Cloverpaw & Laurelpaw's Moonstone Journey

Waiting for Laurelpaw deep within the evergreen realm of StarClan was the faint outline of a star-speckled white tom who was barely visible among the the endless moorland that unfolded around them for far as the eye could see. The enticing scents of various prey filled the air but it did little to distract the former WindClan warrior as he continued his short journey. Small specks of starlight were thrown into the air as the white tom emerged from where ever he had previously been residing as he waited for the two WindClan apprentices to complete their journey to the sacred rock. It had taken them long enough, but then again it was a long journey, he supposed with little interest evident on his face. "Laurelpaw." Cloudrunner finally summoned the small grey and white she-cat into his view, his green and blue eyes both glittering with an ominous intensity as he waited for his kin to appear.

Laurelpaw...

The silent form of the gray and white apprentice shifted slightly where she lay curled up on the ground, her eyelids clasping even more tightly shut.  No...go away and leave me alone!  It's quiet here...and warm...warmer than that freezing cave at least!  Let me sleep...  As if being hit in the face, Laurelpaw suddenly remembered why she was sleeping on the ground, and how she had gotten here, and in a flash her moorgrass-colored eyes blinked open, wide and shocked as she began to take in her surroundings.  She was in a field; but not just any 'ol WindClan field.  Stars glittered everywhere, and it seemed as if every blade of grass was outlined with a delicate, beautiful shade of silver.  This was a much welcome change from the dank, musty cave that housed the Moonstone.

Feeling relaxed and at peace, for a moment the sleek she-cat just stared around, taking in the place with inquisitive eyes.  So this is what StarClan looks like...it's...it's beautiful!  She took her sweet time time getting to her paws; the soft patch of grass where she was nestled seemed to call to her to stay, but soon enough she was up, her paws fidgeting restlessly.  I wonder if I can wander around, this is the ultimate adventure!  I want to see everything...wait 'till I tell Necterleap that I explored StarClan territory!  With a giddy little laugh, Laurelpaw swerved around and took a little jump forward to start off her run; but she came face to face with a strange white tom.

Scrambling to stop her hasty paws, Laurelpaw's mouth rounded into a surprised O as she gazed up at the taller cat, his pristine pelt and intense green and blue eyes glistening with starry light.  From her sudden stop she was in a bit of a crouched position, but she didn't immediately straighten up; her sharp eyes narrowed a bit, and her muscles tensed to hold a more stable position.  A strange mix of curiosity and annoyance overtook her; the thought of meeting a StarClan warrior intrigued her, but the fact that he had seemingly snuck up on her without a single sound unnerved her a bit, accompanied by a slight twinge of anger that she had let her guard down.  Plus, she still wanted to see the sights; hopefully this cat wouldn't keep her for too long.

"And who might you be?"  She didn't mean to sound disrespectful, but within the current circumstances she didn't feel it worthwhile to change her tone.  The tom wasn't a particularly impressive sight, nothing about him stuck out and screamed power or nobility or legendary.  He just seemed like...your average every day warrior.  With a spiteful twitch of her tail, Laurelpaw sat back onto her haunches and stared back at the StarClan cat with an insolent gaze.  What could an average warrior have to say to the future best-warrior-of WindClan?

(occ: doesn't Laurel just make such great first impressions C;)

ooc) so it's been awhile since Chopped posted so I'm just going to keep going bc paaarty


"Is that any way to speak to your warrior ancestors?" Cloudrunner quipped, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he stared at Laurelpaw. Despite the fact that his mouth was twisted into a sharp frown and his eyes were narrowed into near slits, the star-speckled warrior's face held its usual stoic and frosty expression as he practically gazed into the depths of Laurelpaw's soul. His eyes held no expression as he gazed at the grey and white little she-cat for several painfully long heartbeats, taking no mind of the apprentice's impatient behavior and instead resolved to take his time as he took his time to take in the details on her face. Perhaps he could of swapped out the 'warrior ancestor' part for 'kin', but he knew that this wasn't the conversation that dictated catching up with kin.

"I suppose that's why I was chosen to come and speak with you though- to quell your brutish behavior and...other desires." Cloudrunner finally drawled once more, his words heavy with a stern meaning. Rising from his sitting position once more, the white tom took a slow step towards Laurelpaw, his face twisted heavily into a foreboding expression. He knew that the conversation they were about to have wouldn't fully register with Laurelpaw since she likely wouldn't know what he was speaking about per say, but he knew it had to be done. Pausing right in front of Laurelpaw, Cloudrunner waited for the apprentice to speak once more, his shoulders heavily knotted with tension.

