Fernpaw's Moonstone Journey

The sweet, freshly blossomed heather was heavy with late morning dew, the fragile stalks drooping precariously under the weight of the stubborn moisture. Ignoring the way that the dew eagerly soaked her limbs and belly, Brindlewhisker eagerly escaped from the chilly shade of the Medicine Cat's den, the neatly wrapped bundle of herbs grasped carefully within her jaws. Desperately trying to ignore the bitter taste that seeped from the meticulously sorted herbs, the Deputy's normally unbothered steps held a note of urgency as she picked her way across the clearing. After a night spent discussing Fernpaw's training with Lionstorm and Ashstar, it had been decided that the young she-cat was ready for one of the final milestones in an apprentice's lifetime.

Gently depositing the herbs within the shelter of a shady swath of grass, Brindlewhisker settled down beside the prickly shelter of the Gorse barrier, neatly wrapping her tail around her paws shortly thereafter. The thought of taking Fernpaw to the Moonstone brought a storm of nostalgic guilt, her mind churning with the recollections of the late Fernfeather. Whiskers twitching absently, her paws shifted restlessly as she awaited the young she-cat's approach.

Fernpaw rushed over to Brindlewhisker not too long after, fur bushed our with excitement. She skidded to a halt and looked down at the herbs, and after sniffing them her face scrunched up with displeasure. ”What’s this stuff? It doesn’t smell too good. Do I have to eat it?”

Swiftstep walked out of the warrior's den. His amber eyes focused on Brindlewhisker and Fernpaw near the camp entrance. He knew what this meant. His youngest daughter was going to head to the Moonstone. Her time to meet Starclan. He began to walk over to the pair. Once there he dipped his head at the deputy as a greeting and nuzzled Fernpaw. "Hello you both. Heading to the Moonstone are we?" he asked with his signature grin.

Fernpaw purred happily and nuzzled her father back. ”Sure am! I’m so excited! I wonder if I’ll be able to see Fernfeather in StarClan!” That was the main reason why she was eager to go. Her mother had died giving birth to her after she was viciously attacked by a rogue who was originally WindClan. From what Swiftstep told her, Fernfeather started out just as happy and eager as her daughter, but would constantly get beaten down by life’s woes, even going completely blind and losing her tail. Hopefully seeing how far the late warrior’s daughter had come would make her feel happier in StarClan.

"These are the traveling herbs that Mottleheart and Featherlight have prepared for you to help give you a boost throughout the day. They might not have the best taste, but trust me when I say you'll be thankful for them. So make sure" Brindlewhisker hummed, a near tangible note of amusement overtaking her voice as she gazed at the exuberant Fernpaw. Reaching out with a nimble forepaw to gently push the herbs near Fernpaw, the Deputy's head twisted around to gaze at Swiftstep as he approached. Although it was bit unconventional for a parent to tag along on the journey, but she didn't really mind the extra company. Especially when it came to the part of sitting in the Moonstone's cavern. "Are you ready to head out?" Brindlewhisker questioned, gazing at the pair as she spoke.

Swiftstep nodded and pressed himself against his youngest daughter. He was pretty excited to get to make the journey to the Moonstone all over again. This will really bring memories back.

”Yes! I was born ready! Let’s go, let’s go!” Fernpaw squealed with excitement, jumping up and down.

"Alright, then let's get going! We have quite a journey ahead of us." Brindlewhisker chirped, gazing flitting between Swiftstep and Fernpaw as she spoke. Beckoning the pair forward with her tail, she quietly slipped past the tightly-woven barrier and out into the open spaces of the territory, privately relishing in the mouthful of fresh scents that greeted the little trio upon their immediate departure.

- time skip -

Although the typical travel time was slightly delayed by the fact that an extra cat was accompanying them, it didn't hold them back too much. Even after a day full of dodging Thunderpaths, trekking through somewhat familiar territories, and forcing themselves to become accustomed to the somewhat unpleasant heat of the day, they had made decent time. After spending the rest of the late evening relaxing in the shade of the sparse foliage that surrounded them, it was clear that it was almost time to start up once more. Now that the moon was slowly rising from behind the imposing outline of the Highstones, Brindlewhisker turned to gaze at her companions before speaking, "Are you two ready to enter the tunnels?"

