The Dark Tide Rises

Whimsypaw had heard the stories of how Ashtalon-the-greatest-warrior-the-clan-had-ever-had had stayed in the nursery with Amberleaf up until the day he went out again for the first time and got himself killed. He knew Almondfern was going to do the same.

And it wasn't fair.

Not that Almondfern had neglected his training once since Softflight had come. No, he had was an even better mentor than Laurelbright and maybe even Stoneleaf, despite his soft nature. Even if one of the patrols they had gone on had been to get stuff for Softflight's nest.

He liked Almondfern, he had gotten the best mentor out of him and his brothers. He didn't want to be assigned a new one.

As he moped, watching Almondfern sunning himself with Softflight, a paw draped over her belly, Chickpaw came and draped himself over him.

"Don't pout, Whimsy." he consoled, squishing the air from Whimsypaw's lungs.

"I'm... Not..." Whimsypaw said weakly, because he knew very well what he was doing.

"Are too." Leafpaw said, smirking.

He sat down beside them and began to groom.

"...Yeah." Whimsypaw grunted, scowling.

He shifted his gaze to where Amberleaf and Yellowpaw were circling around each other, practicing some battle moves, and Whimsypaw wondered if he would be able to get Amberleaf to teach him. He was a good fighter (probably because he was Ashtalon's son) and Whimsypaw admired his abilities. He wanted to be that good a fighter when he was a warrior, he wanted to be so good the clan would compare him to Ashtalon because he was that skilled and good, not because he was the cat's son.

"Can we talk about it?" Chickpaw whispered suddenly, going still across Whimsypaw's back.

Whimsypaw knew what 'it' was. Shortly after their ceremony, they had been putting on protection, and overheard the medicine cats talking. Something about a monster in the ocean. A monster with a cat-shape, and tentacles, that brought weird black stuff with it. They had stayed quiet and listened, and as far as they could tell, no one knew if this thing was real. If it was here or if Starclan had sent them a warning about something to come in the future. Jackdawnudge had smelled terrified of it, recounting it in detail they were lucky to have gotten, and Chickpaw had been frightened ever since.

Whimsypaw and Leafpaw, on the other paw, were fascinated.

He glanced around, but there was no one near them. A beautiful day with no rainfall, everyone was taking advantage of of the sun. Yellowlily had Wasp's litter entertained with a game of mossball, and Quailpaw was out with Gillfeather, getting salt. Their mom was showing Fogvalley and Pumaspot how to skin prey. They were safe.

"Yeah." he said.

"Do... Do you think it's real? Do you think it's here?" Chickpaw asked, shuddering against Whimsypaw.

"How would we know? You can ask Mama, but then you have to say we were eavesdropping." Leafpaw said, dragging his paw over his face.

"I just don't like knowing, okay? What if it comes into camp in the middle of the night?" Chickpaw said and Whimsypaw squirmed beneath him.

"They said it's only in the ocean. Only near the Beach of Stars." he reminded his brother.

"But what if it doesn't stay there? The ocean is right over there!" Chickpaw said, staring at the water nearby.

The camp was far enough away that only the worst of storms would flood it, and their inlet was sheltered from those with the curving cliffs and rocks further out, breaking up waves and blocking winds. But the ocean was nearby, all the same.

"Then the Rainwatcher will see it. And Goldstar's den is closest, it would get her first." Leafpaw said calmly.

"You know what would be great?" Whimsypaw said, sitting up and dumping his brother off him.

"What?" Chickpaw asked.

"If we find out if it's real or not! Then the clan will know if the monster is real and we'll be prepared, and we'll know if Starclan is really still there." Whimsypaw said as the idea occurred to him.

"How do we find that out?" Chickpaw demanded, and Whimsypaw paused.

"I... Uh..." he said and his ears drooped.

But he did want to know. What if this monster in the ocean was the reason behind everything bad that happened? The rainfalls, the Unseen, the weird prey, all of it? If they found out if it was real, then the clan could do something about it, and the world could go back to normal. And Whimsypaw and his brothers would be hailed as heroes, of course, but that wasn't really on his mind.

He knew their birth mother had been killed by an Unseen, sacrificing herself so their mama could get away with them, so they would be safe. And though he had never known her, it made something in Whimsypaw boil with a rage he couldn't explain.

He loved Lester. She was the best mom in the whole clan. But he also desperately wished they had gotten to know Palethicket, that she was here with them, too. She and Mama had been friends, after all, they would have still had Lester in their lives.

He said all this to his brothers, and they were in agreement. Even Chickpaw, who worried and fretted. Whimsypaw knew he was being a little manipulative, because his brothers felt the same way about Palethicket, but he didn't care.

They devised a plan; they'd sneak out of camp after sun-high, when most of the clan would be resting and avoiding the high point of the sun. A patrol or two would be out, but that was it. Their mentors were going to take them on evening patrol; plenty of time to investigate the Beach of Stars and sneak back. If anyone noticed, they could just say they had been resting in one of their hiding spots around the camp; even Lester didn't know them all.

They waited and it seemed to take an eternity, but, finally, the camp settled enough for them to do. The only downside was that they couldn't put on protection or grab a conch to take, but they would be careful. It was lucky that Tumbledaisy was Rainwatcher again, though, because Whimsypaw was certain otherwise they would be seen.

They were smart about their sneaking, though. Whimsypaw snuck out by climbing over the driftwood branches along one wall; there was a patch of berries that grew there anyway, and he and his littermates liked to eat them. Leafpaw wandered down to the waves; as an apprentice, he was allowed to do that alone. Chickpaw snuck out through the dirtplace.

They separated and regroup, and crept through the territory to the Beach of Stars.

Whimsypaw had only been here once, and he didn't like it. The black sand was creepy. It looked endlessly smooth and dark, and the cliffs ringing it were high and dark as well. Driftwood was washed up against the base of the cliff they were slowly climbing down, which had many crevices and cracks, and Chickpaw whined when he cut his paw on a sharp rock.

"Lick it!" Leafpaw scolded as he cried, sighing and doing it for him when all Chickpaw did was whimper.

Before they went onto the empty stretch of sand, they scouted the area, looking for shelter from rainfalls. The crevices and cracks and overhangs looked good, and so did the driftwood, which had a little sand hollow beneath it.

After that and making a few test runs, they began to investigate. None of them knew how to find this thing. Now that they were here, Whimsypaw was feeling uncertain. But they looked over every part of the black sand and the cliffs, searching for clues, for anything.

Leafpaw called out to Starclan, and that gave Whimsypaw an idea. He raced down to the surf and his brothers followed, watching as he plante his paws and took a deep breath.

"If there's any monster in there, show yourself! We're warriors of Hyacinthclan, and we're going to defend it!" he declared, his yowl booming out of him.

Soon all three of them were yelling, heckling the thing in the waves, because surely any self-respecting world-ending monster would come see who was insulting it.

For a while, it was fun. Whimsypaw and his brothers started doing their best to come up with the worst insult and most fierce-sounding battle yowls, but after a while...

The wind picked up and though it was warm and salty, a chill raced down Whimsypaw's spine. Clouds slid over the sun. Suddenly the fun was gone and their shouts sounded pathetic, and he could swear even though they had already been taught about the tides and when to expect them to be high and low, the tide was getting higher before it should be. Just a little, but he was sure it was getting further up his legs than before.

Chickpaw whimpered.

He was the first one to stop yowling, but Leafpaw soon stopped, and as the waves grew rougher, Whimsypaw's voice faltered.

"Whimsy, I don't like this." Leafpaw said quietly.

"It's fine! We're fine. The weather is just changing." Whimsypaw said with confidence he didn't feel.

