ANOTHER CROSSOVA! I have it in my heads… it will eventually connect to the IZ universe… yep, I have a WHOLE story about crossovers in my mind. So, this'll be happening a while before Zim and Dib get stuck in Tamriel. Not 100% sure how much earlier, but earlier nonetheless. WARNING! THIS WILL GIVE AWAY SOME SPOILERS FOR THE Warriors SERIES! SOME! It takes place a little after SkyClan's Destiny. BEFORE the new manga about SkyClan. It'll be confusing, but please work with it. So mainly SkyClan spoilers, but might have references to what's happening in the Lake territory. (Mainly Rock will appear. I think that'll be it) This also kinda sorta gives away some of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series… but it ISN'T a crossover between those two. I'm just adding them because, in good time, it WILL affect them. As you'll read. But I OWN NOTHING. NOT STARCLAN OR GUARDIANS!
-In the stars-
The delicate tortoiseshell she-cat sat hunched over a small pool, worry flickering in her eyes.
"Is this really happening?"
She heard his feathers shift, as if he, too, was uncomfortable with this. But who wouldn't? This could easily destroy the Three, and possibly even other worlds.
"Yes. There is no way around it. A thousand years has passed since Hagsfiends showed up in our world. That tear is re-opening. It affected more than just us. The records say so."
"But that doesn't mean it'll happen here" A new voice scratched out. The newcomer was pale, signifying that he had not long left in StarClan. "And even so, why take them to my Clan first? Couldn-"
"No. The Three can't be tampered with much. And that area is crawling with Dark Forest. They could be slaughtered before they had a chance to even begin." The owl spoke gently, sympathizing with the older cat.
"Cloudstar, I care for SkyClan as much as you do. We have to send these twolegs somewhere, and your Clan is the safest place. The owl world is recovering from Nyra. The Lake is struggling with Dark Forest. And the other option is closed off. This is the only place they can fit in as of now." The she-cat mewed quietly, again glancing at the pool.
A heavy silence fell then, as they looked into the pool. It showed much, but it was fuzzy. It was a picture of general chaos, with darkness at every turn, devouring the light. If only it was clearer. We could learn so much from it.
"Coryn?" The she-cat began hesitantly, "Are there any ancestors from your skies who remember this time? Anyone who could help us? Some sort of clear script that could give us some secret?"
Coryn shook his head sadly, replying, "I have studied this ever since I heard of it. Everyone I know thought it was a legend. I did, too, until I saw the signs. I…I think my mother might've helped to start it."
Cloudstar growled frustratingly, "We all thought it was a story! No cat or owl, it seems, can remember this happening! Well, I think it is a story, Coryn, you're just stressing out! There is nothing to worry about! And Spottedleaf, " He swept on, turning his blue gaze to her, "There's no way you believe him! It is a story! And even if it wasn't, there is no way I'd let them come to my Clan! They could worsen their position! Hasn't Leafstar had enough troubles? Surely-"
Spottedleaf quickly cut in, hissing, "Then how do you explain these, these, things? Trees are beginning to warp! We are seeing more ancestors from other worlds then normal! The planets, the skies we know so well are changing. What more evidence do we need? And, if it is a story, then we should at least be prepared! If-"
Coryn raised a wing, silencing her. "Hush now, the others come. It isn't wise to argue now."
Spottedleaf knew Coryn was asking a lot from Cloudstar, that being why he was calm and trying not to show much emotion. She flattened her ruffled fur, gazing out across the plains, identifying a few of the cats and owls that approached. Bluestar was leading, and warmly greeted her. She nodded cooly back, still annoyed with Cloudstar for being annoyed with the whole idea. Once she saw that everyone had settled down, she nodded to Coryn, who began to speak.
"Cats and owls from the skies, hear me now! I understand you are all familiar with the story where the worlds clash?" He paused, listening to the murmur, noting that the answer was basically, 'yes'. He continued, his strong voice easily heard by all, "Well, after I left my Uncle and the Guardians, I heard of this story. I was intrigued immediately, and began to study it."
"Where are you going with this?" Flamepelt, a ShadowClan medicine interrupted, "And what has that old story got to do with us?"
"That's just it," Coryn responded, a slight waver in his voice, "From my research I have found that certain signs will occur in the worlds that the portals will open in first. And, " He raised his voice over the animals, who by now were beginning to whisper uncomfortably among themselves, "From what I hear, and see, three worlds are now in this peril. Well, technically a whole system, and our two planets, the owl and cat worlds."
At this point Coryn had no chance of regaining order. Yowls of protest came forth, loud and plentiful. Many of them were the same, "How do you know?", ""Gimme a break! We traveled this far for that?", "Prove it!", "Owls are crazier than I thought!". After hearing this particular comment, Coryn let out an ear-splitting shree, startling the cats, which caused almost immediate silence. Coryn glared at the crowd, about to speak when Bluestar sighed, speaking sternly to those around her, "Cats of the Clans, I am aware that this sounds outrageous. This story has been around long before I was born."
