In TRotR, dream sections will not be italicized. This is because it gets a bit confusing when you see the dream through the dead cat's point of view. Flashbacks will still be italicized and in third person, though.
Snowfall16: I wouldn't be able to help with the notification issue. I never check my email or bother with notifications; in fact I have a separate email address for fanfiction because I get really annoyed when my inbox gets spammed by everything. And now I understand what you mean about reminding the readers of certain characters. That is definitely something I'll remember. I'll add that in future chapters.
Okatu Fernsneeze: I think I should stick to calling you Okatu Fernsneeze, but I'll still know if you review as BRUH. If it's easier for you to review without logging in, that's all right. Oh, and I understand you having too much schoolwork. I don't know why teachers have to pile the work on our heads at the end of the year, I think they do it just to make our lives miserable. And we will see Eaglekit. He has a major role in this story, even though he's in StarClan.
CHAPTER 5: THE BREAKING OF A FRIENDSHIP
That night
Flamepaw's POV
After a day of learning battle moves and hunting, I was exhausted. As soon as we were done eating, I made a beeline for the apprentices' den.
On the toms' side of the den, my nest sat in the corner. In the winter, we generally pulled our nests closer together for warmth. Waterpaw and Harepaw's nests were very close together, but I didn't need any cat for comfort. There was no way I was going to start depending on other cats.
I closed my eyes as soon as my head hit the moss. Before I knew it, I was asleep.
I woke up to find myself in a starry meadow. Where was I? Then I remembered. Eaglekit had arranged to meet me tonight.
Every few nights or so, Eaglekit would visit me in a dream. We would meet in this starry meadow and talk. It was against the StarClan rules for dead cats to visit the living, except for the occasional prophecy, in a dream. However, Eaglekit was always careful not to get caught. We always had fun together.
"Hello," I said to Eaglekit, smiling. Then I stopped when I didn't see him smile back. This had me worried.
"Is something wrong?" I asked him nervously.
"Um, well"… Eaglekit's eyes darted to the side.
"Spit it out, bro," I advised him. "If there's something wrong, I need to know."
He flicked his tail nervously. "Alright then, I'll spit it out." He turned to face me. "I can't come to visit you anymore."
I had not been expecting that. When I spoke again, my voice felt faint. "But why? Did StarClan find out?"
"No they didn't," he replied. "But, well, I kind of realized it for myself."
"What do you mean?"
"You're a living cat," he reminded me, "and I'm from StarClan." He stared uncertainly at his paws. "I know we've been meeting each other for three moons, but this has got to stop."
It took all of my self-control not to cuff my brother on the ears. "And you're telling me this now?"
"I should have done this a long time ago," he said regretfully. "But I've seen what you've become, Flamepaw. You're not your own cat anymore. Ever since I died, you've always been chasing after me. You completely ignore your siblings. We can't do this anymore. You have to live your own life."
"So you're not going to visit me anymore?"
"I won't," he said firmly, "unless I'm giving you a prophecy or something like that. It's against the StarClan rules for me to visit you unless it's for a prophecy or vision."
"You were doing it before," I insisted. "So what is stopping you now?"
"I was doing it because I wasn't over losing you either, and because I thought it looked cool to break the rules," he admitted. "But it's wrong. I can't do it anymore. They have these rules for a reason, Flamepaw."
"You're my kin," I said stubbornly. "I can't abandon kin."
"Oh, you're doing a good job of following that logic with your other kin, I see?" Eaglekit's eyes flashed. "Your living kin, I mean. Look, you're just going to have to come to grips with it, okay? You can't be with me anymore. Start living your own life. You can never do that if you're chasing after a dead cat." With that, he started to walk away.
If only he hadn't died, I thought mournfully. Then I suddenly had a thought. "Before you go, can I ask one last question?" I called.
"Sure," Eaglekit glanced over his shoulder. "What is it?"
"How did you die?"
Eaglekit frowned. "Well"… he muttered. "I'll show you." He closed his eyes and concentrated. Green starlight started to appear on his pelt. Then he opened his eyes, and I looked down at his fur. A long, gaping scar was on his pelt, extending from his spine all the way to the throat.
I gasped. "Great StarClan! Who did this to you?"
"I… I can't say," he stammered.
"Yes you can," I growled. "Tell me now!"
"I… I don't know," he said, looking frightened.
I snorted. "How do you not know, Eaglekit? You're a StarClan cat!"
"It's not that simple," he protested. "Life here isn't as perfect as you'd expect. And there are dangerous things going on here, things that I don't know about. I can feel it!"
"But – "
– "I have to go," Eaglekit cut me off before I could finish. As he left the scene, the meadow dissolved into darkness.
In the middle of the night, I woke up shaking. There was something very wrong about this. What did Eaglekit mean when he said there were dark things going on in StarClan? And who had killed him?
Aaaand the plot thickens. What is Flamepaw going to do now?
AOTD: My favorite genre? Maybe historical fiction or fantasy or something along those lines… though we can all agree that fanfiction is the best.
QOTD: What do you think about Frostheart so far?