Shadepaw's POV:

After Shadepaw finished catching up with the prison guard, he left to sleep. As he settled into his nest, Blossompaw darted in after him and rolled into her nest with a small sigh. He glanced at her, offering the cream she cat a smile. She didn't return the smile and instead turned away from him with a whiny mumble.

Shadepaw's ears drooped, his heart pounding in his chest all of a sudden. Had he upset her? What had he done? He reached out and nudged her. "Blossompaw?"

She kept her back turned, a scowl on her face. He tried again. "Blossompaw what's wrong? Did I do something to hurt you?"

Blossompaw's tail made a single lash. Shadepaw opened his jaws to speak again but she cut in first. "You don't even realise what you did wrong."

Shadepaw- panic rising within him- started to rack his brain for anything he could've done to upset Blossompaw. He was about to insist that he'd done nothing to her when he suddenly remembered not that long ago, when she had asked him to eat with her. He had been distracted at the time, trying to obtain news on the prisoners to see how they were doing. He had brushed her off without any thought of how she would feel.

When he looked back at Blossompaw, he saw she was already asleep, her back still facing him. He rose to his paws and shuffled over to her, climbing into her nest. He nestled himself against her, his muzzle buried in the back of her neck. He promised himself he'd spend the entire day with her when he woke up the next morning until she was happy again. He hated seeing cats upset. No one deserved sadness no matter what they might've done.

Almost as soon as Shadepaw's eyes closed, he found himself in a bright clearing. Before him stood Spark, her pure blue eyes blinking with warmth. "Hello Shadepaw. It's been a while."

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"Spark." He breathed, stumbling as he realised he was dreaming. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to teach you for tonight." The light ginger she cat replied softly.

"Teach me what?" He blinked up at her.

"Anything about the Moon Mist. You ask and I'll answer." She mewed, smiling warmly at him.

Shadepaw blinked. "Hm..." He murmured. "What does it do?"

Spark smiled and flicked a paw out, some white, shining mist appearing. "Come here." She ordered gently.

Once Shadepaw drew closer, she suddenly swiped at him and her claws pierced his cheek. He yelped in pain, blood dripping from the fresh wound. "Ow! What was that for-" He was stopped in his tracks when she pressed her paw against his cheek and a warm tingling feeling swept through his body. His eyes lulled closed as he felt the sweet feeling blossom from his wounded cheek, turning his limbs to jelly. "Aaahh..." He sighed calmly.

Spark chuckled and removed her paw, the feeling vanishing in a heartbeat. Shadepaw stumbled on his paws, immediately yearning for more.

"Now your wound it healed." The light ginger she cat purred.

Shadepaw blinked and reached up to feel the scratch. It wasn't there! "So it heals?" He gasped. Moon Mist is the total opposite of the shadows!

"Does it do anything else?" He asked, suddenly eager to see more.

"It can do plenty more, just as the shadows can too. But some abilities have yet to be discovered." Spark replied.

Just like the shadows. Shadepaw looked at the shining white mist. "Tell me about the origins of the Moon Mist and the Shadows." He requested.

"Hm..." Spark shifted her paws. "The Moon Mist has been around a lot longer than the Shadows. It was so long ago that the tales of their discovery have been moulded into a cluster of lies. From what my mentor told me, the story is that a cat- who's name has been lost during moons of interpreting the legend- flew up to the moon one night and took a piece of it with him. When he returned home, he went to a sacred cave where that chunk of the moon was transformed into Moon Mist."

Shadepaw looked up into the sky with awe-filled eyes. "Really? Did he really do that?"

Spark shrugged. "I think not, but you can believe it if you want. The story was corrupted with lies many generations ago and there's no way to track down the truth."

"Oh." The dark furred apprentice felt his ears droop. "That's sad."

"It's what happens when you don't choose a responsible cat to take on the Mist after you." Spark sighed.

"So," Shadepaw murmured, "what about the Shadows?"

"The shadows were adapted from the Moon Mist." Spark began. "Quite a few seasons after the Mist was created, a cat named Shadow stole some for herself. She converted the Mist into Shadows- the way she did so is still unknown to us and it has yet to be repeated." The light ginger she cat gave him a sharp look. "It's up to you to find out how to change the Shadows back to their rightful form."

"But I don't know how." Shadepaw narrowed his eyes. "What if it's not possible?"

"You'll find a way. I promise you will, somehow." Spark meowed.

He nodded, but was still unsure. Sighing, he asked. "So the Shadows grow stronger by harvesting the souls of cats, but how do you strengthen the Moon Mist?"

Spark smiled and looked up at the shining moon above them. "You simply sit under the full moon."

Shadepaw smiled. "Oh, that's a much nicer way."

"It is." She agreed. "The Shadow holders say it's weak and we can never be as strong as them, but we don't need to be. With the tiniest trendil of Mist we can heal even the deadliest of wounds and send the most peaceful dreams." Spark smirked. "I bet NoName can't give full nightmares with only a tiny string of her Shadows, hm?"

Shadepaw chuckled. "She needed a whole two pawfuls of the stuff for me, and I'm not even a warrior yet!" He then paused, a frown forming on his lips as he remembered the terrible visions his mother has subjected him to. A shiver ran down his spine.

Spark cleared her throat. "I think that's enough for tonight. I'll let you rest now, sleep tight Shadepaw." Then the ginger she cat rested her nose on his head and he sank into a deep, dark sleep.

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