Same time as before. It just stopped in the middle of the scene.
"Moonpaw!" Starfur called to her from the Warrior's Circle. Moonpaw meowed a hasty goodbye to her friends, and trotted shyly over to the Circle. It was a great honor, she had heard, and only few apprentices had the privilege of sharing their meal with the experienced fighters. She grabbed a mouse quickly on the way there, and cradled it in her jaws, eyes shining and step light. As she drew closer, however, she slowed. All of them were staring at her intently, and chetting quietly amongst themselves between bites of mouse or lark or rabbit.
"She has a new spring in her step," Roseleaf, the deputy, noted to Snowbird.
"-New stars in her eyes," Cedarleaf croaked in his best whisper. He had never fully healed from Undyingshadow's attack all those moons ago, and Mistflower said he would never be able to truly see from his right eye again.
"-And that white coat!" Spottedcloud murmured to Treejumper, "It looks like the lights of the sky are trapped in it, don't you think?" She leaned over and licked his ear, he flinched, and looked away to Mistflower, who was eating alone. The stars highlighted her gray pelt, and the moonlight pooled in her blue eyes.
She looks perfect. I wish... I wish-
"Treejumper?" He looked startled.
"Wha-?" Treejumper looked around. "Oh, Moonpaw, hi."
"Treejumper, I-" Moonpaw was interrupted by Barktail. She took a bite of the mouse.
"So, Moonpaw, what's it like in the fields of Starshine?" all went slient, and Moonpaw's jaw stopped mid-chew. Every feline eye stared at him. He licked the fur on his chest in embarrasment. "What? What did I say?" All eyes turned to Snowbird, who sat admiring, or studying, the stars. She looked down, her eyes filled with light of an unearthly hue, and strength rippling under her gray pelt.
"No cat has ever experienced Starshine, and lived to tell of it," her eyes blazed, and she directed her stare at the meek-looking Barktail. "Except the leaders adn the medicine cats-," she turned her head to Moonpaw, who gazed into those eyes for moment, then had to drop her gaze. "-And now this apprentice. Every cat that has seen it can't tell of it, or can't explain it." Her normally gray-green eyes shone with all of the light of the stars. "Moonpaw, what's it like? Answer his question!"
"It's like this, field, I guess and a tree and a, uh, a- I don't now," Moonpaw stammered, unable to put the sight to words.
"See? Even this meek apprentice can't explain it!" She turned and stared hard at Barktail, "Do not ask questions that can't be answered, Barktail," she whispered. The light escaped from her eyes, and the pure sapphire color was gone. The warrior panted for breath, then limped off to the Warrior's Den, the unearthly strength gone. Roseleaf got up from the Warrior's Circle and went over to talk to Skystar, who was sitting on the High Rock and eating. He leaned over and listened intently, then nodded. He quickly gulped down the rest of whatever he was eating, then licked his paws and stood up, wildness and strength flowing through his every movement.
"All cats old enough to hunt their prey gather beneath the High Rock!" he yowled. All chatter stopped, and all cats came and sat around the rock's base. "Snowbird! Come forward!" he commanded. She obeyed with tottering steps. "Snowbird, is it your wish to join the elders?" Her ear flicked in surprise, but she still stared at him.
"It is."
Skystar nodded. "Snowbird! You have honored us as a Warrior, and taken care of our clan. Now, we will honor and take care of you." He jumped off of the High Rock and padded over to her, the cats parted so he walked through a cleared path. He sat in front of her, touched her cheek with his nose, then bowed his head, and all other cats except Snowbird did the same. He whispered in her ear, and she nodded. He walked back to the High Rock, and jumped onto it. "Snowbird, is it your wish to change your name one last time before you see the fields of Starshine." She bobbed her head.
"It is."
Skystar looked to the stars, "I say this before the Creator, that He hears and approves my choice. Snowbird, that was your name until now. We honor your courage and strength. And we trust you have shared those with your apprentices, Stormdancer and... and Sparrowpaw, who watches us even now from Starshine. Your name shall no longer be Snowbird, but Snowlight, because I trust you will share the stories of the Past, so that those who live in the Present may learn from other's mistakes in the Future." He nodded his head.
"Snowlight! Snowlight! Snowlight!" Shadowpaw walked in the front entrance, with Skypelt and Poisonfang following. Two other cats came. They smelled of the snakes and earth. Moonpaw recognized one of the cats as Undyingshadow. The pther cat, who was pure black, sat and waited at the entrance, amused.
"Very touching," he mewed, "Skystar. I have a few words to say with you. ALONE." The grey-white leader hesitated, then walked into his den, Shadowstar following.
"What do you think?" Starpaw mewed in Moonpaw's ear.
"I don't know what to think. All I know is that- that- CAT," she flicked her ear towards Undyingshadow, "-Can't be trusted. He killed me once, for goodness' sake!" She watched in interest as Undyingshadow chatted coolly woth Starfur, who looked like she would burst any minute. Whether it was from anger or sadness, or possibly hapiness that she could talk to him without anyone suspecting her secret, Moonpaw didn't know. Undyingshadow slunk off into the shadows, and Starfur looked hastily over her shoulder and walked after him. After a few minutes, they walked back to the spot they had vacated, then Starfur walked away over to the warrior's den, and glanced over her shoulder at him, who was looking away. Shadowstar and Skystar padded out of the den. Shadowstar was angry. He gestured with a flick of his tail, and Undyingshadow followed him out of the camp. At the entrance, however, Shadowstar stopped and turned his head around. He glared at everyone with his dark eyes.
"I'll be back one day, LightningClan," he spat. "And don't you forget it!" He stalked off with Undyingshadow on his tail. Moonpaw thought about why his eyes were so funny-looking. They were dark. TOO dark. She blinked her own eyes, which were a dull blue-green hue. Of course! The answer made her shiver. His eyes... they were like his heart, devoid of feeling, emotion. But they also had no color. They were black. As black and dark as the sky of the FallenClan. All fell silent as he retreated to his own land. Some hushed and nervous chatter broke out, and Skystar nodded. All cats retreated eagerly to their dens. Moonpaw almost did, but remembered something she wanted to do. She walked to the entrance of the warrior's den.
"Er, Starfur?" she wasn't allowed to go in. It was some sort of code of honor, but Moonpaw didn't mind. What she DID mind was when she had to go and fetch some cat, and they were sleeping or refused to get up. That was a pain. A rustling sound came from the den.
"Mmm, what?" Moonpaw hesitated.
"Can I talk to you?" Starfur yawned.
"Yeah, sure. I'll be out in a minute." Starfur rolled over and started sleeping. Moonpaw waited a little while, her tail twitching irritably.
"Starfur!"
"Whaaaaaatt?" Starfur moaned.
"Can I PLEASE talk to you?"
"Du it in tha mornin'" Starfur mewed sleepily. She turned over and started dozing again. Moonpaw sighed, then went over to the apprentice's den. She shuffled over to her nest, and curled up in it. She thought that sleep would never claim her. She closed her eyes, and she tossed and turned. She sighed, then made up her mind, and fell asleep.
I hope you like it! Also, I wrote this down in a book, BUT thanks to a comment, I will write a scene in the next chapter that does not yet exist! I hope you enjoyed, and happy trails!
~ Shadow out
