Chapter Text
The sound of crickets echoed through the night as the wind gently blew the tall grass. The moon above the grass seemed to illuminate an unforeseen path through it. Though very few knew what the unmarked trail led to since none had walked it. Atleast until tonight, as a group of cats walked through the tall grass. They were allowing a dark ginger mackerel tom lead them as he followed the guidance of the moon. There were around ten cats in the group, though four of them were kittens. Yet none of these kittens shared blood with the other older felines or with each other. None of the cats shared kinship with each other by blood, only by trust they did. Each of them were from different backgrounds and places of the land they fled from. A disaster had been brought to the land they once called by creatures that called two-legs and their large monsters they controlled. They watched as great trees wore ripped from the ground like a blade of grass and dark icky liquids drained into the clear rivers. The grounds they had walked on for moons had been turned into gaping holes in the earth. It was something from nightmares yet it was all reality. Many cats and other animals had lost their lives and loved ones while losing their home at the same time. Nothing could be done besides fleeing. The four great clans that the cats had lived in for many moons were destroyed in less than two. Broken and separated, small groups of surviving cats collected themselves and no longer divided themselves by territories or clan descent at the moment. Their only goal was to survive and find a new home.
Which is what this small group was doing. The tom cat that led the group was named Oakfern. He and his childhood rival, Sporespirit, had escaped together when the two-leg’ monsters stormed their camp. With them, they had taken a kit named Shardkit, who’s mother had been one of the first to die at the hands of the monsters. Though disgruntled at first, the two tom and she-cat agree to parent the kit together. Three of them happened to run into a former medicine cat named Icechase and his clan member Archbranch, who also carried a kit with them named Chaffinchkit. Those two toms fled with the kit since he was the only surviving offspring of their dying clan. Unwilling to leave any cats behind, the six cats stuck together and hoped to find more survivors. Which they did, coming across a Rowandrizzle & Rainpaw, a mentor and apprentice who had hidden not too far from their destroyed camp. With those two joining their small group, the surviving clan cats quickly headed away from the land. Though they mourned their home, they couldn’t stay any longer. With only the guidance of the moon, the nine felines walked for what seemed like an entire moon. During their departure, they had discovered two kits who were seemingly left behind by two different unknown kittypets. Oakfern named them Houndkit and Amberkit, though they weren’t exactly clanborn. It didn’t matter to him though. As much as he wanted to rebuild a life for the cats that he traveled with, he wanted things to be different since some of the laws of the warrior code didn’t sit right with him. It was a rebellious claim but Oakfern didn’t care too much for traditions at the moment. It was almost survival and taking care of each other. Which is all that the tom cat wanted for his small group. Each of them were different and didn’t share an ounce of blood but he looked at them with reliability. He trusted all them and they trusted him.
As a sigh escaped him, his cyan eyes slowly looked up through the tall grass. The grass seemed to grow taller but it wasn’t exactly grass. They were stalks of oat plants. An odd thing to see but it’s what Oakfern could hear. The echo of rushing water filled his ears as he led the group into the oat field. The field didn’t stretch on too far because the ground under his paws turned from solid dirt to soft grains of sand. Confused, Oakfern raised his tail to tell the others to stop.
“Hold on everyone” spoke Oakfern, as his ears perked up.
“What’s the hold up?” asked Sporespirit, tilting her head.
“There is water up ahead” he stated, walking a few steps forward.
“Water? That’s not something to fuss about” commented Rowandrizzle.
“It sounds like a lot of water” uttered Archbranch.
“Is it another canal?” questioned Icechase.
“It sounds bigger than a canal,” claimed Oakfern. “Stay here while I investigate”
“Thank Starclan, my paws were getting tired from walking so much” sighed Rainpaw, as he flopped down on the ground.
