Post by Kaeldra on Aug 1, 2022 21:15:13 GMT
Day 16 of the River Moon, 2021 (April 26, 2021). Midnight.
Cecil || he/him || 27 moons
The cool breeze ruffling his ear fur should have been Cecil’s first clue he was dreaming.
He blinked open his eyes to find himself in a lush forest, surrounded by grass up to his shoulders and trees as tall as the sky. The first time he had woken up here, he had been utterly confused. He sometimes slept out in his housefolk’s garden, yes, but he would have remembered falling asleep somewhere like this. That had been four moons ago. Now, the peaceful clearing was familiar to him, the fresh green scent in the air bringing both a sense of comfort as well as anxiety.
The starry cats were here to talk to him again.
“Hello,” he called out quietly, waiting for someone to approach. He didn’t know any of their names, and sometimes he couldn’t even see the cats as they spoke to him, could just barely make out their voices as they whispered bits of wisdom in his ears. He hoped it would be the pretty tabby that visited him most; she had such a wealth of knowledge of all the plants in this forest and he always found himself with more questions to ask her. Even though she had been urging him to leave his home, leave Piper and their housefolk behind in the name of destiny, he still wanted to see her.
Instead he was met with silence. Cecil sat up, looking around in confusion. Usually there was some sort of movement in the trees around him, but tonight it was utterly still. It was eerie, and the tom’s pelt prickled uneasily. Choosing a direction at random, he began padding forward in search of another cat.
The grass soon gave way to soft pine needles and the leafy boughs above his head were replaced by evergreens swaying in the gentle breeze. He came to a stop in a small clearing, the light of the full moon above filtering through the branches and illuminating small patches on the ground. He felt he should wait, and so he did.
“Hello, Cecil.” An unfamiliar voice greeted him, clearer than any of the others that had spoken to him here before. He glanced around, looking for the source, but could see nothing.
Then a long, lean shape melted from the shadows, a cat dark as night itself padding toward him.
“Hello,” he said, wondering who this cat could be. He supposed he should probably be concerned that she knew his name, but it seemed all the cats here did. It wasn’t as if his name was a secret, anyhow.
“My name is Shadowstar, founder of ShadowClan,” she introduced herself, dipping her head as she came to a stop a couple tail-lengths away. “I have a message for you.”
I think I already know what it is, Cecil thought wryly to himself, remembering all of the dreams before this.
“Yes, my Clanmates have been rather insistent,” she continued, as if he had spoken aloud. His eyes widened slightly. “But this message is different. This is a prophecy. The time has come for the Clans to walk these forests once more, and it is your destiny to help bring them back.”
His destiny. He wanted to believe her, he really did, but he didn’t see how he, of all cats, could help her.
“But I don’t know how a Clan works,” he protested half-heartedly. The only things he knew, he had learned in his dreams in the last few moons. Surely there were other cats more suited to this than him?
She shook her head, whiskers twitching with a smile.
“The details will come with time. For now, all you need to do is listen to my words and let your heart guide you.”
Before he could respond, the breeze grew stronger, rustling the branches above them and drowning out anything he might have said. Shadowstar opened her mouth to speak again, and as she spoke her voice was joined by an unseen chorus of cats around them, hundreds of voices that blended together until Cecil could feel the words deep in his bones.
“Find the stone that gleams and shines, the one that sits beneath the mines. Stars that die and stars that fall, they gather here and sing their call. Find the cats who number four and from the ashes Clans arise once more.”
The branches overhead continued to sway, the moonlight spilling between them in pools that danced on the forest floor. Cecil was left with more questions than answers and was ready to ask the black queen what on earth her prophecy meant, but the patches of shadow surrounding them began expanding outward, filling the clearing until Cecil could see no more.
“What does that mean? What am I supposed to do?” He called into the void, but received no response.
Gradually the sounds of the wind in the trees faded away until all was quiet once more. He became aware of a warm shape beside him, and as he breathed in he caught Piper’s familiar scent. Cecil sighed in relief. He was home.
Opening his eyes, he lifted his head and stretched. He ran through the words again. He had been worried that he might forget them, but now they felt branded in his mind forever. Piper stirred beside him, poking him in the side with her foot before rolling over and shaking the sleep from her fur.
“You’ve got that moony look in your eyes again,” she teased. “Did you have another dream about your destiny?” Her voice lilted playfully on the last word, making fun of such fanciful ideas as destiny.
“I did, actually,” Cecil replied, ignoring the disbelief in her tone. “A cat named Shadowstar visited me and gave me a prophecy.”
He recited the prophecy for her, trying to mimic the way it had sounded with the voices of so many cats, but knowing he fell short. Piper snorted.
“They want you to find some rock? Real magical, that is. Are there even any mines around here?”
Cecil thought for a moment, coming up blank. He shook his head.
“None that I can think of. But it’s probably not that close. It sounded like she wanted me to set out on a journey to look for it, and for those four cats, whoever they are.”
Silence stretched between them for a pawful of heartbeats. Then Piper spoke again, her voice more subdued.
“You’re going to go this time, aren’t you?” It wasn’t really a question. They both knew the answer.
“Yeah. I think I have to,” Cecil replied in the same hushed tone. He was a dreamer at heart, and could only resist the call of destiny for so long.
Piper sat up decisively.
“Well, I’m coming with you.” She said it easily, lifting a paw to groom her ears. Cecil turned to look at her then, face stern with worry.
“Pip, you know you can’t… it’s too dangerous. And think of our housefolk, they’d be devastated to lose us both. You have to stay here, where it’s safe for you.”
“What, and let you go off alone? You’ll need someone to watch your back, and who better to do it than me?” She puffed her chest proudly.
Cecil frowned, but said nothing.