Laurelpaw could feel the fur along her spine begin to prick angrily as the mysterious tom spoke to her in a scolding sort of tone that she always hated to hear; whether it be coming from her mentor or that annoying tom Talonstrike, she never tolerated it in the waking world, so why should she do the same here?  Her eyes narrowing to annoyed slits, the gray-and-white molly drew breath to shoot back a particularly disrespectful insult; only to feel her fur tingle even more...not with anger, but nerves.  This white tom-cat's multicolored eyes burned with a threatening sort of intensity, as if he could see right past her skin and examine her mind itself, leaving all of her thoughts and memories exposed for him to view at his will.  

Deeply unnerved, Laurelpaw took a cautious step back, her ears flattened in a some-what fearful sort of way.  Her pupils dilated as she held his stare for a brief minute, before shifting her gaze down towards the starry ground, her demeanor reflecting her reluctant new-found respect for this cat.  She claimed to be fearless; she faced her enemies with the same confidence as she joked with her closest friends, as well as when she told off her unworthy kin.  This tom's gaze had somehow struck a chord within her; and for the first time in a long while she felt truly, genuinely vulnerable.

Heart beating fast, Laurelpaw turned her face upwards to meet his expressionless glare once again, his next words confusing her as much as they scared her.  Brutish behavior...other desires?  Could he....no!  I mean...he is StarClan....the stars see all...."  The exhilaration sensation of watching a cat she hated shake before her paws rushed back to her, and she remembered how she had looked that day....eyes narrowed dangerously, a frightening snarl twisting her muzzle, her fur bushed out wildly.......  She also remembered vividly how it felt afterward; the triumph.....and the numbing sort of chill that had seemed to sweep through her body, laced with intrigue....and pleasure.

Y..you- who are you?!  And what do you mean by 'other desires'?"  Laurelpaw held a defensive stance as her ancestor took a step closer, unconsciously digging her claws into the dirt as she hissed up at him, showing her teeth.  She had never felt so threatened in her entire life; her paws quavered from deep-set fearful anger, and Laurelpaw couldn't help but wish she was back at camp, laughing and joking around with Necterleap.  This isn't how I wanted this to go!

His words had frightened her- that much was obvious.

Although fear struck deeper than hope.

Cloudrunner remained poised in a calm manner as he watched the various emotions that twisted Laurelpaw's face, his eyes still gleaming with a ghostly knowledge as he intently watched the grey and white she-cat. Although he didn't show it outwardly, a welling disappointment filled his gut as he watched Laurelpaw- they should of done more to guide the apprentice, but if her current reaction to his words were any indication of her inner behavior, then he knew it was perhaps too late. The momentary vulnerability on her face hardly stirred an ounce of the limited pity he possessed, though. Pitying and relenting to her fear would not suffice any longer; he had to be stern if there was a chance of preventing what their ancestors saw coming in the upcoming moons.

"I am Cloudrunner." He finally revealed part of her demands with a frosty nod as he continued to stare at Luarelpaw with cold eyes, "And you share the blood that once ran through my veins." He relented slightly, a slight quaver in his eyes as he acknowledged their kinship. He had only been there all those moons ago whenever his brother Silentstrike had been born, but he had been able to attend the rest of his brother's important life moments in spirit. He had even attended Laurelpaw and her sibling's birth several moons earlier. He had foresaw a glimpse of the she-cat's fate whenever she had been a mere kit, but he had dismissed it out of paw for the unlikelihood of it all. And yet here he was now. Had he failed his brother and their parents for allowing such a fate to be obtainable to Laurelpaw?

Taking another smooth step forward and ignoring the defensive stance that Laurelpaw had taken, Cloudrunner allowed himself to drift closer to the apprentice in a fluid and silent motion. The stars that comprised the heavenly earth of the moor were scuffed up as he stalked forward, although the ones that connected with Laurelpaw's paws and forelegs simply vanished without any feeling as he halted in front of her. He was so close now that the bitter cold that encased his starry form was now pulsing greatly, sending wave after wave of a chilly breeze towards the WindClan apprentice. Leaning forward so that their whiskers brushed, he let out a soft, chilling breath as he gazed at Laurelpaw with eyes that warranted, well more like pleaded, her to listen to the next words that he spoke. If she listened, then there would still be time to prevent what was about to happen. "And I have come with a warning." Cloudrunner finally mewed softly, his words holding a vehement edge sharp enough to tear through flesh and bones.

Her eyes still stretched wide as full moons, she reluctantly returned Cloudrunner's chilly nod, a formality she didn't see any harm in reciprocating, Still, the thought that this terrifyingly stony tom was her kin seemed very strange to her, and try as she might to look at the cat who was currently threatening her as family she couldn't seem to drum up any sort of loving emotion.  She wasn't surprised though; Stoneheart was the son of her mother's sister, so she was used to discovering most of her family were annoying nobodies.  

