(Sorry! Had to redo Chapter Four on account of a few reasons!)
Darkness, that's all Flurry saw surrounding her. Pitch black. There was no light anywhere. Just the noise of what sounded like trees whooshing in the wind. Her light blue eyes gazed around the area and she looked rather spooked. Where was she and what was happening? Why did she have to be in this darkness? She tried to move her little paws but it felt as though they were glued to the ground. Again, she struggled to move but nothing was happening. Opening her mouth, she tried to let out a sound but again… There was nothing. That's when she heard a noise.
Tap tap tap.
Her eyes grew wide with hope that someone was there. Once more, Flurry tried to call out into the darkness surrounding her. Just the silence and the slight noise in the distance.
Tap tap tap.
There it was again. Flurry could feel a cold breeze and in the distance she could hear more than just the sounds of winds and trees. Something was finally coming into sight! Her eyes narrowed when she tried to make out the figure. But all she saw was a dim blue light. There was nothing else there but that light. Hope filled inside Flurry and she tried to move toward the blue light. This time, her paws softly carried her over to the light and she purred in success. However, fear was still lurked her. She was mixed with fear and hope. She still didn't know where she was or why she was there. "Hello?" She called out to the distance.
There was no answer but the blue light seemed to pause and look at Flurry.
Staring hard, Flurry began to make out the shape of the bright blue light. She could see a face, and ears! And even a body! It must be a cat, right? It just had to be. It was no ordinary cat but she could see still make out the shape. She continued to make her way after the blue light, her paws gently carrying her. Picking up the pace, the she-cat approached the blue light and the figure looked down at her. As she neared it, it began to rid of the light and form into this light colored cat. As soon as most of the light faded, Flurry could see the figure clearly. She was stunned.
In front of her stood a light blue-gray figure with large white paws. Its eyes were a bright sky- blue color, the color of the light that had faded away. The figures tail was gently folded around the cats large paws. The tall figure looked down at Flurry and carefully studied her. Then a gentle smile showed, its teeth glistening. It was a cat. A strange cat though. The scent this cat carried came off as sweet… Nothing dangerous or threatening. It was like honey mixed with a little lavender - like it had just got done rolling in a flower patch. It was a very… Warming smell. It made Flurry feel at ease and she smiled brightly.
The darkness surrounding the two cats soon disappeared, slowly. It seemed to be lifted right above their heads. Flurry's gaze turned fearful as she watched the shadows disappear, revealing a huge field. The field was large, full of tall grass and surrounded by trees and bushes, making it looked as though there was nothing else beyond it. The sky above their heads was full of many, many stars. The large and full, white moon was a beautiful sight. The field was illuminated by the moon and stars, turning the field to look almost shaded by grays and black. Tons of scents surrounded her. From flowers to sap and honey, to cat scents. It was a strange. There were so many different smells in this tiny field – none of which were familiar to Flurry.
"Welcome to StarClan, Flurry," The tall cat in front of her spoke softly. His voice echoed around her, going in different tones. Finally, it stopped and he bowed his head in respect to the she-cat. "My name is Slatestorm," He smiled friendly at her. He looked rather young and very big.
Flurry tilted her head in confusion and opened her mouth to speak but was quickly silenced with a flick of the toms tail.
"Shhh. Everything will be explained to you very soon, Flurry. I'm just here to welcome you," He purred calmly and began to walk around the area. His sharp gaze was fixed ahead of him and every trace of blue on him had disappeared. Now, he looked like a normal tom cat. His body was built and his dark gray and white pelt was neatly groomed.
Flurry looked at him completely confused. What was he talking about? What was StarClan? He must be crazy. No. She must be crazy! Her imagination was going insane. So, she quickly shook her head. Perhaps this was a dream? Or was it real? It felt so real! The scents were all so clear and the grass beneath her paws was so gentle and soft. She could feel the breeze whisk through her fur. It was a chilly breeze. This was real life. There was no way it could be a dream!
"What is StarClan?" Flurry asked quietly.
But when she looked up back at him, he was gone and so was the field. It was all gone. The darkness returned, leaving her alone.
