Ridgepaw's Moonstone Journey

This one wasn't like the others- he'd be taking his own sister, this time. Pricklepaw stared at his neatly compiled mounds of bitter traveling herbs, sage-green eyes thoughtful as he tried to remember the last time he'd talked alone with his sister. It... hadn't been recently. She'd always been far more interested in spending time with Bearpaw than him, and since after the battle he hadn't talked to her- at all. The realization shocked him. It had only been a few days since the battle's end, and less since the ceremony, but he hadn't really talked Ridgepaw at all in that time. With all his new duties, of course, he was busy- and did she really want to talk to him anyways? He just sat by the entrance of the medicine cat den, waiting for his sister, both dreading and anticipating her appearance. Ridgepaw had always been the kindest of them... Hailpaw was too battle-ready, Gladepaw was in a world of her own, Beepaw had been... not the nicest. Bearpaw didn't count as his sibling. Now that he was in this new position, could they still be close?

With a bouncing enthusiasm, Ridgepaw leapt into the Medicine den with a cheerful expression on her muzzle as she rushed up to Pricklepaw in excitement.
"PRICKLEPAW! Did you hear! It's my turn to go to the moonstone!" She declared excitedly, her hazel eyes wide as she looked to the ceiling of the medicine den. Already her mind was lost in wanderings. "Oooo I wonder what it's like? Is the cave super mossy? Is the moonstone really that shiny and bright? Oh, OH! WE get to go through WindClan!" The excited she-cat seemed barely able to contain her excitement as her mind wandered endlessly over what the journey might be like. Was the Windclan territory really as flat as some cats said? You had to go uphill to get there, so Ridgepaw doubted it... yet.

RiverClan was pretty flat. They were also pretty bush filled and willow treed. She blinked as she wondered for a moment. 'Does Windclan even have trees?' she mused as she ate the herbs that Pricklepaw shoved her way. She paused, then crinkled her nose at the taste.
"eeeeEEEEW. EW! Pricklepaw what was that nasty stuff?" She mewed as she stuck out her tongue in the hopes that some clean air would help get rid of the taste.

Pricklepaw was taken aback by his sister's cheerfulness for a moment, before breaking out into a smile. Why was he surprised? Ridgepaw was the only cat who could make him smile these days. He chuckled as the she-cat fairly bounced off the walls of his den, eyes lost in wandering thoughts. There wasn't much point in answering her questions; she'd likely forgotten them as soon as they came out of her mouth. He ate his herbs quickly, and then doubled up laughing again at Ridgepaw's reaction. "Those are traveling herbs," he replied, a slight smirk on his face. "I guess I'm just used to their taste by now. They give you the energy to make it to and from the Moonstone... not that you necessarily need it. You have more energy than anyone I've ever known." With a flick of his spiky tail, the tom began walking out of the medicine den. "Come on, let's get going. Don't you want to see WindClan territory?"

Ridgepaw smirked at Pricklepaw's remark towards her energy levels. A retort on her tongue until he mentioned the same place that fascinated her mind. WindClan's moors. She finally got to see them. With an excited bounce she skipped out of the medicine den and bolted towards the border where fourtrees stood. Her pelt flashing through the forests undergrowth as she eagerly made her way to the place where a battle had happened not so long ago. The young she-cat stopped when she approached, the scents of ash and scorched earth still clung faintly to the ground. Black marks were covering the high rock as she slowly padded up to it with wide eyes.
"Whoooooooooooooooa." Her voice gusted out over a long breath as she padded up to it and sniffed. The stench of death still lingered from where Lichenmask's body had been. The large branch resting behind it as she padded around to look at it closer. She had heard of the battle from Hailpaw. It had been ugly, spiteful, but there also hadn't been a compromise in sight.

With a huff, she left the branch and leapt over to the hill that lead up to the moors.
"Come ON Pricklepaw! Don't be slow!" She yowled as she ran up the grassy slope to take in the view of long golden grasses that waved in the breeze. Her hazel eyes widening in amazement. "...whoa..."

