| The Journey | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: none |
The Chosen Eight | Succeded by: The Fury of the Blaze |
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"There will be eight, destined to rebuild the clans that were lost long ago."
I looked around, my eyes wide. Where was the voice coming from? It seemed to eminate from everywhere all at once. The voice was genderless; no, it was a million voices all at combined into one. It echoed off the invisible walls surronding me. Everything was black, black, black. I began to run, my paws pounding on the ground as I pushed myself faster, trying to escape the voices.
"There will be eight, destined to rebuild the clans that were lost long ago."
My breath was coming out in short gasps now and I couldn't even tell if I was moving. Everything looked the same. There had to be somewhere I could get out. There had to be some way to escape the blackness and the voice.
"There will be eight, destined to rebuild the clans that were lost long ago."
Suddenly a new voice broke in and began to chant, "Stream. Katie. Sky. Long. Rose. Harold. Spot. Jasmine." I continued on, saying the names louder and louder.
"Leave me alone!" I screeched, tears stinging my eyes as the wind pushed into them. Wind? Suddenly the blackness began to melt away, and a blinding light was coming in. I squinted my eyes, the light burning them. Then the sun appeared and striked my fur, warming it up. I skidded to a halt, watching as the blackness melted into light. A world full of light and cats scampering around hills, their faces filled with happiness.
"This is what you must create."
A new voice spoke this time right next to my ear. I tried to look over and see who was speaking, but I frozen to the spot, looking straight ahead. Three kits tussled together underneath a tree.
"There will be war."
Suddenly I was in a dark forest. There were cats screeching and clawing at each other. Blood stained the ground as hundreds of cats clashed, claws flashing and teeth bared. I shuddered as a black tom hit the ground with a thud, his eyes blank and lifeless. I could feel the wounds of all of them in my own skin.
"There will be hardship."
Suddenly I felt a cold wind digging into my fur and I gasped, my stomach contracting in hunger. I was surronded by wailing, starving cats. A white tom staggered up to me, his eyes glazed. I gasped, looking around in horror.
"But if you can survive these, you will create a world full of happiness and love."
Suddenly the light filled hills returned with the gleeful cats once again scampering about. A queen washed herself under a tree as her kits pounced on leaves with squeals. A old tom sunbathed on a pile of rocks and several cats trotted aross the field together, chatting happily.
Suddenly there was the sound of screeching. I looked around franctically, suddenly regaining the freedom to move. Everything in this world was peaceful, but there was unmistakably screeching coming from somewhere. It grew louder and louder, and I closed my eyes, my mouth open in a silent scream.
What's going on?!
^^^^^
I woke up to the sound of screeching cats and chaos. Jumping out of my nest, I crawled out of the small den I called home. The light of dawn flooded my vison as I looked the the scene.
A light gray she-cat and a pale yelllow tom had cornered a golden she-cat with large, light green eyes. She backed up, her tail pressed between her legs and her entire body trembling. The gray she-cat smirked with pleasure.
"Look Long, the little kittypet is terrified!" she hissed. The tom bared his teeth in agreement.
"Please don't hurt me!" the kittypet mewed frantically.
"It's adorable how stupid you are!" the gray she-cat growled, smiling cruelly, "As if pleading would change my mind." I frowned in disgust. These cats were torturing the poor, helpless creature. What jerks.
"What's going on here?" I demanded, stepping forward boldly. The yellow tom whipped his head around and once again bared his teeth, although no sound came from his mouth. The gray she-cat turned to face me a bit slower. Her blue eyes flashed and her tail flicked lazily back and forth. She had striking curves and beautiful eyes, but her soul was obviously corrupted despite her natural beauty.
"Who are you?" the she-cat hissed, her teeth dangerously sharp.
"I'm Stream, and the lot of you are invading my territory!" I growled, my eyes flashing from the tom to the she-cat. The two cats glanced at each other, silently exchanging looks, then the she-cat turned to me.
