Hello?
Ah, I see you have wandered from StarClan into my realm, young one.
No, it isn't your appearance that tells me who you are, I am blind after all. But I can see better then those that have eyes to see. I can smell the starlight on your fur; the tang of warmth tells me you've just lost your life in your Clan, and the coolness tells me that you were welcomed into StarClan.
It is good that you did not travel any further from the hunting grounds of your clanmates. If you had, you might have wandered into the Dark Forest.
Hmm? You say you have never heard of the Dark Forest? Ah, but of course, I forget how few know of such a place.
Me? I am Rock, Keeper of the world beneath the one your former clanmates walk. The Watcher for more moons then you can dream of. And the seer of all the moons to come.
Ha, yes, it is quite a title, but I sense fear. You need not fear me, young one, I pose no threat to you for you are not my enemy. I will walk you to the border of StarClan, there you may cross back to your afterlife.
You are welcome, and I trust that you will not wander so far in the future.
What's this? You wish to know about the Dark Forest? Curious, are we?
It is unknown how such a place came to be, just as the truth of where StarClan truly comes from is merely stories and myths. We know of the first cats to come to Silverpelt, but it is a mystery still where the stars first came from.
I know the legend of the Fallen Star, the one that created the Dark Forest.
You wish to know it? Very well, it will pass the time, will it not?
Long ago, when the four Clans were fresh in the forest and StarClan had been created, there were troubled times. The same trouble that comes every so often to the world of the living, for nothing there lasts forever.
A young cat, such as yourself, died in battle protecting his Clan.
What Clan? Does it matter? Ah, I know why you wish to know, but for our story, it does not actually matter. I will continue, if you wish.
This young cat by the name of Lightwing, for he was cheerful and had a pure white coat with eyes that sparkled, joined the ranks of StarClan for his bravery. The years passed below, but to Lightwing they seemed to speed by.
Finally the day he waited for came, and his mate, a beautiful She-cat named Whisperwind joined StarClan after she had lived a full life. He was overjoyed to see her again, but his joy soon turned to bitterness when she told him that since his death she had a taken a new mate.
Lightwing grew jealous of her new mate dispute Whisperwind telling him that she had loved him, as well. For in StarClan, you are slightly different then you are in the living world. But Lightwing didn't want to listen, and he began to despise her.
His jealous only blossomed when her new mate arrived in StarClan as well. They seemed happy together, and Lightwing could bear it no longer.
Hurt, he ran from the forests of StarClan until the gentle mists and bright starlight had faded completely.
Angry? Why yes, I believe he was. But you see, anger is a secondary emotion. He was hurt, first and for most, and his hurt transformed into angry and jealously. Those, in turn, became hate and bitterness, and by then he had closed off any feelings of love from his heart all together.
He ran so far that he reached the 'edge of the sky'. There he tumbled over it's side and fell to earth, his shimmering light of StarClan burning off on the way down.
He was a Fallen Star.
He crashed into a place of darkness, where nothing else was. No plants, no light, no other cats…and there he took the name Fallen Star, for he no longer wished to be Lightwing, the beautiful and prefect cat that had died bravely only to be shamed later on.
Fallen Star remained in this dark place stewing in his dark feelings. Fear, hate, anger, betrayal, hurt, grief, sorrow and most of all, the wish for revenge. He no longer loved his former mate, Whisperwind, and he certainly didn't love her new mate. And those feelings turned his pelt black, and his eyes cold. They snuffed out the lightness of his step and made darkness swirl about him.
Fallen Star walked the darkness and let his emotions take physical shape. His sorrow made a murky river, his anger made jagged rocks, his bitterness made mushrooms and fungus that glowed eerily, his betrayal formed a solid ground and his grief gave way to trees and other forest growth. Lastly, his fear built up and poured out, taking the form of mist, dark and heavy, that swirled every which way.
His creation was complete, but there was nothing there to make a sky with.
Fallen Star is said to have lived in this Dark Forest until he faded, the same way StarClan cats fade, and turned into nothing more then vapor.
His creation, The Place of No Stars, is the opposite of StarClan. It does not give light to the living or give rest to the dead, it doesn't sparkle in the night sky.
It remains hidden and dark, whispering from the shadows to those who might listen, to those who share Fallen Star's dark desires. Cats who fall victim to it's lies end up going there, where they stay until they fade.
Ah, here we are, the border of StarClan's hunting grounds. I hope you enjoyed that little story.
Why, it may or may not be real, what do you think? Of course I know if it is or isn't, but I doubt you will find another who would remember it. Those that could have faded long ago, and this legend will remain a legend for a little while longer.
If you believe it or not, I trust it will keep you mindful of where you put your paws. You don't want to end up like Fallen Star.
Yes, of course you are welcome, now return to those you should be with.
Goodbye, goodbye.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this! I always though it would be cool if the Warrior Cats had legends and folklore, instead of just the small stories about past books or the very few mentions of LionClan, TigerClan and LeopardClan. That's what inspired this story, and it was done in Rock's pattern like Cats of the Clans.
This is, of course, a f ictional story that is just an idea of how the Dark Forest might have been created. It is NOT cannon in anyway and isn't actually part of the series.
I also own nothing, Warriors the series is written by Erin Hunter and is owned by HarperCollins Publishers.