The two were only walking for a few minutes when Tigerstripe began to a hear a rumbling sound in the distance. He froze, watching as the ground shook beneath him. Both Snakepelt and Rain had paused to, curious at to what the mysterious sound had been.
After the trembling stopped, all three remained quiet for a moment, glancing around in the quiet forest. After a moment, the birds had begun singing again, and the forest came back to life. Tigerstripe tilted his head in confusion. What had been that sound?
"What was that?" Tigerstripe asked after a moment.
Rain crouched down toward the ground and twitched her ears. Meanwhile, Snakepelt stood beside her and stared at her oddly.
"What are you do—" she began to ask.
"SH!" the fox sharply replied. Both Tigerstripe and Snakepelt exchanged and looks and sat in silence as Rain held her ear to the forest floor.
A few heart beats later, she suddenly let out a fierce yip.
"RUN!" she squealed and took off.
Unsure of what to do, Tigerstripe immediately sprinted after Rain and began to follow her, unsure of why she had taken off. Still, she had recognized Snakepelt's scream, which meant she was good at predicting events. Perhaps she truly was saving them from a dangerous situation.
Snakepelt raced after them, and within a few moments, Tigerstripe found the tabby by his side. She was panting heavily, and she looked at Tigerstripe with wild eyes.
"What's the matter?" she asked, her feet racing alongside Tigerstripe's. "Why is everyone running?"
Tigerstripe shrugged, continuing to race after Rain.
"Then what's the point?!" Snakepelt exclaimed. "Are we simply running for fun?!"
Tigerstripe shrugged, still following Rain's ginger bushy tail.
"She senses stuff," he explained to Snakepelt.
"Are you serious?!" Snakepelt exclaimed, chuckling a bit.
Tigerstripe laughed a little and realized this was a bit insane. Why was he chasing after Rain anyway? Did the young fox kit really sense any danger.
"I guess so," he replied to Snakepelt, coming to a halt. Snakepelt stopped beside him, and for a moment, they stood there, catching their breath.
Rain suddenly skidded to a halt in front of them and whirled around. Her eyes were also widened, and she panted, out of breath.
"ARE WHAT DOING YOU?! RUN!"
"But there's nothing here," Tigerstripe argued. "We're perfectly safe. See," he said, pointing to the quiet forest environment. Nothing stirred in the distance, and it seemed all was nice and peaceful. There was no danger in sight.
"LOUD IS IT!" Rain shouted. "CAN HOW NOT HEAR IT?!"
The young fox suddenly bolted to Snakepelt's side and began pushing the gray tabby from behind.
"GO!" she shouted, still furiously shoving Snakepelt forward, obviously desiring for her to run.
Snakepelt, obviously irritated, broke away from the fox and hissed at her. "There's nothing coming, fox!"
"Rain, I hear nothing," Tigerstripe assured her.
"Oh...so that's your name," Snakepelt said, glancing at the fox. Tigerstripe suddenly realized she'd been absent when they were all introducing each other.
Well, I suppose she knows Rain's name now, he thought.
"CALM, HOW BE CAT?!" she frantically shouted. She began to run in circles and let out a frightening scream, "AHH!"
Tigerstripe winced. "What in StarClan's name is it, Rain?!" he exclaimed.
"WASTING TIME ARE WE!" Rain clamored. "TOO IT LATE!"
Suddenly, the small fox let out a gasp and jumped back. Tigerstripe tilted his head in confusion, then began to hear a faint sound in the distance. He glanced up in the sky, watching as a strange small thing that had the appearance of a rock came soaring down from the sky, exploding where Rain had once been standing.
The explosion sent off a shock, and Tigerstripe was thrown onto the grass. He gasped, his eyes widened. Rain had been correct after all. They really were in danger!
He got to his feet and began to run, watching as Snakepelt slowly recovered from the unexpected explosion.
Another soaring thing flew from the sky and barely missed Snakepelt's face. Instead, it ripped one of her whiskers. She gasped, nearly stumbled, and then took off after Tigerstripe and Rain.
