Toadpaw's Moonstone Journey

Leopardclaw gazed tentatively up at the partly-cloudy morning sky as he padded across the clearing with a bundle of traveling herbs hanging from his jaws; today he would be taking yet another apprentice to the Moonstone, but if the weather got worse it's possible that the moon would be covered by stormy weather.  An obstacle of leaf-fall, but the deputy was hopeful in their chances.  He didn't smell any rain on the horizon, so, StarClan willing, they should be just fine.

"Toadpaw, it's time to get going!"  Dropping the herbs, he called into the entrance of the apprentice's den before sitting down to wait for the young tom.  He was always proud of any young cat who made it this far in their training, but given the fact that Toadpaw was his daughter's first apprentice he was a bit more excited than usual.  With a flick of his black-tipped ears, the long-legged tom watched with eager eyes for movement inside the den.

OOC: Thanks for the fast thread post! Ash offered her deceased cats, and I chose Ryestep to talk to Toadpaw.

IC:
In the shade of the apprentice den, Toadpaw's legs twitched as the light brown classic tabby dreamed that he was still chasing the rabbit he had caught during his incredibly successful assessment, which had taken place just recently. Leopardclaw's voice cut through his dream, waking the apprentice up.

Blinking into reality, the apprentice took in the sight of the moss nests around him; some apprentices were still in bed. In a slow, grudging manner, he uncurled and stretched, kneading his bedding, before looking again around him. For a heartbeat, he envied the other apprentices in their ability to stay in bed a while longer. However, that feeling passed, and he soon twitched his whiskers in amusement. He realized that he was fast approaching the end of his apprenticeship, and that he would soon be sleeping in the warriors' den as a fully-fledged warrior himself.

Feeling more satisfied, he gave himself a quick wash before jumping out of the den with enthusiasm. Seeing Leopardclaw near the entrance, he turned towards the deputy and meowed, "Hi, Leopardclaw! I think this may be the first time we've spoken to each other."

His ringed tail waved in anticipation, and his blue-green eyes carried the same sense of energy. "I've been waiting for this trip for, like, my entire apprenticeship!"

(occ: No problem ;D and alright, great!)

At the sight of the brown-spotted apprentice's energetic exit from the den, Leopardclaw chuckled slightly, and smiled down at the young cat.  He remembered from his own apprentice days how happy his denmates had been during this time, on the cusp of warriorhood, only days away from achieving the dream they'd had since kithood.  I wonder if I would have been like that, if fate had carved a different path...  "I'm glad to hear that...but before we set out you need to eat these."  He pushed the herb bundle towards Toadpaw with a front paw.  "They're traveling herbs, they will give you energy and curb your hunger for the journey ahead."  His head tilted slightly as he thought for a moment before purring; "You're right, I don't think we have spoken before Toadpaw; don't worry, there'll be plenty of time to talk on our trek."  Thanks to his position within the clan, Leopardclaw had began to grow more comfortable with talking to others in a casual manner within the recent moons; a small fragment of his anti-social tendencies seemed to eternally remain though, because his voice still reflected a bit of slight awkwardness.  Small talk had never been his forte.

Glad to hear that the deputy was willing to make conversation, he meowed, "I hope so. Maybe you can tell me about some of your adventures?" Flicking his ears in thought, he suddenly recalled, "I asked Birdflight once to tell me about her battles, but she didn't get to tell me in the end- we were too busy at the medicine cat den, after my shoulder got hurt. At least the medicine cat apprentice did a good job of fixing me up." Wistfully, he noted, "I wish Birdflight could come with us. This is the first assignment I've had without her with me. Plus, she'd be able to tell me about her adventures, too!" He said the last part with a laugh.

Bending down to eat the herbs, the brown swirled apprentice scarfed them up quickly with the same enthusiasm he had shown when exiting the den, but then nearly gagged them back up. He forced himself to swallow, not wanting to throw up in front of the deputy.

Sitting down and wiping his tongue furiously on his front paw in an effort to rid himself of the taste, he complained, "Gross! I really had to eat this?! It's so bitter! Ugh!"

