Raven woke up surrounded by trees. She sat up quickly, blinking her eyes, feeling disoriented. Where in the name of sweet Christmas am I, she wondered. Looking around, she realized she was in a small clearing. Beside her, there was a small pool of water, reflecting the stars. Idly, she noted the stars seemed brighter than usual. Raven gazed around. Suddenly a thought struck her. Am I dead?
Raven closed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened. Her dinner, the drive home, the silver car, her mother screaming, tires screeching, flying, lights…she shook her head. Her thoughts felt muddled and slow.
"Strange, isn't it, how hard it is to remember?" Raven spun around to see…a cat. A cat. The cat sat down, wrapping its tail around its white paws. Its blue eyes shone with amusement.
"How confused you must be, poor dear. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Streampelt," the cat mewed. Raven's mouth fell open. She could understand the cat. Was she going nuts? She was talking to a cat! Maybe it was an angel in disguise?
"Hello. My name is Raven. Am I dead?" she asked, hesitantly, half expecting the cat to run away.
"I know your name dear, everyone here does. As for your death, in the human sense, yes your dead. However, in our view, you are in a in-between state," Streampelt meowed, eyes glowing softly. Raven just looked at her, confused.
"It's very complicated, too complicated to explain. Simply put, the human part of you is dead. I am here to make the transformation a bit easier," the cat stated, no impatience in her tone. Raven sat back down.
"What transformation?" she asked warily.
"The transformation that will begin a new life," Streampelt mewed softly. Raven felt her eyes widen. Suddenly, a head splitting pain throbbed though her body. Raven opened her mouth in a soundless scream of agony.
"We are giving you a second chance, Raven. Use it well," Streampelt's voice seemed to echo all around her. Raven found herself incapable to respond. Words could not describe the pain. The world began to spin. The last thing Raven saw was the gentle night sky, with the bright, bright stars. Streampelt's words echoed in her mind. "Use it well". The world went black.
Raven blinked her eyes open. Trying to move, she groaned as her body ached. Once again, she was surrounded by trees. If I faint one more time, she muttered in her mind. Raven raised her head, slowly and gently. Why did everything seem bigger? What were all these smells? What was that sound? A million different questions flew around in her head. Moaning, she sat up. Suddenly, something felt…different. Raven froze. Hardly daring to breath, she looked down at her arms.
She had no arms. No, she had paws. Paws. As in, cat paws. As in, she was a cat. Gasping, she whipped her head around, ignoring the pain. She had a cat body. And a-no way- tail. She had a tail. "As if my life needed to get even more confusing," she muttered under her breath. Was she hallucinating? What had that cat said again? Something about a second chance at life? What the flip was going on?
Raven took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. First thing first. She looked down. She was a cat. A flipping cat. Getting up, she tried to walk. It took her a few falls, and a few mouthfuls of dirt before she got it. Slowly, as her bones still ached, she walked- no, padded to a puddle. She gazed at her reflection.
She was no longer human. She was a cat. A slender, jet-black she-cat. Her fur, indeed, was blacker than the darkest night. Except for one front paw, which was tipped with pure white. Her eyes were a deep, piercing green. She could tell she was young, barely older than a kitten. Raven flicked her ears and gazed around.
Suddenly, she realized she could smell and hear things she had never before thought existed. She could hear bird's wings flapping, the rustle of the leaves, the sounds of mice in the bushes. Suddenly, she froze. No way. Could it be- no. Just, no. The smell of a mouse could not be delicious. She was, in no universe, going to eat a raw mouse.
But she couldn't help herself. It just smelled so good. And she was just so hungry. Before she knew what she was doing, she had pounced on it and taken her first bite. It was delicious. And Raven was revolted. Nonetheless, she finished it, her stomach screaming at her. Then, without even knowing what she was doing, she started to clean herself.
After she was finished, she sat there, at a loss. I'm a human-turned-into-a-cat, in a strange forest, I don't know where to go, I'm thirsty, I'm scared, what is that sound? Raven's ears flicked towards the sound.
Paw steps? She wondered, not sure really. A new scent hit her nose. On a whim, she opened her mouth, and suddenly the smell was a whole lot clearer. It was a…cat. No, a few cats. Two males, and one girl. She narrowed her eyes as her claws slid out. She had no idea how to defend herself in her cat form, but she was determined.
Like shadows, they slipped from the bushes, surrounding her. One of the males, obviously the leader, came up and sniffed her, eyes narrowed suspiciously. He was a large, gray tabby with amber eyes.
"Who are you?" he meowed, his voice a low rumble. Raven raised her head, defiance flashing in her green eyes.
"My name is Raven. Who are you?" she mewed, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice. The only girl, a slender cream she-cat with white paws and gold eyes padded up beside the male and sat down.
