Bluestar stood and began to pad toward Mothermouth. Tigerclaw padded beside her, matching her stride step for step.
"Come on, you three!" Graypaw called, bounding after the older warriors. Firepaw got up from where he'd been resting and followed Graypaw, with Sandpaw and Ravenpaw flanking him.
It took the cats only a few moments to reach Mothermouth. Firepaw stood on the threshold and peered inside. The blackness beyond the stone archway was darker than the cloudiest night. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see where the tunnel led, but he couldn't make out a thing.
"Well, you'd certainly get a good night's sleep in there," he remarked. "Though I don't see how anyone would be able to find their way through that."
"I will know the way," Bluestar meowed, her whiskers twitching. "Just follow my scent. Ravenpaw, Sandpaw, and Graypaw, you three will remain on guard duty. Firepaw, Tigerclaw, come with me."
Firepaw felt a thrill of excitement at the honor Bluestar was giving him. He glanced over at Tigerclaw. The dark tabby had his chin raised boldly, but Firepaw could detect a subtle fear-scent coming off him. It grew stronger as Bluestar stepped forward into the darkness.
Strange, he thought, shaking his head. What could Tigerclaw possibly be afraid of here?
Tigerclaw shook his mighty head and padded after Bluestar. Giving a brief nod to the other apprentices, Firepaw quickly followed after them.
Inside the cave, his eyes still detected nothing, not that he'd been expecting to see much anyway. Despite the sheer darkness of the tunnel, he was surprised to realize that he wasn't afraid. His eagerness to discover what lay ahead was too overwhelming.
The cold damp air seeped in through his fur and into his bones, stiffening his muscles. Even the coldest nights didn't hold the same chill here. Being malnourished certainly wasn't helping matters, and soon Firepaw found himself shivering violently from the cold. Freezing air filled his lungs with each breath until he felt lightheaded.
He followed Bluestar and Tigerclaw through the darkness, judging his way by scent and feel alone. His muscles were growing numb with cold and he could barely move to put one paw in front of the other, but he forced himself to keep going so as not to fall behind. He could tell that they were only a tail-length ahead and fought hard to keep the distance from growing.
Then he felt a tingling in his whiskers. The air in his nostrils seemed fresher than before. Firepaw sniffed again, relieved to smell the familiar world above. There must have been a hole somewhere in the tunnel.
"Where are we?" he called into the darkness.
"We have entered the cavern of the Moonstone," came Bluestar's soft reply. "Wait here. It will be moonhigh soon."
Firepaw folded his hind legs under him on the freezing stone and waited. He could hear the steady breathing of Bluestar and the more rapid, fear-scented panting of Tigerclaw.
Suddenly, in a flash more blinding than the setting sun, the cave was lit up. Firepaw quickly shut his eyes against the cold white light. Then slowly, he opened them into tiny slits and peered ahead. He saw a gleaming rock, which glittered as if it were made from countless dewdrops.
The Moonstone, he breathed silently. Now he understood why everyone had been in such awe when Bluestar announced her plans to visit the Moonstone–it really was impressive.
Bluestar was staring upward, her fur glowing white in the light of the Moonstone. Even Tigerclaw's dark pelt shone silver. High in the roof was an opening that revealed a small triangle of the night sky. The moon was casting a beam of light through the hole onto the Moonstone, making it sparkle like a star.
Beside him, Firepaw could smell Tigerclaw's fear-scent growing until it became overpowering. Despite himself, he couldn't suppress a twinge of apprehension. Could the great warrior see something else here, something dangerous? He prayed that it wasn't it, although the only other explanation would be that Tigerclaw was scared of glowing rocks, which was both hilarious to imagine and completely illogical.
But he was twitchy on the way down here too, the flame-colored tom thought to himself. Maybe he's scared of the dark too.
He saw a flash of movement, felt fur brush past him, and heard the fleeing pawsteps of Tigerclaw as he raced back toward the entrance.
"Firepaw?" Bluestar's voice was quiet and calm.
"I'm still here," he answered. "I didn't know Tigerclaw was scared of the dark and glowing rocks."
Bluestar chuckled. "I think the power of the Moonstone surprised Tigerclaw. In the world above, Tigerclaw is a fearless and mighty warrior, but down here, where the spirits of StarClan speak, a cat needs a different kind of strength. What do you feel, Firepaw?"
"Freezing," was Firepaw's first reply. "Also curious, but mostly freezing."
"Can you move?" Bluestar asked, sounding worried. Firepaw prayed that she wasn't about to start smothering him again. "Come lie down beside me. You'll be warmer that way."
Well, he couldn't exactly pass up the opportunity to get some semblance of feeling back into his legs, so with a grunt, Firepaw struggled to his paws and stumbled over to his mentor. He felt her lick the top of his head before she settled herself down in front of the Moonstone and touched her nose to it. Her blue eyes sparkled with its reflection for a moment before she closed them. Now she rested her head on her paws, her eyelids flickering, her tail twitching occasionally.
He waited. The chill wasn't so intense with the warmth of Bluestar's fur, but still, he found himself shivering. He had no idea how much time had passed, but suddenly, the rock stopped glowing and the cavern was plunged back into darkness. Firepaw looked up and saw that the moon had passed. All that was left now was the faint glow of a few tiny stars.
He could just make out the pale shape of his leader lying beside the Moonstone. Firepaw wanted to call out to her, but he didn't dare disturb the silence.
After more endless moments, she spoke to him again. "Firepaw? Are you there?" Her voice sounded remote and agitated.
"Yes, Bluestar," he meowed. He could hear her pawsteps approaching.
"Hurry," she hissed. "We must return to our camp."
Firepaw struggled to his feet, but his legs were still numb from the cold. He limped forward a few steps, then felt Bluestar gently pick him up by his scruff and drape him over her shoulders. She carried him up and up the dark tunnel until they were safely back to the outside world.
Tigerclaw was waiting beside Sandpaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw when Bluestar exited the cave with Firepaw on her back. His expression was cold and his fur was slightly ruffled, but he sat motionless and dignified.
"Tigerclaw," Bluestar greeted him but did not mention the senior warrior's flight from the depths.
Tigerclaw relaxed a little. "What did you learn? And what's happened to your apprentice?"
Firepaw grunted. "My legs decided they didn't like being legs," he meowed. To Bluestar, he added. "I think I can walk now. It's warmer out here, so I can feel my muscles again."
Bluestar nodded and allowed him to slide off her back. Firepaw shook himself off, trying to regain his sense of balance. After nearly freezing his paws off, he wasn't entirely sure which foot belonged where anymore.
"Come on," the blue-gray queen meowed. "We must return to camp immediately."
Firepaw saw a look of desperation in his leader's eyes. A chill ran down his spine. What had their warrior ancestors told her? Could it be that, by traveling to the Moonstone now, they had ended up endangering their camp?