Softpaw's Moonstone Journey

The late morning sun hung heavily in the cloudy sky, bathing the camp in stray pools of warm, golden light. Pressing her side against the slightly warm stone of the Tallrock, Brindlewhisker allowed herself a moment to bask in the weak light of the day as she continued to wait. After speaking with Ashstar and a short visit to Mottleheart and Featherpaw, it had been decided that another apprentice was ready to take the ceremonial journey to the Moonstone that they could speak with their Warrior ancestors. Carefully placing the neatly wrapped bundle of herbs at her paws, the Deputy waited for Softpaw to approach her.

Softpaw exited the apprentice's den, for once not caring whether any cat noticed him. Normally, he would skirt the outside of the camp and wait near the entrance to join patrols, but today he cut straight through the middle of the camp, making a beeline for Brindlewhisker. Today was the day that he would got to Highstones and meet Starclan, and he couldn't wait a moment longer! He finally reached the other cat and realized he was grinning, so he quickly schooled his expression into neutrality. "H-hello, Brindlewhisker." Softpaw mewed.

"Good morning Softpaw," Brindlewhisker mewed, tail flicking in a casual greeting, "We have a long day ahead of us, so I hope that you slept well last night." She finished, pulling away from the slightly warmed stone of the Tallrock as she spoke. The unusual warmth of the day was a stark contrast to the bleak and miserable weather of the past sunrises, so the Deputy almost felt a tad bit reluctant to give up her minimal basking time. "Mottleheart and Featherpaw have prepared some traveling herbs for you," Brindlewhisker began once more, her paw reaching out to gently gesture to the neatly assembled bundle of precious traveling herbs, "They'll keep you from growing weary or faint with hunger while we travel. They taste quite dreadful, but make sure to eat them all."

Softpaw nodded at the instructions and stepped forward to take the herbs into his mouth... and gagged. She really wasn't kidding! Eventually Softpaw was able to choke them down, and he looked up at Brindlewhisker with a small smile of victory.

OOC: Omg I'm soooo sorry! I guess this just completely passed me by, didn't realize it was my turn.

ooc) no worries!

"Very well then," Brindlewhisker mewed, watching Softpaw with an amused gaze, "Now that the worst part of the day is over, I suppose that we should get going!" Rolling her shoulders back, the Deputy gave the young tabby a playful nudge before padding forwards several steps. It was clear that StarClan had blessed them on today's journey- with such favorable weather, they would definitely make good time. Gazing over her shoulder at Softpaw, the Deputy beckoned the young tom forward with a flick of her tail, "Come along now! I'm sure that you're ready to get on with today's journey."

Softpaw nodded and followed the deputy closely. Her little playful nudge helped him loosen up, and he was no longer nervous. He had a feeling that Starclan would accept him... he had done nothing wrong. "S-so..." Softpaw began once they had left the camp, struggling to start a conversation to fill the silence. "H-how long do you think it will t-take to get there?"

"On days such as today, only a few hours. The most time consuming part of the day usually consists of trying to cross through the nest of Thunderpaths- they can be quite busy on certain days." Brindlewhisker mewed after a moment of careful thought, keeping an even stride alongside Softpaw as they steadily departed from the confines of camp, making a beeline for the looming outline of the Highstones. "But hopefully, if we come across the Thunderpath's early enough, we'll avoid the busiest hours of the day. Or else we could be stuck trying to cross the paths for quite some time." She continued, giving the young tabby a friendly glance.

-time skip-

The insurmountably tall peaks of the Highstones were swallowed by the rich darkness of the night, the usually purple hue of the stones drenched the familiar shadows of the late evening. Faint starlight playfully winked around the outline of the sacred mountain range, casting weak shadows of silvery light upon the sparse undergrowth that laid around the Highstones. Watching as the moon continued to climb higher and higher into the dark sky, Brindlewhisker roused Softpaw with a gentle prod between the ribs. The pair had, thankfully, made fairly respectable time on their trip to the Mountains, and thus had been allowed some quiet time to recuperate before the next stage of the journey.  

Stiffly rising to her paws and giving herself a thorough shake, Brindlewhisker paused to gaze down at the familiar pelt of Softpaw, giving the apprentice an inquisitive glance before finally speaking. "Are you ready to meet your Warrior ancestors, Softpaw?"

"I-I..." Was he ready? Now that he was actually here, standing in front of Highstones, he felt nervous all over again. Would his ancestors approve of him? Surely he had done nothing wrong? Was loving another tom against the warrior code?! ... He really needed to stop thinking about it, or else he would never have the courage to meet Starclan. "Y-yes. I'm ready." Softpaw said shakily.

"Don't look so frightened," Brindlewhisker mewed, catching sight of the anxious expression blooming upon Softpaw's face, "Our fallen Clanmates only wish to help." Brushing her tail across the tabby's shoulders, the Deputy set off towards the great yawning wound in the earth that comprised the Mother Mouth, instinctively following the familiar trails underpaw. Pointing out sudden dips in the earth or particularly sharp stones, she slowly began to ease the pair into the narrow tunnels that awaited them underground. "I know that the tunnels might seem rather frightening at first, but just remember to keep breathing and follow close behind me. I think you'll be quite surprised to find out just how adept we are when it comes to traveling in complete darkness." Brindlewhisker called, her voice echoing slightly as she continued to follow the well-trodden path through the tangled mess of tunnels.

Softpaw stuck close to the she-cat, listening to the echoes of their footsteps in wonder. Yes, a part of him felt claustrophobic and scared... but he had never been anywhere like this before. He breathed in the earthy tones and a small smile crept onto his face. "H-how will we know when we get... w-wherever we're going?"

Pressing through an especially tight passage, Brindlewhisker's spine reluctantly bent as she slipped beneath a particularly low-hanging rock. At Softpaw's words, the Deputy let out a short little hum that echoed oddly in the confined space that they were padding through. "I've been here many times- enough so that I can recognize where we are in the tunnel, even if the moon hasn't fully risen just yet. But more often than not, we can see the moonlight from the cavern, which often serves as a good guide." She mewed, skirting a particularly wide stone that obscured a part of her path. As the pair rounded the stone, a faint glint of silver light was just barely detectable several tail-lengths ahead. Picking up the pace, she hurriedly guided Softpaw towards the rapidly strengthening light, feeling the once crushing tunnels begin to slowly widen around them.

Stepping into the spacious cavern that harbored the Moonstone, Brindlewhisker blinked rapidly in an attempt to force her eyes to adjust as she gazed at shimmering stone before her. "This is the Moonstone- it's our only connection to our Warrior ancestors. Although I cannot join you on this part of the journey, you can rest easy knowing that I'll still be here when you wake. To speak to our fallen Clanmates, just simply press your nose against the stone and wait until you fall asleep. I hope that you find the answers you seek." Nudging Softpaw closer to the stone, Brindlewhisker carefully watched as the young tom approached the sacred stone.

"O-oh...! Wow..." Softpaw breathed, staring up at the glowing Moonstone. He had heard stories, but they didn't compare to the awe he felt standing before it. At Brindlewhisker's words and gentle nudge, Softpaw apprehensively stepped forward. The pale tom, made paler in the white light of the stone, settled down in front of the Moonstone, pressing his nose to its cold surface. Slowly, he slipped into sleep, and the world around him fell away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Softpaw opened his eyes, glancing around at his surroundings. The stars had never seemed so bright, and they surrounding him in a warm embrace. This must be Starclan.