» ѕкуcƖαη [ ᶜˡᵒˢᵉᵈ ]

[     Fae! Want to have the sign/dream? It can be either one, but it may be interesting if Blizzardstar is there. I'm going to put a skip to the next day and have Nightpaw's vigil over with along with her being buried.]

[     Sorry for liking posts, I just noticed we kinda had a nosedive and got derailed. I just want this to be picked back up and going. ;3;]

[     Oh, speaking of Foxpaw, anyone you want to request to mentor him?]

[     Cindernight will work. Mudfur is a little young. This originally didn't send.. o-o]

   Stormtrail     

[ Camp & Leaf Fall ]

     It's always a dream, Stormtrail thought, absentmindedly as he padded through the fog. He had been with Dawnwatcher, both acting as sentries in front of camp as night crept upon the world. Fog swirled before them, clouding the path ahead like an odd, swirling wall. He turned to speak to her but noticed she was suddenly standing, ears perked as if she heard a sound. He listened intently, but there was nothing, just an eery silence. There was something wrong with her as well. He just couldn't put his paw on it.

"Dawnwatcher? What is it?" he asked, confused. She ignored him, choosing instead to pad almost mindlessly into the fog. "W-wait!" He called out, kneading the ground nervously as he stood, unsure if he should follow. She paused just before the odd barrier of fog. Turning to look at him, his dead mate tilted her head, a motion for him to follow, before moving into the fog. His heart lurched in his chest, urging him forward.

Stormtrail hurried after her, squinting in the fog until he caught up. They padded for a while in silence, the fog unrelenting. From time to time, Stormtrail thought he could see other cats in the fog. They were blurred, like memories he'd never had. Four trees, a large stone, and cats sitting a top it like sentinels. Suddenly- the trees were razed to the ground, stone unearthed and turned. The cats disappeared like smoke. He blinked, sure he'd imagined it. Then it hit him. He was dreaming. Agony pulsed through him like a heartbeat, eyes moving swiftly to Dawnwatcher who seemed so real. But, looking at her now, with the knowledge that it was just a dream, the medicine cat could now see the stars in her fur.

Glimmering like water droplets on a leaf, the stars reminded him of her fate, and what had become of him in the wake of her demise. "You're dead." The words were pried from his jaws like the ghostly stone in the vision was torn from the earth, both left palpable wounds in their wake. She barely spared him a glance, confirming his accusation. "Why are you here? Have I finally succumbed to the grief that has been tearing me apart since your last breath left your lungs? Or is this just another avenue StarClan is torturing me? They took you, they took my apprentice, must they come for what is left of my sanity?"

"As dramatic as ever, I see" A voice, not his beloved's, echoed through the mist. Dawnwatcher's pace picked up, and to ensure he wasn't left behind, Stormtrail lengthened his strides. He scowled in response to the words, words that he felt in his very soul. A chuckle bounced off the fog, sending a shiver down the healer's spine.

This is just a dream, Stormtrail's thoughts scrambled to keep that mantra centered. "Just a dream" he muttered.

"Oh is it? Is it really? Can you be sure? Would you rather we replace Dawnwatcher with someone else?" The voice sounded almost threatening now, and terror gripped Stormtrail's insides in a vice grasp as his mate's image flickered out and was replaced by silver fur. Silver tabby fur, long and silky, and ghostly amber eyes that widened with surprise at her sudden emergence from the chrysalis of death. A familiar scent that dredged up memories from seasons past. A nursery, a shared nest, laughter and mischief, and eventually, a sister's watery grave. The image of his sister hesitated before flickering out and the figure that returned was that of Dawnwatcher, who looked disgruntled though she did not speak a word.

"Are you paying attention now?" The voice sounded calm again, eerily so. Stormtrail nodded fervently, claws digging into the earth. He hated this. Why had he done this- oh, glancing at Dawnwatcher who still looked quite irritated with the voice, he remembered what drove him to become a medicine cat.

"Good. Now look closely, but not too close. If you're too busy looking at the trees you will miss the forest" Cryptic words burned their way into his mind, as he could feel himself being yanked down, down into the abyss.

He scrambled to his feet in the midst of what felt like a battle. He could only see shapes and colors- the scent of blood permeated the air. Screams echoed, intertwined with roars and someone was praying to StarClan. The medicine cat whirled around, unsure of where to go when something slammed into him. Stormtrail lashed out with his claws in response- only to wake up in his nest, panting. Glancing down to his paws, gripped within were tufts of black and white fur. Badger? The thought dropped into his mind like a rock in a puddle. He blinked, and all that was in his grip was strands of dried grass.

Stormtrail released the grass, watching it fall into his nest. He stood, shaking his fur out in the process to move sleep from his mind. He had to go speak to Blizzardstar. It was urgent.