"Sunpaw, please tell us the reason for your visit."
"I'm here before you today, to tell you my sister's story. Please, listen to what I have to say. Moonfrost is one of the bravest cats in the clans, and I will prove that to you. Let me start at the beginning:
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Moonpaw, Lightpaw and I were the most eager apprentices in Thunderclan. From our first day we worked hard to earn our warrior names. We were also the closest of littermates. We played, trained, and learned together. We were inseparable…which made my death all the more difficult for them.
I still remember clearly…even though I was a little disoriented when I first arrived in Starclan. I turned around right away and looked down at the battle. Both Windclan and Thunderclan cats were standing around my body. Lightpaw pushed to the front of the crowd…she fell to the ground beside me with tears in her eyes. Moonpaw was frozen, staring…but then she…she said, 'who did this?', and the Windclan tom stepped forward. I knew it was an accident. I remembered the look on his face. Remembered the shock and terror in his eyes as his claws dug too deeply into my neck. He was innocent…but Moonpaw didn't know that. The moment he stepped forward and confessed, my sister leapt at him with claws unsheathed. She blinded one of his eyes as she screamed and cried. How I wish I could have stopped her. Thank Starclan her mentor, Featherpath, was able to drag her away…by that time Moonpaw had gone limp, stopped struggling. Even though she had acted out in fury, I knew exactly what she had been feeling as she attacked the Windclan tom: sadness, fear…and regret.
Both Lightpaw and Moonpaw earned their warrior names after that battle. I had never felt more proud as Moonpaw became Moonfrost, and Lightpaw became Lightsun, in my honor. Of course, the ceremony was tainted with the sorrow of my death.
As time passed, Lightsun was able to move on. She was an amazing warrior, skilled both in battle and in hunting. However Moonfrost…changed. She had always been so confident, so full of energy. It was hard to watch her behave so seriously. There was a seed of regret and anger boiling inside of her. Although this fueled her desire to become the best warrior in Thunderclan, it also made her vulnerable. She put up a wall to make sure no one realized this, but with every death in the clan, I could see a bit of Moonfrost's wall being chipped away. I wanted so badly to walk in her dreams, to reassure her that she could let me go, but that was against the rules…
Then that Gathering happened. Moonfrost accidently tread on his paw… and it all went downhill from there. She tried to get away, but he was persistent. He needed to make her know that he was sorry for my death. Of course she didn't want an apology. She's stubborn that way…But Gorsecloud apologized anyway, and his words left a deep mark on my sister's heart.
It was then that she truly began to unravel. She tried so hard to stay true to her clan, and true to her own promises, but it was too late. Love is not something that can be ignored. One way or another, it consumes you.
She met him on patrol, and her feelings only solidified. They began to meet in secret, all the while emotion tore Moonfrost apart from the inside. She would never admit it, even to herself, but she was so fragile! While happiness blossomed as she spent time with Gorsecloud, guilt boiled inside her. She was mad at herself because she believed she was betraying me, and betraying her clan. Not only had she fallen in love with a warrior from another clan, but she had fallen in love with the tom who had killed her brother!
Lightsun noticed Moonfrost's strange behavior and discovered her relationship with Gorsecloud. She pleaded with her sister to stop, but there was no going back.
And that was when war broke out again. A prey shortage in Thunderclan drove Seedstar to invade Windclan's forest territory. In the midst of the fight, Gorsecloud gave his life to defend Lightsun, knowing that she was Moonfrost's sister. Moonfrost saw it happen, but she couldn't get there fast enough… For the second time she couldn't save someone she loved.
This was the final straw. Moonfrost's emotions could no longer be contained. Her mind fell victim to her own guilt and sorrow… she murdered the Windclan cat who had killed Gorsecloud, and then lapsed into a state like a coma. She could not be reasoned with, and there was nothing anyone could do to pull her from the darkness…
She was utterly convinced that she was useless. That every step she took caused more suffering. This belief gnawed at her spirit, consuming it slowly as the seasons passed.
I needed…I needed to do something! I needed to show her that she wasn't useless, and that she had already done so much for those around her! But when I came to her in a dream…she screamed in my face. Nothing I said could help her.
So I…thought of another way to help her…I knew, both as a Starclan cat, and as her brother, that I needed to intervene. You already know that I went against Starclan law, but I did what I believed was right.
I came to her in the form of a butterfly, and led her into the forest. I led her right into the…the path of a fox, knowing that as the fox attacked, Lightsun would come to Moonfrost's rescue. I also knew that Moonfrost would give her life to save her sister, dying in battle. In her final moments, Moonfrost was able to let go of the guilt, having finally saved one she loved, and be at peace."
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"You admit to all of this, Sunpaw?"
"…yes."
"Then you realize that Moonfrost is not the only cat whose loyalty is questioned now?"
"I understand that I went against Starclan rules. If I may, Council…"
"Yes?"
"When I began, I asked that you listen to what I said, because I could prove Moonfrost was one of the bravest warriors in all the clans."
"Yes, you did say that. What's your point?"
"My point is, I'm not here to defend myself. I'm here to plead with you to allow Moonfrost a place in Starclan."
"But you realize that she murdered a cat in cold blood, and broke the code many times over!"
"She did…But can you really blame her? My death affected her in a tragic way. She had to deal with that pain every day-"
"We have all lost someone. It is part of being a warrior to let go of pain and move on."
"But we all deal with pain differently! Listen; she served her clan as well as, or even better, than most warriors. So what if she loved a Windclan tom?! Cross clan relationships happen! Like I said, love cannot be ignored-!"
"But it must be ignored for the sake of your clan!"
"If you think love is a justifiable reason to send someone to the Dark Forest than you are WRONG!"
"…"
"My sister loved too much. She loved me so much that she allowed my death to haunt her. She loved Gorsecloud so much that she killed without thinking…and she loved Lightsun so much that she gave her life to stop a fox from taking her away. Love is too powerful to control, Council. It is time you realized that."
"But if we begin to value love more than the Warrior Code, the clans may fall apart!"
"Love and loyalty are a package deal. One cannot love something without feeling loyalty towards it. I can assure you that every cat by the lake loves his or her clan. Why else would they work every day to keep it running? Why else would Moonfrost tear herself apart over her love of her clan, and her love of Gorsecloud?"
"…"
"I'm not here to tell you how you should judge cats…I'm here to tell you that my sister's devotion to her clan is stronger than you think it is, even if she broke the precious warrior code. There were reasons behind her actions…I've heard you exile cats who acted out in anger or for vengeance…my sister acted out in love."
There was a moment of silence, as the Starclan Council exchanged glances. The silence stretched, and Sunpaw grew uncomfortable. The conviction he had felt before was beginning to fade slightly. Then, one by one, the Council cats' eyes focused on Sunpaw once again.
"Sunpaw…we apologize sincerely… The members of this Council are made up of the oldest Starclan cats…I'm afraid we have forgotten much about life. In recent seasons, many cats have strayed from the Warrior Code: a guideline that was established to protect every cat in all the clans. We believed that, to save the Clans from extinction, we would have to begin judging them more harshly… Today you have proven that perhaps we were too harsh, too quick to fall back on the Warrior Code… Moonfrost will be granted a seat in Starclan."
Sunpaw dipped his head with happiness bubbling in his heart.
"Thank you."
"And thank you. I feel we have all learned from this encounter."