With the non-ironic laugh that only Ridgepaw could bring out of him, Pricklepaw followed his ever-eager sister out of the medicine den and in the general direction of the Moonstone. Hopefully. Herding Ridgepaw there might be more of a hassle than he'd thought. Unfortunately, they had to cross through Fourtrees, and the apprentice found himself grimacing at the reminder of the long and bloody battle that he'd been part of. He hadn't seen the end of Lichenmask, having been passed out from blood loss at the time, but Hailpaw and Gladepaw had told him about it. As he saw the insane tom's body still lying there under the branch, a single paw sticking out, he shuddered violently. Then he blinked, and saw that Lichenmask's body wasn't there after all. This was disturbing. Thankful that the she-cat ahead of him had begun moving faster, and half-smiling at her jibe, Pricklepaw got the ever-loving Dark Forest out of the disgusting, dried-blood-caked clearing and over to the WindClan moors. At her reaction, a grin broke out on his face. He'd seen the seemingly endless grass plains before, of course, but experiencing the wonder through Ridgepaw's eyes was even better than the first time he'd seen it. Was that how it was, with someone you loved? "We can't stay here forever," he reminded her gently, after she'd been looking at it for some time. "Let's go see some more things, okay? You'll love the Moonstone, I know it. It's so big and sparkly, I couldn't believe when I saw it."

Pricklepaw's words broke her out of the entrancement the surroundings had on Ridgepaw. With an eager shout she ran into the long grass with a joyful bound. Her strides constantly changing as she stopped at nearly everything. A piece of grass that was longer than the others, a rock that stuck out from a tunnel entrance. Her pelt prickled at the sight of the dark entryway of it and she thought about stepping into it before changing her mind. The shiny moonstone was waiting. She ran back to the path only to run over it and sniff at some late dying lavender flowers that held onto their blooms with a vengeance. It's purple hues fascinated her.

Yet nothing really prepared her for the immensity that was, the Thunderpath. Hearing about monsters and seeing monsters were two completely different things as she felt both disgusted and amazed by the beasts. They snorted and rumbled loudly as they passed, the fumes choking her as she turned her head away. One eye opened to them to watch them pass with intrigue.
"Whooooaaaa. How do we get them to stop Pricklepaw?" She mewed curiously as she forced herself a bit closer to the strange black path they seemed to run on. "Why are they running so fast?"

Pricklepaw just followed his sister, smiling at her obvious happiness. It was nice that the battle and StarClan's failure hadn't negatively affected everyone. However, when she got to the Thunderpath, he immediately ran forward to make sure that she stopped. He coughed in the fumes and smoke, but managed to get to Ridgepaw's side. "We don't make them stop," he replied after the monster had raced away. "We wait for a clear moment, and then we run. All right? When I say it's time to go, you had better be right behind me." He watched the Thunderpath for a moment, sage-green eyes looking carefully, calculating the best time. Right after a particularly large monster raced past, he looked both ways, then took a deep breath. "Now!" He sprinted across the hard black surface, glancing behind him to make sure that Ridgepaw followed, preparing to run back and get her if he had to. When they got to the other side, he tripped and fell face-first into the grass. "Ouch." He made himself get up, then looked around for his sister, relieved to find her safe.

Ridgepaw nodded, her hazel eyes wide until Pricklepaw gave the word. She bolted across the first stretch right behind him, then turned her head. The monsters were such interesting beasts. For a split second, she wondered if they could talk to one. At the same time, a deep rumble seemed to shake the earth beneath her paws. Her pace slowed the slightest bit as she made it off the second stretch of thunderpath with no time to spare as the monster roared past, blowing it's foul stench directly into her fur and making her cough.

"Ugh. What do they eat their breath is vile." She grimaced, sticking her tongue out into the air as she attempted to blow off the taste of exhaust fumes. Finally, she turned and caught up to her brother, her gaze falling on the mountains and she bounded towards them excitedly with barely a care at any scolding he cared to deliver about wrecklessness. Where was the moonstone? Was it on top? Maybe it was inside a tree trunk! The idea seemed cool until she saw a wide cavern opening. Mothermouth, and paused.

She recalled apprentices talking about a cave... could that be the one?
"Ooooooo Pricklepaw! Do we have to go in there? What is in there? Are there any bats?" She meowed curiously as they padded forward, a bit of a skip in her steps still despite the distance they had travelled.

Pricklepaw just enjoyed being with his sister as they walked, something about her aura of happiness and innocence making him feel better just by being near her. Unfortunately, they were almost there- the first time he'd ever wished that the journey to the Moonstone would take longer. Well, they would have the whole walk back, as well. "Yes, this is Mothermouth," he told Ridgepaw, a smile on his face. "We go in here to get to the Moonstone. I haven't seen any bats, but it is pretty dark in there. Follow me closely, so you don't get lost." With that, he went into the dark tunnels, moving more slowly than he would with other apprentices and checking frequently over his shoulder to make sure that Ridgepaw didn't get lost.