"I think we should go." Chickpaw said, scuffing the sand.

"Yeah. Yeah, I don't think it exists yet." Leafpaw agreed, his fear-scent meeting Whimsypaw's nose.

"We should try just a little longer." Whimsypaw said; he was not going to be a coward.

The waves seemed to come in especially hard just then and Leafpaw broke first, skidding backwards.

"Whimsy, we're going back! This isn't fun anymore!" he said loudly and Whimsypaw whirled.

"FINE! Be a coward. I'll find out if the monster is real or not, and the clan will be thanking me! I'll find out if we can stop the thing that killed our mother!" he said, that rage boiling up.

"Mom died because of an Unseen, not some monster from the ocean."

"The monster caused the Unseen!"

"We don't know that!"

"What else could be doing it?! You don't care, do you? You just want the world to keep being bad and cats to get eaten and for the thing that ate Mom to still be roaming around waiting for the next cat to eat!" Whimsypaw burst out and Leafpaw looked stricken.

"Please don't fight." Chickpaw said, shoving between them.

"We're going, Chick." Leafpaw said and turned, storming away.

After a minute, Chickpaw followed. Whimsypaw didn't. He was mad now and he didn't know what to do with that rage he always felt thinking about what had happened to Palethicket, and he wanted to yowl. So he did.

He glanced and saw that his brothers were sitting further up the beach and against the cliffs, watching from in front of one of the little caves, waiting for him but having no part, but he didn't care.

He kept yowling, taunting, screaming, and then... And then...

A strange sense, a feeling, slid over him, and Whimsypaw blinked, his fur standing up, and that was when he saw it. A black shape emerging from the waves, things rising up from around it, black washing up over his paws, cold and burning and wrong...

He stood, frozen, staring at the... The... The monster rising out of the waves, staggering, closer than he had expected, jerking toward him, as if it was clawing through the water as well as using the tentacles to drag itself along.

He didn't... He didn't...

"WHIMSY! WHIMSY, RAINFALL! RUN!"

"WHIMSY, IT'S A RAINFALL YOU NEED TO RUN! RUN! RUN!"

His brothers were screaming at him and the scent of a rainfall, metallic and odd, met his nose, the only thing making him look away from the monster.

A rainfall was bearing down on them from over the ocean, getting faster by the second, and terror filled Whimsypaw to his core. The monster was coming closer and he could hear it.

"Help... Give me... Free me... GIVE..."

He wanted to move. He wanted to run. He needed to run. But the rainfall was too close, and- He didn't know what to do. The monster was right there, the rainfall was coming, he was too far from the carefully scouted shelter, made bold by that false courage he'd had, he could try to run but he wouldn't- Could he dive in the water?

He knew the water would protect him, but that awful black stuff was burning coldly over him and making him cringe, and the monster was staggering closer, fighting against some invisible pull, and he- and he-

"RUN! RUN, RUN, RUN! WHIMSY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Free me... GIVE... GIVE ME BACK... I'm sor-"

The monster was coming. The rainfall was coming. And Whimsypaw didn't know what to do.

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed as the storm rolled over the water and Whimsypaw stared into the glowing, golden eyes of the monster. It seemed to be staring straight into his soul, and the command in its voice, as well, as the pleading, made him pause for a moment.

"Free me... Give... GIVE... GIVE..."

"WHIMSYPAW!"

It was the desperation and fear in his brothers' voices that roused him, along with the thunder, and fear tore through him as the monster crawled further up the beach. The water might protect him, but he couldn't- what if it got him- what if it was a new type of Unseen-

He turned and ran, racing up the beach, but he couldn't outrun the storm. He wasn't fast enough.

The rainfall hit before he had made it more than a few tail-lengths and the icy downpour hit him so hard he nearly fell, but he kept running. He kept running for a few steps, but then the pain began.

He stumbled and fell, yowling in pain, in shock, his body contorting with the pain, and he didn't understand, for a moment, what was happening. It felt like his skin was ripping, his bones were popping, like he was going to burst out of his body.

As he struggled, Whimsypaw realized that wasn't quite right, as he tried to get up and realized he was bigger. He was bigger, his limbs were getting longer, his paws getting bigger, he was growing. He had no protection on, nothing to block the rainfall, and already he felt like he was as big as his mama. He was aging, he was- he was- he was-

Terror filled him along with the pain and Whimsypaw tried to get up, but his new body was hard to control, impossible to control, and he staggered, the rain coming down hard and past. The hills beyond the beach were turning yellow and browning, and he glanced over his shoulder, seeing the monster was still standing in the surf, but its tentacles were reaching toward him, it's eyes fixed on him.

The rainfall was still pouring down but had no effect on it, but it was on Whimsypaw, and he had to keep moving. He staggered, trying to get in control of himself, but as fast as he moved, the rainfall moved faster. He couldn't... He wasn't...

He ran as fast as he could, struggling with the unfamiliar feel of his body- it seemed to be changing every second- but he didn't... He couldn't...

There was strength and no idea how to use it, and then were was weakness, and he collapsed on the sand.

Now he could see his brothers, huddled in one of the large crevices they had scouted out, and they were staring at him, eyes huge with terrior and horror.

Whimsypaw didn't beg them for help, didn't call out for it. Because he didn't want this to happen to them, even though he wanted help, he didn't want this to happen, he didn't want to die, he didn't- he didn't-

He collapsed on the sand, soaked with rainfall, unable to push himself up, unable to run the last few tail-lengths to shelter. He couldn't move... He couldn't... He couldn't...

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Whimsypaw found himself standing a black-sand beach, like the Beach of Stars, but he knew... He knew it wasn't. It couldn't have been; his brothers weren't here, there was no one here. No one but him. He examined his body and found it was just as it had been when had woken up this morning, the size of a six-moon-old apprentice, the fur still bright ginger instead of white.

He... He... Where was he? What was going on? He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be here.

He wanted to go back, he had to go back. Even as something tugged at him, pulling him instinctively toward the waves of the gray ocean water, but he rebelled.

Whimsypaw wasn't going to go. He wasn't going wherever the feeling was tugging him.

He wanted to go back. He had to go back. He didn't want to be here. Where were his brothers? Were they okay? What about the monster? The thoughts raced through his head and Whimsypaw turned away from the ocean, tugging against the tight pull, struggling toward the land behind.

Starclan, please let me go back! I have to go back! I want to go back... Please... I want to go back...p

-

Whimsypaw has found the Beach

7/5/2026-7/7/2026

"Goldstar, may I speak with you?" Aphidrise asked, a nervous air around him.

"Of course." Goldstar said, sitting up.

Aphidrise sat down across from her, and Goldstar could not help the fond feeling that welled up in her at the sight of him. He had been barely more than a newborn when they had discovered him on their journey here, a moon when they had settled, and he was just a little older than the clan. He had come far from that little parentless kit who had more or less become the entire clan's.

"What do you need to talk about?" she asked, looking him over.

He was usually so calm and collected that his nervousness made her worry that something was wrong.

"I don't want to be a warrior any longer, if you allow it. I would like to become a mediator." Aphidrise said after taking a deep breah.

"A mediator?" Goldstar echoed, surprised.

"Yes. I've watched Wiggity Wacks and listened to what he does, and I think I would be good at it. I would also like to try a different approach than he does. He waits for cats to come to him, but that didn't work very well the apprentices." Aphidrise, and Goldstar knew what he was talking about.

She had hoped, back when they had all been 'paws, that Pumaspot, Almondfern, Laurelbright, Furledseed, Amberleaf, Tulipscratch, and Fogvalley would approach the mediator themselves and sort out their differences. She knew pushing things could make it worse- Several times when she had pushed with Ashtalon and Quietback during a few spats it had made it worse. They had never gone to Wiggity Wacks, however, and Goldstar knew a skilled mediator should be able to step in and help solve it. It just wasn't how Wiggy Wacks did things, however.

