The pale ginger she-cat crouched down in the meadow, beautiful green eyes the same color as the sun-dappled grass around her. Across the meadow, a fiery orange tomcat was sitting in a clearing,dark emerald eyes oblivious to anything but the tortoiseshell she-cat opposite him. Stars twinkled in all the cat's fur, sparkling like diamonds in snow. StarClan.

The ginger she-cat padded up to the pair, slipping silently through the grass. "Firestar." She called. The tom turned, orange pelt turned to flame by the blazing sun. "Sandstorm!" He cried. "You-no- why? How? I thought-" Sandstorm sighed. "How long has it been since you checked in on your Clan, Firestar? On me? I came here today, Firestar. Just now, in fact. I thought you'd be glad to see me, even if you didn't like the reason why. But things have changed, I see." Her voice was soft, a trace of bitterness in it. "But I haven't said my hellos yet. How are you, Spottedleaf?" The tortoise-shell turned, sympathy sparkling in her blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Sandstorm." She sighed. "But after all these years, to finally get your dream, your love. It's irresistible, and I hardly ever saw him in dreams-"

She broke off, but it was too late. Sandstorm drew back, green eyes wide in shock. "You-you said it was the one time!" She hissed at Firestar. " 'I saw her just once,' you said. You lied to me, Firestar. I-" she stopped, continuing softer, slower. "I thought, you know, that maybe you loved me more than her. I thought maybe I was beautiful enough, nice enough, to match up with the great Spottedleaf. No, I'm nothing, Firestar. When they pass down the histories of ThunderClan, I will be forgotten, dust. So have your medicine cat, Firestar. I love you too much to see you unhappy." She walked over to him, and licked his muzzle one last time, savoring his warm scent. Then she turned, tail down. "No matter what happens, I'll never forget you, Firestar. Even though you forgot me." She whispered and walked into the forests of the stars.

Sandstorm stretched, the walls of her den soft with feathery moss. StarClan had great moss, that she had to admit. Even if they never slept, the dens were comfortable to rest in or eat your dinner. And the cats were nice, on the whole. It was so good to see her parents again. And Bluestar! She never got over the shock of seeing all these cats who she had been separated from for so long right here, like nothing had ever changed. But it had...Sandstorm pushed the thought away. Today was her second day in StarClan. Yesterday, she had gone to see Firestar. It was the first thing she had done. She thought he would be so pleased, so happy, returning her dedication and affection...but he hadn't. An overwhelming wave of sadness washed over her, a whole lifetime of love thrown away like crowfood. She wanted to wail her grief to all of StarClan, but a rustle by the entrance of the den stopped her.

"Hi, Sandstorm." A beautiful silver furred she-cat appeared by the door. Dramatic black tabby markings shone on her glossy fur, and her blue eyes were kind and playful. Sandstorm felt a light of recognition, but her mind was hazy as to a name. "Don't you remember me?" The tabby asked. "I'm Silverstream. Greystripe's-" She stopped herself. "The mother of Greystripe's kits." Sandstorm thought or a second, then remembered. Greystripe had taken a new mate. "I'm sorry." Sandstorm said. "It must be hard fr you- and Millie." Silverstream's eyes softened. "I'm sorry about Firestar." She sighed. "I would never wish that on any cat, not even Millie. I tried speaking to Firestar, but..." "I'm fine." Sandstorm said quickly. She barely knew this cat. "Why are you here?" she added. "Oh! I'm going to show you around StarClan." Silverstream mewed. "We'll start in the main clearing."

She led the way out of Sandstorm's den- a bracken-and-fern construction- into a huge clearing, with dens all around her. "This is where the new arrivals stay." She said. "We only give you a den for the first few days. After that, most cats get used to time without sleep. When you first come here, your body is so used to rest it must have a few days to adjust." She padded away, past a huge oak, until they reached the sun-dappled meadow Sandstorm had visited yesterday.

"This is the Meadow of Light." She explained. "This is where many cats come to relax or hunt. The prey is plentiful here, but most cats like the challenge of the Starwood better." She flicked her tail at a forest on the horizon. "That's where we're going next." She broke into a run, and Sandstorm followed her. It felt good to run. Here, she never tired. It was like she had wind racing through her blood, fire and ice coursing through her veins. They raced until they reached the border of the forest. The ground was spotted with the shadows of leaves against the bright sunlight. Inside, the air was cool but not freezing. It felt like drinking from a clear stream on a hot day. Sandstorm opened her jaws to taste the air, and the scents of prey overwhelmed her, squirrel and rabbit and vole and thrush and starling and even toad. "You can hunt, if you'd like." Silverstream offered. "There is always a fresh-kill pile for elders and kits, but here the Clans are always fed. No? Come on, then." Silverstream padded through the undergrowth until they came to a trickling stream. The silver tabby bent to drink, and indicated that Sandstorm do the same. The water was pure and sweet, and instantly she was filled with a rush of energy.