When they made it into the cavern, with the tall Moonstone shining with the moon's light, he turned to his sister, knowing that there would be the customary awe on her face. "When you're ready, just touch your nose to the stone and you'll dream with StarClan. Just..." He hesitated, knowing that as a medicine cat apprentice he was supposed to trust StarClan- but after all they'd done, he just couldn't. "Remember Lichenmask. Don't trust everything that they tell you, okay, Ridgepaw? Be careful."

Wide hazel eyes stared into the depths of mothermouth. Her tail constantly flicking in obvious intrigue as she waited for Pricklepaw to lead the way. She nodded seriously at his instruction, but padded in with a hop to her step. She winced as her forehead brushed the ceiling and forced herself to a more contained walk as they strode through the narrow passage of the tunnel. Her whiskers twitched at every second as she tried to see in the darkness. The relief was palpable once they emerged in the other side.

Ridgepaw stared in wonder at the stone. It gleamed so brightly! Her gaze tried to turn towards other nooks and crannies to see what marvels could be hiding in them, but like a moth to a flame, her eye was drawn back to the moonstone. She padded towards it while Pricklepaw spoke, then raised a gentle paw and tapped the moonstone with it. Oh right, nose. She flushed under her pelt and laid down on the smooth stone. It must have been worn down through so many cats coming here!
"I wonder who I'll see. Think I'll see dad?" She asked Pricklepaw, a slight hint of sadness in her gaze at not ever knowing her father. Their mother explaining what a good cat he was made her long to understand, but she pressed ahead and put her nose to the stone, letting the cold take her to the place of starlight.

When the pale calico form of Ridgepaw had materialized upon the silver-shaded grassy ground of the realm between, another shape began to reveal itself; at first just a vague ray of bright light, it contorted and swirled into the delicate frame of a star-studded she-cat, her murky green eyes downcast and monochrome patched pelt strangely ragged.  Yet, she forced a kind-hearted smile onto her muzzle and a long-dead playful twinkle shone in her gaze as the SkyClan queen gently nudged the ThunderClan apprentice's flank, a purr slightly hoarse from disuse ringing around the oak-bordered hollow.  "Wake up little one."

Hazel eyes opened immediately on the nudge. They widened in awe at the surrounding areas, gaping openly at everything. This was StarClan!? Ridgepaw looked around in awe. Large oak trees hung over a hollow, but the stars were so close. The moonlight was so bright... for a moment, Ridgepaw lost her breath. It was like being in the sky, like being in a river of pure moonlight and stars. Everything she had ever dreamed StarClan to be.

Then there was the she-cat that woke her. Ridgepaw could see the markings and the original colour of the she-cat. Could scent her strange scent that... was that... SkyClan trees she smelled? It was distant, Ridgepaw leaned forward to get a better sniff. Definitely.
"...You're not ThunderClan?" She questioned, though there was no hostility in it as she tilted her pale orange and white head with intrigue. She looked around the clearing more, none of it was familiar... but she wondered briefly why it was surprising. Of course the territories would look different here. Curiousity burned beneath her pelt "Where are we? I mean, I know we're in StarClan but where? Who are you? Why are you here to meet me? Those oak trees look fun to climb! Do they grow forever?" The torrent of questions fell from her tongue before she could hope to stop them. Her inquisitive nature bright and glowing as she padded around the clearing with curious eyes that absorbed every detail.

Pansyface couldn't help but smile as the young she-cat sent a barrage of curious questions toward her, a nostalgic sort of gleam materializing in her murky eyes.  "No, in life I was a warrior of SkyClan; my name is Pansyface, it's nice to meet you Ridgepaw."  Falling into step beside the young ThunderClanner, it almost appeared that the graceful queen was walking on air, her movements so smooth it was as if no sense of gravity held her down.  Her eyes followed the living cat as she explored the familiar surroundings; or at least, familiar to her.  "Is it that unrecognizable?  This is Fourtrees, well, our version of Fourtrees."  Stepping ahead of the apprentice, Pansyface padded up to the foot of the nearest oak, a wistful shadow overcoming her pretty face.  It was gone within a heartbeat though, and she turned back to shoot Ridgepaw a playful, yet challenging stare.

"Race you to the top, ground-dweller; let a true climber show you how it's done!"  With a bright laugh, the bi-color she-cat dug her claws lightly into the starry bark, hauling herself effortlessly onto the first branch.  Glancing over her shoulder, she offered her 'competitor' a wink before continuing on, her slender white tail-tip vanishing into the leaves.