A Starry Dream

Link to Falling Asleep Post: Here!

"The world went dark around her, and she slipped into unconsciousness. Her breathing never stopped, instead, it merely got shallower as time went on. One passing by would think she was merely sleeping, if it weren’t for the red seeping into her white belly fur as she lay still among the roots of the tree."

~~~

Mosspaw was laying on lush, soft grass. It was comfortably cool, and as she started to move she reveled momentarily in how nice it felt under her. Blinking open her eyes, she looked around to realize that she was somewhere that looked familiar, but she had no idea how. The apprentice stood up slowly, finding herself in a clearing surrounded by trees that stood out against the soft light that shone down on her. She looked around, confused and dazed. The last thing she remembered was.. That creature! Her fur bristled as she looked around terrified, relaxing only after she had scanned the clearing and realize she was alone. That strange thing was no where to be seen... As the fur along her spine started to lay flat, she continued to try to remember. Squeezing her eyes shut, she saw outlined against her eyelids the large paw raising, claws glinting sharp. Jumping in front of Flintfang to take the hit... The she-cat started shaking as she started to draw conclusions, and a whimper escaped her throat.

No... I can't be... Surely I'm not... This wasn't how things were supposed to go. She was going to help find a way back to the forest... See Pricklebush, Emberheart, Beartooth, and so many others again. Stars, what would her mother think? And her father.... A thin wail rose from her, echoing in the clearing. Flintfang would despise her. She went against what he said and stayed to help, and now look... Swallowing hard against the pit that had formed in her throat, she tried to call out to someone, anyone, who might be around.

Her voice came in the form of a squeak at first, before she coughed and tried again. "H-hello? Is... Is anyone there?.. Can someone h-help me?..." Her voice shook with the effort of trying not to cry, and the fear of this oddly familiar setting. Her voice floated through the clearing, seeming to whisper to itself as it passed through the empty space. Surely there was someone her who could help her... Who would hear her... Wasn't there?

A starry mist seemed to almost breathe its own lively breath as it enwreathed the shadow of a cat that finally answered the call of the young apprentice. Although the background wore a similar veil of shimmer, the memory of a mortal soul brought something particularly drawing to the movement at the far end of the clearing. Coupled with the natural born beauty of the medicine cat, it was a stunning sight. In her frightened state, Mosspaw likely cared little for the enchanting nature of the moment, and the Starclan herself thought little of it as she closed the distance between the two of them. She was more concerned with the state of the younger cat. In life, Sageleaf had been known for the combination of a fiery determination buried underneath her somewhat closed off exterior that had been built up upon her appointment to the medicine cat role.

So many things had happened in the grey and white coated she-cat's life, and quite a so far for this young apprentice. And there would only be more to come. Sageleaf regarded her through soft, forest green eyes. There would be a bright and welcome future ahead of her. After a brief moment of silence after her appearance, Sageleaf tipped her head to Mosspaw and meowed, "Don't worry, you're not among us yet. This is merely a visit, young one, and then we will send you back down to your kin. There is so much more for you to do among the clans, Starclan couldn't call you yet." She smiled a warm smile. Greeting apprentices on their highstones journeys and guiding the future medicine cats had given her a purpose. When her own paws had walked the forest, she had constantly been dissatisfied and lost. But, now, Sageleaf had found herself in the afterlife. Mosspaw had the potential to bring more to that position as well.

"It's not your traditional moonstone journey but Starclan has chosen this as the moment for me to walk in your dreams. So much change is coming for you, Mosspaw. In your fearless battle against the raccoon, you showed your fighting spirit. That is something you cannot lose." Sageleaf paused, brow furrowing for only a second as she contemplated something before adding, "There are times when you should not hesitate in standing up for yourself or to use your claws for self-defense. Don't be afraid to do what you need to do." As her tone grew more serious, a memory of Slatestrike came to her. Outstretched claws, face twisted in insane rage. It was a picture that was best forgotten with the life she had left behind. The worries she had now were for the potential the she-cat in front of her had for the future, one that Sageleaf hoped she would find more enthusiasm in.

