Rose-eyes was in a beautiful forest. Rose-eyes wanted to stay right where she was, in the sunlight. But her body didn't. It made its way into the trees, where the light disappeared. Rose-eyes was trying madly to go back, but couldn't. She gave up, and just went where her legs took her. She passed many cats, all greeting her by the name Rosestar. Rosestar? Thought Rose-eyes.
She wasn't a leader. Rose-eyes was constantly hearing cats calling to her by the confounding name. "I am not a leader!" she said, but the cats just laughed. "Of course you are," said a rough voice. Rose-eyes spun around to the voice she missed so much.
"Crackedfang!" she exclaimed. Crackedfang smiled, and Rose-eyes wanted to go to him, but her body didn't. It just moved along with Crackedfang, as if Rose-eyes was sharing a body with another cat, and she had no control of her limbs.
They stopped at a spring with a glistening waterfall. Crackedfang walked through it, and Rose-eyes' body forced her to do it, also. She didn't feel her fur mat down on her skin, which is what happened when cats got wet. Rose-eyes didn't feel wet at all.
They came into another forest, this one had no prey or cats in it. They trees seemed transparent, almost starry. The ground seemed like the trees also. "It feels like heaven," said Rose-eyes.
"It is, Rose-eyes," answered Crackedfang. "It is our heaven, Starclan." Rose-eyes gaped at him. "Then, am I dead?" she asked. Crackedfang looked at her, then laughed. "Oh, of course not! You're just here, Rose-eyes." Rose-eyes tried to understand, but failed miserably. It was completely confusing. "But, only dead cats are in Starclan, Crackedfang, right?" she stuttered. Crackedfang laughed again. "Oh, really? Do you want to be dead, Rose-eyes?" he asked. Rose-eyes shook her head quickly, but then wondered why she had even answered such a weird question.
"Oh, Crackedfang. I don't really know where I am, even if you just told me. How am I here?" she asked. Crackedfang laughed even more. Rose-eyes wondered why he thought this was so funny. "Well, for a live cat, I suppose you really don't know. Well, this is half way a dream, dear Rose-eyes," he answered.
"Half way, Crackedfang?" mirrored Rose-eyes.
"Half way," he stated. Rose-eyes was even more confused. This was only a dream, now, right? Only a ridiculous dream. She was shaking her head now, the only part she had free will for. All a dream! All a horrible dream! She constantly reassured herself. In many hours, or maybe not even a minute, Rose-eyes spoke again. "May I go back?" Crackedfang nodded, and Rose-eyes fell through the transparent earth.
She slammed into something, and awoke. She was in her den. Skyflower, Moondawn, and Browfur were looking down on her. "Skyflower started sobbing, now. "Skyflower told us, Rose-eyes," said Moondawn, now her eyes were foggy with sorrow. Brownfur joined in with the sobbing with Skyflower, and Rose-eyes remembered the patrol, and their horribly sorrowful faces.
"What has happened, Skyflower?" asked Rose-eyes as best she could. Skyflower sobbed again, and Moondawn motioned to Darkshade and Grasspaw. They carefully carried a motionless mass into the open. Its brown and ginger fur flowing in the light breeze. They laid it down gently, and Skyflower, and the rest of the females, sobbed hard. Even Moondawn, the cat that pretty much never cried. Rose-eyes was weeping, though she only halfway knew what it was. She came closer to it, and confirmed that it was brave Wildstar. Rose-eyes looked at his cloudy, unfeeling eyes. Dead eyes.
"NO!" cried Rose-eyes, and she fell on top of him. She kept muttering, "No," as if he wasn't aloud to die without her permission. The cats let her sob. "We found him at the bottom of the plateau, Rose-eyes," said Darkshade.
Rose-eyes didn't care how it happened, she was just too sad. Rose-eyes and several other cats stayed with him over the night, telling of his brave stories. Then, Moondawn asked a question that stopped all their hearts. "Who will lead us now?"
Yes, who would lead them? They couldn't go for more than a week without a leader. But they only sorrowed for Wildstar, not themselves. "Do not pity the dead, pity the living," said Jayfeather many times, though his words bounced of their minds like a leaf bounces of each branch as it falls to the ground.
The next morning, the cats closest to Wildstar buried his limp mass in the forest, by the tree where he had been chosen to be leader. Rose-eyes was among them, and was sorrowing the most. When her tears stopped, the pain thrashed her heart like a pair of ice claws.
"Goodness, it shouldn't be this hard!" whispered Rose-eyes to Moondawn. Skyflower was hunting, and Brownfur was in too much pain, but Moondawn was good and comforting pain. Moondawn had almost been the Medicine Cat, but she did not want that. Moondawn was too adventurous, and she didn't favor the idea of just "sittin' 'round getting cats hooked on poppies," as Moondawn said it. No, it just would not do.
