Stones (Book Two) Ocean Calls

Chapter Nineteen

Its the next morning, bright and early. Ceaderstripe stands up and stretches in her nest, the dream from the night fading away.
The dream had started at the meeting ground. Froststar was there as well.
"Hello," Froststar mewed.
"Hey," Ceaderstripe dips her head to him.
Suddenly they're walking, not in control of their own paws. They begin walking up the mountain in Frostclan territory.
"What's going on?" Ceaderstripe begins to panic, still not in control of her own paws.
Suddenly they're at the top of the mountain. Their paws are their own again.
Ceaderstripe looks across the land. There's a twoleg place, dens, monsters, and other things are scattered across it but one thing catches her eye; a river. The river starts halfway down the Mountain they're currently standing on. Ceaderstripe can't see where the river ends, it continues as far as she can see.
She looks to Froststar, "this is it," she mewed, "this is where we're going."
Froststar nods, " I agree. We will tell the others tomorrow at the meeting."
Ceaderstripe dips her head, "until then," she turns and starts going back down the mountain.
Ceaderstripe walks to the Stoneclan camp and settles down in her nest where when she closes her eyes the dream ends.

Now the morning.
Ceaderstripe stands up, her paws hurt from all the walking in the dream but she doesn't mind, she is great full to finally know where they're headed.
She pads out of the warriors den and stops in the entrance to look around the camp. What if when she leaves she doesn't make it back? What if she misses her younger siblings becoming warriors? Certainly the journey can't take that long, can it?
Ceaderstripe pads to the apprentices den to wake Cocoapaw.
"We have training to do before we go," she mews while prodding the young tom awake.
Cocoapaw nods sleepily as he stands up.
Ceaderstripe leads the way out of the den and towards the entrance.
"Where are you two going?" Stonestar calls.
"We're going to practice!" Cocoapaw bounces.
"May I come along?" Stonestar asks, "I want to make sure Ceaderstripe is effectively passing on what I taught her," he laughs.
"All that and more," Ceaderstripe laughs, "come along."
Cocoapaw bounced closer to Ceaderstripe, "where are we going to train?"
"The clearing by the Treeclan border," Ceaderstripe mewed.
"That's where you caught your first squirrel," Stonestar mewed.
Ceaderstripe nodded.
"Now you're one of the best squirrel hunters in the clan," Stonestar mews.
"Ceaderstripe says I'm good at climbing trees," Cocoapaw mews, "its easy."
"You're a natural," Ceaderstripe mews then drops her voice to a whisper, "you will not be climbing anything today, we cannot expose ourselves to anyone yet."
Cocoapaw nods, "maybe we can catch a squirrel!"
"Maybe," Ceaderstripe walks a bit faster, wanting to get to the clearing and get this over with before Cocoapaw accidentally says something wrong.

"Be careful, if you spot prey in a tree do not go for it," Ceaderstripe whispers, "I can't stress enough about how important it is that you don't expose yourself right now."
Cocoapaw nods, suddenly very serious, "I understand and I will try my best."
Ceaderstripe steps away from Cocoapaw.
"Find the nearest prey and bring it back here," Ceaderstripe instructs.
Cocoapaw sniffed the air and then the ground before looking around. He then dropped into a crouch and began sliding forward silently on the ground.
Cocoapaw leaves the clearing, still heading towards his prey.
Moments later Ceaderstripe hears a sharp squeal and a thud.
Cocoapaw pads back into the clearing proudly holding his catch; a large mouse.
"Good job!" Ceaderstripe praises.
"That is a very plump mouse," Stonestar mews.

"Hemlockheart is pregnant, we cannot go now," Shrewtail objects.
"Well we can't wait until the kits are apprentices, Oceanclan will almost definitely be dead by then," Heatherfur mews.
"Ceaderstripe and I saw the path we should be taking and it doesn't seem like it should be too far a journey. The place we're headed also is somewhere Stonestar has been before and he said he grew up less than a moons journey away from here," Froststar reasons, "we could ask him more details about the journey before we go."
Shrewtail grows angry, "our kits will not be born on a journey to find and save strangers. They should grow up here!"
"I still have a moon left until the kits come. If Stonestar is right and the journey is less than a moon to get there then if we find a faster route we could get there and back before the kits come," Hemlockheart mews.
"I believe that with our abilities we should be able to find a route at least a little bit faster," Ceaderstripe adds.
"Faster isn't always safer though," Shrewtail rolls his eyes.
"My body, my decision," Hemlockheart says firmly, "I believe a bit of travel early on could be good for the kits. A rescue mission would show them to help others. It could be a great experience."
"Bu-" Shrewtail gives up.
"And besides, if the kits do come I can deliver them. I did help Gravelstripe for a while and I did deliver Falens kits," Burntwhisker mews.
"True," Fluffypelt chimes in.
"And with his medical knowledge he could also help with any injuries along the way," Pinestripe sits up a bit straighter, "I would hate to be away from my family though."
"Family?" Ceaderstripe asks, "do you have kits?"
"No, but I have a mate so kits may be in the future," Pinestripe shrinks a little, seemingly embarrassed.
"Do you see how many lives this prophecy is messing up!?" Shrewtail's tail poofed up, "what if this takes longer than expected? What if we get lost? Cocoapaw won't get the proper training-"
"Are you saying I am not capable of training my own apprentice?" Ceaderstripe growls, "not only will I be there but so will several other qualified warriors that can provide assistance."
"I wasn't saying that you weren't capable. I was saying that Cocoapaw will be learning more skills other apprentices won't be," Shrewtail explains.
"I believe that more skills is a good thing, not a bad thing," Hazelstripe chimed in.
"I want to be apart of this. I would be learning differently than other apprentices anyways because both me and Ceaderstripe have these abilities. Coming on this journey with so many others who have abilities would be an amazing learning opportunity for me," Cocoapaw stands up defensively.
"And as his mother I will be there to watch out for him," Heatherfur mews.
Cocoapaw shrinks.
"And as his friend, I too believe this is a good learning opportunity and that he should get to train with other's like him, like us," Heatherfur pulls Cocoapaw close and he smiles happily.
"Fine," Shrewtail mews, "when will we tell our clans? When will we leave?"
"We should all go tell them now," Froststar suggests, "together."
"We can leave Leafclan for last, they don't have prophecy cats," Burntwhisker adds.
"Where shall we go first?" Heatherfur asks.
"I say Stoneclan and Treeclan first," Pinestripe mews, "they're more- understanding," she trails off while Froststar and Hazelstripe shoot a glares at her.
"Stoneclan first," Cocoapaw mews.
"Then Treeclan," Pinestripe raises her head proudly.
"Frostclan," Hazelstripe mews, rolling her eyes.
Ceaderstripe looks at Pinestripe and Hazelstripe with a warm smile. I missed you guys.
"Then Leafclan," Fluffypelt mewed.