Grandpa bonding time! [P]

[Poprock]

Moonpaw
Apprentice || He/him || 7 Moons || Purrks: Chill of death

Since the death of his oldest real brother, and the earth shattering family gathering that sent him into a spiral, Moonpaw had been... angry. Angry at Starclan for taking Smokekit away, angry at Momma for replacing him with some stupid new baby, angry at the himself for not stopping all the bad things in the world because he was just a stupid kid who couldn't do anything.

So when he suddenly awoke in a creepy black forest where the stars didn't shine? Moonpaw was hyped. Someone wanted to speak with him! With Moonpaw!!!! Not with Leechkit or whoever Momma's new favorite was, not with his sea of siblings, him!!! What message did the souls Greemaw loved so much bring? A prophecy of his future leadership? An omen of the many lives he will save?? Oh stars he was so excited!!

"I am Moonpaw!!" He yowled. Hopefully the dark spirits would ignore the way he jumped when his own echoed voice yowled back. "I am strong and brave and super good at everything! And I have no problemo's so... give me a prophecy please!" That sounded powerful and strong! Ya! He wasn't afraid of the creepy dark! Nope!

---
@BEAR. yo so like a month ago in the arkchat I mentioned that I wanted someone to teach moon about death and how its not a big deal so murderer moon could happen, and you said grandpappy Wolverine could do it SO here is the starter if youre still feeling it! If not, absolutely no worries!! Hehe!!

[BEAR.]

"I am Moonpaw!!? What an interesting name!"

Wolverine popped out of the bushes behind the apprentice. Today he just felt like messing with children, especially since they seemed inclined to visit him. He wasn't sure why, maybe his restrictions were beginning to lighten? He'd tried to pry through the barriers, to no avail.. hmmm. "A prophecy, you say? What a bold desire, little moonbeam." A look over his guest told him all he needed to know - he knew those eyes, the spots that dappled over his side. There was enough resemblance to know this duckling belonged to Larkrise. "You must get that ambition from your mother."

[ @Poprock ]

[Poprock]

Moonpaw
Apprentice || He/him || 7 Moons || Purrks: Chill of death

"It is an interesting name! Thank you very much!" The apprentice puffed out his chest. Who he was named after was still a mystery, but he liked to think it was after Moonmeadow. Most of his siblings had honor names... so who was his? "And when I become leader I will be Moonstar! You may address me as such now!" A wave of his paw to the shadowy spirit, as if it was an obvious request. Afterall, what did a ghost know of the living world? They were just there to give him hints about the future so he could look cool!

"I- I do! And she's the most ambitious cat ever! What do you know about her?" A scrunch of his little nose accompanied his question. They weren't here to talk about Momma!!! She was a medicine cat, she probably got like... a bajillion prophecies! Now it was his turn! His turn to be the bestest kid ever and be Mom and Pop's favorite!

@BEAR.

[BEAR.]

What an odd little creature. Wolverine had to wonder how Larkrise hatched such a chipper child. He supposed Smokekit was also fairly upbeat, but his life was short and insignificant, and the darker nature of this forest was working on correcting that. "Oh, my apologies! I was unaware I was in the presence of a true leader. It's so nice to meet you, Moonstar." A curve of his muzzle, morphed into a smile. "You may address me as Wolverine."

His name would be unfamiliar to Moonpaw, but it mattered little. Wolverine recognized an opportunity when he saw it, and his paws were itching to dig into this. "You have her spark." An observation, somewhat. Wolverine suspected he also had her brains - that was to say, very little where it mattered. Oh, this should be easy. "Very ambitious and dedicated. Willing to do anything.. at any price. She cares about you and your siblings very much."

A swish of his tail, wrapping the matted bush around his paws. "You want to be like your mother, right? Are you willing to do anything, regardless of the cost?"

[ @Poprock ]

[Poprock]

Moonpaw
Apprentice || He/him || 7 Moons || Purrks: Chill of death

That's more like it!! Finally, a cat with some brains! (Other than lil ol' me of course.) If it was possible, Moonpaw puffed his chest out more, nearly falling flat on his face with the effort. Moonstar had a nice ring to it!

Though... Wolverine? The apprentice stopped his showboating to look at the spirit quizzically. Was that some sort of outsider name?? What even was a wolverine anyways??? Maybe..... a flower? Or... a rock??? He wanted to ask more, maybe even tease him for such an unfortunate name, but the dark soul continued.

"I... know that." He swallowed, the feeling of being much too exposed creeping back up his spine. But how did Wolfravine or whatever know that? What did he know about Momma? His unanswered question from before hung heavy in the air for a moment, that was before Wolverine hung the bait right in front of Moonpaw's face.

Who was he not to take it? "If it mean's I'm like my momma, liked by my momma, then of course I'll do anything!" His eyes searched Wolverine's for some sort of clue as to what the heck he was getting at. Hopefully a glimpse into his future as a beloved Shadowclan leader, Momma by his side and his vanquished enemies at his paws.
@BEAR.

[BEAR.]

