Dead Rose
Chapter 8: Dandelion Eyes
Jaypaw tuned out his leader as he talked about Plantclan, deciding he really didn't care to hear him proudly announce his brothers becoming warriors. He scanned the Deadclan patrol, heart sinking as he didn't see Whitefire in the cluster. Dammit, he thought. I hope she's not sitting on the border waiting for me... a movement from a bush a bit farther away then caught his attention, and Jaypaw flicked his good eye over. Yes! She's here! He spotted Whitefire sitting behind the bush, secluded from the others.
Now the question is, is that Whitefire or Denver?
Jaypaw stared intently at her, hoping to catch a sign that she wasn't possessed by the horrid spirit of Denver. Whitefire looked okay, she was sitting in a comfortable position, her neck wasn't stretched out and her back wasn't hunched. The only thing that was slightly disconcerting was her mouth was moving, she seemed to be talking to someone beside her even though no one was there. Maybe she's talking to Denver. I hope she's not.
"What are you staring at so intently?" Sunflower whispered into Jaypaws ear. "Are you even listening to Jaggedstar?"
"Oh, uh, yeah," Jaypaw snapped back to reality, looking away from Whitefire. Sunflower looked over to where he was looking and narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you looking at Deadclan?" she asked slowly. Jaypaws mind reeled for an excuse.
"Oh, uh, I'm friends with Lostpaw," Jaypaw lied. "We were making faces at each other."
"Oh," Sunflower looked both relieved and annoyed. "Well, stop it. Now is a time for listening, you can see Lostpaw for a few minutes after the gathering is over."
"Okay," Jaypaw replied. By now, Jaggedstar had finished his speech about Plantclan, and Rainclans leader Tallstar had stepped up, preparing to go next.
"Rainclan is in good health, the prey is running good and the river is low. We even had a few days of sun this moon," Tallstar chuckled to himself, along with a few others in the clearing. "The kits were overjoyed to play in the stream with no rain."
Jaypaw examined Rainclan, the cats were all noticeably smaller. Even Tallstar was little, the other leaders towered over him. But they all look very happy and content, Jaypaw thought, looking on at the apprentices sitting together, murmuring to each other. The mentors sat behind them, one of them caught Jaypaws eye. A tom cat was looking on proudly as his leader made the Rainclan announcement, but that's not what caught his attention. The cat had only one hind leg. I bet his warrior ceremony didn't get delayed, Jaypaw thought to himself. I bet if I was in Rainclan, they would have made me a warrior.
Sunflower cuffed him over the ear, hissing under her breath. "You're very distracted today," she whispered. "Please at least try to make an effort to pay attention."
"Okay, I'm sorry," Jaypaw muttered. He focused his mind back to Rainclan, and realized uncomfortably he had missed half of Tallstars speech.
"The waterfall at the end of our river may have caught a wild animal," Jaypaw heard Tallstar say out of context. "The rocks at the bottom are bloody, and the foam has turned red."
"Could it be a bear?" a cat called out.
"No, if it was a bear, there would have been a lot more blood," Tallstar explained. "What I'm afraid of is a cat fell in and went over the falls. I know you've all heard me say this a million times, but I'm going to say it again. Everyone, please be careful around the river. That's all for Rainclan."
"I'll go next for Deadclan," Redstar spoke up, cutting off Frostclans leader as he tried to offer to speak next. Jaypaw found himself tuning out again, eye moving back to where Whitefire was sitting. Now it didn't look like she was talking to anyone, she just sat still, picking apart leaves with her claws. Jaypaw wondered dimly where Denver went. If he went somewhere, it couldn't be far, Jaypaw thought to himself. I don't really think he'd just talk to Whitefire without doing anything. He scanned the clearing, then shook his head in disbelief. Here I am, scanning the clearing for a ghost. I think I must be going mad. Jaypaw shoved Denver out of his mind and forced himself to focus on the gathering. By now, Redstar was finished and Frostclans leader Sagestar was making his announcement.
"Frostclan has mourned a loss this moon," Sagestar said, voice guarded. "Mudclaw died yesterday."
