Ravenpaw's Starclan Dream

Beechface curled in her nest, eyes closed as she feigned sleep. Outside, the moon shone, and her ears strained for any hints of movement at the entrance to the medicine den.

She'd told Ravenpaw she'd be coming down with a headache earlier, and would be spending the night in the medicine den. Her younger sister wasn't a cat she would ever want in the crossfire if the rogues discovered what she was up to, but the apprentices still had to meet with Starclan somehow. They couldn't go to the moonstone, but they could still dream.

Movement at the den's entrance, and Beechface lifted her head, as if she'd been woken from sleep. With a faked yawn, she stood, pretending to check Ravenpaw over and listening to her "complaints" before showing her to the nest towards the back of the den. Before the apprentice could lay down, Beechface gently curled her tail around her, pressing her shoulder against Ravenpaw's for a moment with a sigh. The rogue's takeover had hit the clan hard, but it had been made far more personal for her and her siblings.

"I'm sorry things have to be done this way... Now go, lay down. I'll be here when you wake." She mewed softly, gently nudging her sister in the direction of the nest once more.

As the moon shone overhead, Ravenpaw took steady steps towards the medicine cat's den. She didn't want to arouse any suspicion from their unwanted bedmates, but as far as anyone would guess, she just wasn't feeling well. So she entered the medicine cat's den, being looked over by Beechface for her phantom pains. It felt weird to be next to her sister after everything that happened. Something like what they had experienced should've brought them all closer, but she felt strangely detached. It was as if she had been so focused on SkyClan in general that she hadn't understood the specific cats within it, particularly her family. She could feel a lump rising in her throat.

"It's fine," she whispered back, still trying to seem like nothing was bothering her. At least in the dark it would be harder to tell that she was struggling at all. "Thank you, Beechface." She laid down on the nest in the back, taking one more darkened look around before closing her eyes. Soon enough, she fell asleep. Or at least, she thought she did. When she opened her eyes, however, she was no longer in the medicine cat den. Instead, she was in the forest, standing on a branch high above the ground. She looked down, but couldn't see any of the Asylum cats wandering around. There was no way they had left her alone, right? That confusion meant she didn't see a different cat show up.

The stunning landscape shone as bright as ever. Treetops untouched by seasonal changes nor the memory of scorching fire stretched into the sky. The territory below stretched further than the eye could see, and far past the horizon. For a moment, it appeared that Ravenpaw was alone in her otherworldly dreams. Up on the branch was a lonely and rather boring way to spend a visit to the sacred realm of Starclan. But the dark tabby who stalked just above underneath a leafy cover didn't intend to leave her like that for long.

Her momentary befuddlement gave the perfect opportunity for Eagleheart to strike. There came a low growl as a warning but it was cut short by his paws pressing easily into her back and throwing her into the branch below. Other cats might have performed a similar action in some levels of jest but the former Skyclan warrior had been devoted to strength and success. Not quite a test but perhaps more of a lesson. He made sure to thoroughly squash her frame into the wood before stepping away and letting her up. Eagleheart regarded her through a slitted gaze.

The tom's build was reminiscent of that of Bloodstrike. Bound muscles knotted intricately underneath a warm brown coat. His underbelly was white, a stark contract. Judgmental and burning eyes carried about an air of self-importance and lack of regard for others. His pelt was marred by scars in several places but nothing particularly impressive; it was likely his opponents in life had been the receiver of blunt blows. After a momentary pause, the warrior spoke in a gruff voice, "You're Ravenpaw, huh? I'd be interested to see you fight. One of these days you'll have to take out one of those Asylum dirt-brains and show me how its done. Or manage to get your claws on some cat from another clan."

Somehow even in death, his disdain for other clans happened to be greater than the manner in which he regarded the rogues who had overtaken his clan and kin below.

Ravenpaw had expected to venture into StarClan's domain and have a talk with one of her ancestors. What she had not expected was to be attacked by an unknown cat. She let out a surprised cry as she felt a heavy weight being pressed against her body. She was thrown off of the branch she had been standing on, landing with an 'oof!' on the branch below before being pinned again. It had knocked the wind out of her, and it took her a moment to stand up when she was allowed back up. Immediately she whirled around, claws out and hackles raised as she regarded her opponent. Apparently she had not learned her lesson.

"Who are you?" she hissed, keeping her guard up. She hadn't heard of StarClan cats attacking anyone, but apparently they weren't as gentle as she had been led to believe. Though she didn't know who he was, his looks were reminiscent of her father. Was he an ancestor of hers? If so, why in the world was he attacking her?! "Don't think just because you're one of my ancestors that I won't whoop your tail!"

"Calm down," Eagleheart snorted as he shook out his coat, "It's nothing more than a spar, kit. You've sparred with your mentor, right?" There was a quizzical glint to his gaze. The warrior certainly had no intent to take out an apprentice during their moonstone but there was no harm in a bit of fun. His claws flexed into the bark as he sized up her frame. Ravenpaw was certainly battle-ready, even if her skills could use some fine tuning and practice; not every young cat was able to possess the natural talent that he did. Flicking his tail back and forth the tabby found himself missing the heat of battle. Cats below were lucky that they were able to feel the blood pumping through their veins and pulsating underneath their claws. After all of this, the she-cat would return back to the camp occupied by rogue scum. He would eagerly await the inevitable battle and the undeniable success of his clan. The thought peeled back his maw into a dark smile. Finally, he turned his eyes back to her, gleaming with interest, "So you're here for wisdom. Well, how's this? Never abandon your clan. Do whatever it take to fight off the clans who threaten your kin. There might be whispers that our clan is weak or less than other clans. Show them with your claws and never back down. Surely you can handle that."

"Of course I have!" Just a spar, huh? Well, was it her fault she reacted the way she did? He attacked her! She was the victim here. A very capable, wonderful victim. As for the wisdom he bestowed upon her, she would of course do that. She would never abandon her clan. Not ever! Without the rules and boundaries set in place many moons ago, they were no better than common rogues. "Of course I can handle that! I'm going to be the best warrior SkyClan has ever seen. Those rat-faced invaders don't stand a chance!" She dug her claws deep into the bark, just to show that she meant it.

"Good." A pleased smile touched his maw. Seeing an ambitious and determined member of his clan was encouraging. There had always been down-hearted cats and traitors from time to time. Even now a snake writhed within Skyclan, one that had helped mange-pelted creatures to overrun the territory. But if there were still true-hearted cats like Ravenpaw, he knew that there was still hope. The dark tabby's tail twitched unconsciously and betrayed the excitement that had seeded itself in his heart, "Now, go show me." The starry landscape faded around them, and Ravenpaw was left to return to the waking world.

Ravenpaw woke with a start, jumping up in the nest before realizing where she was. Slowly she sunk back down, searching around in the dark for Beechface. It was just a dream, but at the same time it was real She had seen an actual StarClan cat right in front of her! She felt like she had passed some sort of test, though she wasn't sure quite what it was. "Beechface?" she whispered out, just to make sure she hadn't fallen asleep or something.

Beechface had curled in her own nest, though she'd remained awake, alert and tense at the thought of any of the rogues being suspicious of them. But none had entered the den, and Ravenpaw had slipped into the same easy sleep that she'd seen the other medicine cats and Wolfstar do at the moonstone.

Her sister stirred awake, and Beechface twitched an ear at the sound of her voice, lifting her head to look over at the dark apprentice.

"I'm here." She mewed softly, "You okay?"