cause from then, rubble (c)

The sun was beginning to set. Though it had yet to sink quite behind the trees of the forest, most of its light was faded to a pale orange, casting rays on the snowmelt-damp ground that made it seem as if the earth had been set ablaze. A chilly breeze rustled the bare branches, bringing the cold of the night with it as the empty sky was left with no clouds to trap what little warmth the daytime had brought. Perchstar felt the cool air seep into her pelt as she traveled, trying not to shiver despite how used to the temperatures she had become. Hopefully newleaf was just around the corner. Newleaf, bringing with it more prey, more sunlight, more hours of the day. More gentle thoughts. More hope. That was what RiverClan needed... that was what she needed.

She wasn't sure what it was about walking through the territory like this that made her feel so sentimental. Perhaps it was her habit of going on solo walks  whenever she had downtime and using it to be alone with her thoughts. Perhaps she associated the quiet sounds of nature and the crunch of half-frosty grass beneath pawpads with allowing herself to sink into the tangled mire of her mind. That must have been why her thoughts were drawn back to quieter memories of past evenings... of walks, just like this one, just after she'd become leader. Of the few late newleaf moons that everything had seemed to be brighter. Before the sun had set. Before Cloverheart had died. Before... Ashflight....

However, she wasn't alone this time. This was not one of her contemplative strolls, either. So she needed to get these thoughts out of her head.

To distract herself, Perchstar glanced at her companion. The cat closest to her than any other. Her deputy, her confidante... her friend. Poppyshine. The small calico walked by her side, only a step or so behind, the eyes for which she had been named open wide to look at the small hints of newleaf in the forest. The heavy lines around Perchstar's brow softened. Why was she wasting time wallowing in useless memories? There was the here, and the now. She still had those who cared about her.

Besides, this walk had a purpose. They were not just meandering around the RiverClan territory. Actually, they were partway through ThunderClan's territory--on the path they had to take to reach the Moonstone, on the other end of the forest. It was not a trek Perchstar took often. As a matter of fact, she had not been back to Highstones since Dovesight's ceremony. Dovesight. Yet another cat I have failed. Again, these thoughts. She shoved them away. "Poppyshine... do you believe our warrior ancestors will choose to speak with me?" she murmured, partially out of some kittish desire for reassurance, and partially to fill the silence that made her so predisposed to self-loathing. "They were nearly silent during the past few moons. We hardly received any warning, and Sandyshell has been slow to recover, and all of our medicine cats seem to have misfortune befall them at every turn." She sighed. Where was she getting with this? Normally her language was more purposeful than this. There was something about the combination of the burnished orange glow of the sun, the quiet wind that stirred her whiskers, and the company of her most trusted friend that led her tongue to wander so much. "I wish for clarification. But now that we're halfway there, I suppose I have begun to second-guess myself. What if StarClan simply does not wish to speak to me?" The words were foolish. She knew that. And yet, there was an underlying truth. Was she even fit to lead?

Just as the last few rays of the sun slowly began to disappear behind the tops of the trees, its warmth was replaced by Poppyshine's balmy voice, more soothing than the gentlest breeze in greenleaf. She just had a way to make everything she said sound reassuring. Comforting. Loving. Even a cat as chronically anxious as Perchstar couldn't fail to be more relaxed after hearing her say anything. The soft, familiar feeling of the deputy's fur brushing against the leader's was welcomed. It reminded her briefly of the first time that the then-apprentice had been so physically affectionate. It still wasn't something she was used to, all things considered, but she had grown to appreciate the gesture of friendship and trust.

The words that Poppyshine spoke were, of course, meant to put Perchstar at ease. They did help somewhat. It was true that StarClan was supposed to speak with leaders and medicine cats, and that the stars had never shown her any enmity in the past.

"Besides—I’m certain that Cloverheart will shove through any cat she needs to in order to speak with you."

