Stormpaw's Moonstone Journey

The weak sunshine of the late morning dappled the frosted sand of the camp's clearing, offering up several potential basking spots to those looking to make the most of the arguably nice weather of the day. Sitting in a small pool of warm light with her face titled skyward, Brindlewhisker looked as those she was carved from stone as she continued her patient perching, while a small and carefully made bundle of herbs laid at her paws. After a short conversation with Nectarleap and Ashstar, it was decided that it was time for another apprentice to make the ceremonial journey to the Moonstone in preparation of receiving their Warrior name- and this lucky young cat was an apprentice by the name of Stormpaw.

Letting out another soft, practically inaudible sigh, Brindlewhisker remained seated in the weak light of late morning, her eyes drifting shut briefly as she continued to wait for the undoubtedly eager Stormpaw to appear.

Stormpaw woke up, slowly blinking the sleep from his eyes. This was arguably the warmest weather he had experienced in Leafbare. He just felt so relaxed... Then he sat bolt upright. Of course! His moonstone journey! He stood and quickly shook out his fur, before heading towards the deputy with swift strides. His eyes glimmered softly with excitement as he arrived. "Hello, Brindlewhisker." He greeted the she-cat with a dip of his head, trying to look all dignified and warrior-like rather than looking like an over excited kit.

ooc: ack, sorry for shortness

"Good morning Stormpaw," Brindlewhisker mewed softly, taking note of the glimmer of excitement within the young tom's gaze, still remaining seated in her poised position. Wrapping her tail more tightly around her snow-crusted paws, the scarred she-cat gave the apprentice before her gave him a friendly nod. "I trust that you're ready for today's journey?" She rhetorically questioned, her whiskers fluttering sharply for a brief heartbeat after she spoke.

Stormpaw's ear twitched at the question. "I've been ready since I was a kit!" he exclaimed, his tail waving happily in the air behind him.

ooc: prepare for some short, dumb posts because I lost my muse :/

"That's good," Brindlewhisker chucked, a soft purr rumbling faintly in her brief words as she gazed at Stormpaw's eager face, "It's definitely something worth being excited about." Freeing one of her paws from its previous resting place behind her tail, the brindled she-cat carefully shook off the light coating of snow that clung to the soft, wispy fur that lined the bottom of her paw before gently pushing the small bundle of herbs towards Stormpaw. "These are traveling herbs that Mottleheart and Featherpaw prepared for you, they'll keep you from feeling faint or hungry during our trip- although I must say they taste quite foul. But make sure to eat all of them." Brindlewhisker advised, her gaze briefly dropping to the wilted bundle of partially dried herbs that laid at Stormpaw's feet as she spoke.

Stormpaw nodded and obiediently bowed his head, lapping up the herbs. He wasn’t at all prepared for how awful they would taste! He imagined that was what crowfood would taste like. With a bitter look on his face, he swallowed and repeatedly rasped his tongue over and over his maw, trying to rid himself of the awful taste. When he had finally finished, he stood up again. ”Eww! Those were disgusting! I hope I never have to eat them again!” He exclaimed. ”Are we ready to go now?” He asked, glancing up at the star-strewn sky.

A faintly amused grin twisted Brindlewhisker's face as she watched Stormpaw obediently swallow down the mixture of herbs, a silent laugh shaking her shoulders as she watched his reaction transpire. No matter how tedious the journey to the Moonstone felt, it was always a perk to watch the unsuspecting apprentices consume the foul-tasting herbs. "They are quite terrible," She agreed with an delighted gleam wavering within the pale depths of her gaze, "But at least they'll keep your strength up for the duration of our journey." She finished, finally rising to her paws with a languid motion, although her stiff limbs ached lightly in protest to the movement. "If you're ready, we can leave now." Brindlewhisker finally mewed after a heartbeats reprieve, reaching over to nudge Stormpaw lightly with her nose before padding towards the camp's entrance.

Stormpaw’s face lit up as his deputy said they could go. He bounced after her towards the camp exit, brimming with excitement. He thought ahead to when he would reach the legendary Moonstone. He had been told that a StarClan cat would meet him there. Who would it be? Hopefully a kind, brave, helpful warrior. He went over different possibilities in his head as he followed Brindlewhisker, shaking out his pelt to get the thin layer of snowflakes that had settled there back onto the ground.

-time skip for our sanity-

The sky was bleeding red behind the imposing outline of the Highstones and the faint light of Silverpelt was barely visible in the early night sky that unfolded around them. The gaping wound in the Earth that hungrily swallowed what little light remained in the late dusk of day eagerly awaiting their approach with an eerie calmness. They had finally arrived to the Highstones a few hours earlier and spent the majority of the day lingering in the shade of nearby trees and brittle undergrowth to escape the light snowfall that had fallen upon them halfway through their journey. The ground was growing stiff beneath the two WindClan cat's paws due to the tendrils of frost that were clawing their way across the sparse forest floor, signaling another brutally cold evening. Brindlewhisker's short fur was fluffed out as she huddled close by Stormpaw in an attempt to chase away the incessantly cruel chill, although her gaze remained trained on the rapidly darkening sky countless tail-lengths above them. Thankfully the Leafbare days were so short- she didn't know if the pair could handle waiting in the cold for very much longer.

