Whitepaw's Moonstone Journey

Dropping the familiar bundle of herbs onto the frosty ground, Leopardclaw sat down on a fairly clear patch of earth and called into the entrance of the apprentice's den; "Whitepaw, it's time to go!"  Today marked another trek to the Moonstone through the snow-covered terrain, but Leopardclaw tried to keep up a happy disposition.  Given all that had happened lately though, it was a bit of a struggle...

OCC: Short post is short
Whitepaw had been preparing herself mentally for this journey. She had just gotten finished grooming herself when Leopardclaw called her named. "I'm ready." The orange she-cat mewed as she exited the apprentice's den.

don't mean to be impatient, but...bump

bump

(super sorry for the wait ;;)

With a hint of a smile, Leopardclaw lifted his gaze to nod at the ginger she-cat with a low purr.  "Excellent.  Before we set out though, you'll need to eat these."  With a spotted forepaw he pushed the pile of traveling herbs closer to Whitepaw; "They will give you energy and endurance for the journey."  And StarClan knows, we need it...  Coupled with the snow and their skinny frames, this wouldn't be an easy trek.

ooc: It's ok, I completely understand!
Whitepaw nodded and ate the herbs.  Her face screwed up when she tasted the bitterness.  The young cat slightly coughed as the herbs went down her throat.  "Ok, let's go."

Leopardclaw watched the apprentice choke down the herbs with a slightly amused smile, before nodding and rising to his paws.  With a wave of his tail, the golden spotted deputy set off, leading the way out of camp and out into the snow.  It was slow going, having to wade through the snowdrifts, and the tall tom-cat glanced back to make sure his shorter companion was keeping up alright.

The orange she-cat was highly visible in the snowy white surroundings. Whitepaw valued her fluff at this point in the journey, though her stouter legs did not do her much good. "How long is the trip usually?" She asked, trying to make some conversation.

Making an effort to shift more snow than necessary as he walked, so that the shorter she-cat would have a somewhat clear path to maneuver, Leopardclaw didn't look back as he replied.  "Well, to get to Highstones will probably take us most of the day, since this snow is so deep.  We'll sleep in the Moonstone cavern overnight, before leaving to return home at dawn.  With the walk back, we'd most likely be home a little after sunhigh."  Used to the strenuous walk, the explanation was simply the norm for him, but most likely would sound quite tiring to Whitepaw; thank StarClan they still had a stash of traveling herbs, despite the season's trials.  Without them, taking this journey would be near to impossible.

The two trudged on until they reached Fourtrees, and crossed over onto WindClan territory.  Clumps of snow tangled with the tall grass of the moors, providing them with a double set of obstacles.  Nonetheless, Leopardclaw always loved it up here in the open air, but he wondered how the apprentice would react to this difference in surroundings.  It was certainly different from the forest's guarding dome-like cover of trees, even if they were currently leafless, scorched husks of their former selves...

Whitepaw nodded at the deputy's explanation. She was a little bit worried that she wouldn't be able to handle it, but she told herself that she would make it through. If she couldn't handle this journey then she couldn't handle being a warrior. As they moved through WindClan's territory she took in the sight. "It's so barren." She scanned the open plains. She felt exposed with the lack of trees.

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The edges of Leopardclaw's mouth twisted upward in a knowing smile, as he purred to the young she-cat; "It may look pretty barren, especially in this season, but there's a lot more life up here than meets the eye Whitepaw.  Rabbits tunnel underneath our paws, and ground birds make nests in the grass and foliage; in new-leaf dapples of heather and gorse will bloom all over, and the sun shines warm and unblocked by trees."  Right now though, he pondered, it truly did look like a barren wasteland, the grass and flowers wilted and scorched by frost.  Snow still crowded their paws, albeit a little less densely than in the forest, as they continued on their way.

Soon enough the two cats left the territories of the moorland cats behind, and crossed over into the unclaimed land of Twolegs and rogues.  This part of the journey always made the golden spotted deputy nervous, but they crossed all the Thunderpaths that stood in their way with ease, and dodged around Twoleg dens with quiet swiftness.  Finally, they had reached the last stretch of their journey; a small rocky field that surrounded the base of Highstones.  The dark opening of Mothermouth waited for them ahead, and with a sigh of relief Leopardclaw leaned against a boulder standing just outside the tunnel, giving his pelt a very quick grooming.

The sky had slowly begun to dim as they had made their way to their destination, and now finally they could see the very top of the bright moon rising in the ebony sky, before it was blocked by more snow clouds.  His eyes filling with a confident resolve, the deputy rose to his paws and flicked his tail, beckoning Whitepaw to follow as he took the first step down into the endless black abyss that was Mothermouth.

Whitepaw listened to the words of the deputy. She had no idea that WindClan had so much life. The orange cat continued to follow Leopardclaw until they arrived at Mothermouth. She followed him into the dark tunnel.

Inky black darkness surrounded them on all sides as the two forest cats padded deeper and deeper into the twisting labyrinth of tunnels, forced to use their whiskers and limited sense of smell to navigate.  Leopardclaw, who had walked this path many times, stepped confidently and kept up a steady pace, while also making sure he stuck fairly close to Whitepaw.  After what felt like a whole night's worth of walking, they finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel; the Moonstone was already glowing.  With a flick of his ringed tail, the large tom stepped into the dome-like cavern that held the holy crystal, his pelt washed white from the light that flooded from it.  Turning eerily glowing eyes down onto the she-cat who followed him, he meowed; "Step forward, Whitepaw, and touch your nose to the Moonstone.  StarClan will call you into sleep, so that you may share dreams with your ancestors."

Whitepaw followed Leopardclaw into the cave, and laid eyes on the glow of the Moonstone. She did as she was told and touched her nose to the stone before drifting off to sleep.