Mistpaw's Moonstone Journey

Plumleaf headed to the apprentice den to fetch Mistpaw. It was time for the young cat to see the Moonstone, a necessary milestone in her journey to becoming a warrior. Skyclan's numbers grew stronger by the day, and Plumleaf was proud to see her clan flourish under her sisters' leadership.

"Mistpaw! It's time to go to the moonstone." She called, waiting patiently for the apprentice to appear. "These herbs will give you strength for the journey." She motioned to the bundle at her paws. After Mistpaw had finished them, Plumleaf led the way out of camp. The trek through the forest was more enjoyable now that the weather had begun to warm up, even though the chill returned as night began to fall. Soon enough, they had arrived, the dark caves welcoming them as they had done for countless moons. "It's a bit dark," She warned briefly. "Just stay close and you'll be fine." Before long, the Moonstone stood in front of them, glittering brightly in all it's glory.

The herbs were bitter. She'd known they would be, but she'd sort of hoped the whispers she'd heard were exaggerated.

Mistpaw followed Plumleaf with no small amount of hesitation. It was rare that she left SkyClan's camp at all, rarer still that she did so without her sister (and ideally no less than two other cats), and all of this was interesting and exciting- but it was also new and intimidating. Highstones seemed insurmountable until she'd scaled it, one pawstep at a time; and the darkness of the cavern seemed as though it might swallow her whole.

Still, she followed Plumleaf obediently, into the shadows that threatened to consume her completely...

And emerged into a cavern of light. It was a simple word, not grand enough-

The cavern was radiant, shining, brilliant. Illuminated, with a sort of glittering beauty that she had never seen before.

And she was meant to... Touch it?

She imagined, for a moment, that she might touch her nose to the stone and glow; that she might be as radiant, if only for a time.

But every apprentice had touched the Moonstone at some point, if the stories were true, and none of them glowed. Not even a whisper of glowing, other than the stone itself; the beauty of moonlight reflected throughout the cavern.

So Mistpaw touched her nose to the stone, and let her dreams of shining like the moon carry her to sleep.

A sleek gray tabby form would materialize among the branches above Mistpaw, starlight shimmering in her fur just as it did among the surrounding trees and foliage. Pale green eyes regarded the apprentice for a moment, and if she hadn't looked up yet, her presence would surely be announced when Birdsong leaped out of the tree, landing in front of Mistpaw with a soft purr.

"Hello there, Mistpaw." The tabby smiled softly at the young apprentice, "I'm Birdsong. I was Skyclan once, but I left and became a loner... And eventually wound up in Riverclan." She watched her for a reaction, and continued. "Our clan used to be quite full of warmongers, eager for justice... Eager for vengeance. There's a fine line between the two." She mewed, tail curling over her paws. "The world's a scary place, especially when your clan is determined to seek justice for the fallen, or when twolegs are running amok in the forest where they have no right to be. There's no shame in admitting that. I wasn't as brave as some of our clanmates are, but I would never hesitate to defend someone who needed help, even if I was scared out of my fur. Can't negotiate with an upset eagle, after all, and the trick is to not let your fear rule you. I've watched Skyclan for a while now, Mistpaw, and I've seen you fight when you had no other choice. The world may be a scary place, but I think you're braver than you give yourself credit."