Asterpaw's Moonstone Journey

Scorchfang drew his tongue over his lips many times, scrunching up his face in disgust, as he tried to rid himself of the awfully bitter taste of the traveling herbs he had just eaten. With Nettlesting now declared missing and Silentpaw still too young and inexperienced, the ShadowClan deputy had to handle apprentices' Moonstone journeys until his younger sister was able to do so herself. Today, he would take Curlyfeather's apprentice Asterpaw to share dreams with StarClan up at Highstones.

He waited by the entrance of the camp with a leaf-wrapped bundle of traveling herbs prepared by Silentpaw for the expecting apprentice, ready to begin her rite of passage into warriorhood.

Asterpaw moved quickly and silently towards the entrance of camp.  "Hello Scorchfang".  The she-cat dipped her head politely to the deputy.  She was quiet and patient as she waited for instructions.

Scorchfang gave a friendly purr of greeting. "Hello to you, too, Asterpaw. I hope you're ready for a long journey, but first you'll need to eat these herbs. They'll help keep your stamina up and your hunger down." He gently nudged the leaf wrap towards the apprentice with a paw, waiting for her to consume them as he stood up.

The calico she-cat did as she was told and ate the bundle of herbs. She tried her best to hide the fact that she thought the taste was awful. "Does it always taste the awful?" Asterpaw licked her lips trying to make it go away faster, but to no avail. "Thank you." The apprentice stood and looked to the deputy.

"I'm afraid so. But at least they work, and we'll need all the strength we can get for our journey ahead." Scorchfang gestured with his tail for Asterpaw to follow him and he slipped out of camp and through ShadowClan's marshes to the border into no Clan's land.

The two of them padded along the outskirts of WindClan's scent border towards Highstones, and at a little past sunhigh they came across the wide Thunderpath. He had always hated Thunderpaths; he had heard too many horrific tales of cats getting crushed underneath the giant black paws of monsters, including his own sister Lilacfall. Just like with Dawnbreeze, he would have to be careful when crossing the Thunderpath and make sure Asterpaw didn't fall behind.

He turned to the apprentice and looked down at her seriously. "This Thunderpath is very dangerous. Well, all Thunderpaths are dangerous, but this one is much wider than the one running through the border of ShadowClan and ThunderClan. Don't put a single hair on it until I tell you to run, and when I say run, I mean race across the Thunderpath as if all of the Dark Forest were on your tail."

Certain that Asterpaw would follow his directions, he watched carefully as monsters raced by, waiting for a big enough gap for the two cats to race across safely. Finally, the rumbling in the ground ceased, and Scorchfang deemed it safe enough to cross. "Alright, run!" He let Asterpaw go first, and he followed close behind her, keeping watch all around to make sure no monsters tried to sneak up on them. StarClan must have been watching over them, as there were no sign of monsters until after they raced into the soft green grass on the other side. Panting heavily, Scorchfang turned to the apprentice. "Well done, Asterpaw. Are you okay?"

Asterpaw followed Scorchfang out of camp and to the Thunderpath. This was not the apprentice's first time crossing the Thunderpath, but that didn't make crossing any less nerve wracking. The she-cat nodded to everything Scorchfang said. When the large tom said go, Asterpaw took off, taking large strides to get across the black path in one piece. She nodded when the deputy asked if she was ok.

"Good. Alright, let's keep going then." Shadefang continued on, leading Asterpaw towards Highstones, and after some climbing they reached the entrance of Mothermouth. The sun was in the process of falling behind the horizon, bathing the sky in a fiery orange that gradually grew darker. He laid down in front of Mothermouth. "We still have a bit of time before we have to go in. I like to have apprentices reflect on their training while we have this time. So, have you enjoyed having Curlyfeather as a mentor? Are you satisfied with her training?"

Asterpaw walked along with the deputy silently until he prompted her to speak.  She nodded, "Curlyfeather has pushed me to be a better in battle and has critiqued my hunting skills, I appreciate her to say the least." She thought about the second part of his question, was she satisfied?  "I would have liked my training to progress a little quicker than it did, but I think it benefited me in a way.  I knew it would be a little different compared to the training of the other apprentices, but it worked out."  Asterpaw kept looking straight ahead as she spoke.

"I'm glad to hear it," the deputy purred. "It must not have been easy, but you and Curlyfeather both worked together just fine. I know she's very proud of you, as am I." The sun had finally set behind the horizon, and the moon was beginning to climb the sky, the StarClan warriors dazzling in the dark sky above one at a time. He stood back up. "Well, it's time to go inside now. Stay close to me, and keep your nose to my tail-tip at all times so you don't get lost."

Turning, Scorchfang padded inside Mothermouth with Asterpaw following close behind. He had been down this path many times before, so he was able to easily navigate through the pitch-black tunnel. They padded into the large cave where the Moonstone stood, and a moment after they entered the moon shone directly over the hole in the ceiling, and the Moonstone came to life with a harsh, cold white light. He squinted his eyes until they were used to the sudden change of lighting in the cave, and he turned to Asterpaw. "This is where you must finish your journey alone. Touch your nose to the Moonstone, and you will dream with StarClan. You may do so when ready." He made his way to the corner of the cave, tucking his paws underneath his fluffy belly before laying down to protect it from the harsh coldness of the cave floor.

Asterpaw did as she was told and her surroundings went dark. A starry figure appeared in front of her, "Who's there?"

Another day, another apprentice. It's time. Rather than her usual dramatic entrance, the cat in front of Asterpaw simply appeared. She looked like any other, save perhaps for the glowing lights in her short black fur, studded with more stars than the night sky above. Her form was slim and willowy, with delicate paws and an intelligent face, making her seem younger than her bright smile belied. A mischievous look twinkled in her intent hazel eyes, a slight surprise given the wisdom that seemed to line her slender body. "Hello, Asterpaw," the StarClan she-cat purred, her voice warm. "My name is Shimmerheart. It's nice to finally meet you. How are you, and how is Curlyfeather? It seems like not too long ago, I was at her Moonstone ceremony."

ooc: eek! sorry for such a late post!

Asterpaw's eyes grew until they mimicked the size of the full moon. She dipped her head, "It's lovely to meet you too, Shimmerheart." She listened to the question and answered her StarClan visitor. "I am well, a little scared to finally become a warrior of ShadowClan, though. And Curlyfeather is trying her hardest to make do with all she has been through in the past moon or so." The apprentice was calm and felt at ease while talking to the glowing cat that stood in front of her, not something that she felt all that often.