Bright rays of golden sunshine beat down upon the lush greenery, reflecting off small droplets of dew coating the leaves. The warm ambiance bathed the land in a golden glow, musical notes of the songbirds floating on the gentle breeze. Crouched among bright yellow flora, a colony of rabbits feasted. Even their dull pelts of brown, white and spotted seemed to stand out whilst surrounded by the fresh foliage. A somewhat dense cluster of oak furthered itself from the warren, a dirt path cascaded with gold led further in. Broad leafed ferns swiveled from the stirring wind. Almost hidden in a sunlight dappled clearing lay a dusky brown shape curled up in a tight ball.
Rounded ears twitching from the subtle forest buzz, a slender head lifted itself from large, dark brown paws. Jaws parted in an enormous yawn, hazy amber optics blinking awake in the dreamscape. Head cocking from side to side, the brown feline's gaze drifted around to his surroundings. Catching sight of the gnarled branches hovering several fox lengths above his cranium, his fluffy tail whisked across the soft grass, pleased with where he had ended up this time.
"New place," he surmised with a pleasant grin, rising to his paws without a careless stumble. "I wonder where I ended up tonight." His ear twitched, noting the sunlight streaming into view. "Or today," he cleared his throat, correcting himself.
The fluffy body of one of ThunderClan's apprentices- Sootpaw by name- paced around the small enclosure, getting a feel for his recent spawn point. In every dream he could remember, the young 'paw had always awoken in the dreamscape in a new place. One time it had been an area of heather, another time in the branches of a tall oak, sometimes by the creek, or deep within the boggy marsh.
Once satisfied with the placement of everything, a mental description was written down inside his head before his large paws guided him past the ferns, the broad leaves brushing against his long haired pelt. Spots of golden danced on brown, soft leaves falling from their place among the branches and lining the path ahead. With a regally posed head, the brown furred apprentice shot forward, a smile plastered over his features as his paws barely touched the earth. Surpassing the idea of gravity, Sootpaw gained more height with each bound, seemingly spreading wings of flight. As the barrier of leaves lessened, each spring drew him further ahead. With one final leap, Sootpaw exploded from the oak forest, soaring with the power of a bird into the shining light.
Crying triumphantly, the young cat sailed with unbound grace, almost impossible in comparison to the stumbling lump of fluff back in the living realm. He seemed to glide in the mellow wind, a flock of gulls beating their wings around him. Large paws outstretched, the dusky brown tom slowly began his descent. Everything moved in slow motion as Sootpaw hit the soft flowers, tumbling to his side with roaring laughter. Lifting his head with a grin, white petals scattered among his pelt, Sootpaw gathered his thoughts.
"The flower field," he nodded to himself, familiarizing himself with what lay somewhat near to the oak forest. Surveying the field with a thoughtful amber stare, Sootpaw was reminded of the variety of the surrounding flora. Clumps of flowers in all sorts of colors such as the vibrant reds, the soft yellow, the pure white, and silken purple. Sootpaw's favorite were the ocean blue petaled flowers, having the urge the prance and frolic with the elegance of a high flying hawk. Rearing on his hind paws, Sootpaw fell onto his back swamped with the color blue. Having the wind knocked out of him, he rolled to his belly, breathing in the scents with a harsh sniff. The pollen tickled his nose causing a loud sneeze, scattering the small particles back on the gust of wind.
Like a playful pup having run out of energy, Sootpaw rolled back onto his spine, eyes lazily shutting with a content sigh. He let the warm current wash over his fluffy fur, though struggled not to fall back asleep.
If I don't want to leave, I have to stay awake a little longer, he told himself with a jolt, eyes widened. Dark paws outstretched in the golden glow, he batted at a brightly patterned butterfly as if he were a kit again. The butterfly fluttered out of view, dragging an eager apprentice along for the journey.
Prancing again through the long stemmed flowers, Sootpaw leaped for the orange-red wings, missing it by a whisker. He was smirking, knowing he could very well knock the insect from the sky but resisted and continued the game of chase. The naive butterfly seemed oblivious that it was being toyed with, but remained a tail length or two ahead from the apprentice's nose. He dropped into a crouch, slinking forward with silence and stealth despite the brightness of the light that forced away any source of shade. Squaring his shoulders, the tom pounced, releasing a sharp bark of laughter as he purposely missed and watched the startled insect to fly in awkward zig zag patterns out of fright.
