Chapter 7: Maggots to Rabbits

"I call the first meeting of the Unseen Stars."

Frecklewish giggled at my formality.

"You know it is just us three. You don't need to call a meeting."

"I think it is good practice." I replied. "If belief and faith have power here, rituals become something with even more power. They should be able to do what one cat cannot."

"I concur. From what I've experienced, two can do more than one with the powers the Dark Forest allows."

Splitpelt's opinions where always odd to hear. He'd always give such logic driven answers. This contrasted with the fact that he was actually a shameless flirt in private. I guess he wasn't lying about being the founder's lust on top of other traits they found unsuitable for Starclan. I didn't think I'd ever accept his offer given I still had three kits waiting for me and was still coming down from the heartbreak that was Appledusk. Frecklewish also did not seem interested in his advances. Maybe it was the way he looked, or maybe it was something else.

I caught myself drifting again. It was all too easy to do in a place that lacked any sense of time and had no goals. I shook myself out before continuing our conversation.

"Anyways, I think we need to find an answer to the food situation before we go recruiting."

Splitpelt seemed intrigued by the topic, and I could faintly see drool slipping out of the corner of Frecklewish's mouth. I still did not feel hunger, but if my plan fails, it may become a taboo topic.

"What were you thinking? We can't conjure it like stone."

"Remember how you said we can't create life here? That's not entirely true. I created moss which is a living thing. I think the problem lies in the factor of a soul. We could conjure rabbits if we had the soul to give them. That's where I'm stuck. I don't like the idea of cannibalizing echoes to create a few rabbits and mice. Anything would work as a base as long as it's a creature."

Splitpelt looked thoughtful as he went over his experiences here. He knew he saw life somewhere that was repulsive to eat, but where? Then a thought struck him. Where do Starclan's rotted meals go?

"The Rot Pile!"

"The what?" Frecklewish replied.

"It's where all the wasted food from Starclan goes. It's, as the name implies, a giant mound of rotting meat."

"I may be hungry, but I don't think I want to be eating something rotting."

"No. No. My dear. You missed the point. In the rotting meat is maggots. Mapleshade asked for living creatures. Would you not say maggots would be living creatures?"

It dawned on me. Splitpelt may not be as creative as me, but he was a lot more logistical when given a task. I instantly knew that no matter how far our group goes, he'd likely maintain his position as a key advisor.

"That is a great idea. The worst that happens is we wasted some time, and we have far too much of that here."

Frecklewish nodded at me. She still did not trust the amalgamation cat. I gestured for Splitpelt to lead the way. What we saw was deeply disgusting. It was not a mound of rotting meat. It was a large hill or mountain of rotting meat. Within it were squirming masses of white maggots. I tried not to wretch at the sight. The smell was of death. If not for my convictions, I'd have left immediately.

"Well. This is it. I'm going to try it now. As dumb as it sounds, believe that I can do it. I think it'll help."

I closed my eyes and re-imagined the mass of insects as the globs I'd seen when I'd done my cloud theory. I pulled at them to get a mass that I assumed was about the size of a rabbit. Outside, my companions saw a ball of maggots float into the air. I could feel the many tiny souls' insect nature and began to rip that aspect away. My other senses were void at this time, so I did not hear my companions panic as the mass became an amorphous blob of flesh. It was now a thing that had a soul, but no nature. I began shaping it into something familiar. A rabbit. I remembered every little detail about what a rabbit was and compelled the mass to match. It took a couple heartbeats before it became what I wanted. I peaked at my creation. A startled rabbit was floating in the air. It wanted to run, but its mind was too simple to resist my grip. I lowered it for one of my companions to take. Frecklewish killed it.

"So… Do you want to try it?" Frecklewish compelled Splitpelt.

"Why not. I've eaten maggots before. Worst case scenario, it just tastes like maggots."

Splitpelt bit into the rabbit and I saw tears run down his face.

"It's amazing. I never thought I'd taste something like this."

He wolfed down the whole thing and looked at me with revelry. Meanwhile Frecklewish just looked upset that she hadn't gotten any.

"No worries sis. I can make another, but it is time consuming. I wonder if we can get them breeding?"

"What would they eat?" Replied Frecklewish.

"I don't know. They eat grass which I'm pretty sure I can make. It's the idea that they could breed here that might be impossible."

"I don't think that is a problem. I told you souls grow over time. Making a child here is just splitting off a fragment and mixing it with another. Then you have a child of the original. The fragment used will grow back." Answered Splitpelt.

So, it was possible. I'd just have to somehow change the base breeding instinct of the rabbits to include this fragment fusion method. Then I wouldn't need to actively generate rabbits. Before I started that project, I made a rabbit for Frecklewish. She did mention it tasted a bit different, but not bad. I took a taste and it was exactly as I remembered it. That was likely it. Rabbits conjured will taste how I remember them.

I led my companions to a clearing I either conjured or found. It would have to do for my prey grove.

"This is going to take a lot of power, so I need you two to believe in me for this. I'm going to make a place for our prey to live."

I could actually feel it as my companions put their faith in me. It was like I was being filled with electricity. I would not waste it. First, I dried the mud and churned it into dirt. With the water, I generated a small lake in the center. I then willed grass and shrubs and life to grow. Some of the neighboring trees sprouted leaves and others sprouted needles. Bushes and shrubs and herbs sprang forth. I made all the little things our prey could desire. I even conjured a fake sky with a day and night cycle. It may not have been accurate, but it would have to do. I felt drained. This had taken an immense amount of energy. My companions were exhausted as well, but I don't leave things half finished. I made a gate to the Rot Pile and began generating all the prey animals I could think of. Shrews, voles, mice, rabbits, squirrels, fish, frogs, etc. By the end of my generation session, I'd passed out. Frecklewish and Splitpelt had to carry me back. Thankfully, I put one last protection on our prey place. I willed it to only be able to be found by those who have already seen it. No Darkforest cat would stumble upon it without our aid.