Firepaw's Moonstone Journey

Firepaw had been more quiet following the events of her first gathering. The distress her mentor, sister and Curlypaw had felt upon seeing her somehow hurt more than the burns that danced around the side of her face from ear to chin. Bandages and salves gone, all that remained was a permanently burnt right ear whose jagged edges fanned down in thin lines that mimicked lightning. The right side of her face still held no feeling other than the occasional bursts of pain as her facial nerves fought desperately to return to normal.

The russet apprentice sighed about her Moonstone journey. This was just in preparation, but afterwards, she would not be expecting her Warrior ceremony for quite some time thanks to Mottlestars punishment. 

It took some time to chew the herbs, but eventually she got them down. "Please lead the way, Fawnshine."

Reaching the Mothermouth, Firepaw held no excitement. She would just be going through the motions, and the thought of squeezing through those dark tunnels with only one set of whiskers made her sigh. Fawnshine would be there for her, though. It would be alright. 

Following the medicine cats tail through the dark, thing tunnels, they finally reached the sparkling stone she had heard so much about. It was breathtaking, truly. She just... She was nervous to who would greet her once she closed her eyes. Would StarClan scold her for her actions during her first gathering, or would they ignore her altogether as further punishment? She hoped they understood that she got it now. She did bad. 

"I'll see you when I wake, Fawnshine." Tapping her nose to the shiny stone, she closed her eyes and drifted off.

Having been resting under the shade of a starry trees, Tinylegs' white and grey pelt shimmered among the stars. Death was never a good thing per say, but being able to be reunited with family and friends had made it all worth it to the former SkyClan as well as RiverClan tom. He'd paid his dues and had lived a more than long life, and he had a full appreciation of how wonderful of a place StarClan truly was. If only the young cats down among the living were able to understand that more.

Noticing a shape begin to appear not far away from where he laid near the edge of the forest, Tinylegs focused his gaze on what seemed to be an apprentice. The young tom's dark pelt didn't shimmer with sparkling stars like those of deceased cats that had died and come to join the stars, which meant he was probably just visiting. Standing up, he gave long body a shake, sending specks of stardust falling back onto the misty ground. Well, he supposed he'd better say hello, it was the least he could do.

"Hello," Tinylegs mewed as he made his way over to the stranger as swiftly as his little legs allowed him. He wasn't a huge fan of padding through the waving grass, seeing as though some of it was almost taller than he was in certain spots, but he supposed it couldn't be helped. "Here for your Moonstone journey?" he asked, slowing his pace and stopping in front of the tom. He assumed that was what the younger cat was there for, but it didn't hurt to ask.

Her nose being tickled is what made the russet apprentice open her eyes. Before her was an great expanse of open field, a calm wind making the grass sway slightly. Immediate relief overcame her that StarClan had still chosen to greet her on such an important day, though it's form was... Short. Really short. He looked like his name would be Tiny-something. Tinylegs, probably. She smiled at her own joke. as the tom struggled to reach her. "I am. Though I was scared no one would show up."

It was hard to look sad or guilty once she heard her own voice: normal, no slurring. Each word came out clear and concise, just as it had before the lightning. Now that she thought about it, her face didn't feel numb in this dream. Maybe StarClan did produce miracles and not just punishments.

"Of course someone would show up," Tinylegs mewed softly. Sitting down, he figured he'd might as well get comfortable, seeing as though this young she-cat certainly needed some talking to about the recent events that had gone on. "I'm Tinylegs," he began with a dip of his head. "Up here we don't all watch over the same cats all the time, but let's just say that word travels fast," the short tom mewed, hinting to the fact that he knew what had happened at the recent gathering. He had so much that he wanted to share yet so little time and he did his best to try and think of a way to narrow all of his thoughts down to a shareable proportion. Not to mention the fact that he didn't necessarily want to bad talk any-cat, but he didn't want to lie to her either.

"Listen," he began with a sigh after a few moments of gathering his thoughts together. "You were trying to protect your clanmates and there's nothing wrong with that. But of course, starting fights technically defeats the purpose of what gatherings were made for... and so I also understand why you got punished even though it was unfortunate. And I'm sorry about what they did to you," he mewed, trying to remember all that he wanted to tell her without losing his train of thought. "I know StarClan can seem scary especially with what they can do at times, but the ones that make the decisions on punishments are just a bunch of dead cats with their tails in a twist that they aren't still alive." What he said might have come off a bit crass, but the former leader couldn't think of any better way to put it. She was here for wisdom and truth, and so he was going to give it to her.

"I'm sorry about the lightning, but trust me when I say bickering at a gathering and smacking a cat who "technically" deserved it isn't the worst thing you can do. If I could make it to the stars after what I did, so can you. As long as you stay true and loyal to your family and clanmates, of course," he added with a smile. He'd seen and done so many things when he was alive that part of him had been surprised when he'd gone to StarClan. Of course, while deep down part of him would always hold a grudge for all that had happened, he didn't hate them and had stayed loyal till the very end.

Firepaw couldn't help but smirk. Tinylegs. Knew it. Delighted that she guessed the short warriors name correctly, she took a seat in front of him just as he had done. It was almost heartwarming to hear that StarClan would show up,  even with the biggest of mistakes. Would he answer her if she pressed him about his wrongdoings further? Well, if he made it to StarClan in the end, it probably wasn't anything horrific. Like killing a kit or something.

"Thank you for your sympathy, but that won't cure the ugly and shameful scar they gave me. If loyalty to my clan and family is what will allow me into StarClan..." She hesitated for a moment, fear making her stomach churn. But something about Tinylegs being shorter than her, and also seemingly being honest in his own thoughts, made her continue. "It was harsh. I was protecting my family by standing up to that creature. I don't understand how StarClan works if that was how they rewarded loyalty." In her heart, she wished Jaypaw had gotten way more of a harsher punishment than he had gotten. Disfigure him. Cripple him. But not kill him. That would be too merciful. She felt sorry for Tinylegs being sent to talk to her. She was far too angry at everything, but she wouldn't forget his honesty in speaking about StarClan. "Thank you for coming to see me. It was reassuring to know I may still be allowed to join the stars when my time comes. I think... I think I want to leave now, if that's alright."

Whether this was how it worked or not, Firepaw closed her eyes within her dream, hoping it would be the end of it before her temper worsened.

He understood why she'd still be upset at the situation and while part of him wanted to say more, he knew that in time she would learn and grow more in ways than he'd be able to provide in their short meeting. "Of course. I wish you luck on your path to becoming a warrior; I know you can do it," Tinylegs mewed with a smile before giving a polite dip of his head.

Standing up, he watched as the apprentice began to return to the world of the living, her russet pelt disappearing and leaving nothing more than a trace of stardust from where she'd stood moments ago. 'Hopefully she can find peace about it all,' the short tom thought silently to himself before turning around and continuing on with his day.