It's Their New Home...

[Stormeh]

Paws thudded the ground as they moved across the clearing. The black-and-white tom didn't bother to be stealthy; he didn't have the need. StarClan's skies had nothing he wanted in them: no prey could truly satisfy his hunger, no cat could soothe his loneliness... Only the cat that he was about to view could help him.

Any cat that had seen him right at his death or his body directly after would have been surprised at how the previous CherryClan leader looked. All of the wounds from the black-and-white body were gone; StarClan had healed him after he had arrived. There was no sign on the tom that the Outcasts had touched him with a single claw.

He moved to a pool in the forest and directed his green-and-yellow mismatched eyes down into it. He waited for a few moments and then pictures began to come into focus. He hadn't been able to just sit back and watch the Clanners for moons. They had been moving far too much. He sighed with relief as his eyes fell onto the slender, pretty tortoiseshell CherryClanner. He smiled gently at her, even though he knew she couldn't see him. He wanted to breathe in her sweet scent once more, wanted to share tongues with her one more time...but no longer would that be able to happen, except in her dreams...and even that would be only occasionally.

Anger began to grow in the tom's heart until he finally raised a paw and brought it down upon the water. He stood there, panting, then fell to the ground, head on his paws.

"Tawnystone...Tawnystone..." Nightstar repeated over and over again. "Oh, Tawnystone... What will I do without you? It's already been so long...." He heaved a huge sigh. "I would give anything to be back with you..."

[D a R K - R a H]

A tall figure slipped calmly in the direction of the black and white leader. He stepped from the brambles, soft amber eyes shining with compassion and worry. "Nightstar," he called softly to alert the other tom of his presense.

Hazefur stepped lightly from the shadows, his gray pelt flashing as it hadn't for a long time. The tom had died old, looking terribly ratty and ancient. Now, amoungst his ancestors, he had returned to his former glory: thick muscles, alert eyes, and thick pelt. Even the silver on his chin was much less obvious.

Forcing a small smile, he padded gently over to the tom who'd been his leader the last years of his life. "Nightstar," he said simply, "I cannot imagine your grief. Scarletwing was already here when I... came." Still new to Silverpelt, he was still having trouble talking about his death. Hazefur quickly moved on. "You must let her live. Tawnystone's time may not be for many seasons. For now," he paused, "help her. Give her strength in her dreams, and, please, help us lead them to the place where they may speak to us once more."

Such a place had not yet been discovered, even by StarClan. Everyday they padded through the forests of Taragoff, searching meticulously. But, something told Hazefur they were just searching in the wrong places. "Please, Nightstar, come with me. I have an idea..."

[Stormeh]

The black-and-white tom started as he heard Hazefur's voice. He leaped to his paws, slinging water onto his pelt slightly. He shook his fur, then looked at the former CherryClan warrior, fur hot with embarrassment.

Not many cats knew of his relationship with the she-cat, but now that he was in StarClan, what did it matter? All of the StarClan cats knew; they knew everything. The tom sighed.

"I suppose you're right, Hazefur," Nightstar murmured. "I just miss her so badly... Even though she couldn't bear kits...as far as the Clan knew...I still loved her, and that was enough for me..." He sighed once more. "But I will let her be." He stared back into the water and a younger tortoiseshell she-kit came into his view. A smile spread slowly across his face, a sweet, sadness-filled smile. "Goldenkit," he mumbled. "She's so pretty. Just like her mother." He looked to Hazefur, the smile fading. He padded closer to the tom. "Where are we going?"

[D a R K - R a H]

Hazefur, too, smiled down at the reflection of the young she-kit. As Nightstar stood, though, he hid his smile and took a few steps from the pool.

"Well, I've been considering it, and I don't think we're going to find the perfect place right near the clans' territories, and certainly not near the foxes or Druids." He paused, thinking. "I think it will be farther away than that. One place few of us have checked yet is along the lake shore, that small bay."

The gray tom started to turn away, but stopped, his amber eyes focusing on something behind Nightstar.

"May I come?" a small she-cat asked lightly, her brown fur shining in the dim light. As she took a few steps forward, her brown pelt swished, making her white speckles flash like the stars of Silverpelt. Again she approached the two CherryClanners, feeling a light joy at being able to speak so freely to cats of different clans. This she-cat had once been a BrookClanner, her death taking her to the stars before the Journey began.

Duckpaw hadn't heard the earlier parts of their conversation, just enough to know that these two toms were going in search of the new Moonstone-like place.

[Stormeh]

Nightstar nodded, eyes shining. "Yes, we could help the Clans greatly... I'm not sure what we'll find there, but..." He turned as the young she-cat entered his sight.

