And We All Thought It Had Ended...

[StoneWolf18]

After Tigerstar's glorious and Firestar's tragic death, it took quite a bit of time for the clans to regroup. Brakenstar took up leadership of Thunderclan, the fallen remembered and buried, wounds tended to and camps repaired. Every cat thought they were finally safe. That their main, astral foe had been defeated. Life had been blessed by Starclan for many years, with mild winters and summers, with fall and spring perfectly in between. Prey was plumb and plentiful along with the lake and rivers running strong and clear of any debris or pollutants.


But...unfortunately...all things much come to an end.


Many, many moons later when Hiddenkit had been born soon to become Hiddenpaw under his mentor Lillyleap until finally becoming Hiddenvale after her unfortunate yet peaceful passing. The tom cat had been experiencing odd dreams, he assumed from Starclan. Just about every night, he would wake to find himself on a small sandbar in the middle of an endless stretch of water. Unseen cats yowled praises into the blood-red, star specked sky, with what appeared to be the very foe they thought to have killed outlined clearly. The tiger striped cat grinning fiercely as many cats cried praises to his name as well as the Dark Forest. But then, whilst he stood in horror, the consolation would be over taken by the image of an unfamiliar cat, as well as his own, their scent lingering thickly in the air before he awoke well after dawn.


He had decided not to say anything for fear of starting chaos, so Hiddenvale planned on making a journey to the moonpool as soon as possible to try and get some answers. But as he was about to go and ask his leader, Minnowstar for permission, the front half of the dawn patrol, more specifically the apprentices, Oakpaw and Hollowpaw, stormed into camp, water still streaming off of their pelts from the swim. "Minnowstar!" Hollowpaw cried, her voice squeaking a bit. "We...found...a l...loner within our...territory...!" Her eyes were wide as she struggled to make out the words due to panting so hard.


@Darkwing

 

[Darkwing]

Of course, Loners of all sorts had heard rumors of the clan cats. Probably all talk, as far as Aspen was concerned. She'd had run in with various other felines, both loners and rogues, who had claimed to have wild encounters with the cats of the clans. Thunderclan. Windclan. Shadowclan. Riverclan. It had peeked her interest, surely, but the she-cat never had intentions of becoming involved with any of them. She was bullheaded, not idiotic.


And yet, the past few weeks had been difficult for Aspen. Especially when it came trying to catch some shut eye. The dreams always started off a little different, but the end result was always the same. The praise of the tiger striped cat. The undeniable smell of blood in the air. It had all become too real and none of it made sense to the young she-cat. Still, just before she'd finally stirred from her dreams, she'd always catch of a short glimpse of him, his scent swirling through the air. He didn't seem to belong, just stared on in horror and then vanished completely as Aspen finally came to her senses.


Aspen never meant to cross the territory board, honestly. She'd always been cautious of the scent markers, hunting off towards the twoleg lands to avoid confrontation from the clans. It seemed only respectful. Only logical. She didn't know how it happened, or maybe she had just imaged the whole thing. It was possible, seeing as she avoided sleeping as much as possible anymore, but still. Aspen could have sworn she caught wind of him, that cat from her dreams. The rest had merely spiraled out of control.


Before she realized what was happening, she was surrounded, and by the looks and smell of them, Aspen had stumbled right into Riverclan territory. "Alright," She stated calmly, heaving a rather melodramatic sigh. "You caught me." Part of her had almost expected a fight, but the request of taking her into the heart of their camp was something she couldn't argue with. Well, she could have. Perhaps a better way to put this, was that she didn't want to refuse. She needed to know if this cat from her dreams was actually reality.


The patrol had circled in as they lead Aspen towards the camp, the young apprentices keeping more towards the front of the group. It was probably their very first capture, she mused to herself, tilting her head to glance back at the stoic warrior who wouldn't even so much as crack a smirk in her direction. Aspen shrugged off the notion, shouldering her way through the camp's entrance as the young apprentice made a dash forward, announcing their arrival for the entire clan.


"Quite the welcoming committee. I'm honored." The loner's tone was rather sarcastic, but she showed no outward signs of hostility. After all, she was clearly out numbered here. Best to play it safe.


@StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

With a sigh, Minnowstar stood and streached with a large yawn before walking over. He was a calm and collected cat yet he also held quite the tongue. "Mm, a loner? Well, please state your business in our territory. You couldn't have stolen any prey because you don't know how to fish. And I'm surprised you got past the stepping stones without getting at least your paws wet." The large cat sat on his haunches, letting his pale teal eyes examine every inch of the small cat. She was annoyed none the less as well as not too thrilled to be here. "Speak, or I'll have you thrown into the lake."


"WAAAAIIIITTTT!"


The cry split through the air as Hiddenvale shot out of the medicine den. He skidded to a stop, nearly loosing his balance as his tail waved wildly, barely saving him. "...you!" He managed before gulping in a breath. The tom cat then without much warning shoved his nose near her to drink in the loners scent. And sure enough, underneath the clear musk the forest gave off, it was exactly what he had been detecting in his dreams. Pulling away, he stared at her with eyes almost as wides as the Hollowpaw's had been. Minnowstar wasn't impressed. "What, Hiddenvale?" After a few moments of searching for his voice, he whispered "I thought loners didn't believe in Starclan..."


@Darkwing

 

[Darkwing]

Aspen watched the clan leader with narrowed eyes, the irritation slowly beginning to show in the smug smile that etched its way across her maw. "Throw me into the lake?" She echoed, fighting the urge to spat the words. "Oh, how amusing. I'd like to see you try." Despite the challenge that delicately weaved into her tone, Minnowstar was no longer the loner's point of focus, the cry of the medicine cat ringing powerfully in her now cocked back ears. It simply couldn't be.


