Scarletpaw's Moonstone Journey

The familiar bundle of traveling herbs hanging from his jaws, Leopardclaw padded across the sunny clearing towards the apprentice den, and placed the pile of leaves and stems down on the ground. Yet another apprentice had finally reached the point in their training when they traveled to meet with StarClan, and the spotted deputy was prepared to escort them. "Scarletpaw, it's time to go!"

OOC : Btw I changed my StarClan cat from Foxfang to Turtlepelt cause I was dumb and forgot to PM Foxfang's RPer and now I forgot his/her's name xD


When Scarletpaw finally heard her name called, she could hardly stop quivering with excitement. She was finally ready to go on the Moonstone journey, and she was both excited and full of curiousity. What kind of cats would appear to her? She hadn't really thought of what to do, or what to say to any StarClan cats that might appear to her. Suddenly she began to feel nervous. This was the first time she would ever meet StarClan, and what if she messed up something and the StarClan cat laughed at her? "How am I supposed to know what to do?" She murmured, half to herself and half to Leopardclaw. All this time she had just looked at Silverpelt and thought about her warrior ancestors, but now she was actually going to meet them.

(occ: Okay, that's fine C:  Foxfang's rper is Night for future reference, but she's been having some WiFi troubles recently so Turtle is probably best for the sake of time)

Leopardclaw greeted the young red-tabby she-cat with a friendly nod, but was caught off guard by her unsure statement.  Since he has made this trip so many times before, the tom often underestimated how big of an event it was for the apprentice, and a faint, comforting smile began to curl at the edges of his mouth.  "Don't worry Scarletpaw, once we get to the Moonstone I'll guide you on what to do.  There's nothing to be scared of, I promise."  Resting his tail tip lightly on her shoulder for a moment in a reassuring gesture, he pushed the pile of traveling herbs closer to the apprentice with a forepaw.  "Before we leave though you need to eat these, they'll strengthen and energize you for the journey ahead."

Scarletpaw nodded when she heard the deputy's words. Although she was still a bit nervous, she trusted Leopardclaw. Calm down, you're just meeting some dead cats! When she saw the herbs, she flinched inwardly. They smelled about as bad as mouse dung, but she courageously ate the herbs anyways. The bitter taste stung her tongue and she gagged at the foul taste, but she immediately began to feel strength flow through her body, and all her energy was restored. She straightened herself up and meowed "I'm ready. Let's go!"

Leopardclaw nodded briefly, and with a flick of his long tail led the way out through the camp entrance, and into the newly-blooming forest beyond, heading in the direction of Fourtrees.

---

Finally, after a long journey across the moorland and vast unclaimed territory, the two cats came to rest at the shaded entrance of Mothermouth.  After a moment of rest, Leopardclaw stood up and flicked his ears towards the tunnel.  "Let's keep going."  Stepping forward, his golden pelt was enveloped by the thick darkness that lay within the tunnel, and he began to lead the way farther down into the earth.

By the time both Leopardclaw and Scarletpaw had made it to the entrance of Mothermouth, Scarletpaw's joints were aching with tiredness although she had eaten the herbs that Leopardclaw had given her for energy. After she rested, she felt a bit better, but she was still tired. She stared into Mothermouth. The enveloping darkness ensured she could not see anything. Before following Leopardclaw into Mothermouth, she paused and stared into the skies. Were her warrior ancestors looking at them right now? Shaking her pelt, she followed her deputy into the darkness which enveloped her usually shiny ginger pelt. Cold air hit her as she stepped in, and she flinched inwardly. It reminded her of the bitter leaf-bare just a few moons ago.

After what felt like moons of padding along down the twisting tunnels of Mothermouth, the two cats finally emerged into the blazing light of the Moonstone, and Leopardclaw wasted no time before giving the apprentice her instructions. "Touch your nose to the stone Scarletpaw, and StarClan will send you sleep so that they may meet with you in dreams. I will be here when you wake."

OOC : Wow why am I writing so much xDDD

No more! Scarletpaw almost let out a groan of fustration. It was just tunnel after tunnel, with no end. Her paws ached with pain, and her tiredness and hungriness did not help her at all. Just when she was about to suggest resting before going on again, they had reached the Moonstone. Scarletpaw stared in awe at the beauty of the shining stone, sending waves of warm light onto her face. Wow. Then Leopardclaw started to speak, telling Scarletpaw what to do. She hesitantly crept towards the Moonstone, and touched her nose against the stone. She flinched slightly at the coldness of it. Suddenly, she felt the world slowly slipping away from her and before she knew it, she was in a completely different place from where she had just been a while ago. I-is this StarClan? She looked around, but saw no cats. Where are all the cats? Have none come to talk to me?

The cats in StarClan knew just who was coming to visit them that day, and they sensed the presence of Scarletpaw's spirit the moment she fell asleep. The cat who had chosen to speak with her made her way over to the ThunderClan apprentice. In a quiet, grass-covered meadow, where the visitor opened her eyes, a starry form appeared, growing from dim to extremely bright in the space of two seconds, some otherworldly being that took the shape of a warrior. The StarClan cat was medium-height, with a full frame and a long, furry tail. Her pelt was brown and white dappled tortoiseshell, and there was a clever gleam in her green eyes. Despite her star-studded fur, the she-cat smelled of ThunderClan, and looked almost like any other young warrior in the forest. However, there was something deeper in her eyes, a knowledge and wisdom that even leaders rarely possessed- the wisdom of StarClan. "Hello, Scarletpaw," she purred, grinning widely. "My name is Turtlepelt."

Just as Scarletpaw was admiring the forest, she heard a she-cat's voice. "T-Turtlepelt?" she squeaked in surprise. Then suddenly realization dawned upon her as she realized what she had even come here to do. "Of course! Are you here to talk to me? Are you a StarClan cat?" she meowed. Of course she is, mouse-brain!

Turtlepelt laughed. Speaking to Moonstone-journey-ing apprentices was always a highlight. "Of course! Why else would I be here? Though, I suppose you aren't a StarClan cat," she teased, green eyes sparkling. "You're not the first ThunderClan apprentice I've spoken to, not will you be the last. However, like every cat in this forest, you are unique. If warriors weren't diverse, there wouldn't be multiple Clans, now would there?" The slim StarClan warrior sat by Scarletpaw, face friendly but serious. "Well, I'm here to give you some advice. There are many paths this meeting could take, but only a few are overwhelmingly beneficial. Despite the fact that I know what you need to hear, I think I'd better let you tell me what information I've got to give you. What questions do you want answered, Scarletpaw?"

OOC : soRyrY! i had to think for a couple of days about what to post. PS fun fact I have social anxiety too lol

When Scarletpaw heard the StarClan cat's words, she turned red in embarrassment. Am I going to be remembered for that? I hope not! Then the StarClan cat asked her what questions she wanted answered. Oh no! She had expected the StarClan to ask her questions! She began to think of all sorts of random questions and started to ask the first few things that came to her mind. She was speaking in a garbled manner because she did not know what to say at all. "Uh-uh, h-how do I catch rabbits? They're like mice except that they jump a lot, and sometimes it's really hard to catch them. I-I've missed a-a lot of rabbits. And-uhh-uhh how do I become the best warrior in ThunderC-Clan?" She hated herself inwardly for her awkwardness and social anxiety