I present to you... CHAPTER 2! Enjoi! :)

Chapter 2: The Cat in the Mist

Robinpaw looked through the thin, hazy mist. Far off into the distance, she saw a light blazing in the darkness. Naturally, she set off towards the light.

A wispy willow tree swayed in the neutral winds. A purple, dreamlike tinge was cast over Robinpaw's vision. It wasn't long before she realized that it was a dream.

The light was still shining, yet it seemed even farther away. Convinced that she could wake up any second, she picked up the pace and ran to the light. Faster, and faster still. Her legs took her as far as she could go. The source of the light came into view. It was...

a star?

A star, on the ground. She backed off warily. What was she supposed to do? What kind of dream was this?

"Stop!" a sudden voice mewed and the breeze stopped blowing. Time stood still. All was silent, except for a swishing in the purplish undergrowth. From the undergrowth emerged a she-cat, so breathtaking it was unbelievable.

She had soft, creamy fur, long and well-groomed. Her eyes, a sharp, overwhelming blue, seemed to look, not at you, not through you, but into you. Her nose was the color of a rosy spring flower, and her tail swished in the air with a natural beauty in itself. As she came forward, she didn't pad like any other cat would. No, she pranced in a way that made it seem as if she were floating on air. Perhaps she was. Robinpaw couldn't tell. Anyway, what really did it was the fact that she was star-spangled. So many stars were nestled throughout her pelt that she looked many different hues at once. She'd become a murky purple, a milky white, a foggy blue, and then a silent black, but the natural pelt color was still there the entire time. Does that make sense? I truly hope it does, for it would be a shame to live your entire life without experiencing such beauty.

Robinpaw, while scrutinizing this she-cat, was rooted to the spot, her eyes locked on the she-cat's piercing gaze.

"Where am I?" she managed to say. "Who are you?"

The starry she-cat gave a purr much sunshine on a rainy day. "I am Snow that Falls on Water. You may call me Snow," she said, introducing herself. "You are Robinpaw, are you not?"

"That is a strange name. You know me?"

"Of course. You are... never mind," she said, dismissing her comment with a flick of her tail. "As to your location, you are in the Inter Land."

"The what?"

Snow motioned to the land around her. "The Inter Land." Robinpaw looked at Snow, wide-eyed and befuddled. "And what exactly is the Inter Land?"

The she-cat looked at Robinpaw for a moment, confused. Then her eyes brightened as she came to realization. "I forgot that you were not raised in the Tribe. Your StarClan does not have a world in between worlds. Ah, never mind that. Let me explain to you the Inter Land.

"Long ago, when the first group of Tribe cats—"

"The what cats?"

Snow seemed frustrated. "My dear, you are very behind on your knowledge of the world. Very well. From the very beginning, then.

"Long, long ago, before the times of the Clans were even thought of, there lived a group of ancient cats. They were terrorized by wild dogs and driven into the mountains, where the dogs refused to follow. Frightened to leave the rocky terrain, they proceeded further into the mountains, and discovered a cave near a stream with growing moss and a forest with prey. The cats decided to make their home there.

"All was well for a while. But, eventually, prey became scarce. It was wintertime."

"Wintertime?" Robinpaw interrupted.

Snow sighed. "Leafbare. Anyway, the prey went into hiding, and cats began to die. Some died of the cold, some starved, and some slipped on ice and... fell. When spring—sorry, newleaf—came around, the living cats decided that they wanted to honor their dead. They performed a silent vigil for the deceased. Halfway through the night, a cat that had fallen from the mountainside appeared to them, cloaked in stars. He told them that they were okay, that they had found a new world to live in, in which they named the inter Terrae*. They said their home was in the stars, that they called themselves the Tribus aeturnum Sky*. The living talked it over, and decided to name themselves, too. Trinbus montes perpetuum*. You see, Robinpaw, these cats were of foreign tongues. However, over time, their way of speaking changed, and they became more commonly known as the Tribe of the Eternal Sky, and the Tribe of the Lasting Mountains. The inter Terrae became the Inter Land.

"Your four Clans are derived from the Tribes. Moons passed, until it became the next leafbare. After yet more moons of death and starvation, a part of the Tribe decided to leave. The dogs are gone, they said. We can leave; we can find a better place to live. Others in the Tribe thought differently, however. Our ancestors have settled us here, permanently. If we leave, we defy them. So, the Tribe split into two and one half left the mountains in search of a better home. With them, went half of the Tribe of the Eternal Sky. They couldn't bear to leave their friends alone in the world with no guidance. Finally, the half that had left the mountains formed the four Clans and the Tribe of the Eternal Sky became StarClan, to them. I assume you know about how the Clans were formed?" Snow said.

"Of course!" Robinpaw answered in awe, her green eyes wide. We're descended from mountain cats? "Is that what you are, then, Snow? Are you a Tribe cat?"

Snow nodded. "I was in the first group to settle. The leader of the Tribe was my mate. I helped him lead the Tribe, and when I died, I came here, to the Inter Land, to be the guardian of this place. I have been here many, many moons, though I have yet to see the end of the Inter Land. The Inter Land, Robinpaw, is a place between lands, where time is halted peacefully. Each star is a different world, and each has a different name. You go into one star, you enter another time period. Some stars are just a few days away in time difference. Others are moons upon moons. Others are different worlds entirely. You will be amazed as to what you can do and where you can go," she explained.

Robinpaw gazed at the star still glowing in front of her. "I can go into it?"

"Not now, young one. Later. You are waking. I shall wait for you," Snow mewed, her melodic voice already fading into oblivion.

Robinpaw blinked open her eyes. All day long, she thought of the cat in the mist.

*inter Terrae ~ "Inter Land" in Latin. "Inter" means "in between".

*Trinbus montes perpetuum ~ "Tribe of the Eternal Sky" in Latin. "Eternal" means "forever".

*Tribus aeturnum Sky ~ "Tribe of the Lasting Mountains" in Latin.

AN: Hope you liked! Comment, rate, & review! :)