Aspen couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was something so familiar about the tom, she vaguely wondered if perhaps she was dreaming right in that instant. That all of this was simply part of her imagination. The she-cat knew better though, fighting the urge to flinch away when Hiddenvale was suddenly no less a few inches away from her face. His scent struck her like a freight train, swirling through her senses as flashbacks of the dreams came flooding over her. She couldn't deny it, this was the cat she had been watching in her dreams.


"Starclan?" She finally mumbled, the puzzlement evident in the reflection of her eyes. "What are you talking about? I'm afraid you've got the wrong idea about me." Aspen mewed, forcing her gaze away with a flicker of her tail. The loner had heard stories about the clan in the sky, watching over their ancestors and guiding their paths. Supposedly, at least. She had never quite believed the tale, being the type who needed to see something first to finally believe in it. "Is this some kind of joke?" Aspen pressed, turning her stern gaze back to Hiddenvale and Minnowstar.


@StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Hiddenvale was the first to speak. "It's true...all of it!" The toms cries were growing louder as Minnowstar frowned deeply. "Hiddenvale, I didn't ask you to yell. Now, what are you rambling about?" Staring straight into the larger cat's face, he spoke in a rush. "Starclan has been sending me dreams...a-and I'm assuming, based on what I've been seeing, that whatever is bound to happen, me and this loner are involved one way or another..."


"What would Starclan want with a loner...?" "That's exactly what I was trying to find out!" His tail was swaying back and forth and he stood and paced a bit. "I was going to ask permission to visit the moonpool, and this just makes it all the more important." "Please, Hiddenvale...you're sounding ridiculous..." "Have they ever proved us wrong?" "Well..." With that, the seemingly crazed medicine cat focused once more on the loner, his tone becoming a bit more serious. "This isn't a joke. Have you...been experiencing any strange dreams lately?"


@Darkwing

 

[Darkwing]

Aspen met the tom's direct gaze with outward ease, her stare unwavering even despite the declaration that unnerved her so. And Moonpool? What on earth was this cat going on about? Aspen tried to follow, but her efforts seemed to prove futile. Whatever the meaning, it seemed rather important to the Medicine Cat, that was for sure. Still, her interest had been ruffled up at the mention of dreams. It came as almost a comfort to the loner to know that she wasn't the only one who had been experiencing such an odd portrayal of her subconscious. A comfort that was merely short lived.


"How did you know about that?" Aspen questioned quietly, her tail sweeping across the ground and laying almost defensively over her white paws. "I dream about the same thing practically every time I sleep. You're always there, watching just as I am as they..." The she-cat trailed off, puffing out her chest with a huff. "Look, I don't need to explain myself to you. I have nothing to do with clan business and your friend here -" She cut herself off, pointing her muzzle with sharp accusation towards Minnowstar. "Well, that seems to be the only thing we'll be agreeing on here."


@StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

"I know because I've been experiencing them as well! I doubt you're going to care, but Starclan, our ancestors-" he flicked his tail, gesturing to the clan members that had gathered. "Sent you those dreams because your apart of whatever is to happen!" Turning to an extremely bored Minnowstar, he said "We are going to be leaving for the moonpool immediately." Shrugging his muscular shoulders, the tom stood and moved back towards the middle of the camp, clearly uninterested. Hiddenvale frowned deeply, yet he couldn't blame him. "Gah...don't bother...the old coot is on his last life. Lost all the others on simple, careless mistakes. Swimming into the rapids or trying to climb but falling out of the tree. He's just uptight. Now if you want answers, come, we don't have much daylight left." And with that, the medicine cat started towards the camp's exit.


@Darkwing

 

[Darkwing]

It wasn't that Aspen didn't care, she just couldn't quite wrap her mind around why they needed her help exactly. As far as she knew, her bloodline had no connections to the clan cats. It was possible, that perhaps they made a mistake in including the Loner in whatever this was unraveling. Still, her desire for understanding and eventually ridding herself of the nightmare like dreams was boiling inside of her. Her sharp green eyes flickered between the Medicine Cat and his Leader, heading his words like they were balance of the earth. Aspen eventually nodded, turning her head ever so slightly as Hiddenvale padded towards the camp's exit. It was difficult to explain what came over her, the black and white she-cat's paws carrying her towards the tom cat without so much as a second thought. "Is this even going to work?" She pressed as she fell into step beside Hiddenvale. "Why would your Starclan want to confront a Loner?"


@StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Walking towards the edge of the small island that was their camp, Hiddenvale began to easily bound from one stepping stone to the next whilst meowing over his shoulder. "It'll work...and there are many reasons. You could have some connection with Tigerstar, the evil looking cat you see in the dream or another clan member. Or maybe it's because you were born with a special gift, yet that would be a bit odd considering Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Dovewing lost theirs long ago once he was defeated...but I'm sure it wasn't random. I know it isn't." Landing on the opposite shore, he turned and waited for her to follow. "You also haven't introduced yourself yet, which I can't blame you for. I'm pretty sure you know mine already."


@Darkwing

 

[Darkwing]

Aspen had never really been a fan of the water and her pelt prickled with apprehension as she faced the stepping stones again. It wasn't exactly fear, but her demeanor was far from eager as she carefully bounded across the stepping stones after Hiddenvale. His comment seemed to catch her off guard though, her paws hitting the stepping stones with a hard landing. "I don't know that an opportunity for a formal introduction had really presented itself." She mewed, hauling herself onto the shore line beside the Medicine Cat. "My name is Aspen," The loner finally declared, glancing at the tom cat through the corner of her eyes. "It's a pleasure, Hiddenvale."


@StoneWolf18