Brairdust: You think I wouldn't get the reference? You cant be Sirius ;)

Coco-Bunny313: Thanks! I'll work on the issue with the cats coming and going.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: About a week from now, updates will most likely not be this frequent. I start school then, and finding free time to write will be difficult. I'll work on writing a chapter every night, but updates will more likely than not be slower than they are now. The chapters might come out closer to weekly than daily. I'll let you guys know when the weekly updates will start.

"Smokepaw! Get up."

Smokepaw cracked open his eyes to see a sandy she-cat looming over him. "Yeah?" He said, standing up and stretching. "Here, we'll eat these minnows. Then you'll take some travelling herbs and we'll be on our way to the Moonstone." He joyfully remembered what would be in store for him today.

The apprentice gulped down his half of the minnows and hesitantly swallowed the traveling herbs, ignoring their bitter taste as they settled on his toungue. "Tangleflower, why am I the only one taking the traveling herbs?"

"Well, I've taken this journey many times. You are younger and smaller, you have never gone to the Moonstone before, much less traveled any distance close to it." She replied. "Let's get going."

And so they set out, and after having a quick conversation with Swiftpaw and Oaktail, left camp and padded through the territory.

It was a quiet walk. There was little exchange between them. They soon resched the Fern River, where they slid into the water and swam over gracefully. "Do we see any other cats on the way there?" Asked Smokepaw as they pulled themselves out of the river.

"We see the BirchClan medicine cats often on the way to the Moonstone, but the RainClan and FlickerClan medicine cats reach Mouthermouth before us." They suddenly veered out of their straight path and moved to the left, where they walked along the border.

"Tangleflower!" A joyful meow echoed out. The two turned to see Cherryfeather and Featherpaw bounding towards them. "Cherryfeather!" His mentor purred, nuzzling the cream she-cat "This is Smokepaw." She introduced, flicking her tail at the apprentice next to her.

"Hey, Smokepaw!" Featherpaw said. Cherryfeather said nothing, but blinked approvingly.

On the journey, the two older cats walked ahead and discussed clan matters while the apprentices trailed behind and chatted. "The Moonstone's beautiful! When you walk in, its completely dark, but then the moon comes in through a hole in the roof and hits the crystal. The whole cave lights up!" Featherpaw described.

"The whole cave?"

"Yep! Its really bright! Everyone looks either silver or white."

"Woah..." He tried to imagine something so luminescent it could wash pelts an entirely different shade. The apprentice found it difficult. It was almost dusk already. "Smokepaw, look!"

He switched his gaze from the ground in front of him. Before him stood Highstones.

The apprentice was imposed by its mass. It lumbered over him and made him feel very small. His eyes widened as the peaks sliced through clouds. "They're huge!" He gasped. "Of course they're huge." Purred Tangleflower from up ahead. "Now come meet the other medicine cats."

They broke into a sprint, Smokepaw lagging behind. He felt the grass beneath his paws slowly transition into stone. There were three feline shapes sitting by the cave as the others bounded over.

Smokepaw noticed the distance between him and the group was increasing, but there was nothing he could do to close it. He was tree-lengths behind them.

Cherryfeather, Tangleflower, and Featherpaw reached Mothermouth a minute before he did. Smokepaw felt his pelt growing warm as the cats stared at him. "This is Smokepaw." Tangleflower introduced to the other cats when he reached them.

"Smokepaw, this is Tigerleaf, her apprentice, Sunfern, and Hollowsong." Smokepaw dipped his head. "Hi."

Tigerleaf was a brown tabby she-cat with green eyes. Sunfern was bright ginger with the same bright eyes as her mentor. Hollowsong was brown with a black marking on his forehead and amber eyes. "Hello!" Purred Sunfern.

Smokepaw watched as Tigerleaf leaned over and whispered in Tangleflower's ear. He pricked his ears and listened.

"What happened to his leg?" Tangleflower seemed irritated at the other medicine cat's curiousity. Smokepaw, however, only felt more determined to recover by her questions. He padded over. "I snuck out of camp and a dog attacked me."

Tigerleaf's expression turned to embarrassment. "Oh." She said. Seeing the awkwardness in the conversation, Sunfern interrupted. "We should go inside."

The other cats nodded. "Here, walk in between me and Hollowsong." Tangleflower offered as the cats stepped into the cave.

He was only a few tail-lengths in before he was swallowed by the darkess of the cave. He could hear the sound of soft pawsteps.

Tangleflower rested her tail on Smokepaw's shoulders. He stretched out his whiskers as far as they could go as the tunnel became narrower.

Jagged pebbles cut into his pads. He heard the breaths and steps of all cats around him. The air was stale and had a tang of dust and stone. The walls were closing to the point that the cats had formed a single-file line. The path was a steep downward slope and Smokepaw had to sink his claws into the cold rock beneath his paws to prevent himself from tumbling down and falling on Tangleflower.

Suddenly the quiet pawsteps stopped. "We're here." Tangleflower whispered.

Smokepaw felt underwhelmed. This was the Moonstone?

The cavern was wide and pale light from the stars filtered in through a hole on the roof. There were scents of earth, rock, and water pouring in from it. The cave was dimly lit.

He looked around. No cat's pelts had been washed white or silver. The cavern hadn't been lit up at all.

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash. Smokepaw closed his eyes against it, repressing a hiss. When he managed to crack open his eyes, he truly saw the beauty of the stone.

The cave walls had been splattered with moonlight and the cats around him had been bleached white. The stone was dazzling, illuminating the vast cavern with ease. The faint outlines of cats appeared around the hollow.

Smokepaw watched as the medicine cats huddled around the stone, not yet touching thier noses to it.

"Smokepaw, is it your wish to enter the ways of StarClan as a medicine cat?" Tangleflower asked.

Smokepaw dipped his head. "It is."

"Then come forward." Her voice was stern, but her eyes shone with pride. He padded forward, careful not to off-balance himself. "Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this apprentice. He has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant him your wisdom and insight so he may understand your ways and heal his clan in accordance with your will."

The cats around them touched thier noses to the stone and fell asleep instantly. "You did it." She purred. "Touch your nose to the stone."

He did as he was told and the world fell out from under his paws.