The familiar name brought its associated face flashing into Perchstar's mind. It hadn't truly been so long ago that the medicine cat had been the one accompanying her to Highstones. "Cloverheart..." Yes, the idea was appealing. Perhaps there was no reason to be scared of the stars. After all, she knew so many of them. Cloverheart, Hollyshine, Mapleleaf, Beetlepaw.... Surely any slights were just imagined on her part. There must not be any animosity. She would have known, right? It was just like her to invent some dislike from StarClan with no reasoning. "Thank you. You are right, as always." The words were simple, but said with the matter-of-fact affection that only really came out around her dearest friend.

They were coming up on the Thunderpath now. Since it wasn't a territory they bordered, it was not an obstacle they normally had to worry about. However, each apprentice normally crossed it at least once in order to take their Moonstone journey. Perchstar had done so herself, long ago, and had made more return journeys than most. Still, the sight of the unfamiliar black substance coating the ground made her feel as uneasy as ever. The strange scents of Twolegs filled the air. She was reminded uncomfortably of the traps across RiverClan's territory, and the enormous gathering of dogs and Twolegs in Fourtrees just a moon ago. It was almost difficult to suppress a shudder. She couldn't help but glance toward Poppyshine. She'd almost forgotten.... The deputy had never had her own Moonstone journey as an apprentice. Though she had gone with Dovesight and Sandyshell once or twice, if memory served. That meant she must have made the crossing before. Still, the lingering concern that never quite left her alone was only strengthened by the remembrance. "Poppy, will you be okay to cross?" Her torn ear flicked, betraying her apprehension.

Of course, Perchstar was simply being anxious over nothing again. Poppyshine’s bright smile assuaged her fears. Of course, she’s right. She’s done this twice before. Just because I was never there to see her doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And of course, it happened just as well as it could have. The calico darted quickly across the strange black surface of the Thunderpath, resulting in no incident. No monsters even passed by. It was... actually strangely quiet. Perhaps the Twolegs really had been driven further away from the forest by the events at Fourtrees.

Either way, now it was her turn. This was the last real obstacle that stood between her and Highstones. After this, all that was left was to cross WindClan territory, traverse the dark tunnel paths, and then hope against hope that Poppyshine was right and that Cloverheart or Hollyshine or some other friend who lived in the stars would come to advise her. She herself had made this journey three times before. And yet, the strange smell coming off of the Thunderpath made her feel sicker than normal. Perhaps it was because of how many of her Clanmates had returned with a similar scent clinging to their pelts. For some reason, she felt a visceral urge to turn around and run the opposite direction. But, no--that was irrational. She came here for a reason. And besides, she couldn't abandon Poppyshine without a word. That was part of the reason she had brought her deputy... she needed to hold herself to this. She needed to understand what the stars wanted for RiverClan. What the stars wanted for her.

So, after looking left and right, and then left and right again, and then once more for good measure... Perchstar finally began to dart across the Thunderpath.

However, monsters were far faster than cats, and this monster was moving at a faster pace than either of them had seen before. In fact, it wasn't even visible until it came shrieking down at the very moment Perchstar began her unreversable trajectory. One second was all it took for the enormous beast to traverse the distance from invisibility to the place where the leader was leaping across.

A loud screech--a dull thud--and a sudden, quiet ringing in the ears of any cat nearby. Perchstar did not even realize what had happened until it was already over. The monster had struck her body with full, inconceivable force, stopping her momentum in its tracks, fifty-mile-an-hour force entering her small frame through the sudden crash of metal against her bones, creating a shock wave that killed her instantly. Mid-run, the leader's gray and white body fell limply to the ground, making nothing but a quiet thump as it hit the hard black pavement beneath. A few seconds ago, she had been alive. Now she lay dead.

A Twoleg entered out of the car, speaking in an unintelligible, but frantic tone. There was no chance for rescue. In a few moments, Perchstar's corpse was being carried in the Twoleg's enormous paws, carried swiftly back to the monster itself. Any thought of a fight was over before it could have begun. There was no chance to regain the life that had been lost in time for retaliation. The last that could be seen of the RiverClan leader was her unmoving tail hanging from the Twoleg's grasp.

The monster roared to life once more, growling with an unmatched ferocity. Its glowing eyes shed an eerie light on the Thunderpath. And then, as quickly as it had arrived, it was suddenly gone--and Perchstar with it.