[Fawn]

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⟣──────⟨ GUARDIANS OF THE CLANS ⟩──────⟢

StarClan

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[attr="class","thtitle"]What Has Been Spoken

It is the night before you and your fellows are scheduled to gather at the Moon Tree, but StarClan cannot wait. As you lay within your nest and feel that strange quiver in the earth, like something waiting to be released, dream finds you. You are in a starlit, shadowy reflection of your home territory, and it feels at once both familiar and otherworldly. It seems darker than you remember. When you take a cautious step forward, your head swiveling to find your usual starry guide, you do not see them.

Instead, faces you do not recognize, their eyes reflecting in the dim moonlight, have gathered in a small crowd of five. Their pelts are prickled, gazes grave. Briefly, the scents of different Clans fill your nostrils, and the realization that spirits from all five Clans have congregated before you.

They speak as one, even as a tremor ripples through - even disturbing your dream, like a stone dropped into still water. "We cannot stop the waters." Their voices slide over you as a harsh, multilayered whisper. "We cannot hold the earth together. We cannot spare the valley this sundering, for it is a power beyond our control."

Fear pricks the hairs on the nape of your neck, and this time when the earth trembles, you feel it jitter through your bones, a whispered promise of something coming. Something ominous.

"What is done cannot be undone," they speak again, and this time one of the five steps forward, their features becoming more distinct. Urgency clear in their eyes. This is a cat of your own Clan. "But you can still survive this. Do not let the barriers between you become the instruments of your death. The old ways are gone. Growth can only come from unity. Unity, from trust. You must face this future together, or there will be nothing left."

This time, when the earth rumbles, it is harder. More violent. A frightened look is shared between the starry host of cats, and you can feel the bile, the stench of fear, rising up within you.

The cats speak as one, even as the trembling earth scatters their forms into so many twinkling stars.

"Hurry. There is no time. The tree... it... falls..."

With a resounding crack, you awaken. Your heart is pounding, your head full of whispers pushing you to your feet, desperate to let you be their voice, their avatar - with what little time is left.

Something terrible is coming. You have to warn your Clan.

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Abyss, BlooRey DVD, Fawn, @ghostlight

Responses can be posted directly in this thread, or as PRPs, or as thread-starters with another active HR.
Any response post will count as TWO posts for the high rank check.

[Abyss]

Rustpaw

Rainclan She-Cat

I'm talking with a big smile

Her dreams had been quiet. Strangely quiet. Over the course of at least a season or two, if not longer, her dreams had been somewhat similar to most: random and unpredictable. But, on occasion, a dream she had moons ago would return. A dream of herself, as an adult, walking into the Nursery to find her mother and kit sister sleeping peacefully in their nest. Had it been under better circumstances, perhaps she would get comfort from this dream. She was getting to see her mother again, and her sister. How could she not cherish it? But alas, this dream did not give her comfort. If anything, as she grew older and the dream occurred more often, she found herself growing very unsettled.

The ruddy molly still didn’t have a really good grasp on the ways of Starclan, for nothing had really happened during her time as the Medicine Cat Apprentice. She had gotten to meet with Farsight during each Medicine Cat meeting, but beyond those meetings, she had not conversed with their ancestors. Or at least she was pretty sure she hadn’t. She didn’t know how dreams worked, or how signs were sent, or any of that. A portion of the discomfort that resulted from this reoccurring dream also stemmed from her lack of knowledge of Starclan messages. Was she having this dream over and over as some sort of message, or was it her own mind longing for her long gone family? Was her mother...trying to communicate with her...from Starclan?

She wondered these things quite often. But this night was different. She did not have the dream of her mother and sister. She did not dream of the clan. She didn’t dream. Her mind was pure black. Though, there was something very off. Something extremely unsettling. She did not feel like she was dreaming, for the world around her was black and silent. But she still felt like she was in a dream. She could feel herself standing, she could feel her body moving and her own breathing. But she didn’t see anything. It stayed this way for what felt like an eternity.

But, very quickly as though it were a shattering dam, the overwhelming scent of her own clan slammed into her, but it was different. It was not the scent she was used too, or the scent that hung on her own pelt. It was undeniably Rainclan, but...it was mixed with something else. Like ash, or maybe mud, or even death. She wasn’t sure, but whatever it was filled and burned her nostrils, causing the small-pawed she-cat to stumble backwards, face scrunching in disgust and fright.

When her eyes opened again, she was in her territory, standing in the center of the Sand Bar. The sand beneath her paws was a dark gray in color rather than the usual cream and tan, and the water that flowed passed her on either side was murky, the earth below the surface completely gone and replaced with darkness.

What is this? What is happening?!

Just as before, a wind full of scents flowed into her quickly and out of nowhere. It was difficult to tell at first, but breathing in and focusing, this was not just the atypical scent of her own clan. It was all of the clans. All of them recognizable, but, just as her own was, they were all slightly off.

Before she had time to even consider what she was feeling, figures suddenly appeared in her vision. Perhaps they had appeared out of nowhere, or maybe they were there all along. Regardless, wide and frightened amber eyes looked to each of them. She knew none of them. But it was not the fact that they were strangers that irked her. It was that all of them held the same expression on their faces, as though it had been copied directly onto each of them: pure horror.

