Oakpaw's Moonstone Journey

The deputy was ready to take another apprentice to the Moonstone. This time, it was young Oakpaw. The tom had a bundle of herbs by his paws for the she-cat. Swiftstep had eaten his a few moments ago. "Oakpaw! It's time to get going!" he called from his sitting position by the camp entrance. The deputy felt rather giddy just thinking about the trip. It never got old for him. Everyday the outside changed, even just a minuscule amount, so he looked forward to spotting the differences.

Oakpaw jumped up from her rock at the deputy's call, landing gracefully on her paws. The she-cat smiled softly, she'd been looking forward to this trip for ages! She knew it'd be tiring, but she'd get to talk to StarClan and go to places she'd never been. Oakpaw scooped up her bundle of herbs and ate them as quick as she could, sticking her tongue out in disdain at the strange taste. "I'm ready to go, Swiftstep." she mewed flicking her tail.

Swiftstep nodded with a smile and beckoned the younger to follow his lead. The pair set off on an exciting journey to Mothermouth!

~Time Skip~

The deputy and Oakpaw had made it to their destination as Silverpelt began covering the sky. Swiftstep, the whole way there, pointed out interesting bits of each landmark they passed them. Oakpaw seemed to glow with excitement once they reached new territory. The dart across the Thunderpath seemed to give them both adrenaline to continue walking up to the tunnel opening.

Swiftstep nodded and began to step into the dark entrance. "Stay close to me. I don't want you hurting yourself in the dark." he instructed as they began their decent. Soon the two reached a cavern where the glowing Moonstone sat. "Touch your nose to the Moonstone and a Starclan cat will speak with you." the tom said as he made himself comfortable by the exit.

The star's shimmered over head and the night was cloudless. It calmed Oakpaw and she felt at ease as she travelled with Swiftstep, enjoying the comments he made as they passed each landmark. Her excitement grew with every pawstep. Who would she talk to? What would they be like? Questions rushed through her mind, some feeling her withe excitement and others with nervousness.

The glow of the moonstone grew closer, and eventually it loomed above Oakpaw and Swiftstep. Oakpaw's jaw dropped, she'd never seen anything like it. However, Swiftstep's words brought her out her trance and she listened intently to what he said. She couldn't get this wrong.

The tabby she-cat stepped forward and touched her nose to the moonstone. Almost instantly, her eyelids drooped and she fell asleep. It was unexpected and she felt a slight jolt of fear, but when she opened her eyes she was in a grassy field and the fear had melted away into curiosity.

(OOC: OOF! So sorry for the late response!)

The twinkling stars above Oakpaw's head seemed to begin to dance and swirl, and before long they lowered themselves to the ground and began to take a form. The light outline of a young she-cat with bushy gray fur, a stumpy tail, and blind yet knowing eyes began to take form, and she smiled sweetly as she padded up to the apprentice before her.

"Hello, Owlpaw. I am Fernfeather, the late mate of your Clan's beloved deputy," the young warrior purred. "Do you have any questions you wish to ask me?"

Oakpaw's gaze swept over the blades of grass and to the sky above her, watching the stars swirling. As she watched, she noticed a patch of stars shimmering towards her. The apprentice seized up with fear, what was happening?! "StarClan, help!...Oh." The stars, before her very eyes, became a StarClan cat. a wave hot wave of embarrassment washed over the tabby she-cat, well didn't she look dumb. Oakpaw curled her tail around her paws, a little unsure (it wasn't actually a little, she was very scared and very unsure). The starry warrior began to speak, and Oakpaw watched her carefully as she spoke, eyes tracing the warrior's movements. Fernfeather seemed innocent enough to Oakpaw. "Hey...? I d-dont r-really know... I knew i should of thought about this more..." she muttered eyes drifting nervously to her feet. That's when the question came to her.

"I want to be more c-confident, F-fernfeather." mewed Oakpaw fixing her gaze back on the former WindClan warrior.

Fernfeather gave a soft mrrow of amusement and arched her eyes. Her professionalism was immediately replaced with bubbly, happy energy. "Well, aren't you just an adorable she-cat! It's all okay, you don't need to worry, we StarClan cats never judge! Well, unless you're destined to tread in the Dark Forest, but you're far from being that evil! Anyway, you need confidence? That's super easy! Well... kinda. What I used to do -- and what I still do now -- is I just make lots and lots of friends wherever I go. You seem pretty shy, so maybe a good start is to go out there and make some friends within your Clan! You're all Clanmates already anyway, and it's not as if anyone's going to resent you; the Clan can only be stronger when you are friends with your Clanmates instead of just being, well, there, y'know? If you're super nervous about making friends, just think to yourself, 'Alright, Oakpaw, there's two things that could happen: either I can make a brand-new friend who could potentially become my best friend or even future mate, or they're just not ready to be my friend yet, so I'll give them some time.' Knowing you put your shyness aside to go out and make new friends will give you more confidence to make even more, and then all of a sudden, bam! You'll be much more confident than before, and then you can apply that confidence in doing other things! The key to confidence is friendship, that's what I always believed in!" She softly panted when she finished speaking, hoping the young apprentice was able to take in all she had said.

Oakpaw cheeks flushed as Fernfeather complimented her, not entirely use to the idea of receiving one. She'd only ever been complimented by Barleypaw, and even then she wasn't sure if it was truth or not. Her ears were perked, facing forward, giving the starry cat all her attention.

So, friendship was the key to confidence? That explained a lot! Oakpaw smiled softly "Thank you, Fernfeather. I'll definitely listen to you advice!" she mewed happily.

Fernfeather gave a rather kit-like bounce of joy. "Yay! It's so much fun being able to help generations of apprentices become better cats for their own sake and the sake of their Clan! I hope I get to do more of it soon!" She gave a happy purr and waggled her stumped tail. "Take care, Oakpaw! And don't forget to make as many friends as you can; you can never have too many friends, that's what I like to say! May StarClan guide your path!"

With that, the StarClan she-cat began to fade away.

"I'll try, Fernfeather!" Oakpaw mewed. She really was going to try and make friends, though how many would want to e friends back? It didn't matter, she'd work it out later. AS the StarClan cat faded she was soon overcome with a saddness. Oakpaw liked Fernfeather, she was nice. As the StarClan cat faded, the tabby apprentice felt a sudden drowsiness come over her and her eyes began to close.

~~~

When she reopened them she was back in the cavern and the Moonstone was beginning to fade. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the dark, then she sat up, ready to leave.