The ending of Return to Dust -- SPOILER HEAVY
Sept 30, 2016 20:49:42 GMT -5
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Post by Dingoleap on Sept 30, 2016 20:49:42 GMT -5
Well, after I said that I wouldn't be writing fanfiction anymore, and therefore discontinuing RTD, I had a couple of people PM me asking about the ending. So I decided to post it so you guys can at least get closure (???) and get your fill of Dingo stories.
Please note that the outline of the story as changed slightly since I wrote this (mostly just names and places) so some events might be slightly inaccurate to the current timeline.
Also note that by reading the following, you may potentially spoil future versions of the story, depending how much of the original plot line is kept when I finally put together a human version.
The original storyline was set to be a trilogy, with Return to Dust being the first book. The working title for the second instalment was 'Ley Lines', but it won't keep. It will probably be similar, but not entirely the same.
So there you have it - the long awaited conclusion to Return to Dust. I hope you enjoyed
Please note that the outline of the story as changed slightly since I wrote this (mostly just names and places) so some events might be slightly inaccurate to the current timeline.
Also note that by reading the following, you may potentially spoil future versions of the story, depending how much of the original plot line is kept when I finally put together a human version.
UNDER A COBALT SKY
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Return to Dust
Redstar makes a deal with the mysterious overlord in order to ensure the safety of his clan. The deal later backfires as his words are manipulated, allowing the Overlord to take Redkit's son, Stormkit, as payment.
Stormkit is taken from his clan at five moons old. Despite his best attempts, Redstar cannot prevent it and he is attacked and left for dead. Stormkit is taken, much to his best friends horror.
Stormkit is taken to the mysterious Gorge, where he is introduced to Stone and Perch, SlopeClan apprentices, taken the same way he was. They are to be in charge of his orientation. Here, he begins to learn the origins of the Gorge - once tasked with enforcing the boundaries between the living world and the dead, the cats of the Gorge slowly became corrupt, once the Overlord took power.
Everything he was is to be stripped away. He is to be broken and re-shaped in the way the Overlord wishes. He is assigned a mentor, Thorn, who is harsh and bloodthirsty. He pushes Stormkit, now named Storm, to his physical and mental limits. Disgusted with the younger cat, Thorn leaves Storm stranded outside the Gorge. Alone and terrified, the young cat watches the Ravens.
Snakeeyes begins to show and interest in the young tom.
Storm becomes sullen and retreats into himself. His one solace is his brief excursions outside to collect moss. Each time he leaves the Gorge, he finds himself watching the Ravens.
He is constantly at odds with Perch and Stone, despite Stone's attempts to comfort him. The Overlord expresses an interest in Storm and offers a trade; he will send Storm back to his mountains of he swears complete loyalty. Storm doesn't hesitate.
After a particularly brutal training session, Snakeeyes steps in and takes over Storms training. Storm begins to suspect he has an ulterior motive as Snakeeyes begins to teach him skills only known to RiftClan cats. Storm befriends the Ravens.
Here, he learns of Snakeeyes' mysterious past. He suspects the tabby warrior is a former warrior of RiftClan, but he cannot prove it. Snakeeyes reveals that the Overlord plans to destroy the clans as part of a grand scheme for revenge, and says that working together, they can stop it. Storm agrees. Sworn to secrecy, he spends the next moon planning with both Snakeeyes and the Overlord, all whilst keeping his deals a secret. Desperate for an outlet, he begins taking to the Ravens.
Finally, Storm is granted trustworthy enough to undergo his final assignment. He spends a day hunting, then, on his return, fights each member of the elite guard. Half-driven to madness by the severity of the situation, he nearly kills Snakeeyes.
He is horrified, but forces it down, focussing on now, he is allowed to go home. True to his word, the following day he is send out on his undercover mission. The other young cats are jealous of the ease at which he has succeeded. After a day's travel, he arrives home in the mountains, where he is quickly discovered by a border patrol. He is taken to camp.
