Graypaw's Starclan Dream

Beechface eyed the sliver of the moon visible through the entrance to her den, yellow-green eyes seemingly tired as she stretched out just inside said entrance. To the filth outside the den, it looked like she was simply resting... She hoped.

She'd instructed Graypaw to act as if she was having stomach pains, to come to the medicine den as if she was in need of healing. They couldn't go to the moonstone itself, so a few hours spent in the medicine den would hopefully be enough. Beechface wasn't even sure Starclan would visit an apprentice like this, but it was worth a try.

When the apprentice in question stumbled into the den, Beechface need her to a nest towards the back of the den, away from the entrance where the rogues could see in. Her show of asking what was wrong and rummaging through her herbs was a farce, but a convincing one, she prayed.

"You need rest, Graypaw... You might as well spend a few hours here and sleep. I'm sure it's quieter than the apprentice den." She said quietly, tail flicking to indicate the nest she would be staying in. Hopefully, hopefully this would work.

Graypaw had been looking forward to her Highstones trip ever since she first became an apprentice, but all of that had been thrown off course once the Asylum had made their takeover. They had strictly forbidden cats from traveling to the Moonstone. While she was curious about the strange lifestyle of the Asylum cats, she also enjoyed the lifestyle that Clan cats had. Every Clan had order, and Graypaw had spent her time as an apprentice learning about that order, but it had all gone to waste.

When Beechface had approached her earlier and proposed a plan to meet with StarClan, Graypaw had been eager to assist. This method of visiting the ancestors of the forest hadn’t been tried on apprentices before, so she was almost honored to be the first SkyClan cat to try it out. If the Asylum cats found out, then it could result in both her and Beechface receiving a harsh punishment, but Graypaw had enough confidence to believe that everything would go smoothly. When it was finally showtime, the apprentice put on a sickly expression as she made her way out of the apprentices’ den and headed straight towards the medicine den. She made sure to keep a slower pace, one that seemed as if she was genuinely in pain, while her ears were pressed against the top of her head.

She gave Beechface a small nod of greeting as she entered the den and settling down in the nest that the medicine cat instructed her to lay in.
“Thank you.” She mewed, sincerely, before closing her eyes.
It was time for her to head off into dreamland.

At first, it was dark. That wasn’t anything concerning, though. Darkness was something that everyone experienced when they were asleep. A few long heartbeats passed. Graypaw began to wonder if this wouldn’t work, but she continued to hope for the best even as more time passed.

Eventually, when the gray and white apprentice least expected it, she woke up. Instead of being surrounded by the walls of the medicine den, she found herself in a wide stretch of unfamiliar land. No matter how strange this place was, Graypaw couldn’t help but admit that it was beautiful. The foliage was endless and the scents in the air were sweet. This had to be StarClan’s hunting grounds.
“Hello?” She called out, looking back and forth.
There were no StarClan cats in sight at the moment, but she figured that one would show up sooner or later. All she could do now was wait.

The rolling moors of StarClan were beautiful, Goldengale would give them that. The desperation in her final moments alive had been replaced by joy as she reunited with her parents, her brothers and sister. That joy than melted to grief at her loss of life, and fear for her mate and kit, and grandkits. There was little she could do other than watch silently from above as the Asylum cats made their move, striking as the early rays of dawn started to peek over the horizon. It was foul, fox-hearted and disgusting. The previously WindClan warrior was appalled by how things had gone in WindClan particularly, and though she grieved for what happened to Dappleshine and for the pain Raventail must be going through, she was (selfishly, perhaps) relieved that Grousefrost and Crowspirit, along with Spotlake and her grandkits, were alright.

Tonight, though, she had been informed that an apprentice would be seeing her. Imagining it was Flashpaw, or perhaps even Fogpaw, she readily agreed, eager to see them again, to provide some explanation, to apologize. She had been given a name, Graypaw, and her confusion had started, she didn't recall a Graypaw in WindClan. These thoughts were confirmed as she appeared, stars glistening in her gold tabby fur, and she hesitated as she looked down at the young she-cat. SkyClan? What was a SkyClan apprentice doing before her? Had she gotten this wrong? A quick glance around the otherwise empty space confirmed she was in the right place, and she sighed quietly to herself before forcing a smile. "Greetings, Graypaw. You... Are Graypaw, right?" She asked, silently cursing the older StarClan cats that had approached her about this. "I'm Goldengale, of WindClan. Well, StarClan now I suppose. Things are pretty confusing right now, aren't they?" She mewed, sitting down before the SkyClan apprentice.

