"This is Mothermouth," Pebblepaw murmured, showing Frostwind the network of caves. "You've been here before, haven't you?"
"Unfortunately," Frostwind muttered. She hadn't remembered Mothermouth being particularly delightful, although she had seen her parents. Hopeheart and Shadowflight... Would they give her her nine lives?
Pebblepaw laughed. "You don't think I'll see my grandparents?"
"Oh, you will," Frostwind promised. "But only on my side. Lightningstrike is still alive, and I highly doubt you want to meet Silverlight. Alright, let's go in together."
Pebblepaw looked up at her mother with a beam and nuzzled her gently before escorting her into Mothermouth.
"And now you press your nose to the Moonstone," Pebblepaw meowed excitedly, watching Frostwind with anticipation.
"Not yet," Frostwind murmured, "I have one more ceremony to perform."
Pebblepaw giggled. "You can't perform your own leadership ceremony, Mom."
"Not that. Pebblepaw, step forward."
Pebblepaw took a step backwards instead, looking panicked. "I'm not ready!"
"I know you are," Frostwind soothed. "Pebblepaw, you are ready to become a full medicine cat. Do you promise to help your Clanmates and follow the medicine cat code?" She didn't know what the ceremony was supposed to be like, but it had to be along those lines, right?
"I do," Pebblepaw mumbled, her voice just a little shaky.
"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your medicine cat name. Pebblepaw, from this moment onwards, you will be known as Pebblespots."
Pebblespots looked up, her expression delighted yet scared, and licked Frostwind's shoulder like a proper ceremony, her eyes wide with awe.
"Now for yours?" Pebblespots meowed, her voice surprisingly calm.
Frostwind glanced at her daughter, who was excited, determined and terrified at the same time, and gave her a confident nod.
She knelt down and pressed her nose against the Moonstone, letting StarClan guide her away.
Her eyes blinked open, and she was in a rotting, dying forest. She knew instantly that something was wrong. This couldn't be StarClan. She'd been to StarClan, and it had been paradise! Lush green forests, boundless prey...
Everything about this place just said dead.
What was worse... Pebblespots, who'd lay down at the same time as her, wasn't there.
Was this the Dark Forest? I knew it, she thought, finally understanding. I'm going to the Dark Forest.
That... Well, that wasn't very good.
"Remember me?" someone hissed in her ear, and she whipped around, claws out, slashing Snowstar across the muzzle. Blood sprayed.
Instead of attacking her, Snowstar took a step backwards, her eyes flashing with fear. "Don't you dare," she snarled.
"What happens if I kill you again, huh?" Frostwind snapped, her hackles rising. "What have you done with Pebblespots?"
"Nothing at all," Snowstar purred. "She made it to StarClan. But you, Frostwind... You belong with us. Don't you want to get your lives from the real cats like I did?"
"No, I don't," Frostwind snapped. "Even if StarClan are the fake cats, we've lived by their codes and followed their rules for a long time. We don't need to change now."
YOU ARE READING
Froststar's Destiny
Fanfiction~ History from the SeasonClan series ~ When living in the old days, times are tough, and the Clans are constantly at war. Young Frostkit is faced with constant losses, and she never quite seems to get over them. When she becomes an apprentice, Frost...
