Night was settling in on ShadowClan camp. Onyxpaw waited until the entire apprentice's den was silent. Then, he quietly crept out of his nest and tiptoed around Jumpingpaw and Cloudpaw, both whom were snoring loudly near the entrance. A quick glance at the Tall Oak hollow told him that Foxstar was asleep, too; hopefully, he wouldn't wake up anytime soon. The reddish tom was known for his daily night-walks.
Now, where is the Great Bear? Onyxpaw thought. He looked up; there it was, along with the star Icewind, the star that never moved. Move towards the Icewind star, Thistlestar had said. Onyxpaw took a step forward, then another, then another. He kept moving towards Icewind, always keeping his eyes on the star. A couple times he tripped, but he didn't really care.
Suddenly, he collided with a rock wall. "Ouch," he muttered. He placed a cautious paw on the rock and started to climb; it wasn't that high.
When he reached to top, he gasped. On the other side was beautiful pool; it was a clear, deep blue color with a few leaves and lilies sprinkled in the middle; the moon reflected clearly on the side. Onyxpaw crept down the rock and peered into the reflection: it did not show the rocks at all; instead, there was a beautiful ShadowClan camp. Onyxpaw could feel the warm breeze ruffling his fur as he stood in the center, and there seemed to be no Foxstar in sight. The moon hung lazily above in the sky, and the trees seemed to dance to the wind, their branches swaying to the direction of the breeze. He was staring back at himself, like reflections usually did, but around him were many warriors, all looking happy, content, staring back at him with his reflection. Flintpaw sat next to him, a shining look in his eyes.
Subconsciously, Onyxpaw reached out a paw and flicked the water; the reflection of the ShadowClan clearing rippled and became clear again when the water settled. Onyxpaw sighed. It was only an image.
"Like what you see?" a quiet voice meowed behind Onyxpaw. He whipped around. Behind him stood a white she-cat with gray flecks on her flank.
"Who are you?" asked Onyxpaw curiously. Surely, this was a sacred place, and no rouge would've known about this.
"It shows you what you want most, and in your case, a peaceful haven," the cat meowed simply. "My name is Snowfreckle. When Foxstar became leader, he banished all ShadowClan warriors from communicating with StarClan. However, I refused. I was the medicine cat! He banished me and my apprentice—"
"I've heard! You and Stonepaw, right?" Onyxpaw cut in excitedly. Then he realized he had interrupted. "Sorry."
Snowfreckle shook her head. "Stoneheart is with StarClan now."
"Oh," Onyxpaw realized. "I'm sorry. Well, what is this place?"
"The Moonpool," Snowfreckle whispered. "The only place you can communicate with StarClan."
"How do I do that?" asked Onyxpaw.
"Lay down," instructed Snowfreckle, "and lick the water."
Onyxpaw laid down on the cool stone, and lapped up a few drops. It tasted sweet, like his favorite food: water vole. Immediately, he felt sleepy and he closed his eyes.
When he opened them, he was in the meadow again: there stood Thistlestar, watching him with pride and warmth. Beside him stood a blue-gray she-cat Onyxpaw didn't recognize. But she was very pretty, with warm blue eyes and a lovely face. Beside her was a sturdy brown tom with patient yellow eyes.
"Thistlestar," Onyxpaw greeted. He turned to the she-cat. "I'm sorry, but I don't know your name."
"My name is Blossomshine," the she-cat replied patiently. She nodded to the brown tom. "His name is Stoneheart." Even her voice had a soft, beautiful ring to it. "Welcome to StarClan."
Blossomshine! It's really her! And Stoneheart… I'm sorry you had to die. All you did was try to help your Clan. "Is everyone who is…dead in StarClan?" asked Onyxpaw awkwardly.
"No," Thistlestar cut in. "Some are in the Dark Forest, and they deserve to be. Others…have faded when no one remembers them, or…in another way. You'll learn when you grow older."
"No one remembered them?" asked Onyxpaw. "Like who?"
"Shadowstar," Blossomshine meowed sadly, "and the other original leaders. I'm afraid Windstar is already gone."
"But everyone remembers them," Onyxpaw argued, "they're the original leaders! The founders!"
Blossomshine shook her head. "Not just like that. When we mean remember, we don't mean just elders telling stories to kits. Warriors remember the cat's personality and face, mentally. They remember their souls. That's what links StarClan warriors to the world. When no cats remember them officially, their spirits fade."
"Thanks," Onyxpaw meowed hurriedly, "but I've a question."
"And I've an answer," replied Thistlestar.
"Well," Onyxpaw continued, "I wish I could be appreciated more."
"Kindness the key," Blossomshine meowed immediately. "Appreciate others more, and in turn, they will appreciate you, too."
Stoneheart waved his tail. "We cannot reveal everything to you. You must walk you own path. Just remember what we said: there are many ways to help your Clan other than shedding blood."
Onyxpaw woke with a jolt. He was sleeping by the side of the Moonpool. Although it was light, the pool still shone darkly, with the moon still hanging in the watery sky.
"Had a good sleep?" it was Snowfreckle. "Did you see Stoneheart?"
Onyxpaw nodded. "He's happy in StarClan."
"Good." Snowfreckle glanced upward at the sky. "StarClan has refused to answer to me."
"Why?" Onyxpaw asked, alarmed. They had seemed so nice, the three cats. Surely they weren't that ignorant?
Snowfreckle was silent. Onyxpaw turned away.
"I'm going to head back. Want to come?"
Snowfreckle shook her head. "Not with Foxstar in reign."
"I'm sorry." Onyxpaw was silent for a moment, then hastily bade the she-cat good-bye with a nod of his head and disappeared.
There are more ways to help your Clan than shedding blood. Onyxpaw lay in the shadows, thinking. It had been a quarter-moon since he had visited the Moonpool. Foxstar seemed to know nothing about it, and neither did the rest of the Darkness, which was good.
"Onyxpaw, want to go hunting with me?" asked Aspenheart, padding up.
"Sure," replied Onyxpaw, clambering up. As they passed the elders' den, they heard coughing.
"Poor Birchsong," sympathized Aspenheart.
How else am I supposed to help my Clan besides being a warrior? StarClan, help me out.
A slight breeze blew towards them. A leaf flew through the air and smacked Onyxpaw in the face.
"Ouch," he muttered, and pried the leaf off. It had a slight minty smell to it, which he found rather addicting.
"I think that's catmint," Aspenheart meowed. "Good for treating greencough, if I remember correctly. You know, before I was a warrior I did do a little medicine cat stuff, before Foxstar dragged me to be a warrior with him."
Onyxpaw had already tuned Aspenheart out. He stared at the catmint, open-mouthed. StarClan really answered me! This is their message!
I know what I need to do, Onyxpaw thought.
"Thank you, StarClan!" he whispered.
That night, Onyxpaw snuck out again. The moonlight guided his path, and he found himself climbing the rocks to the Moonpool for the second time. Snowfreckle was waiting by the water, her white pelt glowing in the light of the moon. She was licking the water frantically, muttering.
"Please, StarClan, answer me," Onyxpaw heard her beg.
"Snowfreckle?" he called out softly.
Snowfreckle turned. "Hello, Onyxpaw. What brings you here?"
"I need your help," he meowed, "it might help ShadowClan." And me.
"How?"
"I need to learn to heal," he said simply, "and to become a medicine cat."