The members of RangeClan are shocked to see him back. Ravenkit, now Ravenbeak, is ecstatic. Nightwing is awestruck. Pikekit, now Pikefin, is suspicious. Storm is rather hurt as his best friends supposed rejection. He suddenly realises that his father is absent, as his sister tows him into the medicine den for treatment. At last, Redstar makes an appearance, only to claim that Storm is an imposter and that his son is long dead.
Shocked, Storm spends most of his time in the medicine den, avoiding his clan. The one constant in his life is Ravenbeak. As last, she grows tired of his moping and sends him out into the mountains. Surprisingly, Pikefin joins him. They go to the river.
After returning to the clan, Storm struggles to fit in. His sister is ecstatic that he is back and spends as much time as possible with him. Pikekit, however, is uneasy and is slow about rekindling the flame between them.
Nightwing grows possessive. Redstar is convinced his son is dead. The rest of the clan is divided between welcoming him back and completely shunning him.
He adopts the name Stormpaw and trains to become a warrior. He continues to sneak away, passing information about the clan and it's schedule to the Overlord and his informants. Hurt and overwhelmed by his clans shunning, Storm retreats into his mind, relying on his ravens for company.
He is eventually named a warrior - Stormpike - named by the deputy, as Redstar refuses to acknowledge him. He is made a warrior alongside pretty she-cat Russetflame. Hurt more by his fathers' rejection, Storm begins to spend more time by himself.
Pikefin's mate gives birth to three healthy kits. Unable to deal with being replaced, Storm turns to Russetflame, becoming mates with her to spite his best friend. He unintentionally falls in love with her, however.
At the same time, the Overlord reveals his plan. Storm is to destroy the clan from the inside. His position means it is easy to cause chaos. He begins to spread rumours about high ranking cats. He is very clever, meaning much of it goes undetected.
Ravenbeak, still blind to her brothers faults, turns to StarClan to learn the answers behind the turmoil. The stars remain silent, save an enigmatic answer; she is told the trouble is just beginning. The storm will become a hurricane and the clan may not survive.
Meanwhile, Storm is instructed to kill Grassfire, the deputy. It is easily done and he manages to convince to clan troublemaking RiftClan is behind it.
In a desperate attempt to salvage the clans future, Snakeeyes pays Storm a visit in an effort to remind him of their plan. Storm is caught between who he is, who he's not and who he wants to be.
Snakeeyes cannot convince him and turns to his old clan, RiftClan, to try and persuade them not to fight. He fails, due to the clans aggressive nature. Both clans clash and the Overlord is extremely pleased with the chaos Storm creates.
Ravenbeak and Raincloud desperately try to reason with the RiftClan medicine cat, Whitethroat. RiftClan is angry at the accusation and refuses to back down.
RangeClan is thrown into further chaos as Redstar refuses to appoint a new deputy. Raincloud steps up to consult with StarClan. The stars themselves tell her to trust her heart. They confide with Nightwing and decide to appoint Pikefin deputy. His best friends sudden distance does nothing but increase Storm's rage.
A moon passes.
The situation worsens. Cats are disappearing left, right and centre. At last, Ravenbeak can see the monster her brother has become. In a desperate attempt to reach his friend, Pikefin steps down to try and rekindle their bond. Driven mad, Storm runs away.
A few nights of peace helps to clear his mind. He resolves to destroy his clan, not because of orders, but because of the way they treated him. Stormkit is gone and so is Storm. Stormpike is angry and violent and hell-bent on revenge. Taking his ravens for company, he retreats to outside clan territory.
It is here, alone with his poisoned thoughts, that he remembers his dreams. The dreams in which he is king of the mountain. The dreams in which he is utterly, utterly free. The idea of destroying the clans and ruling the mountains becomes more and more appealing.
