this is an adventure! [Coyotesong, Moonshine]

[Deerpaw]

Would I rather be bored all day hunting dumb fish, like all of the other apprentices, or going to the Moonpool with the leader? Without even giving herself another moment to think about the answer, she thought delightedly, Mouse-brain, I'd much, much, much rather be going to the Moonpool! How exciting is this? The young apprentice didn't much care that the former leader had died or that Coyotesong was receiving her nine lives. No, the only thing she cared about that she was going on an adventure. None of the other cats were chosen to go along with her mentor and another warrior. She couldn't wait to get home. They'd ask her how it when, and she'd tell them of course. Why would she keep it a secret? To them, it would probably seem even more boring than hunting fish. To them it was just walking halfway across the lake just to sleep, because those who went with the leader to receive their nine lives usually didn't dream of StarClan or didn't want to, so they stood guard. Anyway, all of the other apprentices were obsessed with causing trouble or fighting with one another. Especially her siblings, Graypaw and Briarpaw. They were so annoying! They only wanted to speak to her when they wanted something, and not before then. Can you help me get this tick on of back? I can't reach it, Redpaw! she heard her sister saying one day when they had just became apprentices. But once she helped Briarpaw, she just went back to hunting with her own mentor. Didn't even say thanks!

From the start, Graypaw and Briarpaw were always closer to one another. They had pretty similar personalities; in fact, they fit in to the description that she gave all apprentices and cats younger than her. All muscles, no brain. Trouble-makers. Talkative. They didn't even respect cats older than them, not one of them. But Redpaw was dedicated to that! She made sure that she did everything that she was told to (if it was told by a younger cat, then that would be when she'd argue). Her siblings always left her out of the games they played together, on occasions when she actually wanted to play with them. On her spare time she listened to the stories elders told to kits. Sometimes she was made fun of because of this, often was she called a kit. She ignored the comments or said a smart-alack comment to them. See how they liked it. 

Trotting ahead of Moonshine, the white warrior, and Coyotesong, the brown leader-to-be, Redpaw looked up at the sky. It was night- Silverpelt was a gentle cover above their heads, the warriors of StarClan glittering like morning dew. They felt cold and distant to the young apprentice, maybe not so much for her mentor. But she doubted that she was get visited by StarClan, and instead would take a quick nap while Coyotesong received her nine lives. The sun had completely fallen below the horizon, and the beautiful pink, gold, and yellow colors had died with it. This was her first time out when it was so dark, but Redpaw wasn't frightened. She knew that if trouble were to rise that Moonshine and Coyotesong would protect her. Unlike the other apprentices, she knew vertically no battle moves.

And they had to go through WindClan's territory.

It was rather intimidating to the gray-brown apprentice. She hadn't gone to a Gathering before, and thus hadn't met another cat from another Clan. Redpaw hoped that they wouldn't run into a patrol. Would they attack them? Redpaw suspected that they wouldn't, since it would be the polite thing to do to not attack a leader when she's going to get her nine lives. Or would they attack her and kill her, so she wouldn't return to RiverClan? They'd be leaderless and weak. No, they won't attack us. They wouldn't dare. StarClan would certainly be angry! Lost in thought, Redpaw didn't notice that they had already reached the marshes- the border with WindClan. Not expecting the ground to be slippery, Redpaw slid in the mud chest-first. The thick, heavy mud seemed to weigh her down. She tried getting up, but the dark, oozing liquid clung to her body, soaking into her fur and covering up her legs. "I don't mean to be a bother," Redpaw meowed, rather embarrassed that she had to ask for help, "But could someone please help me get up?" She looked up at Moonshine and Coyotesong, who were a little ways behind her, but would still be able to hear her. "Sorry," she mewed, her ears slipping back to fold onto her head.

