"When are we going to be at the moonstone?" an impatient Spottedpaw questioned. Barkpaw, who didn't reply to the she-cat's question, flicked his gaze around the surrounding area. The ThunderClan she-cat let out a sigh. Her ears then twitched at the sound of the WindClan tom's voice telling her that they were nearly there. Good, Spottedpaw thought happily.

"Oh, and did I tell you that Hawkheart's going to give me my medicine name tonight?" Barkpaw's voice was full of happiness however there was a hint of anxiety. Spottedpaw shook her head.

"It's great to hear that, though," she then mewed. Barkpaw just gave a nod. "What do you think your medicine name will be?" Barkpaw hesitated.

"I have no idea," he then confessed. His eyes brightened a bit. "The moonstone's just over there!" Spottedpaw looked ahead of her, noticing the shining moonstone. No wonder they call it the moonstone, she thought. She had always wondered why cats even called it the moonstone when she first heard of it. Barkpaw then scurried ahead like a kit. Spottedpaw blinked while she watched the excited apprentice bouncing about on the spot and then racing over to the stone. Yellowfang stared at the WindClan apprentice.

"Some cat's excited," she mewed to the other medicine cats. Hawkheart stared at his apprentice.

"Well, he is getting his medicine name, so I guess that's why Barkpaw is acting excited like a kit," he mewed back to the ShadowClan medicine cat. Featherwhisker fell behind the other medicine cats and then walking with his newly-made apprentice.

"StarClan will accept you as a medicine apprentice tonight," the tom murmured down to the dark tortoiseshell. Spottedpaw gulped. StarClan. Would her warrior ancestors even accept her as ThunderClan's new medicine cat apprentice? Spottedpaw began to feel nervous. The cats set paw on stone-cold ground; the moonstone's light reflected on the cat's pelts, turning them slightly brighter and silvery; gazes began to shine slightly. Confusion began to spread over Spottedpaw. How can I see the cats of StarClan? she asked herself. Yellowfang curled her fluffy grey tail around her paws as she sat on the cold ground below. Hawkheart stood in front if the medicine cats while Barkpaw sat proudly, his eyes shining with excitement.

" I, Hawkheart, medicine cat of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the way of a medicine cat, and with your help he will serve your Clan in many moons to come," the WindClan medicine cat began. "Barkpaw, do you promise to uphold the way of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry from Clan and Clan, and protect all cats equally, even cat the cost of your life?"

"I do," Barkpaw said confidently as he looked up at his mentor.

"Then, by the power of StarClan, I will now give you your true medicine name. Barkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Barkface. StarClan honours your faith and courage," Hawkheart continued. Spottedpaw noticed Barkface's eyes glittering.

"Barkface! Barkface! Barkface!" the other medicine cats chanted the newly-named Barkface's name. When the chanting died out, Brambleberry began to speak.

"Now let us share tongues with StarClan," the RiverClan she-cat mewed. Yellowfang and Hawkheart crouched onto the cold down and their noses touched the moonstone. Brambleberry and Barkface joined them a heartbeat later while Spottedpaw stared.

"Touch your nose with the moonstone and close your eyes," Featherwhisker told her and began to join the other crouching cats. Spottedpaw trotted over to an empty space, crouching low until her belly touched the ground. She then touched the moonstone with her nose. The moonstone felt colder than she had imagined; it felt as cold as ice.

Spottedpaw opened her eyes, finding herself in a forest; mist surrounded her paws and light cracked through gaps between trees. The ThunderClan apprentice looked around at her surroundings. Spottedpaw backed away slightly as a starry, long-furred black tom with a few white parts began to trot over to her.

"There is no need to be afraid, little one," the tom said in a gentle tone. "I was one of ThunderClan's medicine cats many moons and leaf-bares ago. My name is Cloudspots." Because your pelt is broken up with white, Spottedpaw thought as she noticed white on Cloudspots' black pelt. "Welcome to the ranks of StarClan, Spottedpaw." Spottedpaw blinked. How does he know my name?

"Am I. . . Am I dead?" Cloudspots blinked.

"No, of course not," the StarClan cat then replied to Spottedpaw's question. "You are only in StarClan's hunting grounds. I can tell you that StarClan accepts you as ThunderClan's new medicine apprentice." Spottedpaw became happy, knowing that StarClan had accepted her as a medicine apprentice. She then noticed that Cloudspots was beginning to fade away.

"Cloudspots?" Spottedpaw called out, only to hear her voice as a whisper. Cloudspots had completely faded and then the area began to fade away. Spottedpaw opened her eyes and found herself back at the moonstone with the other medicine cats. She rose onto her paws, trotting over to her mentor.

"Did you see anything interesting in your dream?" Featherwhisker questioned. Spottedpaw shook her head.

"No, not really." Featherwhisker nodded.

"Okay. We're just going back to the ThunderClan camp now," he mewed and began to go over to the medicine cats. Spottedpaw walked over to them a few heartbeats later. Featherwhisker turned. "Come." Once again, the ThunderClan began to walk away. Barkface mewed a goodbye to Spottedpaw and then the ThunderClan she-cat dashed after her mentor, who was slightly ahead of her. When she caught up with Featherwhisker, the medicine cat began to speak to her.

"Remember that you cannot tell any cat -- not even Redpaw or Willowpaw -- about what you see at the moonstone," he said.

"Okay," Spottedpaw replied.

When the two arrived back in the ThunderClan camp, there were no cats awake. Spottedpaw and Featherwhisker trotted into the fern tunnel entrance to the medicine den and lay in their nest, eyes closing. Spottedpaw wrapped her tail around her.