Those thoughts worked far from improving her mood; she only seemed to grow angrier as Cloudrunner grew graver, even though her face was still flushed pale with fear.  Why are you interrogating me about things I did in the past?  They're done now, over with!  Never to happen again!  Now shove off and just tell me where the nearest starry rabbit warren is, I have better things to do!; is what she wanted to say, but her mouth seemed stuck, as if she had chomped on a sap-covered piece of bark.  Instead, she watched in horror as the StarClan tom moved closer still, too close for comfort, but her paws seemed to be rooted into the ground by her claw tips, as she desperately clung to the earth for some sort of comfort.  

Tearing up the glowing grass, she tilted her head back to keep eye contact as he towered over her, heartbeat racing like the pounding of running paws, ears pressed flat against her head, not prepared for whatever was coming next.  If he attacks...I won't hesitate to fight a StarClan cat!  We killed Smokefang, what makes him any different?  I will not be disrespected!  I am a warrior cat of WindClan....a true warrior wouldn't tolerate this kind of oppression!  His next words felt like they stabbed holes in her lungs, her breath no longer able to enter or exit her body.  Without a word, she stared up at the white tom with the green and blue eyes....totally petrified.

It was like StarClan in all of their infinite knowledge easily sensed the brewing tension between the former WindClan cat and the current WindClan cat, because mere heartbeats later, a gentle breeze rippled the short grasses that surrounded them. It brought enticing scents of delicious prey while also bringing a soothing coolness that combated the heat between the two cats. Satisfied that he had Laurelpaw's undivided attention now, Cloudrunner relented to her unspoken plea for space and retreated a step or two. "Ambition is a passion that is incessantly demanded in this life- it's a principle that fuels the fundamental core of our lives and ensures the survival of our kin long after we ourselves are gone." He finally spoke softly, voice heavy with some unannounced knowledge, his whiskers twitching slightly. "Even the youngest among us can feel the heat of it- the drive to push farther and farther and go beyond where none have ever ventured before." He continued briskly, his words so faint that they could hardly be discerned above the gentle breeze that rattled the endless moorland, while the cold fire that radiated from deep within him burning so ferociously now that its chill was almost painful.

"Ambition is like fire. A small flame that's contained will always help more than it hurts- it burns away the old, broken, and dead to make way for new life and growth. It helps restart the cycle of life and gives us  But a fire that burns to hot even for itself..that's the fire that will burn away everything thing and leave behind nothing but the charred remains of decay from which nothing can return from." Cloudrunner mewed, taking another step away from the frightened apprentice before slowly beginning to circle the grey and white she-cat, his steps so fluid that they didn't make a single sound. After a few heartbeats of his absent prowling, he finally halted in front of Laurelpaw once more, his head cocking slightly as he continued to observe the wide array of emotions upon her face. Although his eyes never strayed from her face, he did indeed notice the way that her claws desperately churned at the unfortunate earth near her feat. "There is undoubtedly a fire within you- even those who are blind can see it burning deep within you. It is one of your greatest strengths and perhaps one of your few...redeeming qualities." Cloudrunner admitted quietly, his bicolored eyes softening slightly as he spoke the truth- but not the truth could soften his next words. Would she listen to him? Or would the vanity and ambition that was so obviously embedded deep within her prevent her from hearing what words their ancestors have bestowed upon her? "But this strength you pride yourself on will ultimately be your downfall." He finally warned, his shoulders sagging ever so slightly as he

"Do not listen to the words of a false prophet." Cloudrunner suddenly hissed, his face grave beyond comprehension as he spit the solemn words, his voice quiet as if he was afraid of someone overhearing their conversation- even though it was impossible. Perhaps he was revealing too much knowledge to the rattled Laurelpaw, but he knew it needed to be done. "What you dream of is easily obtainable so long as you stay true- don't let their false promises entice you down the path of disloyalty." He warned quietly, taking another step backwards. The outline of his starry form was beginning to tremble and waver now and the bright lights that shone from within the faint outline of his ghostly form were slowly growing dimmer and dimmer. There wasn't much time now.

