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| - I had never in my life felt so free before. The world around me was alive with wind and light. The suns rays danced around me like amber butterflies, the flowers swayed slightly in the wind. Somewhere, in the cloudless blue sky, a faint rainbow rippled with greenleaf's warmth. I could hear the gentle purring of a river, and the sweet childish giggles of three kits, chasing moths in the field. It was perfect. I felt a delicious yet unfamiliar scent caress my nose as a she-cat pressed her soft fur against my own. We entwined our tails and watched the three kits proudly, our happiness reaching tremendous heights. I didn't know who the she-cat was, nor the kits... but I did love them, that much I knew. They were my family, my precious family. The she-cat laughed as one of the kits swatted playfully at their littermate, causing them to leap at the attacker with a mewl of delight. “They are such lovely kits, Rookwing.” She said softly, her beautiful river-blue eyes aglimmer with joy. “And they're all ours.” I nodded in agreement. “They have their mother's heart.” I told her. “And their father's bravery.” She added with a smile. “Just look at how Foxkit fights!” My eyes followed those of my love, and they rested upon a pretty flame-red kitten with bright amber eyes. She pounced upon her brother with a mock growl and the two bundles of fur went rolling down the hill. It was all in fun, of course, the peals of laughter told me that. The she-cat, with an exasperated sigh, leapt to her paws and started off in their direction. “You'd better go retrieve them, clan deputy,” she said, motioning with her tail, “perhaps you can get them to listen about staying in our sight.” I straightened up somewhat at the comment, suddenly feeling deeply honored. Clan deputy, too? I thought. This is the best dream ever! I began to head off after the kits, preparing to give them a stern talking-to about staying within the bounds I'd set. But before I could take a single pawstep, I caught a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye. Puzzled, I stared past the gray she-cat and into the dark forest beyond, glimpsing the shudder of disturbed leaves as something (or someone) made it's way through them. One eye squinted with confusion, the she-cat gently meowed my name. "Rookwing?" She asked. "Is everything all right?" A snarl grew in the back of my throat when the shaking leaves parted to reveal a slender, cat-shaped figure with illuminated green eyes. It curled it's lips into a toothy grin and paced dangerously at the forest border. I prowled protectively between the stranger and my mate, knowing that such a smile was worn only by those who wished to harm. "Go get the kits." I ordered her, never letting the intruder out of my sight. "There's someone out there that needs to be dealt with." My mate nodded nervously and bounded down the hill, frantically calling, "Foxkit! Ravenkit! Brightkit! Come here, please!" As she did so. Once the she-cat was out of earshot and presumably safe with the kits, I approached the intruder, feeling more and more uneasy with every step. The energy it was emitting was startlingly poisonous, more potent than the fumes of the Thunderpath and the Carrionplace combined. Nonetheless, I went on, eager to send it away. "Identify yourself, stranger." I commanded authoritatively, forcing my voice not to tremble. "Or I'll be forced to take you to Mothstar." The cat stared at me for a few moments, unblinking, before letting out a low chuckle. Every muscle and bone in my body went cold; the sound was truly indescribable. I'd never heard anything so horrifically lethal before in all my life, not even from the evilest of cats... honestly, it was though I had heard the laugh of death itself. I gritted my teeth until they hurt, forcing my fur to lie flat before the stranger noticed my fear. "Do you think this is funny?" I questioned. I could already feel my strength slipping away. It laughed again, sending even more powerful jerks of cold dread down my spine. "Oh, Rookie." The stranger teased in an oh-so-silvery voice. "You always were the curious one. But alas, your memory failed to live up to your thirst for knowledge. Strange, though, I thought at the very least you would still remember me." The third laugh was unbearable. I wasn't strong enough to stand against it, and it bowled me over like a hard nudge to the flank. StarClan, no! My heart drummed with bloody fear as I cowered unwillingly before the stranger. My stomach twisted into a sickening knot, and my eyes darted madly like those of a trapped piece of prey. "Leave ShardClan territory now, and this matter will be forgotten." I cursed the terrified squeak in my mew. It's ears twitched in amusement. "Sorry, sweetie, but you never said the magic word." It said, eyes aglitter with smug malice. "I guess I'll have to teach you the hard way about manners." Laughing uncontrollably, it came even closer. "No... leave me alone! Leave me alone... you're not real... you're not real..." I repeated over and over again, eyes widening and barely blinking. "I'll show you what's not real, kit." The cat said, it's breath of rot and fate pungent in my nose. I bowed my head, helpless and afraid. StarClan, protect my mate and kits from this monster. I thought, loosing all hope, as black lips drew back and sharp teeth met flesh and bone... Death was inevitable... No going back now... I blinked. The dream... no, nightmare... was fading before my very eyes. Every object of the frightening scene was now only a faint outline in my vision. The black cat, fangs hovering purposefully over my neck, was only a dark memory. It was all gone, but still close. Very close. Thankfully, I woke up back in the apprentice's den, nestled safely between my sleeping denmates. My head still buzzed from the vivid encounter, but after a careful check, I found that I was unscathed physically. It took a few moments for everything to sink in, but once it did, I sighed with relief and settled back down, urging myself to forget the nightmare and spend the rest of the night in peace. I'd nearly forgotten that it didn't work that way. Not for me. I might have jumped with surprise at the sudden meow, if I hadn't known who it was. But I did know- I knew very well, in fact. With a quite hiss of annoyance, I replied. "Voice? That's you, isn't it?" I thought I heard a snicker in my ear. Why, of course it is, Rookpaw, who else? "Never mind." I said, my mild annoyance transitioning to outright frustration. The Voice's condescension was more than I could tolerate at the moment. "Please, just go away, Voice. I'm not in the mood for your antics. Not tonight." The Voice sniffed, but I was sure it was to mock me. You're welcome, Rookpaw. It said sarcastically. Saving your hide from that brute in your dreams was nothing, really! "I'm sure it wasn't." I mumbled, yawning. "Look, Voice, I can't say anything else unless I want to wake up the whole clan, so I'm going to sleep. Thanks for the lovely chat, though, I enjoyed it!" I quickly pressed my face into my mossy nest and pretended to snore. Sadly for me, The Voice wasn't fooled so easily. I'm glad you did, Rookpaw, 'cause guess what? Your clanmates can't hear me. So I guess this one-cat conversation is going to last a lot longer for you, eh? It sniggered softly. I flattened my ears, but I knew perfectly well that nothing would block out the Voice's perpetual mew. This is going to be a hard night. I sighed. ~ You may think I'm insane But only time will tell
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