Loudpaw's Moonstone Journey

Let's see, do I have everything?  Daisy, chamomile, sorrel and...oh, which one am I missing?  Basilpaw's face scrunched up in concentration, searching her mind for that scrap of knowledge Batglow had told her a few days ago.  The last traveling herb..."Oh yeah, burnet!"  Her voice came out suddenly, and she giggled; she had discovered that she liked talking to herself when doing tasks, but she knew it probably sounded a bit odd.  Oh well, at least she had remembered!  Taking a large beech leaf and wrapping it around the little bundle of stems and leaves, the medicine cat apprentice clutched it in her jaws and exited the den, padding across camp to the apprentice's den.  Today was a special day for two reasons; one, it was time for her brother Loudy to go to the Moonstone!  Second, it was also her first time traveling to the Moonstone as a medicine cat, and despite the long journey ahead she was excited.  With the energy from her own traveling herbs beginning to take over her body, she bounced a bit on her paws as she called out around the herb bundle in her mouth to her brother; "Rise 'n shine Loudy, it's time to go to the Moonstone!"

Loudpaw rolled over in his nest, blinking his eyes open. He sat up, silently yawning before rubbing his face with a tabby paw. The waking cat arched his back then walked out of the den, taking a moment to realize what his sister said. He purred, "Can not wait." The apprentice smiled at Basilpaw, excited to hang out with her. He looked at the herbs in her muzzle. "I have to eat those correct?" he asked. The tom wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the thought, but it would be worth it. Loudpaw bounced a bit at the thought of seeing Starclan. A real Starclan cat. Curious and excited, he was ready to make the long trek to the Moonstone.

Placing the herb bundle on the ground in front of her brother, Basilpaw purred to match his excitement.  "Yep, they're not too bad though!  Just chew and swallow, if they linger in your mouth that's when they get gross."  Winking, she remembered the first time she had taken the traveling herbs for her ceremony at the Moonstone; she hadn't been back since, and was excited to see the brilliant place again.  Waiting patiently for Loudpaw to gulp down the herbs, once they were gone she wasted no time.  "This will be a bit of a slow walk, I'm afraid, so let's head out early."  Leading the way out of camp, Basilpaw set her paws on the path towards Highstones.

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By the time the two apprentices had arrived at Mothermouth, it was only just beginning to be late afternoon.  Basilpaw gazed up at the sky inquisitively and pondered this; I suppose I don't have to leave so early if I can keep up that pace, I'm not too tired.  Probably thanks to the traveling herbs.  Turning with a smile to Loudpaw, she made sure he seemed alright before gesturing with her tail towards a nearby cluster of stones and bushes.  "We need to wait until the moon is out before entering the cave, so for now we can relax.  No hunting though, we can't eat prey before going inside."  Time passed by, and Basilpaw chose to take a little nap.  When she woke up the moon was just beginning to grace the horizon, and she gestured to Loudpaw.  "Let's go Loudy, it's time!"  A mix of anticipation and anxiety pounded in her chest as the young tortoiseshell led the way into the dark tunnel, touching the stone wall with her tail to keep track of where she was going as well as make sure Loudpaw was keeping up.  She remembered the right way, and the two emerged into the beautiful white light of the Moonstone.  Basilpaw allowed herself to take it in quietly for a long moment before turning to Loudpaw and nuzzling his shoulder encouragingly.  "All you have to do is lay down and touch your nose to the Moonstone, and you'll fall asleep.  Good luck Loudy!"  Stepping back, she found a spot to settle down and wait, watching the light ripple and dance around the chamber.

Loudpaw nodded, eating the herbs quickly. They weren't as bad as he had anticipated, which he was grateful for. He wondered how many more times he'd visit the Moonstone, probably not again right? Trotting after Basilpaw they left camp.

It wasn't late when they finished their journey, and Loudpaw luckily was still energetic, the promise of seeing a Starclan cat keeping him going strong. Also probably the herbs, he was glad he took them. The tabby smiled to show Basilpaw he was fine before laying down to wait for night fall. Unlike his sister he didn't sleep, watching the sun slide across the sky. His attention caught on a beetle scurrying near him, swiftly covering it with his paw. The tom meowed in delight, even if he was about to meet someone as important as Starclan Loudpaw couldn't help playing with bugs. Lifting his paw he let the black dot fly away. Eventually the sun slipped under the horizon, the moon rising seconds after. The apprentice rose when his sister did, taking a deep breath before following her into the dark tunnel. He flicked his ears, listening to the sound of their paws hitting the stone. Loudpaw squinted when the two entered a blinding light, taking a moment to adjust to the sudden change. Loudpaw  quietly purred as his sister nudged his shoulder, whispering his thanks. Something about the place told him to not be as loud as he usually would be. He walked up to the shining rock, following Basilpaw's directions, he laid down and touched his muzzle to the Moonstone.

Being dead had its perks, and getting to see territories he’d never walked in life was, in Raventail’s opinion, among the best of them. Tonight, he stood in a silvery expanse of marshland not unlike ShadowClan’s territory. His gaze traveled from murk to rocks to the towering pines with starlight gleaming in their needles. For once, he wasn’t here to explore; he was here to advise. That had caught him off guard at first—him, giving advice?—but he didn’t mind, really, even if he didn’t understand. After all, he’d given lives before. What were those but advice with extra steps?

Something catlike began to take shape at the edge of his vision, and he pulled his attention away from the trees. As Loudpaw's striped form solidified, Raventail sat down with a splash. Mud slid off his starry pelt like water. “Welcome to StarClan,” he said, smiling, a hint of a purr in his voice. “My name’s Raventail, it's nice to meet you.” The small tom rocked back on his paws. His tail curled into a relaxed half-circle around him. “I used to be…a lot of things, actually. What’s important is, I was WindClan. Now—who are you?” He knew Loudpaw's name already, of course, but it couldn't hurt to give the apprentice a chance to speak for himself.

His eyes stretched wide open, he was actually there. Actually Starclan. Excitement bubbled in his chest, everything was so glittery! The tabby was settled in what looked to be a marsh, like Shadowclan's. Is all of Starclan like Shadowclan? That wouldn't seem very fair to the other clans.

After jumping to his paws he heard a voice next to him. His furry head turned to find a cat, a silvery one. He looked like he was made of stars, Starclan cat! Of course. The warrior introduced himself as Raventail. Before Loudpaw could ask what clan he was from the starry tom already had answered. Windclan, cool. He had met Windclanners before, Hayglow and Muddyleap at the gathering. Maybe he knew them?

"Hi Raventail! My name is Loudpaw, I am in Shadowclan!" he greeted with energy. The apprentice's curious and friendly nature soon took hold, throwing questions and comments with speed, "It is nice to meet you too! Raventail is a cool name, have you seen a raven before? I have not, but I hear they are big and black. You don not seem very big, also your pelt looks so beautiful! Is it actually made of stars? Is it like itchy or something? I hate itchy fur. What is it like here? Is it all swamp? What do you do here? I like swamps, it is all muddy. I like mud. Do you? How did you die, wait that is probably rude, sorry. Do you know everything? Like in the whole world? Or is there limits? Can I ask questions? I mean, more important ones. Can you see the future? What do you do for fun around here? Can I explore? Wait you are like, supposed to give advice right? I will listen now." During his rant he had been constantly moving around, whether pacing, flicking his tail, or carefully observing the shiny grass. But now that the he was finished the small tom punctuated his end by sitting down, staying perfectly still. Only the tip of his tail twitching as he patiently waited for Raventail's response.