"My name is Fernstep and this is Stonepelt," she mewed, flicking her companion with her tail. The other tom, only a little older than Raven, came up beside her. He was gray, with black tabby stripes and a light gray chest. His eyes were a pale green. "This is my apprentice, Darkpaw," Fernstep continued. Darkpaw narrowed his eyes at Raven, who glared back. She sat down too, wrapping her tail around her paws.
"I'm lost. Or, I think I am. Truth is, I don't have a home. I don't know what happened to my parents, I don't know what to do, where to go, oh great stars above, I'm so thirsty and tired-"Raven stopped herself, realizing she appeared weak. Stonepelt looked at her, measuring her with his dark gaze.
"We will take you to our leader, Leafstar. She will decide," he finally meowed, and with that, he turned around and walked into the trees. Raven got up and followed him, Fernstep padding noiselessly beside her. Darkpaw remained at the back, keeping an eyes on Raven.
The journey was long and difficult. These cats seemed to have an inborn sense as to where all the roots and rocks and thorns were. Raven had only been a cat for half an hour! She lost count of the many times she stumbled over a tree root, stubbed her toe- no paw- on a rock, and stepped on a thorn. Through it all, Fernstep pressed on beside her, encouraging her with her warm gaze. Raven decided she liked Fernstep. Finally, Stonepelt called for a halt.
Looking around, Raven saw that they had stopped above a large clearing. At first, she couldn't see how they got in, before she saw a tunnel made of some prickly stuff. Gorse. The word slid into her mind. Raven looked around warily. Streampelt…
I am here little one. Trust these cats. They will not harm you, I promise. Raven glanced at Fernstep and Darkpaw to see if they had heard.
Only you can hear me, dear one, Streampelt mewed, amused. Raven nodded, then turned her attention to Stonepelt, who had started to pad through the tunnel.
Once through the tunnel, Raven gasped before she could stop herself. They were in a huge clearing, surrounded by thorns and ferns. Kittens tumbled around while she-cats watched them lovingly as they mewed to each other. Cats were everywhere. Laying in the sun, eating mice and other various creatures, meowing to each other, cleaning, everything. Raven gazed around with wide eyes. Stonepelt looked at her, amused.
"This is our camp. We belong to ThunderClan. Come, I will take you to Leafstar," he meowed before padding away. Raven followed him numbly, Fernstep at her side. Stonepelt stopped at what looked like a sort of den covered by hanging lichen.
"Leafstar, may I speak with you out here for a moment?" Stonepelt called. The lichen parted to reveal a magnificent she-cat.
Leafstar was tall and sleek , with long silver fur and a white-tipped tail. Her eyes were a piercing green that seemed to gaze into Raven's soul. She carried herself with pride and strength, expecting respect. She gazed down at Raven, who forced herself to hold her head high.
"What is this, Stonepelt?" she mewed. Her voice was soft, yet held power in it. Stonepelt dipped his head.
"A loner we found towards the ShadowClan border. She says she doesn't have anywhere to go. I couldn't just leave her," he meowed in his deep voice. Leafstar nodded thoughtfully.
"Good. She seems young, around six moons," she mewed, never breaking her gaze from Raven. Six moons? Raven wondered.
I believe your term is months. Again, Streampelt's words were amused. Raven nodded. It made sense. Then again, what part of this made any sense? She was a cat, a dead cat was in her head, and she had no idea what the living cats were talking about. She glanced at Fernstep, who kept her eyes on Leafstar. Leafstar turned to Raven, speaking to her now.
"What is your name, and where do you come from?" she asked gently, bowing her head so they were eye level. Raven gulped, trying to keep her voice from trembling.
"I'm Raven. And, I'm not sure. I don't have a home, I don't know what happened to my parents, I'm so confused, I'm thirsty and-and…" Raven trailed off. She took a deep breath, and straightened herself up.
"I don't have a home, and I think my parents are dead," she repeated in a calmer voice. Leafstar nodded, eyes gleaming in approval.
"Stonepelt?" she asked, looking at the gray tabby questioningly. He nodded. "Good, that's settled. I will announce her to the clan," and with those words, Leafstar bounded on top of a huge boulder. Raven looked at Fernstep, confused, as Leafstar let out a caterwaul. Like shadows, cats slipped from their corners and padded towards the center of the clearing. Raven was relieved to see at least one familiar pelt, which was Darkpaw. He settled himself behind a snow-white she-cat with ice blue eyes.
"Cats of ThunderClan, we are gathered to witness an apprentice ceremony. Stonepelt, Fernstep, and Darkpaw found a young loner on the edge of your territory. She is alone, and has no home, and I have deemed her worthy of joining our clan," Leafstar yowled. At her words, cats began to protest.
"She has no clan blood! She'll murder us in our sleep! How do we know she won't run away at the first cold wind?" one particularly loud tabby complained. Raven glared at him. He was a dark tabby with dark blue eyes, his fur ruffled and his eyes focused on Leafstar.
