Chapter 4

Forestguard was walking through a shadowy swath of dense

forest. There was a chill in the air, and it was eerily silent all around.

You're dreaming, a tiny voice in the very back of his subconscious

whispered. You've had this dream before.

Yes, he was telling himself that he was dreaming, yet he

wouldn't listen. It all seemed so real...

Here comes the cat again. Yes, he had seen this cat before,

and yet, it is always the first time he lays eyes on the mysterious

stranger. The shadowy cat -- a tom, he could tell by his scent --

stopped just out of clear sight. He could see his bright yellow

eyes, glowing menacingly out of the darkness.

Then, his heart skips a beat as he reveals himself for the first

time; he looked just like Forestguard! Except for the eyes, he told

himself.

"Congratulations, young warrior. I have been monitoring

you, Forestguard, since the day you were born. You have great

potential as a warrior."

"How do you know who I am?" Forestguard had a strange

feeling in the pit of his stomach. Deep inside, he knew he was

only dreaming. Why was he picking up such a... sinister aura from

this cat?

"Because I am your father. I truly regret having never met you

before now... not having a relationship with you."

Forestguard's heart skipped again as soon as he heard these

words. He had always desired to know the truth about his father!

He had not grown up with a father, only his mother, Wildpatch.

"I have tried to contact you through your dreams in the past,

but the dark magic of these woodlands has prevented me from

speaking to you. But now, I have grown stronger, and I can finally

meet you face to face."

Forestguard's head reeled. Dark magic? What sort of place

was his father -- this cat -- meeting him in? He knew this was only

a dream... he would wake up from the nonsense any moment now,

and go on with his regular life.

The stranger seemed to notice the deep confusion in

Forestguard's eyes, and hastily began to explain.

"You see, son, I lived outside of any Clan. Unfortunately,

rogues do not journey to the starry hunting grounds when they

pass away. They are summoned to these accursed woods, to spend

all of eternity in blindness, never again to contact the living! We

do not have the luxury of dream-walking as the great spirits of

StarClan do.

"Then how are you speaking to me now?"

"Aah, good question, young one. I have discovered that

through extreme mental discipline, anything is possible. My spirit

has been pushed beyond normal limits, so that I may walk in the

lives of the living. For now, I walk in dreams; soon, I'll be taking

the waking forest by storm."

"How did you die?" Forestguard asked hesitantly. He was

becoming intrigued, wanted to hear his late father's story. But

the vision was already fading.

Anger flashed across his father's face, but his words were

lost. The dark forest closed in on him, and the gray-green tom's

form blended into the wall of the warrior's den.

Was this a dream? Or was it a vision of significance; he had

heard of medicine cats sharing dreams with StarClan, very realistic

dreams with important messages.

He certainly looked forward to falling asleep again the next

night. He might finally find out what his mother had been hiding

from him for a year.