Nightheart let out a yawn, glancing at Rabbitpaw who was just barely waking up. Nightheart had felt Rabbitpaw twitching in her sleep. It used to annoy Nightheart but now she felt concerned. I wonder if it's nightmares. Nightheart wondered, worried for her friend. Nightheart sat up and smoothed down her fur before glancing around the den. Tallsong, Pigeonpelt and Rainpaw were already gone, presumably to explore their future camp.
Nightheart didn't really care for MoonClan's territory. It was barren and even colder than it was in even SunClan's territory. Nightheart already missed the new AshClan territory, the pine trees were lush and beautiful. She had been incredibly upset when Pigeonpelt forced them to move on without finding AshClan's camp.
Despite her annoyance, Nightheart kept her mouth shut and just explored the territories with her patrol. She wished that she didn't have to travel with Falconheart, despite him becoming a warrior and whatever Blackpaw said about him, Nightheart knew he was still as arrogant as ever.
Nightheart was also convinced that Blackpaw was only saying that because of his weird feelings for Honeypaw. She was starting to become annoyed of Honeypaw as well. Who does that she-cat think she is? She needs to leave my brother alone. Nightheart shook away her irritated thoughts and left the den.
As the chilly morning air ruffled Nightheart's fur she shivered and clenched her teeth. Stupid leaf-bare. It was just after dawn, the sun peeking through the clouds in the pale sky. Nightheart looked around the new camp. Pigeonpelt, Tallsong and Rainpaw were exploring an old badger den on the other side of the camp.
"I hope we get moving soon." Nightheart heard a tired mew from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Flamepetal stepping out of the rockpile den. "I want to get settled into our new camp."
"And I want to find mine." Nightheart said quietly.
"You will." Flamepetal brushed her tail across Nightheart's pelt for a moment before stepping forwards and going to the MoonClan cats. Nightheart sat outside the den, waiting patiently for the other cats to wake up.
The last cat to wake up was Twigheart, the old she-cat stood up and stretched once she got out. "Skies look cloudy." The LichenClan she-cat mewed while glancing up at the sky. "Hopefully it doesn't snow while we're travelling, I'd hate for this to be a three day trip."
"We should leave, then." Pigeonpelt mewed as they approached the rest of the patrol. "We don't know how much ground we have left to cover."
After a quick morning hunting a session and a bird that Nightheart shared with Rabbitpaw and Lilyclaw. She wasn't completely satisfied, but Nightheart wanted to continue and she knew that the others did too.
They left MoonClan's future camp to explore the rest of the moorland. Right behind the camp they discovered a frozen pond which overjoyed Rainpaw. Nightheart didn't share Rainpaw's love of swimming, but she was glad that MoonClan had a territory that they would enjoy.
Nightheart walked alongside Rabbitpaw, keeping quiet and listening passively to the conversations of the cats around her.
"So is Larkclaw going to be Timbertail's deputy?" Lilyclaw asked Twigheart. "She seems to be taking the role of it."
Twigheart nodded. "Timbertail has already said that Larkclaw would be his deputy. Some are concerned because they're kin, but Mossleaf was Jaggedstar's niece. Timbertail and Larkclaw are close friends and I think she'll make a fine deputy."
"She's always seemed like a competent cat. Has Roseheart talked about taking an apprentice any time soon?" Lilyclaw wondered.
"Krestlekit and Briarkit haven't shown any interest but there's always Leafsong's kits. It would be nice for Roseheart to mentor one of her nieces." Twigheart purred.
Tired of hearing about the news in LichenClan, Nightheart tuned them out focusing on the moorland ahead of her. The other cats were just talking about how excited they were about their territories. Nightheart was excited too but there was just something under her skin. It bit at her and clawed at her heart, she couldn't shake it.
Why do I feel like this? Nightheart wondered, staring at the snowy ground beneath her paws. She hated this clouded feeling of dread that clogged her heart and thoughts. I should be filled with a sense of adventure. Taking a deep breath, Nightheart did her best to clear her mind. Let's just focus on the task I have to face right now.
"You okay?" Rabbitpaw questioned, Nightheart turned to look at the apprentice. "You seem distracted."
"I'm alright." Nightheart assured Rabbitpaw with a soft purr. "I'm just tired, is all. Didn't sleep well. I'm antsy to get into our new home."
