Chapter Text
The wind howls low, shaking the trees above a lone ginger tom. Fireheart looks around, his head tilting in confusion. The trees around him looked dead and rotted, their leaves scattered on the forest floor. He lifts his head up, his gaze blurry, the sky was unnaturally dark seeming like a void beyond the tree tops. He moves forward each step crunching the dried leaves beneath him, the ground chilling his paws. The air was cold, chilling his throat with every breath. The tom wanders, his head spinning with dozens of questions clouding his mind.
What is going on?
Why am I out here?
Where is everyone?
The last thing he recalls was going to lay down in his nest, how did he end up here? He tries to remember more of what happened, everything was seemingly starting to settle down with the clans. They had managed to stop Brokenstar, bring Windclan back, him and Graystripe had earned their warrior names. Was this some sort of prank, he wondered. His thoughts are interrupted as an ear piercing shriek breaks through the silence. He gasps recoiling from shock before rushing in the direction it came from.
He sprints towards in the direction, the forest now eerily silent aside from his rapid pawsteps and heavy breathing. Fireheart skids to a stop, narrowly avoiding a tree. The tree line in front of the orange tom seems impossible to pass, the trees and brambles too dense to get through. The warrior turns around shocked to see the way he just came from is no longer there, just dense trees. The thunderclan warrior rapidly looks around suddenly finding himself boxed in, every direction blocked by dense forest. His breathing gets heavier, every time he turns his head or blinks the forest seems to curl in on him.
This cant be real
The ginger tom plants himself on the ground squeezing his eyes shut as he waits for whatever happens, anxiety pooling in his stomach. Everything is completely silent aside from his shuddering breaths. He builds up his confidence before slowly opening an eye.
The tom looks around, he's no longer where he just was. He's just outside of camp, he can see the entrance not far from him. The tom grunts, putting a paw to his forehead. An intense headache was starting to form. Fireheart sighs in relief, his clanmates and safety just within reach. Before he gets close he hears another yowl fill through the air. Its coming from the camp he realizes, the warrior quickens his pace. Every step he gets closer to the entrance the more his head pounds and his ears ring. His body feels heavier and as he reaches the camp entrance his head feels like it will explode.
As he steps inside the camp, his gaze lowered to the ground, everything stops.
"What's going on?" Fireheart calls out
The tom slowly lifts his gaze to look around the camp. He gasps, the camp looks torn apart. The elders den is collapsed as is the apprentice den. He swears he can see crimson fluid staining the ground. In the center of the camp sits a lone cat, sitting above another cat that's laying on the ground. As Fireheart takes a step to approach the cats, multiple voices fill his ears.
"You shouldn't be here"
"Get out of here, NOW"
"You cant let this happen"
The tom puts his paws over his ears and winces as the voices fill his head. "What in starclan is going on here" Fireheart mutters to himself. His eyes focus again on the cats in the center of the broken camp. There is a ginger cat with his back to Fireheart sitting above a limp gray furred tom, Graystripe.
"what happened" He speaks to the two cats "Graystripe?"
Fireheart takes a few steps forward "who are you" he demands to the orange cat.
The cat seemingly doesn't hear him or is ignoring him. Fireheart watches as the cat leans down to the gray furred tom before he hears a disgusting tearing sound. The cats head rises again and Fireheart can see it chewing. As he gets closer Fireheart has a sickening realization as he spots red fluid running down the side of the cats mouth. He freezes in place and struggles to control his nausea as the cat swallows, his ears start to ring again. The orange feline in front of him starts to slowly turn its head, the ringing in his ears getting unbearable. The cat fully turns at Fireheart, he looks at its orange fur and green eyes, its him, he's looking at himself. Fireheart watches as the other him spreads its lips, giving him a wide smile with its elongated, crooked, sharp teeth coated with dark red, its bulging green eyes focused right on him. The ringing in his ears is deafening, he winces and squeezes his eyes shut in pain and as he opens them again its running directly at him.
"Fireheart..."
"Fireheart!!"
The ginger toms eyes shoot open as he jumps up yowling. His eyes dart around wildly as he breathes heavily, his fur bristling. Most of the warriors in the den had been awoken by his screaming and were looking at him with concern or annoyance.
"Fireheart, your alright"
He looks over to the voice and sees Yellowfang watching him with concern. He can see Graystripe and Ravenpaw next to her looking at him worriedly. The panicked tom continues panting, struggling to control his breathing.
"It was just a bad dream" Yellowfang meows "just breathe".
"I... um.. im sorry" Fireheart manages to studder out between breaths, his fur feeling warm with embarrassment as all his clanmates stare at him.
"Its alright, maybe we should take you to the medicine den?" Ravenpaw suggests rubbing his tail along Firehearts back to comfort him.
"im.. not injured" Fireheart responds his heart still racing "what happened?".
"You were yowling and thrashing in your sleep, Graystripe noticed and came and got me" Yellowfang explains "come on, I have some herbs that will calm you down" Yellowfang flicks her tail before padding towards the medicine den. The tom idles for a moment before Graystripe nudges at him. "c'mon" he says, giving Fireheart a friendly grin. "you can tell us what happened once you've calmed down" Graystripe meows as the three cats follow after Yellowfang.