Continuing to wriggle among the plants, the dusky tom slithered forward, an amused glint in his amber orbs. The butterfly, overcome by its panic, landed on a tall red flower with many small petals. Eyes narrowed, a smirk playing on his lips, Sootpaw shuffled a few paw steps closer. This time...this time he wouldn't let his prey get away. Muscles tight, ready to spring, Sootpaw drew his lips back to reveal sharp white fangs.
A sudden, melodious laugh shook the air; the butterfly taking a startled flight and quickly gaining altitude without a second chance to catch it. Sootpaw sat back on his haunches, head whirling from side to side to spot whoever had scared away his prey. On the far grassy ridge, beyond the field of flowers, Sootpaw caught a glimpse of moonlight silver fur with glittering rays behind. Another musical laugh cut through the gentle draft, the tom forced to stare in awe at the voice that sounded like rich honey.
"It's you," he marveled with wonder, stepping closer. The feline figure only laughed again, gleeful and laced with enigma. Sootpaw galloped closer, keeping low to the ground whilst ignoring the petals brushing against his belly fur.
The silver tabby giggled as he furthered his approach, vivid green orbs alight with mischief. As the dusky brown tom made it only fox lengths away, she whirled around with another echoing outburst, her feathery tail the last thing seen before she disappeared over the ridge. Sootpaw screeched to a halt at the top. He yelped, "Wait!" With unblinking eyes, he scanned the slope below. Among the heather he spotted the fleeing shape of silver. The figure paused at the base near a clump of gorse. Like before her optics were shining with that same sense of mystery. Sootpaw had seen her many times before in the dreamscape, but he had never gotten close enough to inspect her clearly. She rarely spoke, instead opting to announce her presence with entertained giggles.
The she-cat was a complete mystery, her name unknown and much of her personality other than the fact she liked to remain in secret. Any time Sootpaw tried to figure these things out, the pretty silver tabby had run off, leaving her appearance nothing more than a riddle as to who she really was.
"Will I ever know your name?" Sootpaw called after her, pausing in fear that she would run off again.
"Perhaps," came a silky purr, her voice rich and sweet. With a whisk of her feathery tail, the pretty tabby faded into the gorse. Sootpaw fell silent upon the ridge, the wind ruffling his long brown fur. His whiskers twitched, reminded of her words. His claws tore at the grass, leaving it in shredded clumps around his large paws. His shaggy furred head shook, taking a large leap of faith into the gusty air. Another rush of adrenaline took over, the power of flight in his seemingly clumsy paws. The breeze rushing ragged through his fur, Sootpaw sailed higher, his descent slow before sliding down the grassy slope. Grass spilled into his pelt during the slide, though the tom went without a care.
"Weee!" his thoughts and cares went away within moments, the young tomcat tumbling into the same gorse patch the she-cat had. He crashed into the patch with a sudden yelp of impact, darkness flashing in front of his eyes for a mere second.
"Gah!" Sootpaw stumbled awake, fear flashing in his amber eyes as he glanced around. No longer was he in the dreamscape, but back in the musty apprentice den. He sighed, nothing worth getting overly excited about. Across from his sat a golden furred tom with a prominent ruff around his collar which earned him his name.
"Having nightmares again?" the golden 'paw mewed slately, little emotion in his tone. Sootpaw couldn't find any concern in it at all. His ears twitched. "Yeah, something like that."
The golden tom rose to his paws, clearing his throat. "Come on then, we're on dawn patrol and Ravencall doesn't like to be kept waiting." With a swish of his thin tail, the other apprentice turned, rushing through the ferns. Sootpaw released a heavy sigh, taking a final glance at the dank, colorless enclosure that he and the others were forced to share. Shaking out his pelt, moss debris falling out, the dusky brown feline allowed his abnormally large paws to guide him out the same way the golden apprentice took.
He bit back another depressive sigh before passing the fern barrier. Another uneventful day ahead. Let's hope I can last until evening...
There we go! A new story I'm testing out courtesy of One Twinkle in a Million, or simply just Twinkle. Hope you enjoyed. Remember to follow, favorite, read and review! Much obliged, until next time.
-Snarky
