Nightpaw's Moonstone Journey

Dropping the familiar foul-tasting bundle of traveling herbs onto the snowy ground, Leopardclaw shook out his snow-dusted fur and called into the apprentice's den. "Nightpaw, it's time to head out!" Though he loved taking his young clanmates to meet with their ancestors, he had to admit it was a lot more enjoyable when snow didn't slow their every move.

Nightpaw walked out, eyes groggy with sleep. She shook herself awake when she remembered why she was heading out. She immediately perked up as she joined the warrior. The cold made her shiver but her smile never faltered. She looked over at Leopardclaw with her vibrant green eyes. "I'm here!" she announced. When she looked down, she noticed the bundles of herbs. "What are those for Leopardclaw?" she asked with a curious tilt of her head.

With a friendly nod to Nightpaw as she emerged from the den, Leopardclaw smiled at her question; "These here are traveling herbs, they're going to help to keep up our energy and strength as we travel, along with curbing our hunger."  Pushing the small pile closer to the black she-cat, he purred.  "I already had mine, so as soon as you finish those we can head out."

The she-cat nodded and bent down to begin eating the herbs. She gagged twice while she consumed the plants. After she was done, she looked up and licked her lips. "I-I'm ready to go!" she told the Deputy. She was excited to see the moonstone and to talk to a Starclan cat.

Leopardclaw nodded before whirling around on his paws and trotting over to the gorse tunnel that led the way out of camp, making sure to check behind him to see that Nightpaw was following before ducking out into the forest.  After climbing the ravine's rocky walls the two were forced to slow down as clumps of all too familiar powdery snow stood in their way, and with a deeply annoyed grumble the spotted deputy began to shift his way through it in the direction of Fourtrees.  Soggy coldness soaked his paws once again, and the long-legged tom kept silent, focusing on the journey ahead.

Nightpaw followed behind as quickly as she could. She was looking around, deep in thought. She was excited to finally see the moonstone! She was told it was a sight to see. The apprentice wanted to ask Leopardclaw something. "Leopardclaw, how was your first Moonstone journey?" The apprentice really wanted to know.

Leopardclaw pricked his ears at Nightpaw's question, and smiled.  "Hmm, my first moonstone journey...oh yes!  That first one was for Shrewpaw and Birdpaw - Shrewheart and Birdflight now.  It was a fun journey, since it happened late last green-leaf we didn't have all this snow to contend with, and barely any obstacles at all.  Both cats, when they woke up, seemed awestruck and amazed by the sights of StarClan, as all living cats usually are.  It's quite a sight to behold Nightpaw, both StarClan and the Moonstone.  You'll see when we get there."

Continuing on the path ahead, the two cats soon left behind their own forest territory, and crossed over onto the open moor.  Their paws still dragged in the snow, but with the wide open sky above them and what felt like endless land between them and their destination, it didn't feel so constraining.  Glancing back at Nightpaw - her black pelt easy to spot among the snow - he wondered how she would react to this change of scenery.

Nightpaw smiled at Leopardclaw when he told her about his first Moonstone trip. The she-cat soon looked around and let out a quiet gasp. There was snow everywhere and this openess made it seem more magical. "Wow! Look at all this! It's everywhere!" she said with awe in her voice. "There are no trees in sight!" she said while grinning.

(occ: short, but I just wanted to finish this for you asap~)

Leopardclaw didn't reply, but smiled fondly at the black she-cat's excitement.  Seeing another cat enjoying the moorland like he did always managed to lift his spirits, and he continued steadily on the path towards Highstones, with a bit more energy in his step.

~timeskip~

The sun had already sunk in the sky when the two cats finally reached Mothermouth, and Leopardclaw wasted no time as he took the first step inside the musty tunnel.  "Follow me."  The darkness swallowed his pelt entirely as he stepped farther inside, and began to head downwards towards the Moonstone cavern.

OOC: Everybody has their busy week~ I have three tests tomorrow! :0

IC: Nightpaw followed behind the deputy. Eyes widening at the pitch-black darkness that engulfed them as they kept going through the tunnel. She felt the chilly air outside begin to die out as they kept going. She was a little nervous but kept her cool.

(occ: oooh, good luck with those! ;D)

After a long while of navigating the twisting tunnel system in the inky darkness, the two cats finally saw a light glimmering up ahead.  The Moonstone was already alight when they stepped into the large cavern that housed it, and Leopardclaw wasted no time in instructing the apprentice.  "Step forward and touch your nose to the Moonstone Nightpaw, and StarClan will send you sleep so that you may walk with them in dreams."  With a flick of his long tail, washed white in the stone's bright glow, the deputy smiled before padding over to sit beside a stalagmite, and wait.

OOC: Thanks! I just finished 2! One more and the day will be over!

IC: Nightpaw nodded and walked closer to the glowing rock. She settled down and touched her nose to the cold Moonstone. Soon, she fell into a deep sleep and went to speak with a Starclan cat.
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Nightpaw awoke and found herself in a beautiful field. It smelled odd in Starclan. She looked around with a smile. She was ready to begin speaking to a cat.

A small black-and-gray she-cat with stars in her fur was waiting in the field, and smiled gently. "Greetings, Nightpaw. You know where you are, I presume? My name is Lilacfall, and I was once a ShadowClan warrior." Pleasantries aside, Lilacfall allowed herself to truly take in the appearance of the apprentice before her.

"Hello Lilacfall, it's nice to meet you. S-Sorry if this is rude but how did you die?" she asked while shuffling her paws nervously. She was so happy to be in Starclan even if she was speaking to a deceased Shadowclan warrior.

A somewhat haunted look, ironic though it was, crossed the former warrior's face. It was closely followed by her ears lowering slightly, in sadness rather than shame. "Suffice to say, it was... A matter of self-sacrifice." The image of those kits on the Thunderpath flashed through her mind, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Regardless, the circumstances of my death are not why we are here. Do you have any questions burning in your mind?" She remembered that she certainly had as an apprentice, though she had only managed to voice one or two of them.