Sweetpaw's Moonstone Journey

The tom left the den with an exhausted look. The sudden increase of foxes in Riverclan's territory, the patrols he had to organize to gather the herbs that Goldenpaw needed and the fears of losing more clanmates left him more tired than usual. With slow and heavy steps, the tom walked to the entrance and waited for the apprentice to come. It had been a while since he last went to the Moonstone and maybe the trip would help him to fade a bit his other worries and get a good time to sleep. Jaystream sighed... being deputy was mentally exhausting but he couldn't disappoint his family collapsing with all the responsibilities and Sweetpaw didn't deserve to wait for too long to talk to Starclan like the other apprentices.

Sweetpaw padded daintily and elegantly through the soft powdered snow from the apprentices' den to where the Clan deputy was waiting for her. She stopped before him and bowed her head politely. "Good morning, Jaystream," she mewed happily. She then frowned at the look of fatigue on his face. "Are you feeling okay? If you're too tired, we can always reschedule." Truth be told, the last thing she wanted to do was reschedule; she wanted to become a warrior as soon as possible! But of course, the well-being of her Clanmates meant more to her than anything -- well, almost anything... -- and she would be willing to delay her warrior ceremony if it meant she'd be helping her Clanmates.

Jaystream nodded and purred at the young she-cat, remembering how she called for him when Smokepaw was in the medicine cat den. Sweetpaw seemed like a cat that worries more about her clanmates than herself, just like him."Altruism is a good quality for a warrior, Sweetpaw, and I thank you for your concerns but responsibilities come first and my job as a deputy is to guide you in your trip." He said softly before giving her the pack of travelling herbs she needed before going. "Eat this. They'll help you during the journey and I recommend you to do it quick. Most apprentices don't like the taste." The deputy ate his herbs, not minding the bitter taste and then looked at the cloudy pale sky that hid the light of the warm sun appearing in the horizon as he waited for the young cat to finish.

Sweetpaw obeyed, gulping down the bitter herbs as quickly as she could. She gagged at the taste, but didn't complain. She drew her tongue over her lips multiple times to get rid of the foul taste.

Jaystream left the camp flicking his tail so the apprentice would see it was time. With long steps, the two cats walked through the reeds as two lean shadows under the morning sun rising in the sky. The snow felt so good under his paws and he enjoyed the fresh feeling of his kithood. The soft snow reminded him of Softpaw and Hailkit but this time he didn't feel sad about it. He was happy for just being able of knowing them before they had to join Starclan. Maybe one day... he would see them again in the moment he touches the Moonstone again but today it was Sweetpaw's turn.

The rushing water stopped the walking of the deputy as he looked at the rock path at the side of the bridge. "Follow me and remember every stone where I land. Be careful, it must be slippery with the ice." He recommended before jumping toward the rocks and then moving forward to the other side of the river, outside of Riverclan's territory.

Sweetpaw nodded and watched the RiverClan deputy cross the river over the stones, the frigid water underneath lapping at the ice-slippery rocks, as if just waiting for a cat to fall in so it could sap the warmth from it like a tick feeding on a cat's blood. She gulped nervously when it was her turn. She had only learned how to swim once, and that was when she was a kit by the Broken Pools. That was such a long time ago, though, and with the water being as cold as it was during leaf-bare she hardly had any swimming practice.

She leaped on the first stone, yelping when she felt the slickness of the surface due to the rather thick sheet of ice that covered it. She took a deep, shaky breath before leaping to the next rock, then the next. She slipped once or twice, but she never fell in. The other side of the bank was getting closer.

All of a sudden, her hind paws slipped right out from under her when she tried to leap to the last rock. With a yowl that was cut off abruptly, she fell into the dark freezing water below. The air was knocked right out of her at the unexpected low temperature, and she struggled to find sturdy ground to haul her head back up to the surface before she could involuntarily suck in a lungful of water instead of air. She felt the current pull her further downstream, and soon enough she didn't even know which direction was up anymore. StarClan, help me!

The warrior felt the soft ground like always and turned his head expecting to see the apprentice coming to his way. But she wasn't on the rocks anymore and her yowl was the only thing he got before her disappearance. His green eyes searched desperately for the young she-cat and when he finally saw a pair of brown paws struggling under the water, he jumped without doubting.

Jaystream swam swiftly to Sweetpaw and dove his head when he was close enough. Picking her up by the scruff, the tall warrior carried her up so she could breathe for a second and then he moved to the shore waving his legs as fast as he could with a cat in his jaws. The deputy left the brownish she-cat in the ground just like he did with Cinderpaw in a long gone past and pushed her body kindly. "Sweetpaw! Can you hear me? Please try to speak if you're okay!" He cried desperately. How was possible that she couldn't swim?! All Riverclan cats must swim before turning themselves into warriors! Why didn't Splashwillow teach her like every mentor should do?

As soon as Sweetpaw's head emerged, she began gasping for breath. She wheezed and coughed on the riverbank, her side rising and falling with desperate breath. Thankfully she wasn't underwater for too long, so barely any water got into her lungs. However, she was incredibly cold and a little tired, not to mention thoroughly spooked.

She opened up her eyes and looked up at Jaystream, her voice soft and shaky from the near-death experience. "I-I'm okay. Thank you for s-saving me." She began to shiver violently, and her teeth clattered a little. She struggled up to her paws and shook out her fur, showering cold droplets all around her and on the RiverClan deputy. She looked up at him apologetically. "O-Oh, sorry..."

