Chapter 78: Cat of His Dreams

You know, I learned something fascinating about dreams. They reinforce themselves. As I prepared to dive into Rusty's subconscious yet again, I noticed something odd. Things were functioning as planned, too much so. I hadn't even planted anything, and yet Rusty was already contemplating a moral dilemma. Behind him stood a familiar fox red cat stinking of mint. It wasn't me. In fact, it wasn't even a real cat. It was a manifestation of Rusty's mind.

To say this was fascinating was an understatement. I didn't even need to do anything and Rusty was testing himself. The moral questions also got harder. These were even questions that would pause me for a while. I wouldn't have actually forced these difficult of decisions on the kit, but he seemed to enjoy these questions somewhat if his mind went out of its way to create more dubious ones. The only thing that bugged me was the imposter.

The catlike manifestation had all the parts I had revealed to Rusty, but it didn't act perfectly like me. It hung around Rusty, not maternally, but like a mate. I doubted the kit understood the concept yet, but the actions must have reflected the knowledge the kit knew. The kit had seen she-cats cling that closely to a male they trusted. They hovered nearby, not protectively, but to just be near. These were all signs of being mates, but Rusty must have it internalized differently. He never saw my manifestation as a helper. He saw it as a female figure always nearby. His perception shaped his dream, and my dream form became what he believed it was, a close female cat.

The issue was not what the double was doing now. While Rusty was young, this behavior was fine. The issue was that Rusty would subconsciously remember this being. Those previously innocent actions would be shaped by his future perceptions. While he doesn't understand the signals now, he will and he'll remember the dream me. He'll think she's the mate of his dreams, and the double will match it as such. It is a strange irony that as I shape dreams, they shape reality and the me they know.

I couldn't just remove the double. It was too integrated with the dream, but it was also me. I could make it act. The best I could do was keep it aloof. I pulled it back further from Rusty. I could not make it go away, but I could make it watch from a distance. I knew Rusty was keenly aware of the dream cat's presence. It was more a matter of ensuring the dream cat was not seen the same again. I kept it watching from the tree line. Rusty may follow it, but it would always be just dipping out of sight, its tail tantalizingly guiding the young tom on.

I think, to him, I became something of a manifestation of his desire. I was no longer just the cat of the forest. I was the temptation too. Every day I guided him further, pushed him harder, made him want it more. I knew the time was drawing near. He knew the basics better than a kit would. He knew how to think and question. He always wanted things to be better than they were while knowing the cost of sacrifice.

Meanwhile Starclan was making its move as well. They knew not of my influence, but they decided it was time to act. I felt it ripple across the barrier. It was sharp and powerful. The Thunderclan medicine cat actually reeled in shock. It was the most forceful prophecy they'd ever felt. It was the prophecy of fire.

It didn't take long for Thunderclan to begin their search. I knew they'd find him. The little firebrand never could take his eyes off the forest given how much I prodded him. They knew he was the one, but they wanted justification first. Well, I am the type to give pushes.

The next time Rusty dreamed, I gave him a vivid hunt. I put in an enormous amount of effort to make it as realistic and fantastic as possible. He needed to want it. Towards the end, when I knew the dream was fading and the memories of the dream would be faint, I sent him a thought, not a whisper. All I said was "Today," and that was it. I knew he'd be off.

I watched as Rusty ventured into the forest, fought an apprentice and gained the respect of Bluestar. The adorable kit made me proud. He didn't leave immediately, but I didn't need to pester his dreams anymore. I left him to pursue his destiny.

I only checked in on him the following night, curious what his new dream would hold. That was likely a bad idea, not because I did anything, but remember how I said dreams interpretations are reshaped by the cat's future perceptions? Well, my double was the victim of the reassessment. Likely Rusty had somehow sensed me beneath the form I designed, but he had no concept of a cat with a multi color patch coat. Now he knew one, and his mind put the thoughts together. The double was now a calico, but it wasn't me. It was the medicine cat, and apparently my efforts of distancing the double had done the opposite of intended. Instead of being a distant guide, it was an infatuating presence. I accidentally gave the prophesized cat a crush on their medicine cat.

This would come back to bite me. I couldn't have Rusty, now Firepaw, chasing that cat his entire time he was with the clan. I'd have to patrol his dreams. I kept the double back, not encouraging the affectionate desires Firepaw wished for. That was a lot more difficult than it sounds. The dream's creator has a lot more influence than an outside force. It was lucky that it was me planting the dreams, because Firepaw could have easily overpowered Frecklewish or Splitpelt. I had to push with almost every fiber of my being to keep Firepaw's crush from going overboard. At least within two moons Firepaw was mostly over the crush. The real medicine cat wasn't all that interested in an apprentice's crush. Thus, reality shaped the dream. The double started keeping its distance on its own. That wasn't to say it didn't guide. Firepaw just now saw it as a bit more mystical instead of romantic.

Regardless of me redirecting Firepaw's crush and fixing my accident, I had to wonder how this would influence the ending. If the prophecy ended up being true, someday Firepaw would see me. He may not really know me now, but all the pieces were there. He would recognize me. How would he act on the day of prophecy when the real cat of his dreams appeared?