Tigerpaw's Moonstone Journey

Poplartooth had taken it upon himself to swallow down his share of the herbs before we went over to the apprentices' den to meet up with Tigerpaw. He would probably end up doing that from now on. It was better for him to see the younger ones recoil from the taste without having to do it himself. Giving Mintpaw a quick nod of thanks, the deputy made his way out of the medicine den and locked eyes with the apprentices' den. The tom honestly had no idea how to feel about Tigerpaw. He didn't know many of the apprentices on a personal level. In fact, Drizzlepaw was quite possibly the only cat in the apprentices' den who Poplartooth actually knew. Well, it wasn't like he cared. Most apprentices were nosy, anyway. The fluffy tom dropped the herb bundle at his paws as he looked inside the entrance of the apprentices' den. It seemed like only yesterday he had been sleeping in there, but he was so glad that he was in the warriors' den, now.
"Let's go, Tigerpaw!" Poplartooth called in a rather impatient voice.
There was no time to waste on a trip like this.

Tigerpaw gave a start when she suddenly heard Poplartooth call her name from outside the Apprentice's Den. The striped apprentice had just been about to step into her nest for a nap. Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be going on the Moonstone Journey today. Awakened by the call, the thought popped into her mind. The SkyClan deputy had actually informed her ahead of time, but it had completely slipped her mind. How exactly she had forgotten something so important, she had no idea. Tonight was the night she was going to meet StarClan! Who would she see? The unpredictability of it actually sent a shiver of excitement up Tigerpaw's spine. A SkyClan warrior of old? A cat from another clan? Or... one of her family members? Her train of thought trailed off at the last one. It was better not to hope if hoping meant being disappointed.

Not wanting to keep Poplartooth waiting, Tigerpaw stepped out of the den. The older tom was waiting at the entrance with a bundle of herbs at his paws. It did not take much for the apprentice to deduce that that was probably their travelling herbs. Well, hers, if Poplartooth had already eaten his. She knew next to nothing about the SkyClan deputy, except for the fact that Rippedstar had enough confidence in him to choose him as his second-in-command. He seemed like a bad-tempered cat. It was going to be her first time alone with him, as well as her first time leaving SkyClan territory. "H-here I am." She said, nervousness causing her voice to shake slightly.

Poplartooth glanced down at the she-cat with a slight bit of disdain in his eyes. Her nervous response made a dozen questions run through the tom's mind.
Why is she nervous? It's just a trip to the moonstone.
With a tiny huff, the fluffy tom turned around and headed out of camp with Tigerpaw behind him. They were fine on time, so Poplartooth wasn't about to rush himself and the apprentice through SkyClan's territory. He wasn't going to try and be super slow about it, either. However, the sooner they got to Highstones, the sooner they could return to camp, and the sooner Poplartooth could stop trying to avoid conversation. It had been working just fine with the other apprentices. One of these days, though, he'd end up having to be an escort to a chatty cat.

When the outline and figure of Highstones came into view, Poplartooth didn't bother to look back at Tigerpaw to see her reaction. He honestly didn't care. The good stuff wasn't outside of Highstones, it was inside. Speeding up a little, the fluffy deputy made his way to Mothermouth and paused once he and Tigerpaw were directly in front of it.
"We've reached the peak of our little trip: Highstones. When you go inside, the tunnels will be tight, so don't stop going forward, and use your nose to keep my scent directly in front of you. We aren't supposed to talk when we're in there, so be sure to touch your nose to the Moonstone once we're in the cave."
After making sure that the apprentice understood, Poplartooth disappeared into the darkness that Mothermouth provided and began to squeeze his way through the narrow tunnel. He was honestly beginning to get used to it. He guided both himself and Tigerpaw down the tunnel with ease, but he felt relieved once he emerged into the main cave with light that came from the Moonstone.

Once he pointed his nose toward the Moonstone to silently remind Tigerpaw of what to do, the tom went towards one of the cave walls and sat down with an emotionless gaze. Now, it was time to wait.

Tigerpaw scoffed down the travelling herbs and hurried after Poplartooth. They tasted terrible as she had expected, but she managed to force them down with some effort.

The SkyClan deputy made no attempt at conversation during the trip, to which she had some mixed feelings. Even if it had been slight, the disdainful look he had given her before leaving camp had not escaped her attention. It was quite clear that the fluffy tom wasn't very pleased about having to take apprentices on their moonstone journeys. She wasn't sure if he was in a bad mood or that was just how he usually was. She had the feeling that it was the latter. On the other paw, while the silence between the two was awkward, not having to talk was also a relief.