Shocked mews erupted around the clearing. Jaypaw didn't join in, for he hadn't even shared so much as two words with the Frostclan warrior. He just knew who he was, Sunflower had taken him on a patrol once and they had ran into Mudclaw. Jaypaw personally got a bad vibe from him, so he kept his mouth shut and waited for Sagestar to continue.
"How did he die?" a cat called out. Sagestar stood rigid still, glaring at the crowd. Jaypaws eye flicked down to the deputy, Longwhisker. He was confused to see Longwhisker looked very cautious.
"He fell off the waterfall," Sagestar said at last. "He's probably the cat who Tallstar was talking about. No comments please," he hissed at the crowd. "We held a respectful burial for Mudclaw in our camp, even though there was no body. We are mourning. That's all for Frostclan."
"He fell off the waterfall?" Jaypaw heard Sunflower whisper to Sharpclaw. "I find that very hard to believe."
"Maybe he tripped and fell," Jaypaw suggested, turning around.
"Don't eavesdrop," was Sunflowers reply. Yeesh, I don't know what her problem is today, Jaypaw thought, turning his head back to the front. She's been acting like a wounded badger all day. His thoughts about his mentor disappeared as the gathering started to disassemble, cats started to wander to see friends from different clans.
"I'm gonna go see Lostpaw now," Jaypaw said abruptly, getting up quickly to avoid Sunflower starting up a long conversation. He heard Sunflower say something in return, but he didn't hear and didn't stop to ask her to repeat it. He tried to look nonchalant as he wandered over to Deadclan, making a point to go in the apprentices direction for Sunflowers sake. He spotted Whitefire slowly making her way up the hill to the trail back to her camp, and he ran a little farther to catch up.
"Hey, Jaypaw!"
Jaypaw silently swore and turned around, expecting to see Lostpaw. But it wasn't Lostpaw, the cat who had called him was the Deadclan deputy, Tigerlily.
"Oh, hi," Jaypaw said quickly.
"You don't usually come say hello to us," Tigerlily said kindly. "How are you doing?"
Jaypaw saw Whitefire stop and turn around. He forced himself not to be rude and meowed back, "I'm good."
"I've never see you up close before," Tigerlily said, leaning in towards him. "You're eye is cloudy."
"I know. I can't see through it," Jaypaw replied. "It's been that way since I was a kit."
"Do you want to come talk to the apprentices?" Tigerlily asked, gesturing to Lostpaw and Littlepaw who were huddled by themself. "I'm sure they would like a new friend."
Jaypaw stopped mentally swearing and looked at the two cats. They looked shy and uncomfortable, talking quietly to each other. Wait. There is no time for this.
"I'll maybe say hello in a few minutes," Jaypaw said quickly. "First off I want to talk to Whitefire."
"Why?" Tigerlily asked slowly.
"I saw her when I went on a walk," Jaypaw said, deciding to tell a half truth. "She was walking close to the border and she called out hello," he walked away before Tigerlily could respond.
"Whitefire!" Jaypaw called, picking up the pace. "Whitefire!"
"Oh, Jaypaw," Whitefire said, turning around. "It's you."
"Uh, yeah," Jaypaws excitement (which he didn't understand) faded as he looked at her dull eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Denvers here," Whitefire whispered, looking around with wide eyes. "I don't know where he went, though."
"So? That's good if he went away," Jaypaw said in disbelief. "Why do you look so sad about it?"
"He um, doesn't want me to talk to you," Whitefire said very quietly. "He said he would possess you if I did."
"Well you're talking to me right now, aren't you?" Jaypaw snapped, getting very fed up of Denvers threats. "He probably isn't even here anymore."
"I know," Whitefire muttered. "But I just have a terrible feeling he's gonna show up at any second."
"Don't let him scare you," Jaypaw said. "That's how he gets control."
"Well, he's had control for as long as I can remember," Whitefire said miserably. "Ever since I was made an apprentice."
"Jaypaw! We're leaving!"
Jaypaw sighed as he heard Sunflowers voice. "I have to go," he said reluctantly.
