It was dark and uncomfortable, not at all what Minnow was used to. The scents of plants, prey and dew attacked her nose, and her ears swivelled to locate another cat to take comfort in. Nothing. Minnow was alone in this dark and unfamiliar place, and she didn't even know which way would lead home.
Fear-scent flowed from her like a river, and she circled, trying to find a way out. Where were her Twolegs? Where was her soft bed and bright nest and dry but filling food? Breaking into a yowl of fear, Minnow began bounding over tree trunks and ducking under ferns as her inexperienced nose tried to scent her home. She had barely left her original spot before she couldn't move any more, collapsing in fatigue. Disoriented and confused, she looked around wildly, eyes wide.
A twig snapped. She yelped in fear, backing away from the noise, before escalating into a full scream as she saw a cat cloaked in stars approach.
"Kittypet, do not be afraid," they meowed, a kindly, gentle smile on their dappled muzzle. "I am afraid we need your assistance."
Minnow spluttered in reply, ears flat and fur fluffed up. "Well... find some other cat to help!"
Taken aback, the star-cat tilted their head to the side. "Kittypet, there are two Clans, deep in the forest. SunClan and MoonClan, who are waging war on one another. If this strife is not soon resolved, both Clans could be destroyed. I need you to find these Clans and help them."
"No!" Minnow yelled, stomping and snapping a twig. "I don't want to be your saviour! Go find a bigger, stronger, more... unruly cat!"
"Kittypet-"
"My name isn't 'kittypet'! I'm Minnow! Please, just let me go home," she pleaded. "I don't want to be special, I'm fine just being me." She turned, her tail twitching as she padded off to the distance.
Suddenly, the trees parted as a wild, raging wind shook them apart, revealing a gigantic, full moon shining low in the sky. Instantly Minnow was enraptured as her pelt practically glowed in the moonlight. She turned, and was nearly blinded as the sun, just as large, stood behind in the horizon. They were battling for dominance of the sky. The star-cat now stood distantly, eyes glowing.
"Minnow, you must follow your destined path." They meowed. "The Sun and the Moon shine beside the Willow Tree. If they are left to battle, the Willow Tree will be destroyed."
The silver she-cat groaned. "I don't care about a tree! Leave me alone," she hissed, "and find someone better fit for this job!"
The world around her faded away as she broke into a sprint, fleeing from this strange forest with strange scents and strange cats. Never in a million moons would she catch herself in such a filthy, backwards forest as this. But even as everything faded to black, the star-cat's words echoed in her head.
If the Sun and Moon are left to battle, the Willow Tree will be destroyed.
Minnow opened her blue eyes to warmly meet the familiar sight of her nest. She drank in the sterile scent and rose to her paws, padding over to her blue ceramic water bowl and lapping up the tasteless liquid. Despite being humid, she genuinely enjoyed her life here. No matter what that strange star-cat told her, she would never give it up for anything.
Outside her window, she saw a huge monster, unlike any she had ever seen before. Several Twolegs swarmed around it like bees, some with similar pelt colours to a bee. They lifted and moved brown boxes out of the belly of the monster and into the nest beside hers. Minnow had never seen any of these Twolegs before, and went to investigate. Balancing along the fence, she watched from a distance, her blue eyes tracking them intently. Her nose was suddenly attacked by the repulsive aroma of a big, lumbering dog, which followed them out into the nest.
Minnow's opinions on the dogs suddenly turned as she leapt from the fence and, at a brisk pace, walked away down over the rough path beneath her, sniffing occasionally at a patch of grass sprouting from between the cracks. A familiar scent danced on her path, and she swerved to meet the one it came from.
"Monty," she meowed, padding up to the ginger tabby. "How are you?"
The old cat gave an affectionate blink of his green eyes and smiled. "I'm feelin' okay. How 'bout you?"
"I'm not... sure. Last night I had a very strange dream, and then a dog showed up-"
"A dog?" Monty meowed in surprise, cutting the silver cat off. "Are you gunna be all right, Minnow?"
Minnow huffed. "Of course, Monty! But my dream, I need to tell you about it! I was in the forest, and there was a strange cat there."
The ginger tabby's ears flicked and his green eyes widened. "Whoa, hey now! Don't be goin' into them forests, yeah? They're dangerous, 'specially up towards the north!" He began smoothing his ragged fur with his tongue.
"I'd never go in there!" The silver cat burst out. "It's so filthy and there's no warm beds to sleep in, and you have to work for your food! Now let me finish!" She recomposed herself and continued her story. "The strange cat was covered in stars and they told me that they needed my help. SunClan and MoonClan, whatever that means..."
Monty suddenly became very serious. "You must never go into that forest. Leave 'em be!"
"Gosh, I know that! I'd rather die than go out there. But the star-cat told me that if the Sun and Moon are left to battle, then the Willow Tree would be destroyed. Why would they care so much about a stupid tree?"
The other cat settled down, laying on the grass beneath them. "It's just a dream, Minnow. Don't think too much 'bout it. But watch out for that dog. Mangy flea-bitten little-"
"Monty, calm down. We've got a fence between us, what can it even do?"
The two talked until the sun hung low in the sky, which was now a vibrant, beautiful mix of purples, blues, reds and oranges. Minnow said goodbye to her old friend, and ran back home. She smiled up as the tall spires of dull, silver-coloured material lit up one after the other. This was her favourite part of the day. Monsters ran by at a leisurely pace, infrequent now. Their yellowish eyes lit up brightly as they ran by.
Minnow leapt up onto the red brick fence and padded along it, continuing along towards her nest. The window was open, but she ignored it, going behind her Twoleg nest to make dirt. She pushed among the chamomile and pansies, enjoying the sweet scents. After making her dirt, she decided to leap up on the fence to enjoy the night breeze. It was peaceful, and she listened intently to the leaves rustling on the trees. It was sweet and serene, but she was so enraptured by the trees that she became deaf to the sound of breathing on the other side of the fence.
It was only when a pair of large, clawed paws hit the fence that she realised the dog was outside. With a yowl of fear, she leapt off the fence onto the other side, triggering the dog to bark and snarl at her, thick slobber dripping from it's large, toothy maw. In blind fear, Minnow turned and ran as fast as she could.
The old wooden fence behind her had become rotten over the years, and just the sheer force of the dog's weight brought a board of it crashing down. The beast squeezed through the gap and gave chase.
The two began to run, Minnow quickly becoming fatigued but continuing anyway, running for her life as the barking echoed behind her. Ferns and trees began to cloud her vision as she sprinted, yowling in fear. Her soft pads ached as she ran over twigs and leaves. Minnow ran for seemingly forever before the ground suddenly dropped beneath her and she tumbled down into a warren. Earth scuffed her fur and the dog began digging it's jaws into the hole, flecking drool towards Minnow, who curled away from the beast as it began digging to get to her. Minnow turned and ran deeper into the warren, before she spotted light. With a little effort, she popped out on the other side and gasped as she saw the sight before her.
There were trees stretching high into the sky, but one was split down the middle, revealing the full moon. There was a single slab of grey stone with blue flowers surrounding it. Moonlight shone onto the stone, lighting it up beautifully. Minnow padded over and stood in the light. Her sore pads were soothed by the cool slab, and her eyes reflected the moon. She wasn't worried about the dog anymore. Instead, she looked around and felt her stomach growl.
She didn't know how to get home from here. It was cold, and she was hungry. Now she was stranded in the wild, in the cold, with no food. Minnow's ears flattened in fear.
"Oh no..."
