Whispers of Promise [PLOT]

The light died, and with it, Sunstreak felt as if all her hope would betray her at the same time. If the area around her was dark and frightening, filled with half-familiar shadows - the pool in front of them showed imagines that had to be a more horrible nightmare than even she could conceive. Had to be, because it just couldn't be true, could it? All those animals, cats and disgusting beasts like badgers and dogs tearing, ripping, murdering - it couldn't be true. What could survive that?

She didn't want to see any of this. She wanted to shut her eyes tight, jerk away and awake. But it was as if her eyelids refused to function - the images burning through her green eyes and imprinting on her brain. Sunstreak was no coward, but when the white cat appeared, she had never been so eager to follow another cat in her life. She wanted a way out.

Only, she recognized this cat. Or at least, her legacy. Sure, she was too young to remember the old fights, and Shadowclan hadn't been all that involved with the recent turmoil. But her reputation proceeded her. Did she trust them? She wasn't sure. Could she afford to? That was an even more difficult question.

But did she want to be stuck here? Certainly not. She crouched, forming a wordless hiss as her mouth pulled back around her fangs. Her eyes wild. She hesitated before stepping forward towards the cat and hanging back among the semi-familiar forms.

As all of the cats gathered, Cinderfur couldn't recognize anyone. None of the faces were familiar until Ryefur appeared into view. A wave of relieve washed over the she-cat as she finally saw a face she knew, but it wasn't exactly calming. She was still in a place she had never seen before other than in the darkness of her nightmares on occasion. But as they gathered around the disgusting murky pool, her eyes followed the light down into it before it vanished in the depths. For a moment, the warrior was confused as to why it would bring everyone here and just leave them, but then the images began to flash before their eyes. She stared intensely at each and every image, unable to look away from the horrific events that was shown to her. She couldn't believe that anything like this could happen either, but everything she saw here was similar to everything she had seen in her dreams. The murders, the mangled bodies, it was heart breaking and terrified the older she-cat. She never wanted to see anything like that happen, but everything in the images looked so real and life-like. She didn't want to believe it could happen, but these just proved that it could, and somewhere, it would.

Being forced out of her thoughts at the sound of another familiar voice, Cinderfur yanked herself around to see a she-cat no one could forget. Elea was standing there waiting for them to make a decision as to whether they want to follow her or not. After everything the Riverclan warrior had heard about her and everything that she had put Riverclan through, Cinderfur couldn't really trust Elea either, but at the same time, she really wanted to get out of this place. Each minute longer she stood here, the more dread and fear weighed down upon her. "How can we trust you?" she asked, looking at the ginger she-cat with a quizzical look covering up the worry she was feeling.

He hadn't a bit of clue what was going on the moment the light had sunk down into the murky waters, and he hadn't the chance to figure it out. There were so many shapes that the shadows took form of. In them, in his heart, he saw his parents - Scorchclaw and Cormorantpelt, running around playfully and happily amongst what looked like ShadowClan. For a heartbeat, he saw a sharp look of anguish in her eyes. He saw death, their camp torn to pieces, bodies littering the ground.
He thought he heard someone crying. He saw himself, tiny against the deputy's belly, along with his siblings. Growing up, training, sharing a sweet night under the stars with Bearmask.
A feeling of warmth washed over him, yet it was gone in a flashed, masked over by more horrific images that he couldn't recognize in the least; three strange cats he couldn't recognize.

They left a feeling of terror deep in the pit of his belly. StarClan, what was this?

He was slightly startled out of his trance when he felt the soft brush of a tail against his shoulder. Tigerclaw became aware then of all the other shapes in the clearing, that he wasn't alone. Some faces he thought he recognized, but it was hard to tell in this darkness. He thought he recognized Sunstreak. What was she doing here?

He caught the sharp look of a few warriors as Elea brushed up against him, as if they assumed by her being near him, that he had something to do with this. Tigerclaw took a step back, a look of confusion on his face. Like hell he did! While the others seemed far too wary, the tom himself just was focused on getting out of here, still shaken by the images. "How do we get out here?" HE asked Elea.

Also, Breezetail was there too and he wanted to know stuff, but also other things that Ebs will have to edit in later atm because school.

Elea hardly batted an eye at the hisses and insults, all laced with distrust. "You wound me," she said, her tone bordering on sarcastic. "I have as much a place here as you do. You all know that my goal has always been to help you." She turned, facing away from them, amber eyes blazing like fire in the darkness. "These are dark times, but even when it's darkest, there are always little embers of hope, no?" The she-cat began padding back the way they came. "You won't find your way out on your own. If you want to wake up back in your own nests, then you have to follow me. The pathways shift here. Lose your way and you lose your way forever."

She cast a glance over her shoulder, pausing beside a lightning-blasted chestnut with gnarled, writhing roots. "So come, won't you?"

Featherpaw didn't trust the cat in front of her. But she didn't like the place she wad in even more. Nor did she want to end up back with the monster. She took a careful step forward towards the she-cat, and said. "I will follow, but only to get out of here." The young apprentice shifted her eyes towards the ground hoping no one would snap at her for her choice.

Lightningpaw dipped his head and stood by the white she-cat. "Are you absolutely positive that you'll take us out?" he asked suspiciously.

Nightfire stood for a moment, staring after Elea. Was she actually going to lead them out? Or was it a trap? "I think its a trap. Knowing you Elea" he growled.