[Deleted]

Being asked to go with on a journey such as this was an honor. Moonshine followed her leader to the moonstones and with them was an apprentice by the name of Redpaw. Moonshine didnt know this apprentice too well but maybe this little journey of theres would help them to get closer or know one another better. Staying close to Coyotesong and see Redpaw up ahead she knew she had to keep her eyes and ears out for anything that might be weird or dangerous. Getting her claws out she knew she just had to be ready. No conversation was really needed but why not break the ice? About to open her mouth and say something to her leader a voice came up that made Moonshine stop and turn and see what happened. Blinking with a straight face Moonshine saw little redpaw stuck in the marsh up to her legs. Looking at her leader then at the apprentice Moonshine padded over and took a hold of the apprentices scruff and gave a tug.. one two three.. and out came sliding the apprentice covered in smelly water and dirt. Wrinkling her nose and giving a little sneeze Moonshine looked over the apprentice and asked, ''Better?'' Turning around she padded back to her leader and mewed, ''And this is why we arent Windclan cats.'' Taking another look back at Redpaw who seemed to be doing better Moonshine led the way and mewed, ''Nervous about recieving your nine lives Coyotesong?''

[Coyotestar]

Why did Featherstar have to die? Coyotesong could not shake the feeling of worry and doubt from her head. Featherstar had been a wonderful leader for RiverClan and was able to drag the Clan out of the darkness that Nightstar had left behind. Would she be able to live up to Featherstar's legacy? Would she make the right choices, stop the right battles, and lead her Clan correctly as Featherstar had done before her? Or would she fall into ruin and malice and ambition like Nightstar had? No... she thought, her fur along her spine bristling with her own self doubt. Featherstar would not have chosen me for deputy if she believed I could not lead this Clan. She must have seen something in me that influenced her with her decision. Featherstar had been her friend, her mentor, her leader... it was just rather hard for Coyotesong to accept that she was now gone. Coyotesong could not imagine a world without the small gray and white she-cat. It was almost like she had lost her mother all over again. Pushing those troubling thoughts to the back of her mind, she padded onward, her pelt slightly brushing Moonshine's as she walked beside her. The ginger and white she-cat was keeping pace with her as the followed the land around the lake. For once, the russet she-cat was grateful for the company. Little Redpaw was already a few fox-lengths ahead of them, bouncing excitedly as they made their way through RiverClan territory. The apprentice was small for her age, her coat a mixture of gray and brown, with stunning icy blue eyes. Having not been an apprentice for very long, Redpaw was practically fresh out of the nursery so Coyotesong was not surprised that she was so thrilled to be out of the camp and going to the Moonpool with her and Moonshine. Featherstar had given Coyotesong the task of mentoring the young she-cat. Coyotesong was unsure if this was because the old leader believed she would mentor Redpaw well or if it was a subtle hint that she knew of Coyotesong's secret.

A wet slurping sound and a splash jolted Coyotesong from her thoughts. They were trekking through the marshes that bordered RiverClan and WindClan's territories. Redpaw had somehow managed to get herself stuck in the thick mud underpaw. Fright and worry shot through Coyotesong like lightning, stinging her fur and living a bad after taste in her mouth. Bounding over to where the apprentice was stuck, Coyotesong watched as Moonshine carefully lifted Redpaw from the mud by the scruff of her head. The apprentice was soon free with a sucking noise piecing the silent night air. Dirt and water splashed up as the she-cat was ripped free from the terrain, and Coyotesong flattened her ears against her head and squinted her eyes to avoid getting any in her eyes and ears. "Mouse-brain!" she snapped, turning to face the young she-cat, though worry colored her voice and softened her tone. "You need to watch where you're putting your paws!" Eyeing Redpaw through narrowed slits, she meowed, running her plume-like tail along the young one's back, "You could get seriously hurt next time." She nodded to Moonshine in thanks before padding forward again with the warrior by her side. They were just entering WindClan's territory and leave the marshlands when Moonshine spoke to her. "Nervous about receiving your nine lives, Coyotesong?'

