Find yourself, Batpaw, Nutpaw [Closed]

Waiting outside the camp entrance, the deputy groomed herself as she watched the camp lazily awaken from their nests. Today was a beautiful, brief moment of peace that was rarely awarded to them. The whole clan was together again, and no threat from the mist. It was blessing that they all needed, a moment to relax before the next storm hit them, tearing them asunder again.

Only her family, Jaystream and Sootwhisper lived right now, but that was enough. She wasn't selfish, she could accept that perhaps that it was fate that her kin died, perhaps a punishment for her deception. Now, she was just happy that her clan thrived again, and she had the chance to take two apprentices to see their ancestors.

Accept small blessings as they came.

It was her new words now.

Nutpaw woke up, stretching before exiting the apprentice den. It was early morning, about the time evryone else was awakening, and her first thought was to go on an extra hunting or border patrol. But then a thought in her mind clicked. It was the day that she was to take the traditional moonstone trip. Her energy peaked like the excited kit she had once been. Everything was far from perfect in her life, but maybe tonight she could learn to live with that. Maybe someone in StarClan could help her face the enemy inside of her. So with enthusiasm that she hadn't had in moons, she trotted over to where she saw Ivyfall sitting.
"Hi Ivyfall. It's my Moonstone trip today, right?" she asked, hoping that she wasn't being completely stupid. She was pretty sure that another apprentice was going with them, but she had forgotten who that was.

Batpaw had been resting all the time he could so he would have the energy for the trip that was coming this night. Stretching his long paws, the apprentice padded out of his den and searched for the deputy of his clan, seriously and with thoughtful eyes.
Walking toward the two she-cats, the scarred cat reached the place of the meeting, greeting both of them with a nod. "Hello, Ivyfall, Nutpaw. This is our Moonstone trip, right?Even if he didn't show it, he was actually happy for this day. After moons of training alone, Batpaw could finally be one step closer to become a warrior. He didn't care too much about meeting Starclan cats. After all, they didn't help him a lot during his life. He just wanted to finish this as soon as possible so he could finally be a warrior just like Tinytip.

"Yes, but first." Ivyfall nudged a package towards both apprentices. The green mix of plants stunk to high heavens, but it was all the feast that they would be allowed this morn. She remembered the bitterness that nearly had her dry-heaving when she was an apprentice, but now, after all these moons, it was like eating old freshkill, unpleasant but doable. "You will need these for your strength. Eat."

Nutpaw nodded politely to Batpaw as he approached, relieved that she was probably correct about today being the day of their trip. Though he also asked for confirmation, his presence gifted her confidence, and her already unusually high (for her, at least) enthusiasm grew. Grinning, she waited for directions from Ivyfall. Nearly sighing with relief when her thoughts were confirmed, she looked down at the bundle of herbs that she had been instructed to eat. They smelled as bad as old fish, though it was a completely different kind of smell. It was the kind of plant that her instincts said to sty away from, but right now, that would be disrespectful to the deputy as well as long-time traditions.
"Hi Batpaw!" she greeted, then turned and faced Ivyfall again. Leaning down, she picked up the herbs in her jaws and swallowed them, face twisted with disgust. As quick as she could, she swallowed the green plants, leaving an aftertaste that was even worse. After regaining her composure slightly, she smiled at the deputy. "Well now that I got that over with, are we going to go now?"

The charcoal tom looked at the herbs with narrowed eyes, a little annoyed by the smell of those nasty plants. However, he didn't complain about it all and just ate them as fast as he could, so his tongue wouldn't be able to feel the unpleasant taste. If this was a step closer to become a warrior, then he wouldn't stop to doing it if it was necessary as Ivyfall said.
Gulping the food with closed and disgusted eyes, Batpaw looked back at the deputy, eagerly to start just like Nutpaw, who already asked about when there were going to leave the camp.

Watching to make sure they ate every last piece of their herbs, Ivyfall then replied to Nutpaw. "Of course, now we can leave. Come, stick close to me. We will need to venture beyond our territory, and there are more dangers there than you think." Unlike the other clan's apprentices, RiverClan apprentices never really got to see monsters as their territory didn't really overlap with the Thunderpath. It was going to be a memorable experience which hopefully involved no tragedy.

Flicking with her tail to follow, she took the first step out of camp, brushing through reeds silently to not disturb any cats that were hunting. They followed a well-worn path that twolegs for a bit, crossing a bridge, and then through land where the Fourtrees met the meadows of WindClan. That was when they finally came across the black wasteland that made up the Thunderpath.

It was silent, but she knew all too well that it could go from silent to rumbling with a monster in mere seconds. "We should be safe to cross, but be quick. And no matter what, do not look back or freeze. That foul smell here is the scent of monsters, and they will kill you if you stop."

Nutpaw nodded eagerly, though she was sure a bit of nervousness shone on her face. What kind of danger was Ivyfall talking about? But she still followed with an energy that was unusual for her. It was tradition to travel here, so it must not be too dangerous if it was frequently traveled. As they came to WindClan territory, she felt an almost painful pang in her chest, of memories that she wanted to forget returning to her. She had made the worst mistake of her life here, and a thought occurred to her. What if StarClan hated her for what she did? She had broken the warrior code, so she would probably deserve it. A bit of her enthusiasm dimming, she followed the deputy to the Thunderpath. Gasping slightly, she inhaled the scent and saw the wide strip of black stone. Dawnsong had told her about this on her very first day of training, and so she knew how deadly this was. Listening to Ivyfall's words, she nodded but snuck a nervous glance at Batpaw.
"Okay," she replied, stuttering slightly out of fear.

