Sky shook herself. She seemed to be somewhere in the middle of her territory, but she wasn't sure. Everything looked really different for some reason. She wondered if she had fallen asleep. The sky was visible above her, and it was deep blue. Stars were starting to appear. Sky walked in a circle, trying to figure out why she was so confused. How can someone figure out the reason they're confused? It just doesn't make sense in a way, Sky thought, puzzling herself twice as much. She continued to pointlessly walk in circles, thinking, until she walked into a dark wall. I don't think that was here before... The wall was made out of some sort of branch, tightly woven and sturdy. Sky examined the strange structure, padding around it. She noticed an opening in one of the sides. It looked like there was some kind of light source inside the structure, but Sky didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Well, besides a random wall in the middle of my territory.
The pale gray she-cat wondered if she was even awake. I certainly feel awake...but this makes no sense. And, where is Hawk? Sky hadn't seen Hawk since everything went black, and she had no idea how long ago that even was. "Hawk?" she called out tentatively. There was no sign of the golden-brown warrior. Sky went back to inspecting the structure. She realized that the light source was a small, bright, golden ball of light. Sky felt slightly comforted by the presence of light in this darkness. She looked up to the stars. The Spirits are here, too. But what's going on? Sky looked down and studied the ground next. It didn't seem as different as the altered territory...a flash of blue caught her eye. Sky blinked and looked around again. The ground was illuminated by sparkling rocks Sky had never seen before. Most of them were silver and blue, but some looked like a sunrise. "I'm definitely dreaming," Sky said to herself, hearing a meow that didn't sound like hers. She was so full of wonder and excitement that her voice sounded incorrect.
Sky continued to wander around. She felt slightly sad because of the way the beautiful stones reflected the starlight. It was just too amazing to influence much happiness. Great Spirits...what's happening? Where am I? Sky thought desperately. Suddenly, another flash caught her eye. This flash, unlike the others, was several colors. Sky closed her eyes and let the gold, silver, and blue of the light sink into her mind. Again, she wondered what in the Spirit World was going on. Everything around her slowly became alive with a golden-red glow. A deep, soft, gentle meow sounded behind Sky. "I have the answers to your questions. Let me guide you." Sky whipped around quickly, startled, wondering who else was here with her in this strange world that defied reality. But, instead of another cat, Sky only saw darkness.
"Sky? Sky, are you alright?" The gray warrior felt herself being gently shaken back into reality. "Angeni...what...Hawk!" Sky said, her thoughts slightly foggy. "Where's Hawk?" Angeni stared at her with concern. "I haven't seen her around. What happened?" Sky ignored the question and blinked, finally noticing where she was. She was still in the clearing she had traveled to with Hawk. The sun was just starting to rise. "Angeni, what do you think happened?" Sky asked her Healer. Angeni glanced up at the sky. "Around sunset last night, you and Hawk went out for a walk. You weren't back by moonhigh, so I came looking for you. I found you asleep here, but no sign of Hawk. What do you remember, Sky?" Angeni mewed. Sky sighed deeply. "We emerged into this clearing and had a great view of the stars. Then..." She trailed off, wondering if she should tell Angeni about her dreamlike place. She needs to know. It could somehow be useful information. "Then I saw the stars go out. There was no light, and I couldn't find Hawk. I fell unconscious and woke up in a dream. There was a wall, and stars and lights and glittery rocks..." Sky trailed off again, hoping Angeni would understand that she didn't want to go into much detail.
Angeni nodded. "So we don't know where Hawk is. She wasn't in the dream with you?" Sky thought for a moment. She had heard a voice, but it sounded unfamiliar. "No, I don't think she was there," Sky replied to Angeni. "Well, we should get back to camp. We can figure out what to do from there," Angeni said after a moment of silence. Sky nodded agreement, getting up from the ground. Hawk, where are you? she wondered. I hope you're okay. You've given the Tribe of Burning Clouds inspiration for the first time ever. Please come back. We need you. Sky sniffed the ground, trying to catch a trace of Hawk's scent. She sighed, having only scented a rabbit. It took her a moment to realize her luck. A rabbit! Actual prey! she thought excitedly. The Tribe of Burning Clouds hadn't had much prey since they were cursed. Sky raced away from Angeni's side, following the rabbit's scent. Angeni gave her a puzzled look and stayed where she was. Sky saw the brown creature looking alert, listening to try to find its predator. She quietly stalked the rabbit, keeping herself crouched low in the tall grass. When she was close enough, Sky pounced, swiftly killing her prey. She triumphantly brought it back to Angeni. "I couldn't sense Hawk, but I found this!"
"That's great! I've never seen a rabbit that big!" Angeni said just as happily. We don't have Hawk, but at least we have food, Sky thought. She and Angeni carried the rabbit back to camp together. Sky purred at the Tribe members' reactions. One elderly tom said, "This will almost feed the whole Tribe!" The cats happily gathered around the prey to share. "Where's Hawk?" a ginger apprentice asked, looking up at Sky. Sky glanced at Angeni, who nodded. Sky sighed and retold the whole story to the Tribe, still leaving out full details on the dream. Her anxious feeling of sadness grew even more as she saw the expressions on the cats' faces. "No cat needs to be worried," Angeni said quietly to the shocked Tribe. "Hawk is a great warrior and can handle any bad situation." Sky looked up into Angeni's eyes, even more worried. Angeni, you and I are the two cats here who know Hawk the best. Let's just hope you're right, Sky silently said to the leader. Angeni stared back at Sky, her eyes also showing worry. Sky looked around as she realized there was also fear to be sensed in the wise cat. She scented the panic of a warrior outside the camp. Angeni was on her paws, staring intently at the camp entrance. Suddenly, a powerful black cat staggered into the camp. Open wounds covered much of his pelt, blood dripping onto the ground. The newcomer took a deep breath and said, "The Tribe of Stormy Skies has been attacked!"
