Starclan doesn't know when to give up
Me: I should really take a break from writing I've been updating a chapter a day and I'm running out of ideas
Also me a few hours later: I need to come up with the next chapter *starts typing*
Am I supposed to be putting up warnings for pregnancies or something? Honestly if you're squicked out by that you probably shouldn't be reading this... or Warriors in general.
There was a nagging question in the back of Firestar's mind even as he drifted off to sleep with Sandstorm in his arms. Dawn broke through to the ocean floor and sunbeams slowly lit up the castle. The two stayed in each other's arms for sometime before Firestar untangled their tails and got up to prepare for the day. The other leaders were already up and in the middle of a discussion it seemed.
"...we're going to need a complete overhaul of the naming system. We don't have paws anymore so apprentices shouldn't have -paw in their names."
The all looked up as they saw Firestar and Sandstorm approach, Firestar donning a worried, contemplating expression on his face.
"What's up with you two?" Onestar asked.
"Ah, it's nothing, it's just..." Firestar suddenly felt giddier than ever and blushed, throwing his arm around Sandstorm's waist to touch her belly, "We're getting started on our family again."
The other leaders opened their mouths in an "O" expression. Mistystar smiled, "Congratulations!" Then they noticed his face morph back into the contemplating expression. Sandstorm frowned at him, "Honestly, Firestar what is wrong? You've been doing that all morning. I thought you wanted more children?"
"I mean... I do but..." He fumbled over his words before turning to the leaders, "It's just... are we considered mammals or fish?"
Mistystar snorted loudly, the other males giving her confused looks. "He's wondering if Sandstorm will give birth to a live mermaid like a human or dolphin or..." she smirked at them, "...lay eggs like a fish." The two leaders blanched, and so did Sandstorm, who was beginning to look a little green and worriedly put a hand over her stomach. She wanted more kids, but not that many!
"I mean, if the clan is to persist, then mermaids are going to have to give birth to more mermaids right? So this would be like testing the waters to see how we work?" Onestar said uncertainly. Disadvantage to becoming a mermaid: no one knew how their bodies worked. Humans had years to experiment and explore with themselves to see what made them tick, and their knowledge was just general knowledge at this point. The humans had never seen mermaids, only knowing them as myths, so they didn't know how their bodies worked at all. This first generation of natural born mermaids would be the first to be observed.
"We're going to have to start recording everything, like the humans do..." Blackstar commented.
"Except that we four are the only ones who know how to write?" Onestar replied dryly. They would also need to get their healers ready so they knew what to do in the future. Sandstorm was looking even greener, and Firestar winced, knowing what was coming.
"Morning sickness?" he whispered to her. She nodded, a hand over her mouth, and he started leading her away to a better area, rubbing her back as he did so.
The other leaders stared after them, trying to assure themselves that Sandstorm would be okay. "...you know we aren't cats anymore, so we can't give anyone the -kit prefix either," Mistystar blurted out. The other two cursed, wondering how the naming system was supposed to go. It was one problem after another.
"Think the founders had this much trouble when they started up the clans?" Onestar asked tiredly. He didn't get an answer and never expected one. It wasn't like the founding cats had to suddenly adapt to being a different species.
They still didn't have a name for the clan either.
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Firestar opened his eyes up to see himself surrounded by starlight. He groaned, Starclan just didn't know how to quit did they? The other leaders gave groans or shook their heads, exasperated by Starclan's actions. Did they not make their stance regarding them clear enough last time?
"Nope, I'm out. I'm not dealing with them again. We don't need them anyway," Blackstar said bitterly as he floated down to the bottom of the pool they were in. They didn't need Starclan. When they converted all the mermaids, the Moonpool made sure to...disconnect them all from Starclan. Starclan was wiped from their minds, and no one had brought them up after all these moons of living in the sea. If anyone still remembered Starclan, they certainly didn't care enough to bring them up.