"Of course you may become a mediator, Aphidrise. I would never dream of stopping you. Do you want a ceremony?" Goldstar said with a purr.

Aphidrise would be good at this. He was so good at speaking, at being level-headed, and he always observed his clanmates carefully.

"I'm forty moons old, Goldstar, I don't need a ceremony. Just an announcement would be fine. I don't want to steal the day from Lester's kits, either." Aphidrise said, smiling, the nervousness gone.

"I don't think you would be stealing the day, but it is whatever you want." Goldstar said and got up, rubbing her head against Aphidrise.

"I'm proud of you, little kit." she murmured, as she had when he had been tiny and new.

He chuckled and rubbed her back, and then exited the den shortly after. Goldstar was left alone with her thoughts again, and she was honestly rethinking the mentors Skypelt, Jackdawnudge, and Yellowlily had helped her pick.

Stoneleaf was the main issue. Wasp's litter didn't need milk any longer, did not need a queen with them all day, but they were only three moons old. It was early for a queen to leave them, though Yellowlily had said she was more than happy to stay in the nursery with the litter. The elder's den was lonely, after all, and it wasn't every night that she and Jackdawnudge got to share a nest, depending on how the medicine cats divided up the duties.

Stoneleaf had expressed interest in having an apprentice, but circumstances hadn't given them many kits, and Stoneleaf had also said she had no desire to mentor her own kit. She shook her head; it would work out. Stoneleaf was a good cat, and she could pass invaluable wisdom and skills off to one of Lester's litter.

Laurelbright and Almondfern, on the other paw, were different stories. They were younger warriors compared to others, but Goldstar had been watching them, and they were calm, fine warriors who had a lot to offer, things unique to themselves and the things their mentors had passed to them. Skypelt had trained Laurelbright and Gillfeather had trained Almondfern, and both of them were fine warriors. Their apprentices would pass on the best things they had learned to their own apprentices.

It would all work out, even if Pumaspot and Furledseed might feel left out, and an apprentice was just what Almondfern needed, Goldstar thought. He wouldn't let down a cat who needed him, even if he was still grieving Mistkit. Gillfeather and Jackdawnudge had both suggested it, and Goldstar had been considering him as a mentor before either way.

She waited, watching the camp, and just before sunhigh, she called the meeting. Lester was fussing over her kits, the ginger toms' pelts sleek and gleaming, and Goldstar climbed onto the lowest branch of the petrified tree, looking down at her clan.

Seeing them all here, naming new apprentices, it all gave her a sense of hope she wanted to dig her claws into fiercely to keep it. She prayed no rainfall would come today; the apprentices deserved a good first day in their new roles.6/25/2026

"Before we begin, I would like to announce to the clan that Aphidrise has decided to take up the role of a mediator alongside Wiggity Wacks. If you have need of a mediator, please, speak to either of them. I know they will guide the clan well." Goldstar announced, which drew cheers and congratulations.

Aphidrise beamed, and she gave them a moment before moving on.

"And now, for the ceremony. As you all know, Lester's kits have reached six moons, and they are ready to be apprenticed. Whimsykit, Leafkit, Chickkit, please, step forward." she said, and the littermates all walked politely forward.

They were quivering with excitement, however, that much was clear, and Lester looked ready to burst with pride.

"Starclan, I ask you to look down on these kits. They have reached the age of six moons, and are ready to begin their training. Until they earn their full names, they shall be down as Leafpaw, Chickpaw, and Whimsypaw." Goldstar continued; not the traditional ceremony, but she did like to change it up.

And changing up the order of the names would stop the young toms from squabbling about it later.

"Almondfern, you are a younger warrior, but you are a fine cat. Your calm and patience are traits the clan admires about you, and I know you will guide Whimsypaw well." Goldstar said and the ginger tom looked surprised.

But he grinned and approached his new apprentice, touching noses with him, and they sat together, Whimsypaw leaning over and whispering something to his new mentor.

"Stoneleaf, your kindness and nurturing nature have been an asset to the clan, to many of our young cats, and I know they will serve Chickpaw well."

Chickpaw crashed into Stoneleaf when they went to complete the ceremony, headbutting her in the chest and knocking them both over, and mrrows of laughter rippled through the clan, Chickpaw looking horrified.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he exclaimed over and over as Stoneleaf picked herself up.

"I'm all right, Chickpaw, don't worry." she assured him, touching his nose.

But she did look winded, and they sat with Almondfern and Whimsypaw, Almondfern leaning over to check his Stoneleaf.

"Laurelbright. Your observant nature and dedication make you a fine warrior, and are qualities I know you will pass on to Leafpaw." Goldstar finished and the clan began to cheer.

They yowled the names of the new apprentices into the sky and Lester touched noses with each of her kits, Goldstar closing the ceremony and leaping down. She heard some of what Lester was saying.

"Listen to your mentors, and don't be reckless. And ya know, even if we're cut off from Starclan right now, your mama is watchin' over all of ya. She is so proud of ya, and so am I." she was saying and Leafpaw was frowning, as if he was not convinced that Palethicket was indeed watching them.

Skypelt called out to organize patrols and the new mentors and apprentices went out together, Goldstar watching it all. She let out a heavy breath and she had hope, this gave her so much hope and happiness, but she was also afraid of losing it.

"Goldstar, may we have a word?" Plumsong asked as she watched the patrols go to coat themselves in protection.

"Of course." Goldstar said, following him to the den.

Fogvalley and Confetti were currently sitting with their respective siblings, telling them about the ceremony, and Goldstar joined Plumsong and Jackdawnudge in the far part of the den, sitting down in front of the toms.

"Do you have any more clarity on Wasp's dream?" she asked, glancing between them.

"No, Goldstar." Jackdawnudge said with a shake of his head.

Goldstar wasn't too worried about it, even if she was honestly surprised about Quietback potentially taking leadership of the clan one day. He was a good cat, she had watched him grow from a kit into a fine warrior, but he would not have been a cat she picked for it. She was more worried about the tentacled cat coming from the sea, and she didn't know whether to be happy or not about the idea of not having to face that herself, by the sounds of it.

"You know how the first Unseen was a queen I found dead with her kits." Plumsong asked and Goldstar nodded.

"We were only able to tell that because she had extra toes on her paws. It is clear that cats, at least, are able to become Unseen, but we don't know how many or how, exactly. My thought was to make each cat's pawprint distinct enough to tell... Just in case. So we can try to understand it better." Plumsong said and Goldstar tilted her head at the thought.

"Distinct how?" she asked, though her mind was churning.

She did not like to think of any of her cats becoming an Unseen, and Flintfur... She didn't want to know if Flintfur was a monster now.

"By making a mark on a cat's pad or pads that would leave an impression in their print. A scar of some sort. Then we record the pawprints here, and if an Unseen with a matching mark is encountered, we know." Plumsong explained and flicked his tail at a barren wall in the den.

"What do you think? I think it could cause a lot of unnecessary pain and infections." Jackdawnudge asked and Goldstar had to ponder it for a minute or so.

"It does sound like a good idea." she admitted. "If there is a way to stop it from happening to cats and we learn how it happens through this, it would be a good thing. Even if knowing... Even if knowing that our cats became monsters would be hard."

Plumsong looked satisfied.

"How do you propose to make these marks?" Goldstar asked.

"Biting the pad, or cutting it with something sharp. In all honesty, something hot with a distinctand pressing it to the pad would be ideal, but we were lucky to have a lightning strike for the Burning Caves. I do not think we will get that lucky to have a personal fire near camp for it." Plumsong replied, grimacing.

