Moonstar's Journey

Chapter two

The rain purred down, the sky had turned gray and the sound of the rain echoed towards the stone wall's. Moonpaw was gazing out between the branches filled with leaves, who were hanging over the cave entrance to the apprentice den. Her sister Yarrowpaw, and the other apprentices were sleeping peacefully behind her, their snoozing keeping Moonpaw awake. She then let out a sigh and turned around, carefully walking over the others towards the back of the cave, she curled down in her moss bed beside her Yarrowpaw and closed her eyes, and she quickly fell asleep.

"Wake up mousebrain!", a low voice hissed beside her, Moonpaw opened her eyes to see Silverpaw tilted over her. "Skullface is sick, so you and I will train with Icestar today", the apprentice said and then turned around and walked out of the den. Moonpaw got up to her paws and yawned, the den was now empty and she moved herself towards the den entrance. The sun was standing high on the clear blue sky, but the stone floor was still wet, and there were a few puddles around the clearing. She could see Icestar at the entrance of the camp, the tight standing bushes were darkly wet, and the thick leaves were blocking the sight to see out of camp.

As Moonpaw and Silverpaw came closer to Icestar, the white leader flicked with her tail and got up to her paws, she turned around and pressed herself out of camp. Moonpaw lowered her head and grunted: "I was hoping to get something to eat first". Silverpaw didn't answer, the silver-pelted apprentice trotted after her mentor and Moonpaw trotted after them.

Out of camp, she had to hurry after Icestar and Silverpaw who had run off, leaving Moonpaw behind. The large mountain walls were stretching up besides them, the small stony path leading between the two mountains. As Moonpaw had cought up to Silverpaw and Icestar, the two cats had started walking, and Moonpaw walked silently behind them. "What are we going to do today, Icestar?", Moonpaw asked and trotted up beside her leader. The white she-cat turned her head towards Moonpaw and gave her a sharp look, then looking forward again. Moonpaw slowed down her phase, concerned of why Icestar had given her that look. As the path started to open up, and the ground got filled with soft grass, Icestar flicked with her ears and raised her head. Silverpaw followed her mentor's steps and the two cats were walking forward. A few cats-leangts forward, the river that was used as a border for the four clans, Icestar stopped. The HillClan leader bent down, sniffing the ground in front of the river edge. On the other side of the river, trees were standing tight and the ground was filled with high grass. A large bush on the other side, close to the river edge, started moving and Icestar whipped up to her paws, her ears peaking towards the bush. Moonpaw got beside her leader, her gaze stuck on the moving bush. Silverpaw was standing a few steps behind them, her gaze wandering from the bush to the trees. "If it's a ForestClan warrior in that bush, I'll rip their pelt off", Icestar hissed with a low voice and lowered her head, showing her teeth towards the bush. "But, they are on their own territory", Moonpaw could hear Silverpaw say. Icestar whipped her head towards her apprentice with her ears back and hissed. Silverpaw shrugged back and Icestar got back to staring at the bush. Moonpaw felt her tail shiver and she took a step away from Icestar. Why would she do that to her apprentice? She thought. "Come out, you in that bush!", Icestar said with a sharp but clear and steady voice. It was quiet for a short time, the wind was blowing in the trees and bushes, then, a small cat came out of the bush on ForestClan's territory, it was a brown tom. He gazed over at them with a steady look in his green eyes. It was Nutnose, ForestClans medicine cat. "Good day, Icestar", Nutnose said and flicked a greeting with his tail. Icestar shook her head, then looked at the medicine calmly, with no anger at all anymore. Moonpaw looked at her leader with a confusion in her gaze, but shook the confusion away. Instead, she admired her leader's quick mood change. "Greetings Nutnose", Icestar said and lowered her head to show respect for the other cat. "I'm just gathering herbs, I won't go for a swim to cross the border", the brown tom said. Icestar nodded, then flicked her tail and turned around without saying a word to the ForestClan medicine cat. Silverpaw trotted after her mentor, while Moonpaw looked after Nutnose, who was wandering into the forest. She then turned her head and hurried after Icestar and Silverpaw.

The tiny starts on the black sky were shining brightly, almost as small white suns. Moonpaw and her two siblings, Marigoldpaw and Yarrowpaw, were sitting outside of the apprentice den. Only a few of their clanmates were still outside in the clearing, waiting for the cats who were at the gathering to come back. "It's actually a little weird that you didn't go with Nightmelody to the gathering, Marigoldpaw", Yarrowpaw mewed and gazed over at the light ginger she-cat, who was sortering herbs into each bundle. "Maybe", Marigoldpaw answered without moving her gaze away from the herbs. "We have been apprentices for two moons now, why haven't we ever get to come to the gathering?", Yarrowpaw exclaimed and laid down on her stomach, resting her head on her forepaws. "Maybe Icestar doesn't think we're ready", Marigoldpaw mewed and gazed up at the long-legged apprentice. Yarrowpaw sighted, then gazed over at Moonpaw. "Something wrong? You have been so quiet since you and Silverpaw came back from your training with Icestar". Moonpaw shook her head, not wanting to tell her siblings about Icestarts weird mood changes and sharp looks she had given her apprentice. Both of her siblings observed Moonpaw for a few heartbeats, then got back to what they were doing at first. "Should we just go and sleep? We can ask what happened tomorrow", Marigoldpaw asked when she had finished sorting all the herbs into bundles. Moonpaw and Yarrowpaw nodded in agreement, and the three apprentices got up to their paws.

When Moonpaw and Yarrowpaw had helped MArigoldpaw with carrying the herb bundles to the medicine den, they had fallen asleep peacefully in the apprentice den.