Coyotesong was unsure if she should tell the warrior her true feelings or laugh it off like it was nothing. Of course she was nervous. What cat would not be in her situation? Taking a moment to gather her thoughts and think of the right words, Coyotesong murmured quietly to her, "To be honest, I'm a little nervous about it actually. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am also excited about it as well. But I'm scared... what if StarClan does not accept me as RiverClan's leader? What if something is wrong and I can not receive my nine lives? Or worse..." she grimaced, pinning her ears back against her skull. "What if I don't make a good leader, Moonshine? How can I ever live up to everything Featherstar did for our Clan?" Bristling at the thought, she stared off into the horizon ahead of them, letting the cool breeze chill her fur and blow her worries away. She couldn't believe that she had just opened up and spilled her worries on Moonshine like that. Here she was, leader of RiverClan, a bundle of nervousness and anxiety and craziness, when she was supposed to be wise and proud and strong. Night was already settling over the moorland as the sun vanished behind the ever distant horizon. Silverpelt shone strongly above them and Coyotesong felt the gazes of her ancestors like hot fire burning holes into her fur. Picking up her pace as they neared the trail leading to the Moonpool, Coyotesong padded ahead, feeling her paw pads brush against the millions of paw prints that had worn down the trail, trying her hardest to keep the nervousness from clogging her stomach.

WORDS: 851 | OOC: Sorry for the very long wait for my reply!

[Deerpaw]

The ginger-and-white warrior padded up to her, her paws squelching in the muddy water. As she walked up to Redpaw, she noticed that Moonshine's beautiful, long white fur was a dirty brown color. She shuffled up to Redpaw and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. After a couple heaves, there was a sucking nose as her body pulled away from the ground. With her fur dripping wet, the young apprentice felt cold. Shivering, she shook herself like a dog, scattering droplets of water over the other two cats. She flashed them an apologetic look and meowed when she heard her mentor speak, "Thank you, Moonshine." She dipped her head to the warrior, then turned her attention back to Coyotesong. "I'm sorry, Coyotesong. It was an accident- I wasn't looking where I was going. It would happen again." She highly doubted that the mud would 'seriously hurt' her, but she kept that to herself. Who knew? Perhaps it would suck her below it's thick, murky depths. With her head hanging low with shame, she allowed Moonshine and her leader to pass her and take the lead. This way she could walk in their pawsteps and not be embarrassed yet again. She wasn't too eager to ask for help after her mentor got so angry with her. Doesn't she realize that it was an accident? she thought, carefully picking her way around the deeper looking parts and staying closer to the shallower side. She vaguely heard Moonshine speaking with Coyotesong- it was as if she were forgotten.

Redpaw began to think about her siblings again. She longed to have some sort of a relationship with them, but they were always so busy with their own duties. Were they jealous that the leader was her mentor? They had never brought this up in the less than a moon she'd been an apprentice, but perhaps that was what was crawling beneath their fur and making them so grumpy. She barely had enough time to be spending with her parents, Honeybird and Brambleheart, either. Her mother was a warrior again after six long moons cooped up in the nursery with them. Both cats were busy hunting for the Clan, while she was off learning to fish and fight. Though Coyotesong hasn't taught me very many battling moves! I have so much to learn. The other apprentices bragged about their fighting skills while flexing their sharp claws. Though they were much older than her and were almost warriors, Redpaw couldn't bring herself to respect them. They were just too hot-headed and mean.

So much time had passed that Redpaw noticed that they had begun to trek into unknown territory- the moorland, WindClan's territory. The sky was dark blue and peppered with little white StarClan warriors. They looked like little fires in the sky. Redpaw caught up to her mentor when she realized that she was a couple foxlengths behind them. She caught what Coyotesong was saying beneath her breath to Moonshine. "I think you'll be a wonderful leader, Coyotesong," she whispered quietly. The change in leaders didn't really mean much to the young RiverClan apprentice. After all, she'd only known Featherstar for six moons. She didn't really remember seeing her during her kithood, either. Should she feel guilty that she wasn't grieving for Featherstar's death? How did Graypaw and Briarpaw feel? She reminded yet again herself that her brother and sister's opinions shouldn't effect her. A thorn-sharp stab of pain pierced her heart. Perhaps she should feel something about her former leader's death.