"Try it on me first." Goldstar instructed; she didn't want anyone else to go through it needlessly.

"I'll find something sharp. It might be better than teeth." Plumsong said, rising.

He disappeared into the stores and Jackdawnudge and Goldstar looked at each other.

"I wish this wasn't an idea we had to think of." the old tom meowed.

In that moment, it struck Goldstar how old Jackdawnudge was. He was hunched and ragged with age, his muzzle whiter than the rest of his pelt, and he moved stiffly. He looked tired and defeated, and looked at the pad of his paw as if imagining a mark there.

Goldstar moved over and pressed her pelt to his, trying to offer comfort, though she knew it would be only temporary. With how the world was now, it would be little and not last long. But she pressed against him and let out another breath.

"Me, too."

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Maybe it had been the ceremony making her think of the ones her kits would soon have, maybe it had been inevitable, but Goldstar's grief for Flintfur had hit her and stuck to her like a burr. She couldn't shake the sadness, the longing, the wish that he was still with her.

He should have been here to see their kits become warriors. To see them have kits, if they chose to. And yet, now she didn't even know if he was in Starclan.

The thoughts and grief dragged at her, and the day after the ceremony, Goldstar went for a walk in the territory alone. She was coated in protection, limping from the attempt to scar her pad, which was wrapped tightly in dressing to prevent infection. She wandered far, leaving Skypelt in charge for the day, and she headed past the Beach of Stars, toward the beach where whale meat sometimes washed up.

The bones of the last one were still in the sand and she sat among the bones for a time, staring up at the enormous things, trying to distract herself.

"Oh, Flintfur... Can you see us, my love? Do you see the fine warriors our kits almost are? Are you watching over us even if our connection to Starclan is lost? Did you even make it there?" she whispered, staring up at the sky.

It was too early for stars and the clouds held no answers. Neither did the waves or the sands, and she moved on, wandering further. At this rate, she might not make it back to camp until morning, but she had told Skypelt she might not be back until dawn.

As she walked in the hills and the greenery that was mismatched, birds suddenly stopped calling, and took flight. A metallic odor came on the wind, and she peered at the sky, seeing a fast-approaching mass of clouds.

A rainfall. She was out in the open, on the part of the hills where there were few trees, and her heart leapt in her throat. She turned, racing toward the trees, glancing at the sky, and she didn't make it before the rainfall hit. But her protection was enough, thick enough that the rain didn't instantly wash it away, and as she raced for the trees, she saw a rainbow appear in the sky. Not a normal one; it was shaped like a circle, perfect in that manner, but the colors were inverted as well.

Remembering the last time an Unseen had been encountered- Flintfur's death- had carried a sighting of such a rainbow, she froze, because that meant... That meant...

There was an Unseen.

She could not sense them as Amberleaf could. She remained frozen, wanting to press herself to the ground and muffle her breathing, as Yellowlily had discovered to do, but she was in the open. Her protection would wash away and leave her exposed to the rainfall; it was a heavier one.

So Goldstar took the risk. She crept low on her belly through the vegetation, like she was hunting, like she was stalking enemy warriors, going as quickly and quietly as she could. But she wasn't quiet enough. As the rain fell, the vegetation flourished and died, and at a particularly bad moment, her paw landed on a dead bit of it, crackling sharply beneath her pad.

It was obscenely loud and she stiffened, heart pounding, and then the ground began to vibrate. She turned her head and saw pawprints appearing on the ground, filling with black puddles, and they were heading straight toward her. Muffling her breathing wasn't going to work. She took a deep breath, and bolted.

She ran as fast as she could, racing for the trees that grew leaves and lost them in a shower of red, orange, and brown as she headed for them, not daring to look back.

Goldstar had nearly reached the trees when something suddenly seized her by the loose fur of her back and she was ripped off the ground, moving high rapidly. She screeched and thrashed, clawing, fighting for all she was worth, one thought going through her head throughout it all.

Please don't be Flintfur. Not Flintfur. Not Flintfur. Please, Starclan, oh please don't let it be Flintfur.

She was tossed up into the air and was in sudden free fall, the ground rushing toward her as the rain poured down, and then- Pain exploded in her body, and her life winked out.

It was a familiar sensation; she had lost two lives already. What happened next was unexpected.

Instead of waking in Starclan, as she previously had, she woke on a beach. At first, she thought it was the Beach of Stars, but there were no rocks out in the water, the hills behind her were different, and no cliffs rose to cup it. The sand was black, though, and the ocean lapped at her paws, reflecting the overcast sky and looking gray.

Rising in confusion, Goldstar looked around, trying to make sense of what she was seeing, where she was. The water licked at the sand and that was when she saw it: A ghostly form of herself, walking into the sea.

It was her life, the remnant of it, like what lingered in Starclan until she lost them all. Goldstar could only watch in confusion as the echo of her life waded out into the water and kept going, going deeper and depper, and then it was gone.

Just as suddenly, everything turned white, and Goldstar bolted upright again, her body aching, the air smelling of smoke and tilled soil and something else. She was disoriented again, looking around, and it took a moment for her mind to register was she was seeing. There was a crater in the ground, perfectly circular, and at the bottom was a pawprint, filled with black. She was about three-quarters of the way to the top, laying in the flattened soil, and she staggered upright. The rain was gone and the air was silent, and her head was spinning. Her protection was in shambles, but her body and coat appeared no worse for wear.

Carefully, body screaming with pain, Goldstar hauled herself from the crater, looking at it, unable to understand what had happened. The Unseen had gotten her, had bitten her, had eaten her... And that would have caused a Silencing.

But here she was, alive, in one piece, one life shorter but whole, and there was a crater in the ground. And unlike last time, she hadn't gone to Starclan. There had been that... beach.

Her mind was spinning and she wanted to sit there, dumbfounded, but she knew better. Instead, she picked herself up and made her way back to camp.

She met a patrol going the way she had come as she headed home, lead by Quietback, Buzzardglide, Aphidrise, Civetbeak, Gillfeather, and Amberleaf on his tail, and they all stared at her.

"Goldstar, what happened?" Quietback asked, looking alarmed.

"I... We need to go back to camp." Goldstar said, her voice coming out rough and dazed.

They obeyed and eyed her, following her back to camp, Pumaspot pacing anxiously back and forth at the entrance when they arrived. She looked equally alarmed but kept her post as they made their way in, Goldstar dismissing the patrol.

She summoned Skypelt, Quietback, and Yellowlily to her den with all four medicine cats and they crowded in, everyone confused and alarmed.

"Goldstar, what happened?" Yellowlily asked her, sniffing her worriedly.

"I... I met an Unseen." she said and all the cats stared at her.

Haltingly, she explained what had happened the best she could, and they were all alarmed and confused, and Skypelt frowned at the mention of the strange beach.

"Was it not Starclan? You saw your life." she said, head tilted.

"It didn't feel like Starclan. It was... It was something else. And I could feel my life... Moving on. Like it always does. But it was different, like it was taking longer. Then it went into the ocean, and I woke up in the crater." Goldstar said, shaking her head.

Quietback looked like he wanted to get up and pace, but there wasn't room despite how spacious the den was.

"Why did the Silencing cause a crater like that? Was it because of your lives? Are they getting stronger? Was that Unseen different than the others?" he said, tail lashing in agitation.

Goldstar could not answer, but she had the same questions. She ended up summoning Amberleaf, not to ask him about the Unseen but to ask him about what it felt like when he died and came back. She felt bad for asking him about it again, knowing it must have been unpleasant, but Amberleaf answered without protest.