"It is not advisable for mortal cats to drink our water or eat our prey." Silverstream warned. "It will fill them with strength, but too much of it can bring them to StarClan for good." She padded on until the sun started to settle, drenching the horizon in a tinge of they reached an abrupt drop, as if the whole time they had been on a hill and didn't know it. Jagged spires of dark rock snaked off the side of the cliff like menacing thorns. At the bottom, so far down Sandstorm had to crane her eyes to see, was a grey lake and the gentle swish of water. Mist rose out of tall dead trees. The whole place seemed dark, the rolling mist ghostlike. All the fear Sandstorm had ever experienced seemed to rise up in one dark tide, a mountain of "what ifs" and warnings and the unknown and dark shadowy places of the night. "What is that?" Sandstorm stammered. Her words seemed loud, somehow disturbing the haunted, chilling...not beauty. But somehow, a sense of justice, a sense that this was not a mindless wasteland, that the scales were finally even.

"It is the Dark Forest. The Place of No Stars. The Kingdom of Night. The Shadow Hills. The Other Place." Silverstream answered softly. "Cats, condemned because of their horrible deeds, roam there. Tigerstar. Scourge. Sharptooth, maybe, though it is cats of the Clans that walk those hills. No prey fills you there, no water soothes your throat. Night and Day have no meaning, stars are dreams of the past. You fade away, into nothingness. It is Nothing. It is hell." Sandstorm felt an icy trickle of dread run down her spine. "This can't be...part of StarClan?" "No, they are separate Clans, separate borders. There is our sentry." Silversteam flicked her tail at the silhouette of a cat, sitting on a nearby ledge. "Come on. I'll show you the Starstone." She abruptly turned tail and ran, her paws merely touching the forest floor for a second, as if she, too, was eager to outrun the demons in the Dark Forest. They ran, and the cliff faded into the distance.

When their paws slowed and night started to fall, a small glade lay ahead of them. A faint light seemed to come from it, like a million fireflies glowing inside. As they approached, a faint sound reached Sandstorm's ears. It was not a cat's meow, nor a dog's bark, or even a badger's roaring bellow. It seemed almost like the sound of birds, though it was high, then low, blending together in some sort of pattern that thrilled her heart. She had only felt something similar twice, once on the day she knew she was in love with Firestar. The other time, she had been walking by herself in the old forest when she saw a Twoleg. A trace of sounds were coming from reeds attached to its ears. But that was faint. This- sense- filled her heart with pure, unbridled joy and emotion. "What is it?" She said, amazed. Silverstream, too, had been listening to the song with delight. "Music." She answered. "Twolegs can make it, though we can't really. But sometimes you hear it, in a charming voice or a bird's coo. StarClan is the only place else where you can find it." Sandstorm was amazed. Who knew Twolegs could produce such beauty, as well as such destruction?

Instinctively, she padded toward the glade, as the music and the glow got louder and louder, more sweet and rapturous. She stepped into the light and gasped. A beautiful stone, the size of the Great Rock in the old forest, sat in the middle. It was like the Moonstone, but more dazzling than anything she had seen before, a veritable sparkle and blaze, like the glint of sunlight on water. The edges were faceted into many shapes. A strand of moonlight hung from the tip of the glade, illuminating it with a silver light. Many colors seemed to glint in it, but when you stepped closer it shone like the brightest silver, pure and clear. "I've never seen a stone like this before." She breathed. "We don't know what it's called. But we call it the Starstone, for it shines as brightly as a star." Silverstream answered. She felt a strange force pulling her forward. She turned to see Silverstream looking at her with kind blue eyes. "Go on." Silverstream nodded and she stepped forward, touching her nose to the stone.

It was cold, ice, but it filling her body with a strange rapture and strength she had never felt before. Beside her, Silverstream did the same. "Close your eyes." Silverstream murmured and Sandstorm obliged. Instantly, she dropped like a rock. She struggled to get up, but she could not move. The strength she had felt before was gone, her body felt utterly exhausted. A sharp twinge of pain traveled through her body, soon escalating into intense agony, as if a thousand claws were stabbing her, a thousand rocks hitting her, her body ripped to shreds. She tried to cry out, but her mouth would not move. Instead, she looked desperately at Silverstream beside her. Her blue eyes were sympathetic, but calm. "Your mortal life is fading away." She said softly. "Do not panic. There is a price to eternal life." Her voice was faint, far away. Then, the strangest sensation happened.

She felt as if she was being lifted away from her body, leaving it as a limp heap beside the Starstone. Even as she watched, the ginger pelt faded, dissolving into stars. She dropped down to the ground., life once again weakly surging through her. She trembled, but looked down her, half expecting to see air where her paws used to be, but her ginger pelt was there. However, there was a difference. She looked over her shoulder. Scars and wounds, greying fur and thinning pelt had disappeared. She was young and strong again, a blaze of strength radiating from her. Weakly, she rose to her paws, looking at Silverstream, still standing besides her. "Congratulations." Silverstream mewed, and it sounded as if many voices echoed in the glade, echoing all around her. "You're a warrior of StarClan now."

Well, there you go! My first update! A little tedious, I know. I just wanted to explain what happened to cats when they came to StarClan. I don't really think they should be able to just prance up there and live on fat mice for all of eternity. Hence the old life being stripped away, all the pain, out-of-body stuff, yeah. Oh, and on the Dark Forest: I apologize for the one swear word, but I thought it might be OK if I actually used it in context, so sorry about that.