Well, let's just say I'm sorry this took so long, but I hope you like it, and I hope you enjoy the creepiness :)
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The stone of the cave was cold beneath her paws as she descended into the darkness, her senses alert for the slightest sound. In the shadows, no light existed to guide her, and her sensitive gaze was useless. Even the brightness of her pelt was quenched beneath the earth.
When she reached the central chamber, the heart of the cave, she paused for a moment, listening to the sound of her breathing interrupting the silence. This was it. This was the very moment that she had been waiting for all her life. She had murdered and lied to be here tonight. She felt no remorse.
"I am here, if you will have me," she murmured to the air, and then paced towards the stone in the center of the chamber. It was dark still, though the faint lick of frigid air form the outside told her that this was the right place. Steeling herself, she settled near the stone and placed her nose gently on its edge. Moments passed.
And then, with no sound or fanfare, a shaft of moonlight speared into the cave from the sky high overhead, and the Moonstone was lit as if on fire. It sparkled like ice, colorless and yet brilliant. She opened her eyes to gaze it once, and then slipped into a deep sleep.
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For a second or two, Icefang was confused. She was surrounded by darkness. Had she even fallen asleep, or was she still awake in the cave? But then she remembered it lit by the moon, and realized that she was dreaming.
She looked around with new eyes, and saw farther. Not darkness, but trees. She was in a forest. Was this how it was supposed to happen? Was this StarClan?
Frowning, the white she-cat rose to her feet and started off into the woods. Better to do some exploring than just sit around and wait for them to find her.
She had been wandering for some time, blindly making her way through the trees, when she realized that she was being followed. Instantly alert, Icefang froze and tasted the air again. Yes, definitely a strange scent on the wind. It was a mix between sweet herbs and the tang of the Thunderpath, an odd combination that set Icefang's pelt on end.
Icefang took a deep breath and sat down, waiting for her pursuer to appear. If it was a StarClan cat, she would demand it take her to the place where she would receive her nine lives, as she was pressed for time and would like to return to her Clan as soon as possible. If it wasn't a StarClan cat… Icefang's whisker twitched. What if this isn't StarClan?
A pale figure appeared at the corners of her vision, slipping in and out between the trees. When she looked, it disappeared. Then it's voice reached her ears, musical and distinctly male.
"Why are you here, Icefang? What business have you in these woods?"
The voice sent a shiver down her spine. It was at once eerily familiar and grotesquely strange.
"I have come to receive the nine lives of a leader," she replied, trying to keep her voice strong.
The cat was suddenly before her, a pale orange tabby made of starlight.
"You should not have come," he said, his expression grave. "You have committed many crimes."
Icefang's heart thudded. "My crimes are justified," she protested, panic rising in her chest. Could they turn her away? Would they turn her away? As Cinderstar had said, there was no one better suited to lead the Clan. Icefang was their only hope.
The starlit warrior stared at her, his eyes unfathomably deep.
"My name is Frostfire. You should follow me," he meowed suddenly.
Without another word, the tabby tom sprang away into the darkness once more. Icefang scrambled to her feet and shot after him, racing to keep his flashing pelt in her sights as he sprinted through the forest, making no sound.
"Slow down!" she called, as the tom disappeared on the other side of a fallen tree. The trunk was so massive that Icefang couldn't see the forest beyond it. Gathering her strength, the white she-cat launched herself at the barrier, latching on with sharp claws and little by little scaling the tree's girth. Yet every time she managed to clamber a few whisker lengths farther, the distance to the top of the tree seemed to grow. Steeling herself, Icefang gripped the wood harder and turned her head slightly to gaze at the ground below.
A yowl escaped her throat, and a chill swept down her spine. She couldn't have climbed more than a few tail-lengths, but suddenly the forest floor seemed to have dropped away behind her. She could barely make out the leaf-strewn earth far, far below.
"Frostfire!" she wailed, clutching the side of the tree. If she didn't reach the top of the tree soon, she would surely fall to her death. If it was even possible to die within a dream.
"This is not my doing, Icefang," came an echoing meow. Shivering, Icefang tore her gaze from the distant ground and looked up to find Frostfire seated on the crest of the tree-wall, gazing forlornly down at her. "The ancestors are testing you."
"How does this decide whether or not I will make a good leader?" growled Icefang, but she dug in her claws and continued climbing nonetheless.
Finally, after what seemed like moons of scrabbling, Icefang felt the slope of the log evening out, and she scampered the rest of the way to its top. Panting, she skittered to a stop and peered over the other side. The forest floor had been transformed into a field of lush, verdant grass, and it was just a few paw-lengths away. Jaded, Icefang leapt to the ground and gave her pelt a vigorous shake.
"What was that?" she hissed, smoothing her fur back into place.
Frostfire brushed against her shoulder as he passed, murmuring, "A passage." A moment later, his glittering form disintegrated, disappearing into thin air like fog burned away by the sun. Icefang watched and waited, unfazed. Warm, tantalizing prey smells wafted across the grassy fields toward her, and in the distance she could make out something shiny that appeared to the edge of a wide, placid river. The sky above, unbroken by the crowns of dark trees or even a single wisp of cloud, was a brilliant, vibrant blue. All in all, the scene looked exactly as Icefang would have pictured the endless lands of Silverpelt.