“I’m coming with you, and that’s that.” Piper continued. She settled back into the soft cat bed they shared, leaning into his side. “Just try and stop me.”
The cool breeze ruffling his ear fur should have been Cecil’s first clue he was dreaming.
He blinked open his eyes to find himself in a lush forest, surrounded by grass up to his shoulders and trees as tall as the sky. The first time he had woken up here, he had been utterly confused. He sometimes slept out in his housefolk’s garden, yes, but he would have remembered falling asleep somewhere like this. That had been four moons ago. Now, the peaceful clearing was familiar to him, the fresh green scent in the air bringing both a sense of comfort as well as anxiety.
The starry cats were here to talk to him again.
“Hello,” he called out quietly, waiting for someone to approach. He didn’t know any of their names, and sometimes he couldn’t even see the cats as they spoke to him, could just barely make out their voices as they whispered bits of wisdom in his ears. He hoped it would be the pretty tabby that visited him most; she had such a wealth of knowledge of all the plants in this forest and he always found himself with more questions to ask her. Even though she had been urging him to leave his home, leave Piper and their housefolk behind in the name of destiny, he still wanted to see her.
Instead he was met with silence. Cecil sat up, looking around in confusion. Usually there was some sort of movement in the trees around him, but tonight it was utterly still. It was eerie, and the tom’s pelt prickled uneasily. Choosing a direction at random, he began padding forward in search of another cat.
The grass soon gave way to soft pine needles and the leafy boughs above his head were replaced by evergreens swaying in the gentle breeze. He came to a stop in a small clearing, the light of the full moon above filtering through the branches and illuminating small patches on the ground. He felt he should wait, and so he did.
“Hello, Cecil.” An unfamiliar voice greeted him, clearer than any of the others that had spoken to him here before. He glanced around, looking for the source, but could see nothing.
Then a long, lean shape melted from the shadows, a cat dark as night itself padding toward him.
“Hello,” he said, wondering who this cat could be. He supposed he should probably be concerned that she knew his name, but it seemed all the cats here did. It wasn’t as if his name was a secret, anyhow.
“My name is Shadowstar, founder of ShadowClan,” she introduced herself, dipping her head as she came to a stop a couple tail-lengths away. “I have a message for you.”
I think I already know what it is, Cecil thought wryly to himself, remembering all of the dreams before this.
“Yes, my Clanmates have been rather insistent,” she continued, as if he had spoken aloud. His eyes widened slightly. “But this message is different. This is a prophecy. The time has come for the Clans to walk these forests once more, and it is your destiny to help bring them back.”
His destiny. He wanted to believe her, he really did, but he didn’t see how he, of all cats, could help her.
“But I don’t know how a Clan works,” he protested half-heartedly. The only things he knew, he had learned in his dreams in the last few moons. Surely there were other cats more suited to this than him?
She shook her head, whiskers twitching with a smile.
“The details will come with time. For now, all you need to do is listen to my words and let your heart guide you.”
Before he could respond, the breeze grew stronger, rustling the branches above them and drowning out anything he might have said. Shadowstar opened her mouth to speak again, and as she spoke her voice was joined by an unseen chorus of cats around them, hundreds of voices that blended together until Cecil could feel the words deep in his bones.
“Find the stone that gleams and shines, the one that sits beneath the mines. Stars that die and stars that fall, they gather here and sing their call. Find the cats who number four and from the ashes Clans arise once more.”
The branches overhead continued to sway, the moonlight spilling between them in pools that danced on the forest floor. Cecil was left with more questions than answers and was ready to ask the black queen what on earth her prophecy meant, but the patches of shadow surrounding them began expanding outward, filling the clearing until Cecil could see no more.
“What does that mean? What am I supposed to do?” He called into the void, but received no response.
Gradually the sounds of the wind in the trees faded away until all was quiet once more. He became aware of a warm shape beside him, and as he breathed in he caught Piper’s familiar scent. Cecil sighed in relief. He was home.
Opening his eyes, he lifted his head and stretched. He ran through the words again. He had been worried that he might forget them, but now they felt branded in his mind forever. Piper stirred beside him, poking him in the side with her foot before rolling over and shaking the sleep from her fur.
“You’ve got that moony look in your eyes again,” she teased. “Did you have another dream about your destiny?” Her voice lilted playfully on the last word, making fun of such fanciful ideas as destiny.
“I did, actually,” Cecil replied, ignoring the disbelief in her tone. “A cat named Shadowstar visited me and gave me a prophecy.”
He recited the prophecy for her, trying to mimic the way it had sounded with the voices of so many cats, but knowing he fell short. Piper snorted.
“They want you to find some rock? Real magical, that is. Are there even any mines around here?”
Cecil thought for a moment, coming up blank. He shook his head.
“None that I can think of. But it’s probably not that close. It sounded like she wanted me to set out on a journey to look for it, and for those four cats, whoever they are.”
Silence stretched between them for a pawful of heartbeats. Then Piper spoke again, her voice more subdued.
“You’re going to go this time, aren’t you?” It wasn’t really a question. They both knew the answer.
“Yeah. I think I have to,” Cecil replied in the same hushed tone. He was a dreamer at heart, and could only resist the call of destiny for so long.
Piper sat up decisively.
“Well, I’m coming with you.” She said it easily, lifting a paw to groom her ears. Cecil turned to look at her then, face stern with worry.
“Pip, you know you can’t… it’s too dangerous. And think of our housefolk, they’d be devastated to lose us both. You have to stay here, where it’s safe for you.”
“What, and let you go off alone? You’ll need someone to watch your back, and who better to do it than me?” She puffed her chest proudly.
Cecil frowned, but said nothing.
“I’m coming with you, and that’s that.” Piper continued. She settled back into the soft cat bed they shared, leaning into his side. “Just try and stop me.”
ulla