When the taste finally faded, Toadpaw put down his paw before standing up. Although his body was relaxed again, Toadpaw still wore a slightly disgruntled look on his face.

My adventures?  In a brief moment of panic Leopardclaw wondered if he even had any adventurous stories to tell; the tales of Rockthorn's treachery seemed a bit dark for such a light-hearted occasion such as this, and he wasn't sure if the young tom would be particularly interested in stories about his personal life...  For a second he considered sharing his origins with Toadpaw, but the familiar clench in his stomach whenever he thought about that part of his life quickly erased the option from his mind.  Finally, he was left with only one; "Hmm...once we set out I'll tell you all about the dangerous rogue Bear, and how all five clans came together to defeat him."  He couldn't help but notice the wistful tone in Toadpaw's voice as he spoke of his mentor, the deputy's daughter.  His whiskers twitched, amused, as he tried to hide a suspecting smile.  "Don't be too disappointed, I'm sure she's appreciating the day off."  

Purring slightly at the sight of the tom's disgusted reaction to the herbs, he meowed; "You'll be grateful for them once we've made it out of WindClan territory, this isn't going to be a peaceful walk through the woods.  Come, follow me."  With a twitch of his tail, Leopardclaw jogged across the camp and exited through the gorse tunnel, glancing behind him periodically to make sure Toadpaw was keeping up.  Once they were a little ways away from camp though, the golden spotted tabby tom slowed down and purred; "Okay, are you ready for the story?"  He wanted to tell it before they left ThunderClan land, so that they weren't distracted in enemy territory.

Toadpaw immediately perked up at Leopardclaw's agreement to tell him a story. "All five clans? That sounds incredible," he exclaimed in awe. Thinking it over, he mused out loud, "So he was that dangerous, huh? I can't wait to hear this."

The apprentice listened before agreeing with a lazy, almost dreamy smile, "Yeah, you're right! I probably am a handful. Birdflight deserves to relax, for once."

Toadpaw couldn't help but chuckle at himself upon hearing Leopardclaw's purr; the brown swirled apprentice wasn't one to stay downbeat for long. With a nod at Leopardclaw's command to follow him, Toadpaw rose from his spot on the ground and followed the deputy's quick pace. The deputy's speed gave the sometimes unfocused apprentice no time to mentally wander, and so Toadpaw stayed alert, his ringed tail moving in excitement behind him.

When the golden deputy finally slowed down, Toadpaw decreased his speed too, although his tail was still raised and whipping around with energy. With his green-blue eyes on Leopardclaw, he meowed happily, "I'm all ears!"

{occ: If you want to read the battle topic by any chance, click here.  Also, sorry for the awfully long post ':D}

Leopardclaw smiled for a moment as he gazed down at the excited young tom; I wonder if this is how elders feel; constantly being badgered by kits for stories of the clan's heroism.  StarClan...that only makes me feel even older!  With a slight chuckle, the spotted deputy gazed out into the trees for a moment before starting to walk at a slow but steady pace; with a deep breath, he launched into the story.

"This happened many moons ago, when Blizzardstar was still Blizzardshine, deputy to Darkstar, now Darkflight.  I was just about the same age as you Toadpaw, a young tom nearing the end of my apprenticeship, when cats from all five clans started to mysteriously disappear.  Patrols began to not return back to camp, and adventurous apprentices hunting with their friends vanished without a trace.  From ThunderClan, three apprentices were captured, one of them being my best friend Lichenpaw.  We were all confused about what was happening, and fear was beginning to set in when one day, while I was hunting along the Fourtrees border, I found Lichenpaw."

He paused for a moment to jump over a fallen log before pushing on; "I asked where she had been, and she began to tell me everything.  You see, a vicious rogue tom named Bear had a vendetta against the clans, and had begun to attack small lone patrols, and take the cats captive so that he could build up an army to eventually take over the clans.  It wasn't only Clan cats though that fell victim to him; other rogues and loners, and even kittypets I would guess fell under his oppression as well.  All of these cats had been herded to the Abandoned Barn across WindClan territory.  We'll be passing it on our way to the Moonstone."

