Fate (Chapter Two)

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As I awoke I was gently greeted by the sun's rays that poked from the spotty holes that encircled the stone den. I felt a yawn knock on my teeth and forced me to gape my jaws apart so it could escape through. I blinked multiple times to try and wash the weariness away, but it proved unbeneficial and my eyelids continued to stay as heavy as rocks. I groaned as I pushed myself closer to Brindleflower's soft, snowy-white underbelly, burying my muzzle as deep as I could into her fur. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to worry about Dustkit rolling over onto me, considering Brindleflower had one paw lazily draped over the dark brown tabby kit's body. I didn't mind though, I'd rather be curled up at her belly and him restrained then him rolling around and falling all over me.

I exhaled a deep, heavy sigh as my nose nuzzled closer to my mother's fur and I let my eyelids freely flutter back over my eyes, feeling carefree as I did so. As a kit, you were free to sleep all day if you truly wanted to. Brindleflower always thought that it would be more beneficial for us kits to go outside more often and get as active as possible before becoming apprentices. Dustkit, Darkkit, and Adderkit always seemed to go along with the queen's words, but I could care less. I would prefer to sleep all day over hopping around like a mouse-brained-looking grasshopper. I think Briarkit half agreed with me, but she generally spends her time with the elders or with Cedarsplash, sometimes even messing around with the warriors if she has enough spare time, at least the first two aren't things I would consider being "active" but I'm not going to care too much.

Finally, what seemed like many moons, I felt my body fall into the grasps of sleep and darkness finally consumed s my vision, pulling me into its somewhat warm embrace. For a few heartbeats everything for me was fuzzy, my mind couldn't process anything nor could my leaf-green eyes gaze about me. My whole body was completely engulfed in numbness and it felt as if I was just a feather floating freely in the breeze.

But, when I finally regained my conscious I was surprised to find myself in a forest, not a regular forest though. There was a haze that hovered on the ground, slithering like a large, white snake along the marshy ground. All of the trees were bare, all striped from their leaves and all that was left was gnarled branches that poked from an old, broken trunk. I felt my eyes, which had finally come-to, voluntarily drift upwards and I noticed that the sky above me had no stars glimmering in the wide expanse of dark blue sea.

Where in the name of StarClan am I? I bit back the nervousness that tried to knot up my stomach and I swallowed through a large lump that was beginning to form in my throat. I should have known that it was merely a dream and that it wasn't real, but you know, when you dream you don't always know that it is a dream. Also, the way that fear was coming over my body and taking over my system didn't help, it merely helped blind me from reality. Though, I believe a part of me had a sense that this was more than just a simple dream, maybe it was reality just converted into a dream.

I took a step backwards and felt my paws sink into the marshy earth, causing a scared, terrified screech to accidently slip through my mouth. I couldn't help it though, I mean, after my paws sunk into the muddy ground I felt as if tendrils were crawling up my legs like multiple large bugs and entwining themselves around my legs, restraining them. I struggled to move and escape, now feeling the fear overwhelm me.

"Aspenkit," I stiffened when I felt warm, sticky breath tickle my neck and I swiveled my head around, my eyes enlarged when my leaf-green gaze intertwined with a dead, hollow icy blue eyes. My breath hitched in my throat and I proceeded onto struggling even more, feeling desperate to escape from my restrain. I could feel the tom's lifeless eyes burn into my skin and that made me want to cower away from it.

"Struggling will merely make it worse," the tom hissed bitterly and I suddenly felt pain stab my legs like a million claws slashing at them and I yowled, feeling as if the pain was too much to bear. The dark tabby stifled a slight sneer before his deep, taunting voice reached my ears once again. "You have to push through the pain, Aspenkit. You will always have to."

What is this tom playing at!? I gritted my teeth together when the pain continuously rode up through my legs, some of it managing to trickle up into other parts of my body; my chest, my head. Now, recalling my thoughts earlier about how this may be more than just a simple dream, my mind now had the overpowering thought that this wasn't just some ordinary dream where I skip through the meadows and catch butterflies, or just some nightmare where I could hear my Clanmates crying out for help yet I can't find them or reach them. No, this seemed more…real, yet extremely terrifying at the same time.

"Life is not always going to be simple for you as it is now, Aspenkit," the tom's voice seemed to wrap around me and I suddenly noticed images flash before me, all moving too fast for me to catch though. I could hear multiple voices fill my head and I felt as if I could recognize them but I couldn't put my claw on them. "You are going to have to learn to live through it though. Life is not always going to just be about living it."

Then, I felt my whole body get sucked into darkness and I still heard the voices flood into my mind, yet now I could hear them more clearly. I heard the familiar, soft, warm voice of my mother ring in my ears, telling me her famous quote of hers. Friends were made to aggravate you. Then, I heard her speak her other famous quote that she would always say to me and Dustkit before we went to sleep every night. A baby bird always needs its mother bird. As she always referred to herself as the mother bird and me and Dustkit being the baby bird. I never really knew why she said that to us, considering neither Cloverheart nor Mistfeather never say any quote to their kits. Though, hearing those words in my mind right now soothed me, despite still feeling as if that tabby's eyes were still piercing my soul and the pain still coursed through my body.

