Coyotepaw's Moonstone Journey

Another day, another journey for an apprentice of the clan; but today, this one was different.  Wolffang's nighttime plea rang in his ears as Leopardclaw padded across the clearing to the apprentice's den, dropping the bundle of traveling herbs out front before peeking his head inside, and calling for the gray tabby she-cat's son.  "Coyotepaw?  If you're ready, it's time to leave."  Ducking out, the long-legged tom settled down to wait for the younger cat, his hazel eyes flitting up to the slightly-overcast sky.

Coyotepaw's head rested on top of his paws as he waited to be summoned for their journey. Apparently, it was required for all cats who were to become warriors. He still wasn't sure if he was decided on becoming one, but it had been his mother's wish that he live the life she turned her back on. His tail tip twitched slightly as he remembered she was dead. The Shadowclan leader had mentioned it so casually as he stood before the forest. Their former leader's life had overshadowed hers. One of their warriors had killed the she-cat that had defended him with her life, and was most likely being praised for it. Everything had left him feeling rather miserable lately. However, he did not let it show. In the past few moons, since he had left his kithood behind, the grey-brown tabby tom had learned to sort through things. Instead of being the sniffling kit he was in the city, Coyotepaw now only acted with his head instead of his emotions. It was the only way to survive.

As Leopardclaw called his name, he rose very slowly up onto his paws. In his head, he held to the firm belief that it was ridiculous to travel such a long ways simply to take a rest. The clan cats claim they spoke to their dead ancestors, but it seemed like a very idiotic concept to the tom. Once a cat was dead, they were dead. He would never see him mother again, never snuggle up into her warm fur on one of her good days, nor would he be able to breath in her unique scent. All of that was gone. If the idea that one could speak to lost love once through 'special dreams', good for them, but he would never be so foolish as to fall for it. For some reason his mother had clung so desperately to such fantasies. Every cat had to have their flaw. This all seemed to bounce through his head in the short walk to the entrance. Internally, he was very frustrated, alongside the plethora of other emotions that churned in his stomach. But this had to be done in order to follow the path Wolffang had laid out for him.

As he stepped out of the musty air of the den, his amber eyes quickly settled on the spotted deputy. He had never gotten much time to get to know the older tom, but he supposed that time would be now as they set off for the sparkly stone or whatever the hell the Thunderclan cats called it. Keeping a neutral expression, Coyotepaw dipped his head to Leopardclaw. His head bowed to lap up what he knew were travelling herbs. In order to get there at the right time, they had to forgo eating and force down some plants. His tongue and stomach both protested at the taste, but he showed no external reaction of that displeasure. As soon as it was over, he simply meowed, "I am ready whenever."

Leopardclaw smiled slightly as Coyotepaw emerged from the den, nodding back a greeting as he watched, slightly impressed, as the brown tabby tom downed the traveling herbs without any sign of disgust or discomfort; even he couldn't hold back from wrinkling his nose when he took his share.  His paws kneaded the dirt patiently as he waited, but luckily for him the apprentice didn't take long.  Outwardly, Leopardclaw purred and stood up, flicking his tail as he meowed; "Well then, let's head out.  The earlier the better."  On the inside though, he felt as if a worm was twisting and wriggling inside his stomach, slightly taken aback by the lack of enthusiasm present in Coyotepaw's reply.  He was used to apprentices jumping around like insane squirrels when he mentioned it was time to leave, but when he began to think about it he really shouldn't have been surprised.  Coyotepaw had never been a very energetic cat...plus the recent news delivered at the Gathering must've greatly shaken him.

Walking at a steady pace, Leopardclaw led the way out of the camp and out into the shaded forest, where away from the hustle and bustle of camp awkward silence quickly began to fall over the two cats.  His hazel eyes set straight ahead, the golden spotted tom tried to think of something to say, something that might start some sort of conversation.  There was of course, the obvious, but he wasn't positive if that would illicit a great reaction.  If Coyotepaw was anything like he had been when he was his age, the mentioning of undesirable past events by a stranger clanmate could cause him to clam up even more.  Still...that was the only think he knew they had in common.

Still not taking his eyes off of the path, the spotted deputy meowed lowly, his statement coming out more as a rasp, "I...I'm sorry about your mother."

