The Path To New Havens [Closed Solo]

She...she did it. Leaving it all behind was perhaps the most cowardice act she's done, yet, it felt so right. Skyclan was no longer her home. She felt nothing for it nor it's current inhabitants. Nobody was back there for her. All those that had pieces of her heart had vanished from her life, had taken their piece and ran with no way for her to recover them. After trying to speak up to her clanmates about how she fared, she had truly thought for a second that it was all going to improve, that she would be able to remain and turn a new leaf. Those thoughts had proved bogus.

As she took her final steps through Skyclan's territory - target set on the foreboding fence that split her former life with what potentially could be a new start - a wave of nostalgia and melancholy hit her like it had actually manifested in her waking world. She nearly reeled back in shock but regrouped her thoughts and filed back her wayward feelings and trudged on, chin held high with. She was the maker of her own fate. If life wasn't going to wait for her, she was going full speed ahead, intending to leave it in the dust.

Hesitance returned as she stood face to face with the fence. This was her her final test, the last obstacle to regain control of her life and start fresh. This was standing between her and the freedom she craved. Without looking back, she stepped through. Her lithe body finally playing a useful role. Releasing the breath she never realized she was holding, she took her first steps beyond the familiar and into the unknown. She was free. Free from everything expected from her. Free from the pain in loss and free from her old self. Perhaps she can finally begin to rest soundly again.

Rainypa-no. That was no longer her name. It couldn't be. Not anymore. She had left her clan behind, the clans behind. She needed to leave their customs behind too. Her name...shall be Raya. It was similar yet different enough for it to be worth of her new self. Yeah. It had a nice ring to it. Raya the loner? No. Raya the rogue? Even worse. She was in no way a kittypet. How about...Raya the wanderer? Perfect. She was in no way going to stop traveling. She was determined to go even beyond the twoleg places, eager to see new sites and experience anew. For the first time ever, she had a goal in mind.  

Raya breathed in the cool air, breeze tickling her whiskers. This felt good. Her paws slowly gained momentum again, eyes set on her future ahead but before she could even get far, her head slowly twisted back to look behind her without her consent. Through the fence she could still see her old home. A bit of sadness tinted her chipper tune and she fully turned to face it. There was one last thing she needed to do. "StarClan, forgive me for leaving it all behind. I don't know if you can hear me out here but I need you to keep them safe. I no longer feel safe there so this must be done. I need to find somewhere I can call home. Somewhere I can feel safe. As a parting request, I want Nighthaze to know that I love him and miss him with all my being. I want my father and my other siblings to know that I miss them, wherever they may be. I want my mother to know that perhaps we can meet again one day. Please let her know that I'm safe and still alive. I don't want her to suffer anymore. I'll keep them all with me in my memories. Goodbye Skyclan. Even though I'm leaving you behind, I will always think of you. You were my first home." With that final prayer to her ancestors, Raya turned back around and walked into her next life.