"You made it," came a delicate purr.
Icefang resisted the urge to whirl and attack. She took a deep breath and turned to face the speaker. It was a small, slender black she-cat, with bright eyes that seemed to dance with merriment.
"Apparently," Icefang replied hesitantly. Whatever test she'd passed, it seemed to have made the cats of StarClan a might friendlier toward her.
"We were terribly worried, dear one," continued the black she-cat, her tail curling and uncurling over her head. She circled Icefang slowly, a bounce in her step.
"Is this StarClan?" Icefang felt she had to ask, after her unusual meeting with Frostfire.
"Of course, mousebrain!" giggled the black she-cat, dipping her head and twitching her whiskers. Her steps turned into a sort of dance as she laughed gaily. "Where else is the breeze so sweet, the grass so soft beneath one's weary paws?"
Icefang nodded, smiling, and was seized by a sudden, desperate urge to laugh and cavort alongside this strange StarClan warrior. Warmth blossomed beneath her pelt, and for just the merest second Icefang's vision was filled with delightful scenes from her kithood: the comforting feeling of her mother's tongue against her fur; her sibling's paws kneading her side, asleep in their wicker basket; saucers of cream set by the windowsill where the sun shone just right…
"Let her go, Dreamstalker. You do not belong here."
The deep voice instantly shook Icefang awake. The first thing she noticed was the feeling of thorn-sharp claws hooked in her ruff. Hissing wildly, Icefang lurched forward, tossing her attacker to the side.
A steady paw was suddenly placed between Icefang's shoulders, pressing her to the ground. Bristling, Icefang tried to squirm out from beneath its weight, but her muscles felt weak and useless. Her gaze flickered around wildly, trying to understand.
The black she-cat was picking herself up off the grass a few tail-lengths away, peering at Icefang with a sour expression on her angular face. From her position shoved face-first in the grass, Icefang could only discern a shadow above her in place of the heavy paw.
"You bring evil here, Icefang of ThunderClan," intoned the same, bone shaking voice. The weight on Icefang's shoulders disappeared, and she struggled to her feet, breathing hard. Facing her was a massive white tomcat. Aside from sheer imposing size, he had a regal air about him that quelled a few of the more violent remarks itching in Icefang's throat. Instead, she managed to growl, "Who are you?"
"My name is not important," said the tom, slowly turning to look at her. His eyes were the very dark green of a deep, silent river.
Disturbed, Icefang quickly looked away. Her eyes found the black she-cat, crouched against the grass, watching them sharply. Anger once again rose in Icefang's chest, and she marched towards the small creature with narrowed eyes.
"What did you do to me?" she hissed, stopping before the she-cat and lashing her tail furiously.
"Nothing," the she-cat spat. She looked extremely put out, as though she'd been given a pile of juicy mice and only now discovered that every last one was crowfood. "Just playing."
"You were about to bite my head off!" snapped Icefang, her lip curling.
"I wasn't!" she wailed suddenly, startling Icefang. "I wasn't, really!"
"Leave this place, Dreamstalker. You do not belong here," repeated the white cat. His towering shape entered Icefang's vision, and she scrambled out of the way hastily, not a moment before he came charging past with thundering pawsteps.
The black she-cat, presumably Dreamstalker, made an irritated noise and turned to flee. She vanished before reaching the dark shadow at the edge of the grass, gone without a sound. The white tom, seemingly satisfied with his success, promptly followed, and Icefang was alone once again.
Not for long, it seemed. Not seconds later, as Icefang was still trying to gather her wits, yet another voice called out from somewhere behind her, a simple "Hello there!". This time it was a more gentle voice, not somber, sinister or thunderous. Hoping to finally meet someone who could tell her what to do, Icefang turned and surveyed this next arrival.
The speaker was a brown tabby tom, of average size and with no mysterious airs surrounding him, whose eyes were an average yellow-green color. His pelt had the faintest glitter of starlight, but then that was to be expected. Grateful, Icefang bounded forward to meet him.
"Hello," she replied, nodding to him in greeting. She didn't seem to have made the best impressions on any StarClan warriors she had met thus far, so she might as well try with this one.
"Welcome, welcome," meowed the tom. "You're Icefang, I presume?" His smile was polite, his expression content, and his manner as a whole satisfyingly uninteresting. Icefang grinned back.
"I am," she acknowledged.
"By the stars, Icefang, you do seem to attract the most curious company," said the tom jovially. He glanced over her shoulder at the dark wall of forest and shook his head.
"Yes, well…" muttered Icefang following his gaze. "Who were they?"
The brown tabby sighed and motioned with his tail for her to come closer. She leaned in to listen as he explained.
"There are, of course, those warriors who are unfit to join our ranks," he began. Icefang felt instantly cold, all politeness and cheer chased from her manner. The tom didn't seem to notice the sudden hardening of her gaze though, and he continued with his story. "They reside, as I'm sure you are aware, in a ghastly forest called the Place of No Stars. Fitting name, I'm afraid." He shook his head sadly. "Only the worst of the worst have to live out their days there."