He felt his heart wrench at the thought of her death. They had both died at Fernstar's "claws," so to speak, as her scheme progressed, and the soft spot that the former leader had for apprentices made him even more compassionate about the cat he was facing.

"Yes, of course you can come with us," the black-and-white tom meowed gently. He looked back up at Hazefur. "And perhaps we can each visit a medicine cat's dreams to let them know of the new place once we visit it to help the three Clans. What do you think?"

[Patmos]

Her long brown and white coat glimmered like the others. Her muscles were filled with life. Her youth had returned. Every so often she'd twist her head around to get a good look at her tail. Still crooked. Her frown deepened. If she looked younger, shouldn't her tail be fixed too? She received the "scar" as an apprentice and she supposed she was warrior-looking now....But it still wasn't fair!

Crookedtail stepped into the field of view of the other cats who were gathered. She recognized the cats who were gathered. She tried to hide the yearning look on her face. Her piercing green irises had not spotted Acornstreak. It'd had been far too long since she'd last set eyes on the loving tom who fathered her kits.

"Naturally, you'd need a RavineClanner to speak to a medicine cat." She raised her voice for the others to hear. "Now that I think about it, young Willowpaw has no family accept for Softflower's last litter, correct? Perhaps we could get them to talk to him in his dreams."

She was surprised at how her voice lost the raspy tone she was used to. It would take plenty of time to re-adjust.

[D a R K - R a H]

"That's an excellent idea, Crookedtail!" Duckpaw purred, smiling at the patched she-cat. She turned her bright face back towards Nightstar. "Who would I visit, though? I'm from BrookClan. Although Willowpaw was formerly a BrookClanner, I think speaking to a deceased cat from RavineClan would make him feel more accepted." She paused. "Unless you'd like Sagepaw to speak to him... I'm sure Willowpaw's been waiting a long while to hear his brother's voice again." She blinked purely at the other cats, glancing between them.

))Gah! I envy whoever created Duckpaw originally. I love her! She's so pure and compassionate. I can't blame Sagepaw for falling for her. x3((

Hazefur couldn't help but beam at Duckpaw. She reminded him so much of Scarletwing. Although he wasn't sure the two she-cats had met yet, he knew they'd get along well. He nodded a soft greeting to Crookedtail, another old cat who hadn't survived the Journey.

"Please, can we speak while we walk? I am eager to get going." He smiled openly at the others before turning with a flick of his long gray tail. He began with a simple path that they all traveled often, but it sooned changed and it became apparent that they'd left the stars and now walked amoungst the living. Hazefur glanced down at himself. He loved the way his pelt shined, even so far from Silverpelt. It was somewhat saddening, though, walking near his former clan knowing none of them could see him. But, this time, he was glad for the miraculous ability to walk upon the earth again. His lead now led them down a steep slow towards the lake's shore.

[Stormeh]

With a light smile, Nightstar looked at Crookedtail. "Yes, thank you," he meowed. "A wonderful idea."

He looked at Duckpaw and nodded. "Sagepaw would be a fine choice," he agreed. "Perhaps you can even visit him as well. I'm sure that he would love to see you both again." Nightstar felt that he could sympathize with her: she and he had both died fairly young; but he had felt that he had fulfilled his duty as a warrior: he had served as an apprentice, a warrior, a mentor, a deputy, and a leader. But she had died as an apprentice, with so much left to do. There wasn't much more that he felt that he could have done in his life.

Except stay with Tawnystone, he thought wistfully. He turned and began to pad in the direction that Hazefur was moving in. His eyes were filled with the sights of the new Clans' home; this place was amazing.

"What else is here, Hazefur? Do you know?" Nightstar looked warily now. "Do...do you know if they'll be safe?"

He gazed back where the Clans were. He stared longingly; they were so close...yet so far. Most of his friends and Tawnystone still had moons before their passing. The tom sighed. It would be like an eternity to him, yet like a few days for them once they actually did die. He knew now that they would regret decisions made, not telling the ones they loved that they loved them, not having kits, not being happier, not loving the life that they had in their own paws.... Yes, from this point, everything seemed exceedingly simple.

[Patmos]

Crookedtail walked along with the other cats of StarClan, pleased with herself for having a great idea. Her eyes twinkled with a newfound delight.

"Just recently Willowpaw lost his mother. I'm sure he'd feel okay if his family went to speak with him." She mused. "Perhaps during the next half-moon a RavineClan cat can speak with him."

The she-cat, now young instead of elderly, kept her posture straighter than she had ever before. She was a StarClan cat now, something very important. It was surely a step up from being an elder who couldn't leave the camp without a big fuss.