They reached the Moonpool rather suddenly. The ground underpaw was slick and muddy. Redpaw slipped, but managed to pull herself up this time. While looking down at her paws, she noticed the tracks of thousands of other cats. Fear made her heart quicken, and she couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Flattening her ears onto her head, Redpaw followed Coyotesong and Moonshine up to the small hollow that supposedly housed the Moonpool. When she saw the small pool in front of her, she nearly gasped. It reflected the stars perfectly- they glittered on the rippling surface of the water, as bright as drops of dew in the morning. The moon, which was a slit as wide as a claw, shone brightly on the Moonpool. She wondered what was expected of her. Snowfire had told her a couple things when she had received her traveling herbs so she wouldn't feel the pain of hunger on her journey, but she couldn't remember what they were. She could only stare awe-struck at the beautiful blue water. Stopping in front of it, she looked at her mentor, and her icy blue eyes seemed to say, What do I do now? She didn't know whether or not a guard was needed. They were on sacred territory- no cat dared to attack another when it was so closely watched by StarClan. Eyeing her mentor carefully, Redpaw decided it was alright to lay down. Snowfire's medicines didn't soothe her aching paws. It felt like they were going to drop off! She licked one paw quickly, her face getting hotter and hotter. Was she supposed to share tongues with StarClan? She felt shy all of the sudden at the thought. "Do I...?" Redpaw meowed, but decided not to finish her thought. It felt awkward shattering the silence that stretched out in front of them like a sheet of ice. 

Words: 906 | OOC: -

[Coyotestar]

Coyotesong was grateful for the reassurance of Moonshine and her apprentice Redpaw. A tiny claw of pride pierced her heart, swelling at the words of encouragement from the two cats. She felt even more pride in herself after hearing Redpaw's soft murmured words. Somehow the fact that her daughter had faith in her ability to be a great leader cheered Coyotesong up more than her warrior had. She knew she would try her hardest to follow in Featherstar's pawsteps. Whether or not she would succeed and become a wonderful leader of RiverClan was uncertain but the young she-cat knew she would try her hardest for her Clan. That had to be why Featherstar had chosen her, right? Obviously she had some sort of potential that the leader has seen. Shaking those thoughts from her mind, she padded slowly over to the beautiful pool, pads brushing lightly against the stones underpaw. The stars and moon were bright above them, sparkling endlessly into the dark waters and reflecting their luminosity enough to light the way for the three she-cats. Although Snowfire, RiverClan's medicine cat, had given them all traveling herbs for the occasion, Coyotesong could still feel the heaviness in her paws and limbs. Feeling as if she had ran all the way around the lake instead of just half, she slowly lowered herself at the edge of the Moonpool. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she touched her nose to the midnight colored water and found herself tossed into a deep and silent darkness.

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer laying next to the Moonpool. Nose twitching, she breathed in, glancing nervously at her surroundings. She was in a small field, the wind brushing the tall brown grass and swaying the stalks of what looked to resemble wheat. To her right, a small creak churned and bubbled, the waters sparkling in the bright sun. From where she stood, Coyotesong could spot the silvery flash of fish beneath the surface. She purred, content to know that her ancestors were well-fed. "Coyotesong." The sound of her name made her turn - but not out of fright for the voice was one she recognized. "Featherstar!" A purr growing in her throat, she bounded over to the former leader and touched her nose to hers. "It is good to see you again." She eyed Featherstar's glowing grey and white pelt, taking notice of her sleek, plump coat. "Welcome, Coyotesong." These new voice was... Having been so distracted by Featherstar's presence, she had failed to notice the other cats following close behind her.