"Me too." Rabbitpaw held her head high with sparkling green eyes. Nightheart felt better knowing she was excited. Rabbitpaw had started this whole journey scared and incredibly wary of everything around her, jumping at the slightest movement or noise but now Rabbitpaw seemed more confident in herself and her surroundings.
The Clans reached another river as well as the end of the moorland. On the other side of the river was another forest. This one was similar to SunClan's but the trees were taller, and it was less dense. The trees were scattered instead of packed together.
"That can't be LichenClan's territory, right?" Stumptail stepped forward, his eyes filled with concern. "It looks nothing like our old territory, it looks more like SunClan territory."
"I highly doubt we've seen everything." Pigeonpelt assured the young LichenClan warrior. "I'm sure there's much more to it than this. LichenClan has a perfect home just as the rest of us do. Let's cross the river." There was a sturdy log that allowed easy crossing across the river. The patrol crossed and reached the other side without issue.
Nightheart looked around this new territory, she could see the mountains peaked farther into the forest here. They looked climbable, but Nightheart didn't know any cat that enjoyed climbing mountains.
"We should explore the mountains." Twigheart suggested. "Even if it's not LichenClan territory it could provide a gathering place."
"You really want to climb mountains every full moon?" Falconheart questioned skeptically. "I can't see Snakewhisker doing that."
"It won't hurt to check." Lilyclaw stepped in. "We need to explore everything." At Pigeonpelt's lead, and without any more arguments the patrol headed towards the mountains. Half the territory was forest, but the older half was completely stone.
Nightheart approached a cave at the base of the mountains. She gave it a sniff, it just smelled like dank stone. "I don't think there's anything else in there." After giving it a second sniff, she stepped inside. It was chilly and dark but it didn't go anywhere. "It's empty." Nightheart reported and stepped out back into the open air.
"Let's go up higher." Pigeonpelt suggested and stepped up onto a rocky path leading upwards. "It should be easy to get up this way." Tallsong and Rainpaw were quick behind him, climbing up the rocks. Nightheart didn't have any need or desire to climb those rocks, but she wasn't going to show any hesitation or fear.
She followed after the MoonClan cats and began climbing the rocks. They were somewhat unsteady and each trembling stone sent lightning straight to her heart, but despite her uneasy and unsettled stomach, Nightheart continued.
She could see the tails of the cats of ahead of her and watched carefully where they stepped so she wouldn't risk falling. Behind her, Nightheart could hear Rabbitpaw following her. She hoped that Rabbitpaw would be okay. Once they reached the top, Nightheart was surprised at how exhausted she felt. Her muscles ached slightly and her paw pads felt raw.
At the top, NIghtheart looked around to see what they were dealing with. It almost looked like it could be a camp with various caves and some overgrown brush but Nightheart couldn't imagine a single cat in the forest who would want to live up here. The climb up was torturous enough.
"This doesn't look big enough for a gathering area." Flamepetal mewed once she reached the top, licking her paws. "And I'd hate to climb up here all the time.
"I agree." Tallsong nodded along. "I don't know if we could find any use for this territory. There doesn't seem to be any sign of a new moonstone either. Perhaps this could just be neutral territory."
"We'll have to discuss it with the leaders." Pigeonpelt looked around. "For now let's continue, we have to keep moving."
After a rigorous climb back down the side of the mountain, the patrol continued through this territory. It remaind relatively the same until the trees began to get more clustered. Nightheart imagined that in greenleaf the forest would've been incredibly lush and beautiful
"This is more like it." Brackenheart purred loudly as they reached the thicker forestry. "This looks like our hold home."
"I feel like there's even more trees here than our last territory." Stumptail looked like he had been filled with a newfound energy. Nightheart realized she had felt something similar when she had stepped into the pine forest.
"Now let's find a camp." Twigheart said with energy filling her mew. Following the energetic LichenClan warriors, Nightheart and the others traversed LichenClan's new territory.
Nightheart was looking around with interest, wondering how LichenClan could live like this. She liked the protection of the pine trees, but this seemed like way too much. The trees towered overhead and she had seen LichenClan before when it was full of brush and undergrowth. It looked crowded and dangerous.