OOC: just wrote huge post, short is fine ;-;

Deernose stood silently, watching the other's responses. Being the oldest cat here, he could decipher why they said the things they did. When everyone else was quiet for a moment, he spoke up. "I will only follow if you promise to do only exactly what you said. We follow you, we go home. No sidetracks. Everyone goes back to their nests safely." The Windclan tom made sure to word his sentences with care.

Eaglethorn narrowed his eyes and scratched a claw across the ground, glaring at those who had pledged some form of trust towards Elea. "How can any of you even think of trusting this filthy rogue? She's more likely to lead us into darkness than anything here." He didn't trust that flea-ridden rogue as far as he could throw her.

Morningpaw glanced around as the voices of most of the other cats filled her ears; all telling Elea to leave; that they didn't want her other than for one...A lone tom; the one she had appeared by was quick to accept his help, and truthfully, so did Morningpaw. She felt like the she-cat might have had a point; this place was unnatural and they shouldn't have been here. Her gaze shifted up, looking at the tree-tops that spanned above them, her heart sinking as she stared at it; wishing to see the stars she knew would be behind them. Did StarClan even watch over this star-forsaken place? She wanted to open her mouth; to trust Elea...She didn't want to be here anymore; this place couldn't have met to be a place for their paws to walk, but when she heard Nightfire's voice speak up; calling it a trap, her mouth closed as her ears flickered back. She didn't want to go against Nightfire; maybe he knew best anyways but when she saw Elea started to leave, she couldn't help bit. She suddenly dove forward; paws pattering on the ground as she raced toward a spot next to Tigerclaw; to get closer to Elea. She didn't want to die here; she had to trust this she-cat as she had a strange belief that maybe, just maybe there was a truth in her words.

--

There was a silence from Ryefur as he stared at Elea as she spoke. Never...Wake up? His blood ran cold as his fur prickled; his eyes narrowing. Voices of cats rejecting her offer filled her ears as he weighted his own thoughts upon this matter. There was two simple choice; believe her words and follow her or stay here. Either one was risky if the words that filled his head rang true. They could stay here and have a chance of never waking up if Elea was correct; or as a WindClan warrior not far from him had said; she could lead them farther in.... They were choices he didn't want to make as the risk that went with them but what choice did he have? It was go with the group and reject her, or go with her if he trusted her words... His ears flickered when he saw her turn and start to walk away, sighing softly when she stopped to look at them, giving them once last chance. He wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth close. He wanted to see what the she-cat would do. Maybe if she did try to leave him; he would follow but he wasn't sure if he trusted her at all.

Tigerclaw wasn't sure what to make of the mysterious she-cat, whom was apparently named Elea? He hadn't heard much of the she-cat other that she'd come and spoken them once before, bringing Ebonyleaf and Thrushstar a curious omen. She'd asked for them to come forward as a clan to war and had disappeared near completely after they turned her down. Other than that, they assumed as a whole that she simply went back to SkyClan, which didn't bother them in the least. As long as she didn't bring trouble to the clan. But here he was now, amongst cats of every clan, in a strange places - having just seen the strangest things. This wasn't StarClan, he knew that for certain. Maybe to make sense of this, he had to go with weird? Whatever took him back to Bearmask, he'd go with.
"Forget this place." The tom muttered, getting on his feet and stalking to Elea's side, he shot a glance back at this others. "The sooner we leave, the better." The young tom glanced down at Morningpaw beside him, glad he wasn't alone, even if she was from a different clan. It cleared the eerie feeling a bit.

Meanwhile, Breezetail sat nearby, watching the others with near disbelieving gazes. How could they all be so arrogant and stubborn? He had no idea what had just happened, only seeing his family in the flames. His mother, his late brother, his mate and their wonderful kits. Life seemed good in the strange mist, before things turned haywire. He saw their camp flooded with dark shapes and shrill, dying screams. Many other images that left sick pits in his stomach. The last three cats were what left him uncertain the most.
He knew it would do no good to question Elea. If she was here, then she was here for a reason and answers would be given when it was time. That's just how she worked, and things always worked out in the end.
"Elea's always lead us out of danger." The SkyClan tom meowed simply, quickly getting up and padding alongside her, with Tigerclaw and Morningpaw. "Stay here if you'd like then." Stubborn WindClan cat. He'd probably do the forest a favor getting lost.

Fishpelt was hearing a lot of different opinions on Elea's proclamations, and she had no idea which one sounded the best. Some cats were going to follow her, and some seemed unsure. Deciding that there was only one person she could trust at a moment like this, Fishpelt strode up to Ryefur and leaned close to his ear. "What do you make of all this?" she whispered. "I don't know what to do. I don't trust her, but I don't think we can get out of here on our own.."

Sunstreak was not up to trusting any cat who wasn't a clanmate, but she wanted out of this place. Whatever it was. She had remained speechless for so long, but as cats went back and forth, debating whether or not they should follow the only feline guide to step forward, Sunstreak found herself more irritated than anything.

"I don't see any other cat offering a way out of this." She hissed,tense, her eyes darting accusingly to some of the naysayers against Elea. "Any of you willing to step forward and explain a way out of this? Or why in Starclan we're all here in the first place?!" Her tail jerked angrily, as she scanned those few cats who argued about holding back. The one cat she recognized completely was Tigerclaw, of her own clan. She would stand by him, and therefore padded forward to set her ranks with Elea.

"Any of you foxhearts come up with an idea to escape this place, then by all means..."