The StarClan cat before her was unfamiliar. Perhaps it was a SkyClan cat from an older generation and that was why Graypaw had no idea who she was. However, she was a bit taken aback to hear that this she-cat was from WindClan. She had always assumed that apprentices were visited by former members of their own Clan, but apparently this was not always the case. She held no grudge against the Clan itself but her slight confusion began to grow as she looked Goldengale up and down. She had been told before that StarClan cats were beautiful, adorned neat pelts dappled with stars stolen straight from the night sky. Goldengale met Graypaw’s expectations.

“Yes, I’m Graypaw.” the apprentice confirmed, tilting her head to the side, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting to see a non-SkyClan cat.”
She paused, taking a breath. The amount of things she wanted to ask and talk about was endless, but her time here would be limited. StarClan cats had knowledge of things that living cats didn’t. Surely they knew of the chaos that was unfolding within the forest.
“That’s alright, though. You’re right, things are strange, and considering the fact that you know, StarClan must be aware of what’s happening with the Asylum. Why haven’t you all done anything to stop it? Our lives are in danger.”

A sigh escaped her maw as she thought about how she would have to return to the Asylum’s way of life the moment that she woke up from this dream. It was discouraging, but as long as her family and Primroselight would be kept safe, she would bare through it.

The apprentice before her seemed as surprised to see her and she was them. A flash of frustration warmed her fur, and she considered the conversation she would have with rabbit-brain who assigned her to Graypaw. The apprentice confirmed who she was, and Goldengale relaxed slightly, the relief at having the right apprentice - regardless of what clan she belonged to - being enough to relieve the worst of her worries. As she continued talking though, she posed the question that Goldengale had feared, one she didn't have an answer to. She had only recently joined StarClan's ranks, and still wasn't sure of how things were done... But she would do her best to answer.

"I wish I could give you a straight answer, but I honestly can't. Not because I'm trying to hide something from you, I honestly don't know myself. I only just joined StarClan's ranks, the night that the clans were taken by surprise I had been out on a patrol by myself. I had some... Things I needed to think about, so I had gone alone to try to sort through things myself. However, as the sun set, I scented the Nightstriker that I recognized from moons ago, when WindClan was terrorized by cats that wore pelts. We thought they were all dead, killed by our claws or crushed. Unfortunately, it seems that wasn't the case, and that there were far more of them. I was killed that very night, and had to watch helplessly as my clan was taken over, threatened, and another life was lost. So you see, I'm still learning about things up here." She explained, her tail flicking back and forth over the ground.

"From what I've been able to learn and get her though, and from what I knew already, there are some skyies that StarClan can't walk. Just as a journey would carry you far, we too have to journey to see what's going on, and sometimes the results are foggy even for us. Additionally, there's only so much we can do without living your lives for you, and fighting your battles for you. Sometimes there are things that must be done, that must happen. I'm... Not entirely sure what the case here may be, but perhaps this leaf-bare will be a bitterly cold one, and prey will be scarce. Having these Asylum cats with their extra numbers and knowledge of other herbs, healing techniques, and hunting techniques will be needed to help all of the clans to survive the winter. Perhaps they are here to prepare the clans for a larger for that may come moons down the road. I wish I knew so I could tell you directly. Please know though that we are watching over you all, and walking with you. This trial is not yours alone, and you must rely on your Clanmates to help guide you and keep you centered and focused on what matters." Goldengale tilted her head, hoping that she was saying the right things.

Graypaw's face fell almost instantly. SkyClan had been fortunate enough to not lose any lives on the day that the Asylum had roughly stormed the camp, but she had been obviously oblivious to the state of any of the other Clans. While she had no obligation to care about how WindClan was faring under the paws of the intruders, it saddened her to know that the Asylum was actually cruel enough to end the lives of innocent cats just for the sake of spilling blood. They truly were cats of their word... and that was terrifying to think about. It was true that having more cats would make the size of hunting patrols bigger so more prey could be given to her Clan, it also meant that there were more mouths to feed and there was less space in the camp. No matter how optimistic she tried to be about the situation, there would always be more cons than there were pros. This was certainly going to be a long leafbare, but there was always the possibly that this would never end. Moons from now, would the Clans still be trapped under the paws of the Asylum?

