********Arrowpaw's POV*******

It had been two days since Arrowpaw and his friends had returned from their expedition to Clary's house and they had bid Simon farewell as the tabby returned to his own Twoleg den. When they had returned, it had been moments before the dusk patrol had returned to camp, so Goldenpaw, Nightpaw and Clary were able to slip into the Apprentices Den unnoticed while Arrowpaw headed over to the Medicine Den to find Dawnpaw.

He had been relieved to find that Lilyspots was already asleep, and after a quick explanation of what happened at the Twoleg den, Dawnpaw quickly treated his injuries before he was headed off to his nest for the night. She agreed that they talk more in depth about what had happened later, something he greatly appreciated.

It was morning now, and the apprentices were altogether for once, as they usually would have split off at this point to train with their mentors. Arrowpaw felt excitement seeping into his paws at what the plans were for today.

After a strenuous workout session yesterday, during which he had been training hard with his brother in preparation for their parabatai ceremony, Blossomstar had told them the apprentices that it was finally time in their training for a special field trip. A field trip to the Moon Stone.

"I can't believe it's finally our turn to go to the Moon Stone. I'm so excited!" Nightpaw was chattering happily to Clary, Goldenpaw and himself. Arrowpaw watched with amusement as the ginger kittypet shot her friend a confused look.

"I still don't know what a Moon Stone is." Clary confessed, her tail curled neatly over her paws. I'm not all that surprised by that...she probably thinks we're crazy. Bunch of forest cats worshipping the stars and an angel like some wayward cultists.

"The Moon Stone is where medicine cats and clan leaders go to share tongues with StarClan." At Clary's even more confused expression from the word StarClan he helpfully supplied even more information. "They're our warrior ancestors, they guide us and send prophecies." Clary nodded slowly at that, processing the information.

Goldenpaw happily sidled up to Clary, his golden tabby fur brushing hers. "Yea and as apprentices it is a part of our training to see the Moon Stone before we become warriors."

"It sounds like you guys are pretty excited about going." She mewed.

The three siblings murmured their agreement and off to the side Brackenpaw stood looking amused from where he was talking with his sister Dawnpaw. As Brackenpaw and Dawnpaw had already been to the Moon Stone they would be staying behind to do their regular apprentice duties.

Arrowpaw briefly pondered when Brackenpaw would become a warrior. The golden brown tabby had been an apprentice two moons longer than Arrowpaw and his siblings had. He can't have much longer until his warrior ceremony. He felt happy for his friend, Brackenpaw had been training a long time for his warrior name.

He must wish his sister was with him though. With Dawnpaw only becoming a Medicine cat a short while ago, Arrowpaw knew it would be a long time before she received her medicine cat name. And Brackenpaw won't be there to witness the ceremony either.

Medicine cats always did their naming ceremony at the Moon Stone during half moon, and as it is a private ceremony no other Clan cats were allowed. In this moment, he was glad that neither of his own siblings had chosen to become medicine cats. We'll all get to have our ceremony together. That reminds me...what will my warrior name be....

While he was pondering, Blossomstar chose this moment to stride over to them, Vultureclaw trailing behind her along with Lilyspots and Littlebird. Arrowpaw felt a bit of apprehension sink into him at the sight of the traitorous tom.

The older cat had been very suspicious of the young cats when they had returned from their expedition late at night and despite Arrowpaw telling Blossomstar about the object they had found at Clary's Twolegs' den and Blossomstar attempting to alleviate the warrior's suspicion without telling him exactly what was found, Vultureclaw was still acting hostile towards the apprentices.

Not that he'd do it right in front of Blossomstar though. The senior warrior was always on his best behavior in front of their Clan leader. On the plus side though, the object Goldenpaw and Clary had found turned out to be called the Mortal Moss. The little moss ball apparently held a lot of power in it and had been lost for several moons, so Blossomstar had been very pleased if not ecstatic that they had found the damp thing.

Arrowpaw was just relieved that they're search into the Twoleg nest hadn't been in vain, though he wished they could've found more clues regarding Clary's mother. The ginger she-cat was still anxiously fretting over her mother's whereabouts and he sympathized with that; he had no the slightest idea how he'd feel if his own parents were missing, even with the recent things he had found out. I'd probably feel as lost as she does.

"I'm glad that the three of you are already gathered here, that will make things much easier. As you should already know, today we will be going to Highstones on our trip to the Moon Stone. Vultureclaw will be accompanying us on this expedition as well as Littlebird while Dustcloud remains back at camp. Lilyspots has prepared some traveling herbs for our journey so I suggest that you eat them now."

The three apprentices nodded and went over to where Lilyspots had laid out three small leaf wrap bundles where some herbs were gathered in. Arrowpaw was his sister wrinkle her nose at the peculiar smell the herbs were giving off.

When he lowered his head down to take a whiff he found that he couldn't blame her for her reaction, the herbs had a strangely pungent odor and he made sure to lap them up quickly as to not taste them as much.