Icefang's pelt prickled. Was this all some cruel prelude to an even worse joke? Would the cats of StarClan really decide not to give her nine lives? If so, how could she returned to ThunderClan and explain to them that even StarClan had rejected her?
"Occasionally, some of those twisted souls find a way to creep out of the woods. In fact, a few have made it their never-ending game to follow dreamers through a gap in the stars, just to take a breath of our air before they are banished back to their dismal abode."
"That black cat," breathed Icefang, remembering the white tom's words.
"Dreamstalker. She has a particularly nasty way of subduing her enemies."
"And the white one?" asked Icefang, curiosity overcoming her dread at the tabby's words.
"Ah," he meowed, smiling. "He is the Guardian."
Icefang waited a moment for the tom to continue, but when he remained silent, staring into space as though los tin other thoughts, Icefang decided it wasn't worth pursuing.
"And then, can I ask who you are?" she meowed, becoming slightly impatient with his nonchalance. She really did want to get this entire affair over with as quickly as possible, and so far it seemed just about everything had gone wrong.
"Forgive me, my name is Bramblefoot," introduced the tabby warrior, bowing slightly. "And I've chatted for too long. The others will be awaiting your arrival by the Pool of Stars." He waved his tail and turned to lope in the opposite direction, leaving the shadowy forest behind.
"By others," said Icefang trotting to catch up with him, "do you mean the cats who are going to give me my lives?"
Bramblefoot glanced at her and smiled complacently. He had seemed refreshingly nice and normal at first, but now Icefang was beginning to get irritated by his perfectly happy attitude.
"I can't really say," he mewed. "You see, I'm not really part of their little 'inner circle'." He laughed and twitched his whiskers dismissively.
"Oh," muttered Icefang. "Well then what are you?"
"Just a messenger, I suppose," he replied with a shrug. "No one important." He smiled and laughed again, throwing back his head as thought it was the cleverest of jokes.
Icefang snorted under her breath and gave up asking questions, instead looking around and taking in her surroundings as they traveled across the open fields. There were no other cats in sight, although Icefang felt distinctly that the place was occupied. There was a perceptible hum of activity in the air, as though just over the next hill they would stumble upon a bustling community of starry warriors going about their daily business.
"Just a little farther," said Bramblefoot cheerfully. They were coming down the gentle slope of a hill now, and the shimmer on the horizon that Icefang had first noticed was now in full view.
It wasn't a wide river, as she had guessed, but a pool of clear water the size of the Fourtrees hollow, banks dotted with shrubs and a few small, delicate trees. On the right side of the pool, a cherry tree extended over the water, its branches clouded with perfect pink blossoms. Icefang's gaze was quickly drawn to the group of cats milling about the base of the cherry tree, and she couldn't help but pick up the pace, flying ahead of Bramblefoot as they neared the pool.
"Hello, there they are!" someone called. "Look, look, they've arrived!" A chorus of greetings arose from the shaded area beneath the canopy of the tree, and Icefang had the curious feeling that every one of these cats knew her inside and out and had missed her terribly in the time since they'd seen each other, and she felt inexplicably happy to hear their voices again.
"Thank you, Bramblefoot," meowed the biggest cat, a ginger tabby who stepped forward out of the group and nodded to them as Icefang and Bramblefoot neared. Bramblefoot trotted forward and dipped his head to the ginger tom, still smiling.
"My pleasure, Skyheart, truly. Always at your service." With another little bow, Bramblefoot turned, padded a few steps, and then evaporated. Icefang jumped, surprise quickly replaced by annoyance. Why couldn't they all just walk away like normal cats? Was it that hard, really?
"Greetings, Icefang," meowed Skyheart, the ginger tabby, padding forward and giving Icefang's forehead a swift lick. Now that Bramblefoot was gone, the rest of the warriors had quieted down, and the welcome feeling that Icefang had felt as she was approaching had gone, leaving a disconcertingly empty place within her chest.
"I believe a few introductions are in order, before we begin," he said matter-of-factly, directing Icefang to sit by the base of the tree. She sat willingly, watching as the nine cats organized themselves in a semicircle before her. Realizing that this was the moment she had been working towards her entire life, Icefang tried to feel ecstatic, but it was as if something was blocking any emotion she had. With this realization, Icefang suddenly… was calm. Not even a little flutter of panic. Her mind reeled. They were doing something to her, blocking her emotions, stealing even the slightest flicker of happiness that she might have been able to glean from this momentous occasion. She couldn't even be angry about it.
A tiny tabby tom with little white feet stepped out of the end of the line. His eyes were sad, almost pitying. "My name is Needleclaw," he said, his voice the faintest of whispers. "A great wrong was done to me."
That was when Icefang began to feel the cold. Instead of fear or anger, all she noticed was that first her paws grew frosty, and the sensation crept up her limbs until it reached her spine, rushing up and down through her tail and up to her neck, flooding her chest and making her eyes sting.
This is not how it's supposed to be.
That thought clouded out all else in Icefang's mind as she listened, shivering, to the nine StarClan warriors speak their names and how they had died.