Rising to her paws and giving herself a brief shake to free her fur of the light coating of snow, the Deputy strode away from where she had been previously resting. Twitching her tail in a signal for Stormpaw to follow suit, she continued to silently tread towards the Mothermouth. The frost-brittle ground was unprotected here, so large clumps of snow dotted the open territory here- forcing the pair to practically bound through the swathes. Clumps of snow clung to her belly, causing the Deputy to shiver violently- if she thought it was cold out here, just how cold was the Moonstone's cavern going to be? Finally pausing at the entrance to the sacred cavern, Brindlewhisker turned to look back at the dark form of Stormpaw with intent eyes that gleamed sharply in the rapidly weakening light of dusk before finally speaking. "Are you ready to speak with our ancestors, Stormpaw?"

Stormpaw had been shivering violently, walking as close to Brindlewhisker as he could. Oh, he hated Leafbare! It was always so cold! Tiny bits of snow had sunk close to his skin, melting quickly and making him feel numb with cold. When his deputy stopped, Stormpaw’s heart seemed to skip a beat. Was he really ready for this? ”I...I...” StarClan seemed closer than ever before now. This...This was terrifying. What if his warrior ancestors denied him? What if it all went wrong? Panic fluttered in his chest as he gazed at the gaping entrance. No, he could do this. He had to. He swallowed the lump in his throat, steeling himself before answering. ”Yes.”

"Good." Brindlewhisker mewed softly, nodding to emphasize her brisk words, a faint hint of worry evident on her face as she gazed at the grey tom. The brief flash of panic upon Stormpaw's face had not gone unnoticed, but she was hopeful that the young tom would be able to fend off whatever fears he must have. Several of the other apprentice's that she had taken upon this journey had balked at the fact that they were actually about to speak with the cats who had come before them. Sweeping her tail in a wide arc, the Deputy fluffed out her fur in anticipation before speaking once more. "The tunnel we are about to go through is very dark and it will feel like you might get stuck in the passage, but just remember to breathe and keep walking- the tunnel does open back up towards the end." She warned briskly, turning to eye the dark opening in front of them, her voice reassuring, "This is the most difficult part of our journey, but remember I'll be with you for every step." Turning around with a soft chirp, Brindlewhisker plunged down into the gaping entrance of the Mothermouth, her pupils dilating as she tried to find an adequate light source within the dark depths of the tunnel.

For several long heartbeats as the little WindClan duo continued further and further into the passage, it began to grow tighter and tighter around them until the stony walls were pressing against their sides in a menacing manner. Her ears were pricked as she checked in on Stormpaw the best she could, but she didn't dare halt their progress. The tight tunnel around them slowly began to widen with every step the pair took and there was the faintest hint of fresh air wafting from deep within the darkness. The soft muddy earth beneath their paws was softly sloping upwards towards an unseen destination. After several moments of walking, the tunnel finally widened out into spacious cavern that was already lit by the dazzling light of the moon. Halting several steps away from the glittering Moonstone, Brindlewhisker nudged Stormpaw towards the sacred stone with a gentle push, "Lay down next to the stone and press your nose against it- from there, StarClan will be able to speak to you."

Stormpaw nodded and followed his deputy into the dark, dark cave. His tail twitched in anticipation. This was as exciting as it was petrifying. There was a section of the tunnel where his whiskers brushed against the rock, making him jump slightly, but he kept going.

When they reached the cavern, his mouth fell open at the sight of the Moonstone. Tall, impressive, and glittering in the moonlight, this was something he could look at for hours. He turned to look at Brindlewhisker, blinking his thanks, before walking steadily to the stone, his pawsteps echoing around the cavern. He settled down next to the shining stone and touched his nose to it, a little surprised at the icy chill. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

A voice can from somewhere around Stormpaw. "Stormpaw! Come on open your eyes." they said sweetly. Her brownish tan pelt gleamed with stars and her blue eyes held a rare playfulness in them as she awaited the tom's wake. Fawnpaw was the chosen cat to speak with Stormpaw. The tom she saved from a badger all those sunrises ago. She wanted to see him again.

Stormpaw slowly blinked open his eyes. Where was he? The voice that sounded near him...It was very familiar. He scrambled to his paws and looked around. Was he correct? "F-fawnpaw?" The tom could feel tears sparkling in his eyes. She didn't deserve to die. It should have been him instead. He finally located the she-cat, and a grin crossed his face at the sight. She was happy.

The former apprentice nodded and smiled at Stormpaw. "Long time no see huh Stormpaw?" she asked while playfully nudging him. "How have you been? How has Nectarleap and the others been?" she asked while placing her tail on his shoulder. She missed her father dearly but she was always watching over the grieving tom. She knew her death had been the hardest on him but she needed to know if he was coping well now. Her death had been moons ago.