It was not the same, not exactly, but some of what he described did seem similar, Goldstar had to admit.

She dismissed him and Amberleaf left without another word, and, in the end, Goldstar summoned her mediators.

She sent Aphidrise to Foggyclan and Wiggity Wacks to Weedclan, Wiggity Wacks taking Quietback with him. Aphidrise hadn't been formally announced to the other clans as a mediator, but they were on good terms with Foggyclan, and it was Weedclan that concerned Goldstar.

She sent them with a message asking the other leaders and one of their medicine cats to meet her at the Pool of Five Oaks tomorrow night, close to moon-high, and she hoped they would agree. She hoped the meeting she had in mind wouldn't be disasterous. It was unusual for leaders and medicine cats of other clans to speak about the leaders' lives and such, but if any were willing, she had to know. She had to know if they had experienced this too, or if it was a new development, or if it was just her.

She believed that the only way to survive this was to work together, though she was aware not all the leaders would see it that way, and even then there would still be information they wanted to keep to themselves. So she sent the mediators and waited, hoping nothing befell them as they went, and it was well into the night when the three returned.

"Weedclan and Foggyclan will come, Goldstar. They sent cats to Kinkclan and Ferretclan." Wiggity Wacks reported and Goldstar nodded.

"Thank you. Get some rest." she said, letting out a heavy breath.

She could hardly sleep, her mind whirling, and, eventually, two shapes appeared in the mouth of her den.

"Mama, can we sleep here?" Yellowpaw asked, her eyes glowing in the darkness.

Quailpaw was with her, looking sheepish, and Goldstar nodded.

They were eleven moons old, too big for this, really, so much bigger than when she and Flintfur would sleep with them tucked between them. But she welcomed them and she breathed in their scents, cuddling them close, grateful they had come.

She needed this.

They were still there in the morning and Goldstar tried to go through the day as normal, but she was feeling anxious about the meeting, and she was relieved when, as night fell, she and Plumsong coated themselves in protection and headed out.

They were the first to arrive at the Pool of Five Oakes, but the journey was long, and the other clans would be here soon enough. Foggyclan, whose camp was closest, was the first to arrive, Snowstar having Shardstep with her, their light pelts hidden by protection. They greeted each other and Shardstep began to tell Plumsong how Cloudrunner had stayed behind because the senior medicine cat's joints were acting up.

Next were Curlstar and Pinestrike, the medicine cat looking at them all suspiciously, and Goldstar had never liked the medicine cat. She couldn't help but notice how... Old Curlstar was looking; he was the oldest of the leaders, yes, but she hadn't really thought about it until now.

Runningstar and Birdtail arrived with Dapplestar and Tansynose, and after polite greetings were exchanged, they all turned to Goldstar.

"What is this about, Goldstar?" Runningstar asked as Pinestrike flicked his tail.

"Yesterday, I encountered an Unseen. It caught me, and I lost a life." Goldstar said bluntly and surprise rippled through the assembled cats.

It was unusual for the information to be shared, but she went on, explaining the encounter and what happened, the new Silencing the strange beach.

"I know it is unusual, but have any of you had an experience like that? If not with the Silencing but the beach when you lose a life?" Goldstar asked, surveying the other leaders.

"Yes." Curlstar answered after a long moment, letting out a raspy cough.

"Curlstar!" Pinestrike hissed, his claws sliding out for a moment.

"We are all in this together, Pinestrike. There is no point in keeping it a secret, and leaders all lose their lives. Yes, Goldstar, it was as you described it." Curlstar said, glaring at his medicine cat.

"I saw that beach as well." Dapplestar said and Goldstar let out a breath.

"How long ago?" Plumsong asked, glancing between the two.

"Half a moon ago." Dapplestar answered immediately.

"Five days." Curlstar replied, shoulders hunched.

Goldstar nodded, a feeling of relief going through her, though this was not necessarily a good thing.

She did confess to losing a life after Flintfur had died, and how she had gone to Starclan, not this beach, and while the leaders were aware that she had lost at least two lives, she was not going to confess that it was three. She still needed to have some secrets about her lives, even if she needed to share this.

"So this is a recent development." Birdtail murmured, kneading the ground.

"Was it Starclan? Or was it somewhere else?" Shardstep asked, beginning to pace.

"It didn't feel like any part of Starclan I'd been to." Curlstar grunted and Goldstar and Dapplestar nodded their agreement.

It had been somewhere, but it hadn't been Starclan. Tansynose joined the pacing, and they all began to discuss and theorize about this.

"Your lives walked into the ocean, and we know the echoes of lost lives linger in Starclan until a leader loses their final one. You all stayed on this beach, and then the life went on into the ocean. Could it have been traveling to Starclan without you?" Plumsong eventually said and they all looked at him.

"We were dead. Where would that place be, if not Starclan? Even if it didn't feel like it... It wasn't the Place of No Stars either." Dapplestar asked with a frown.

"Presumably, your lives went on to Starclan without you. But you, as a living cat... Couldn't." Pinestrike said, speaking for the first time since Curlstar had spoken.

"So, what, it's... A place between the living and the dead?" Shardstep asked, nearly slipping into the pool.

"It makes sense." Snowstar said after a long moment.

"So this place... This beach... Is where these two places meet? But why now? Why have we never seen it before?" Runningstar asked, lashing his tail back and forth.

"Why were there never Unseen before? Silencings? Rainfalls? These odd dreams and cats who can sense Unseen and the like? Something happened, moons ago now. Maybe here, with us, or maybe with Starclan. Something beyond their control." Plumsong retorted.

"Whatever it is, it has changed the world, and cut us off from Starclan, and Starclan from us. I do not know if we can solve it. If we can fight it. We can survive it, at least, and right now, all we can do is learn from it and try to survive. Until we get some hint from Starclan, an omen, a prophecy, or something similar." he continued and Goldstar knew then the medicine cats would not be sharing Wasp's dream with the others.

It seemed a lot to accept, that there was now a divide of some kind between the living and the dead like there had never been before, but it made sense. It wasn't like they could kill a cat and see if it happened for anyone other than leaders, and even for Amberleaf, thigns were different. Of course, his life wasn't given ack to him by Starclan. Perhaps the ability that allowed him to die and revive had been, but they had no way of knowing.

"Could that be what makes Unseen?" Birdtail asked thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Snowstar asked, tilting her head.

"I mean, if this beach, this... Divide exists for every cat, not just leaders, and they have to go through the ocean to get to Starclan, what happens if they can't make it through for some reason? Maybe that's why they come back as Unseen. Because they can't find their way to the stars." Birdtail explained and they all got quiet.

Again, there was no way to know for sure, but... This was when Plumsong brought up the paw-marking idea to the others. It was a grim conversation, but like with the protection, the other clans agreed.

They stayed for quite a while, discussing the place they were now calling the Beach, because there was nothing else to call it. They discussed it and the Unseen, and the other things that had been happening. Goldstar knew they were all holding things back, but at the same time, she had never had such a frank conversation with all the other leaders at once. Not since Hyacinthclan had first arrived, and Snowstar hadn't been leader back then.

But they had clans to get back to, and they all had the shared feeling that they had been pushing it with the rainfalls. Not that they were so common they were guaranteed to be hit with one on the way home or even talking here, but they were unpredictable.

They parted peacefully and on the walk home, Goldstar looked at Plumsong.

"Plumsong, even with Wasp's dream... Do you think any of this will end any time soon?" she asked softly.

She didn't want to die. She didn't want Skypelt to die. But if the world could heal, could right, under Quietback's leadership, she would gladly give her lives for that.

"Frankly, no." Plumsong said, his exhale seeming to rattle his entire body.