Believing the prophecy could be linked to her brother (based on his name), Ravenbeak travels to find him, outside clan territory. She finds him a days travel away and asks why he left. Saying he cannot bear to stay in such a place, Storm tries to send her away. Like her mother, Ravenbeak is doggedly stubborn and refuses to go until he tells her what's wrong.
S: Sister, you have been nothing but kind to me, and so I will tell you this: a storm is about to break. Leave the mountains while you can. Get out, Ravenbeak, and stay safe.
Not knowing what he means, Ravenbeak demands to know more. Storm tells her about the Overlord and his cats, swearing her to secrecy. She agrees, but refuses to leave behind her clan. Vowing to do something, Ravenbeak returns to the mountains.
There, she runs into Snakeeyes. Now desperate to save the clans, the brown tabby tells her that Storm is following the Overlords orders and is preparing to tear the clan apart. She leaves somewhat skeptical, as the two stories do not quite match. She returns to StarClan in her dreams, where she dreams of death and ravens.
Storm returns to the clan, killing the apprentice Gladepaw once his hiding spot was discovered. The act triggers memories of the Gorge, leaving him shaken and terrified. Storm is now somewhat mad, talking to his ravens as if they were other cats.
Determined Gladepaw's murder will not go unpunished, Pikefin, re-instated as deputy, leads an all-out hunt for the killer. It is Russetflame who discovers him, brooding amongst the mountain peaks. She confronts him. Storm urges her to run: she was his friend and lover and he cannot bear to see her killed. He tells her to leave - bad things will happen. She leaves.
The clan cannot tie Storm to the murder. Meanwhile, frequent border skirmishes with RiftClan result in bad injuries.
Russetflame tries to convince Ravenbeak and Pikefin to leave with her. They cannot. It is revealed that she is expecting kits, and Storm is the father. She leaves clan territory, where Emberkit and Crowkit are born in secret.
The Overlord arrives in the mountains. Storm leads him and his cats to a suitable hiding place. Snakeeyes is not with them. This makes him uneasy. The Overlord begins to kill off cats. At first, Storm is unaffected. Then, Nightwing is killed. Driven into further madness by grief, the young tom begins to see the monster he was begun.
Ravenbeak is attacked and left for dead. She is critically injured and near death. Seeing the only one who was always there battling death, Storm goes totally mad.
Unable to live with what he's done, he turns to Pikefin, begging forgiveness. For the first time, his entire story is told. Pikefin asks what they should do. Storm cannot make the decision for them, but the Clan decides to leave the mountains. Storm and Pikefin stay behind.
Storm then returns to the Overlord, saying he convinced his clan to leave the mountains. Amidst the praise, he says he will be wandering for a while, hunting for weaknesses.
Leaving, he and Pikefin run into Snakeeyes, where Storm begs forgiveness. The three of them begin to roam, slowly killing off the Overlords followers. Assuming the clan cats are resisting, any clan cats are killed on sight.
Storm reveals that his clan is safe and Snakeeyes congratulates him. Meanwhile, Russetflame meets up with the clan, her kits in tow. The clan realised that Redstar is no longer with them.
Redstar has returned to the mountains to face his enemy once and for all. Hidden, Storm and his friends watch the confrontation. Wild with grief and a desire for vengeance, Redstar kills most of the elite guard before he is taken down.
(R: I hope I have made you proud my son. I'm sorry it took so long to fight for you.)
The trio collect Redstar's body under the cover of darkness. He is taken to the High Peak for burial. Now leaderless, Raindance leads the clan through the mountains.
Vowing to kill the Overlord, Storm sets out for their campsite. They arrive at dawn, only to find the campsite empty. They follow a trail of destruction through the mountains, finding the cats of the Gorge attacking RiftClan.
Storm challenges the Overlord to a fight to the death. The fight is long and brutal. Storm is pinned down when Pikefin intervenes. The brown tabby takes the death blow meant for Storm. Powered by rage, Storm continues to fight, fatally wounding the scarred tom.