Fernpaw couldn't stop jumping around and racing ahead of her father and the Clan deputy during the entire journey, seeming to be much more energetic now that she didn't need to worry about her hunger or stamina declining. Even as her paws began to ache and her belly began to subtly rumble as they approached Mothermouth, she couldn't keep from kneading the ground with her forepaws in excitement, eyes wide and fur bushed eagerly. "Yes! Let's go now! Can we go now? I'm so excited to meet StarClan! I hope I get to meet Fernfeather!"

He flinched as his daughter mentioned Fernfeather. His lost love. He gave her a pained smile and nodded to Brindlewhisker. "I'm ready too." he said softly. His amber gaze looked everywhere but Fernpaw but it wasn't noticable.

"Good. Now, the tunnels can be quite imposing and uncomfortable at times during our descent, but just remember to stay close behind and you'll fare quite well during this portion of the journey." Brindlewhisker mewed, eyes reflecting soft hues of amusement as she caught sight of the gleaming excitement upon Fernpaw's face. Offering a quick nod in Swiftstep's direction, the Deputy eagerly set off across familiar trails, hardly even having to think about where she needed to place her paws. These trails and tunnels were almost as familiar the territory she had grown up on! Edging her way into the familiar break in the earth that marked the traditional entrance to the underground passages, her nose wrinkled as stale air and ancient scents rushed to meet the trio. "Stay close, it's very dark." Brindlewhisker murmured, voice echoing strangely off the stone walls that unfolded around them endlessly.

Fernpaw’s eyes were wide, not just to try and see better, but they were the reaction to the abnormal darkness, the bone-cold air and stone underpaw in comparison to the outside world, the hundreds of undefinable stale scents of cats who have padded down this tunnel for generations. She could have sworn she could just faintly scent what smelled like her late mother, but she was probably just imagining things. It must have been many, many moons since Fernfeather last padded down this tunnel with Brindlewhisker. Was she just as eager to meet StarClan?

ooc) skipping past Middy for the sake of finishing the topic

Damp, ragged walls bared down upon the cats menacingly, effectively silencing any noises emitted by the small party as they continued to travel deeper and deeper into the darkness. Although the gently worn trails underpaw were invisible, Brindlewhisker could still easily detect the gradual sloping in the stones they traveled upon. Thankfully, after what seemed like an eternity of marching into the suffocating darkness, the faint silver light of the moon was rapidly becoming visible. Each step taken forward brought the trio further and further into the weak silver light of the heavily-filled moon, the narrow tunnel around them gradually widening out into a spacious cavern that ultimately revealed the Moonstone. "Fernpaw, this is the Moonstone. It's the heart of all the Clans and it serves as our connection to the next life. To use the stone, just simply press your nose against it and wait until you fall asleep. Heed whatever words of advice our Clanmates give you." Brindlewhisker instructed, guiding Swiftstep closer to her side as they settled down for a long night.

Fernpaw trembled with excitement before the beauty and majesty that was the Moonstone, for once at a loss for words. She nodded at Brindlewhisker's instructions and padded forward, nestling down in front of the large brilliant white stone and placing her nose to its surface. At once, sheer coldness like lightning rippled through her, and she shut her eyes tightly, trying to choke back a scream. The pain slowly ebbed away, and when she opened her eyes she gasped loudly, eyes growing wide.

She was no longer in the cave with Brindlewhisker, Swiftstep, and the Moonstone, but instead on a beautiful grassy moor with countless little fireflies flittering around. The sight of the tiny luminescent bugs kickstarted her playfulness, and she began chasing after them with a happy, excited purr. She was so thrilled that this would be the place she would go once she moved on from the living world.

Willowwhsiker smiled as yet another apprentice was welcomed. She knew this cat to be Fernpaw, Swiftstep's daughter. Her faint, starry glow became slightly more opaque as she made her way towards the tabby apprentice, graceful as she always was. Watching as the jaunty young cat chased after the bugs that she had grown used to over time, a smile crept onto her face. Sadly, the fun could not last forever, and she had a job to do. "Fernpaw!" She called out. The bugs were quite intrigueing, she supposed, but she hoped that the she-cat would take this meeting seriously.