Copperpaw's Moonstone Journey

Why am I still an apprentice? Pricklepaw's musing carried a certain amount of bitterness with it as he tied up two bundles of traveling herbs. Beartooth had been a warrior for moons, and many kits had been born, apprenticed, and warriored while he was stuck with his -paw suffix. Was Mintwhisker too angry? Could Leopardstar not be bothered? What was ThunderClan's collective problem? The spiky tom sighed, then headed out to wait for the day's Moonstone journey.

A certain ginger tom excitedly bounced on his paws in an unorganized rhythm as he weirdly did this routine in practically the middle of camp. Copperpaw probably got a few onlookers to stare at him in amusement or confusion, but it didn't matter to him. His eyes were closed and upturned in a carefree manner and his lips were curled in a smile. All the while, he sang a silent phrase in his head.


'Gettin' my Moonstone journey... uh, yeah...' As Copperpaw performed this... odd repetition of things, he only stopped when he was right in front of Pricklepaw, who hopelessly had to deal with the skittish apprentice for the rest of the day. 

"Wassup, brotha?" Copperpaw exaggeratingly greeted the spiky tom. Before the medicine cat could reply, the orange tabby was downing the herbs, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. His tongue lolling out of his mouth, he glared at Pricklepaw. "Are you trying to poison me?" Predicting a rather sharp glare towards his way, Copperpaw quickly added, "I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Anyway, how are you? We gonna be setting off soon?" He inquired. "I don't know about you, but I'm super excited."

Pricklepaw knew he was in for a ride when he saw the outlandish way that the apprentice walked up to him, bobbing and swaying to some strange inner rhythm. At Copperpaw's greeting, he suppressed an eye-roll. Some apprentices weren't too bad... but boy, was he going to have a time of it with this mouse-brain. The orange tom scarfed both bundles of herbs, joked ineffectively about poison, and tried to make small talk in all of about five seconds. A long, slow sigh filled with exasperation and forced patience escaped his lungs. "... You ate my bundle of herbs, too," he meowed finally, voice tight.

"Oh. I guess I did." Copperpaw mewed, guiltily shifting his paws. "Sorry. I, uh, probably should have asked you about it before I ate those things." A nervous grin laced his features, and he avoided meeting the intense green gaze that Pricklepaw beheld. Suddenly, the tom brightened up, immediately changing the mood of the air. "Oh! I know. I'll catch prey for you during the journeyyy... No? Well, then I guess I'll have to make it up to you later. I, the one and only Copperpaw, vow to repay you. I'll hunt for you for the next moon. Just don't be mad at meee..." the childish tom pleaded, feigning tears.

Pricklepaw's stare was flat, devoid of the annoyance that filled every vein in his body. Calm down... you've dealt with bothersome apprentices for moons, you can deal with this one. He blinked slowly. "I can do without the herbs, I suppose," he grumbled. "I've made this journey countless times. And no, you can't hunt on the journey." A sort of strained panic filled his voice as he added, "And you don't have to hunt fur me either. I get fed plenty. Just- let's go, okay? The sooner we get started the better." Ughhh, this was going to be a long journey.

Copperpaw's golden eyes blinked rapidly in curiosity. "Are you sure? Well, alright then... but my offer still stands. Alright! Let's gooo!" he meowed excitedly, oddly but quickly walking out of camp with Pricklepaw. 

The journey was fairly short- for Copperpaw, at least. He conversed with the medicine cat about random topics, though it was mostly the apprentice just talking to himself. Before he knew it, the two of them were standing in front of a deep, dark cavern, and the ginger tom turned to Pricklepaw, waiting for further instruction.

Finally, they were there... it had taken forever. "Follow me," he told Copperpaw before darting into the pitch black tunnels. Pricklepaw's pawsteps were sure and silent, padding effortlessly through the tunnels. He followed the same path he always had, and he probably could have made it with his eyes closed, too. Soon, a faint trickle of light seeped across his chosen path, signifying that they were close- and sure enough, a few moments later, there they were. The Moonstone. A tall spire of sparkling crystal, reaching up towards the heavens... to Pricklepaw, it was just a cold hunk of rock, as caring as StarClan themselves. "We're here," he meowed, glancing back to his charge. "Just lay down and press your nose to the stone, and StarClan will visit you."

ooc; edgy and cliche. ;) this is only copper's portrayal of his mother, so if any of his siblings' rpers are reading this, that is how he thinks of his mom.

