Oakpaw's Moonstone Journey

Oh dear, where was the chamomile?

It had been by his paws only heart-beats ago. Logleap lifted his right paw carefully, just in case he may have stepped on the poor leaf, but no luck. With the onslaught of leafbare, these herbs were in low supply. He could not afford to simply lose one without reason. He checked underneath his right paw with the same caution, closing his eyes and peeking them open oh so slowly.. but still no chamomile. Logleap sighed heavily. How was he to take Oakpaw to the Moonstone when he was lacking a vital - oh!

An exhale of relief escaped his maw. Underneath his tail the whole time - how could he not have predicted that! The sun had risen swiftly, but soft pastel colors no longer painted the sky above. Clouds had shifted over the sun to mask the beauty of the dawn, to Logleap's disappointment, but he still raced to the apprentice's den with the herb bundle in his mouth.

"Ahem, uh, Oak - Oakpaw.." he called into the den. Hopefully that woke her up. If not, he offered a slightly louder than average cough for compensation. "Er, uh, Moonstone time." he added. Well, it was slightly more convincing.

Oakpaw lifted her head. It was time for her moonstone journey! "Sweet, lets go!" Said Oakpaw eagerly jumping towards Logleap.

Logleap was surprised by her eagerness. If it were him in her paws, he'd have to be dragged out of his nest. He'd been on this journey for moons, and for many moons to come, and he still had to convince himself to continue the long and arduous trek to the moonstone. Yet young Oakpaw greeted him with "sweet" and a grand smile on her face. Logleap gave his best effort to smile back. It wasn't pretty.

The medicine cat nudged a pile herbs towards the apprentice, bending down to eye his own with as little contempt as possible. "Breakfast for the journey." he told her. He managed to lap his up after a quick count to three. The herbs went down easily to his surprise. Though, to be fair, he ate these herbs almost as much as he ate prey these days. Apprentices were more than plentiful in Thunderclan.

"Follow me." he began when she finished her share of the bitter herbs. "To the moonstone we go." Logleap added, quite unenthusiastically as he padded towards the exit to camp. At least he had an apprentice to fight off any problems they may encounter.

Oakpaw nodded and quickly ate her herbs sticking out her tounge in disgust after she ate them. She hurried after Logleap as they headed out of camp, excited for her moonstone journey.

The medicine cat's whiskers twitched knowingly at Oakpaw's display of disgust, but he also gave her a slight nod as a sign of approval and surprise when she did not voice her dismays. Her maturity boosted Logleap as he crept closer towards the exit of camp. He glanced behind him before he stepped one paw out of camp, ensuring the apprentice was still behind his wavering tail, and with quick paws, the tom began their journey to the moonstone.

~~ timeskip ~~

It was a relatively quick journey, or so Logleap thought as he sighed in relief. His eyes watched as the sun began its descent behind Mouthermouth. The sky was cloud free, allowing a beautiful sunset to paint the landscape ahead. The tom gestured to the sunset with his tail, taken aback by its stunning qualities himself. "That must be a good omen, hm?" he asked Oakpaw. Personally, he was praying that it was the best of omens. He still had to survive the hardest part of the trek... Mothermouth's tunnels.

Logleap climbed up the trail, glancing behind him at the she-cat. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid.." he murmured to himself as he approached the dark tunnel. He squeezed his eyes shut. Darkness couldn't hurt anyone. "Use my scent to follow closely, Oakpaw." his warning spoken, Logleap continued on, shivering as the rock walls closed in around him. One paw in front of the other.

But, luckily, the darkness came to a swift end as the tunnel opened into the cavern of the moonstone. Logleap blinked warily at the sudden light from the gleaming stone. He looked back behind him in hopes that Oakpaw had followed him as he had asked.

Oakpaw scurried after Logleap. She followed his scent as they went through the tunnel. It was hard to not let fear be scented from her. Finally she saw light. It was the moonstone! "Its beautyful." Murmered Oakpaw.

Thank the stars no one died. He, luckily, had never witnessed or heard of a death on the journey. Logleap sighed in relief as the apprentice's head emerged from the tunnel. Her tabby brown pelt became blurred as she approached the moonstone. Color became bleached as the stark light of the beam of the stone overtook them. The medicine cat squinted at the she-cat. It was time for the fulfillment of her apprenticeship. This was one of her final steps towards the life of a warrior.

Logleap sat down beside the moonstone with a small grunt. "Beautiful but much too bright." he contribut. He gave the awestruck apprentice a few more heart-beats to take it all in. To rush such a milestone in her life was surely not appropriate, but he could not stop himself from gesturing with his tail.

"Touch your nose to the glowing stone when you are ready, Oakpaw."" he cautioned.

Oakpaw nodded. She padded over and touched her nose to the rock, as she laid down. She slowly drifted off to sleep. When Oakpaw opened her eyes she saw she was in Starclan territory. And a cat with fur littered with stars was padding up to her.

Logleap settled besides the massive stone, green eyes warily watching the apprentice as she laid down before the moonstone. Oakpaw's eyes fluttered as soon as her nose touched it, her body slumping when her mind finally drifted to Starclan. Without the company of the watchful apprentice, the cavern seemed eerily empty save his own heavy breathing. He turned his gaze upwards. May Starclan guide her paws well.

---

A lively, green terrain surrounded the apprentice as she awoke. A tom, massive in frame yet light in step, approached Oakpaw with a broad smile. His pelt was similar to Oakpaw's, brown, tabby, and short, but it gleamed with every step thanks to the stars that it held. As he drew nearer, excitement overtook him and he could no longer stride so slowly and confidently. He skipped to be near the apprentice with his whiskers twitching in anticipation.

"Oakpaw! How I've missed you." Frognose meowed. He couldn't help but release the purr that boiled within him. His heart was full just looking at his daughter. Stars, he was so proud of her. He was still so nervous about meeting her again. He had spent so long preparing this speech for her. It had to be perfect. "You have become an amazing she-cat. Kind, understanding, and loving. You will be one of the greatest warriors to grace Thunderclan, I'm sure of it." he declared boldly. Perhaps there was bias, but for Frognose, no other apprentice had ever seemed so worthy of their title.

"My advice to you: don't open your heart so openly to everyone you meet." he offered. He chuckled softly. "It was my greatest weakness, and it led to much pain." Frognose continued with a sigh. Memories of times past flashed by. "You are incredibly strong, Oakpaw, but in the coming moons, you will need to be stronger." the warrior shifted to wrap his tail around his daughter. Another smile formed upon his maw. "I have faith in you, Oakpaw. We all do." he concluded. He kept a smile until she had completely returned to the living world.

Oakpaw smiled when she saw her father. While he did push her away but in his last words when he died before she became an apprentice it was clear that he wanted to spend more time with her. And now here he was. She nuzzled him as she listened to his message. "Ok dad! Bye!" Said Oakpaw before she woke up.

Oakpaw turned to Logleap. "Logleap it was amazing! I saw my dad it was awesome!
" Said Oakpaw excitedly.