Near Moonhigh, 18th Day of Leafbare
Moon Phase: Full Moon
A large, jet black tom stood atop a granite stone. The tomcat's white paws and chest were streaked with blood; whether it was his own, or his enemies, he could not be sure. Beneath the stone cresting the shallow bowl-like dip in the ground, a mass of bloodied corpses lay, mangled, some struggling to breath their last breaths, others spraying blood, already dead. The stench of death and the sensation of blood soaking his paws brought a shiver to the tom's spine, and his large amber eyes glimmered with triumphant pride. The ebony tom cried out.
"I, Dark Night, have defeated my fellow loners! Who will follow me, so that we may rise to glory?!" he shouted down to the gory mess. At first, there was no answer. Within a few moments, however, a shape moved. A small tom, dark brown in color, adorned with a few simple black stripes, looked up. The strange rogue's little yellow eyes, once filled with fighting fire, now gleamed with excitement, ambition. He moved forward, towards Dark Night and the blood- and moonlight-bathed stone where the ebony loner stood. In the pale, cold moonlight, Dark Night could see him clearly; a dark brown tabby, coat stiff with patches of dried blood. His shoulder was sliced open, and his ears were shredded. The wounds were deep, but would heal in time.
"I, Black Stripe, will follow you. I trust you will lead us to glorious battles, tales we will tell to our kits." He meowed slowly, bleeding ears pricked. Not long after Black Stripe had made his decision, a black and ginger torbie slunk out of the shadows, sightless silver eyes wide as she turned her head, as if seeing the unseeable. She sat down beside Black Stripe, staring up past Dark Night, to the full moon above.
"I see the spirits of the deceased, I hear their voices. I, Soul Gazer, will follow you by their command, so that I may heal your followers and speak to those who have passed." She said, her whisper-like voice nearly drifting away on the cool breeze that had settled on the mass-murder. Dark Night had to strain his ears to hear her, and despite the low volume of her voice, he knew her words were powerful. He nodded to his new followers, preparing to join them among the bloodbath. As he tightened his muscles to leap down, a wisp of breeze blew low over his powerful shoulders. He looked back, and saw a dark grey she-cat, whose green eyes searching his gaze for weakness. Her darkened pelt was spattered with blood, and she was particularly plump. She had come up from behind, taking Dark Night by surprise. She owed her silence to her large, snowshoe-like paws, padded with thick fur. After examining him, she smiled.
"I will follow you, Dark Night. My name is Cold Breeze, and I will bear kits soon. My children will be your strongest fighters and swiftest hunters." She promised, circling him. Together they joined the scene of carnage, and began dragging the bodies from their newfound camp.
Midmorning, 23rd Day of Leafbare
Moon Phase: Near-Half-Moon
After cleaning up the camp and assembling a few dens, Dark Night entered the large, mossy log that served as the camp entrance. He stopped to admire Cold Breeze, who was resting in the warm morning sunshine. Her kits were due any day, Soul Gazer had said the night before. Dark Night smiled at her, and strode across camp to the fern tunnel leading into a small cave, nestled between two rocks. Soul Gazer sat within. As of late, the torbie she-cat had spent much of her time memorizing herbs and their uses or dreaming. Today, she was weaving moss-wads into nests, sorting herbs, and, most importantly, calling Dark Night into her den.
As the jet black tom entered, Soul Gazer turned her head in his direction skeptically.
"Dark Night; I was beginning to think you had ignored my summons." She said coolly, earning a chuckle from the larger tom.
"I wouldn't dream of it, Soul Gazer." He assured her. "However, I must wonder why you have called me. Does it have something to do with our group?" Dark Night twitched his tail impatiently.
"Aye, it does." Soul Gazer responded, her paws working quickly at weaving dove down into a mossy nest. "The spirits have given me some information, regarding our relationship with them. They call themselves StarClan, and are a group of warriors who died long ago. They told me of a place that you can get to by crossing the river; if you are to go here, they will speak to you." She explained, looking up from her project. Her sightless eyes clicked out of focus for a moment, and her ears twitched. "You and I must go at the half-moon."
Dark Night listened to her words, brow furrowing. "How curious; the half-moon is tomorrow night." He said, earning a snort from the healer.
"Of course it is." She said, dismissing him with a wave of her tail. Feeling uncertain and uneasy, he returned to his camp to help Black Stripe weave bracken fronds into a thick covering for the nursery.
Moonhigh, 24th Day of Leafbare
Moon Phase: Half-Moon
Soul Gazer led the way through the new territory, towards the riverbed she had seen in her dream. Dark Night growled slightly as they passed the new scent border. His blind guide twitched her tail.
"You needn't worry. We are on business with StarClan, and will not be bothered." She assured him. Dark Night shivered slightly, feeling a cold presence brush over his shoulders. As they left sight of their new territory, a large oak rose up from the shadows. Dark Night's amber eyes narrowed with excitement.
"Where do we go from here?" he asked the healer, who shifted eagerly.
"Inside the tree." She responded, and found a spot beneath a root. The tree's leaves glowed in the pale half-light of the moon, and the hollowed out trunk smelled wet with dew. As the pair descended into a small clearing just beyond the tree, their surroundings rose up around them. The tree served as a gateway to a clearing bordered by sharply-rising walls of white stone. A river rushed beneath their paws, giving way to a crystal clear pool with a large stone that shimmered.
"I didn't realize this was here…" the pair murmured. No sooner than they uttered the words than the moon passed directly overhead. Drawing closer to the stone in the pool, instinct drove them to sit down inside the cool waters, which came up no higher than their ankles. They lay down with their heads against the stone, letting dreams take over.
Within the Dream, that same Night
Dark Night woke in a wide moorland, with no sight of any other cat. He took a few steps forward, and found Soul Gazer awakening. The pair exchanged nervous greetings. Soul Gazer's voice shook as she looked beyond her leader's shoulder.
"Hello… are you from StarClan?" she asked, tilting her head. Dark Night looked puzzled. Turning, he said to her, "Soul Gazer, there is…no…one…" he locked eyes with a burly tabby tom, whose eyes blazed with starlight and whose pelt glittered with moon-shimmer. "Here…" he finished, letting his ears lay back.
The star-pelted tom raised his head, commanding the living pair to sit with a gesture of his paw. "I trust you know why you have been called here." He said, his voice deep and majestic.
"You have called us here to tell us of our new life." Soul Gazer said confidently, smiling to the tom, who responded kindly, "Aye. That is what you have come to hear. And so, I will tell you."
Taking a deep breath, the tom began. Dark Night and Soul Gazer settled in for the story, knowing by instinct it would be a long one.
"And so, I ask 8 spirits to join us tonight, in giving you your name." As the starry cat uttered these words, eight more cats, members of the slaughter a few nights before, descended from their heavenly land to the barren moor.
Nine lives and two names were given that night. For Dark Night, the lives of Hope, Strength, Speed, Generosity, Understanding, Foresight, Strongwill, Bravery, and Mercy, along with the name Darkstar; for Soul Gazer, the knowledge of a medicine cat and a new name were given, and so Soul Gazer became Soulgaze.
And that was how DarkClan came to be!
((AN: Well, what do you think? Regardless of reviews, I will be continuing this story, so deal with it. 1,4450 words in this chapter, including this note. Also, I will be accepting OC's for the modern DarkClan, (Not this version) so shoot me a PM and tell me a bit about your character! Thanks! Oh, and don't forget, see that box down there? Why not type something nice in it and click send! It'd really make my day. Thanks again! ;;Blood-Dusk;;))