Life 1:5

The morning's light cut through the foliage over the Thunderclan camp. Cats were waking and going on to do their morning obligations. Among them was Runningwind as well as the two apprentices who Bluestar seemed to have foisted upon him. Runningwind could not help but stare at the two apprentices. While Firepaw had already taken his lessons fairly well and was advanced for an apprentice, Runningwind had no idea how to place Snakepaw's skill level. Each lesson he tried to teach, Snakepaw would take seriously, but he also seemed to already seem accustomed to the lesson. It was more akin to a warrior relearning a skill they hadn't used in a while. To Runningwind, it was perplexing as well as frustrating. How was he supposed to teach his apprentice if his apprentice already knew everything he could teach? Runningwind needed an answer. How could he aid his apprentice without knowing what the apprentice lacked.

"Alright. Snakepaw, I'm going to be honest here. Somehow, I feel that everything I'm trying to teach you, you already know. It… is making being a mentor difficult. I need to know, how do you already know these skills?" Runningwind mewed.

Snakepaw's expression took on a serious look. The quirky apprentice's voice was firm as he spoke. "Not here. We can talk about it when we're alone. I don't mind Firepaw joining us, but I will say some things that sound outlandish. If I am to tell you, you must not attempt to deny what I am saying, or you will instinctively forget it. I know a good spot, similar in nature to the Moonstone but older. Its power will help overcome the amnesia effect."

Runningwind stared at the apprentice with concern, but the serious face that he'd never in all his memory recalled the apprentice wearing made him have to take the apprentice seriously. Based upon what the apprentice said, there was something related to Starclan in this. He'd have to trust the apprentice, or at least humor him for now.

Firepaw looked at his fellow apprentice with anticipation. It was finally time to get some answers. At the same time, he feared those answers. Snakepaw made it sound like there was a very real chance those answers would have a lasting after effect that could even change his memory. Snakepaw said he'd have to trust his word without any doubt or suffer the effects of whatever was going on. It was terrifying, and yet at the same time, Firepaw desperately wanted to know, to risk it. Bluestar knew, and so he felt sure he'd somehow pass this test.

The trio left on what was supposedly a hunting patrol. After breaking sight of the camp, Snakepaw took the lead. Where Snakepaw led them left them somewhat confused. He winded through the underbrush, making a path into territory that was largely unused due to the density of undergrowth. Firepaw and Runningwind sometimes had to shove through bushes to even follow the enigmatic apprentice. Finally, Snakepaw stopped in front of a massive oak tree. The clearing the tree generated was fairly small, but the tree itself looked ancient. It had thick boughs that looked wide enough to comfortably sit upon. Snakepaw looked up at the tree.

"We climb from here. At the top, there's a hollow. This tree had likely once been twice as tall, but it snapped in a windstorm. This place was special to Skyclan, a place spiritually connected, even if it didn't have the same power as the Moonstone. This was where Skyclan's medicine cats stayed. The medicine den would not have been far away." Snakepaw lectured with a somewhat reverent tone before beginning to scale the tree.

Runningwind did not know what to make of this new story. It sounded farfetched, and yet at the same time, he could actually feel it. This place had power. It reminded him of when he visited the Moonstone as an apprentice. There was just this aura that made this place feel powerful. Every sound smelled sharper. The wind tasted sweeter. Even the tree seemed somehow more detailed. Every other tree in a passing glance seemed indistinct. They were wood. This tree however, he could just feel the pattern of the bark. Even though it should be uninteresting, it was eye-catching. Runningwind began to climb, almost feeling sorry for marring the tree. It was as he climbed that he somehow noticed other pock marks, no claw marks, where cats had climbed before. It was exactly as Snakepaw said. At the top was a flat top, almost like the stumps at the Treecut Place. And yet, it felt so alive.

Firepaw climbed the tree with ease. Its branches gave good grips for even the most unskilled climber to be able to get up. As he climbed, he felt a certain warmth, as if this place was greeting him. A breeze tickled his fur almost as if he were caressed. When he reached the top, he definitely felt it. This place felt not only alive but full. It felt like Thunderclan's camp on a warm sunny day. He couldn't see them, but somehow, he knew there were cat spirits all around them, and they welcomed him.

"Welcome to the Place Where We Touch the Stars. It has been far too long since I've been back here. Hopefully they forgive me for waiting so long. Now, I can give you some answers. With their aid, I should be able to let you know without you feeling the aftereffects." Snakepaw mewed, seemingly somewhere between reminiscing and being informal.

Runningwind and Firepaw felt something, as if the power of this area was becoming more dense.

"It seems they are willing. Now I'll tell you all I can. Runningwind. Once you've accepted what I have to say, we shouldn't need to return here again. You'll be immune to the mind effect. Firepaw already is. Cats with connections to prophecies generally are. Let's begin." Snakepaw mewed, moving to a seated position. Somehow, Snakepaw looked far older and younger than they knew he was. His posture spoke of experience somehow far beyond an elder but with the looseness of a kit.

"My name is, has, was, and will always be Snake. I am the cat both blessed and cursed with a form of immortality. Whenever I die, I am reborn again somewhere new, but I remember who I was. I am far older than even the clans themselves. Snakes… They used to be a revered creature to your ancestors. Cats once thought snakes were unaging. Fore once a snake grew old, its scales paling and growing dry, it would pull a new form free, fresh and seemingly young. I am a snake, one who sheds his life to be pulled into one anew. There is no end. It is a cruel and beautiful cycle bestowed upon me alone." Snakepaw, no, Snake stated.

Somehow, Runningwind just knew Snake wasn't lying. His words felt too emotional, too serious for it to be anything else. This apprentice, no, this cat bore an unbelievable gift that he could not even fathom. What would it mean to be immortal, to never move on to Starclan and always come back to a new life. It sounded amazing, and yet at the same time tragic beyond reason. It left Runningwind speechless. Having accepted Snake's words, he somehow felt changed, like an unseen fog had lifted from his mind. Was this what Snake had meant by needing to accept him?

The energy of the area suddenly dispersed. Things seemed to have faded back into normalcy.

"It seems I've used up all the energy this place could gather. Given that this place is no longer revered, it will be quite some time before I can do this again here. Now that I no longer have to fear harming you with my knowledge, feel free to ask some questions."

- Next chapter will be a brief Q and A about the lore of this AU. Feel free to post some questions about Snakepaw and his past lives. I'll answer them after rewording the questions to ones Runningwind and Firepaw would ask. Q and A's will happen somewhat regularly, so if I missed your question, I may answer it later.