Tigerstripe ran incredibly fast, racing after Rain. Objects were exploding all around them, and it was only a matter of time before one actually hit them.
"RAIN, WHERE CAN WE TAKE COVER?!" he shouted frantically.
"YEAH!" Snakepelt shouted in agreement, running alongside Tigerstripe.
Rain, still running, glanced back at the cats in astonishment.
"CAT KNOW EXPECT ME TO?!" she shouted back.
Tigerstripe's heart sank and then beat even more rapidly. How were they ever going to escape this nightmare?!
Suddenly, one of the objects landed right in front of Tigerstripe. Before he had time to react, it exploded, throwing him into the rock. A moment later, Tigerstripe watched as the world began to fade from his view, trapping him in a world of darkness.
Despite the fact he was unconscious, Tigerstripe could still feel some of the world around him, and he breathed in and out heavily, not seriously injured. He felt the wind ruffle against his pelt, and heard the faint mumble of Snakepelt and Rain and the occasional blast around him.
He at times felt someone pushing against him, and once, he even believed he was being carried by the tail. But perhaps this was all part of a dream, and he was really still lying unconscious near the rock.
Suddenly, all contact with the world seemed to fade, and he opened his eyes to find himself not in the forsaken forest, but instead in a different forest. StarClan.
Tigerstripe glanced around, at first seeking Rain and Snakepelt and the exploding objects, but he realized he was long gone from that forest now. After a few moments, he recognized the sparkling and elegant forest as StarClan, and he prayed he had not died.
"Rain? Snakepelt?" he called, wondering if perhaps they had been brought here too.
Suddenly, a calico she-cat leapt in front of him, screeching, "BOO!"
Tigerstripe shrieked unintentionally and leapt back, pausing for a moment to catch his breath and for his heart beat to die down.
"Who are you?" he asked. The she-cat looked familiar, but he couldn't put the exact name to her face.
"Well, I've already visited you once," the she-cat explained. "Did I tell you my name? I'm pretty sure I did..."
Tigerstripe paused, still unsure how to react to this. He glanced around, then glanced back at the she-cat.
"Um, perhaps I've forgotten," he admitted.
"Daisyflower," she introduced herself again.
Tigerstripe nodded, recognizing the name. Then, his memories flooded back, and he remembered running into the she-cat before.
"Am I dead, Daisyflower?" he asked.
The she-cat chuckled. "Certainly not. This would be a poor welcome into StarClan. Now, I've been wanting to tell you something extremely important. Unfortunately, the last time I met you in your dreams, that cursed fox awoke you."
Tigerstripe raised his eyebrow, unsure if he wanted to hear this important message. He had a feeling that it had to do with nothing good, as most of his dreams didn't seem to predict bright futures.
He then had a sense of hope, wondering if the message were about Jetfur. Perhaps he would be given a clue as to how to find her! He found himself getting excited, and he turned to Daisyflower, holding back a wide smile.
"What is it?" he asked excitedly.
Daisyflower glanced around for a moment, as if she were checking that no one was nearby, and then, she began to speak in a serious voice.
"Grave danger is coming your way. The cat with the snake in her name, you must stay away. For she will be the cause for the falling of the quiet spirit. Listen to her, but you will regret it. Time is breaking apart, and so will your broken heart..." Daisyflower's voice began to fade away, and she began to slowly walk backwards from Tigerstripe, beginning to fade into the darkness.
"What..." Tigerstripe murmured, completely confused. The snake in her name? She wasn't referring to Snakepelt, was she?
"Beware," she mewed quietly and disappeared. The word "beware" seemed to echo through Tigerstripe's mind, and suddenly the snake from his past dream appeared and slithered towards him. Tigerstripe tried to get his legs to move, but they remained frozen.
The snake let out a deathly hiss and then lunged at Tigerstripe. The last thing he saw was the inside of the snake's mouth before he woke up with a startle.
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