Laurelpaw's Moonstone Journey

It had been a while since he first woke up in these exact starry plains. Time seemed to pass much quicker in StarClan; one moment, it seemed as if he had just left the living realm, and yet when he turned back to gaze back at his Clan, dozens of new warriors and apprentices were stepping up. Amongst them were grandchildren that he would never meet; Rainkit, Bugkit, Creampaw and Weevilpaw, all children of Rapidfire. Rapidfire... how was his daughter faring? It seemed the heavy responsibilities of deputiship had not been much kinder to her than it had been to him. He had a feeling that, regardless, she would do a much better job than he did. That thought alone sent a bittersweet taste to his tongue.

But that wasn't why he was here today. Sootstorm smiled warmly as the calico apprentice sprung to life before his eyes, her pelt devoid of the stars that littered his. Laurelpaw, a she-cat he had observed to be full of questions about herself and the world around her. Was it mindless curiousity that drove these questions, or a thrist for specific answers? The dappled tom greeted her with a dip of his head. "Welcome to StarClan. My name is Sootstorm, and I was the deputy of WindClan just a few seasons ago. I'm here to answer any questions you have, or offer advice should you want them."

Love, hmm? What an interesting question, though he supposed he should have expected it from Laurelpaw. The starry tom considered his answer for a moment briefly, before answering, "I think what matters most in love is care. Caring for another cat's needs before your own... is that not what loving means? A mother feeds her child before herself, despite being just as hungry, because she cares about her child. A warrior fights for his Clan despite knowing he may never return from that battle, because he cares for his Clan and all those that reside within the Camp walls. And a lover..." His mind flashed, briefly, to the scene of the wolves. He had thrown his life aside then, out of love for his Clan, but had forgotten to love for his mate too. "A lover puts their mate's wants above their own, not because they have to but because they want to. Because willingly devoting yourself to another is an act of love."

The dappled tom let out a gentle laugh. "Of course, that doesn't mean you should change yourself completely or ignore your own wants and needs in favor of others. Even if you truly wish to do everything for those you love, its important to consider yourself every now and then."

Two cats at once? Laurelpaw must be quite the popular she-cat. Sootstorm's whiskers twitched in amusement, but he didn't comment on it. The calico's life was her own, and though he was here to guide her, he had no intention of muddling it too much. "Well, I'm not sure which kind of love you mean, but it's very possible to love many siblings, clanmates, friends or parents at the same time. Now, if you meant romantic love; I don't see why not. If you can feel close to two siblings at the same time, why can't you feel close to two lovers at the same time?"

Sootstorm pondered to himself; had he ever had two lovers at the same time? Well, he had two mates, and now that he was in StarClan with them both he supposed he could say that he loved them both at the same time. "As for myself, I have two mates, and while I was not mates to them at the same time while I was alive, now that I reside in StarClan I have both of them by my side, and I guess you can say I love both of them at once." He wondered what was on Laurelpaw's mind that would prompt such a question. He didn't recall thinking about love much when he was her age.