"I guess you do," Whitefire whispered, leaning forward to rest her cheek on his. "Goodbye."
Jaypaw got so flustered by the unexpected gesture he nearly fell over. "U–uh bye," then he broke away and ran back to his mentor.
He didn't notice the eyes of Denver narrow through the trees.
...
Jaypaw curled up by himself in the apprentices den, almost missing the warmth of his brothers. I guess I'll just have to get used to the cold, he thought to himself. It's not like it's gonna change any time soon. He sighed and closed his eyes, thoughts of Whitefire swimming around his mind like a fish. It took a long time for his mind to relax so he could sleep. But when Jaypaw finally fell unconscious, he did something he never does.
He dreamed.
Jaypaw padded through the trees, confused on where he was. The sun wasn't blue, it was a light shade of pink. Lighter pink clouds lazily drifted across the sky. He looked down, confused why he could see so clearly. As if to answer his thoughts, a glittering puddle appeared on the purple grass. Jaypaw looked down, eyes widening in surprise. His eye was not cloudy, instead, it was a vibrant yellow color. The color of a dandelion. His other eye was still green, but as he looked closer, Jaypaw could see little diamonds shining in the color. What the hell is going on, he thought to himself, lifting his head from the puddle. The trees were huge, Jaypaw figured they must stretch up to the moon. The leaves on the trees were all blue, shining in the pink sunlight. There was no bark on the trees, instead, it looked as though it was made of water. Jaypaw cautiously touched one with his paw. It was solid. Jaypaw could see his reflection in the solid water, and he was shocked by the sight. He had a huge mane, like a lion, bright orange. His body was bigger, and when he opened his mouth, long teeth glinted. Jaypaw looked away from the water and back down at himself. His shrimpy apprentice body hadn't changed.
"The trees are deceiving, aren't they?"
Jaypaw turned to see who had spoken, the little voice of the speaker sounded like a female kit. A pink furred cat stepped out from behind a tree, with striking purple eyes and glinting crystal blue claws. She was the strangest, most beautiful cat Jaypaw had ever seen.
"I was just looking at myself," the cat said, walking up to him. She peered into the same tree Jaypaw had looked into, and laughed. "Look," she said. Jaypaw looked over at her reflection, and gasped. She had the body of a tiger, purple stripes rippling through her pink pelt. She opened her mouth, baring crystal blue teeth the same color as her claws.
"You look... beautiful," was all Jaypaw could say.
"I know," the she cat giggled. "But then I look back down... and the tiger is gone."
"What... is this place?" Jaypaw asked. I've had weird dreams before but this is getting a bit extreme.
"It's Starclan," the she cat said. "Fun, isn't it? The colors are so bright!"
"Yeah," Jaypaw looked back into the tree, examining his lion mane again. "I wish life was really like this."
"It could be," the she cat shrugged. When Jaypaw looked at her in confusion, she giggled. "Don't look so scared, you silly goose!" she cried. "All I meant was you can have this forever, if you want to."
"Um, I don't know about that," Jaypaw said.
"I didn't even have to think about it," the cat sighed dreamily. "Here, you can do whatever you want."
"Prove it," Jaypaw said.
"Um, okay," the cat thought for a moment. "Think of a cat you would like to see."
Jaypaw closed his eyes and thought of his father.
"Open your eyes, Jaypaw."
Jaypaw opened his eyes, not registering the fact that the cat had just said his name when he hadn't told her it yet. He forgot about it at once when he saw his dad Scarface standing beside the she cat.
"Dad!" Jaypaw cried. Scarfaces dark pelt was gone, replaced with a startling gold color.
"Hey, son," Scarface said happily. "I've missed you."
Even though it was only a dream, Jaypaws heart lifted and he raced to him. "Dad, have you been here before?" he asked.
"I come here all the time," Scarface replied. "I was hoping you'd find it one day."
"I'm so glad I did," Jaypaw said. "Now we can be together all the time!"
"Oh, but it doesn't work that way," Scarface sighed sadly. "I can only come here once a moon."