Batpaw nodded as well as Nutpaw and followed Ivyfall just like she said into the territory of his clan. The lonely apprentice already knew all the territories of his clan but outside ... it was forbidden almost all the time but now, so he would take the chance to learn all he could about the territories of the other clans. The tom wasn't worried at all about what would happen when he reached the Moonstone and wasn't excited at all about the idea of meeting Starclan. He just wanted to finish this quick so he could go back to the camp to prepare himself for his warrior ceremony.
Leaving the reeds of his territory behind, the apprentice noticed the gray path that cats called the Thunderpath. He barely heard stories of horrible monsters that killed great warriors in just a few seconds so he understood the advises of Ivyfall. The tom gave a confident glance to the she-cat trying to show her that there was nothing to fear if they were careful. Looking to both sides of the road, the charcoal cat followed the instructions of the deputy and ran as fast as he could, no looking back, so he could arrive the other side fast without being killed. The ground under his paws was hard and smelled awfully as he moved quickly to the grass. Once he felt the soft herb, Batpaw stopped and glanced back at the deputy and the other apprentice, flicking his tail impatiently.

"Go, Nutpaw. Be quick, I'll be right behind you." Ivyfall spoke softly, seeing that the apprentice was apprehensive about crossing over. It was truly a frightening sight, and the rancid scent hardly helped. However, what had to be done, well had to be done.

Nutpaw's eyes widened as Batpaw flew across the Thunderpath, praying that he wouldn't get hurt. But he was fine. He had made it across, and she knew many other cats had made it across. If she just followed Ivyfall's instructions word for word, she would be fine. At the deputy's words, she nodded nervously, then stepped to the side of the hard stone. It was silent and still, and she didn't want to waste time. So with a deep breath, she took off across the path. Determinedly, she kept her eyes on the other side and kept sprinting with all her energy, not looking back. Before long, her paws touched grass and soil once again, and she let out a sigh of relief. A smile appeared across her face and her confidence was boosted once again. She turned to face the smelly stretch of black stone, waiting for the deputy to reach them.

OOC: Okay, will skip lux for this turn.

Ivyfall looked both ways before darting across the Thunderpath. If the black road rumbled, the deputy ignored it as she focused on getting to the other side. And she managed to do it, leave behind a good half a fox's leap's worth of time between her and a passing monster. "That's why you don't pause." Ivyfall meowed, looking at the red lights in the distance. "Come, we have until sundown to get to Mothermouth."

The silver tabby lead the pair up the uneven rocky outcrop, weaving past rabbit holes and telltale places where snakes clearly dwelled. There was a well-worn path that smelled of a thousand cats that had walked it before them. But where was the fun in that. "We're here." She announced when they finally reached the mouth of the cavern. It was darkness inside, nothing able to be seen.

Nutpaw breathed a small sigh of relief when Ivyfall crossed safety, though her heart was pounding like the harshest rainfall from the jump scare of the monster. She couldn't help but imagine what would have happened if the deputy was just a tiny bit slower. That would have been even more scarring. Nodding in response to the older she-cat's words, she continued following her to Mothermouth. The rocky ground hurt her paws, and there looked like there was probably an easier path, but she trusted the deputy and followed her every pawstep. Thoughts rushed through her head, about how so many cats had traveled here in the past. Probably many that were long dead, and probably some that had just been there in the last moon. But she was doing her part as an apprentice for her clan and following in their footsteps, and it felt great. The thoughts had distracted her from the struggle of the hike, and before she knew it they were standing in front of a gaping black hole, the definite entrance to the cavern. That thought was confirmed by Ivyfall's words, which for some reason sent chills through her body.
"I'm ready," Nutpaw said, head held high, trying her best to not only look but be confident. Worries swam in her head of what StarClan's response to her would be. She had made so many huge mistakes, any of which she could be punished for. And she would probably deserve it.

OOC: Sorry guys, I got distracted with my tests in school -_- Now I have more free time.

IC: The charcoal tom watched how the two she-cats crossed the Thunderpath as fast as he did. His heart pounced when the fast and noisy monster passed the gray path as fast as a thunder, with its glowing red lights. His green eyes widened, as the adrenaline covered his veins with a natural fear but also admiration. So that's is the monster, huh? He thought, starting to walk behind the deputy thinking in the power of such a beast; a power he would like to have.

The young apprentice didn't mind the rocky ground and just continue his path with determination on his eyes. Batpaw glanced at the entrance of the cave, watching it with narrowed eyes. This it is... the moment that would define his warriorhood fr now on.
"I'm ready too." He said, looking at his partner in this trip. He wondered how would be inside the cave, how the Moonstone looked and if Starclan would speak to him or would ignore him as everyone in the clan.

"Good, follow me by the sound of my pawsteps. You won't be able to see anything until we reach Moonstone." With that, the deputy took the first step into the darkness, leading her apprentices behind her with sure, even steps. The earth was smooth here, and her each step echoed clearly against the walls. It was a little frightening if they'd never come here before, but the journey was worth the wait. When they finally approached the Moonstone, it took her breath away as it did the first time she saw it. It was beautiful, gleaming white like the moon. "Press your nose against it, and close your eyes. StarClan will come for you."