The cold was getting him quickly but the tom didn't mind that. After being sure that the she-cat was well, he gave her a severe and concerned look. "Why...? Why don't you know how to swim, Sweetpaw? Did your mentor never teach you that basic skill? I mean, our clan is known for swimming and every Riverclan warrior know how to do that. Apprentices that come here are ready to become warriors, they know how you hunt, defend themselves and move in water. That's why the trip isn't dangerous for them. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Jaystream hated to be so harsh on a young apprentice but that lack of knowledge was simply unacceptable for a cat so near to become an official and independent member of the clan.

The grey tabby narrowed his eyes before shaking his fur and returning to his speech. "I'm taking you to the Moonstone because I thought you were ready but now I see that I was mistaken. However..." The warrior sighed, closing his eyes tired. Even if the she-cat didn't know that... he just couldn't mess up her trip like that. "We won't go back. I'll guide you to the end of this journey and then we'll come back to the camp but you must promise me that you'll learn how to swim properly before getting your warrior name, okay?" His green eyes looked at her yellow gaze seriously.

Sweetpaw's ears folded back and her head dipped sadly. "I-I learned a little when I was a kit, but Splashwillow said that since it was leaf-bare, the water would be too cold to learn how to swim. Do I have to wait until newleaf before I can become a warrior, just because it's too cold to learn how to swim?..." That would be so unfair! Jaystream wouldn't really do that, would he?...

The tom looked at her more comprehensive and smiled, leaving that unusual severe expression. "Well... Splashwillow did what she thought it was better and I don't blame her or you. Of course, you'll not have to wait for New-Leaf. If everyone did that then we wouldn't have new warriors during newleaf. But it's not impossible to learn. Let me tell you a story as we walk." He purred, guiding the apprentice through the territories.

"I was born with my brother during leafbare, you know? And I had to train during this cold weather just like you. I wasn't a good fisher and I never had battle training because of my mentor, Poplarstripe, who died soon after my apprentice ceremony. But that didn't stop me. I train by myself every day and for me, the first skill that I learned was swimming. Of course, the water was freezing and some days it was impossible to get in without getting ill but I took advantage of every sunny day to go and try to swim at least for just a few seconds. It may be not the best way but you can try it too. It worked for me and I'm sure it will work for you too." He purred with a gentle smile. His apprentice-hood was more lonely than other's clanmates but he didn't waste that time... no, he forced himself to work harder even if he had to be alone. That was the only path for him to become a warrior and now... he was the deputy. Who would have expected that Jaypaw, one of the apprentices whose warrior's ceremony were delayed because of lack of proper training, would know the next cat to become a leader? He didn't but now this was his life, even if he didn't ask for this high rank.

Sweetpaw looked up in surprise at Jaystream. He had to train himself, all by himself? She couldn't imagine how lonely he must've felt during his youth. But knowing this certainly seemed to help her. If RiverClan's incredible deputy could teach himself how to swim, she could, too. "Thank you for telling me. I'll work as hard as I can to learn how to swim. Then I'll become one of RiverClan's best warriors."

The warrior smiled. "That's the spirit, Sweetpaw! I have no doubts about you as long as you follow the Code. You'll be a good warrior." After he said that, the grey path where the monsters crossed soon appeared in front of the two cats. All the chat distracted Jaystream and he didn't notice when they arrived. Time passed faster when you talked he thought to himself before stopping Sweetpaw with a movement of his fluffy tail. "This is the Thunderpath, the place where cats from different clans have died under the paws of the monsters but I don't know if you can actually call that thing they used to move "paws". I'll check that no one is coming by using the movement of the ground and my ears and you should try it too. When I say go, run as fast as you can without looking back or stopping."

Jaystream crouched, waiting for the moment he was totally sure it was safe to cross. The big and blurry silhouette of one of those creatures crossed as fast as a lighting and after that, the deputy yowled. "Now! Go!" He said when the monster disappeared on the horizon and no other was coming.

Sweetpaw squeaked as she leaped into action, pelting as fast as she could across the rough surface of the Thunderpath. Her paws ached by the time she was halfway across, and she was more that certain her perfectly clean white paws were full of dirt and grit; it took everything she had not to stop and lick her paws.

She nearly collided into Jaystream when she reached the other side, panting heavily, her heart pulsing rapidly. Once she finally calmed down and her heart resumed its regular tempo, she began licking her paw pads, grimacing at the foul taste.

The warrior ran with Sweetpaw, reaching the other side before her. The tom looked at the cloudy sky just to see how much time had passed and then he turned his gaze toward the young she-cat. "Come on and watch the shadows on the ground. Windclan territory is too open and that means that is easier for predators to see us when they fly." He mewed before he returned to the walking.

The fresh breeze shook the grass of the moors as they walked calmly through them. Soon, they left the green plains and the two cats arrive at the rocky territory of the mountains. Jaystream stopped when the big enter of the cave appeared in the rock wall. "This is the Mouthermouth, the entrance of the Moonstone's cave. Follow me closely because inside is too dark and you won't even see your own paws. Hear my voice, my steps an use your own senses to see if the ground under beneath your paws isn't sharp enough to cut you. Now, let's go." The grey tabby cat entered into the depths of the tunnel with no fear and waited for Sweetpaw to join him before he could continue.