"Once a moon?!" Jaypaw crowed. "But... that's such a short time!"
"That's why I've been thinking about coming here permanently," Scarface said, smiling at the pink she cat.
"Why can't we just play together in the real world?"Jaypaw asked suddenly. "I don't care about all this fancy stuff. I just want to be with you."
"I have no time," Scarface shook his head sadly. "Plantclan is a full time job."
"So is being a father," Jaypaw said quietly. Scarface looked over at the pink cat, eyes holding an expression Jaypaw didn't understand.
"I think I'm ready," Scarface said to her. "I want to be here forever."
"I was hoping you'd say that today," the pink cat said in her little kit voice.
"How do we come here forever?" Jaypaw asked. "Dad, I want to be here with you forever."
"I know, son," his dad replied. "We will."
"There's just one tiny little thing you have to do," the pink she cat giggled. "It's no big deal. I did it in like five minutes."
"Well, let's do it," Jaypaw looked determinedly at Scarface. "Then we'll never be apart."
"Alright, Jaypaw," the pink cat said. "There's just a few questions you have to answer."
Jaypaw looked at his dad, who encouraged him with a smile and nod. Jaypaw turned back to the pink cat. "Okay," he said.
"The first one is, are you ready to give up you're normal life in the real world for the world you've just entered?"
Jaypaw looked at his fathers golden face, and nodded. "I'm ready."
"Okay," the pink cat said. "Question two is, are you willing to sell your soul?"
Jaypaw stopped smiling. He looked at her, confused. "Why would I have to do that?"
"It's alright son," his father encouraged from behind him. "I'm right here."
"Uh, then yes," Jaypaw whispered. He was starting to get a weird gut feeling, anxiety was being to crawl through his bones.
"You're doing good!" the pink cat giggled. "Alright, one more question. Will you agree to sell your soul to me, in exchange for giving you this beautiful world with your father?"
Something wasn't clicking in Jaypaws brain. He looked around, the colors swirled and seemed so inviting. The sun blazed, and a creek opened up, glittering blue.
"Jaypaw, why aren't you answering?" his dad asked in concern. "Is there something wrong?"
"I just..." Jaypaw started. "I don't understand why she needs me to promise my soul to her."
"If you don't want to, that's fine," Scarface said sadly. "The sun will be up soon anyway... and everyone will start waking up..." he started to fade.
"No! Dad!" Jaypaw called. Scarface stopped fading.
"I'll do it," Jaypaw said determinedly. "I want to be with you forever."
"So...?" the pink cat whispered.
"You can have my soul," Jaypaw said. "Take it. I don't want it. I just want my dad."
"Very good, Jaypaw," the pink cat smiled. Jaypaw smiled back and turned back to his dad. To his surprise, he wasn't there.
"Dad?" Jaypaw said.
Then everything changed.
The blue leaves on the trees started to fall at a rapid rate, leaving them bare and creepy looking. The sky turned black, and the grass started to grow, weeds and plants looming large over Jaypaw. Jaypaw was starting to panic, terror running through his veins.
"Dad?" he cried. "Dad, where are you!"
"He's not here."
Jaypaw turned back to the pink cat. She slowly walked towards him, eyes narrowing.
"W-where's my father?" Jaypaw asked, backing away. Lighting started to crack in the sky, thunder booming.
"Why would you say something like that, Jaypaw?" the pink cat asked in a monotone voice. Jaypaw noticed it was starting to sound robotic.
"What... what did you do?" Jaypaw whispered, looking around at the horrific scene.
"Nothing, Jaypaw. I did nothing."
Jaypaw looked up at her, eyes widening in fear. As the pink cat walked towards him, her blue crystal claws snapped off, replacing with long scraggly black ones. Her pink fur started to stretch and fall off, her body doubling its size. Her purple eyes sunk into her head, making black holes in her face that seemed to sink into her skull. Wait, I don't think that's a female cat at all, Jaypaw thought as he scrambled backwards. In fact, I think that might be...
"Surprise," Denver snarled, then lunged forward with his teeth bared.