Leopardclaw's voice up until now had been quite casual, but a sharp tinge of bitterness began to burn within his words as he continued; "Cats from all five clans had been taken.  Bear showed mercy to no cat, and those who refused to join him were killed.  He took warriors and apprentices, medicine cats and pregnant queens...any cat who could help fuel his twisted scheme.  Once cats had been captured, they were guarded over by a group of what Lichenpaw called enforcers.  They were other bloodthirsty rogues - and even exiled clan cats - who had joined Bear, and if their prisoners didn't behave as they wished, they did not hesitate to punish them... harshly."

Trying hard to control his rage at the next memories, the tall golden tom-cat unsheathed his claws and dug them into the earth with every step, tearing up clods of soil.  "The prisoners were only let out of the barn to hunt, white being strictly watched by the enforcers.  Lichenpaw had managed to slip away during one of these forays, but her absence did not go unnoticed for long.  I tried to get her to run back to camp with me, but before we could Bear appeared out of the bushes.  To this day, he is still one of the most terrifying cats I have ever seen.  He was large and muscular, with a light brown heavily battle-scarred pelt, and intense pale eyes, flashing with cruelty and hatred.  H..he attacked Lichenpaw and dragged her away.  I couldn't do anything, I attacked him with all my might but to him I seemed as powerful as a newborn kit.  He swatted me to the ground and took away my best friend once again...later I found out she had been punished harshly for her actions, and she still bears the scars to this day."

For a moment Leopardclaw stopped talking, staring down at his paws as he tried to control his sudden burst of emotion.  Even though this had been so far in the past...the feeling of watching helpless as Bear had taken away his best friend, his beloved mate, was still so hard to suppress.  He consoled himself in his mind; it's okay, Lichenfang is safe.  She's waiting for you back at camp, just like she always is.; and after a moment he was ready to continue.  "What Bear didn't know though...was that the harmless apprentice he had spared, had just been informed of his 'army's' whereabouts.  I raced back to camp and told Blizzardsta-shine, and I was expecting us to rush into battle right away.  To my horror at the time though, she decided to wait until the Gathering that night, to see if the other clans would supply help."

Smiling wistfully, he purred; "You see Toadpaw, at the time I was quite oblivious to my true feelings about Lichenpaw.  My mind saw her as a good friend, nothing more; but...my heart said otherwise.  I didn't understand why I was so worked up about getting her back...I knew she could look out for herself, yet I was terrified that I would never see her again."  Meeting the young tom's gaze for a moment, he spared a moment for a bit of advice; "Love works in odd ways Toadpaw, sometimes the most unlikely of people in your life can be the ones that end up meaning the most to you."

They had almost reached the Fourtrees border where they would cross over onto the moorlands, so Leopardclaw began to talk a bit faster.  "So, where was I? Oh yes, the Gathering!
 Under the full moon that night, Blizzardstar shared my news, and we discovered that most of the other clans had learned of Bear's whereabouts as well.  They also had been waiting to speak with the other clans, before launching a foolhardy attack.  Plans were being made when, all of a sudden, one of ThunderClan's missing apprentices stumbled into the clearing, heavily injured and close to bleeding out.  This young cat, Spottedpaw, had been attacked by Bear and left for dead, but had managed to drag herself all the way to Fourtrees from the barn.  That obvious sign of Bear's true nature helped unite the more reluctant clans to our plan, and when we returned to camp that night everything was set."  He paused for a moment and frowned mournfully; "Spottedpaw survived the ordeal, but later died soon after becoming a warrior.  She was a brave cat...StarClan will honor her."

"The next morning Blizzardshine and I set out as ThunderClan's representatives for the battle.  Darkstar didn't want to send an apprentice, but I had made it clearly known that, even if I wasn't chosen, nothing would stop me from going anyway."  His whiskers twitched, amused; had he really been that much of a handful?  "Anyway, once the representatives from each clan were present, we set off for the Abandoned Barn.  At first the deputies tried to negotiate with Bear and his followers, but that was a loosing fight from the very start.  The battle began."