He looked at her, his eyes seeming to glow in the dark, and he looked sad, and tired. Most of all, he looked tired.

"The world is broken, Goldstar. And it's only going to get worse. Even if it gets better, this isn't the worst of it. Maybe it's just my opinion, or maybe Starclan is managing to give me some of an idea, but... No." he said gravely and they stood there for a moment in a thick silence.

But only for a moment because, desptie everything, they had a clan to get back to.

6/20/2026-7/1/2026

----

The clans have discovered the existence of the Beach

----

Other clans:

Runningstar: Lean brown tom, leader of Weedclan

Dapplestar: Large tortie she-cat, leader of Kinkclan

Curlstar: Tall, skinny cream tom, leader of Ferretclan

Snowstar- Delicate white she-cat, leader of Foggyclan

Tansynose- Pale gray tabby she-cat, Kinkclan's medicine cat

Pinestrike- Huge dark dappled tom, Ferretclan's medicine cat

Birdtail- Small Brown-and-white she-cat, Weedclan's medicine cat

Shardstep- Muscular ginger tom, Foggyclan's junior medicine cat

A sucking, gaping silence like an open wound, all the birds suddenly quiet, all of them suddenly landed and hidden. Even the crash of the surf had silenced, though the waves still pulled lazily in and out, and Wasp's neck prickled.

The silence was almost like what Lester, Amberleaf, and Yellowpaw had described to her about a Silencing, a total absence of noise, but there was nothing else that would have indicated a Silencing. Did that mean... Did that mean an Unseen was near?

Wasp went still, taking the shallowest of breaths, and then she spotted the shape at the edge of the waves. She recognized the pale golden pelt.

Quietback.

She opened her jaws, irrationally, to call out, and his head suddenly turned toward her slowly, unnaturally, and she was far enough down the beach to see him clearly. Her breath caught in her throat, her chest refusing to move, her heartbeat the only sound in the silence.

Quietback's eyes shone blankly silver, like the stars, and tears were streaming down his fur, darkening it, as the waves pulled silently in and out. In and out without a sound, licking his fur, spilling over his paws, and as she stood there, fur on end, several things began to happen at once.

The black sand exploded with color. Flowers erupted from the ground, bright and impossible, Wasp recognizing yellow peonies, basil, blood-red anemone, oleander... And it was all covered in dripping black, just as those who had seen the mysterious cat had described. The flood of flowers filled the sand like a mockery of the stars above and the black rolled over the petals, dripping onto the sand, the scent an odd metallic, burned scent faint with it, overpowering the ocean and the scent of the flowers.

A wave swept in, ruffling some of the flowers, and Wasp's eyes went to Quietback, watching as black swept over his paws, the same on the flowers, the same that belonged to that strange cat. Paws that were now stained red.

She lurched forward, forgetting all about the Unseen, about to plunge into the dripping flowers, when the sky was blotted out, all the light was blotted out, leaving nothing but unending silence that swallowed her whole.

"Ama-Wasp?"

The sound punched through the silence like a crack of thunder and Wasp lurched upward, surfacing into sound and light, her eyes stinging in it, smoothing poking her leg.

"Ama-Wasp?" the voice said again and she turned her head.

Hazelkit blinked at her and Wasp blinked back, staring at him like she had never seen a cat before. She felt like she had never seen a cat before. Her head was spinning.

"Ama-Wasp?" Hazelkit repeated for a third time, blue eyes fixed on her.

"Yes?" Wasp said belatedly.

"My paw hurts." Hazelkit said, extending said paw.

Wasp sat up and sniffed it, smelling a little blood, and she gently flipped the kit onto his back, his paws kneading the air for a moment before he stilled. There was a piece of sharp rock stuck between his pads and she seized it gently with her teeth, pulling it out carefully.

She fetched the herbs she needed and treated the puncture after rasping her tongue over it, wrapping it up in a little bit of cobwebs for good measure. Kits also loved getting cobwebs, and she had no idea way.

"All better?" she asked, looking down at her kit.

"Yes, Ama-Wasp." Hazelkit chirped, rubbing his head against her leg.

She was not sure 'ama' came from, not entirely. Branchkit had had a hard time with her words at first and left off sounds, and Lester's kits called her 'mama'. Her kits had picked up on it, Branchkit, who had talked first but not very well, had said 'ama', and then, well... They knew she wasn't their biological mother. She didn't know their mother's name, but she was 'Mama', and Wasp was Ama-Wasp, combining the little kit mistake and what everyone else in the clan called her.

She glanced at the sun coming through the den's mouth and determined that the dawn patrol hadn't even left yet, letting out a sigh.

"Go back to Stoneleaf, Hazel." she instructed.

"I can stay here, Ama-Wasp? Please?" Hazelkit asked, his eyes looking like two huge pools as he looked up at her pleadingly.

"You sleep in your own nest, you know that." Wasp said patiently.

This made the kit pout.

"But Ama-Wasp-"

"No, little one."

"I share the nest with Branch and Mulberry and Stoneleaf." Hazelkit grumbled and Wasp touched her nose to his.

"That's different, that's your nest. And we don't want to disturb Morbius." she murmured, nodding to her sleeping patient.

Hazelkit deflated and nodded, and Wasp walked him back to his den.

Honestly, she was not sure what she had been thinking when she had adopted the litter. She had never particularly wanted kits, never felt particularly maternal, but she had seen the little newborns curled into the cooling fur of their dead parent, and she had felt... Something. A sense of possession, almost, and a desire to make sure the little bundles of damp fur survived when their mother hadn't. Stoneleaf would have taken them in as her own in a heartbeat, but... Well... Wasp had claimed them after that funny feeling in her chest.

She was a cold cat, she knew, and her patients sometimes didn't like her nest-side manner, but she got her job done and she did it well. She had joined the clan in the midst of tragedy involving kits- Copsespots and her two little kits who had died so soon after due to sickness- and she hadn't been able to help then, but she could help these kits. She loved her litter, even if she was a stern mother, and she was pretty sure they loved her.

She took Hazelkit back into the nursery and nuzzled him back into his nest, Lester's near-apprentice kits curled in one huge ginger ball together, Mulberrykit and Branchkit snuggled into Stoneleaf's warm side. The den-mother raised her head sleepily as Wasp nuzzled Hazelkit and blinked at her, and Wasp dipped her head in appreciation before taking her leave. She did not return to her nest, however. Instead, she climbed up onto the stone roof of the medicine cat den, pondering her dream.

It had been a prophetic feel to it. She didn't know quite how to explain it, but it felt as it had when Plumsong had taken her to the Beach of Stars and she had been welcomed by Starclan as a medicine cat. It had felt like Starclan, and this was something enormous.

If it had been a dream from Starclan, this was the first contact they had truly had with them in moons. Not since Goldstar had lost her life, she thought, and that had been the first since all of this had started. It had been twelve moons since they had truly had contact with Starclan. So why now? Why the dream?

She began to pick the dream apart like a mat in her fur, tangling it carefully, trying to see all of it. The Beach of Stars... Well, that was their sacred place. A place connected to Starclan. It would make sense for the dream to take place in such a place.

But the rest... The silence, Quietback on the Beach, the stars winking out, the flowers covered in dripping black... That was harder to figure out. She shuddered, remembering the macabre garden that had blossomed from the sand. The stink of it, the wrongness of it, the particular flowers... She knew some in the clan had a language of flowers, but she did not know it. She preferred being straight with speaking, rather than using things to symbolize what you meant. She would need to speak to Jackdawnudge, who knew it best.

But the silence and Quietback's eyes glowing like the stars... That had clearly been something to do with him. Silence and stars... Quiet and stars... Quietstar. Quietstar.

