[TheNyanCatMinecart]

~ IVYSNAKE OF SHADOWCLAN ~

Tall dark brown she-cat with black stripes and amber eyes.

Ivysnake's eyes shot open. Light flooded into them, burning her retinas, and she blinked against it, despite herself. If this was an interaction with her ancestors, she didn't want to waste time getting up. So, before she had fully processed the landscape, she rose to her paws. Her movements were neat despite the sunlight filling her vision with dazzling white, and by the time her legs straightened, everything became clear, as if a veil had suddenly lifted. The landscape that stretched out before her was lush, carrying the scents of life and fresh growth. Prey squeaked in the vibrant green grass, and their musky odor mingled with the too-sweet smell of blooming flowers. Ivysnake's nostrils flared. It smelled of light, happiness, paradise, and weakness. No doubt it was StarClan territory. It had to be. The ShadowClan medicine cat apprentice had never been here, but the presence of their starry ancestors was obvious.

So, this is where the warrior-code-loving fools go when they die. Ivysnake's gaze flitted around the area she was standing in. The other medicine cats were nearby, their pelts glowing in the strong sunlight that seeped into Ivysnake's pelt. Her eyes narrowed, though she did not display any other show of unhappiness or discomfort. It was bright here. Too bright. She preferred the shadows, the darkness, the scent of marshland and blood that she'd grown accustomed to in her Clan and the Dark Forest. She didn't belong here. But she supposed, as a rising medicine cat - even as a rising ShadowClan medicine cat - she was supposed to have a paw in StarClan, although it wasn't her preferred method of communication. The other star-loving fools, besides Elmshadow, must be delighted, she thought scornfully, her gaze discreetly roving over the others once more. But enough of staring at the others. She hardly cared about them. This dream was about their ancestors and whatever message they had concerning her, Elmshadow, and ShadowClan, not medics from the other Clans. Ivysnake's attention moved away from the others and fixed straight ahead. Whatever was coming for them would surely approach from the front. Everyone was looking that way, anyway.

Sure enough, a StarClan cat was heading their way. It had to be - his gray tabby fur was alight with stars that gave him an unusual ethereal glow, highlighted by the golden rays of the sun. For a StarClan cat, his territory sure was bright and sunny. And... Ivysnake squinted at him. He looked familiar, but at the same time, different, and not because of the stars in his fur. Ah. He spoke before Ivysnake could ponder much, revealing himself as Dogbark, ThunderClan's former deputy. Her eyes narrowed into amber slits. Oh, she'd heard plenty about him. Other than one brief interaction at a Gathering when she'd been an apprentice, she knew he was one of ThunderClan's failures, not stepping up to leadership when he should've... or something like that. He'd paved the way for ShadowClan's takeover of ThunderClan, along with Nectarflame. Despite failing his Clan, he ended up here. Her lip curled. What were StarClan's standards?

And something was missing. Dogbark had been known for his notable scars, especially one on his face, but there were none. It was as if they had been wiped clean, reverted back to healed flesh and lush gray fur. It was odd, to say the least. Had StarClan done this? Why? Do they think scars are ugly or something like that? Ivysnake's gaze grew more intense, flashing a sharp, piercing shade of amber in the sunlight and greatly contrasting her dark fur. She must be a shadow in this world of light. Peace-loving fools. Scars were nothing to be ashamed of, nor was strength. And they said the Dark Forest was bad. The cats they deem "evil" are strong, and the cats they deem "good" are weak. The other Clans had such skewed perspectives. Only ShadowClan was proper. Only ShadowClan was right. When would the others follow suit? But perhaps that was another reason why ShadowClan was special. Superior. There had to be a balance, according to Dawnstar and Redshrike.