"Fine. We won't cause any trouble," she hissed, "Come'on, Long. I guess playtime is over." The two cats turned around and slipped off into the forest, silent and swift.
"Thanks," I turned to see the golden kittypet standing up on shaking legs, "Those guys would have clawed me to pieces."
"No problem," I said, smiling a bit at this cat's friendly nature, "I'm Stream. What's your name?"
She looked over at me, her green eyes flashing with happiness and she shook out her golden fur, revealing a small blue collar around her neck. She took a step forwards, the sunlight hitting her fur and making her glow.
"I'm Katie."
.....
Katie?
I started with a jolt, suddenly remembering my strange dream. Katie was one of the names they had been chanting! I stared at her. Had she been getting strange dreams as well? What if our destinies were connected?
"What are you staring at?" Katie meowed cheerfully, snapping me out of my daze.
"Erm, nothing...Who were those jerks anyways?" I said, glancing at where the tom and she-cat had disappeared.
"Everyone around my neighborhood calls them Blood and Silence, although nobody knows their real names," Katie sighed, her eyes flashing with anger, "They've been picking on all the cats in my neighborhood latley. It's left us all terrified to even leave our homes."
"That's horrible," I meowed, frowning angrily, "I hope I never have to encounter them again. Why are they called that?"
"The she-cat is Blood because she loves to torture us with her claws. The tom is Silence because he never says anything. I think it's because he wants to intimidate us," Katie meowed sadly.
"Stream!" A singsong voice called my name from the bushes, and I turned to see an orange tabby she-cat emerging.
"Rose!" I purred and trotted over to her as we exchanged greetings.
"Who is this?" Rose said, peeking over my head to look at Katie. Katie took a few tentative steps backwards, eyeing Rose suspiciously.
"This is Katie," I said, turning to allow the two she-cats to see each other better, "I saved her from a couple of idiots who were threatening to hurt her. Katie, this is my friend Rose."
"Nice to meet you!" Rose said, smiling broadly and lifting up her tail.
"You too," Katie said somewhat quietly, still looking at Rose with suspicion.
"So, how are Harold and Spot?" I asked, turning to her eagerly.
"Stupid but adorable younger brothers, as usual," Rose said, rolling her eyes, "I swear, those two would jump off a cliff if I told them it was ok. Last week they pulled off the stupidest stunt! So, we were going to the waterfall, and..." Rose's voice faded off into the background as I suddenly froze, seeing a strange cat behind her. My back stiffened and I locked my eyes with the stranger. He was a tall, orange tom, with green eyes that demanded respect.
"Stream," he meowed deeply. I was left speechless. How did he know my name?
"Stream? Are you even listening to me?" Suddenly Rose's voice broke the silence. I blinked, and suddenly the orange tom was gone, leaving nothing but a vivid memory of him in my mind.
"There was cat, right behind you!" I stammered, turning to Rose. Rose frowned and looked behind her.
"Are you sure you aren't seeing things?" Rose said skeptically.
"No! He said my name! Didn't you hear him?" I said, my eyes wide with fear.
"You need some serious snooze time," Rose said, rolling her eyes, "Come'on, go back into your den." She gently herded me back over to the old badger den I lived in.
"I swear, he was right there!" I said.
"Mhmm. Just get some sleep," she meowed, rolling her eyes, "You need it, like, really badly." Relucantly I allowed her to lead me into my den. I crawled through the narrow entrance, dirt snagging in my fur, and curled up in the tight space only big enough to hold me comfortably. I know what I saw. I yawned, suddenly feeling tired. Maybe I did need sleep after all...I closed my eyes and allowed myself to slip off into unconciousness.
Colors rained from the sky. I stood, the rainbow raindrops hitting my fur and sliding down onto the glassy white ground. With each raindrop that hit the white ground, color began to seep throughout it. I looked around the strange dream world and opened my mouth up to the sky, allowing the drops of color to land on my tounge. They tasted salty and delicious on my tounge, and I sat there for a moment, relishing it.
"Stream."
I turned to find the same orange tom from earlier standing beside me. HIs fur glowed with the light of the stars and his eyes burned with the fury of flames.