Just as Nightheart had that thought she felt her hind paw catch on a root sticking up out of the ground. Nightheart's front paws slipped in the snow in front of her and she landed directly on her face, his muzzle digging into the ground. Pain shot through her nose and Nightheart landed fully in the snow.
"Nightheart!" Nightheart heard Rabbitpaw's cry of alarm and heard her small pawsteps. Nightheart lifted her head and lifted her head, shaking away snow. She felt a sharp pain and smelled blood. "Your nose is bleeding."
"Are you alright?" Lilyclaw approached her. "That was quite the fall."
"I'm fine." Nightheart grumbled, feeling painfully embarrassed. Her nose hurt but she didn't expect it would last for very long. Her pelt burned and she felt like a bumbling apprentice, not a warrior. "Let's just keep moving."
After brief hesitation from her patrol mates, they continued moving through the forest and Nightheart was much more aware of her surroundings now. As they padded through the forest, Rabbitpaw moved close to her. "Are you alright? That looked like it hurt."
Nightheart nodded. "I'm just fine. The only thing badly damaged is my self-esteem." Nightheart chuckled, not wanting Rabbitpaw to be concerned.
"That's good." Rabbitpaw purred. "Your nose has already stopped bleeding." She pointed out. "Noses are always more sensitive in the cold."
Nightheart nodded along and looked forward. The patrol soon reached a plateau with trees towering over the ground. "Let's head up there." Brackenheart suggested and they climbed the semi-steep ground.
At the top there was a tree that stood above all the rest. At the bottom was a huge crack that lead into the hollow tree. Nightheart thought it could easily be a den. Not far from the tree was two very large boulders that formed another den. "This looks perfect!" Twigheart mewed, spinning around the future camp and taking it in.
Brackenheart and Stumptail agreed and Nightheart left them to explore. She wished that she had her own camp to be excited for. It was already past sunhigh and likely that they wouldn't find AshClan's camp until dark. She just hoped they wouldn't have to wait another day.
After a long while of exploring the new LichenClan camp, they finally continued. It was getting darker with each step and Nightheart was getting colder. Her nose still hurt and she was getting more and more irritated.
They walked through the territory eventually finding the river once more. "Hey," Flamepetal spoke up. "What's over there?" She motioned with her head across the river. Nightheart and the rest of the patrol looked in her direction.
Across the river was a vast field but Nightheart could see five towering trees. "We should go check it out." Nightheart suggested. After an easy crossing of the river, the patrol hurried through the filled as the trees came into view.
Upon closer inspection, Nightheart realized they were in a hollow. The trees were surrounding a large boulder in the center. "This looks like it could be a gathering place." Pigeonpelt pointed out excitedly. "The Clans could settle around the trees while the leaders sit on the boulder."
"It seems perfect." Lilyclaw purred. "We'll have to tell the leaders about it!" For the first time in a while, Nightheart genuinely felt excited. The Clans had a place to gather, now all they needed was AshClan's camp and a new moonstone.
"I think there's more territory that way." Pigeonpelt glanced to a direction between LichenClan and AshClan territory. "We should see what's over there before we move on to AshClan territory. We're almost done."
They continued forward, finding a small strip of bare forest territory and the river that slipped down from the mountain but Nightheart couldn't see an easy way to follow it. "This doesn't seem like much." Falconheart pointed out. "We should continue on to AshClan territory and find them a camp, we can find the moonstone another time."
"As much as I don't want to," Twigheart sighed. "Falconheart is right, we should move on before it gets too dark and cold."
The rest of the patrol agreed and they crossed back into AshClan's territory. Nightheart instantly felt comforted by the sweet scented pine trees. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Didn't Blackpaw say that the territory was at the base of the mountains?" Rabbitpaw questioned Nightheart.
She nodded. "We should walk along the mountains until we find it." Without waiting, the patrol continued along the mountains. After a short while of travelling, Nightheart spotted a raised platform of stone in the distance. She picked up her pace slightly, seeing more and more as they reached it. She could see a cave opening against the mountain. Just like Blackpaw said! She thought excitedly.
Nightheart hurried to the stone area, she could hear Rabbitpaw and Lilyclaw running up behind her. They reached it and it was exactly as Blackpaw had described to her. Along with the stone den was a small den formed by a large crack in the mountains.
She looked over all of the dens, they were perfect. She finally understood what the other cats had been feeling when they found their own camps. We've finally found AshClan's new home!