Hello, hello! Yes, I'm doing another one. Yes, yes, I don't care.
A huge thank-you to Zixes for the prologue ideas, which I've chosen to implement here! Check them out!
No, no, no... The gray she-cat let out a soft whimper as pain engulfed her. Barely aware of the yowls of her patrol, she tried to find the strength to move. The sorrow of her Clanmates pierced her, intensifying the flood of sharp pain that she felt throughout her entire body. As she attempted to speak, to console them, blood erupted from her gaping jaws.
The black tar of the Thunderpath heated her pelt as she opened her once dazzling green eyes, now cloudy as she inched closer to death. Her gaze flickered from her flattened squirrel to the monster that was roaring off into the distance, odd black feet splashed with her and her prey's blood.
The sounds reaching her flattened ears were fading. She could only hang limp and watch as her Clanmates picked up her and the crowfood.
Please! Don't endanger yourselves here in this StarClan-forsaken place! Don't make the mistake I did! No reassurance came from them.
Her head lolled as she was dragged off of the Thunderpath and into ThunderClan's territory in silence.
The young warrior was carried through the trees atop the shoulders of the cats in her patrol. They passed through the mossy clearing, wails of anguish echoing those she heard on the Thunderpath. Mentors and apprentices ceased their training and leapt after her twitching body as it flopped around on the bright, leaf-strewn ground.
The tunnel sloping into camp came into view. More cats- warriors, apprentices, queens and elders alike surrounded her as the patrol broke through the mossy entrance and into the clearing. Her internal screeches echoed through her mind as she imagined the pain that her Clanmates must be feeling, not even half equal to her own. They must have thought she was dead, but she was alive, and they were making it even worse.
The pale gray warrior tried to move again, but the pain was destroying her. When would the suffering end?
Her breathing had become shallow. The warrior fought for breath, but each lungful of oxygen tore at her chest. She willed her Clanmates to notice that she was still alive, that she desperately needed help, that there was still hope to save her. She tried one last time to move, but as she was being dragged across the rocky clearing, nobody noticed her tail twitch. Even that tiny motion sent more and more waves of agony through her body. At least it wasn't broken, right? She'd thought that her last moments would be comfortable ones, not like this.
She sent one final prayer to StarClan, hoping that she would like. Would she never have a mate, or kits? Make more friends or grow old?
No words came out. Her intense pain was threatening to overwhelm her. She begged StarClan to let her speak, to give her Clan a few final words of reassurance. Her mind was clouding with the sandy brown rocks of the forest floor.
All of a sudden, a bright light appeared in her vision, and all of it stopped. Hearing, sight, smell, feeling, and the taste of blood all instantly vanished.
At that moment, everything came rushing back. Her spirit was rising above her Clan.
"Where am I going?! What in the name of StarClan is happening?!" she yowled, moving her paws in an attempt to run back down to her Clan. "Let me go back! I have to tell them!"
It turned out she wasn't alone. Another cat was floating with her, white pelt and delicate frame shining while accompanied by the starlight shining in their fur.
"You have suffered an unfair, horrible death. But do not be afraid, young warrior; it shall not be in vain. We will rise to StarClan and I will help you."
The ThunderClan warrior nodded, her own green eyes blinking and sparkling in grief. She continued to rise with the stranger until they reached the clouds. The whiteness turned to lush greenery and the mouthwatering scent of fresh, plump prey filled her senses. She found her paws and rested them on the cool grass, astonished. This is what StarClan is like? The white she-cat turned to face her.
"I believe you deserve a second chance. You were a loyal warrior, and were destined for great things. However, you could never go back to your original body." The she-cat looked into the other's eyes sadly.
"However, you may return in another's body, either from in the past or the future. Which will you choose? Make this choice wisely."
"Future," the warrior mewed almost instantly.
The other cat scoffed. "Oh, they all say that," she growled, tail-tip flicking from side to side. "Should you be sent into the future, you will lose all memories of your past life. You want to remember your Clanmates, do you not? Your Clanmates would certainly not remember you either, as they'd expect you to be dead."
The warrior held back a gulp of air. "Past, then," she decided, ducking her head to lap at the fur on her chest.
"Alright, then. You will be transferred into the body of a cat of your same age and gender. All recollections of your previous life will remain, and StarClan is to choose which cat would be the best for you to impersonate."
The ThunderClan warrior nodded weakly, flattening her ears in response. "Thank you. I understand. I am sorry for my fear of death. I will do the best for whatever Clan my spirit is sent to."
"You would do your best for anyone?" the ancient cat meowed in surprise.
"Yes," murmured the she-cat. "Please, send me back."
The pure white-furred cat echoed her nod. "Very well, dear Quailwing. Then I choose you to go back to the territories as a WindClan cat. And you will be Wind, the first leader. You will rewrite history!"