Leopardclaw's hazel eyes flashed with intensity as he continued; "Now Toadpaw, there was one very vital thing Bear had underestimated about the clan cats he had captured; their loyalty to their kin.  Not one captured clan cat turned on the clans during that fight.  They joined our ranks instantly, and Bear's rogues were quickly outnumbered.  Bear himself was killed by a ShadowClan warrior, and the fight was over almost as quickly as it had started.  I-"  The deputy cut himself off, and an odd expression evolved his face for a moment before he returned to the story.  "A lot of the rogues Bear had recruited were innocent cats, who were just looking for safety and food.  They didn't know what they were getting themselves into...so after the battle many of them decided to join the clans.  The only one I specifically remember was one she-cat who joined SkyClan, who now goes by...Pineheart I believe."  His smile returning, Leopardclaw finished off the story in a happy tone.  "All of the missing cats returned to their clans, including Lichenpaw - now Lichenfang.  After fighting in that battle we both earned our warrior names together, and the clans were safe once again."  Until Rockthorn came along, that is.  

By this time the two toms were about to cross the WindClan border, but he paused for a moment to allow Toadpaw to comment on the story before they continued with their journey.  Whew...that was a longer story than I though it would be!

OOC: Wow, that's a lot of lore! Sorry for not posting sooner; I kind of had to mull through the information.

Thanks so much for both the battle link and this post! I joined WCC only recently after the last sitewide plot had ended, so I missed out on most clan lore so far. The part where Bear was killed by his own long-lost brother was particularly interesting to me. There were so many characters involved in this arc. I'm actually surprised that Leopardclaw was an apprentice less than a year ago (~8 months ago), considering now he's the deputy!

I really like how Leopardclaw intentionally tied in that part about Lichenpaw/ fang- the love motif in this thread is huge for Toadpaw, as you know; I even asked the spirit cat RPer (Ash) to throw in some love advice, so this is probably one of the most important themes of this topic. All in all, awesome choice in what story to tell to Toadpaw.

IC:
Following Leopardclaw's slower gait, the brown classic tabby padded just a few paw steps behind the older golden spotted tom. As Toadpaw listened to the story, he became wrapped up in the vivid story; yet again, he had no time to waste in becoming distracted. He really did... all that when he was an apprentice? His jaw was slightly agape in his amazement. Toadpaw's humble adventures paled in comparison to this retelling. He had never even fought a cat before!

When Leopardclaw mentioned love, he felt an unexpected squeeze in his chest. He was a little puzzled by that. Why... did that seem so meaningful just then? I'm not in love, right? He blinked back at Leopardclaw in slight confusion with his green-blue eyes. He had little time to ponder, however, before Leopardclaw continued with his tale.

The apprentice was a little saddened to hear about Spottedpaw's premature fate, but he realized that cats have to die sooner or later.

At hearing about Lichenpaw's ordeal, his heart dropped a little, but at the end, he heaved a little sigh of relief when Leopardclaw mentioned how she, along with the other cats, were safe.

When Leopardclaw finally finished his tale, he burst out, "Great StarClan- that, THAT, was an amazing story! I can't believe you did all of that when you were my age! Compared to you, what I've done so far is- well, nothing! He laughed a little at the expense of himself.

His eyes shining with interest, he meowed, "What's even more amazing is that, from what I heard, pretty much everyone except for Bear survived. Loyalty is what saved the clans, then? I think that makes sense- you were loyal to Lichenpaw, and both stolen cats and clan cats alike were loyal to their clans."

His eyes becoming a little soft, he commented, "I can relate. Birdflight's been "loyal" to me, in a lot of ways, as my mentor."