"You!" I gasped. He gave me a small smile. It was kind and warm and I somehow felt as if this tom could be trusted.
"Stream, you are the first of eight to recieve this message. Long ago, four clans existed in harmony. Their names were Shadowclan, Thunderclan, Windclan and Riverclan. The clans were a chance for cats who didn't have a family to be bound to others. Cats who didn't have homes were given a chance. Cats who had lost everything they had were given love and kindness when they were all alone. But when the clans started to argue, it broke out into a war that destroyed them all," The ginger tom meowed, "You, along with seven other cats, have been selected by the great warriors of old to rebuild these clans. There are cats out there with no family, no one to care for them. They are all alone in this world, and it is up to you to help them."
"Why me?" Stream meowed, "And how do I know that you're even real?"
"Stream, look at me," the tom meowed, taking a step closer to me, "Breathe in my scent and look into my eyes and tell me I'm not real." I looked up into his blazing green eyes and took in the scent of him. He smelled like a summer breeze blowing on a field of sweetgrass.
"I can feel it," I said quietly, "You are real, and you aren't lying. But why me?"
"This you must find out for yourself," The ginger tom purred, "But you will, in time. Tommorow, at the break of dawn, you must go to the waterfall. If you go through it, there will be a cave on the other side. The other seven cats will be there too. You must all join together and leave this place to find a new home for the clans."
Suddenly everything began to fade. I looked at the tom and he gave me a reassuring smile.
"Wait!" I meowed, "I don't even know your name!" He smiled broader and I could see the kindness in his gaze.
"I am Firestar of Thunderclan."
.....
I padded through the sheet of water, wincing as it drenched my fur. Suddenly I emerged behind the waterfall. It was misty and dark, but somehow magical as well. I sniffed at the air, and sensing a draft, I followed the scent towards a cave. The cave was small, dark and dank. I vaguely wondered why Firestar had chosen such a spot to meet the seven others. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see five other cats huddled in the small room. I wasn't surprised to see Katie there. I had suspected she would be involved ever since my last dream. A black she-cat was huddled in the corner, her purple eyes flashing with annoyance. But to my utter shock, I recognized the other three of them.
"Rose? Harold? Spot?" I meowed in shock. Suddenly I realized I hadn't only heard Katie's name being chanted in my dream; Rose, Harold and Spot's had been being chanted as well.
"Stream!" Rose bounced up to her paws and ran over, almost toppling me over. A bright smile filled her face. "You too?" she purred, "I was so surprised when I found out that me and my two younger brothers were chosen for such an honor! And now you're here too!"
"This is amazing!" I meowed, looking at all my friends. Then I turned my gaze to the black she-cat in the corner. Her gaze was somewhat unfriendly and cold.
"And who are you?" I asked politely.
"Jasmine," she meowed, flicking her tail dismissively, "I still can't believe I agreed to do this." I immediatley recognized her name from my dream as well.
"We're still missing two cats then?" I meowed. Sky and Long.
"Yep!" Spot, the yellow and brown spotted tom, bounced up to me and nudged me playfully, "It's been forever since we saw each other Stream!"
"Yeah!" Harold, the brown tom, bounced up to my other side, his light blue eyes shining with excitement, "You're a lot more fun than Rose!"
"Maybe that's because I'm closer to your age you goofballs," I purred playfully. Katie cast me a friendly smile, and I felt myself bursting with happiness. I still didn't think this journey would be easy, but now that I knew I wasn't going to be leaving behind my friends, perhaps it would make it a little easier.
Suddenly two figures loomed at the cave entrance. Two pairs of eyes glowed in the darkness, and I suddenly froze. No. How could they have picked them, of all the cats in this world to choose from? How? Blood's familar angry tone rang from the entrance.
"You idiots?" she snarled, stepping into the cave.
