Whispers of a New Dawn [Closed]

Burningleaf wasn't able to sleep again. He remained fully awake the whole night, thinking about Mistysky and her message. Alone in his den, he walked in circles like a trapped lion, trying to find a balance between his happiness and worries. This was the chance they were waiting for! The hope that the clan needed in this time of darkness! But there was also a gamble in the play: they had to choose the hero of their clan and this decision would determine whether they will recover their communication with their ancestors or perish under the Dark Forest's rules. Even with the morning arriving, the medicine cat had no clarity. But there was one certain thing: Shrikestorm needed to know. Out of all the cats in the clan, he was the most suited to decide which of their clanmates would fit the description of the hero Starclan is looking for. The poor tom had to take over the clan both as leader and deputy and though Burningleaf still helped him with some ceremonies, he still had to do most of the work and was in more contact with the warriors and apprentices.

He left his den when the first rays of the sun were starting to emerge from the meadows. Ignoring the Dark Forest guards at the entrance of the den, he entered the warrior's den to find Shrikestorm. Slowly, making sure not to wake anyone else, the former warrior made his way to the deputy and gently pushed his shoulder. With a low mew, he said. "Shrikestorm, come meet me at my den. Mistysky has spoken to me last night."

Shrikestorm was fast asleep, a rare case of him getting some semblance of sleep. With the Dark Forest's presence in their camp, it had been difficult to get a good night's sleep. On top of that, he was without Goldenstar, needing to take on her duties as well as his own. He did it gladly, but it surely left him exhausted by the end of the day. There was no time for resting, though. Especially not when he felt someone nudging him awake.

He blinked open his bleary eyes to see Burningleaf standing above him, saying to meet him at the medicine cat's den. Something specific he said was what had Shrikestorm on his paws immediately. He had heard a message from Mistysky. That was all Shrikestorm needed to hear. He followed Burningleaf quietly out of the den right away, needing that hope of good news to keep his paws moving forward. The clan was losing hope, and he could only pray to StarClan - though they could not hear him - that this was the sign they needed.

When the two toms were inside the den and Burningleaf made sure they were deep enough for no curious ears, he mewed. "Mistysky was right there where you are standing, right beside my moss bed. I... know it was her and not only that... she had a message, most likely, from Starclan themselves." The ginger tabby coughed twice to clear his throat and said the words that had been stuck in his memory since that ghostly meeting: "The walls are crumbling, hope peeking through the cracks. Five cats of strong faith and determination, one from each corner of the clans, is needed to break the shackles that bind them. Choose wisely, for this is our final stand."

Behind his scarring, a pair of squinting looked at Shrikestorm with anticipation, trying to decipher what was he thinking.

Shrikestorm listened to what Burningleaf had to say, his ears perking up when the medicine cat recited the words Mistysky had said. He thought about what they meant, standing close to Burningleaf to try and avoid their words leaking out to cats that didn't need to hear what they were talking about. "It sounds like each clan needs to send a cat somewhere, but where?" He ruminated on it, wishing Mistysky was there with them to properly explain what StarClan meant. StarClan was always frustratingly cryptic, though.

"We need to figure out who the cat is we're sending from our clan, if that is to be the case, and where they need to go. Perhaps they need to go to the Moonstone." It made sense, since it was the cats' most sacred place. "But how will they go without being caught? The Dark Forest follows us everywhere..."

"Mistysky didn't know much either, sadly. So it's up to us now." Though it was to be expected that Shrikestorm would be just as lost as he was, Burningleaf still was a little disappointed. He frowned and his tail swung from side to side as he meditated on what the deputy was suggesting. "The Moonstone is a good choice but... not a very close place for all the cats selected from each clan to reunite and hard to access thanks to our... uninvited guests." His amber eyes looked at the entrance of the den, checking no peering eyes were trying to see through their meeting. "The Fourtrees is the closest option for all clans to reunite and the full moon is coming soon... Maybe that would explain the timing of this prophecy, but it can't be said for certain. Whoever we choose can take advantage of the tunnels to lose the Dark Forest cats in their journey to meet the other selected cats." The tom took a pause as the tension rose in the cave. "The question is... who is going to be the chosen one for this quest? Who on this clan would be the best fit?"

"The tunnels..." Shrikestorm murmured, thinking about the sprawling tunnels beneath their territory. "That's a good idea." He smiled at Burningleaf, but there was another important question: who should go? That was a question that was just as hard. "Strong faith and determination," he mused, but he felt that all of WindClan could apply to that. Faith and determination were core components of being a good WindClan cat, after all. "We'll need to speak to our clan without arousing suspicion, which means we can't call any meetings. Not unless we want even more trouble," he laughed, though there wasn't much humor in the sound. "I need to ruminate on this quickly." Maybe he should speak to Coyotegrin. She would be another good cat to bounce ideas off of, considering she was somewhat of an understudy of his.