It was difficult to grasp the fact that there was nothing StarClan could do but watch over them. She didn't expect them to fall from the sky and fight the Asylum themselves, but she was still disappointed with Goldengale's answer. Hopelessness was a feeling that she had never felt before, but she certainly could feel it now. It was cold, it was heavy, and it clawed at her heart like a pair of sharp talons on an eagle. All she could do was keep living and look for hope in the smallest places.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry about what happened. I had no idea that the Asylum actually killed anyone." The tip of her tail began to twitch as she bowed her head.
They're monsters... every last one of them. None of those Asylum cats deserve life or mercy. Graypaw thought, a scowl landing on her face.

She decided to let her guard down for one night and one night only. It would do her some good to get what she was feeling off of her chest.
"I didn't mean to sound snappy, really. I'm just worried for my family. I don't wanna lose them... and considering what they did to you, they'll kill whoever they want. I can't stand the idea of not being safe in my own camp. I know what really matters: the safety of my Clan, but how am I supposed to ensure their safety if I can't even walk from the apprentices' den to the fresh-kill pile without being stared down by a Nightstriker?"

"Of course, there was no way for any of the clans to know. Communication between them has been severed to a degree I've never seen before, even when the Righteous Few terrorized us. Even though we are separate clans, we find strength in our individuality together... If that makes any sense. Even though we are different, and have different skills, it is those same differences that keep us close together, all five of us. The territories we own shape us, and in turn we leave our mark on our clan and the others. It is that exact strength that has kept the clans thriving so long - and it is being diminished by the lack of communication they now have thanks to Gatherings being forbidden by those fox-hearts." Goldengale's lip wrinkled in distaste as she said it.

"Iunderstand, Graypaw, and I felt the same in my final moments, fighting for my life in a battle I could not hope to win. I don't think all of them are bad, persay... There are many that are, and you should keep them closer than you do your friends. I believe the... better ones do mean it when they say they're not going to do anything unless provoked, but the best thing to do is to train, and watch and listen. For every moment that they can watch you, you can watch them in return. It's amazing what can happen when a cat lets their guard down, even for a moment - the things you learn could prove to be invaluable when the dawn rises." The starry tabby mewed before realizing that her paws were starting to fade.

"It appears as though we're out of time, Graypaw. I'm sorry I couldn't help more, but please remember what I was able to share. Hold it close to your heart, and try to keep your hope strong. It will prove to be a guiding light in these trying times." The new StarClan warrior purred before standing and stepping forward, placing her muzzle on Graypaw's head. In an instant, the golden warrior had dissipated in a flurry of stars, off to her next adventure in StarClan's hunting grounds, leaving the apprentice to wake up.

It would be dishonest if Graypaw said that she was completely satisfied with the conversation. While StarClan still had more knowledge than the cats that were still alive, they were still normal cats. They still made mistakes and there were still some questions that they didn't have the answer to. StarClan was still just as lost as the living Clan cats were even though the Asylum hadn't directly ascended to Silverpelt to take over their hunting grounds. It was a reality that Graypaw was going to have to face. However, there was a good takeaway from her meeting with Goldengale that she would be able to carry with her when she woke up. Keeping the Asylum cats closer than her own friends and learning as much as she could could prove itself to be useful in the long run. If she boiled it down to the basics, minimizing the cultural differences and such, Asylum cats were just like Clan cats. There were some Clan cats were malicious and unapproachable, and there were some that were kind-hearted. It had to be the same way with the Asylum cats, but she would have to find out by talking to them.

It all ended almost quicker than it began. The peaceful scenery and Goldengale began to fade away into darkness as her body began to wake up from its slumber. She didn't even have the time to give the StarClan cat a proper thank you before the familiar sight of the SkyClan medicine den and Beechface came back into view. She let out a quiet sight as she rose to her paws and gave the medicine cat a brief nod to let her know that the plan had worked.
"I feel a lot better. Thank you, Beechface. I'll be heading out, now."