Arrowpaw was surprised to see that Blossomstar was not eating any of the traveling herbs. When he asked as to why, she had told him that Clan leaders have Star Clan as their strength for the journey to High Stones. Lilyspots had agreed with this sentiment, and she made it apparent that all other leaders followed that same standard.

Once the three apprentices were done eating their herbs (Vultureclaw and Littlebird had theirs earlier) Blossomstar had gestured for them to follow behind her as she turned to head out, her light brown tabby tail swishing softly over the grass behind her. The Clan leader paused her movements along with the rest of the patrol when Clary decided to interject. The group had already bid the rest of camp farewell and were just about to enter the thorn tunnel that marked the entrance to camp.

"Wait! What about me? Can I come too?" The ginger kittypet asked, her green eyes taking on a darker shade in the shadows of the thorn tunnel. Blossomstar tilted her head contemplatively, considering the small she-cat standing before her now. The Clan leader then shook her head solemnly.

"No, only Clan cats are supposed to go to the Moon Stone, and while you are of warrior blood you are not a full Clan mate yet, so for now you can't go." Blossomstar spoke softly but with a clarity that Clary would comprehend. Arrowpaw watched the ginger she-cat nod before going back to camp, her fur brushing along the tunnel as she left.

********Goldenpaw's POV/time skip*********

Goldenpaw moved briskly alongside his siblings as the patrol made their way to High Stones. Blossomstar was in the lead with Littlebird while the apprentices trailed behind the two she-cats and Vultureclaw brought up the rear. The golden tabby felt a slight wave of unease as they finally left the clan territories.

The grass that covered the forest floor had now turned into crunchy stones that made his pads ache slightly. As the group had been traveling since dawn, it wasn't surprising that he felt a weariness settle over him as the sun was now high in the sky, signaling that it was now midday. Twoleg dens were looming up in front of them now. Goldenpaw inwardly hoped that they wouldn't have to go through those dens to get to High Stones.

He had asked Brackenpaw what the journey to High Stones was like for him when the older apprentice went a few moons ago. The golden brown tom hadn't said all that much in detail, but he had told him about the gravel path they would be on during the journey, and that there had been dogs. I hope we don't run into any. The golden apprentice loved fighting as much as the next cat, but he'd rather not have to fight a mangy mutt.

Blossomstar was now leading them into some grass, making him sigh mentally in relief. Grass strands swished around him as he padded along side Arrowpaw. His brother wore the same stoic expression he often did, and Goldenpaw wondered what he was really thinking right now. A thrill of excitement shot through him at the thought of being able to know exactly what his brother was feeling soon. Once we're parabatai, we'll always be able to tell what each other is feeling....it'll be cool.

Their father, Badgerstripe, is parabatai with Goldenpaw's own mentor Dustcloud. The two toms were great friends and it was nice to see how well the two complimented each other. Complimented was certainly the right word for it. While Dustcloud was bold and cheerful, Badgerstripe was more quiet and stoic.

The two could hardly be considered alike, but they had a shared love for their Clan, and through that love and the brotherly bond they shared the two were a force to be reckoned with. Arrowpaw and I will be the same way for sure.

Lost in his own musings, Goldenpaw found himself bumping into his sister as the patrol came to a halt. Nightpaw staggered forward from the impact, and Goldenpaw thanked StarClan that Arrowpaw had been beside him to steady them both before they fell forward, Goldenpaw sprawled our on top of Nightpaw's smaller black furred frame. He gave his sister a sheepish smile when she shot him a small glare in response.

"Until sun down has arrived, we will be taking refuge here." Blossomstar told them.

Goldenpaw examined their surroundings carefully. The forest cats were in front of a huge red Twoleg den, with strange white stripes running across it in some sort of pattern. The doors to the place were open, and he could see strange yellow grass covering the den's floor. Strange sounds were coming from the den, and he noted that at least a few of them sounded animalistic. It was so much unlike Clary's house that he wondered what purpose the den could possibly serve.

Judging by the scent, I doubt Twolegs live in here. Twolegs, no matter how strange they often acted, had a sense of cleanliness about them that was similar to cats. They don't lick themselves clean though. He recalled Clary explaining to him once that Twolegs, or humans, would wash themselves with water in things called showers and baths. He mentally shuddered at the idea of washing himself with water. I'll stick to grooming my own fur.

Noticing that the other cats had already started heading into the den, Goldenpaw rushed to follow them. Inside, the den was lit by Twoleg lighting and by sunlight streaming in from the gaping windows in the sides of the den. The strange yellow grass was spread all over the den and felt oddly prickly under his paws. Warm prey scent filled the air, and Goldenpaw could tell that many mice must be living in the den. He licked his lips in anticipation, his claws sliding out in preparation for the hunt.

It was then that a gray she-cat made her way over to them, her white tipped tail swishing behind her as she sauntered over to them. Blossomstar let out a soft purr at the sight of the green eyed stranger and beckoned eagerly for her to come join them in the small semi circle they had unintentionally formed.

"Blossomstar! It's so good to see you again! I see you've brought some more apprentices with you. On your way to the Moon Stone again, I presume." The gray she-cat was grinning as she spoke, and judging by the way the two cats were staring at each other, Goldenpaw guessed that they were long time friends.

