Cloudypaw's Moonstone Journey

Cloudypaw hesitated at the question Daisypaw asked, staring at the newly made nest. She didn't really know what to expect. "U-um, I hope so." She stammered, before stepping into her nest and settling into a laying position. Hope was all she could do. Her heart was pounding. She felt nervous. What if something went wrong? She doesn't even know what to do! Daisypaw's words echoed in her mind; 'Try to get some sleep, and they'll come to you in a dream'. She shook her head, desperate to clear her thoughts. This was the moment she spoke to Galepaw about as a kit. This was the moment she had to have now.

I have to do it. She looked up at Daisypaw for silent reassurance before committing. She shut her eyes tightly, shoving her face into her fluffy tail. Her mind was running, but she used the method she's used since she was an older kit: imagining something interesting. She imagined running in the moors after a mouse, though it wasn't the field she was familiar with now. It wasn't long before she started to dream, waking up in a 'world' she'd only describe as beautiful. It was almost like she ran in that moor so long, that she had ran directly into StarClan territories herself. Where's the mouse..? There were so many stars. She immediately sat down in awe, looking around at the territory. This had to be... Silverpelt. I am here.

Once the young apprentice finally turned all the way around, she would be met with the sight of a pretty she-cat sitting right behind her, smirking.

Drizzlepool wasn’t much older than Cloudypaw, but her poise lent her some extra authority and elegance, her chin high and shoulders set. She was a pretty she-cat, lean and limber with a wispy pelt of fawn, cream, and white; a cat who could belong to any Clan and yet none at all. There was a flicker of something mischievous in her eyes, gaze the same colour as a lake bathed in the dawn light.

“Welcome, Cloudypaw,” she mewed, and wasn’t that wonderful, that the words would now come unbidden? Otherwise she would’ve refused the opportunity to speak to this cat; she was not going to try to act out everything she had to say, thank you very much. “My name is Drizzlepool.”

Cloudypaw was so entranced by StarClan's beautiful territory, she almost forgot where she was here for. As she whipped her head around to take in the view, she accidentally caught a peek of Drizzlepool in her peripheral. She immediately jumped to her paws in surprise, turning to meet the StarClan she-cat face to face. Her eyes were wide, analyzing Drizzlepool, a gorgeous cat whose grace mirrored the elegance of StarClan itself. Her mischievous glint hinted at a playful spirit, which was relieving - she had too many serious faces at home.

"Drizzlepool." She breathed. You're gorgeous and you look so healthy. It was such a rare sight for WindClan cats in the present. "Wow, I'm actually here..." Her eyes quickly darted around before focusing back on Drizzlepool. She shuffled her paws nervously.

She had heard stories, of course, about their territory - but nothing could describe this. She had so many questions for StarClan, but in this moment it felt like all of them were missing. Ah. There it is. That.

"Drizzlepool, I've looked up at Silverpelt almost every night since my kithood - wondering if I'll ever truly become a warrior or if I'm destined to walk a different path due to my cloudy eye." She admitted. It felt like a weight on her chest. "I worry if I'll actually ever go to StarClan, too, and hunt with my ancestors. You must have an idea - anything - of who I'll become." She looked at Drizzlepool, hope pooling in her eyes, for something. She had struggled with her own destiny for so long.

Oh, poor thing.

Drizzlepool flicked an ear, listening with the most… listen-y? whatever- face that she could. Alright. This required tact. And that… she did not possess very much of.

“Nonsense,” she mewed briskly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “There’s absolutely no reason for you to not be allowed into StarClan for one mildly clouded eye, and I doubt it’ll prevent you from becoming a warrior. I became a warrior, after all, and I lost my voice in kithood. Trust me, one eye is not going to stop you from becoming a warrior, and if it does, that’s your decision.”

A little harsh? Maybe, but that was who she was and always had been. She’d become a warrior when she couldn’t ask questions, couldn’t yowl for help, couldn’t even say her oath. If this little WindClanner let her clouded eye stop her from being a warrior, Drizzlepool would come down there personally and box her ears. “StarClan isn’t going to keep you out for something you can’t control. As long as you follow the Code as best you can and repent if you mess up, you’ll be fine. Your Clan’s got your back; as long as you stick with and by them, they’ll stick with and by you. That’s what Clans are for, anyways, to cover for each other. Just don’t- just stick with your Clan and follow the Code, Cloudypaw. That’s all that’s expected of you.”

Oh goodness. She was not much good at this, was she? Drizzlepool offered a small, awkward smile, flicking her tail against the smaller she-cat’s flank. “Just- don’t worry about your eye stopping you from being a warrior or joining StarClan. There was a blind deputy once, anyways. You’ll be fine- just stick with your Clan.”

Cloudypaw had put a lot of herself into this conversation - expressing her deepest fears and worries to a cat that she had never met and would never see again. Maybe that was a mistake. The bluntness that exited Drizzlepool's mouth struck a chord, leaving her momentarily shocked and a little offended. Her ears flicked back briefly. She had not expected such straightforwardness, or else she would have worded everything a bit more defensively. There was a mix of surprise and unease playing on her features. She was never good at hiding the way she felt on the inside. Not yet.

As Drizzlepool finished her spiel, the awkward smile was the final piece of the puzzle. It shifted Cloudypaw's perception of StarClan - maybe they're not as all-knowing as she initially thought. They were just cats, too - like her, and that presented in the afterlife as well. Repenting wasn't something she had thought of until now. Galepaw was so headstrong about making sure you followed every rule perfectly, but the thought of repenting was unique. Who's to say that she couldn't make up for her mistakes... Later down the line? Rules are made to be broken. She thought of Gouge and Galepaw, and now suddenly everything made some sort of sense. Repenting is why codebreakers get into StarClan, afterall.

It was interesting that Drizzlepool had lost her voice in kithood. She wanted to ask questions about it but felt like it would be rude. How did she communicate? How did she do anything? The thought that the same thoughts could apply to her stung a little. I guess, in a way, she doesn't really notice her eye until some cat points it out. Maybe Drizzlepool didn't notice either. She flicked her tail in dismissal of these thoughts. The prospect of a blind deputy was reassuring - maybe she had it in her to eventually become a deputy too? She was a bit ahead of herself, but the thought was nice.

"Right," She mewed calmly, absorbing everything she said. "That's fair, it's just.." Everyone worried about me and it made me feel like I wasn't capable. She sniffed. "Nevermind. You're right. I'll just have to try my best and see where my paw steps lead me. Thank you Drizzlepool, I will carry this with me for the rest of my moons."

Drizzlepool nodded briskly, flicking her tail, oblivious to the younger she-cat’s thoughts. “Good. Try your best, kid, and you’ll go far. And, um- if you ever happen across a Lavenderpaw of RiverClan, tell him I said he better not be in any hurry to join me, ‘kay?”

With those words, the starry landscape began to disintegrate, falling away from Cloudypaw like mist, filling her ears with the sounds of rain. For a moment, Drizzlepool lingered, her cutting amber gaze clear even as her form slowly faded, as if she were picking apart the apprentice’s pelt hair by hair. A few last words, to leave a lasting impression, to maybe scare the young molly back into line for her own good… hopefully… she’d never been the best with tact.

”StarClan won’t keep you out for something you can’t control, but they might for something you can.”