Nodding, Copperpaw followed Pricklepaw into the intimidating, looming tunnel without a word. As he padded behind the cream-coloured tom, the darkness and compactness of the area gave them both moments to be alone with their thoughts. The apprentice was not very fond of the mysterious aura the cave gave off but braved through it. A dim light that seeped through the tunnels started to grow brighter and brighter until Copperpaw was standing in front of an intensely shining stone, his eyes slits in the enormous amounts of light the cave radiated. He nodded at Pricklepaw, laying down and pressing his nose to the cold crystal.

When Copperpaw opened his eyes again, he was laying down in what seemed like an endless array of stars that resembled a field of sorts. He stood up, letting his mortal body adjust to the mysterious area. A faint breeze blew past his fur, and it was a massive relief compared to the cold, harsh winds of leafbare they were currently suffering. The ginger tom let in a deep breath, scents of all seasons entering his nose in one flood. Copperpaw felt a strange sense of tranquillity through it all, but that was soon interrupted.

He spotted a cat with a pelt of stars, but no other distinguishable features. The tom could not make out any colour of the cat's fur from his distance, but as they came closer, Copperpaw realized it was a she-cat who beheld a beautiful, snowy white pelt that rivalled his own. His mouth was slightly agape at the sight, but even so, the ginger apprentice did not say a word.

"Hello, Copperpaw." A soft, motherly voice emitted from the mysterious she-cat. Copperpaw felt stunned in front of her beauty but shook his head to release himself from the state.

"Who are you?" Copperpaw questioned. For a moment, the she-cat seemed oddly taken aback, but then her expression returned to a soft smile. "It does not matter. I presume you know what I am here for, hmm?" He nodded, smiling awkwardly. "To give me wisdom, right?" There was no reason to dislike her at the moment, but the ginger tom felt strangely unnerved in front of her presence. "Yes, and you sure do need a lot of it," the white cat chuckled, and Copperpaw nervously laughed with her, even though it felt like a thorn had prodded at his heart. When she stopped laughing, the StarClan warrior still smiled but beheld some sort of stern aura now. Her smile slowly devolved into a frown, and Copperpaw felt his fur bristle.

"Listen, I'll give this to you straight, Copperpaw." Now, she spoke his name so harshly it made him flinch. Not wanting to meet her gaze, the ginger tom stared at the ground, but his eyes snapped back up again when the she-cat spoke. "I don't think you've realized this, but you've got a lot to work on. First off, know your place. No cat, and I repeat, no cat likes those silly little jokes of yours. They think you're weird. They want you to act like just any other normal apprentice, but no, you just have to make them put up with your unfunny shenanigans." 

Copperpaw winced slightly, brushing it off with a laugh. "Haha... yeah, I guess. But does it matter? I like them, so-" "So what?" She cut him off with a hiss. "You do what I tell you." The apprentice now felt very uneasy in front of this she-cat, teeth baring in a hurt frown. "You're awfully straightforward. I thought you were supposed to be encouraging, or something-" "It doesn't matter how I tell you what you need to fix! I'm your mother!" The she-cat hissed loudly.

Copperpaw was completely stunned. He was astonished at first, but then he laughed awkwardly, "No... no, no, no you're not. Don't even try to joke about that." He kept laughing, but when he met the she-cat's gaze again, it was just as stern as before. At that moment, Copperpaw's eyes widened, and his fur bristled madly. "How are you here?" His voice wavered as he inquired the she-cat, but she simply shook her head. At that moment, Copperpaw realized he was now only seeing what he wanted to see. The she-cat's beautiful pelt was now a dull, dirty mess of orange and black fur that resembled his own brightly coloured pelt underneath all the grime. They were no longer in StarClan but in a pitch-black array of nothing, similar to the tunnels' own darkness. Copperpaw crouched to the ground, silently crying himself meaningless nothings. He could hear the she-cat's approaching pawsteps, and felt his mother nudge him almost the exact same way he had as a kit. "You are not like your Clanmates. You were given an opportunity for a newer life- one I could never give - and you treat it as if it were nothing but bones. You don't act normal. You bother everyone else. You're a complete nuisance."


"You've got a lot to learn, boy." She murmured, now softly embracing him in a way that completely rivalled her harsh, degrading words. Copperpaw suddenly stood up, yowling, leaving his mother to stumble back in surprise. He wanted to leap at her, but his body ignored his mind's protests. His claws stayed sheathed, and he couldn't bring himself to do anything. Not that it would matter, anyway, it was her spirit and nothing else. Frustrated tears rolled down his cheeks, eyes closed and not wanting to believe the she-cat in front of him. He felt the world leave him.

Copperpaw awoke with a start, standing up with bristled fur. He sat right back down, heaving madly. He regained his composure as quickly as he could, staring at Pricklepaw tiredly. "Let's... let's just go." He meowed, standing up and following him out of the tunnel.