"As well as I." Cloudstar grumbled, loud enough for the crowd to hear.
Bluestar carried on, nodding at the old cat to acknowledge him, "Therefore I suggest we listen to what our friend says. He would not come all this way, along with many of his old friends," she swept her tail around, indicating the owls that were looking rather annoyed, and flustered, "Just to tell us a story. If what he says is true, we face a great danger. Coryn?"
He nodded her thanks to her, but waved to a very frail looking spotted owl, who, slowly hopped over to where Coryn stood. His voice was frail, and all the cats clustered closer to hear what he had to say, "Indeed, what the young cat says is true. We have long talked about this, for when Coryn suggested this to us we had a similar reaction. However, look at the signs; odd rumbles, warped trees, and rocks, Hagsfiends almost returning and Dark Forest rising. Our world has just fallen into peace, thank Glaux, but yours is in turmoil. We are recovering. You are facing a danger that you cannot control. What better time than now to strike? We would be easily defeated. And, if we are the first worlds to be affected, then it is our responsibility to keep those that visit us alive. We are not asking you to jump in and believe this blindly; all that we request is your acceptance that this might be happening, and a plan of what to do when, and if, it does. I was born shortly after King Hoole died. I wish I could've known him, but, alas it isn't so. All the links to that time were deceased by the time I came into the world. And, they are not with us now. Our links to that time of which the Portals last occurred have all gone to their well-deserved rest. If the Portals are true, then now would be the ideal time to strike."
A heavy silence descended at this, every cat each in its own thoughts. Spottedleaf let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. What this owl said made sense. Better to be prepared than have it come as a surprise. Eventually the leaders that had come to the meeting clustered around each other, talking quietly, including Bluestar, Cloudstar, Leopardstar, Crookedstar, Raggedstar, Tallstar, and various others, all from many different time periods. Spottedleaf realized this now; there were many leaders gathered here. Could they know something the rest of us don't? If they think that the Portal story is just a legend, why bother coming all the way over here? Come to think of it, I didn't see all that many arguing when Coryn announced his findings. A slow feeling of dread crept through her.
What do they know that they aren't sharing?
-Among a dark, lightless forest-
The scratching of talons wakened Tigerstar. Odd… I didn't know birds came here. Slowly stretching, he looked up and into the dark black eyes of a large, black owl. At least he thought it was owl. It had the worst stench, like fresh kill that had been left alone for moons. He twitched his tail irritably, snarling at the creature, "What are you doing here? I can't spend much time here, I've got some cats to train."
The creature let out what he thought was a chuckle, but sounded like trees cracking. "Oh, what I've got is far more important than a few scrawny kitties. It could… well, you've got to be on your way I suppose." She said this last word mockingly, standing aside and glaring at him with undisguised distaste.
Tigerstar flicked and ear, a slow anger creeping up in him. "Well, I suppose", he mimicked her tone of voice, "That I will stay and listen. You wouldn't come all this way just to anger me, would you?"
Letting out a satisfied hiss, the creature spread its wings and rose up, a moving shadow against the leafless trees, crowing out, "Follow me, too many unworthy ears around here. Trust me, the rewards you get for helping me will be miraculous, I assure you." Without bothering to see if his reaction, she sped off. Growling, he sped off after her, ignoring the curious glances he got from his son, Hawkfrost, Brokenstar, Darkstripe, and other various shady characters. Leaping over jagged rocks, twisted roots, and murky water, sidestepping the occasional cat, he began to notice a difference in the scenery. The trees began to thin out, and the weather got colder, until, even though dead, he felt chill against his spine. The rocks turned into gray-ish masses, lumps of ice, and trees were an odd shade of gray, dotted here and there. He noticed more of the creatures, flying here and there, chatting in odd, snappish sentences, and ruthlessly fighting each other, usually over a mouse that was practically all bone, or a tail. She swept on, ignoring the squabbles. Tigerstar noticed she slowed down as they neared a large, rocky cliff, with a large river winding before it. This area seemed to be nothing but gray, sometimes broken through by a black tree, or crack in the cliff-side. He felt cold talons wrap around his body, and a rumbling whisper near his ear, "Don't fight now, if I wanted you dead you already would be. But unless you want to swim and then climb, don't fidget."
She swirled upwards, then zoomed into a crack in the cliff. Tigerstar heard her feathers slowly moving, and could barely see miniscule bugs crawling on her feathers, working together. Before he could observe her more, he was dropped onto a flat ledge, next to 2 other faded cats, 4 other birds like she, and 3 wolves. Flying up, she settled herself on a spike that stuck out overlooking the ledge they were on. Tigerstar noted the many things she had in this chamber; things that looked withered hearts, fur, feathers, fangs, beaks, and many heads, some mostly rotten. Her voice creaked around the chamber, echoing spectrally, "Now I know you're wondering why I brought you here. Why we can't trust any of our kind to hear this. But they aren't worthy. Most of them are slobbering idiots who are only good for my experiments. Now, I was born during the last time the Portals opened."