"Tawnystrike," she breathed, feeling as if her heart was about to explode. Her mother padded over to her and buried her nose in the soft ruddy colored fur of her shoulder. Returning the gesture, the soon-to-be leader could not bring herself to speak. It was just so good to see her mother again that Coyotesong could not find her voice. After a short moment, Coyotesong backed away and glance at the other cats in front of her. By now they had formed a line with Featherstar in the center, next to her mother. Other than her mother and her former leader, Coyotesong only recognized Voletooth, who had been the deputy before her. Before she even had time to blink, Featherstar spoke again. "Welcome, Coyotesong. As I'm sure you already know, I am Featherstar, the former leader of RiverClan." The small she-cat padded closer to Coyotesong until the two cats were almost nose to nose. Reached up, Featherstar pressed her nose against Coyotesong's head and breathed softly, "With this life, I give you nobility and certainty. Use it to guide your Clan well and to be certain of yourself, your leadership, and your decisions." The russet she-cat felt as if she had swallowed a porcupine - her stomach ached and clenched with intense anxiety. Then after a moment, the feeling faded and was replaced with a warmth in her heart. Having closed her eyes from the pain, Coyotesong opened them in time to watch the next cat take Featherstar's place. "Hello, young one. I am Cederbranch." A ginger tom stood before and after pressing his nose to her head, he spoke again, "With this life, I give you loyalty. Use it to serve your Clan well and as a reminder that your heart is in the right place." This pain was not nearly as bad as Featherstar's life had been. Coyotesong gritted her teeth and nodded in thank you to the former RiverClan warrior.

Next came a large black tom, another former warrior whom she did not recognize. "The name's Shadowpelt," he grunted. "With this life I give you courage. Defend and fight for your Clan with the courage of ten warriors. You can never go wrong if only you have courage." After a rough touch of nose to fur, Coyotesong felt a burning pain in her side, flaring up like it had a life of its own. Almost collapsing with the pain, Coyotesong was thankful when the fire in her veins fainted and was replaced by coldness. She felt as if she had been buried alive in a pit of snow. Blinking, the feeling faded almost as quickly as it had begun, escaping through her paws and the tips of her claws. "Thank you," she dipped her head to the grunt old warrior, thankful that that pain of the life he had given her had subsided. Three lives completed. Just six more left to go. Up next was a small tabby kit with splashes of white and bright eager eyes. Having had kits of her own, Coyotesong felt a purr rise in her chest as the little one padded to join her. Since he was so small, she lowered her front legs, pressing her chest against the grassy terrain, so that the kit could reach her forehead. "I am Swiftkit. This is the life of patience. Use it to understand and have the ability to communicate with those who are troubled, excited, or full of anger. Words and actions of patience can help RiverClan succeed in many things." The feeling that came with this life was nothing like the others, for there was no pain. It was soft and heartwarming. Coyotesong felt as if she had curled up on a warm rock in the brightest of suns for an afternoon.

The cat that followed Swiftkit stepped forward. She was young, not much older than the kit had been. Perhaps an apprentice? Her pelt resembled Coyotesong's so much so that it was rather shocking to her. "You don't know me but I am Emberpaw. I am the sister to Tawnystrike." Ah, so this apprentice was her mother's sister? No wonder she resembled Coyotesong so greatly. "With this life I give you tireless energy. Use it to guide your Clan into greatness."

WIP WIP

nevergorp.proboards.com/thread/426/gotta-learn-thing-tigerjaw-charredpelt
quizlet.com/9709827/firestars-nine-lives-flash-cards/
warriors.wikia.com/wiki/Leadership_Ceremony

Featherstar - certainty
Cederbranch - loyalty
Shadowpelt - courage
Swiftkit - patience
Emberpaw - tireless energy
Voletooth - protection
Willowshine - determination
Blackstar - justice
Tawnystrike - love

WORDS: -- | OOC: Going to continue without Moonshine since she is MIA.