Anyway, Dogbark was here for... a ceremony. Cowpaw's ceremony. Ivysnake looked at the large, fluff-brained tom. It was about time. But why, out of all cats, was Dogbark performing it? Why not a former WindClan medicine cat instead of a failure of a deputy? Or did StarClan not care who they sent? Ivysnake would've rolled her eyes, but she felt that would've been a bit informal, despite not caring much about what the other Clans thought. So, she watched Cowpaw, gauging the medicine cat's reaction. Cowpaw had gotten into a bow - ugh, now she really wanted to roll her eyes, or maybe tear out his throat so WindClan and the other medicine cats didn't have to deal with such a soft idiot - and now was looking confused. He even looked at her, for the Dark Forest's sake. Then his expression turned to one of joy, and he was nodding emphatically. Ivysnake watched with little interest. Why had they all been pulled in for this? She didn't particularly care about his ceremony, nor did she hold any opinions toward his name, Cowtuft, although now it meant he wasn't stuck with an apprentice name. Why couldn't we get sucked into our own dreams instead of having to watch his? Maybe this was how it worked for medicine cats - they got dreams like this as one. StarClan thought they were all connected, perhaps. And, in a way, they were. Though Ivysnake and Elmshadow would never be as attached to the others as the others were to each other.

The traits Dogbark listed for Cowtuft were almost laughable, if Ivysnake had been one for laughing. Kindness, trustworthiness, and empathy? Ivysnake wouldn't be caught dead being described like that. The cat who used those descriptors would. But it made sense... for him. The dark brown tabby she-cat watched the preceding moments dully, her reactions mainly internal as she eyed Cowtuft's overemotional excitement and Fawnlight's too-friendly congratulations - though there was obvious judgment in her eyes - and when the dream began to shift, she thought it was over. Well, that was useless. Nothing gained but a new name. Nothing that concerned Ivysnake and Elmshadow other than a full-named medicinecat. What did her mentor think? Ivysnake's gaze flitted to him curiously, but before she could read the gray-and-black tom's face, the landscape evolved into something she was much more well acquainted with.

The Dark Forest.

Also known as the Place of No Stars.

The lush green grass turned into bare, slimy ground, and the sunlight turned into darkness, eternal shadow under a black sky with no stars, blotted out by trees that forever stretched up, up, up and their bare branches. Warmth was replaced by cold mist. Ivysnake breathed it in, letting it seep into her pelt. It was jarring after the sunlight, but it was welcome, and she adjusted quickly. Here, she wasn't highlighted in light. Here, she was in the dark, the shadows, where she belonged. But what was happening? Had she been transported into her own dream? No. She looked around and found the other medicine cats there. So, they were all here. How come? Had the Dark Forest decided to give the others a taste of true power, of a true afterlife to look forward to?

Then she saw it. Cowtuft was standing at the front, his white fur like a beacon in the darkness, only broken by his black splotches. He looked... uncomfortable. Scared. Of course he does. And there was another cat, one who Ivysnake didn't know, but he was obviously from the Dark Forest. His fur was wreathed in the same mist as the forest, and he was slightly translucent. He was a diluted brown color that blended into the background, but his white markings standing out in opposition to the gloom, like an inversion of Cowtuft. Flickerlight, he introduced himself as. And the words he spoke were... interesting, to say the least. They had Ivysnake leaning forward, ears pricked, eyes flashing intensely. This intrigued her far more than Dogbark's nonsense. Speaking of which, the StarClan cat was still there, watching everything, but, as interesting as his reactions would be, Ivysnake was invested. The shadows called to her, not the stars.

When Flickerlight turned to her and Elmshadow, Ivysnake's attention immediately snapped to him. She faced him with no fear, only curiosity and a willingness to listen. He seemed to be implying... no, more than that, saying... that everything with Cowtuft was a plot. A ploy. A way for the Dark Forest to make its way into WindClan. Oh? This was intriguing. Very much so. Ivysnake found it hard to believe that Cowtuft was in any way evil or in cohorts... She looked at the large tom, who was looking quite mortified. Was it over being exposed, or was the Dark Forest cat revealing his plan as opposed to Cowtuft's? The WindClan medicine cat's reactions seemed genuine, but Ivysnake wondered whether he was as foolishly kind as he presented himself. Then again, many cats were frog-brained like that. Either way, seeing someone from this place of darkness and power so invested in WindClan... so invested in Cowtuft, of all cats... Ivysnake would not soon forget this.

