No, he could fret over his own mortality when he was back home. He had a limited amount of time to talk to Sparkfrost, he should focus on that.

"Well... they don't feel wrong." He started, his gaze turning to fixate back on the astral waters and fish that had just started to return from their earlier fright. "I avoid anything that could be wrong like the plague, but then it feels like I'm not really doing anything at all." He took no risks, put everything he had into what he thought a good warrior should be. It felt like that should be a good idea but it left him rather... empty feeling.

There was a sheepish grin across Sparkfrost's face as Ebonypaw replied to his remark. Maybe it wasn't the best to tell a living forest cat how wonderful they'd look in the afterlife but he was honest in his musings. His feathery tail flickered back and forth as he followed Ebonypaw's gaze back to the fish. They were simply so interesting that he genuinely believed he would watch them for a lifetime, and then some. The apprentice had said something and as Sparkfrost mulled over it, he absentmindedly made an offer, "Catch one of the fish, if you want, it will be the best meal you've ever had - I can promise that!"

He laid down, putting his nose just at the edge of the water and staring down his maw to focus on the creatures as they flitted about. Little circles or squiggles, aimless in their endless paths. Most cats were like those fish - like Ebonypaw described: doing something, and yet doing nothing at all. Sparkfrost finally meowed, surprised by the sound of his own voice as he shared his thoughts aloud, "As long as what you're doing doesn't feel wrong, I think it's up to you to assign your own meaning to things, to make nothing feel like something. No cat can do that for you, Ebony. Just you. And I believe in you."

A smile cross his maw as he glanced up at the apprentice, offering warm support. It was as if this tom were his kit, his friend, someone he was close with - even though they had never met before. Sparkfrost hoped that his vote of confident meant something but even if it didn't he was happy to offer either way.

The Starclan cat's offer definitely piqued his interest. He didn't know the next time he would be able to try Starclan prey... when he died he supposed. He raised a paw, careful not to let his shadow fall over the water as he waited for one to get close. The shimmering scales were beautiful to watch, he was almost hesitant to catch one before finally scooping a fish out of the water, careful to direct the splash away from his new starry friend.

A purr ripped from his throat at the first bite, the flavors indescribable. It was fish, that was unmistakable, but it had a taste he could never find back home. Sweet but not exactly. Perhaps this was what stars tasted like. "By the stars, you're right," he commended before going in for a second bite, allowing the other tom to mull over their thoughts.

The dark-colored cat gave a light nod when he received his answer. Sparkfrost was right. There was no inherent meaning to anything. Even clan life and the code were made up by cats long past. They assigned meaning to those rules, not nature. Who says he can't find meaning somewhere in the tasks he did, or find new ones he could more easily find purpose in. He was so young after all, he had plenty of time to explore and find what made him feel accomplished.

"You're right..." He repeated, looking up to the cat beside him and absorbing some of that warmth he didn't know he needed. It felt nice to have someone to confide in and have someone regard him with such a comforting presence. "I'll take that to heart. Some things you have to find within yourself." Ebonypaw quickly finished off his prey, not wanting to be wasteful even in a land of plenty. "Thank you so much for your time. I'm not sure if you have a choice to be here or if you are just... summoned for these kinds of tasks, but I really appreciate your words." He wasn't sure if he was eager to put his new mindset to the test or just didn't as to steal any more of the Starclan Cat's time, but he figured it was about time to return home regardless.

A grin crossed Sparkfrost's maw as his dark-pelted companion delighted in the prey. He was happy to have something to share - advice had always seemed lacking; the former warrior far preferred the time to chat or hangout rather than discuss things. While he was happy to help in some way, he just doubted that he had much of anything to offer. So, star-speckled fish was a nice gift. That would be something to keep in mind for next time. Sparkfrost tucked away that information and shook out his coat, somehow making it more ruffled than it had been previously.

"I like to be here," he chirped as he face Ebonypaw, "I'd invite you back sometime because I like you but it's just not possible. I hope your journey home goes well and that all the fish you eat are almost as tasty as these. Take care, Ebonypaw."

Ebonypaw smiled softly. "Well, every cat comes here eventually. We'll meet again... in the distant future if I'm lucky." That would have to be their compromise as anything more would mean an early demise for himself. He supposed he could ask Cloverheart to send his regards every now and again, but he didn't want to waste a medicine cat's time with such a request, not to mention the fact he would have to ask her... more interaction.

He lamented internally as the landscape began to fade, starting to take the calico tom with it. He didn't know if it was just the effect starclan had or if it was just Sparkpelt themself, but they were one of the few cats he felt like he could just talk to. He didn't know if he was ready to give up this friend yet, but time would not allow him to remain in Starclan indefinitely. "Take care."

Darkness overtook the starry terrain, the just-right temperature of Starclan growing cold as the real world crept into his conscious. Ebonypaw blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, he was laying next to the moonstone. The dark tom lingered for a while, not wanting to get up but knowing he had to, his duty to his clan forcing him back to his feet. The journey home would be long, but he had some things to think about on the way.