The sooner they got to Highstones, the better. Such a thought flashed through her mind.

It seemed to the striped apprentice that they had been walking for forever when the group of rocks known as the Highstones finally appeared within sight. Set into the side of the rocks was a dark, gaping hole. The entrance to the tunnel. Tigerpaw eyed it warily before Poplartooth's voice caught her attention and she turned to face him. After listening to his instructions, she nodded once to show that she understood. Outwardly she appeared quite calm, but inwardly her heartbeat was starting to pick up its pace. Her chest felt cold. She had no idea why she was so nervous, but she had no time to calm herself down. Poplartooth plunged into the tunnel without wasting any time, and she had to follow him. The darkness was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It was disorienting; only her paws which made contact with the rock reminded her of which way was up and down. As the tunnel closed in on them, it became a struggle to concentrate on following the deputy's scent. Just when Tigerpaw began to think that she couldn't take it anymore, she suddenly found the tunnel growing brighter. She began to be able to make out Poplartooth's dark form. Before long, they had emerged into the cavern. At the sight of the shimmering, iridescent Moonstone, Tigerpaw's yellow eyes widened in awe. A quick gesture from her companion reminded her of what she was to do. Stepping forward, she took a deep breath. Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Poplartooth sit down by the cavern wall. Here we go... Then she touched her nose to the Moonstone, and the world of the living fell away.

When the she-cat opened her eyes, she was standing in the starry woods of Starclan, a beautiful place covered in stars and full of prey to hunt. This was the place that allowed him to stay despite his tribe origins because he decided to be a Skyclan warrior instead of a tribe cat. Although he missed sometimes his family, he knew, from the moment he met Starclan when he was training, that his heart and loyalty would always be in the clan who welcomed him and give him the chance to create his own family not only with Cloverleaf, his first love but with Duskflower, the cat who encouraged him to be a Skyclan cat. And now, the fruit of their relationship was able to see him once more in this dream world.

The spotted warrior appeared in the she-cat's sight, at first as a blurry image covered in fog that started to materialize slowly as he became closer. The serious tom stopped in front of his daughter, his hazel eyes fixed on her. Even if he was able to see his kits from there every day, it felt even better to have her there, in front of him and just a few steps away from touching her again as he used to be as her father. "Welcome to Starclan, Tigerpaw. It's been a while... my daughter..." He mewed with a neutral tone but making a small and fatherly smile at the end. He had truly missed his living family but at least he wasn't alone up here.

The first thing that struck Tigerpaw was the sensation of soft grass beneath her paws. The transition had happened so quickly; one moment she had been in the cavern with Poplartooth, the next she was standing in what appeared to be a forest. As she gazed curiously around at her, she was able to quickly pick out the ghostly pinpricks of light that lined her new surroundings. The air was teeming with all sorts of prey scents; some she were very familiar with, and some she were less familiar with. Peaceful silence lingered over everything. So this is... StarClan? She knew no other possible name for this place. Then, who was she to meet? Just as that thought flashed across her mind, the misty figure of a cat entered her vision. It was difficult to make out features at first, but as the cat stepped closer, the blurriness cleared away to reveal a very familiar warrior.

"... Foxhunter!" The name slipped out in a joy-tinged exclamation before she could help it. Apart from the starry, translucent body he now had, her father was no different than he had been when he was alive. Even the calm tone he spoke with was so familiar. The whole trip to the Moonstone, she had been trying to keep from thinking about which StarClan cat she was going to see, but she had been unable to extinguish the tiny spark of hope in the deepest part of her heart. Now that spark blossomed into a warm flame and spread throughout her. "I've missed you." She mewed, voice trembling lightly with emotion. She had no idea what to say after finally seeing Foxhunter again, so she spouted the first things that came to mind. "Both Duskflower and Palepaw are gone. I still have Ripplepaw, but we barely talk. It's really lonely down there. Crowstar was killed protecting Shrikepaw when dogs attacked camp, and Poplartooth is the new deputy. I don't really like Poplartooth, because he seems grumpy. Now apprentices have been banned from leaving camp alone, and it's really annoying, but I think I'll be able to become a warrior soon." She paused before she could go on rambling any further. ".... I never got to say goodbye before you left."

OOC: Sorry for the delay. Calm down, Tigerpaw.

The warrior watched his daughter spilling words nervously and clearly worried. Foxhunter's expression remained serious and when she was done, the spotted stepped closer and put one paw on her chest, smiling a bit. "I'm sorry for leaving you when you were still so young, Tigerpaw, but it was Starclan's decision. Don't feel bad for me or for the ones who left, like Duskflower and Crowstar... now you're here and we can talk one last time before you become a warrior." He sat down and flicked his long tail, looking at the horizon of the Starclan's grassy plains.

