Birchpaw's Moonstone Journey

Leopardclaw dropped the bundle of herbs he was carrying down near his paws, and let out a huge yawn; he had forgotten that he was taking Birchpaw on her Moonstone journey this morning when he had assigned himself to the evening patrol last night.  Thankfully, he could quickly feel the traveling herbs he had already swallowed begin to take effect, making his paws gradually feel lighter and muscles stronger.  "Birchpaw, it's time to head out!"  After calling into the apprentice's den for the young she-cat, he began to give his spotted pelt a quick grooming.

Birchpaw lifted her head with a bleary look in her eyes, glancing up at him. She got up and stepped between sleeping cats to the entrance. "Good morning!" She meowed, holding back a yawn as she stretched a hind leg.

Leopardclaw looked up when the pale brown tabby she-cat emerged from the den, nodding in a greeting accompanied by a casual purr; "Good morning Birchpaw."  Standing up and shaking out his almost fully groomed coat, he nudged the herbs on the ground with a careful forepaw.  "Before we leave, you need to eat these.  They're traveling herbs; they will give you strength and energy for the journey ahead."  The foul taste of the plants still rang in the deputy's mouth, and he licked the back of his paw in an effort to remove the flavors from his tongue, to no avail.  Really, I should be grateful that we even have these herbs in times like this....

Birchpaw was going to argue, others could use these herbs if they were sick. However, she had never gone to Moonstone before. Across the whole forest. She lapped up the herbs and grimaced at the sharp taste. Her sore body didn't seem to take much note of it at the moment but she felt less tired. She was constantly offering to help out and often that meant digging at moss hidden in tree hollows for elders and queens. Her claws paid the price with their pain. "Will we be gone long?
There's an awful lot to do around here. I wanted to try and pluck feathers to line the nursery wall with.
That's one of the main dens we can't let get cold. Elders are going to be sorer than usual too..." she sighed, gritting her teeth to hold back another yawn.

Leopardclaw perked his ears, listening to her anxious remarks with an odd expression, before purring reassuringly.  "We'll be gone overnight.  You'll spend the night resting by the Moonstone, and we will make the journey home in the morning."  With a smile, tinged with pride, he continued; "Your hard work hasn't gone unnoticed Birchpaw, and the whole clan honors your tireless efforts, but please make sure not to over-work yourself.  It's better to go at a steady pace rather than run yourself ragged, and end up in the medicine cat's den.  We'll only be gone for a short time, you can patch the nursery when you get back; I'm sure the clan won't collapse in on itself in your absence."  His whiskers twitched in an amused way before he turned towards the camp entrance, flicking his tail for the she-cat to follow before racing out into the forest.

Birchpaw felt a little better knowing that her efforts had some effect on her clanmates. She didn't quite know how to pace herself but, she guessed it would come with time. With a last look at the camp, she raced out after her deputy. She was a solidly built cat, not really lithe but she could get a job done. If her bounds were high enough, she wouldn't clip the snow and could go further.

I don't know if you got my pm but, Ash has too many topics to join this, could we use Pansyface?))

bump//

(occ: Sorry for my slowness, and yes, we can use Pansy :D)


After a long trek across the moorland, through Twoleg territory, and up the slope of Highstones, Leopardclaw and Birchpaw finally came to rest outside the looming entrance of Mothermouth.  The sky was quickly growing dark, and the golden spotted deputy wasted no time; stepping forward, he scented the air before taking a step down into the dark tunnel.  "Follow closely, Birchpaw."

Birchpaw followed him closely, trying to keep track of his bright pelt only to end up relying on scent and sound. She kept her concern about it to herself. Her deputy wasn't responsible for her being able to track him a mouse-length away. She appreciated the lack of wind in the tunnel but, it was even colder and condensation had iced over the floor and sharp rocks dug into her pelt when she went too close to a wall.

Soon enough, the pair's chilled walk through the tunnels came to an end as they stepped into the Moonstone cavern, the bright light cast from the moon already reflecting down onto the crystal.  Their pelts bathed pure white, Leopardclaw motioned towards the Moonstone and meowed; "Step forward, Birchpaw, and touch your nose to the Moonstone.  May StarClan give you rest."  Sitting down, the golden spotted deputy watched, waiting.

Birchpaw stared at the luminous stone and stepped forward, squinting in the light. She touched her nose and felt her tense, tired body feel at ease as she closed her eyes.

Short bc I'm on mobile))

The slender frame of a gray-and-white StarClan cat materialized in front of the sleeping body of the young ThunderClan she-cat, gazing down at her through sparkling murky-green eyes.  She had not yet appeared to a cat outside her own clan before...but the former queen reminded herself that borders and rivalries did not exist in the stars; if she had been chosen to speak with Birchpaw, there must be a good reason.  With an amused purr, Pansyface gently nudged the pale brown she-cat's shoulder, and meowed playfully; "Open your eyes, sleepyhead.  We don't have all night."

Birchpaw blinked and looked around the new location with shock and wonder before looking at the StarClan cat. "Oh! Sorry!" She meowed, sitting up and grooming her chest fur in embarrassment. She didn't quite know what she was supposed to do. It wasn't like a ceremony where she'd seen it and had each part of it memorized.

Pansyface chuckled slightly, and purred; "It's alright Birchpaw.  You have been working very hard recently, you definitely deserve a rest.  For now though, let's chat."  The stars that swam within her sleek pelt swirled as she sat down, and raised a paw to straighten her whiskers that shone like dew-studded strands of spider's web.  "I am Pansyface, a former warrior of SkyClan.  I've been sent to speak with you...so, what's been on your mind lately, young one?"  The bi-colored she-cat tipped her head to the side slightly, in a curious way, as she waited for Birchpaw's answer.

Birchpaw was quiet for a moment. Her problems seemed small and embarrassing but, who was Pansyface going to tell? "Well... It's rather ridiculous I guess but, I've been afraid of being forgotten." She groomed her chest fur again and looked to the side. "My family is so big and I'm adopted so I don't fit in that well. I've got tough parents to impress and ThunderClan isn't doing well at all. It's hard to try and help everyone when my mentor is missing and I need to take time out of other's days to learn things."