Princess stared at Ravenpaw incredulously. "Do you mean that? Would you really go with me?"
The black cat nodded. "I can't let you go wandering out there alone. A little kittypet like you would get into all sorts of trouble. No, it would be far better I go too."
Shifting nervously on her white paws, Princess said, "But what about Barley?"
"He'll understand." Ravenpaw nodded as if to emphasize the statement. Taking a few more bites out of his fresh-kill, he said, "As soon as your finished, we'll head out. We don't want to waste any daylight."
With a nod, Princess quickly devoured the remains of the prey. Licking her lips, she looked at the two other rats that were left. "Should we bring those along?"
"No, it'll be too hard to travel with that prey making it awkward to balance." Ravenpaw shook his head, and then stood up. "We should get going."
With a nod, Princess followed as the tabby walked over to the exit. She was very excited to get going; as if her first taste of fresh kill had awakened energy inside she never knew she had.
"Hold on, I have to let Barley know." Ravenpaw managed to say around the prey in his mouth.
"Don't worry, I heard." A black and white tom walked in the door. "I'll be sorry to see you go, Ravenpaw."
Worry in his eyes, the black cat put down the rat. "I'll be back, after I bring Princess to ThunderClan." Barley nodded, but the cat's eyes were a bit sad, like he knew better.
"You two should get going, you're wasting daylight." The loner said, gently nudging Ravenpaw to the door. With one look back, the black tom ran out the barn, followed immediately by the she-cat.
"Hey Ravenpaw, what's that?" Princess asked. They were just passing Highstones, and Princess was very interested in the large cave.
"That's Mothermouth." The tom said, looking down at the gaping whole. "It leads to an underground cavern where Moonstone is."
"Moonstone?" Princess mewed with curiosity.
"A shining stone that lights up as if it were a piece of the moon. Clan leaders and medicine cats used to go to talk to StarClan." Ravenpaw said with a nod.
"Oh, Firestar told me about it once! I'd love to go see it." The light-brown tabby blinked hopefully at her guide. He let out an amused purr and nodded.
"Well, I suppose a quick look wouldn't hurt. It's almost sunhigh, so the light should shine on Moonstone. But while we're down there," He said, very seriously, "keep track of my scent, or you'll get lost."
They leaped down and walked toward the entrance. Just like Ravenpaw asked, Princess kept a close track on his scent as they traveled through the darkness. The rock beneath her feet was shockingly cold, and sometimes she was afraid she'd slip, it felt so much like ice. After what seemed like ages, the tunnel finally widened. Princess blinked a few times, looking around at the cavern. It was large, and the tabby waited eagerly for sunhigh when the light would shine on the stone. Next to her, she could feel Ravenpaw's excited breathing.
The next thing she knew, the entire cavern was filled with bright silver light. Even Ravenpaw's black fur shone dark silver. Princess closed her eyes, and opened them into tiny slits. So this was Moonstone. It was even more beautiful then Firestar had described. Without really understanding what she was doing, Princess gently touched her nose to the crystal, hoping to catch some scent of Firestar.
Blinking once, she suddenly found herself surrounded by the dark indigo of the nighttime sky. Looking around, very worried, she saw her brother's bright orange pelt and her son's fluffy white one. With a cry of joy, she leapt towards them, but as she got closer, they faded away. Making a distressed cry, she never even noticed the sweet scent that started to envelope her until she heard the voice.
"Princess, do not be worried…" Turning around to face whoever was talking to her, the tabby saw a beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat, though she was faded and her voice was strained. "Your brother and son are safe. You may return to your Twolegs, and rest easy."
"NO!" Princess hissed at the she-cat. "I can't, don't you see? They are my kin, the only ones from my family that are left." Sadness crept into her tone. "My Twolegs are kind, and I like the cats that live near me but…"
"They can't take their place?" The tortoiseshell said, smiling sadly. "I understand. Any cat, Clan or kittypet, with such a loyal heart cannot be overlooked." Gently treading towards the tabby, the strange she-cat gave Princess a gentle lick on the forehead. "You and Ravenpaw both number among those few." As the two she-cats looked in each other's eyes, the tortoiseshell seemed to dissolve. "I am Spottedleaf. Do not forget my name, for I will watch over you…as well as Ravenpaw."
As Princess watched in awe, a familiar voice called her name.
"Princess…Princess…Princess! Wake up!" Jolting awake, the tabby looked at Ravenpaw, who was nudging her anxiously. "You had me worried, fainting like that. Come on, we should get going before it's too late to travel any more."
With a slightly stunned nod, Princess followed as Ravenpaw leapt towards the tunnel. The light had left the cavern, making Moonstone dark. But still, Princess could smell a sweet scent in her nostrils as she leapt after Ravenpaw.