Would he be leader one day? Goldstar had seven lives yet and Skypelt was hale and strong, but that meant nothing, really. The blood on his paws and the black from the ocean... The blood was obvious. He would become leader, but he would have blood on his paws when he got there, or to get there. Quietback had never seemed like a violent cat to Wasp; he was a good warrior but not violent.

Perhaps the clan would be struck by bloody tragedy- perhaps a true war was coming- and it would result in Quietback becoming leader.

She thought that, but it didn't feel right. The blood on his paws and the black from the ocean... Was he connected to the thing that was coming? The flowers had dripped the same black liquid all who had seen that... Thing... came with, dripped with. And Quietback had been one of the cats to see it.

Wasp was still waiting on the den, thinking, as dawn broke and Skypelt emerged from the warriors' den, Civetbeak, Amberleaf, Quailpaw, and Gillfeather emerging for dawn patrol. Petalcurrent relieved Confetti from Rainwatcher duty after taking the last bit of fresh-kill, and Jackdawnudge emerged from the den below Wasp.

He stretched, the lavender he wore swinging with his movements, a carefully preserved gift from Quietback many moons ago.

"Jackdawnudge." Wasp called softly, making the old cat look up.

His eyes narrowed when he saw her.

"What are you doing up there?" he asked.

"I need to speak with you. And Plumsong." Wasp said, not bothering to include Lester at the moment.

Lester would find it interesting, but it was no secret that she didn't believe in Starclan. She had never gotten the chance to meet with them, and believed that cats returned to the world after they did in a way Wasp didn't quite understand. She didn't believe in their ancestors walking among the stars, instead she spoke of them renewing the earth and being in the grass, the water, the wind, the soil.

Jackdawnudge narrowed his eyes further and went back into the den, fetching a grumpy-looking Plumsong to climb up with her. Plumsong had to shove Jackdawnudge up and Wasp made a note to make him a mixture to relieve stiff joints. It was greenleaf, but Jackdawnudge was getting on in moons- one hundred-sixty, he told Wasp- and herbs were scarce, meaning he hadn't been taking his medicine in favor of letting others have the herbs.

Wasp took a deep breath and then another, double-checking there was no one lingering around to overhear.

"I believe I had a dream from Starclan." she said, and told them about it.

The two senior medicine cats listened intently as she described it in hushed tones and Jackdawnudge's expression portrayed his worry, Plumsong's expression unreadable.

When she finished, there was a minute of silence, and then Plumsong nodded.

"I think you interpreted the quiet and the stars correctly." he said, and that was all he said.

"What do the flowers mean?" Wasp asked, looking at Jackdawnudge.

"Commonly, peonies mean anger. Basil means hate. Oleander is a warning. Red anemone means forsaken." Jackdawnudge answered, his ear flicking the lavender dangling from his fur.

Wasp shuddered again.

"So this... Thing... Is angry."

"I would say, yes, it seems so. If it was a dream from Starclan, they know flower meanings well enough." Jackdawnudge said and his claws dug into the stone.

"I am not sure about the rest. It could mean Quietback has blood on his paws, or it could symbolize a bloody tragedy that leads to his leadership. As for the mysterious cat and the black... He could be connected to it somehow, or it happens during his leadership." Plumsong said, tail twitching back and forth.

"Should we tell Goldstar?" Wasp questioned because, truthfully, she didn't want to.

She hadn't wanted to tell Plumsong and Jackdawnudge, actually, because of how the dream had felt, and she wasn't even sure if it truly was from Starclan. It had been a year, after all, so why and how would Starclan be able to contact them now? And why her, out of all the medicine cats?

"Not just yet. Not until we are sure it is from Starclan. Not until we are a bit more certain of the meanings." Jackdawnudge said and Plumsong gave him a glare.

"She is our leader. She has every right to know." he said shortly.

"Waiting a pawful of days won't hurt. Particularly since I am not sure if we should involve Skypelt. Quietback would only become leader in the event of her death, most likely; I don't see her retiring unless she becomes so injured she has no choice but to retire." Jackdawnudge reported and Wasp wanted to roll her eyes.

The last thing she needed was for the two old toms to get into a spat right now.

"We will wait a few days." she cut in and Plumsong glowered, but he was currently outvoted, so he could not argue.

Though, as senior medicine cat, he could, technically, go to Goldstar anyway.

"We should include Lester, at least. It will be a good lesson for her about omens, Starclan, and the like." Wasp added and Plumsong lashed his tail.

"Very well." he grumbled, and got up, climbing down.

Jackdawnudge lingered, staring up at the sky, and Wasp couldn't begin to guess what he was thinking. She knew he was terrified of the mysterious cat with the tentacles, even if they didn't talk about it. If it even was a cat. At this point, Wasp wasn't so sure what it might have been, other than it was wrong.

"You should have included Lester from the start, even if Starclan isn't part of her beliefs." he said and got up, climbing stiffly down the rock.

Wasp flexed her claws and lingered on the rock, watching as the camp woke up a bit more around her, until Lester emerged from the den. She called her up and told her, and Lester's eyes were wide by the time she finished.

"What do you think?" Wasp asked when she finished.

"I don't rightly know. I'm more comfortable leavin' this prophecy and omen stuff to the three of you. My mama didn't teach me anythin' like that, I ain't got no clue how to tell a crazy dream apart from something Starclan sends to you." Lester said after a moment, looking down at her paws.

"You don't mind that I didn't tell you at first?"

"Not really. I heal, Wasp, I don't do this mythic stuff. It's not like I've gotten the chance to learn either, ya know? I'm happy tendin' to the patients, but in the future, you can include me, just so you don't have to go and repeat yourself. Save yourself from breath." Lester said airily, which surprised Wasp.

"Alright." Wasp said and Lester seemed to think this settled the matter.

She glanced across the camp and Wasp followed her gaze, seeing it settled on Quietback. He was speaking with Skypelt and Lester's voice dropped to a whisper.

"I don't think he could kill Skypelt, he's over the moon 'bout her. And the clan would never stand to have a leader who did that. But do you think he could kill anyone else?" she asked curiously.

Wasp honestly didn't know. She hadn't been here during the almost-war with Weedclan, but she knew Quietback, alongside Ashtalon, had been prominent warriors in the battle. Ashtalon had led others in the clan against their enemies, lead the patrols through the battles even if he had never been deputy, and he had been the best fighter in the clan. Possibly in all the clans, if the stories were right. Quietback had been at his side through all that, even if he hadn't been as skilled. Had gotten injured enough times that Jackdawnudge still ranted about it in his foulest moods.

No one had died, but Wasp didn't know the extent of the violence that had been inflicted, and she knew any cat could kill, given the right circumstances.

"I don't know. But it might not mean that." she said, but she felt uneasy just looking at Quietback.

Lester nodded and that ended the conversation, the other she-cat going to tend to her kits. They would be apprenticed before the moon was out, but they were still tumbling around like kits, their ginger pelts glowing in the morning sun. They probably wouldn't be so early to wake once they were 'paws, though.

Wasp shook herself and climbed down from the den, the dream still spinning around her mind, and she couldn't get it to stop. She desperately wanted to know if it had truly been from Starclan, and why her, out of all the medicine cats, had received it if it had been.

Try as she might, the thoughts and worries kept spinning around in her head, and she couldn't let them go.

She ate with her kits, checked on Morb, checked Tulipscratch, and discussed Morb's reatment with the other medicine cats. It was hard to tell at the moment if it was working, but Morb did seem to have feeling in her hind quarters, at least. That was something. But it was hard to tell if her spine was getting better or not, and she was still weak and in pain. The nest they had constructed for her kept her immobilized and stabilized her spine, but beyond that and making sure she was well taken care of, there was really not much they could do.