The tall she-cat absorbed the rest of the information, about Flickerlight's paw in guiding Cowtuft to the position of medicine cat. Fawnlight tried objecting. Of course she did. Ivysnake rolled her eyes this time. Then the sky broke in two and lightning crashed, driving the dream to an abrupt halt. The world closed in, dark and cold, and Ivysnake found chilled stone beneath her stomach and numbing her nose. Her eyes blinked open. The moonlight had faded, leaving the crystal a flicker of its former self, and she heard the noises of a warm, furry body shuffling against stone. Turning, she saw Fawnlight curling up against Cowtuft. She narrowed her eyes at them. What was this, the next forbidden romance? She was annoyed with Fawnlight, as usual, and Cowtuft looked so weak, with tears sparkling in his mismatched eyes. Yet now she held a new interest in him. Why was the Dark Forest so invested? Why had they chosen to guide him into the path of medicine cat? Was it because of his naivety, perhaps? Ivysnake found it hard to believe Cowtuft had intentionally orchestrated this... but who knew. What mattered was that the Dark Forest was involved somehow. And things just got much more interesting. Usually, Ivysnake didn't care much for the other Clans, but this... it felt different, especially now that she was training to be a medicine cat.

Then she saw Fawnlight's gaze drift elsewhere and her eyes widening as she stared at something. Ivysnake followed it and found an... interesting sight. Cinderpaw was lying at the base of the glittering crystal that held all the power of StarClan, and the crystal itself was marred, with claw marks running down it and glimmering bits of the gem surrounding the unconscious ThunderClan cat. They gleamed in the gloom like dying stars. What happened here? she wondered, rising to her paws. Well, it was obvious enough. Fawnlight asked, her voice filled with horror and anger, and the tall tabby turned to face her. Her eyes displayed as much care as if she had spotted a piece of grass on the moor. Which is to say, none at all.

"It's obvious. Cinderpaw, or whatever her name is, decided to have a tantrum while we were all asleep," Ivysnake replied bluntly. Maybe she should care about the marring of the crystal, but she didn't. It served StarClan right. No, what annoyed her was the fact that Cinderpaw was here at all, as whiny and pathetic as she was, and she wasn't supposed to be here in the first place. "Frankly, I'm not quite sure why Sundust decided to bring her and not his accomplice, Roseraven." She turned to look at the marbled ginger tabby. What had he been thinking? This meeting was for medicine cats, not overaged, disgraceful apprentices. But Ivysnake had more important things to think about. She turned to Cowtuft and padded over to him, ignoring Fawnlight for the time being.

"So, you've got your full name now. Given to you by a failure of a deputy, but I'm not one to judge for that. It's good that WindClan has a medicine cat with a full name. It's far past your time for one. I suppose I should say congratulations, but I see no point in wasting words." Despite her blunt, uncaring tone, there was intrigue glittering in the piercing amber depths of Ivysnake's eyes, not annoyance or judgment, as was her nature. "I see you've got paws in the Dark Forest," she continued. "You didn't seem to enjoy it much, but what Flickerlight said was pretty interesting." Her head cocked to the side. "I didn't know the Dark Forest cared so much about WindClan. Maybe this will be more interesting than I thought." Indeed, it would, and Ivysnake didn't mind the others hearing her opinion, although usually, she would've been less vocal about it. The medicine cat apprentice stepped back. "If we don't have anything else to do here, we may as well be heading back. Cowtuft has his full name now, and it would be a waste to stand around here when we've already conversed and spoken with our ancestors." Both the starry-eyed fools and the strong, dark-headed shadow-walkers, she wanted to add, but she had a feeling that wouldn't go over well. Not that anything she said did.

@x ghostie @daenerys @naiad @littlelove @Ravensong @Willowfern (WHEWW, that was a wild ride!)