Shrikepaw's Moonstone Journey

Mistedsong's fluffy tail swished as he led the apprentice into the cave, the familiar white gleam of the Moonstone illuminating the cavern with a comforting glow. He watched Shrikepaw follow him, and gave the tom a reassuring smile. The medicine cat had been a little nervous-- as he always was, taking cats into the dark and dangerous cave-- but as always, StarClan made him feel safe. "Touch your nose to the stone when you are ready to visit StarClan," he meowed. "I will be right behind you." Mistedsong followed after the apprentice, pressing his nose to the cold stone, darkness quickly overtaking him.

Shrikepaw was a little tired from the journey, but she was not prepared for the overwhelming feeling of needing to let go and fall asleep that overtook her when she touched the moonstone. The next thing the black and white she-cat knew, she was standing among the stars, and in front of her stood...

"Mother!" She gasped, running forward to bury her face in the brown tabby fur of the starry she-cat. For a moment, as her mother nuzzled her head just like when she was a kit, she could pretend that all was right again, and Hawthornshade was alive and well.

But she wasn't, and Shrikepaw took a deep breath as she pulled away, looking closely at the figure. It was surreal. She had known she'd meet StarClan, but she hadn't even dared to hope...

"Shrikepaw, my darling," purred the starry brown tabby figure. "I've been waiting for you. I'm so proud of you. You're almost a full warrior!"

"I've missed you. SkyClan isn't the same without you and father. I know that it wasn't that long ago that we had to accept outsiders, but that time should be past now. And we're welcoming rogues who have killed our Clanmates!" Shrikepaw's claws unsheathed, digging into the ground which felt both real and somehow unreal all at the same time.

"It matters little where our blood says we come from, but what we do with our lives means so much. Shrikepaw, the only cat you can control is yourself. The code is not always as cut and dry as it appears."

"I can't believe this. You're defending the murder of our own as well?" Shrikepaw was aghast.

"No. I've seen you take great offense to other things, though, and I just want you to promise me that you'll concern yourself more with being the best warrior you can be than with whether or not a kit is born within our camp."

Shrikepaw nodded, frustrated that her mother refused to speak about Smoke and more than a little upset that her feelings on accepting just any cat were being, once more, dismissed.

"I'm not disregarding your feelings, Shrikepaw. You're entitled to them, and your beliefs. I simply want you to know that it all begins with you. That's all you can control, and it's okay if you have to find your own path. Wherever your paws lead you, just know that your father and I are watching over you."

Suddenly fear gripped Shrikepaw's heart, and she stepped closer to Hawthornshade. "No, I don't want you to go yet." But it was too late, as the stars around them were fading and soon Shrikepaw was blinking her eyes open back in the cavern with the moonstone, a ghostly good-bye ringing in her ears.

Mistedsong got to his feet, arching his back painfully as he stretched. "I hope your visit with StarClan was a good one, Shrikepaw. Let us return home," he mewed. "I'm sure you'd rather be in your nest as much as I would," he huffed out with an amused twitch of his tail.

Shrikepaw nodded, getting to her paws. She was quiet, but in a different way than usual. She was really lost in her thoughts, and the very faded memories she had from when her parents were alive. Perhaps if she returned to her nest, they would walk in her dreams...Although it wouldn't be like the meeting she'd just had, it would be something.

"Yes, let's go." She finally spoke, following the medicine cat back to their camp.