(occ: It's no problem my friend ;D  I love the site lore, but honestly I don't really know a lot of it either; I only really know the stuff I was in in detail.  I haven't even been here a year yet, so I'm still learning about stuff day by day  Yea, the Bear arc was a lot of fun!  And yes, Leo became deputy when he was really young xD)

Leopardclaw purred, pleased that the young brown tabby tom had liked the story, but he was quite surprised to see how...impressed he was by his own actions in the story.  I didn't really do anything too important...at least not that I told him about anyway.  I just ran across Lichenpaw and got thrown into the whole thing...  Slightly embarrassed, the golden warrior licked the thick fur on his chest self-consciously, and meowed; "Ah, um...w..well, don't be too hard on yourself Toadpaw.  Keep in mind that legends are usually born out of tragedy...you should be grateful that you - and the clan - haven't had to go through anything too exciting for a little while."  With a little wink, he purred; "Don't worry though, I'm sure someday you'll get a chance to show the clans what you're made of."

Nodding his agreement to Toadpaw's theory, the spotted tom replied; "Yes, loyalty alone is what led to our overwhelming victory that day.  Loyalty to the clans, to the Warrior Code, to our families and friends, to StarClan...it is a precious thing that no cat should ever take for granted.  Cats like Bear thought that brute strength and fear alone could control the actions of the clan cats...but true loyalty to what matters will always prevail."  An intense gleam had begin to glimmer within his hazel eyes as he spoke, but with a shake of his head he drew himself back into the present.  This was the beginning of a Moonstone journey, not a casual conversation in camp; they needed to get going.  With a flick of his striped tail, Leopardclaw stepped across the border and began to lead the way through the uplands, but not before he acknowledged Toadpaw's ahem....gratitude towards his daughter.  He didn't speak, only smiled, as the two continued their trek.

Continuing to walk along, Toadpaw thought about it and reluctantly agreed with the deputy about the lack of excitement as a good thing, "Well,
I guess so... " He couldn't resist adding, "STILL, I'd like to do something REALLY cool sooner or later!"

After Leopardclaw commented on his thoughts of loyalty, Toadpaw piped up, "Speaking of StarClan- so it's really true that a dead warrior will speak to me? That sounds so cool- I hope it's someone who did something really great, like a leader, or a deputy like you!" A heartbeat or two later, Toadpaw puzzled aloud, "But what if... Is it possible for someone like... BEAR... to talk to me?!"

(I apologize for the delay Dx)

As the two cats began to cross over onto WindClan's moorland territory, the dappled sunlight that managed to slide between cracks in the puffy gray clouds above warmed their backs; Leopardclaw's paws itched to run across the vast open land, but he didn't want to risk leaving Toadpaw behind within enemy borders.  Besides, they still had quite a ways to go, and it wouldn't do for the patrol leader to use up all his energy.  Swerving between patches of dying heather and gorse, the golden spotted tabby flicked his hazel eyes over to the inquisitive apprentice at his side.  The deputy nodded his head yes, confirming Toadpaw's query about what would happen at the Moonstone, and couldn't help the flush of warmth that rushed to his face at his awed compliment.  When he voiced his worry though, Leopardclaw stiffened slightly.  His eyes narrowed into slits, his paws halted for a moment on the peaty earth.  "No.  Bear, or any other cat that has proudly done wrong by the clans, do not have a place within StarClan's ranks.  He - they - can't visit you tonight, I promise."  Though he had spoken with intensity, his gaze reflected peace and comfort, and he laid a reassuring tail across the brown tabby tom's shoulder before picking up the pace.  

They soon neared the edge of the moorland; Twolegplaces and Thunderpaths loomed ahead of them, but before Leopardclaw dashed down the hill towards their destination, he diverted their path to bring them fairly close to the Abandoned Barn he had spoken about earlier.  He made sure though to keep his distance; rogues still took up residence inside the large structure, and they didn't need to face a fight right now.  Flicking his tail in it's direction, he purred; "This is the Abandoned Barn from the story.  We can't go in, so just study it from afar."

OOC: Excellent, I'm glad you posted! I was going to send a PM to you otherwise today if you hadn't. I haven't been on WCC in 1-2 weeks, so I'm happy to see that progress. Thanks!

IC: Following the deputy closely, Toadpaw replied regarding Bear and other fellow wrongdoers, "Oh, then I'm glad they won't be around! I may like mischief, but I don't like being cruel! I hope whoever talks to me is going to be an incredible warrior who died fighting for what he believes in or something cool, not something cruel."

