so i've had this idea in my head for a really long time, and tried once before to post it on FF, but didn't have the inspiration to keep writing. though now i'm going to try again and hopefully keep it going. c:
enjoy~!
Prologue
"Are you ready?"
The sudden voice in the still silence of the night caused the apprentice to jump slightly, but he forced his fur to lie flat as he got to his paws and swallowed nervously. The jagged peaks surrounding Mothermouth sent shadows stretching out over the two cats, sending uneasy shivers through his pelt. But if he was going to become a warrior, he couldn't let a few shadows and an old dark cave frighten him. He turned to his mentor, bright yellow eyes glowing faintly in the dark as he nodded firmly, pushing his silly fears to the back of his mind.
"Follow me then, it'll be dark so keep right on my tail." The older tom turned, and with a flick of his tail, vanished into the shadows of the tunnel.
Not wanting to be left behind, he hurried after his mentor, nearly tripping over his own paws when the darkness suddenly engulfed him. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he blindly followed his mentor's familiar scent, nerves causing his tail to twitch and his breaths to come in short gasps.
The rock beneath his paws was smooth, and he felt his whiskers brush up against the walls on either side of him. The thought of getting trapped and suffocating in the dark passed through his mind, sending shivers up his spine. Though before he could linger on those thoughts, a light breeze brushed against his whiskers, and he tasted the air, picking up the fresh scent of grass and rabbits. There must be an opening somewhere ahead.
That thought eased his jangled nerves, and he took a deep breath to steady himself.
"This is it, the cave of the Moonstone." His mentor meowed ahead of him, and the two of them stepped into a larger area, scarcely lit from starlight that shone down from a small hole in the roof of the cave. He blinked, trying to adjust his eyes the dim light, his pelt quivering with excitement and nervousness. So much for trying to stay calm.
As he stood there in the dark, and the time crawled past, he began to wonder if something was wrong, but his worry was cut short by a bright light that suddenly flooded through the hole in the roof, illuminating a large crystal in the center of the cave.
"That's the Moonstone?" His voice was breathy as he gazed in awe at the moonlit stone, watching the glimmering surface that seemed to capture all of Silverpelt.
His mentor nodded, whiskers twitching in amusement. "Now, touch your nose to the stone and share tongues with StarClan."
With a wordless nod, he padded the few tail-lengths to the stone and settled on his belly, feeling the cold seeping into his thick fur from the floor. He hesitated for a moment before he closed his eyes and stretched out his neck, touching the bright stone with his nose.
.
When he opened his eyes again, he expected to see the starry forms of his ancestors surrounding him, or at least prey-filled fields and gurgling rivers.
What he found, was a small, still pond surrounded on all sides by trees and bushes, closing him and the pond off from the rest of the world.
Even as he stood there, the trees were still and silent. Not a single breeze ruffled the many leaves on their branches. And strain as he might, he couldn't hear prey scuttling among the shrubs and roots. Even the pool was unmoving, it's surface glassy and unchanging.
"Hello?" He called out, his fur starting to prickle uncomfortably. Where am I? Where are the ancestors?
"...darkness..."
The grave whisper tickled ears and he turned towards the pool, eyes widening in something akin to fear. "Is someone there?"
"...outsider…"
He placed one paw towards the pool, hesitated, then padded cautiously towards the pool's edge in confusion. The voice seemed to be coming from the water, but that was just crazy...right?
He noticed something was different when he gazed down into the still watery depths. Though by the time it took him to realize the water was black, it was too late.
With a sharp tug, he was pulled into the black water. He tried to struggle, but was unable to move as he was swallowed in darkness. It was different from walking into the Mothermouth. There it was cold and dark, but he could feel the rock under his paws and sense his mentor close in front of him.
Now he had no control over his body as he sunk deeper and deeper into the black water. The light had faded, leaving nothing but complete darkness. He felt suffocated, but at the same time he didn't need to breathe. The water around him became thicker, and warmer, until it felt like he was drowning in blood.
The solemn voice he had heard echoing from the pool was joined by dozens more, and even though he couldn't see any cats in the thick black water, he could feel sleek pelts brush against his own.
A darkness blacker than coal will fall over the clans, beware the outsider with blood on their paws.
The voices continued to echo around him, though the bodies of the unseen cats started to gently push him upwards. The blood-like black water started to disperse, becoming cool, clean, and blue.
No longer surrounded by darkness, he could see the dozens of ancient, starry cats that swam gracefully around him. Their pelts glistened in the calm water, and their all-knowing eyes were filled with stars as they gazed steadily at him.
It was a beautiful sight, one that replaced the gut wrenching fear he had felt only moments earlier with soothing reassurance. As soon as his head broke the surface of the pond, he found himself with a jolt back in the cave of the Moonstone.
"Welcome back."
He twisted around at the meow, nearly crying out in relief when he saw the familiar face of his mentor.
"Troutwhisker! I was in this weird place, and then there was this pool-"
He stopped his frantic explanation when the older tom flicked a tail across his muzzle. "There's no need to speak about it."
"But-"
Troutwhisker shook his head, gazing down at him sternly. "Only medicine cats share what StarClan tells them, keep what you've learned to yourself."
His shoulders slumped in defeat, not knowing what to do with the information he was given. How could he keep what sounded like a terrible prophecy from everyone?
Why didn't StarClan share this with Minnowfin? Or any other medicine cat? Why me?
He followed his mentor out of the cave, his head low and his mind muddled. The way out felt longer than the way in, and the blackness that he had grown accustomed to before now only felt unsettling. The dark seemed to press in on him, and the memory of the black water had him quicken his pace until he was barreling through the tunnel, nearly running over his mentor in his haste to get out.
He burst out of the cave with a sharp gasp, ignoring the look Troutwhisker sent him as he stood outside Mothermouth. With every breath he allowed his shaking legs to still and his fur to lay flat.
And as he calmed himself, the strange, eerie prophecy circled in his mind as he turned his gaze upwards into the stars. His eyes narrowed and he unsheathed his claws, letting them scrape against the rocks and steeling his nerves.
No matter what darkness befalls the clans, I'll protect RiverClan with my life. No outsider will ever get past me, not without feeling the wrath my claws.
and there's the prologue! chapter one will be posted soon, if not immediately, haha.
well anyway, i'd love to hear what you think, so feel free to leave a review!
thanks for reading~! ^-^