With the tip of his tail, he touched Tigerpaw, catching up her attention. "You know? I was in a similar situation when I first came here. I lost my first mate and two of my kits. I was devastated and I felt lonely just like you. I was going through a lot of things. I was going to leave my tribe for other cats, my parents died because of me, my mate and kits joined Starclan too soon and I didn't feel part of anything... however, I found a purpose, a place that I could call home because I found the love and the sense of family in Skyclan. Home isn't always perfect because our clanmates have flaws like you and I. But that doesn't mean it isn't a good a place to be. You have family there, not only Ripplepaw. Even if you don't share blood with them, your clanmates are your family too. Aren't brothers and sisters supposed to work together, just like all the warriors do in Skyclan?" He fixed his hazel eyes on the she-cat once more, his whiskers moving at the moment he smirked a bit. "You're a strong she-cat, Tigerpaw, and I understand how difficult it must be for you to go through all those problems but remember... you will never be alone because you'll always have Skyclan with you... and I'll be here watching over you and your sister, even if you can't see me."

OOC: Tigerpaw is too good for Foxhunter. She's such a cute baby <3

Having stated her thoughts, Tigerpaw glanced down, shuffling awkwardly from paw to paw. At Foxhunter's unexpected touch, she jerked slightly and looked up. As she did, her bright yellow gaze met with the warrior's emerald green one. His words caused a roiling wave of conflicting emotions to surge up in her heart. When he sat down, she followed suit. Following his line of sight, she looked out across the starry territory. She wanted to speak, but she struggled with the words to use. It felt like there was so many things she wanted to say, but at the same time she did not know what they were. This would very well be the final time they would talk before she became a member of StarClan herself. Wrapping her striped tail tightly around her paws, she waited for her father to continue speaking.

She took in all that he said without moving a muscle. Her position prevented Foxhunter from seeing the expression on her face while he spoke. When his words came to an end, the tabby apprentice turned to face him. So Foxhunter had also experienced such a similar situation. There was still so much about the warrior she did not know, but it was too late now. The corners of her maw twisted upwards in a bright yet sorrowful smile. "If you say so, Dad." She used the name she often used to refer to him when she was a kit. "Watch over the two of us, then. I promise to do my best not to fail you." Despite the undercurrent of sadness that still lingered, her tone was now cheerful. She still had uncertainties, but since it was Foxhunter, she would choose to believe in his words. After all, she also did not want to leave him feeling worried. "Do you have any advice for a soon-to-be warrior?"

OOC: Thanks :3 It's actually hard for me to write such posts.

The spotted warrior smiled as well and he gave her a lovingly nuzzle. He knew that her sadness for his death wouldn't disappear so easily but at least... Starclan granted him the last time to talk with her and to say goodbye. Deep inside he knew this meeting would somehow bring peace inside Tigerpaw's heart even if she misses him for the rest of her life. "I promise to look always after you... I'll be happy to see you grow up into an even more wonderful she-cat."

The former prey-hunter stood up and pointed the stars surrounding them with a slight movement of his tail. "If I can give you an advice... I'll say that don't you ever forget where you belong. You're a clan cat, but not only that. You're a descendant of the strong tribe cats who survived in the harsh mountains. There's strong blood running through your veins and you'll always have family in your clan. Stay true to yourself, to your family and your clan. Be brave, over all. There's a long path in front of you... make sure to enjoy it as much as you can with the ones you love."

Tigerpaw returned Foxhunter's nuzzle, a soft purr rumbling within her chest as she did so. The familiar action caused a sense of nostalgia to fill her. Pretty soon, their time together would draw to a close, and the striped apprentice would have to return to the living world. However, even though she knew that, Tigerpaw was still grateful for the chance to see her father one more time. Within her heart, she murmured a thanks to StarClan.

At Foxhunter's gesture, she turned her gaze in the direction that he had pointed in. The countless stars that surrounded them reflected in her yellow eyes and caused her eyes to appear as if they were sparkling as well.

"Stay true to yourself, to your family and your clan. Be brave, over all."

The warrior's words resounded loudly within her. With each echo, she felt the words sink deeper into her heart. "I will." She declared strongly. It was time to go now. She could feel it. Getting to her paws, Tigerpaw realized that she had to say her farewell now, before it was too late. "Foxhunter, I--I'll remember your advice. Thank you for everything you did." She gave the spotted tom a final smile before the starry scene began to fade away before her eyes. "Goodbye!"

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in the cavern.