"Finally, I think she's waking up!" I heard the familiar voice of my brother ring in my ears and I no longer heard the other voices in my mind, only his annoying voice that seemed to throw out those other voices like they were leftover bones.

I felt my eyelids flutter upwards and I was once again greeted by sunlight, which I felt slight relief fall over me. Being in that forest makes the sun seem like a long-lost friend to me. Despite the sunlight greeting me with a gracious pleasure and Dustkit's aggravating voice barging into my mind, I could still hear that dark gray tabby's voice linger in the back of my mind, still having that dark tone to his voice and that taunting stare in his dead, icy blue eyes.

"Oh Aspenkit, thank StarClan you're awake!" My eyes flicked upwards when my Brindleflower's relieved voice echoed around me and I felt the queen's tail sweep around me. That's when I noticed I was sprawled out alone in the moss nest, my mother standing above me and my brother peering into the nest from the nursery floor, his amber eyes full of curiosity and his face twisted into a mouse-brained expression.

I let my gaze travel around me and I realized that the other queens were also gazing over at me, both Cloverheart and Mistfeather had a worried expression painted on their faces, Adderkit and Darkkit had their heads poking over their mother's gray and black tail, their heads tipped to the side and their eyes enlarged to their widest points, while Briarkit was peeking over her adoptive mother's snowy-white tail, concern flaring up in her blue-green eyes.

"What are you all making a fuss for?" I lowered my head away from their gazes as I muttered in slight annoyance. I felt a yawn slip its way past my lips and force my mouth to part to let it free. That's when I noticed that Cedarsplash was also in the den. The medicine cat was quietly speaking to Brindleflower, who still had a look of worry twisted on her face.

"You were yowling and crying in your sleep! A cat in WindClan could probably hear you!" Dustkit exclaimed, having an irritated itch to the edge of his voice and I sent an icy glare to the tom. I could hear snickers erupt from behind me and I didn't even have to turn to know who it was.

"You had a pretty bad nightmare it seemed," Cedarsplash meowed gently as she lowered her muzzle down to me and pressed her distinctive pink nose on my head. "If you're still shaken up about it I could offer you a poppy seed."

I steadily dragged my head away from the medicine cat's nose and decided to shake my head no. I didn't want to make my dream to be a big fuss, despite it being so visual and haunting. You have to push past the pain, Aspenkit. You will always have to. The tom's words replayed in my mind and I shivered, then silently regretting it afterwards because Cedarsplash must have noticed because I heard her exhale a slight sigh and whisper. "Come to my den and I'll give you a seed."

Great. I heaved my own sigh and hauled myself to my paws, slightly stumbling when my aching muscles nearly gave out on me. I heard my brother burst out into laughter but immediately Brindleflower scolded him for it, reaching a white-and-brown tabby paw out and cuffing the dark brown tabby tom over the ear. The tom groaned and muttered something under his breath, causing me to stifle a slight laugh, too quiet for our mother to hear.

I climbed out of the moss nest and that seemed to help loosen my aching muscles. I heard Briarkit call out a farewell to me, despite that I was only going to the medicine den for a few moments, but I waved my tail at my friend in my own form of goodbye before following Cedarsplash through the nettle bush that shielded the nursery. As I pushed my way through the nettles the dark gray tabby's words once again played constantly in my mind and his lifeless eyes became visible to me again, silently haunting me and silently whispering to me. You have to push through the pain, Aspenkit. You will always have to.

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“Did you do it?"

"Yes, now all we do is sit back and wait."

The tom smirked as he rounded the glimmering pool, staring at the billions of stars that danced on the surface of the liquid. Across the water were the other councilmen; Nightleaf, Applestar, Ripplepool, Icestorm, Kestrelstar, Duststrike, and Lichenstar – The "lead councilman". The tom mentally hissed in disgust upon mentioning the mottled she-cat. He knew that the she-cat did not enjoy her job as a councilman, lead councilman especially. He did not understand why their ancestors let her keep her role, he could not understand why they did not just appoint him. He would not be soft-hearted with the chosen cats. The chosen cats needed to learn how to be courageous and strong – not weak and pity-filled.

I will show you. This toying will be…fun. I will make sure of it. The tom sent an icy gaze over to Lichenstar, who was staring at him with narrowed green eyes. He let a fake smile play at his lips and let his blue eyes grow soft. The former ShadowClan leader didn't seem impressed yet she turned away and began to whisper to Nightleaf. The tom stifled a quiet snicker before turning and bounding into the starlit trees, letting the shadows consume him.