The dark ginger tom chuckled lightly before turning his attention back to the sound. Oakfern continued to walk forward as he followed the sound of the water. The sand under paws was getting annoying but he soon became used to it as he walked. Though no sooner was he used to it, the ground under him changed. His paw pads landed on small rocks as he noticed a hole between the larger rocks. He flaked his claws on the stone he stood on before peeking his head into the hole. It was quite dark inside it but there seemed like enough space for his entire body to fit in. Not only that but he couldn’t touch the ceiling or feel the walls closing in around him. The hole was less of the tunnel than what he expected and more of an opening into the clearing of a cave. Going further in, Oakfern let the sound of water lead him but also the faint of glow further into the cave. The rocks under his paws were cool and dry to the touch compared to the wet and sticky earth that he and the other cats had been traveling on through Leaf-bare. Though the tom expected to feel some sorta of wetness since the rushing water got louder and louder. It was roaring at this point but still seemed so far away. Though he was able to find the source of it when he found a high perch at what looked like a window of the cave just a bit higher that allowed moon light to leak in. Oakfern padded over to the hole in the stone and looked up at the moon. It was high in the sky and the tom was drawn to its light. Though his eyes were also drawn to what moon hung above. It was water, a whole lot of water. Scrabbling to pull himself through the hole, the russet tom curiously exited the cave and headed towards the massive source of water. He couldn’t see where it stopped or started as his paws were met with sand again. Standing at the edge of the water, a small wave came up and lapped at his paws, causing the sand under his feet to become soaked and stick to them. Oakfern shook it off before bending down to lap back at the water. Yet he was met with an icky salty taste. This was nothing like any water he’s tasted. It tasted horrible. He hissed and spat it out of his mouth, looking around to rid of the disgust feeling on his tongue. As he whipped his head around, a glow figure appeared out the corner of his eyes further down on the sand plains. It was another cat but they glowed and stars decorated their pelt. His ears perked up in surprise as he turned into the direction the small cat stood. They tilted their head to the side before turning away, their tail gesturing for Oakfern to follow them. As if being guided by this unknown star cat, the tom’s feet were already moving before he knew it. The starry pelted cat led him back towards the hole in the rocks he climbed out of but walked outside of it along the wall of smooth rocks. They then lead Oakfern up what looked like a hill of stones. Reaching the top of it was something that the tom didn’t expect to see. The ground was gritty under him but didn’t stick to him. There was even greenery and foliage growing around the clearing. There were openings between the rocks of the area that could be fit for dens. In the middle of the odd;y placed clearing was a water source made up of different shallow pools since there were small stones that created small bridges that divided them. There was a small part of the divided pools that bled down into a small waterfall. Hesitantly this time, Oakfern walked over to it and dipped his tongue into it. It was freshwater, which he happily lapped up to cleanse his tongue. After having his fill, Oakfern’s cyan eyes looked back to where the starry cat stood. They were laid across a smooth rock in front of a large den. They stood up and padded over to Oakfern before leaning forward and pressing their nose to the tom’s.
“Bring the others here” they whispered.
A shiver passed through Oakfern’s body as he blinked slowly. Yet with that blink is when the small cat disappeared. He whipped his head around in confusion, realizing he was standing in the clearing alone. His eyes looked upwards, outwards towards where he had come from, a large body of salty water was and the moon reflecting against his cyan eyes. This was the place, this was the place where he would build a new life. A new clan with companions. A new feeling grew in his heart as he looked up towards the shallow cliff that stood at the other end of the clearing. He climbed up it quickly and trotted quickly through the cave once more and out the hole he originally entered through. It didn’t take him long to find his companions once more as they lounged in the oat field. Sporespirit was the first to spot him as he returned, standing to her feet.
“There you are, what did you find?” she asked.
“Our new home” proclaimed Oakfern, with a smile on his face.
“Really?” she replied, her green eyes becoming wide.
“Yes! Come with me, everyone” nodded Oakfern.
Confused but curious looks were exchanged as the other cats stood up. Oakfern led them over back to the hole he found and guided them with his voice to the clearing that the starry pelt cat had guided him to. They were awed at the luck of being able to find such a place. The four kits, that happened to be tired just moments before, were happily exploring the dens and the clearing that was to be their home. Rowandrizzle seemed to examine the shallow pools of water before being accidentally splashed by Rainpaw. The apprentice gave his mentor an apologetic look, yet was splashed back by the dark gray tom. A noticeable chuckle arose from Archbranch as he sat close by to Icechase, who was inspecting one of the dens' claims. Oakfern and Sporespirit watched them from afar as they explored their new home.
“This is actually a perfect spot, how did you find this place?” spoke Sporespirit, looking over at the tom.
“Well, surprisingly, I think Starclan did. A glowing cat appeared while I was standing on the beach and led me here” explained Oakfern, as he looked towards the moon.