"Flick! I'm glad to see your doing well. Yes, I've brought some more apprentices with me and we're on our way to the Moon Stone again as per usual." Their leader gestured to the three apprentices.

Arrowpaw, Nightpaw and Goldenpaw introduces themselves to the loner each in turn. Flick gave a satisfied grin at each of them once they were finished and Goldenpaw was slightly surprised to find Flick's green gaze zeroing in on him.

"These must be Badgerstripe and Silvermoon's kits. Arrowpaw and Nightpaw both look so much like them...it's rather uncanny. Goldenpaw, you look a bit different though....why is that?" Flick pondered.

He could see that Arrowpaw and Nightpaw were shifting their paws uncomfortably at the loner's inspection, and a tension had filled in the atmosphere. The question hadn't technically been directed at anyone, but Goldenpaw still couldn't help but feel self-conscious at the loner's words. It was clear that Arrowpaw and Nightpaw shared in his discomfort at the unnecessary commentary.

He was confident in most everything about his life, but he couldn't help but feel a small stirring of jealousy in his chest whenever resemblance was brought up. I look great...I just don't understand why I don't look anything like my parents at all. He quickly turned tail and padded away, muttering something along the lines of going to go hunt.

It was a true fact he couldn't deny in any way at all. While neither his brother nor sister shared the same cost coloring that their mother had, Arrowpaw and Nightpaw both had the same black fur their father Badgerstripe had; Arrowpaw was even more like his father with the white splotch of fur on his chest while Nightpaw and her father shared the same brown eyes.

Then Arrowpaw had blue eyes just like Silvermoon, and while they were not exactly the same shade, Arrowpaw's being a much brighter blue than his mother's icy blue, they still were close enough to be able to see the easy comparability. His siblings were just so similar to their parents...he couldn't help but feel jealous.

He couldn't help but feel self-conscious when he looked at his own reflection in a puddle near the back of the den around an hour later. His golden tabby fur didn't correlate whatsoever with that of his parents. Even more unlikely were his golden eyes. He often wondered how his eyes were so different compared to his parents....and how that was even possible. I can't fathom why that is though...and Arrowpaw and Nightpaw have no idea either.

He felt a slight nudge at his shoulder, and he turned his head away from the muddy puddle he had been staring at to see that his siblings had come to see him. Nightpaw, being the closest to him had been the one to nudge him. She had three particularly plump mice at her paws, and Goldenpaw could hear his stomach let out a small rumble.

Arrowpaw stood beside his sister, looking like a big black shadow in the dim lighting of what Flick had mentioned as a barn, the white fur on his chest and luminous blue eyes the only things that gave color to his older brother.

Noticeably, Arrowpaw had also caught some mice but instead of resting in the apprentice's jaws, two mice were resting on the ground in front of his paws. Arrowpaw carefully stepped over his cache and moved to sit beside him. The black furred apprentice was quick to catch where Goldenpaw had been looking, and his blue gaze zeroed in on the puddle. Though it was murky, Goldenpaw could still make out his own face and that of his brother's in the dull reflective pool.

"Why am I different?" He hadn't really meant to voice the question out loud, but now that he had Goldenpaw planned to pursue the idea. Arrowpaw tilted his head, confused.

"You're going to have to elaborate for me Goldenpaw. What do you mean?" He asked the question softly.

He heard a swish if the prickly yellow grass behind him, and as he turned his head to follow the source of the noise he was unsurprised to see that Nightpaw had disappeared. Nightpaw was perceptive for her age, and Goldenpaw couldn't help but feel grateful that she would give Arrowpaw and him privacy for this conversation. He turned back to Arrowpaw and found that his brother was giving him an inquisitive stare now, as if he was trying to figure Goldenpaw out.

"I just...why don't I look anything like mom and dad? Is there something wrong with me?" He couldn't help but voice the insecurities.

They had been boiling underneath his skin for some time now, and he felt a great sense of relief at having gotten them out. Arrowpaw kept his face expressionless, the only noticeable reaction he gave to Goldenpaw's words was his black tail give an almost imperceptible twitch behind them. It was then that Arrowpaw's lips twitched downward and then he replied, putting a comforting paw on his shoulder in reassurance.

"Well...I'm not sure why but...it doesn't matter Goldenpaw. You're our brother and we love you just the way you are, golden tabby fur and golden eyes and everything." The earnest time to Arrowpaw's voice was hard to miss, and Goldenpaw felt his eyes watering a little. He sure has a way with words.

The golden tabby blinked back the water in his eyes, it was no place for that after all. Plastering a grin on his face, he gave Arrowpaw a cheeky grin before snatching up both mice and darting away, intent on not sharing. Laughter bubbled up in his throat as he heard Arrowpaw's indignant cry of surprise and soon Arrowpaw was charging after his through the mounds of yellow grass, the concerns from before having been forgotten, even if for only a little while.

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A/N: Hey guys! The wait is finally over. So sorry for taking so long, been busy with school. Hope y'all enjoy and I'll try to post quicker this next chapter. See y'all later.😊