Firestar gave a sigh and ascended to the surface. "Honestly, again? Haven't we made our intentions clear enough for you? We don't need you anymore," he glared at the starry cats surrounding the shore.
"Your intentions are what's causing us to fade!" someone yowled out. He blinked and looked closer at the cats. They did seem more faded than the last time he saw them. He kept his face blank as he realized that Starclan was based off remembrance. As long as there were cats to remember them, Starclan would shine bright. But the Moonpool had done its job at making the mermaids uncaring or downright forgetful of Starclan, so they were slowly fading away into nothing.
'Good.'
"Firestar, you can't honestly say that you want some of us to fade entirely?" He turned to the speaker: Spottedleaf. She was looking at him with love and compassion and concern and some fear, "Please, after all we've done for you," she begged. She gestured towards other cats, cats he recognized. Yellowfang, Whitestorm, Lionheart, Willowpelt, Frostfur, Longtail, other cats he knew in life. He almost felt bad. Key word being almost. Did they think they could guilt trip him?
"After all you've done for me, huh?" he mused. He gazed at them all, crossing his arms. "What exactly have you done for me?"
The cats looked affronted at his question. "If it weren't for me, you'd still be living the soft life of a kitttpet Firestar," Bluestar growled at him. "We've shaped you into who you are and this is how you thank us?"
He gripped his arms tighter, eyes glowing slightly. "If it weren't for you? You mean, if it weren't for you getting a prophecy right?" A voice sounding like his suddenly penetrated his mind, becoming louder, clearer, and more true with each thought.
'Since when did she help me?'
'They never wanted me in the clan!'
'I had to fight tooth and nail to get them to respect me, and even then most cats around the lake still only saw me as a kittypet!'
'She never would have let me join if it wasn't for her precious prophecy.'
And that's when it hit him- she would have chased him out if she hadn't received the prophecy that night. She didn't take in him due to the goodness of her heart, because she saw potential in him. She let him join to fulfill the prophecy. He was allowed into the clan so they could use him.
"You've done nothing for me. All you wanted me to be was your precious prophecy cat. Fulfill the prophecy and then tell me to go back to my humans right?" he hissed out venomously. The cats all gasped and some stumbled, insulted that he thought that.
"Face it Bluestar, you never considered me your apprentice and successor did you? You only considered me your weapon," his eyes were glowing fiercely as he continued, the green of his eyes could barely be seen, most of it being covered by a glowing white light. The water around him was beginning to bubble and boil from his rage. The cats were starting to step back in fear, just now realizing that Firestar could very well kill them easily if he wished.
He took a deep breath. "No, none of you are worth it." The glow left his eyes and the bubbling stopped as he calmed down. He titled his head down to look at the water, "Sandstorm is pregnant with my child. My duty is to her and the other mermaids now, not to a bunch of dead cats who can't fend for themselves. And you call yourselves warriors?"
Bluestar barred her teeth at him, "We need you to battle the Dark Forest, or have you forgotten?"
"I haven't forgotten, I just don't care. Find someone else to kill Tigerstar, cause I'm not doing it. He can't touch us and he's not my problem anymore," he said idly. "Stop coming into our dreams. Don't you all understand? You're not needed anymore. A new age is upon us, and none of you are apart of it."
He sneered at them before diving down underwater. The other leaders were waiting for him. "Had a nice talk?" Blackstar muttered.
"What do you think?"
He gave a short glance back at the surface before shrugging uncaringly.
'Fade for all I care. You Starclan cats are irrelevant anyway.'
*Just now wondering how Sorreltails and Brighthearts kits come into play cause Lilyheart and Seedpaw probably should have been born by now* oops
Mako/Moonpool has no need for its mermaids to worship something else(Starclan). The mermaids won't be teaching the future generations about Starclan. They'll know extensively about the land above(no need for some people to put themselves in danger due to curiosity) and they'll keep up with human news if they can.
Look they're not morons and they aren't going to comb their hair with forks. Looking at you Ariel :P
Tell me how I did.