In that moment, the water around her began to tremble, swishing violently in small patterns against the Sand Bar, the liquid rising slowly towards her paws. This on its own sent a wave or terror through her, but it was the booming voices of the five cats before her that truly made her heart freeze. They all spoke at the same time, their voices both loud and quiet at the same time, as though they were whispering, but the whispers projected far louder than they seemed.

"We cannot stop the waters. We cannot hold the earth together. We cannot spare the valley this sundering, for it is a power beyond our control."

By the time their words had reached the end, Rustpaw could feel freezing cold water lashing at her paws, causing her to rear backwards. She had hoped that at least some part of the small sand island she stood upon would still be above the rising river, but she found she was wrong. Within moments the water had risen to the point of submerging her paws, terrified gaze no longer able to see her own feet when they were beneath the surface. But, even with the height the river had reached, it was not stopping.

A voice filled her ears, only a single one this time, as one of the five cats stepped forward, their own body slowly being consumed by the water just as hers was. They spoke, she could see their mouths moving, but she could barely hear a word they said. Her own heartbeat hammered against her chest and echoed through her ears, fear filling her entire body, causing her to shake.

Survive? Barriers? Unity? Nothing left?

Her mind swirled violently, unable to comprehend or even take in what it was they were saying, or trying to say. The few words that she did hear did nothing to tell her what it was they wanted, or were asking. If anything, the uncertainty, the lack of understanding, the booming of her own heart in her ears, all of it only tripled the fear she already felt, if it were possible.

The cats before her began to fade, like forms created of starry dust in the wind. It started with their bodies, but quickly rose to their heads. Before they disappeared, she heard their final words, or at least part of them.

The tree falls.

Just as the words reached her ears and the star-pelted cats disappeared, the sudden realization of her surroundings returned to her. Right when she remembered, she found herself frozen, body unable to move as the water around her, only moments ago reaching her paws, rose from her neck towards her head. It only took seconds for it to reach her face. The sound of a loud and shattering crack rang through her ears right as the water consumed her head, shrouding her in freezing darkness.


Less than a second after she found herself enveloped by water, her body jolted hard in her nest, amber eyes wide with pure terror. Her claws unsheathed on their own, clutching the sides of her nest as though she was going to be pulled into the ground and that was her only way of saving herself. Her breathing was heavy and her mouth was agape, lower jaw trembling.

Before she could even stop to consider, her eyes darted sideways, orbs locking onto Dewfrost. She hoped, with all of her heart, that it had been some sort of sadistic nightmare and that it had just been her. But no. Much to her even more horrific truth, her mentor was also wide awake in her nest. Not only was she awake, but even her eyes were wide, and she too clung to her nest. She didn’t seem quite as scared as Rustpaw did, but the moment the brown and white she-cat turned to look at her Apprentice, she could see it. Dewfrost, always so professional and serious, never one to react to anything...even she could not fully hide the horror in her gaze.

Medicine Cat and Medicine Cat Apprentice stared at one another for a moment, seemingly communicating through eyes alone. Rustpaw didn’t even have to ask or say anything. She just knew. Dewfrost had the same nightmare. This was not just her. Nor was it just an ordinary nightmare.

“We have to tell Silverstar. Now.” Dewfrost’s voice, though relatively calm, was spoken quickly with a wavering urgency. The larger molly rose from her nest, walking quickly towards the entrance of the den. The rusty red Apprentice, though, couldn’t move. Her legs shook beneath her and her eyes were stuck now on the wall of the den where her mentor had been seconds ago.

Was that….my first sign from...from Starclan….?

This thought shook her to her core. She had always perceived Starclan as peaceful, starry cats who strode through the sky with pure and utter grace, their pelts dappled beautifully with stars and their eyes always sparkling and watchful of what happened beneath their mythical home. But that…..that had been far from magical. That had been….Rustpaw could not describe the sheer amount of fear that the nightmare had sent through her.

Though frozen, something sent a sudden strike through her chest, a whisper in her ear, that caused her to rise to her feet. As quickly as she could, she darted to the entrance of the den, stopping right at the start. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes darted from side to side, looking for anyone, or anything. Initially, her gaze found the Apprentice’s den, where two familiar forms padded quietly out of the darkness. Rustpaw recognized the features of both Poppypaw and Riverpaw, both of whom in turn looked towards her as well. At first their gazes portrayed a greeting, both displaying a quick smile. But she could not say the same. The red she-cat’s face remained as it was: terrified, unable to make any other expression. The happier expressions of her two closest friends quickly faded, worry crossing both of their features. But before they could even approach, or say anything, or do anything, Rustpaw turned and ran.

In the distance she spotted Dewfrost just as the older she-cat had reached Silverstar’s den. She could see the silver and white tom emerge, and he and Dewfrost began to speak. Rustpaw froze right near the den, close enough to hear what was said, but unable to actually comprehend what she heard.

For a moment, just a moment, the terror she felt had been overtaken. It was only a second, or even less than a second. Back in the den. She didn’t know what she felt, or how, or why. But she knew one thing. She knew what it was that had pushed her into action. The voice that she heard, it was familiar. And it only said one word. The word go...in her mother’s voice.

but they haven't got a clue.

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