Coyotepaw nodded and followed alongside Leopardclaw. He hoped this would go by quickly and that they would be be there soon. Then, he could return back to camp and get restful sleep in his nest instead of with his head rested against a stone. His paws dragged lightly as they continued. Unlike all of his denmates, the tabby tom could not have been less thrilled by the prospect of this all. As they set out on their journey, he stared straight ahead, not looking for any sort of conversation. All that needed to happen was making it to the highstones, he would pretend to have some awe-inspiring chat with a dead cat, and they would forget the whole thing ever happened. Nothing else. But, the deputy broke through the silence, much to his disappointment.

My mother. He almost stopped short. Yet, his paws carried on, albeit a little slower than before. Not knowing quite what to say, he studied the ground intently. Nightly sounds seemed to drown everything out. The glow of the sun began to fade. And Coyotepaw could not even figure out even the slightest bit of speech to throw back at Leopardclaw. He had avoided the subject with every other cat. Most, however, did not say anything. They either did not know or did not care about some dead rogue. That was all Wolffang was to them, just another dead rogue. No one cared, even though she had their precious warrior blood flowing through her. He closed his eyes for a brief second and could picture her thin, soft face. She had seemed like the most amazing warrior and most beautiful she-cat to him as a kit; she had been his protector from all things including Reno, and further more, his everything. Leaving was one thing, but death... that was far more final.

"It's fine." He finally grunted softly, not at all meeting the deputy's eyes. Coyotepaw focused on the path ahead of them. The words faded into the rest of the sound. It was as if he had never spoken. And still, all he cared about in the moment was getting this over with. Then, he could go back to being on his own.

After making a graceful leap over a fallen tree, Leopardclaw finally looked up from the path that lay ahead of them, gazing at the young tom beside him for just a moment in a slightly quizzical way before looking down again with a soft sigh.  Oh StarClan, he could see so much of himself in this sad young cat; it pained his heart to the deepest degree.  The same unwillingness to open up to others, to let their emotions show...to let hope flourish.  Fate worked in mysterious ways...he never would've guessed that he would be standing beside the child of the downtrodden, scared she-cat he had helped escape the wrath of the clans.  He had seen promise in her at the time, despite all her flaws and bad life decisions; was Coyotepaw the product of that?

The news of Wolffang's untimely death had in equal parts saddened and disappointed him, and he hoped that his voice conveyed those feelings as he continued in a calm tone.  "I knew her, you know.  Not very well, but well enough to know that she didn't deserve to die like that.  She was an honorable, good-hearted cat, who unfortunately made some bad choices.  We're all criminal of that though...no cat is perfect, and the world isn't fair.  Some are forced to take the harder blow..."  Falling silent, Leopardclaw couldn't help but think of Rockthorn; maybe if he hadn't antagonized him that day so long ago, things could've been different.  Rockthorn could've been a great warrior, it's possible that Darkflight would've still been leader...maybe Cherrykit wouldn't have died.  One action can lead to a thousand consequences you can never see coming, good or bad.

The young tabby already had a sharp retort on the end of his tongue as the deputy spoke once more. However, it fell away instantly as Leopardclaw spoke. His amber eyes fixed on the ground as he contemplated what to say next. He had not expected so much understanding from the other Thunderclan cat. So many warriors and cats of the forest only saw her for the mistakes she had made, not for who she was. But, Leopardclaw's thoughts seemed to align with his own. Much to his surprise, the deputy seemed to understand. Tail flickering softly, the apprentice stared at their journey ahead. Perhaps getting out of camp and going on this seemingly pointless journey would provide a breath of fresh air. For so long he had struggled with living alongside cats who saw the world in a completely different way than him. Each was born, or had been with them for a long time, and raised into clan life. He supposed that would be him too, but with the trauma of his childhood, there was so much Coyotepaw clung onto.

A world of wholly different belief systems was a hard one to live. Almost every cat seemed ignorant to life outside of the one they lived. Leopardclaw seemed different; he seemed to be a lot more like Blizzardstar than the young cat had expected. Perhaps that was what made him such a good deputy. The internal conflict of the situation, and his prior notions of the deputy, gave way to a rare respect from Coyotepaw. In the cities, earning another cat's respect was both rare and difficult. That was something he still so desperately clung to at his core. Very few Thunderclan cats had managed to gain his trust, but Leopardclaw had softened his heart in only a few words. Still a little hesitantly, he glanced up to meet the warrior's eyes. Seeing the honestly there, he muttered back softly, "Thank you. No cat seems to understand that."