“They told me to bring you all here as well,” he added.
“I see,” hummed Sporespirit, “Do you know what that might mean?”
“I’m not completely sure, but I have a hunch,” replied Oakfern.
There was a pause between the two cats, as they looked over at the moon.
“Do you think I would make a good leader?” asked Oakfern.
“I do, especially after you were able to take charge so easily after we left the old forest” nodded Sporespirit.
“Yeah but only with your help, I feel I would have lost my mind without your dumb quick thinking skills” claimed Oakfern.
“Of course, you can never do anything without the great Sporespirit to be there” bragged Sporespirit.
“Oh shut up, you” remarked Oakfern, playfully.
“As if I would ever” smirked Sporespirit, flicking the tom cat with her tail.
The two former rivals lightly bickered with each other, for old time sake. It was strangely comforting for them to be able to relax after traveling for nearly two moons straight from their old lands to find safety. They relied on each other more now while their rivalry had subdued to kind friendship. Especially with having to raise one of the living kits from their clan together. Speaking of so, Shardkit padded over to the pair and curled up into Sporespirit’s stomach. Her expression softened as she leaned down to lick the kit's head.
“I should go help Icechase put the kits to sleep” she spoke as she picked up Shardkit by her scruff, “And you should do the same, leader”
“Oh not yet, I would need the confirmation from Starclan if they would truly accept us taking shelter and to start a new clan” sighed Oakfern.
“I don’t doubt that they have already accepted you” smiled Sporespirit.
Oakfern returned the soft smile before giving a goodnight lick to Shardkit before watching the she-cat carry the kit off where the former medicine cat ushered the kits into a den. His eyes softened to the sight as yawned escaped him. He hadn’t realized how tired he was now. The tom stretched out his body before turning towards the large den he sat in front of. He walked inside and curled up just at the back of it. His fur rubbed against the cool stone, allowing his body to relax into slumber and lulled into the comfort of his dreams.
…
As he dreamt, Oakfern found himself wandering through the landscape of starry void, with a few trees decorating across it. It was nearly silent with no wind or rusting of foliage. Only the hushed twinkling of the stars around him. This was Silverpelt. The tom felt his heart jump in his throat as he realized that there could be two different reasons for being in the place. Though the reason was quick to surface as he noticed a single starry pelted cat sitting not too far in a clearing. It was the small cat that had guided him to the shelter in the cave. The cat slowly stood to their paws as they walked over to Oakfern. It felt odd since he had never seen this cat before yet felt a sense of reunion when they approached, like an old friend.
“Hello again, Oakfern, I’m Greenpaw,” spoke the small cat, proudly.
“An apprentice?” muttered Oakfern, confused.
“Yes, but dying young doesn’t make me less wise,” nodded Greenpaw, “But I’m not here to scold you”
“I am meeting with you tonight to give you a gift but we shall meet again one day, and so will all the cats that will be under your care” they proclaimed.
Just as they had done earlier, Greenpaw stepped forward and pressed their nose to Oakfern’s. Instead of a cold shiver this time, a warm filled weld up into the tom’s chest and head. His eyes grew wide as white light illuminated them, allowing him to suddenly see a small crowd of starry cats who were best to be clan ancestors standing behind Greenpaw.
“Take our gift to see dawn behind the darkness,” said Greenpaw, with a smile.
One of the cats from the crowd that stood behind Greenpaw, walked forward and placed a paw upon the young cat’s shoulder. They began to speak at the same time Greenpaw did. So did all the other cats in the shallow crowd behind them, shaking Oakfern to his core.
“We give your remaining eight lives, promise to use them well with our blessings”
“I will”
…
The dark ginger mackerel tom slowly blinked his eyes open and outstretched his body, yawning tiredly. His legs were splayed out but he stood up weakly. He shook whatever tiredness was left him as he stood up. A haze of light shone outside the entrance of them. He made his way over to it and looked out in the shelter clearing. Sitting by the shallow waterfall was Icechase, who seemed to be the only one awake at the moment. The white furred tom had his eyes closed as he basked in the morning sun. The russest tom walked over to him and sat next to the medicine cat.
“Good morning, Icechase” greeted the tom.
Icechase opened one eye to look over at him before turning his head towards him completely.
“Good morning,” he spoke, slowly, “Oakstar”