"Blood!" Katie's fur was on end, and without warning she sprung at Blood, clawing at her furiously. The two she-cats tumbled around the small cave in a screeching, writhing ball of fur and claws. The pale yellow tom, Silence, frowned, and rolling his eyes, he grabbed Blood's scruff and jerked him off of Katie. I quickly caught onto his plan and grabbed Katie, dragging her backwards.
"I cannot work with any of these cats!" Blood screeched, still glaring at Katie.
"I can't believe the ancestors chose a self-centered jerk like you!" Katie screeched, returning the glare.
"Stop!" I yelled, letting go of Katie and walking inbetween them, "Both of you are acting like newborn kits." I turned to glare at Blood. "All you've been to us is a jerk, but I have to believe that the ancients chose you for a reason." I leaned in close to her face, my eyes locked with hers.
"I am choosing to believe in you," I growled, "Are you going to live up to that trust, or are you going to throw it away?"
Blood's eyes were downcast now and her shoulders dropped in defeat. She frowned, her eyes darting around the floor of the cave. I could tell she was feeling somewhat embarassed.
"I'm sorry," she grunted, looking at at Katie, "I guess that I can live with this. But don't go around thinking we're all buddy-buddy." She sniffed in distaste and Silence relased her. "On another note, my name isn't Blood," she snorted, "That's a ridiculous name the kittypets gave me. I'm Sky."
"I'm Stream," I mewed, feeling somewhat pleased with myself. Then I motioned to each cat and recited their name, "This is Katie, Harold, Rose, Spot and Jasmine."
"And who are you?" Rose walked up to Silence and smiled, warmth in her gaze. Silence's eyes filled with panic and and cast his eyes downwards, shuffling his paws and nervously biting his lip.
"Oh, I see," Rose said, her eyes lighting up, "I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Rose. What's your name?" Silence didn't reply, and Rose frowned. "Why won't you talk to me? I promise I'm nice," she meowed, her voice somewhat hurt.
Sky turned her gaze to Rose and growled. "Don't ask my brother anything!" she hissed defensively. I glanced from her to Silence and suddenly it snapped into place.
"He's mute, isn't he?" I meowed quietly. Sky turned her icy gaze to me. Our eyes were locked for a moment, until suddenly she hung her head in defeat, her eyes becoming sad.
"Yes," she whispered, "He is. His name is Long."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Rose meowed, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!" Long just kept his eyes cast downwards in shame. I sighed. This was going to be a long and difficult journey; I could already tell.
"Does anyone know where the ancients have told us we should go?" I asked, looking from one cat to another.
"Long had a dream. Onestar of Windclan told him that we should follow the rising sun to reach the new territories for the clans," Sky meowed.
"How do you know?" Katie meowed skeptically, "He can't talk."
"Just because he can't talk doesn't mean we can't communicate!" Sky snarled.
"All in favor of leaving now, say I," I said, breaking the conversation before it escalated too much, "Or, erm, shake your head yes." Long flinched, painfully aware that I was explicitly talking to him. Quickly the room was filled with a chorus of I's, along with a head nod from Long.
"All against, say nay," I meowed. Silence filled the room.
"Then we will leave now," I meowed, "It is the break of dawn, and we can get going in the right direction. I hope you all got good rest and lots of food." Quietly we all filed out of the cave, going underneath the waterfall and drenching our just-dried fur. I padded up the side of the hill across from the river and crested the top of the hill.
I suddenly was bathed in sunlight. It felt good as it striked my fur, warming me and giving me hope. One by one, the other seven cats joined me, standing by my side and facing the rising sun. As I looked down the line of cats, I knew that we weren't perfect; in fact, we were a lot of imperfect cats. But I had a feeling that we all had one thing in common; we were willing to journey across miles and miles of land to bring a better life to cats who need a home, cats who needed a family and others to love. We were going to rebuild the clans, create four refuges for those who needed a place to go, all those cats who were alone in the world. As I looked at our misfit band of loners and kittypets, I felt a warm glow in my heart. Because although the journey ahead wasn't going to be easy, I was sure of one thing.
I knew that despite our differences, we were going to do everything in our power to succeed.