The calico apprentice's breath caught at the sight of the cat that formed in front of her. Eyes wide in a mixture of amazement and a touch of fear, she breathed out slowly in awe. As the she-cat spoke, though, the reality of the situation came flooding back and she blinked at her statement. Her shoulders relaxed, and she looked to the ground in relief. "So I'm not... dead... That's a relief...Why are you visiting me though? Who are you?" She looked back up, meeting the soft green eyes with her own blue-green gaze and returned the smile nervously. Her question was quickly answered, as the new cat spoke of the Moonstone journey. Her eyes widened, that was a trip she had thought was still far off, especially considering recent events. Mosspaw sat down as the she-cat continued, wrapping her tail around her paws tightly, as she was prone to do, and listened intently.

As the cat finished, Mosspaw's eyes flashed with uneasiness. She looked down to her paws and shuffled. "I... I don't want to fight though... That was.. I had to... Fath-, I mean, Flintfang, would have been hurt more.. I didn't want.... No, I couldn't let him be hurt more because of me..." She trailed off, thinking back to the final moments she remembered before waking up in this strange place. She looked back up, meeting the StarClan cats eyes with hers again, worry flooding them. "He is okay, isn't he? Flintfang is alright? What was that thing?..." As she waited for a response, her gaze never left that of the cat before her.

"Oh, right." Sageleaf's whiskers twitched slightly at the reminder that she had forgotten to introduce herself to the apprentice. Such formalities were far less important than the wisdom that needed to be bestowed upon this young cat. Her ear flicked as she considered the events below, the life that Mosspaw soon had to return to, "My name is Sageleaf and I was a medicine cat born to Windclan, who lived among Thunderclan before my passing. I always dreamed of the warrior life that your paws are set on, but the stars had other plans for me in my short time in the forest." Some long-hidden pit of resentment threatened to creep up but was just as swiftly shoved back. That was a path that could not be lived. Sageleaf had found her peace and place among the stars and there was no going back not. This was where she belonged, even if it was not the direction she had hoped her paws would take her.

Scanning over Mosspaw with her prodding, green gaze once more, the grey and white patched she-cat broke the nearly reverberating silence with an utterance of derisiveness, "Some circumstances require action. There may be times that we do not want to face the path that we are on, in many ways, but often times life leads us where we should go, and not where we want to go." Without a doubt, there would be challenging times ahead for the Thunderclan apprentice. If her paws did indeed set her down a similar path to the one that the Windclan-born she-cat had, Mosspaw would be more adept at it. But there would be times in which a bolder spirit, one that blossomed within Sageleaf and had left her with a burning desire for warriorhood, would be necessary for survival. That was the time to not be afraid. Sageleaf breathed in the cool air, out of emotion rather than necessity, "You cannot stop pain, but sometimes you can fight it, Mosspaw. I hope that our paths will cross again." With a final breath, the she-cat faded into the rest of the background, leaving Mosspaw alone for a moment before the world of Starclan was lost to her.

Mosspaw sat silently, listening intently as the she-cat introduced herself as Sageleaf. What a pretty name... She thought, nodding slightly while the she-cat shared her history. Her tail tip flicked ever so slightly as the StarClan cat mentioned the path her paws were set on and she broke eye contact for a heartbeat.

As Sageleaf continued, Mosspaw's pelt prickled at the words she spoke. They seemed to hold a weight and wisdom far beyond her understanding, and as much as she wanted to never unsheathe her claws again, she knew deep down that this knowledge would be crucial some day. Committing it to memory, she continued to listen as the she-cat before her spoke the last of what she had to say. A hundred questions ran through the apprentice's mind, but before she could even open her mouth to ask any of them, Sageleaf faded from sight with a final breath. In just a heartbeat, there was no sign of the cat Mosspaw had been talking to, and in that moment she felt.... Calm. A quiet, peaceful acceptance fell over the calico apprentice and she whispered to the empty space around her. "Thank you. I will keep your wisdom close at hand." As she closed her eyes, she began to feel... Pain. A harsh, burning pain that enveloped her entire being and made her want to yowl to the sky, but it hurt too much to even attempt doing something like that. Stars, where was this pain even coming from?

OOC: To be continued in Mosspaw's awakening in the linked topic