Flurry's minty-green gaze opened slowly. She stirred slightly uncomfortable. What happened? She asked herself quietly. Slowly, she rolled onto her side and stared at the opening over a huge rock in the cave. Outside the opening, there was sunlight. Pure sunlight! A purr sounded in her throat as she soaked in the warmth of the sun that filtered through the cave opening. Then her gaze returned to scan the cave. For a moment, she couldn't remember what was going on. Then the memory came back to her. She had taken refuge in this cave to get out of the cold snow. It felt wonderful to feel the sunlight beam down on her. Her purr got even louder as she soaked in the warmth. Her gaze scanned the cave and she flicked her ears. There were markings throughout small and round cave room. On the ground was a long indentation that led circled the stone. It was dry though. The indentation was dry. It's got to be a stream, right? What else could be there? She asked herself. Then she noticed that there were more indentations in the main indentation. The smaller ones were… Paw Prints? Cautiously, Flurry took a step toward the dried up stream and put her front, right paw into one of the paw prints. Surprisingly, it fit perfect! A low gasp sounded from her and she moved her paw away from the paw print. "Where am I?!" She whispered to herself.
"You're in PolarClan Territory," A low voice sounded. "I thought we told you to leave."
Flurry turned quickly, all her senses were tingling. It was a dangerous place and she went against Smokestar's demand and threat. Slowly turning, she flattened her ears and gazed at the ground, not considering the eyes of the enemy. The scent was one she's not smelled before. It must be a wild cat she hasn't met. Gazing at him, he didn't seem very clear. It was almost as if he were a dark blur under the moonlight with dark eyes. His eyes were shining slightly though, almost as if they were being directly shone on by a bright light. The eyes were scary and a deep amber, almost red.
"Uhh," Murmured Flurry as she took a step back from the cat. It was hard to hide the fear she had rising in her body. Her claws were flexing with anxiety, her tail was twitching. "I was uh… Just leaving."
"What did you see?" The cat demanded, taking a step forward at Flurry.
As he came closer to her, she noticed his body wasn't solid? She could see a faint red aura. Was she still dreaming? She had to have been! This was insane. Her eyes wouldn't play tricks on her either, would they? After talking to the other cat in the other dream, this was just weird! "Who are you?" Flurry demanded, gazing at the cat in front of her.
"I'm just a cat in your dream," His voice turned into a whisper that echoed throughout the small area. "A… less important figure you saw a few minutes ago… However…" The cat approached Flurry and was now only a few feet away from her face.
A sudden chill filled the room and Flurry was frozen with fear. This wasn't a cat. He looked just like the other cat that was here before him! Except…. He had a red aura. Why? Why were these cats even visiting her?! She closed her eyes tight, hoping it was just a dream but when she opened them again, the room was completely different! It was as if she was teleported onto the top of a mountain? Down the mountain she could see a round opening with dark blurs surrounding something in the middle. She was right on the edge of this mountain, not being able to feel the ground below her. She couldn't feel the cold under her feet. A low growl sounded from behind her and she gazed over her shoulder to meet a huge black tom cat with glowing red eyes. He had the same aura as the one she was just talking to.
"Welcome to the Cold, Flurry!" His voice was full of sarcasm and he had a wild look on his face, an evil grin played his lips and he was just scary. The tom cat took a few steps forward on the mountain top. "You won't last a day with these wild cats," He chuckled evilly. The tom lowered his chest to the snow and crept forward. "They will not be your friend, they will not train you right. They will abandon you like everyone else you knew. Your parents? Pfft. Your litter mates? These wild cats will leave you behind just like they did… So please, let me finish this now for you." Suddenly, he leapt forward at Flurry and she let out a yowl for help as she felt her back paws slip.
As she waited for the toms body weight to crash on her, there was another noise a few feet ahead. "You need to leave, now!" A voice called out to Flurry. She opened her eyes and saw a she-cat had tumbled and pounced on the evil tomcat. Her eyes grew wide with fear and confusion.
