Dreams and Screams

Moonpaw woke up in a cold sweat. The Dream had come again. It stalked her in the day, following her like a dog, getting ready to pounce when she fell into the depths of sleep. She opened her eyes to see the gray apprentice Runningpaw standing over her, his eyes nervous. "What was it this time?" he inquired, his face filled with worry. Moonpaw shakily got to her feet. "The same," she said, and she and Runningpaw walked out into the moonlight, and sat down. "I am running through a forest, but the forest seems to be getting darker, and then the Moon goes out. I cannot see anything until a pair of bright red eyes appears in the bushes. The eyes bore into my head!" wailed Moonpaw. "And then, when the eyes get so close I could reach out and paw them, the sreams start. First Clawfoots, then all the kits, then Morningtail, then the warriors scream. It gets louder and louder until I can feel their blood running down my paws. I think I killed them, Runningpaw!" And she buried her head in his cheastfur. Runningpaw gently licked her head. "I was just a dream," he soothed. Moonpaw suddenly was very serious. "I think it is an omen. An omen of things to come. And if it is, our clan is doomed."

Moonpaw tried to fall back asleep, but she kept thinking about what she had saw. None of the previous dreams had been that vivid, that real. She hadn't even revealed the full extent of what happened in her nightmares. As soon as she would close her eyes, the rusty smell of blood would overwhelm her, and her eyes would snap back open. This cycle went on and on until the first light of dawn, when Willowfall stuck her head into the den and asked if any of them would like to go on dawn partol.

Moonpaw was eager at the chance to get away, but she was still very tired from the night before. In her sleep-deprived state, every shadow looked like a cat from her dream coming to get her, every breath of wind was an attacking warrior. Willowfall looked at her worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

Moonpaw jumped. "N-nothing."

"You are awfully jumpy today. Are you sure you are okay?"

Moonpaw assured her that she was, but she hissed and pounced as the green bush before her shook. Her claws closed in upon open air, and Willowpaw murrowed.

"You are as jumpy as a squirrel today Moonpaw. Go back to camp, or you will scare away half the prey in the forest."

Moonpaw gladly obliged, and slowly made her way through the brightening forest.

As the camp came into view, so did a familiar face. Runningpaw was just coming out of the camp, along with Bluestar. Moonpaw smiled at them as they came toward her, but both of the approaching cats looked solemn.

Moonpaw's smile wavered. "Whats wrong." she said.

Bluestar looked into her eyes. "Runningpaw told me about your dreams. We need to talk."

As she followed the leader back into the camp, Moonpaw shot an angry hiss at Runningpaw, but he ignored it. "If something is coming, the clan deserves to know," he said simply.

Moonpaw had no choice but to follow her leader and her friend into Bluestar's den. The leader's den was a giant cave with lichen covering the walls. It was damp, dark, and uncomfortable. Moonpaw had the feeling something terrible had happened here.

Bluestar began to speak. "Runningpaw told me about these dreams of yours. We need to know what they mean for the clan. Runningpaw told me the basics, but I need to hear your account."

Moonpaw winced. Having the dreams at night was one thing, but having to recount them again made her break out in a cold sweat. The pure black apprentice took a shuddering breath, and began.

"They all begin the same one way. I am standing in our camp, looking at the stars. I hear nothing, all is silent, but always I end up getting scared and leave the camp. I run as fast as I can, but something is following me. Something I can't escape. It chases me. I can hear its footsteps. And then suddenly…"

Moonpaw broke off, not willing to go on.

"What happens next?" said Runningpaw, and eager look in his eyes.

Moonpaw just could not reveal to her leader what happened next. For what does is something so horrible, she can barely think about it. Whatever is chasing her catches up, and suddenly… she becomes it. Her mind is focused on one thing: Kill.

Her feet would unwillingly carry her back to the camp in her dream, and start attacking all of her friends, her family, and her clan. Something has changed inside of her then, and soon the forest floor is red with crimson blood. The blood of her clan. And she had spilt it.

She always tries to run away, but when she does, the moon goes out, and she hears the screams of the cats she has murdered. The bright red eyes bore into her, and she feels herself being dragged down, down into their murky depths, until her and her clan is no more.

"… I wake up…" she finished, and looked at her paws.

Runningpaw looked angered, for he knew she was not telling the whole truth, but her leader looked satisfied. "I will speak to Willowfall about this, and we will see what she has to say." Bluestar dismissed them with a wave of her tail, and stalked out the door, going to talk to the knowledgeable medicine cat..

Runningpaw glared at her. "What about the blood? What about the eyes you always tell me about?"

"Who cares? How could you?" Moonpaw spat. "That was my private business to deal with, and I see now it was a mistake in entrusting you with that secret!" Moonpaw sprinted toward the cave entrance, adrenaline pumping, sprinted past her leader, out the stone entrance to the camp, past the pine and oak trees of the forest, until she came to the very edge of WaterClan territory.

The sun was setting by the time Moonpaw really paid attention to anything around her. She had caught a squirrel earlier, and in her current state, she did not care whether she was breaking the warrior code. She had eaten it anyway.

"I am just a tool to them," she thought. "I am just here for their whim, and I don't really matter."

She was so angry she didn't even think about the dream as she fell asleep under the tree.

It was pitch black when Moonpaw woke. Someone was prodding her side. "Runningpaw…?" she murmured, and slowly got herself up. "I better go back to camp," the outline of a huge cat loomed in front of her. Moonpaw jumped.

"Who are you?" she squeaked, and the visitor let out a murrow of laughter.

"My name is not important. I am here to help you."

"Help… you? How?" the figure in front of her did not seem solid, and she could see the faint outline of a darkened tree through him.

"I know you are suffering. I know why you came out here."

Moonpaw remembered why she had left the camp in the first place, and a surge of hatred swelled through her. The visitor's figure wavered and became more solid.

"I can help you. I can make them understand that you are not something to be played with. You are a warrior, and you need to show them as such."

He stuck out his nose. "Will you take this power?"

Moonpaw's judgement was clouded by her hatred, and she blindly touched her nose to the strange cat.

He smiled. "Now all you have to do is wake up."

"I'm dreaming? Are you from StarClan? Will this make this dream go away?"

The cat gave a cruel smile that chilled Moonpaw down to her bones. "Something like that. It is time to make your dreams a reality!" And the cat let out a yowl that whipped up her fur. Something wasn't right here.

Moonpaw suddenly felt a strange power course through her. If she could have seen herself, her eyes were glowing red and her smile was the same cruel one the visitor was smiling. And suddenly, everything went black.