Yeah, I'm thinking we're nearing the end here. Maybe. Unless I decide to spontaneously write more chapters for this thing. Which, you know, happens quite a bit around these parts.
I've got another super hard test next week but I'm going to try and get that Halloween chapter written before the 31st.
I've also got a snippet for an AU that I want to write for. A few weeks ago I suggested to warriorsbutnotreally on tumblr an AU (because there's literally a "ask me an AU and I'll give a plot for it" on the front page of the blog so I went yayyy) but since fanfiction hates links, go onto tumblr and look up warriorsbutnotreally and find the "TBC but it happens during OOTS AU".
Please check it out so you're not lost or anything when I write it. I'm thinking I'll write for it after the Halloween chapter, so that's two AU Dump chapters in a row. Ignite might not be updated for a bit; we'll see.
Also to the Anon (you know very well who you are) that keeps asking me when Ignite will be finished? I'm thinking of adding more chapters solely because of you. Because you asking me "is this finished yet? Is this fininshed yet? Is this finished so I can start?" really pisses me off. Start with what? You need this story to be complete for you to read in one go or something? Hate to break it to you, but most stories on fanfiction are incomplete and stuff.
Asking a writer when something will be complete or when a fic will be updated isn't a good motivator. There's a reason why I've been deleting your anon reviews.
Reviews are appreciated!
Leafpool was exhausted. Since that night, she and some other devoted cats would descend back down to the world of the living to expand on their little project. Every night she and the others expended their energies by funneling it into the land beneath their paws, shaping and molding it to the best of their abilities.
To be honest, she wasn't sure if any of them were even doing it right. Every night Thunderstar would direct them to allocate their energies in different ways and in different spots, and every night it seemed like there was no change.
But maybe she didn't notice because of the energy deprivation left her tired and wanting to plop down on a nice, cozy nest of moss somewhere.
Kind of like now. Her legs trembled on she pumped the last of her energies into the earth once more, Thunderstar nodding approving from where he sat, gazing over their work with a keen eye. The tip of his tail curled happily, before the rest of it curled around his body and over his paws. "Alright, that's enough everyone," he announced. Leafpool let out a shaky breath.
At least her stamina was building up by doing this every night.
"I think that's the last time we're going to be doing this," he purred warmly. Around her, cats let out hushed yowls and purrs, turning to each other to give their congratulations. Leafpool herself lifted her head up tiredly, but her eyes were alight with relief and happiness. A sense of completion and accomplishment filled her, even though it seemed as if the clearing hadn't changed much since the first night.
"Yes, you all did a good job. I'm sure he'll love having all this space to himself. And hopefully this should please the stone well enough too," Thunderstar meowed. At his words, a somber and serious feeling filled the air. Cats stopped to mutter and growl at the mention of the stone.
"That thing better keep its end of the deal..." Leafpool heard Yellowfang mutter angrily. Leafpool sucked in a deep breath, tail twitching agitatedly, hoping the same. Everyone worked so hard in order to give Firestar some extra wing room. While it was the least Starclan could do for him, considering all he's done for the clans, all their work would feel meaningless if their presence was met with vitriol.
"Alright, alright, that's enough!" Thunderstar interrupted. "I know you're all tired from this. Everyone can go back to Starclan now." Relieved grunts and meows met his words, and the Starclan cats turned to prepare themselves to return to Starclan.
"Except you Leafpool. I'd like a word," the Thunderclan founder suddenly called out. She slowly put her paw down from where she had raised it. Cinderpelt stroked her tail against Leafpool's pelt and gave her a sympathetic look, knowing that Leafpool had made her lethargy quite known every night before the medicine cat crashed head-first into a bed of moss.
For her father, she reasoned. It was always all for her father.
The former medicine cat and the former Thunderclan leader sat in silence until the other Starclan cats had left the clearing, agitation pricking Leafpool's pelt as she blinked tiredly into the darkness.
"You and the rest did something amazing. We've managed to successfully terraform this area and prepare it in time for new-leaf," he stated.
She squinted at the trees. Yes, the clearing was huge, but she wasn't sure what else they did to make it better. "I can't really see how we've prepared anything," she muttered. His eyes darted to the back of her head, shocked.
"You can't even see how much you've done?"
She shrugged, tired. Thunderstar drew himself back into silence, the sound of the wind whistling through the trees being the only sound that broke through the darkness for a few heartbeats.