The soft orange tabby she-cat gazed at Flurry softly while holding the tom down. Her eyes were filled with excitement but were a … Strange silver? She must be a cat like the one who introduced her when she contacted 'StarClan.'
"You can leave now!" The orange she-cat called to her.
Flurry blinked once and shook her head. This was such a strange day, it was insane! All these weird dreams. Suddenly, things began to shake around her and everything began to blur once more. Flurry could feel her body stir slightly and bam. She was back in the real world, back to this weird cave thing. Everything was so weird! She could feel a soft prod in her side. Flurry jumped in surprise and took a few steps and she gazed up. On the other side of her body was a small she-cat looking down at her with bright amber eyes.
"Flurry, how did you find this place?" The she-cat asked softly as she walked down the little ramp and sat on the other side of the large rock.
Tilting her head some, Flurry looked rather confused. How did this she-cat know her name? She looked so familiar though. Then a gasp sounded from her, "Are you one of those Wild – Err, Clan cats I met the other day?" She asked quietly. How did she find her? Did this she-cat see all those weird images and dreams that she could see? Did she see those two cats that were fighting, and the one who introduced himself as Slatestorm? It was just a dream, right? It was possible if this place was sacred. The tom made a big introduction like this was something special.
The she-cat dipped her head and smiled once more. "I am. My name is Petalfall. Do you remember?" Her voice was still that same, soothing and calm voice she met the other day. There was no panic or worry in it. Just calmness.
Flurry took a deep breath and relaxed some. If it was another wild cat, she would surely be injured or at least chased out of the territory again. "I do… It's nice to see you and not one of the others," She mumbled quietly in response to the she-cat. The other day when she met Petalfall, she was really calm and good with plants. In fact, she had corrected Flurry a few times on which plants were better for the situation of Ripplepaw's leg.
"Please, tell me… How did you get here?" Petalfall asked, her eyes growing with curiosity.
Flurry tilted her head some and looked to the ground. She couldn't exactly remember what happened the other day as of to how she got here. She knew it was a little light that guided her here, but would Petalfall even believe something that silly? Yeah. I saw some light and it took me here! That sounds real smart, Flurry! She let out another sigh and looked around the cave, unsure how to answer. "I guess I just… Found it," She told Petalfall.
Petalfall looked a little saddened by her answer and she flattened her ears. "Found this place?" She echoed and lowered her gaze. "I see. Did you stay the night here?"
"I did," Flurry replied to the she-cat.
"Tell me… Did you have any strange dreams?"
"Um…" Flurry lowered her gaze and was now staring at the paw print that was indented in the dried-up stream area. "I might have, why?" She replied. Why was the she-cat so interested in what happened to her? Petalfall may be a 'Clan Cat' but that gives her no reason to continuously ask her questions!
The cream-colored she-cat just raised her head and took a few steps toward Flurry. "Please Flurry, tell me what that dream was about. It would really help me out," She asked her softly.
Flurry knew that the she-cat would not rest so she began to explain the dream to her. It was a little complicated to explain, especially the part where some cat came up to her and greeted her from, 'StarClan.' She still didn't even know what StarClan was. Yet, here she was explaining to Petalfall her crazy dream! She must think she's crazy! The way her dream sounded made Flurry like it was all her imagination. But it wasn't… It felt so real to her, and she told Petalfall that too. However, the second dream she kept to herself. It didn't seem to be all that important and may have just been a nightmare. It was just… So weird. That tom cat acted as if he knew Flurry's life story. He mentioned something about his family abandoning her, but she could hardly remember them. Surely, they wouldn't have abandoned her? Even if they did, why would it matter now? How would that tom cat even know anything? But maybe he did know something… Oh what Flurry would do to get that tom to explain everything. He knew something.
Ignoring the second dream, she looked up at Petalfall and continued to speak, "It just all felt… So real. I could feel the wind, I could hear it. I could feel the tall grass between my paws and it was just so… Real," she explained to Petalfall and soon fell silent. She flattened her ears and looked to the ground, staring at the several paw prints in the dried-up stream. It was strange to see the indentations within an indentation but at the same time it was neat. The paw prints, of course, were from a very long time ago. This cave must be hundreds of years old!