Tulipscratch's breathing was still raspy from the water and they were unsure of what might happen to her too, but her condition was much better than Morb's, at least. The constant visits from Stoneleaf and Fogvalley seemed to be doing her some good as well.

And throughout the day, Wasp realized she was going out of her way to avoid Quietback. Not that their paths often crossed, but she was inadvertently making sure that they did not run into each other. And honestly, she didn't want to. She kept thinking of the blood on his paws and wondering how he became leader. If he got there through tragedy, or by violence he created.

It still made her head spin, and that night, Wasp was honestly afraid to go to sleep. She didn't want another dream... But if it came again it likely wasn't a dream Starclan had sent her. She thought. In truth, Wasp spent most of the night awake, and she watched Confetti's flank rise and fall beside Morb's for a long time.

Eventually, she did sleep, and the dream did not come again. She wasn't sure which was worse.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They spent a few days in debate about the dream, but there wasn't much more they could do to figure it out, meaning it was time to tell Goldstar.

In all that time, Wasp had avoided Quietback. She was uneasy, and when she had been a loner, she had learned to trust these feelings. She hated to feel this way about a clanmate, but she couldn't help it, and she wasn't sure if anyone noticed, at least. She did request that in the meeting with Goldstar, they not involve Skypelt. She felt this was something the deputy didn't need to know.

That was how the four of them- Wasp, Goldstar, Jackdawnudge, and Plumsong, Lester had decided to watch the den- wound up in Goldstar's den while most of the clan was out on patrols, taking advantage of greenleaf as much as they could. There was something Lester wanted to try with prey, something her mother had done, and she wanted some extra fresh-kill to experiment with.

Goldstar listened with a stoic expression as Wasp recounted the dream and they all shared their interpretation, and afterward, Goldstar was silent.

"I find it hard to believe that Quietback would slaughter his way to leadership." she finally said, looking at Wasp.

Shame washed over Wasp, but she did not look away from her leader.

"But there is no telling what a cat might do, given the right circumstances. To answer your question, no, Quietback was not violent during the war with Weedclan. No one really wants to call it that, but... He did his duty. He is a good cat. But there is not telling what the future might hold." Goldstar continued, looking troubled.

"Honestly, I am more concerned with this entity. If it does have a connection to Quietback or not, or if it comes during his leadership. He did see it first..."

No one could answer that. Technically, if it did come during Quietback's leadership, it was connected to him, but Wasp didn't say that. They spent a while debating about the dream, and Goldstar refused to blatantly believe in the worse of Quietback, but Wasp could see that she was keeping it in mind.

Eventually, though, they had talked it to death, and Goldstar dismissed them, keeping her promise to keep it from Skyplet... For now. Skypelt could very well be leader one day, and she would have the right to know, but she did not insist the knowledge be passed on right now.

They exited the den and those who were in camp glanced curiously, obviously knowing that something was going on if three medicine cats and the leader had had a private meeting together. But no one but the kits would ask, and Yellowlily currently had all six of them engaged in a story. They were hanging on her every word, not even sparing a glance toward the leader's den.

Lester was mixing up more protection when Wasp reached the den, the smell of mud and herbs thick int he air, and she was chatting with Morb as she did so. Or too, as Wasp didn't hear Morb reply, and she noticed the sharpened stick sitting off to the side.

"What is that for?" she asked warily.

"It's for getting the fur off prey! My mama used to take the pelts and skin off, and lay the meat on hot rocks in the sun to dry. We'd eat it in the winter." Lester explained cheerfully.

Wasp blinked, interested, and she had to admit, with the rainfalls and how prey had been lately, having dried stores would be good to have. Just like their herbs.

"And we have some salt too, which should help preserve it." Lester continued; they had salt stores because it was good for packing wounds with, and the ocean provided it naturally in its pool not far from camp.

Wasp blinked, interested, and she wished she had had some more interesting skills of her own to bring to the clan. But she could learn this, and she and Lester got to working on it when the clan came back. More prey than there had been a while, and Lester took a squirrel, beginning to show an interested group of cats how to do it. They did it down on the shore and Amberleaf was the first to try out the sharpened stick to remove the pelt, his attempt not as neat as Lester's.

She assured them that it was fine, and they spent time watching Lester work. The oddest part was when she took the slightly torn pelt and a sharpened rock and pushed the rock at Amberleaf, who was leaning closest.

"Get scrapin', Amber." she said and Amberleaf blinked.

"...Scraping?" he asked.

"Yeah, scrap the nasty bits off with the rock like this." Lester said, demonstrating.

"You can use the pelt as a nest or somethin' else handy. That's how my mama did it, but I've never really had the need to do 'fore now. And now I feel comfortable that we have the supplies to try it out." she continued, offering the rock to all of them sitting around.

It was Goldstar who began this, actually, and the lessons lasted for the rest of the day. Lester pronounced that the work wasn't the best, but it was good for beginners, Wasp's paws stinging from the salt she had helped rubbed on the squirrel pelt.

"Next you'll be teaching us to use fire on the meat." Buzzardglide joked as they sat and lay around the middle of camp, sharing an evening meal.

"I don't rightly know how to contain fire or start it, but cooked meat is delicious. Mama brought back a squirrel that got hit by lightning once, it tasted odd but very good." Lester replied, and many of them were exchanging looks.

"We could get embers from the next lightning fire." Almondfern suggested quietly and this led to a debate about how to do that.

It was a good evening, until Pumaspot blew the conch.

"Rainfall!" she yowled, scrambling down from the tree.

Everyone scattered and Wasp ended up in the medicine cats' den with Furledseed and Quietback, making her pelt prickle.

Furledseed settled down next to Morb on the other side of the den, talking softly to her, and Quietback sat down near Wasp.

"Wasp, are you avoiding me?" he asked bluntly.

"No. Why would I do that?" Wasp said levelly, the rainfall a heavy one.

She winced as she thought of all the work they had just done getting wet and ruined.

"You just seem to be giving me a lot of space, that's all. I saw you look at me and turn around. I don't know what I might have done, but if I have angered you in any way, I am sorry." Quietback said and Wasp hissed.

"Don't be so full of yourself. I've just been busy these last few days." she said, stalking off to the herb stores.

Quietback didn't follow, instead going to talk with Tulipscratch, and Wasp was glad when the rain let up after a few minutes, even more relieved to see the area that had been hit was back to greenleaf. She saw Amberleaf checking the sky and she did as well, remembering the theory of the rainbows, but there weren't any.

Everything picked up where it had left off, more or less, and the rains of sodden fresh-kill were cleared away, Lester bounding off to check the pelt and meat.

Later that night, Wasp couldn't sleep again. Restless, she found herself creeping over to the nursery. She spotted Stoneleaf heading to the dirtplace and sound her kits all cuddled in the large nest together, Lester's toms heaped in a pile in theirs. Hoping Stoneleaf wouldn't mind, Wasp slid into the warm moss and feathers, and Hazelkit stirred.

"Ama?" he mumbled, blinking at her sleepily.

"Shhh, little one." Wasp murmured, licking his ears.

She hadn't slept in the nursery since they had opened their eyes, and their need for milk in the beginning had meant it was easier for Stoneleaf to share their nest. But right now, their warm little bodies were a comfort.

"Thank you, Ama-Wasp." Hazelkit said, snuggling into her.

He was asleep again quickly and Stoneleaf came back, purring softly, before settling in a spare nest. Wasp curled around her kits the best she could, trying to forget the dream, the feeling on uneasiness, hoping they could help chase all the worry away.

Flower meanings:

Peony- Anger

Basil- Hate

Oleander- Beware

6/12/2026- 6/16/2026