Both sides retreat. Pikefin is buried. Storm and Snakeeyes turn to SlopeClan, telling them of their impending doom. The Clan leaves, leaving only the vigilantes behind.
The mountains are empty. Storm swears revenge on the Overlord and sets out to find him. Knowing the tom won't be far behind, the Overlord retreats to the Gorge.
On the way, Snakeeyes teaches Storm the about the places where reality wears thin, knowing they can use it to their advantage. Storm learns to harness his rage and use it to his advantage, unleashing the metaphorical storm within. The battle at the Gorge is long and bloody, with Storm emerging victorious.
Afterwards, Storm is not sure if he can return to the mountains and face the clan he nearly destroyed. Snakeeyes persuades him to. There, he tells the story of Pikefin and his bravery. Afterwards, his madness drives him into exile beyond the highest peak.
The clans are left on the brink of destruction. The RidgeClan survivors return to their territory and Snakeeyes taken into their clan. Ravenbeak, now recovered, searches for her brother to no avail.
Several cats who were prisoner in the gorge beg to join the clans.
Slate and Sienna become Slatestripe and Echopaw, medicine cat/apprentice of RiftClan after their medicine cat is killed. Stone and Perch retake their apprentice names, although they choose to join SlopeClan. Lastly, Horus takes the name Falconpaw and joins RidgeClan, oblivious to the fact that his sister is alive and well in RiftClan.
Storm's kits - Emberkit and Crowkit - are near 4 moons old. They grow up on tales of the mighty Storm Warrior, king of the Ravens and master of life and death. Under Snakestars rule, they are made apprentices. It is then Emberkit decides to search for her lost father.
Ends with her wandering off into the mountains with Ravens cawing overhead.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Ley lines (?)
Something is stirring in the mountains. The remains of the Gorge have scattered and live as rouges, tormenting the clans. Something sinister begins to pick of the clan cats, one by one. As young apprentice Emberpaw learns of the attacks, she becomes convinced that the answer lies beyond the High Peak, one of the many secrets kept by her absent father, Stormpike.
All her life, she has heard stories of the infamous madness of the Raven King. Her mother, however, whispers tales of a cat who sacrificed everything so that their Clan may live. These stories are seconded by her aunt, Ravenbeak, and Emberpaw begins to believe that some shadow of her fathers' past self still lives.
The deputy of RangeClan, Ridgefrost, leads a patrol against a group of former Gorge rouges. Emberpaw fights alongside her best friend Falconpaw.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Return to Dust
Redstar makes a deal with the mysterious overlord in order to ensure the safety of his clan. The deal later backfires as his words are manipulated, allowing the Overlord to take Redkit's son, Stormkit, as payment.
Stormkit is taken from his clan at five moons old. Despite his best attempts, Redstar cannot prevent it and he is attacked and left for dead. Stormkit is taken, much to his best friends horror.
Stormkit is taken to the mysterious Gorge, where he is introduced to Stone and Perch, SlopeClan apprentices, taken the same way he was. They are to be in charge of his orientation. Here, he begins to learn the origins of the Gorge - once tasked with enforcing the boundaries between the living world and the dead, the cats of the Gorge slowly became corrupt, once the Overlord took power.
Everything he was is to be stripped away. He is to be broken and re-shaped in the way the Overlord wishes. He is assigned a mentor, Thorn, who is harsh and bloodthirsty. He pushes Stormkit, now named Storm, to his physical and mental limits. Disgusted with the younger cat, Thorn leaves Storm stranded outside the Gorge. Alone and terrified, the young cat watches the Ravens.
Snakeeyes begins to show and interest in the young tom.
Storm becomes sullen and retreats into himself. His one solace is his brief excursions outside to collect moss. Each time he leaves the Gorge, he finds himself watching the Ravens.
He is constantly at odds with Perch and Stone, despite Stone's attempts to comfort him. The Overlord expresses an interest in Storm and offers a trade; he will send Storm back to his mountains of he swears complete loyalty. Storm doesn't hesitate.
