Smokepaw's Moonstone Journey

The deputy left the medicine cat den when the night showed up. His paws moved slowly through the snow as he approached the apprentice den. He waited in the front of the entrance with two packs of herbs on his mouth, waiting for Smokepaw to go out. Thanks to Starclan, she recovered well from that predator attack and now she was almost ready to become a warrior. I wish Cinderpaw had gotten the same luck... He thought quietly. Almost all the time his thoughts returned to the calico she-cat even if he didn't want to. Was this being in love? He shook his head. Even if it was, he had to focus on Smokepaw's trip. Later he would think and talk about it.

Smokepaw woke up, yawning. She stretched out her grey body and climbed to her paws. She peered out of the den and saw Jaystream standing at the entrance. She padded out to meet him. ”Hello, Jaystream.” She greeted him respectfully, with a dip of her head. She looked questioninly at the bundles of herbs

OOC: ahh bad post :/

OOC: Don't worry. My muse of writing is kind of dead right now too :/

IC:
Jaystream greeted the apprentice and he gave Smokepaw one of the herbs. "Since you're not allowed to eat prey before your trip, you must eat those herbs so you can have enough energy to arrive at the Moonstone. But let me warn you: you'll not like them." The tom ate his own pack of herbs, munching them with his jaws and then gulping them quickly through his throat. Fishes were still better than this plants. How can Goldenpaw deal with the taste and smell of all those herbs every day? Well, he supposed it was because she was chosen by Starclan to be the medicine cat so she had some skills that most of his clanmates didn't.

His green eyes watched at the apprentice to finish and when she did, he flicked his tail, eagerly to go. "Ready?"

Smokepaw nodded and bent down obediently. She lapped up the herbs and had to force herself not to gag them back up. They were so... bitter! She ate them as quickly as she could, swiping her tongue repeatedly over her maw to try and rid herself of the horrid taste. ”Eugh.... how can you eat these all the time?” she questioned. ”Yes, I’m ready.”

"After eating these herbs for a while, they are kind of acceptable. But I still believe that fishes are way better." He mewed before heading to the exit of the camp with the apprentice. "Let's head out before our whiskers freeze."

The snow felt cold beneath his paws as he walked between the reeds and frozen puddles of his territory. The night was colder than the day but his glossy fur was enough to keep him warm enough. After all, he was used to the cold after swimming in the water of Riverclan's river so many times. And thinking about the river, his eyes glanced the clear frozen water of it when they finally reached the Twoleg bridge. "We don't know if the ice s thick enough to handle our weight so we're using this rock path. Be careful and keep your balance before jumping again." Jaystream hopped to the first stone, clawing off the ice so Smokepaw won't have problems standing there. In no time, the tabby warrior was on the other shore, waiting for the she-cat.

Smokepaw nodded and followed Jaystream out of camp. The snow froze her paws, but it wasn’t so bad. She was used to the chilling cold by now. In fact, she found it beautiful how still everything was. It all seemed so... silent. The frost and snow seemed to glisten white. She snapped back into attention when Jaystream spoke again. She watched him hop along the stones, and knew she could follow. She leaped onto the first stone, then the second, then the third, with ease. On the last stone, her back leg slipped from underneath her and she let out a startled squeak as she fell onto the ice. Thank StarClan she was thin! She could feel it beginning to crack under her weight, but Smokepaw quickly jumped back onto the rock as the ice she was stood on seconds before shattered. She breathed a sigh of relief and jumped onto dry land. Although she could swim rather well, she preferred not to get wet in this freezing Leafbare.

Jaystream's breathing stopped when he saw Smokepaw falling and he was about to jump when the she-cat was already leaping to the shore. The tom sighed relieved by the fast reflects of the apprentice. He didn't want to come back with a frozen apprentice. Goldenpaw would probably scold him and Smokepaw. "That was way too close but thanks to Starclan you reacted fast. Let's continue and hope we don't have more problems."

The warrior guided the apprentice through the same path that his clan usually followed to go to the Fourtrees every Gathering but he didn't stop there. Instead, the tom continued walking until he reached the Thunderpath. "Not many Riverclan apprentices see this place before their Moonstone trip. Here's the Thunderpath, where monsters constantly pass killing everything that it's in their way. If one day you must cross it alone -and I hope that day doesn't come- you must trust more in your ears and paws than in your eyes.You will hear the roar of a monster coming and how the ground under your paws trembled before seeing it. When I say go, you must run with me to the other side and don't stop or look back, okay?" Jaystream watched at path silently as he crouched down, waiting for the perfect moment. A fast monster crossed in front of him and when he heard nothing more, he jumped toward the Thunderpath, shouting at the apprentice. "Go!" He ran as fast as he could not minding how awful it felt in his paws' pads the hard and grey rock that formed the deadly path. He could only relax when he arrived at Windclan's territory and once the she-cat was with him.

