Owlpaw's Moonstone Journey

Pricklepaw's mind was wandering as he carried the bundles of traveling herbs to the entrance of camp. Moonstone journeys had become such a routine for him, by this point, that it was a wonder his paws weren't numb from the constant traveling back and forth. Frost crunched beneath his paws, grass blades completely coated in thin, shimmering ice that was as cold as it was beautiful... and possibly dangerous. He'd slipped twice yesterday, when he went out to get herbs. With a sigh, the medicine cat apprentice shook and fluffed up his pelt to keep in the warmth, waiting with pretended patience for Owlpaw to arrive. Another day, another journey. Hopefully, the apprentice's mind wouldn't be too won over by the ancestors who had caused all that trouble two moons ago.

Owlpaw was nerveus to say the least. And who wouldt be if they where about to talk to her ancesters? Her tail twiched at the thought of to who she would talk to. She hoped that it would be a cat she knew, like her parents or friends maybe. Truth to be told she knew a lot of cats who where dead now.
She walked towards the Medicine cat apprentice and spoke “uhm alright so what do I need to do? And are there some things I must know before we go?”.

Pricklepaw's face stayed impassive. "Just eat the herbs, please, and follow me. It'll be a long journey, and the herbs will give you strength. They're kind of bitter, but not that bad." His tail twitched slightly, and he turned around. "I'll tell you more when we get to the Moonstone. But for now, that's all."

Owlpaw nodded to the medicine cat and ate the herbs trying not to think about the bitter taste in her mouth after all this was needed to go to the moonstone.
She looked at Pricklepaw "I am ready to go prickle paw".

Pricklepaw nodded curtly, and with a flick of his tail telling her to follow, padded out of ThunderClan camp and out onto the territory. His paws were moving by rote and routine now, and the path he followed took no conscious thought at all. That wasn't necessarily a good thing, though- because that gave him more time to think. And thinking wasn't something that he wanted to do. Because thinking meant that he would have to dwell on all the things that were ricocheting around his overworked brain. Chervilpaw's sudden death, Beepaw's waterlogged corpse, Lichenmask's death toll, the mocking power of StarClan, Hailpaw's constant skirmishes, everything about Beartooth... and the kit that he had failed to save. Whenever he tried to sleep at night, the unnamed SkyClan kit's hopeless eyes stared at him, willing him to do better at his job, to save her, to do something. It was good that he slept alone... he didn't want anyone to hear his frantic breathing when it was relived before his eyes. But he woke up every day and put on the same indifferent mask. No one, no one could know that things had changed. That he had changed. He had to be the same, or... or everything that he'd worked for would be pointless. He still hated being a medicine cat. He still hated StarClan. So why did he suddenly care so much?

His silent brooding was interrupted when his paw sank into a muddy puddle as long as his leg. Letting out a hiss of surprise and shock at the cold, he drew it back out, shaking the clumps of wet muck off with distaste. But it was a good thing that he'd been brought back to himself, because now they were at the Thunderpath. The strange black surface that he could never quite get used to stretched an unfathomable expanse before him, reeking of strange, Twoleg-like scents. Pricklepaw turned back to see that his charge Owlpaw was still there, then spoke. "Okay. So we need to be very careful here, or we'll get trampled by monsters. First, we look both ways-" His spiel was interrupted by a monster screeching by, eyes glaring as it rushed in front of him, giant and imposing and absolutely terrifying. The medicine cat apprentice took a deeper breath, then continued. "We look both ways to make sure we don't see any monsters. Then, on my mark, we run. Okay, Owlpaw?"

Owlpaw's eyes widened at the sight of the monster-path, she had seen it a few times before but never thought she would actually cross it. Never the less she took a deep breath and with Pricklepaw's words in mind she looked for monsters.
Had an apprentice ever died on their way to the moonstone?
"Okay, if you say so"
She made herself ready to run and watched Pricklepaw with her big, owl like eyes trusting him that he knew what he was doing.

Pricklepaw tensed in concentration, sage-green eyes narrowed, carefully watching the black surface. After one more monster roared past, as its deafening rumble faded away, he barked "Go!" Without hesitation, the medicine cat apprentice dashed across the hard Thunderpath, paws scratching across the rough surface as he scampered, wasting no time. The second he made it, he turned back hastily to see if Owlpaw had done the same. Despite not liking her too much, he wanted to make sure the apprentice under his watch was safe.

Owlpaw fully trusted the medicine cat apprentice when she ran like a wind clan cat over the Thunderpath. When she found that there was grass under her paws again she slowed down and looked at Pricklepaw. "So where to go from now?" her words hinted a tone of excitement something Owlpaw had not felt in a while her big amber eyes shone at the thought of nearing the moonstone.

When he saw that Owlpaw had made it, he immediately turned to keep moving. There was never any time to waste. "Just across WindClan territory from here," he called back. "Mothermouth is up ahead." They walked for a while on the moor hills, through long grasses and heather bushes. Then finally, when they got to the large cave entrance, Pricklepaw stopped for a moment. "It's pretty dark in there, so just follow me. I'll lead you to the Moonstone, then when we get there, lie down and touch your nose to it. StarClan will do the rest."

Owlpaw had to admit that she disliked the cave but hey it was the only way to get to the moonstone so she just had to take it. She made sure to follow Pricklepaw as good as she possibly could trough it all she started to think that the tunnel would never end until suddenly all darkness was casted away by a big rock shining in the middle of the cave. Owlpaw looked at it in aw this had to be the moonstone beautiful shining like the stars the rock seemed to have the night sky itself in it. Remembering Pricklepaw's words she slowly step for step neared the moonstone until she stood right in from of it. A little trill of excitement came trough her as she neared her nose to the rock.
She closed her eyes and alowed her nose to touch the cold stone.
Suddenly she felt light, lighter then she had ever felt before, free from responsibilities then time stopped as she felt a bit of grass underneath her paws.
She opens her eyes and could not help but let a tear escape her eyes she was in a forest, not just any forest but a forest that strongly mirrored the place in the forest where her father died.
Why was she here now?

Crowclaw stepped forward and looked at his daughter with a proud smile "How you have grown Owlpaw" he meowed. "How have you been dear?" he sat down infront of her, a calm expression on his face.

OOC: Sorry for short but I've gtg! Next post will be better!

Owlpaw was perplexed, her father, her dead father stood right in front of her and unlike what she had thought when she would ever meet him again he was not angry, her looked proud... How could he be proud at a cat like her? She was a coward she ran when her her father fought. Why wasn't he angry, mad at her? "Dad? I..I don't understand. Why are you not angry at me?" the brown tabby looked at her father with her big, almost owl like eyes.
how could he be so calm about this?

OOC: I totale forgot this topic...I hope you still want to go on with it?

He looked at her slightly puzzled, angry? He then let out a laugh "Angry? Now why would I be angry? I told you to run back to camp, I didn't want you to get hurt I wasn't gonna let you die like your mother did, besides your young and I were old you have so much to live for and besides I can't think of a more honorable death than protecting my own daughter from that monster called Shade, thank Starclan his gone now" he purred as he kept smiling at her, he were so happy to see her infront of him once again.

Owlpaw's eyes widened, her father was not mad at her? Even while she was a coward? The big she-cat felt a teardrop form in her eyes, and then another and another until she was full on crying. "I I thank you" what Owlpaw wanted to say was 'thanks for accepting me' or 'thanks for forgiving me' but all that came out was a small "I will try to make you proud". And even dough she had a million other things to say those words where enough. Because they where true, her father never blamed her it was time to forgive herself.