After a particularly brutal training session, Snakeeyes steps in and takes over Storms training. Storm begins to suspect he has an ulterior motive as Snakeeyes begins to teach him skills only known to RiftClan cats. Storm befriends the Ravens.
Here, he learns of Snakeeyes' mysterious past. He suspects the tabby warrior is a former warrior of RiftClan, but he cannot prove it. Snakeeyes reveals that the Overlord plans to destroy the clans as part of a grand scheme for revenge, and says that working together, they can stop it. Storm agrees. Sworn to secrecy, he spends the next moon planning with both Snakeeyes and the Overlord, all whilst keeping his deals a secret. Desperate for an outlet, he begins taking to the Ravens.
Finally, Storm is granted trustworthy enough to undergo his final assignment. He spends a day hunting, then, on his return, fights each member of the elite guard. Half-driven to madness by the severity of the situation, he nearly kills Snakeeyes.
He is horrified, but forces it down, focussing on now, he is allowed to go home. True to his word, the following day he is send out on his undercover mission. The other young cats are jealous of the ease at which he has succeeded. After a day's travel, he arrives home in the mountains, where he is quickly discovered by a border patrol. He is taken to camp.
The members of RangeClan are shocked to see him back. Ravenkit, now Ravenbeak, is ecstatic. Nightwing is awestruck. Pikekit, now Pikefin, is suspicious. Storm is rather hurt as his best friends supposed rejection. He suddenly realises that his father is absent, as his sister tows him into the medicine den for treatment. At last, Redstar makes an appearance, only to claim that Storm is an imposter and that his son is long dead.
Shocked, Storm spends most of his time in the medicine den, avoiding his clan. The one constant in his life is Ravenbeak. As last, she grows tired of his moping and sends him out into the mountains. Surprisingly, Pikefin joins him. They go to the river.
After returning to the clan, Storm struggles to fit in. His sister is ecstatic that he is back and spends as much time as possible with him. Pikekit, however, is uneasy and is slow about rekindling the flame between them.
Nightwing grows possessive. Redstar is convinced his son is dead. The rest of the clan is divided between welcoming him back and completely shunning him.
He adopts the name Stormpaw and trains to become a warrior. He continues to sneak away, passing information about the clan and it's schedule to the Overlord and his informants. Hurt and overwhelmed by his clans shunning, Storm retreats into his mind, relying on his ravens for company.
He is eventually named a warrior - Stormpike - named by the deputy, as Redstar refuses to acknowledge him. He is made a warrior alongside pretty she-cat Russetflame. Hurt more by his fathers' rejection, Storm begins to spend more time by himself.
Pikefin's mate gives birth to three healthy kits. Unable to deal with being replaced, Storm turns to Russetflame, becoming mates with her to spite his best friend. He unintentionally falls in love with her, however.
At the same time, the Overlord reveals his plan. Storm is to destroy the clan from the inside. His position means it is easy to cause chaos. He begins to spread rumours about high ranking cats. He is very clever, meaning much of it goes undetected.
Ravenbeak, still blind to her brothers faults, turns to StarClan to learn the answers behind the turmoil. The stars remain silent, save an enigmatic answer; she is told the trouble is just beginning. The storm will become a hurricane and the clan may not survive.
Meanwhile, Storm is instructed to kill Grassfire, the deputy. It is easily done and he manages to convince to clan troublemaking RiftClan is behind it.
In a desperate attempt to salvage the clans future, Snakeeyes pays Storm a visit in an effort to remind him of their plan. Storm is caught between who he is, who he's not and who he wants to be.
Snakeeyes cannot convince him and turns to his old clan, RiftClan, to try and persuade them not to fight. He fails, due to the clans aggressive nature. Both clans clash and the Overlord is extremely pleased with the chaos Storm creates.
