Before the silver tabby's eyes opened, dread filled her belly. She flicked her eyes open quickly, recognizing the eternally calm river. She willed herself to her paws, glancing around. A waterfall was behind her, filling her large ears with a swooshing noise. She began padding away from it, down the stream. As she walked further away from the river, distant murmurs and whispers of cats filled her ears. She seemed unbothered by this and kept walking to her destination.
She reached it, a small cave off the side of the river. As she swam across the shallow stream, her whiskers began tickling with ancient energy. She let out a small hiss, this must be urgent. She began quickly padding to the depths of the cave, thin pelt bristling.
"Hello?" She called, still unsure of the ways of her ancestors after all these moons. Her heart began sinking and her paws felt like pebbles as she went forward. Was it a false alarm? Should she turn around? She glanced around the dark cave, light amber eyes adjusting to the gloom.
"Is your faith failing?" An amused purr called from above her. She glanced up, quickly. Her eyes widened as she saw the pure white cat sitting in a nook above her. "Don't worry, young one..." The old cat let out a sigh, glancing away as if in shame. "Many before have felt this way." The cat quickly snapped her attention back to the cave. "This is your first meeting, isn't it? May I ask the others to join us?"
The air filled with energy as shapes appeared from the shadows, forming into cats of all sizes and colors. The tabby's eyes gleamed in awe. The Tribe of Endless Hunting, she knew. Suddenly, she spoke, knowing what was happening in the waking hours. "Pardon, but what brings me in these times?"
A stocky black cat spoke up. "Patience, young teller, remember." The tabby nodded, quieting quickly.
The white cat smiled. "I can't help be reminded of myself in those past days, always urgent to heal, to lead." Most of the cats nodded.
The black cat spoke, rather urgently. "We must not forget why we're here." The tabby's ears perked, why was she here?
The white cat shook her head as if from a trance. "Tell me, new teller. Have you heard of the nursery tale of wind, river, shadow, and thunder?"
The tabby nodded, slowly. "Yes, I have. But why have are we talking about kit tales?"
The black cat spoke up. "That is a true tale, as many of us know."
The tabby's ear twitched in surprise. "The warring clans? I'd be more likely to believe that hawks couldn't fly in the past."
The white cat nodded, dismissing the comment. "Listen to our next words carefully."
The cats in the cave began speaking in unison. "The time has come for water and war to meet again. The stars have fallen, fogging the path ahead." The cats quieted, staring at the tabby as if waiting for a response.
The tabby tilted her head, speaking quietly. "What does that mean? Are the clans coming?" The elder cats started fading, glancing to each other with an unspoken word. She repeated herself, "Are the clans coming? What should I do?" She glanced at them, worry in her voice. They continued fading, not speaking.
The tabby began panicking, her pelt fluffing out. Her voice rose with urgency, "No! Don't leave! Wait! Help me! I'm not ready to lead yet!" She yowled, desperately running to the cats. "I don't know enough-" The cats were transparent now, fading like a puddle in the hot sun. "Stop fading-"
Suddenly, the white cat called. "Enough! Follow your instincts!"
The tabby quieted and watched as the cats faded into nothing. "Wait! Wait…" She said, tail shuddering. "My instincts are wrong..." She looked around for any trace of a cat. "No..." She fell, closing her eyes. When she opened them, pointed stones surrounded her.