"StarClan… They… They contacted you?" Petalfall whispered and she darted over to the she-cat, smiling brightly. "Do you know what that means, Flurry? There is still hope!" A loud gasp sounded from her and she took a few steps back some. "You must come with me, Flurry. Please. I have something to show you!" Quickly, she turned around and ran up the little ramp, disappearing into the shadows of the cave.
Flurry blinked and tilted her head. What had just happened? If only this up-beat she-cat knew about the second dream. However, Flurry wanted to protect that dream, to protect that tom in case Petalfall had magic up her fur to make it disappear. She was curious, but Flurry knew it was only a dream – a dream she must discover herself.
"Come on!" Petalfall purred, poking her head back around the corner of the cave room and beamed. "Let's go!" Once more, she disappeared into the shadows of the cave.
"Hey! Wait up!" The Bengal called after her and bounded after Petalfall, shaking off the memories of the dreams.
Flurry followed Petalfall up a wide mountain path. Her fur shivered as the winds grew stronger the higher they went up the mountain. Fear stretched inside her as she gazed down the mountain path. She could just barely make out the snowy-ground the mountain rested on. Where was this crazy cat taking her? She didn't want to ask Petalfall where they were going either because she didn't want to be a nuisance to the hard-thinking she-cat. The mountain path was somewhat covered in snow, about half an inch deep and it had many paw prints on it. She could tell that these paw prints were fresh from this morning or at least a recent walk. At the top of the cold mountain, a strong breeze whisked by and blew snow up at the she-cat. Her reaction to shivering from the cold was to fluff out her long fur. "Are we almost there?" She asked Petalfall.
Petalfall looked back at the Flurry and nodded. "You see those two large boulders?" Her muzzle pointed in the direction of these two large boulders that were leaning against each other.
Flurry followed to where she was pointing and she saw the two boulders. They were bigger than any other boulder she has ever seen! It's like they were formed there from the mountain a long time ago! "Wow…" She whispered quietly.
"Yes, yes, come along little one. I have to show you this now," Petalfall purred happily. She then trotted to the two boulders.
Flurry followed her and stopped in front of the boulders. They were the largest boulders she has ever seen in her life. Up close they just looked bigger! She lowered her gaze to a small, narrow entrance that Petalfall was going through. She followed her through the tunnel and tons of scents came to her. Tons of cat scents ranging from she-cats to toms, to kits and even queens! Then she froze on spot as soft murmurs sounded from deeper within the tunnel. "P-Petalfall?" She whispered fearfully. Where was she taking her?
"No one is going to hurt you, Flurry. Come on!" Petalfall frowned at her and nudged the she-cat, talking in a soft and relaxing voice. "If you stick with me, they will not lay a paw on you. Just… Please trust me and I will explain everything to you." Then she fell in synch with walking beside Flurry.
Flurry was scared and she looked around the small cave with wide, fearful eyes. She couldn't believe where she was being escorted to. This had to be the Clan, it just had to be! The scents in the cave just gave away the PolarClan smell. This was where they lived… In this warm cave with each other. But what did Petalfall want with her?
The cave floor was cold and the tunnel was slightly narrowed. Inside the cave were several small crystals that lined the wall, reflecting the little light and guiding their path. One could see the ground and the walls of the tunnel, slightly lit up with the little light the crystals gave. It was a colorful cave it seemed, but it was still a scary place. Petalfall had taken the lead and Flurry followed closely behind her. Within a few seconds, the voices that belonged to each different cat had grown louder. Flurry could barely hear them but she knew there were many cats in this place.
Petalfall came to a slow stop at a huge opening in the cave. It was a large, round area with no ceiling. It was just an open area with cats roaming around. There were rocks scattered throughout the round room and crystals lined the walls. The walls surrounding the area were not very high but they were high enough to where a cat could not escape. There were ramps that lined the cave a cat could climb but it seemed that the stones were the main entrance.