Ravenbeak and Raincloud desperately try to reason with the RiftClan medicine cat, Whitethroat. RiftClan is angry at the accusation and refuses to back down.
RangeClan is thrown into further chaos as Redstar refuses to appoint a new deputy. Raincloud steps up to consult with StarClan. The stars themselves tell her to trust her heart. They confide with Nightwing and decide to appoint Pikefin deputy. His best friends sudden distance does nothing but increase Storm's rage.
A moon passes.
The situation worsens. Cats are disappearing left, right and centre. At last, Ravenbeak can see the monster her brother has become. In a desperate attempt to reach his friend, Pikefin steps down to try and rekindle their bond. Driven mad, Storm runs away.
A few nights of peace helps to clear his mind. He resolves to destroy his clan, not because of orders, but because of the way they treated him. Stormkit is gone and so is Storm. Stormpike is angry and violent and hell-bent on revenge. Taking his ravens for company, he retreats to outside clan territory.
It is here, alone with his poisoned thoughts, that he remembers his dreams. The dreams in which he is king of the mountain. The dreams in which he is utterly, utterly free. The idea of destroying the clans and ruling the mountains becomes more and more appealing.
Believing the prophecy could be linked to her brother (based on his name), Ravenbeak travels to find him, outside clan territory. She finds him a days travel away and asks why he left. Saying he cannot bear to stay in such a place, Storm tries to send her away. Like her mother, Ravenbeak is doggedly stubborn and refuses to go until he tells her what's wrong.
S: Sister, you have been nothing but kind to me, and so I will tell you this: a storm is about to break. Leave the mountains while you can. Get out, Ravenbeak, and stay safe.
Not knowing what he means, Ravenbeak demands to know more. Storm tells her about the Overlord and his cats, swearing her to secrecy. She agrees, but refuses to leave behind her clan. Vowing to do something, Ravenbeak returns to the mountains.
There, she runs into Snakeeyes. Now desperate to save the clans, the brown tabby tells her that Storm is following the Overlords orders and is preparing to tear the clan apart. She leaves somewhat skeptical, as the two stories do not quite match. She returns to StarClan in her dreams, where she dreams of death and ravens.
Storm returns to the clan, killing the apprentice Gladepaw once his hiding spot was discovered. The act triggers memories of the Gorge, leaving him shaken and terrified. Storm is now somewhat mad, talking to his ravens as if they were other cats.
Determined Gladepaw's murder will not go unpunished, Pikefin, re-instated as deputy, leads an all-out hunt for the killer. It is Russetflame who discovers him, brooding amongst the mountain peaks. She confronts him. Storm urges her to run: she was his friend and lover and he cannot bear to see her killed. He tells her to leave - bad things will happen. She leaves.
The clan cannot tie Storm to the murder. Meanwhile, frequent border skirmishes with RiftClan result in bad injuries.
Russetflame tries to convince Ravenbeak and Pikefin to leave with her. They cannot. It is revealed that she is expecting kits, and Storm is the father. She leaves clan territory, where Emberkit and Crowkit are born in secret.
The Overlord arrives in the mountains. Storm leads him and his cats to a suitable hiding place. Snakeeyes is not with them. This makes him uneasy. The Overlord begins to kill off cats. At first, Storm is unaffected. Then, Nightwing is killed. Driven into further madness by grief, the young tom begins to see the monster he was begun.
Ravenbeak is attacked and left for dead. She is critically injured and near death. Seeing the only one who was always there battling death, Storm goes totally mad.
Unable to live with what he's done, he turns to Pikefin, begging forgiveness. For the first time, his entire story is told. Pikefin asks what they should do. Storm cannot make the decision for them, but the Clan decides to leave the mountains. Storm and Pikefin stay behind.
Storm then returns to the Overlord, saying he convinced his clan to leave the mountains. Amidst the praise, he says he will be wandering for a while, hunting for weaknesses.