When the Gathering came, which was a whole week, Rose-eyes invited herself and a few other trusted cats. Rose-eyes, and the other leaders, started the Gathering. When she pathetically yowled, the meows and conversations stopped, except for a spoiled apprentice from Flowerclan kept crying about being hungry.
"Clan cats," started one of the leaders. Rose-eyes didn't care on who the leaders were, but she knew the new ones. The leader after Blackstar died before he got his nine lives and was now Shaggystar, Flowerclan one's last life was spent on old age and their new leader was Poppystar, Sunclan's leader was chased out by his Clan who declared mutiny and the new one was Beamstar, and Skyclan still had no leader. "Clan cats, we have had a harsh twelve moons.
All of our leaders have deceased, and we are in hard times. Skyclan has had no leader for seven suns, and I believe that causes problems even more." The leader, which was now recognized by Rose-eyes as Poppystar.
Poppystar looked at Rose-eyes, clearly recognizing her from the day the albino became a warrior. It confused Rose-eyes that such a cat, who was known to know every cat in the Clans and Twoleg territory, wouldn't remember her from the Gathering after the harsh battle against Skyclan and Leafclan.
"I suppose that you are the new leader?" asked Beamstar to Rose-eyes. Rose-eyes looked shocked. "No," she stammered. "we still haven't chosen a new leader." Beamstar nodded, and Shaggystar sneered at her. "Next thing you'll know, it'll be a season, and no leader." Rose-eyes ignored this slightly, and continued the Gathering.
No one new what happened. The Gathering came and went, and when they came back, every cat at camp was battling. Wretched Sunclan had attacked their camp as Skyclan came home. Flowerclan warriors were with them too. They all scattered when the cats came back to camp, knowing that it was meant only for a raid. Rose-eyes stared in horror at their camp; the dens were collapsed, the whole nursery was being scavenged in case for lost kits, and the Leader den was full of crowsfood. Clearly the alliance of Sunclan and Flowerclan was becoming a problem.
But luckily they had their own alliance with Leafclan. Rose-eyes had flashbacks of all horrible events; Crackedfang, Wildstar, and now the raid at her camp had ceased that life of a cat, though Rose-eyes hadn't been informed of whom. When the news came, Rose-eyes' heart stopped. Daisyfur had been lost. Rose-eyes' mother had lost her life to the two wretched clans.
"Rose-eyes, I know how hard it is for you," soothed Skyflower between sobs. Brownfur had gone to look for any more lost lives, and Moondawn had gone out hunting. Darkshade and all the apprentices were out paying respects to Daisyfur because Daisyfur had been loved by all the young cats. Darkshade was just the babysitter, even though he didn't quite approve of her relationship with the apprentices and kits. "All they need is a second momma to baby them to death!" was all that Darkshade said.
Rose-eyes was in too much pain to go. She had lost too much. Too much to bare. Rose-eyes suddenly felt something new, something that soothed her heart and raised her voice. She climbed inter the tree that served a post for their leaders. It was a large Weeping Willow. It's branches and leaves were so thick, that all the cats could walk on it as if it were ground.
"Cats of Skyclan!" she yowled. The cats all heard her and listened. "We have suffered much! Our deputy, our leader, and now a beloved warrior have been lost! We have grown weak, and Sunclan and Flowerclan have now started conflict." Rose-eyes sounded like a leader, or so the clan under her thought. At the same moment, a thought clicked into each head.
"I say we fight! We will not let those disgraceful clans bring us down!" she finished, and her clan cheered. They cheered under her, and she felt heat flush through her body. This wasn't embarrassment, this was pride. Suddenly, the pain stopped enough for her to smile. Smile at her beloved clan, at her friends, at everything.
The next morning, Rose-eyes woke up drowsily at the sun. Man, these days sure seem short! She thought. She licked her white fur, and looked around with her red eyes. "Rose-eyes, come here!" said Skyflower into the hole into the den. She came out to the sight of her clan. They all were out. Every single one. Even the kits were tumbling around her. "Rose-eyes," started Darkshade. "We all have made a decision." He looked at the clan behind him as if not sure if they agreed after all at the words in his mouth. "We all have decided for you to be our leader." Rose-eyes looked at them all. She looked at all those faces. They all had populated her life, and she loved them all. "I-I don't think I qualify!" she stammered. She was so shocked. "I can't!" The whole clan seemed to shake their heads. "NO! You have led them without even realizing it!" said a mysterious voice in her head. Suddenly, Rose-eyes saw a shaggy, ginger and brown cat with piercing, yet kind, eyes in the back of head.