Smiling kindly down at Coyotepaw, Leopardclaw only nodded in response to his words before turning back to the journey ahead of them; suddenly it seemed though, that his paws had been captured into the ground, and the long-legged tom came to a halt.  His eyes widening in a sad, mournful sort of way, the golden deputy stared off into the distance for a moment, gazing at Highstones as if he could see beyond the high stone hills, into the distant beyond.  In took him a moment, but eventually the spotted golden tom managed to speak, his voice very low and almost hard to hear above the sound of the breeze.  "Do not blame your clanmates for their ignorance Coyotepaw.  Unlike you and I, they truly cannot imagine what it would be like to live outside of the safety of ThunderClan's walls.  Being an outsider in the place you call home is one of the toughest burdens to bear..."
 
For a moment he closed his eyes, as if a war was waging behind his eyes, dark memories of depressing times interfering with the precious light he had come to claim, but when he came back around his eyes seemed to blaze with unquenchable passion, his voice much stronger than before.  "Thus, you must carry the weight with courage, hope, and honor.  Prove to the doubters that you will not be overlooked, that you can - you will - be just as good as they claim to be, if not better.  Wherever you may find yourself young one, proceed with courage, and honor."  It was like a spell had fallen over the usually solemn tomcat, and as quickly as it had fallen the mood vanished.  His eyes back to their normal bright hazel, Leopardclaw narrowed his eyes against the sun and flicked his tail, beginning to walk again.  "It's not far now, if we don't hurry the moon will rise before we can get down there."

Coyotepaw listened with a mild interest. Everything the deputy said seemed so far out of his world of thought. Ideas of 'courage', 'hope', and 'honor' seemed like they had nothing to do with him. The apprentice was well aware of the fact he would never be one of the great cats of the legends his mother had told him as a kits. In fact, he felt very little allegiance to Thunderclan or most of his clanmates. His was only here because it was where Wolffang had willed him to be. The young tabby lived only to attempt to live out the life as a warrior his mother had longed him to. That was not something any cat could understand, nor that he could share with them. He simply nodded as Leopardclaw spoke of all these things. Maybe he would consider them later, but for now they went in one ear and out the other.

In the end, he said nothing. Coyotepaw quickened his pace to follow the deputy. His slender frame and long legs made it fairly easy to keep up. For the first time, the apprentice noted how far he had come since joining the clan. No longer was he the soft kit he had come in as, he was about to be a warrior. Not even Reno was able to handle warriors. This tempted him to earn the name. The fact that he would also be fulfilling his death mother's wishes was another idea. Even in her death, he regarded her more highly than most cats. No, she was not watching him above, but for his own drive to do it for her, it had to be done. Ignoring any matters of the deeper meaning, the tom simply thought of the title and notion of strength behind it. Finding and internal motivator, he rushed forwards. The black tom would tremble in his grave at the sight of Coyotepaw. And if that meant sleeping by a rock for a bit, he would do it.

Leopardclaw stayed quiet as the two continued the last leg of their journey, his voice seemingly spent on his passionate outburst.  His mind though, swirled with many different thoughts, and the thoughtful look in his eyes seemed to give the deputy a distracted sort of vibe.  The truth though, was far from that.  Soon enough, the two toms were standing in front of Mothermouth, on the threshold between light and dark.  Gazing at Coyotepaw beside him, Leopardclaw raised his brow in a questioning manner, asking silently; are you ready?

Amber eyes peered down into the darkness. In the city, things had always been lit, and he was still not comfortable in the complete blackness of the forest nights. This seemed even more crushing. He swallowed back and fears and terrified thoughts. Coyotepaw dug his claws into the ground. All he needed to do was sleep by the glowing rock, dream for a few moments, and then he could be the warrior his mother always dreamed. Sucking in a deep breath, he turned to Leopardclaw and nodded, waiting to plunge in after the spotted deputy.

With a smile, Leopardclaw stepped forward and was sucked once again into the complete darkness of Mothermouth, so familiar now yet also so mysterious and foreboding.  It was a true test of courage to traverse these tunnels without any guiding light; maybe that was one of the reasons all apprentices came here before earning their full names.  Of course visiting with StarClan was the true mission, but the perilous journey also brought out much of a cat's true nature.  Glancing back at the brown tabby tom once, the golden deputy set his sights ahead, watching his paws as they slowly passed tunnel openings and pointed stones.  Finally, after a particularly narrow stretch of passage, the walls expanded to show the way into the Moonstone cavern.  