The cat next to Tigerstar, a raged she-cat missing one whole paw, which, instead had a vine holding the teeth of various creatures to it, spoke harshly to her, "Hah! So I heard that these 'Portals' gave us power. But most of us think it's a legend…" She narrowed her eyes at the fiend, growling, "It isn't a legend is it?"
"No, my dear. It does give us power, but we must earn it."
A large, shaggy wolf, spoke next, sensing she was waiting for someone to ask it, "And how do you propose we do that? You think we can help? Or we can do?
Giving a swift nod, she launched into an explanation, "Listen. The owl world has just defeated their largest enemy, and is weak. The cat world is weak, thanks to you, "she nodded at the gathered cats, "And the time is ripe. The Portals are opening, and, from researching, and listening to… and old friend, I have found out that the past 2 times these Portals opened, we had the control. All the worlds were at the mercy of those they had thought dead. If we do this properly, we can be part of the ones that come back."
The listeners now sat, completely interested. She knew she had them now. All she had to do was make sure that there were no slip-ups, and that these dark souls would obey her to the word. She closed her eyes, feeling a wave of sinister joy ripple throughout the cave. She could remember her first glimmer of hope about returning to the world of the living like it was only a few hours ago, not a few hundred years.
Of course, master, we will be able to release you. But you must do your part as well.
Of course, dear child. Have I lied to you thus far? We must wait for them to come. And they will.
…And now I am so close…
-In the stars-
"So it is agreed? Cloudstar, you will allow these twolegs into your territory if they come?"
Cloudstar nodded reluctantly, but said nothing. Bluestar knew he was still unhappy about this whole thing, but he hadn't seen the Three yet. StarClan couldn't afford to lose them, and if they must fight this new darkness… they needed more time.
Coryn, along with the other owl spirits looked greatly relieved. He bowed respectfully, saying, "We all thank you for your agreement. We will return now, to our skies. If the Portals do happen to open, we will meet here?"
"You have our word." The Clan leaders responded as one.
The thrum of wings was heard as they all took off, and began to fly off. Spottedleaf was thankful, but terrified of seeing them again. She hoped with all her heart that these precautions were… just precautions. Not the start of a long and terrifying war. Rising to her paws, she didn't bother to say good-bye, instead heading out towards the cliffs. She watched how peaceful SkyClan was, and felt an aching in her heart. How much longer would it be peaceful, blissfully unaware of the danger that loomed over them? Letting out an exasperated breath, she ran, as far as she could, away from it all. Away from the twolegs, the Clan. She had to know something, and there was only one cat who could possibly know any answers. The journey was a long one, and took her many nights. However, she eventually came to the Lake, where the four Clans were living. She had gotten there before any of the cats that had visited SkyClan's StarClan. Dashing down into ThunderClan territory, she wandered around, looking for a specific tunnel. There! Surrounded by a barrier of branches, a whole gaped in the ground. Taking a deep breath, she dived down into the darkness, and began to wander around. Occasionally she would hear the echo of a wail, of a cat that had never made it out of the tunnels. A cat that would never know his or her ancestors, cursed to wander these caves forever. Shuddering, she continued. If I can go to Dark Forest, and make it out alive, then I can do this! She eventually made it to a large cave, illuminated by a shard a of from the ceiling. Standing in the circle of light sat a hairless cat, with bulging, sightless eyes. A repulsing figure, but Spottedleaf padded up to him, softly meowing, "…Rock?"
"I have been waiting for you, youngster. I cannot give you all the answers you seek. However, know this; in some worlds, 1,000 years have passed. In others, 2,525 years have passed. Yet, in some only a matter of 5 years have passed." His sightless eyes gorged into her, and she had the feeling that these dates were of some import; but she had no clue as to why. "It is not for you to know as of now. Things will happen, and everything will suffer. However, there is always light. Yes, I was there the last few times the Portals have opened." Spottedleaf stiffened, but listened as he continued, "There were unnecessary deaths, many of them merely from mistakes on our part. We were unprepared; the Darkness devoured us, killing any lighted soul who knew of that time, sparing only the ones who couldn't remember what exactly had happened, or those who were willing to speak of it only as a legend."
"So the Portals are opening?" Despair edged her mew, and the dread only grew in her.
"Yes. To the extent they will open, I cannot say. Of what the Darkness will do, I cannot say. All I can say…" His voice trailed off, as his figure began to slowly disappear.
"No! Rock, don't leave now! Please, anything you can tell me…?"
His form shimmered as he replied, "This is a burden for you to bear, too much for you now. I will say this… more will be revealed as I believe that we have a chance…"
The weak shall befriend the Ancients of the Sky. Look for the world that Impressions happen, and send the tortured there. Look for the world that is in constant war, and send the thoughtful there.
From there their true destinies will begin.
This is before Oblvinder. I own nothing. Yours reviews on what the significance of those years (hint; 2,525 years is the main one I plan on incorporating here, from a book). And just plain reviews on what you think about this story thus far. Anything to make me better is appreciated, and so is complements =3 if you must flame this, I must go sad…
