Frostpaw's Moonstone Journey

This was a custom that Poplartooth had now fully gotten used to. The taste of the herbs was certainly not pleasant, but his tastebuds had seemed to magically adjust to tolerate the taste. The tom swiftly made his way out of Mintpaw's den and crossed the camp so that he could approach the apprentices' den. Today, the apprentice that he'd be escorting to Highstones was Frostpaw. He had nothing against the she-cat, but he didn't really have anything positive to say about her, either. He didn't know her, well... but it wasn't as if he wanted to get to know her. Holding back an eye roll at his own thoughts, the brown-and-white cat placed the herbs down before poking his muzzle into the entrance of the apprentices' den.
"Let's go, Frostpaw!" He called, before turning around and heading towards the camp's exit to wait for her. The bundle of herbs was still sitting idly outside of the apprentices' den, but he figured that Frostpaw would have enough intelligence to hurry up and eat it without being prompted.

Frostpaw jerked her head up from her best suddenly when Poplartooth’s sharp voice cut through her dreams. Groaning inwardly, she rose to her paws with a stretch before making her way out of the apprentice’s den. Barely paying attention, she stumbled slightly over the herb bundle right outside. “Oh.” She mumbled softly to herself as she licked up the bitter herbs.

With her face screwed up at the sourness, she finally approached the deputy. “I’m ready.” She meowed, offering a tentative smile. She wasn’t usually so shy, but the deputy made her nervous for whatever reason. Despite the weariness, she was beyond excited for tonight. They would go to the famous Moonstone tonight, and she’d get to speak with StarClan themselves! It was a bit nerve-wracking to say the least, but her excitement far outweighed her anxiety.

(Mobilee)

Poplartooth nodded with slight approval once Frostpaw verbalized that she was ready to leave. He made no intention of pointing out how timid she sounded.
"Follow me." He said before turning around, flicking his tail, and leading the apprentice out of camp and into SkyClan's familiar, tree-filled territory. It was easy for the tom to maneuver around the trees and stay directly on the route that he had memorized. Every now and then, the fluffy deputy would look over his shoulder to check and see if Frostpaw was still following, then he'd silently look straight ahead, again. He was in no rush, but he wasn't the type of cat to stop and smell the roses.

Poplartooth felt quite proud of himself once the two of them began to approach Mothermouth. He had made sure that yet another apprentice had made it to the Moonstone on time. Mothermouth's dark, open entrance got bigger and bigger as the tom got closer and closer, but he paused sharply once they were directly in front of the cave's opening.
"This is Mothermouth. Once we head in, don't stop walking, and use your sense of smell to stay behind me. Out of respect, we aren't allowed to speak inside the cave. Press your nose against the Moonstone, and StarClan will greet you. The Moonstone awaits. Let's go."
Turning around, the deputy led Frostpaw into the darkness of the cave. The tunnel was narrow, and it was dark, as usual, but he still felt that sense of relief once he left the darkness behind and padded into the main cave that held the beauty of the Moonstone.

Making his way to the side of the cave to settle down and wait for Frostpaw, Poplartooth thrust his nose towards the stone to let the apprentice know that it was alright to touch her nose to the stone.

Frostpaw padded quietly behind Poplartooth, keeping an eye on where she was placing her paws, but also gazing in awe at the new landscapes. They had to cross ThunderClan and WindClan territory to get to the moonstone which had her on edge for a bit, but seeing Poplartooth so confident settled her nerves a little bit. 

She was growing increasingly more nervous with each passing minute. What if StarClan doesn't show up? What if they don't except me? Her mind was racing with all the anxious thoughts, but she actively tried to push them away and focus on what was ahead of her. It worked.. kinda.. and soon enough they were staring up at a gaping black hole that Poplartooth identified as 'Mothermouth.' It was a little intimidating to think about going inside, but she trusted that Poplartooth, though maybe a bit scary, had her best interest at heart. After what felt like moons traveling through the cramped space, it finally opened up to reveal a cave that held the bright stone shimmering in the moonlight that shone from an opening up above it. She held back an awe-filled 'wow' as she approached the rock. After a few seconds of staring at it curiously, she settled down and touched her nose to the stone.

She opened her eyes again, slowly, with the crushing fear that it hadn't worked, but she wasn't in a cave anymore. She was in a beautiful, shimmering forest filled with lush grasses and trees and a nearby creek that seemed to be filled with stars. Glancing around cautiously, she approached the creek and was about to take a drink when a somehow familiar voice startled her.

The former tribe cat appeared in the middle of the shiny woods and he watched a non-Starclan cat walking to a stream. His green eyes recognized her immediately as one of his own tribemates and Foxhunter knew why he was here by her side.

The serious tom walked to her slowly and sat down by her side. "I never expected to see one of my tribemates being in this place with me but I'm glad you're here, Frostpaw. Starclan is a calm and peaceful place, don't you think?" He mewed in his usual neutral tone as he looked at her. Frost That Blankets the Brook wasn't exactly his friend when he was alive since he didn't actually have many friends but he felt a connection to her thank to their origins and because she was like him: a tribe cat who decided to become a warrior in the clan that welcomed her. Foxhunter was dead but maybe, the least he could do for a fellow tribemate was to guide her in her new life.

Frostpaw's eyes widened in fear for a split second before Foxhunter's familiar voice hit her perked ears. They had never really spoken or been very close, but he was still one of her tribemates. "F-Foxhunter? I can't believe you're here! I-I.. I didn't think anyone would come.." She admitted softly before perking up as the pushed the anxiety-filled thoughts away. It didn't matter. Foxhunter had come to see her. "Anyways, it really is. It's so beautiful." She mused with a smile that came easily to her. "Are our tribemates we left in the mountains here? I-Is my family here?" She asked hopefully, her hazel eyes searching Foxhunter's star-filled ones. She knew it was probably a vain hope that her family was here in StarClan. They would have probably stayed in the Tribe of Endless Hunting, but in spite of that, she hoped maybe they were here.