No matter how many times he saw it, he was always amazed by the true beauty the crystal held within it's sparkling depths.  The moon was already out and shining in the night sky, so the duo was greeted by the blinding light that gave the stone it's name.  Wasting no time, Leopardclaw stepped aside and nodded towards the sacred rock.  "It's ready for us; may sleep find you quick Coyotepaw, I will be here when you wake up."  Vaguely, he wondered who the young tom would speak to; the obvious answer was his mother, but it was possible that StarClan wouldn't send her.  Hmm...In that case I would guess Grasswhisker.

OCC: yeaaaah I decided not to have him speak to anyone bc he is a disbelieving pleb

A chill ran down his spine as he followed the deputy's scent. The damp scented tunnel only deafened his sense of smell. As they continued, his tail tip twitched anxiously. Coyotepaw was grateful that the spotted tom couldn't see him in this moment. It took everything in him to keep a neutral expression and push away the fear. The closer they got and deeper they went, the more the apprentice wanted to turn and run. However, he managed to keep his pawsteps controlled. It seemed like moons later when light washed over the pelt in front of him. Relief started to settle his thudding heart. Ahead was the thing that he had heard so much about, the place so many of his denmates longed to come to-- the moonstone. Surprisingly, it did seem as brilliant as he had been told. His eyes fixed on the glowing rock. Strange.

Leopardclaw spoke, breaking him out of the trance. As he tore his eyes away, the tom noticed that it appeared to be a reflection of the moon. At least it made sense. As the deputy spoke, he nodded briefly before stepping to the stone. Time to get this over with. He settled down on the hard stone and touched his nose to the glowing rock. Immediately his fur stood on end because of the chill of it. But, it settled after a moment as he got used to the feeling. Thankfully, the journey had made him rather exhausted. Sleep seemed to come easily and he drifted into unconsciousness.

As he blinked awake the world around seemed a little strange. The scenery was clearly a mixture of the forest and the city where he had been born. Shoots of green grass and other growth broke through cracks in the grey stone that had made up the cityscape. Everything was peaceful. There was no noise of the roaring beasts of twolegs. Nothing thudded down the roads. It was all quiet. The tabby's chest swelled with a sense of belonging. His own world was made up of two pieces, neither of which felt quite right. There was no place that he fit. That seemed to be at the forefront in his mind as he glanced around. After a bit, he saw a brightly colored butterfly flitting off to the left. In a surprisingly kit-like mood, a soft grin peeled back his lips as he stalked after it. The creature stayed just out of reach while he raced after it with a springy step.

A jovial yowl broke from his throat in the first time in forever. It seemed like an entire day before the eternal sun had set and the peaceful scenery faded. His amber eyes blinked awake. Coyotepaw was back in reality. At least coming here had given him some restful sleep. He wanted to make some comment about how the clan cat's brains were filled with fluff about the stars. Starclan had not come for him. Rising onto all four paws, he stretched out, while blinking a few times. The apprentice turned to face Leopardclaw with a neutral expression, "I supposed we head back now?"

(occ: blasphemous sinner.  I knew, Leo's just a mind speculator ;D)

Leopardclaw, while waiting for Coyotepaw to awaken, had almost drifted away into his own realm of sleep, but the sound of the young tom's fur rustling against the stone brought him back to reality.  With a sleepy half smile, the long-legged golden tom rose to his paws and stretched out, the muscles along his spine rippling from the effort.  Meeting eyes with the brown tabby tom, he nodded and flicked his tail, turning to lead the way back up the tunnel.  He couldn't help but notice though, Coyotepaw's lack of reaction to the time of dreaming; of course he knew the tom-cat wasn't one to jump up and down like an excited kit, or squeal about how awesome it was...but still, he knew from experience that even the most stoic of apprentices usually awoke with a wonder-struck glimmer in their eyes, as if a little drop of starlight had made it's home within the iris.  Coyotepaw though, just looked...normal, bored almost.  Even despite his curious concern, Leopardclaw didn't ask any questions; it wasn't his place.  Besides, they had a long walk home; might as well save his breath.