Finally, he sighed. "It's too late to do this now, and I know you're tired..." he began, but Leafpool whipped her head to face him, hoping that he wasn't going to ask her to do anything more tonight. "But tomorrow night, I'd like you to pay the stone a visit, if you will."
Her whiskers twitched into a frown, the fur along her back rising uncomfortably.
She really didn't want to communicate with that thing again. Maybe it was the way it spoke to her with the same caring, endearing tone as Firestar did with her, or maybe it was because she was talking to the thing that had warped her father's mind and body that made her fur crawl.
"None of us actually want anything to do with the stone, but you're the only one who can," he meowed, a hard look in his eyes.
She inclined her head to look up at the stars, contemplating. After a few moments of debating with herself, she gave a small, hesitant nod. Then her jaws opened in an involuntary yawn.
"Stars, I didn't think that Starclan cats could get tired," she murmured.
"Well, we didn't think that Starclan cats could die a second time either," Thunderstar spoke softly. At her questioning look, he explained. "We did lose some warriors during the Dark Forest battle, even if it doesn't seem that way. You don't know who they were, and many cats you know didn't know them either, so it doesn't really affect you."
She gave him a sympathetic nod, satisfied. "How are you not tired after every night we do this?" she asked, trying to change the subject. She didn't want Thunderstar to stew over those that perished in the battle.
"Being dead for so long has built up my reserves to levels much higher than yours," he explained nonchalantly. "But enough about that..." he meowed, serious.
"Here's what I want you to tell it..."
.
.
.
.
The next night saw her carefully and quietly pad over to Firestar's chest, where the stone lay, once again. She pressed her nose to it, almost as if she were asking to be let in. Leafpool hoped that the stone was in a listening mood tonight.
'I can't believe there's really come a time when I would say that I hope that a stone would want to listen,' she thought ruefully.
Just like before, something snapped within her head with a click, and she was back within her father's mindscape.
"Ah... it's been a while seen you came to see me. Welcome back, hatchling." The familiar bright light flashed into her vision, her father's form manifesting into being as the light died down. It brought down its head to sniff at her, before lightly nuzzling her. Leafpool shrunk away from its affections, her fur prickling uncomfortably. The stone saw her discomfort and stopped, pulling its head back to look down upon her. Her father's eyes bored into her, the stone begrudgingly recognizing that she was uncomfortable around it and respecting her wishes for it to keep its distance.
"I suppose you're here to inform me about the progress on the space you're creating for Firestar," it said, trying to hide its obvious displeasure at being denied.
She gave it a curt nod. "We've done what we can. Everything should be in effect by new-leaf," she meowed, remembering what Thunderstar told her.
"So Starclan does have power when they actually try," it remarked sarcastically.
"You better uphold your end of the deal," she said, getting ready to leave. She assumed that she got kicked out last time. She wanted to leave by her own terms.
Plus, she said all that needed to be said and didn't want to hang around the stone any longer.
Her face scrunched up in frustration as she tried anything, something. Why couldn't she will her way out...?
"Bold of you to assume that you hold any power here," it laughed. "I decide when anyone can leave, hatchling."
Fear pricked at her pelt. The last thing she needed was to be at this thing's mercy.
It snorted. "But I'm not cruel, hatchling. I can see that you want out." Its body lowered until it was lounging on the red stream they went both on. "Such a wonderful thing you did for us," it mused, its eyes glinting in the red light.
Why did she get the feeling that it knew something she didn't?
Nevertheless, she kept her mouth shut.
Finally, the dragon across from her sighed, knowing that she had no intention of talking to it any further.
"You've done enough for us I suppose. Fine, I'll allow some of you Starclan cats to enter Firestar's dreams. I wouldn't expect him to welcome you with open paws though," it commented lightly.
The familiar bright light assaulted her vision again, heat scorching at her fur. She found herself next to Firestar, his side rising up and down as he slept peacefully.
Yet, her mind was filled with anxiety and uncertainty over the stone's last words to her.
"I already have what I want."
Stone be like: prankd ;)
The stone is pretty good at manipulation. Also ordering things and getting what you want is kind of a dragon's thing. It literally scared Starclan into doing its bidding, which I would say is a win for it.
Starclan can't do much about it even if some cats are aware of what it's doing.
Tell me how I did.