Laurelpaw could feel a bit of the heavy weight that constricted her chest begin to fade as Cloudrunner backed up to stand at a much more comfortable distance, and the young she-cat couldn't help but take a deep sighing breath of relief.  A bit more calm now, she listened intently with pricked ears as the white tom-cat began to speak, for once tonight not spitting insults and berating her, and instead drawing out a bit of her limited respect.  There, he just needed to learn that I don't like to be disrespected; this should go a bit better now.  Sitting down calmly onto her haunches, she watched Cloudrunner with intelligent eyes as he spoke of ambition, nodding occasionally at the spots she agreed.  It was true; ambition to bring your clan forward is what burned away the old and useless, purifying and growing on what had worked, and abandoning what hadn't.  It was what she wanted to do for WindClan; under her future guidance she believed that the moor-runners could become the greatest, most powerful clan in the entire forest!  She only wanted the best for her family, her friends, and her clanmates.  Little by little she has beginning to feel herself slowly growing her confidence, chest puffing out with angled head held high as Cloudrunner even complimented the fire within her.  Still, through all this she couldn't help but feel uneasy; the tom's words seemed far from proud or hopeful for her future.  More like...anxious, and worried.  The tension was running high in the air, feeling as if it could be cut by a single claw, and Laurelpaw could feel her tail bristling.  Something wasn't right...

"But this strength you pride yourself on will ultimately be your downfall."

At once the young molly's demeanor changed.  Her claws dug once again into the soft earth, the fur along her tail, neck, and spine rippling hauntingly as her face transformed from one of curiously to alarm.  Her eyes widened once again into moon-like globes, and she took a shuffling step backwards as Cloudrunner continued on, speaking of a false prophet, and how her dreams could come reality if she stayed true.  Eyes flicking back and forth as she stared at the silvery ground, she stammered; "W..what?  I don't understand...who is this false prophet?  Why wouldn't I stay true?  All I do is for my clan, why would you ever think I would betray them?!  Are you calling me a traitor?"  Laurelpaw's eyes darkened, and she took a few tense steps forward to come nose-to-nose with the fading form of Cloudrunner.  "How dare you?!  I don't care if you're part of the all-holy StarClan, no one calls me a traitor to my clan without paying the price!"  With a vicious hiss, Laurelpaw lifted her unsheathed paw and lashed out at the starry tom, her own kin.  All at once she was back in that dark place she had explored before, when she had cornered Stoneheart - Stonepaw at the time - on the moor, and told him to stay away from Necterleap.  The adrenaline rushing through her veins, the anticipated feeling of claws connecting with flesh, the triumph of knowing that you had gotten what you wanted, what you needed....didn't happen.  Cloudrunner was fading; she watched in frustrated horror as her sleek paw waved through his vanishing form, only connecting with empty air.  Her eyes narrowed as she let out an angry howl, crouching down into a battle stance, her tail lashing behind her, forced to watch as the infuriating tom got away scot free with what he had said.  Her belly burned with feelings of fury, frustration, desperation, worry....and guilt.  They know.  They truly know all.

"You are going down a path that we cannot follow."

Came the final whisper from Cloudrunner as his starry form wavered even further, his form harmlessly rippling from the blow that never even landed. The heavenly world that once surrounded them was now breaking away and melting, falling into river-like shadows that began to rise around them like a foreboding pool of darkness. The wind that had been gently rippling around them rose into a howling breeze that ripped and lashed at their fur and the rapidly dissolving heather that was ripped from the earth. The chunks of heather and earth that were torn from the ground beneath their paws vanished without a trace within mere heartbeats after they were lifted into the air. Following suit, Cloudrunner practically vanished before Laurelpaw's eyes, only leaving behind the cold scent of starlight that burned harshly within the air.

The world around them was whipped into a frenzied storm of darkness under the power of a storm that the waking world had never once seen before. Within the darkness came glimpses of the future and the past in a confusing jumble that moved much to quickly to truly discern. Voices chattered and rose and fell into respective howls, obviously matching whatever images were being tossed before Laurelpaw's eyes much too quickly for her to see. There was the roaring of a storm and the howling of the Gorge and rumble of its waters roaring over it's edge into oblivion before there was simple darkness and complete silence.


Back within the actual cave itself, the once overly bright moonlight that had flooded the cavern had dwindled down to the faintest glint of light that was barely detectable. The weak light of morning was just faintly on the horizon as the predawn light began to light the brief glimpse of sky that was visible within the opening to the moonstone. Brindlewhisker flexed her shoulders slightly as her stiff muscles ached in protest for sitting so still in an odd, upright position as she had all night. Blinking away the strain in her eyes, her ears perked slightly as she noticed that the breathing of an apprentice had changed. Someone had awoken. Brindlewhisker curiously began to watch the two young apprentice as she waited for one to stir from their dreams.

Cloverpaw finally managed to touch the moonstone despite his shaking body, his eyes instantly closing. His green eyes slowly opened to face the Starclan plains, his eyes wide with fear at what they could tell him. Was he not destined to be a warrior like his parents always told him? He didn't blame them..he was pathetic as a kit even more so as an apprentice. He could never cut it out to be a warrior, he would just be stuck as an apprentice his entire life. He looked down to his paws not even wanting to look up to face whatever Starclan has to throw at him.

(SORRY!! I've been so busy lately!! ;;)