Toadpaw was puzzled when Leopardclaw abruptly changed paths, but still followed him without words until the golden tom explained that it was the Abandoned Barn. The swirled tabby's expression changed from silent confusion to utter amazement. "Great StarClan, this is awesome!" Although they were far from the barn, he could still see its impressively tall structure. "It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I've never seen anything like it. It does smell like strange cats." he noted. Toadpaw had never seen anything made by Twolegs before, nor had he crossed paths with rogues himself before.

Leopardclaw stared for a long moment at the tall structure before them, his eyes burning with pride...but a faint flicker of something else also flashed in their greenish-hazel depths.  Wistfulness, regret, sorrow?  There was no time for any cat to say for sure, in an instant the tom came back to the present.  "Yes, it's quite impressive.  Twolegs might be mouse-brains...but they sure know how to build nests."  He whiskers twitched for a moment, amused by his own statement, before he turned back to the task at hand.  "Let's get going, we don't have all the time in the world."  Whipping around, he set his paws back towards Highstones, and the two cats ventured forth into Twoleg territory.

The sun had just dipped below the horizon when Leopardclaw and Toadpaw finally scaled the last few steps to bring them to Mothermouth, a gaping opening in the cliffside.  Only darkness lay between them and the Moonstone now; after a quick rest, Leopardclaw beckoned the apprentice forward as he approached the tunnel entrance, and stepped over the threshold.  "Follow me closely Toadpaw."

Still staring at the building, Toadpaw was impressed by Leopardclaw's comment and mused, "This was made by Twolegs? No wonder I haven't seen anything like it. I've never seen a Twoleg in all my life, either." He turned to the deputy and meowed, "You sure know a whole lot!"

At Leopardclaw's statement that they should get going, he agreed excitedly, "Yes, I can't wait to see what warrior I get!" Seeing that the deputy had moved forward again, the swirled tom sprang after the deputy's quick steps and followed him once more.

He swiveled his head around at the Twoleg structures in Twolegplace and meowed, "Wow, these are like the Abandoned Barn, but different. So these are Twoleg nests,
too?"

Toadpaw leaping up on the rocks near Mothermouth after Leopardclaw. He had been practicing his jumping since his kithood, and so he made the ascension with relative ease. Finally seeing the cavern, he blinked into the inkiness. He was disappointed that it looked so unwelcoming and dark. Wryly, he meowed, "So this is where the magic happens, huh? It doesn't look so amazing to me."

Despite his noticeable disappointment, Toadpaw still hopped closer to Leopardclaw upon the deputy's command and nodded once to show that he was still on board with the plan.

"Oh, I wouldn't judge so quickly Toadpaw..."  With a slight hint of a smirk, Leopardclaw continued to follow the winding tunnel path down deeper into the abyss, the air gradually growing colder as the stone above them grew thicker.  This was a quiet place, and the ThunderClan deputy did nothing to break through the eerie tension in the air.  He was too focused on keeping his pace quick and steady to make small talk with the young tom at his side; it was getting late, they needed to hurry if they wanted to see the 'magic' happen in time.

Soon enough, a faint light began to flicker at the end of the tunnel, and soon enough the two cats entered into a large cavern, in which a translucent crystal took up residence.  At the moment it only sparkled faintly in the diluted light, but the spotted deputy knew that as soon as the moon appeared...  For a moment the two waited, Leopardclaw's hazel eyes fixed on the small hole in the ceiling above that revealed a small piece of the night sky.  Finally, the crescent moon began to pass over, and the crystal before them burst into life.

It was a truly magnificent sight, but there was not a lot of time to revel in it.  Leopardclaw stepped forward and addressed Toadpaw formally, his golden pelt looking many shades lighter than usual.  "Toadpaw, it is time for you to meet with StarClan.  Step forward, and touch your nose to the stone.  May sleep find you quickly."  Padding away from the Moonstone, he sat down and waited, prepared for a long night.