Raven bared her teeth, her temper flaring. How dare he even suggest she murder them? He didn't know her! At that, her choice was settled. She crouched low, and pinpointed his spot. A growl rose from deep in her chest. She didn't know the first thing about fighting, especially in a cat body, but she was going to try. Letting out a vicious yowl, she flung herself at him.
The tabby was completely caught off guard. Raven dug her claws into his fur and let out another growl.
"How dare you? I'll show you tough!" she screeched, latching onto one of his ears with her teeth. The tabby growled, rolling onto his back. Raven jumped off, landing with a neatness that surprised even herself. Lashing his tail, the tabby snapped at her.
"Weak little kit! I'll show you how a true warrior fights!" he spat, lashing out at her.
Ducking, Raven flung herself at him, hitting him squarely in the chest with her head. With a loud oof, he flew through the air, landing with a satisfactory thud on the other end of the clearing. Raven sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws demurely. Raising a slender black paw, she cleaned her fur. The tabby stood, growling, fur ruffled and dusty.
Raven glared at him, goading him on with her gaze. Come and get me, coward! She hissed in her mind. Just as he crouched to renew his attack, Leafstar let out a loud yowl.
"Enough! StarClan has spoken its approval. Raven, step forward," she yowled, raising her sleek head to the sky where the sun was just setting. Raven padded forward until she stood in front of Leafstar, legs trembling with excitement.
"From this day forward, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice will be called Ravenpaw." Ravenpaw. Ravenpaw felt a surge of fierce pride at her new name, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Stonepelt, you are ready for another apprentice. Fernstep is a credit to her clan, and I know you will pass on all of your skill and wisdom to his young apprentice," Leafstar continued. Stonepelt nodded, walking up to his new apprentice. He bent his head towards her. Ravenpaw looked at him, confused.
Touch noses with him. It is part of the ceremony, Streampelt murmured. Ravenpaw stretched her head up to touch noses with her mentor briefly.
"Ravenpaw, Ravenpaw!" The clan chanted her name before slipping back to their duties. Fernstep approached her, Darkpaw in tow.
"Congratulations. Stonepelt is the deputy, so you have a great mentor," she said enthusiastically. "Great moves on Shadowfur by the way! But he's going to be in a terrible mood for a long time," the young she-cat muttered. Ravenpaw blinked gratefully at her, still not able to completely absorb all this in. She looked at Stonepelt.
"Darkpaw will show you around, and we will begin training tomorrow at dawn," he rumbled before padding after Leafstar. Ravenpaw looked after him blankly. Did he seriously just say dawn? 'Cause there was no flipping way she was getting up at dawn and moving. No. Way. Fernstep padded away, leaving just her and Darkpaw. He looked at her with his pale green eyes for a moment. Ravenpaw glared back.
"No need to be hostile. I have to show you around, so we better get started," he finally meowed before turning around and leading her towards a shadowy corner of the clearing.
"Medecine cat den. The medicine cat heals and takes care of our injuries. Right now, our medicine cat is Barktail, and he has no apprentice." With that, he padded towards a mossy log.
"Elder's den. Elders are the cats that are too old to do patrols or fight anymore. They rest here and part of the apprentice duties are to feed them and take care of them." He padded towards a nettle patch and what looked like a big bush.
"Warriors den. The warriors sleep and eat here. They are cats who have completed their training and have learned the warrior code." Without bothering to explain more, Darkpaw whipped over to another bush, a milky scent coming from it. Ravenpaw followed, head whirling with all this new information.
"Nursery. Queens who are expecting or have kits stay here. Another apprentice duty is to check on the queens and make sure they are comfortable." Without pausing, Darkpaw headed towards their last sight, a stump.
"This is where the apprentices eat. We sleep over there," he flicked his tail towards a gorse bush before continuing. "When kits become six moons old, they are trained by a warrior. After completing training, they become a warrior. Some will become queens, and maybe one will choose the path of a medicine cat. The deputy is the leader's right paw. The deputy organizes patrols oversees the camp. Leaders are given nine lives from StarClan, our warrior ancestors. They reside in Silverpelt, that band of stars you see at night. When a leader dies, their deputy becomes leader, and they choose a new deputy," Darkpaw finally finished.
Ravenpaw blinked at him, something finally dawning on her.
"You all take care of each other, even the ones who can't hunt or anything?" she murmured in awe. Darkpaw nodded, standing.
"I'll show you to a nest. You can meet the other apprentices tomorrow." With that, he disappeared into the den.
Squirming her way inside, Ravenpaw found herself in a den with scraps of moss laying around. Darkpaw gestured towards one.
"You can sleep in that one." Ravenpaw padded towards it, scraping it together while thinking longingly of her mattress and fluffy comforter back home.
Home. What a temporary word, she reflected as she settled down for the night. In one day, she had turned into a cat, been accepted into a clan, and had her whole life turned upside down. And she didn't even know if her parents were alive.
The best I can do is get some sleep. Ravenpaw closed her eyes, mewing a quick good night to Darkpaw, who merely grunted. Sleep washed over her quickly.