Smokepaw followed Jaystream all the way to the path. It looked intimidating, and that smell was awful! She wrinkled her nose at the foul stench, and listened to everything her deputy had to say. ”Okay.” She replied, faking much more confidence than she actually felt. She could almost imagine a great monster rolling along and crashing into her. The thought sent shivers down her spine. Smokepaw waited until Jaystream shouted ‘Go’, and she ran the fastest she had ever run before. The hard, black, jagged material felt painful under her pads, but she didn’t stop until she reached the other side. Panting, she turned to watch as the monster sped by. It’s massive black paws seemed to roll down the path, a loud roaring sound battering her sensitive ear fur as it passed. ”I hope I never have to do that again.” She muttered, more to herself than to Jaystream. Smokepaw lifted her paw and gently licked her pads, trying to soothe them after running across the Thunderpath.

"I'm sorry to tell you that we have to do it one last time while we're returning so you must be ready." He said quietly before heading back again to the Moonstone. The grassy plains now covered in snow surrounded the two cats as they walked to their destination.

After a while, his green eyes finally met the Mouthermouth, the entrance of the end of their trip. "We must cross a tunnel before arriving at the Moonstone. Inside there is dark so stay next to me. In that way, you won't get lost." Without expecting an answer, Jaystream just entered the cave waiting for the apprentice to come with him. He moved swiftly through the familiar darkness and in no time the shining rock welcomed them. Stepping into the main cave, the tom looked at Smokepaw's reaction and then he walked to the Moonstone. "Come. Is your time to speak to our ancestors in Starclan. Make yourself comfortable. After you touch the stone with your nose you'll fall asleep." He mewed laying down on his usual rock. This was the part he most enjoyed: the break he had to sleep while the apprentices talked to the Starclan cats.

Smokepaw bit back a sigh at the news they would have to do it all again. She didn’t reply, though, she simply followed her deputy through the snowy grass. She had to stop twice to shake the snow from her pelt where it had clung to her sides. At last, she saw Jaystream stop beside a cave, which he explained was the Mothermouth. She followed him through the dark entrance, and sniffed for his scent to make sure she wouldn’t get lost as she entered. Some parts were so narrow her whiskers brushed against the walls. Finally, after what seemed like an age of walking, they arrived. Smokepaw stopped dead at the sight. The Moonstone. It was beautiful! The moon’s light reflected it, so that the stone shone with the light of a thousand stars. A soft ”Wow” of awe escaped her mouth as she looked. She perked her ears, listening to Jaystream, and gave a nervous nod. She walked slowly up to the Moonstone and settled herself beside it. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and touched her nose to the stone. She hasn’t expected it to be so cold! It went icy shivers down her spine, but she forced herself to stay put. And, even though she wasn’t tired in the slightest, sleep caught up to her soon, and Smokepaw went to speak with her warrior ancestors.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself to be lying in a familiar, yet different, place. She brushed gently against the grass, sending small amounts of fireflies spiralling up into the night sky. Smokepaw was the most nervous she had ever felt in her life, but she forced herself to stay put and wait.

Buzzardclaw waited, his ginger pelt dotted with stars.  After all of the tension in his clan, he wanted to relax.  And then he saw the young she-cat - Smokepaw, if he remembered correctly.  Maybe this is my destiny, he thought.  "H-hello.  I'm Buzzardclaw," he said to Smokepaw.  He was nervous, and it showed.

OOC: sorry it's the first time I RPed a StarClan cat not in a self-PM.

Smokepaw’s mouth fell open as she saw the cat. The stars seemed to swirl around his ginger pelt. It was mesmerising. ”Um.. h-hello, Buzzardclaw. I’m Smokepaw.” she greeted the StarClan tom. She didn’t have a clue what to do next, so she stood there, shuffling her paws awkwardly.

"It's nice to meet you, Smokepaw.  Um...I think that I'm supposed to answer one question that you have.  Do you have any?" he asked.  He noticed that Smokepaw probably never saw a StarClan cat before, as the young she-cat was about as nervous as him.  Of course she didn't, mousebrain!

”Well... I suppose I want to know some advice. On being a good w-warrior, I mean. “ She replied awkwardly. Well, what other questions did she have? Maybe, she ought to ask about Ashpaw. After all, two she-cats liking each other was nothing she had ever heard of. Besides, she was almost certain Ashpaw didn’t like her back, so what was the point in asking?

"Well, be loyal to your clan first and foremost," Buzzardclaw answered. "However, support your opinions, too. Don't let others change it, as you change your opinion."