Flurry's eyes grew wide. The cave room was huge! And there was no cave roof! The sun was beating down directly on the snow that sat in the cave. She could see several cats running around and chasing each other and other cats soaking up the sun on some of the rocks. There were a few groups of cats that were sitting with each other and chatting with one another. She then noticed Petalfall going down a small slope that lead into the Clan and she slowly made her way after her. All confidence had drifted away from her when she slid down the small slope that was covered with snow. When her paws hit the snow, she realized that it wasn't as deep as the snow outside the cave area. Her gaze scanned the camp and she noticed that there were these strange looking places build for, what she guessed, dens. It looked like the Clan had dens built for the cats. In the middle of the camp was, strangely, a large and dead tree. There were no leaves on it. Beside the tree looked like something a small pile of prey.
"Welcome Flurry, to PolarClan," Petalfall purred and gazed around the camp.
Most of the cats had noticed the newcomer with Petalfall. Flurry felt instantly embarrassed. They must be thinking of me poorly! She thought to herself as the stares from other cats burned into her. She knew they were all looking at her like she was crazy. Even though she wanted to show them that she could be brave, she felt too pressured to show her braveness. She flattened her ears against her head and then lowered her head. "Petalfall, what do you think you're doing? I'm a loner, not a Clan cat!"
"Shh, we must go find Smokestar," Petalfall said and then tapped her chin with her tail. "Raise your head and straighten up!" She told her. "You don't want to make the first impression a bad one, do you?"
Flurry frowned and straightened up the best she could. However, she just didn't have the courage. She was coming into a new environment with a bunch of strange cats she had never seen before but for a few of them. She remembered the cats from the other day – Tigertooth and Flintfire. They were sitting under the large tree, staring at her with cold eyes. Flintfire looked away and muttered something to Tigertooth and they both chuckled. They then grinned widely at Flurry and she flinched some. "Petalfall…" She whispered sadly.
"You finally returned," Grumbled a voice. On top of a tall, huge rock, sat a gray tom cat with white stripes. His blue gaze turned cold when he saw Flurry. "Why is she here?"
Petalfall looked up at Smokestar and she sighed, "We need to talk to you, Smokestar. It's about…. StarClan."
Smokestar's eyes grew wide and he jumped from the rock, landing softly on the snow. "StarClan?" He echoed quietly. "Let us talk in your den, Petalfall." He then took the lead and led both the she-cats to a hole in the cave.
Flurry flattened her ears and followed in the tom's paw prints to the hole that sat in the cave wall. The two of them squeezed through the entrance. She hesitated after them but took a deep breath and ducked down to go into the rocky den. Inside, the first scent she caught was plants. Her gaze grew wide with curiosity as she saw numerous amounts of plants sitting in the den. There were tall plants, short plants, leaves and even stems! She couldn't believe how many plants were in this den.
"Is Ripplepaw asleep?" Smokestar asked quietly.
Petalfall looked through the narrow tunnel that lead to another small room. She then brought her head back into the small cave room and nodded her head. "He is very much asleep."
"Good. Now tell me. What is this about StarClan?" Smokestar asked, towering over both she-cats.
"She saw them, Smokestar. Flurry met with a cat from StarClan."
StarClan... That name echoed in Flurry's head as she remembered the first cat. He was so kind, so soft and gentle. His scent was strong but good. He wasn't mean. However, she only wished she knew more about what was happening. And what was that second dream about? It bothered her that the second tom she met was even like the way he was. There was something off about him. Or perhaps there was something off about the first one? Answers! That's all Flurry wanted but she knew she couldn't bring it up to these cats. The first dream, whatever. But that second dream, there was meaning behind it. There was a personal reason why she was dreaming those other two cats. And what was the giant hole she came face-to-face with? It didn't seem familiar but she saw more animals in it, fighting over something small. Perhaps more wild cats fighting over prey? Possibly. Or even foxes? Ugh. It bothered Flurry she had no answer. But these two Clan cats she's with now, they can help her!
A soft smile played on her face as she gazed up at Smokestar triumphantly. He was going to answer her questions.