Wolverine didn't miss the curious and confused look. Ah, yes to a Clan cat, his name was quite strange. He tapped his overgrown claws against the ground, leaving score marks in the earth from just the mere motion. "A wolverine is like a bear, with claws that will slice through you like a leaf. I earned it from fighting as an outsider." And as far as he was concerned, the name he had as a Clan cat was long since dead. It died when he was betrayed.

"Oh, your mother likes you plenty. You're her oldest son, after all." The only one that really mattered. His gaze wandered to the nearby darkness, where a small shape was moving. Moonpaw might not notice. "You are a beacon of greatness, Moonstar. Beneath the mighty moon, shadows will scatter and light will shine through the forest gloom." Not as spicy as the tree falling thing, but it'd do. Wolverine was glad this was a dream - it made conjuring a miniature moon in front of Moonpaw and having it rise up through the darkened woods, emitting light in its path.

The light would illuminate the shadowy form of Smokekit, who pranced toward his brother with a raised tail and a loud purr. "I missed you!!" Smokekit would try to bonk his head against Moonpaw's. Since Moonpaw was much larger, he had to stretch up on his backpaws. "You're MoonSTAR now? That's so cool! I bet you're the best leader ShadowClan's ever seen."

Wolverine cleared his throat. "You are ShadowClan's light, Moonstar. The shadows beneath the pines have been tainted, and you alone can purge them of their treachery and keep your Clan safe. You must be strong, stronger than even your mother." A pause, to let these words soak in. "The only way to ensure your Clan is saved, Moonstar, is by defending it at all cost. You must hunt down the impure.. you will know them by how they make you feel, and kill them."

Smokekit nodded along with Wolverine, big eyes looking up at Moonpaw. "You've gotta be fiercer than greemaw to keep the bad cats away!! But -- but don't worry about if you're hurting them, dying isn't painful!! It's like taking a nap! And then you wake up, and it's like a new home. And I can see you whenever you wanna visit, it just stops the bad cats from hurting our family."

[ @Poprock ]

[Poprock]

Moonpaw
Apprentice || He/him || 7 Moons || Purrks: Chill of death

A tilt of his head at Wolverine's explanation of his name; it only confusing the apprentice further. A bear with sharp claws???? Don't bears already have sharp claws? And why would you want to be named after such a stinky thing like that??? He didn't dare question the spirit about it further; not when those long claws he brought out were scary enough.

His ears perked up at another mention of his momma, and the fact that he was now the oldest son. No he wasn't! There was... well there was Smokekit... but then after that was.... The apprentice's eyes widened. He really was the oldest son now... He had a heavy crown to carry, but he would wear it with pride.

Beneath the mighty moon, shadows will scatter and light will shine through the forest gloom.

A prophecy... the spirit had actually given him what he had wanted!!!! A PROPHECY JUST FOR MOONPAW!!! The spotted tom couldn't stop his gleeful giggles. He had tricked the spirit into believing he was the leader of Shadowclan, and now he was for real the most important cat in the forest!!! I dunno what the heck it means though... Obviously the moon was him. Him and the glowy moon that just randomly appeared WOAH!!! He reached out to grab the mini moon in between his paws. A treasure fit for a king!

The appearance of Smokekit stopped him in his tracks, landing back down hard on all four paws. His older (younger?? How did that work now?) reached up to bonk noggins - which Moonpaw could only hesitantly return. He had been fine tricking the spirits... but Smokekit? Did he deserve to be lied to as well?

It's fine, self! Look how happy it makes him! What, you wanna make your poor dead brother sad?

"T-thank you! I... I am! I wish you were my deputy... I miss you lots." What else was there to say? Should he tell Smokekit mom and dad don't love each other anymore? Or that Mom replaced him only a moon or two after his death? Or just let him live in blissful ignorance?

Self! How many times do I need to tell you? Let him be happy with this weird guy! Don't tell him all the bad stuff! Moonpaw nodded at his own thoughts, smiling brightly at Smokekit. There was nothing more to say.

Wolverine began showering him with compliments once more, and any linger feelings of guilt were blown away like a dandelion in the wind. I am Shadowclan's light! I gotta purge the clan of treachery! Be stronger than Mommma! Kill the-- wait what? Moonpaw couldn't kill!!! It was... wrong! Right? That's what Momma lived to do, was stop cats from dying! How could he take cat's lives?? Self, it's less about can you, and more about should you? And according to this guy the answer is yes! For Shadowclan!!!

Smokekit spoke again, and finally Moonpaw felt at peace. So dying isn't all that scary! It just feels like a nap! And.... and they just come to this place when they die, so really I'm doing them a favor!

"I'll put Greemaw to shame! I'll kill every impure cat in the forest! And then? Then I'll show Momma and Pops that it isn't such a bad thing!" What exactly he meant by his last declaration was still a bit fuzzy. Would he pluck one of his suffering siblings out and send them to join Smokekit, only for Mom and Pops to see they are way happier here? Or why not start with one of the other half siblings he hated so much? There were so many to choose from after all! "Thanks you guys! I won't let you down, I promise!" He looked to Wolverine, then back to Smokekit. "I'll make a Shadowclan worthy of you both."

@BEAR.