Wildstar. "I said I expected great things from you, and now you see meant!" Rose-eyes let tears show, she gulped down a sob, and said, "Thank you, all! I will lead this Clan to glory!" The cats cheered, and Rose-eyes felt more pride then she could stand; she cried. It was happy crying, tears at memories and friendship. She looked at her cats, her cats that she had known since birth.
Skyflower, Moondawn and Brownfur especially. They had helped her, and now she had a difficult choice to make: who would she chose to be deputy? They all were potential leaders, and all knew what to do. She mentally made a hard decision on Skyflower. Yes, her longest friend would be deputy.
Moonhigh came, and she went to Mothermouth with Darkshade, Skyflower, Brownfur, and Moondawn. Oh, how she would have wanted Daisyfur here. She pushed it off, and continued. She crawled into the cave and saw the shining rock. It glowed like the moon in the echoing cave. She sat in front of it and laid down. She instantly was walking across the transparent earth as in her dream.
She saw Daisyfur, Wildstar, and Crackedfang waiting for her, along with a bunch of mystery cats. "I am so proud!" said Daisyfur. She beamed. "Oh, so proud, Rosestar!" Rose-eyes almost ignored this name. Now Wildstar spoke. "Right up to my expectations! I knew it the second that you brought down Blackstar!" Rose-eyes looked up at the floating mystery cats, wondering where Blackstar is if he didn't make it here.
Now Crackedfangs croaky voice echoed into the vast stars. "I guess it was fortune that I burned," he said. "My old frame couldn't lead such a clan!" Rosestar laughed. She laughed for the first time in moons. Daisyfur was just beaming, which was added on to the light that surrounded her. "Who are those?" asked Rosestar to Wildstar. "Oh, those are your ancient ancestors," said the former leader calmly. Rosestar now noticed the Lions in the group, along with smaller cats and now the cats of this generation.
"I have a question, to you all: Why me?" asked the albino. Crackedfang laughed like he did in her dream, but Rosestar took no notice. "Well, mainly because you're a good leader!" he said as if every cat in the world knew. Rosestar was still not satisfied.
"I know they chose me for that, but I am no exactly qualified. Most leaders have been warriors for years and years, and I've only been one for six moons!" she stated. Wildstar answered this time.
"Well, I know, but who says that age matters in leadership? I was chosen at only one year, and have been one for years to come!" Rosestar was now satisfied. Daisyfur now exploded and ran up to Rosestar and purred and rubbed against her. "Oh! I am so proud!" she exclaimed for the third time.
Rosestar purred too, and then Daisyfur receded back to the other cats. "Oh, I suppose you need your nine lives now, right?" said Crackedfang. Rosestar laughed, nodded, and then she felt it. Life. She felt strength surge through her, and she now felt like a real leader. "Remember," said Wildstar as she started to go back to earth. "nine lives doesn't make you invincible. Only an older leader." Rosestar noted this statement like an omen.
She opened her eyes, and saw Skyflower looking over her. "Are you okay, Rosestar?" she asked. Rosestar felt different. She didn't feel surprised when she heard the name, she only did it when Darkshade accidentally called her Rose-eyes. Only Darkshade did it. He was so goofy, thought Rosestar.
She arrived at her camp, and she was greeted by many cats. Even Brownfur, Moondawn, and Skyflower acted as if they had been at camp all that time. She started for the warrior den, and then realized her mistake and turned to the Leader's den, now Rosestar's den.
She quickly climbed onto the Weeping Willow that held generations of leaders. She noted that no time had been lost on her time with Starclan. It was still Moonhigh. "I need a deputy now," she said. Every cat turned to her. "I choose Skyflower. Are you up to it?" She knew that she didn't sound ceremonial, and didn't care. Skyflower smiled, and nodded. "Yes, Rosestar!" Rosestar looked toward Moondawn and Brownfur. They didn't have a trace of envy.
Rosestar nodded at this, and noted the time again. She felt more alert, now. Like anything could be needed. "Now, let us all sleep. I will not set guards, as I know that one night will not hurt." She knew this, because she saw a peaceful tomorrow while she received her nine lives.
"Moondawn, I anoint you as head warrior," she stated. "And Brownfur, you are co-head warrior." They both nodded, and Rosestar felt that they would have been the best choices, even if they were her friends. They all were strong, and together they would rebuild Skyclan, bit by bit.
The next few hours were hours of discovery. Rosestar examined her new den. It still smelt of Wildstar. His fur was still matted on the ground, and Jayfeather came in quickly to clean it out. But Rosestar kept a small bit hidden in the corner. She wanted to remember Wildstar, even if only a smell would do it.
She felt the moss under her before she fell into sleep. She had great and realistic dreams, and in each one, she was with Daisyfur, Crackedfang, and especially her dear Wildstar.