Leaving, he and Pikefin run into Snakeeyes, where Storm begs forgiveness. The three of them begin to roam, slowly killing off the Overlords followers. Assuming the clan cats are resisting, any clan cats are killed on sight.
Storm reveals that his clan is safe and Snakeeyes congratulates him. Meanwhile, Russetflame meets up with the clan, her kits in tow. The clan realised that Redstar is no longer with them.
Redstar has returned to the mountains to face his enemy once and for all. Hidden, Storm and his friends watch the confrontation. Wild with grief and a desire for vengeance, Redstar kills most of the elite guard before he is taken down.
(R: I hope I have made you proud my son. I'm sorry it took so long to fight for you.)
The trio collect Redstar's body under the cover of darkness. He is taken to the High Peak for burial. Now leaderless, Raindance leads the clan through the mountains.
Vowing to kill the Overlord, Storm sets out for their campsite. They arrive at dawn, only to find the campsite empty. They follow a trail of destruction through the mountains, finding the cats of the Gorge attacking RiftClan.
Storm challenges the Overlord to a fight to the death. The fight is long and brutal. Storm is pinned down when Pikefin intervenes. The brown tabby takes the death blow meant for Storm. Powered by rage, Storm continues to fight, fatally wounding the scarred tom.
Both sides retreat. Pikefin is buried. Storm and Snakeeyes turn to SlopeClan, telling them of their impending doom. The Clan leaves, leaving only the vigilantes behind.
The mountains are empty. Storm swears revenge on the Overlord and sets out to find him. Knowing the tom won't be far behind, the Overlord retreats to the Gorge.
On the way, Snakeeyes teaches Storm the about the places where reality wears thin, knowing they can use it to their advantage. Storm learns to harness his rage and use it to his advantage, unleashing the metaphorical storm within. The battle at the Gorge is long and bloody, with Storm emerging victorious.
Afterwards, Storm is not sure if he can return to the mountains and face the clan he nearly destroyed. Snakeeyes persuades him to. There, he tells the story of Pikefin and his bravery. Afterwards, his madness drives him into exile beyond the highest peak.
The clans are left on the brink of destruction. The RidgeClan survivors return to their territory and Snakeeyes taken into their clan. Ravenbeak, now recovered, searches for her brother to no avail.
Several cats who were prisoner in the gorge beg to join the clans.
Slate and Sienna become Slatestripe and Echopaw, medicine cat/apprentice of RiftClan after their medicine cat is killed. Stone and Perch retake their apprentice names, although they choose to join SlopeClan. Lastly, Horus takes the name Falconpaw and joins RidgeClan, oblivious to the fact that his sister is alive and well in RiftClan.
Storm's kits - Emberkit and Crowkit - are near 4 moons old. They grow up on tales of the mighty Storm Warrior, king of the Ravens and master of life and death. Under Snakestars rule, they are made apprentices. It is then Emberkit decides to search for her lost father.
Ends with her wandering off into the mountains with Ravens cawing overhead.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Ley lines (?)
Something is stirring in the mountains. The remains of the Gorge have scattered and live as rouges, tormenting the clans. Something sinister begins to pick of the clan cats, one by one. As young apprentice Emberpaw learns of the attacks, she becomes convinced that the answer lies beyond the High Peak, one of the many secrets kept by her absent father, Stormpike.
All her life, she has heard stories of the infamous madness of the Raven King. Her mother, however, whispers tales of a cat who sacrificed everything so that their Clan may live. These stories are seconded by her aunt, Ravenbeak, and Emberpaw begins to believe that some shadow of her fathers' past self still lives.
The deputy of RangeClan, Ridgefrost, leads a patrol against a group of former Gorge rouges. Emberpaw fights alongside her best friend Falconpaw.
The original storyline was set to be a trilogy, with Return to Dust being the first book. The working title for the second instalment was 'Ley Lines', but it won't keep. It will probably be similar, but not entirely the same.
So there you have it - the long awaited conclusion to Return to Dust. I hope you enjoyed
