CHAPTER 19-The Start of the Journey

The moon was full and pale and shone down on the camp with a smooth, round face. The cats milled around the camp, anxious and excited to get to the Gathering.

I was inside the den, tracing the cracks on the shard of obsidian when Toadstep poked his head inside and said, "We're going soon. Quit dawdling and hurry up, or we'll leave you behind."

I won't be going, I thought, but I didn't say it out loud. I heard Toadstep's footsteps as he padded away.

Outside, I heard Bramblestar gathering up the cats, and held my breath as he led them away.

The voices of the cats disappeared, and the clearing became enveloped in silence.

Snowstorm snuck into the apprentice's den and whispered, "Are you ready?"

I forced myself to nod. But, in truth, I felt scared by the whole thing. My heart throbbed when I imagined myself slipping through the gorse tunnel, and I might never come back again.

I didn't want to leave.

And yet, Firestar's message was grave and urgent, and I knew that I had to.

Snowstorm and I looked both ways before padding out, and we kept close to the walls. Hazeltail was guarding the entrance, and a few murmurs drifted out of the nursery and elders' den.

The moonlight bathed the whole clearing in a silver sheen that sparkled like snow. Our shadows cast tall, dark figures on the ground, and I was certain that someone would see and we would be caught. Luckily, we managed to quietly slip into the dirt tunnel.

I wrinkled my nose at the stench and shuddered as the slush squished underfoot. There was a small hole at the end of the tunnel. After widening it a bit more, we squeezed out. We had made it out of the camp.

The forest was painted in a metallic, blue and white luster. The leaves sparkled, and high above, the stars were singing. My breath caught in my throat. The woods looked so different at night, as if I had stepped into a magical realm that knew no boundaries.

Snowstorm nudged me, and I knew that we had to hurry far from the Lake before the sun cast its first light.

Our shadows flitted across the grass as we dashed past the trees. The mountains were a dark, purple haze stretching far into the distant horizon.

After a while, we stopped to rest and catch our breath. The Lake was far behind us now.

An owl hooted somewhere among the trees, and the crickets harmonized to their never ending song. The grass rustled in the wind.

A twig cracked nearby. I was instantly alert. Was it a fox?

Snowstorm stood in front of me and growled at the bushes in front of us.

The leaves rustled, and the head of a dark grey tom peered out. His amber eyes flashed.

My ears pricked up in surprise when I realized that it was Dewstep.

Snowstorm flicked his tail and hissed, "What are you doing here?"

Dewstep stepped out of the bush and ruffled his fur. "That's what I should be asking you," he muttered. "When I saw you leave, I wondered what you were up to and decided to follow. What are you doing?"

Snowstorm blinked at me, and I knew that he was silently asking me if I should tell him about the dream.

But Dewstep wouldn't believe me. He was a stubborn and hard-headed cat who didn't bother to fantasize about hidden lands and who didn't care much for dragons or griffons. Surely, he wouldn't believe my impossible dream.

I stuttered as I tried to think of an excuse. My mind went blank.

Dewstep's tail lashed impatiently behind him.

He meowed, "If you don't mind, I'll be taking you back. The whole Clan will be wondering where you two are."

Snowstorm flattened his ears and growled, "No. There's something important Ashley and I have to do before going back."

Dewstep raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

Snowstorm hesitated.

Dewstep wouldn't leave until we told him what we were doing, so I too a deep breath, and said, "StarClan told me to go to the mountains."

Dewstep snorted. "Impossible. Why would they ask you?"

I shrugged, and stood up. I was going to continue walking, but he stood in front of me and blocked my path. I looked at him hesitantly, slightly afraid.

His gaze softened, just a tiny bit. He stepped aside and meowed gruffly, "Well, maybe you're right. You can't just ignore a message from StarClan."

He licked his paw. "I'm going with you."

Snowstorm's eyes widened. "What? But you can't come! StarClan didn't come to you in a dream."

Dewstep pointed out, "They didn't tell you either, and yet you're going."

Snowstorm leaned back and muttered, "Good point."

Dewstep nudged me forward and meowed, "Anyways, the Clan life is starting to get a bit dull. I need more excitement. And you'll need all the help you need on your journey. Come on, what you are waiting for? Let's go!"

He bounded off without looking back, and Snowstorm and I watched him go. The white tom muttered something under his breath and shook his head briskly, before dashing after him.

I followed.

So I wasn't going to make this journey alone. The doubt inside me subsided, and I knew that as long as I had those two to stand next to me, I could, maybe, conquer anything. With Snowstorm's knowledge and strength, and Dewstep's stubbornness and strong will, I could make it to the mountains. The butterflies in my stomach gradually fluttered away, and I sighed in relief.

OoOoOOoOooooOooOoOoOoOOoOooOoO

The warm sunlight began to peak through the tree branches, and I fidgeted and reluctantly opened my eyes. For a split second, I was confused. There was a scratchy patch of grass beneath me, instead of soft moss. And then, I remembered. I had left the night before to journey to the mountains.

I sat up. Snowstorm was snoring softly beside me, but Dewstep was nowhere in sight. I was worried. What if a fox or a badger had taken him while he slept?

There was a rustle nearby, and I turned to find the grey warrior dragging a dead rabbit behind him. He set it down between us and flicked his tail. "Here," he said. I nodded my thanks, and we crouched down to gulp it down.

I saved a leg for Snowstorm, and after we had rested some more, we continued on.

The Lake was far behind us now, and unfamiliar landmarks and trees dotted our path. But as long as the distant mountains were in sight, we wouldn't get lost.

Dewstep twitched his ear. "So, the Tribe of Rushing Water is real, huh? Whenever my mother told me the story of how Bramblestar and Squirrelflight found them, I was a bit doubtful. I never imagined that there would be another group of cats besides the Clans."

Snowstorm trembled with excitement like a kit, and his movements were swift and strong. "I'd love to see them! I want to learn their ways, and how they live!"

He looked at me. "I wonder why Firestar would choose you, though."

"Yeah…" I murmured. Why had he chosen me? Was it because he saw something in me that was worthy of StarClan?

The coarse grass beneath us eventually gave way to long, yellow grass that flowed against our legs like soft hair. The trees disappeared, and a large prairie loomed up in front of us, like a huge patch of sunlight. I set my paw down, and immediately leaped back in surprise when a group of quail exploded from their hiding place and scattered everywhere.

Snowstorm and Dewstep quickly leaped after them and easily killed two. The birds were so heavy and plump from eating the wheat seeds that their short legs weren't nearly as long to help them escape from the predators. After quickly swallowing them down, we hurried on our way.

"There's so much prey around here," Snowstorm observed. "It's a shame that ThunderClan didn't find this place and move here."

There were literally prey everywhere we looked; tiny field mice scurried to and fro, and the quail pecked at the ground. A few hawks soared lazily in the sky, and the rabbits were plentiful. I winced as a thorn embedded itself in my paw, but I picked it out with ease.

The sun warmed our backs and made us sleepy. The praire seemed like such a peaceful place, and I was tempted to just stay there and doze the day away. But I knew that I couldn't.

As we journeyed further and further into unknown lands, my heart opened wider and felt like it was soaring. The scared feelings from before was replaced by a sense of courage and adventure.

My paws felt as if they were walking on clouds, and the swallows and hawks chirped from above.

The toms bounded next to me, their eyes shining.

As long as I was with them, I would continue to soar.