Chapter Text
Moon Zero, Newleaf, Year One
“Are we there yet?”
Words that caused Brindlepelt to bite down on her tongue to repress a sigh. It wasn’t because she disagreed with the sentiment, mind; no, her sore and cracked paws alone were enough to ensure that, not to mention the cold, oppressive dark that cloistered around the Clan cats like a stalking predator, or the steady drip, drip, drip of water trickling down from the stalactites reaching towards the motley group like claws.
No, the reason Brindlepelt felt herself age several moons in mere seconds was because she was tired. Of many things, ultimately, but Hyacinthpaw’s constant badgering was certainly on the list. She wanted to arrive at their new home as much as the rest of the Clan did, but she’d barely slept this whole journey, and her stomach growled with each step while her parched throat begged for water. Her exhaustion was starting to cut into her bones, and only her relentless faith in the softly shifting stars in the pawprints she could just barely make out ahead kept her trudging forwards. There was no way StarClan would lead them astray; it was the mantra she repeated over and over in her head every time she felt that the journey had gotten unbearable.
“Hyacinthpaw.” A quiet but greatly welcomed voice reached Brindlepelt’s ears. She spared a glance behind her just in time to see Auburndawn lean forward to gently nip her chatty apprentice on the rump. “Calm down.”
The black-furred tom let out a soft whine of indignation, his fluffy tail swishing behind him to cover up the spot that had been bit. “But Auburndawn!” he complained, and Brindlepelt resisted the urge to flatten her ears. Eyes ahead, she reminded herself. Keep your eyes on the trail. “We’ve been walking forever! The hunting is bad in these tunnels. We need to find a camp soon!”
“We just need to trust in Brindlepelt, and StarClan.” The other apprentice along with them, Hollowpaw, spoke up, the corners of her mouth twitching into what might have been a smirk. Hyacinthpaw shot the rosette she-cat a look, challenging her to continue, but she didn’t seem fazed at all. “They will lead us to our new home.”
“But Hyacinthpaw’s got a point,” Shinenettle drawled, bringing up the rear of the patrol. Her emerald eyes glinted with dissatisfaction, white tail lashing behind her, and it almost seemed like she was dragging her paws on purpose. They had to be full of cuts with the way she was walking, but – well, Brindlepelt reminded herself the same went for all of the Clan. Shinenettle was just perhaps the most obnoxious about it. Letting her medicine cat instincts take over now would only slow them down. “We’re not meant to be cave cats. It’s hard to believe in StarClan when it leads us to such a dreadful place after letting our old territory be completely destroyed, and when we’re the only ones left. Hopemallow, Puddlefeather, Zinnialeap… Even Duckstar, not to mention so many others, they’re all gone. Who’s to say we’re not just forsaken by StarClan entirely, and Brindlepelt’s blind faith is going to get us all killed?”
Hyacinthpaw’s words were a minor annoyance, but Shinenettle’s stirred genuine ire in Brindlepelt. The medicine cat bristled, unsheathing her claws unconsciously. The young warrior had been making these sorts of infuriating comments for a while now, and Brindlepelt was so close to taking a swipe at her, her job as a healer be damned–
“Shinenettle, you would do well to watch your tongue.” A stern voice spoke up from Brindlepelt’s left. It belonged to Rimelarch, a respected senior warrior; she and Ashenspider had been at the medicine cat’s side the whole journey, diligent and faithful. “MountainClan has faced a terrible tragedy; this much is true. However, we are warriors. We must endure. There is no territory left for us outside; the caverns are the only place we have left to us. StarClan has not abandoned us, but even if they were to do so, we would press onwards.”
“Well said, Rimelarch,” Ashenspider agreed, a low rumble of approval rising from his chest. Shinenettle, who looked like she might have been about to argue, quickly quietened. While the gray-and-white tom was far from their most senior warrior, he was by far the most responsible, and his claws could be counted on in a fight. Brindlepelt had been their guide during this journey, but it was he and Rimelarch who had kept them together as a cohesive group. Given how young and spirited Hyacinthpaw and Hollowpaw were, and how abrasive Shinenettle and Roarspeck could be, Brindlepelt shuddered to think what would have happened if she had been left in charge. She was good at healing injuries and illnesses, and interpreting signs and prophecies from StarClan, not mediating for a group of tired, hungry and despondent warriors. “Shinenettle, do not continue to heckle Brindlepelt unless you want to be the first one on guard duty. Hyacinthpaw, take it easy. I know you’re eager to settle down, but look around. What do you suppose would happen if we made our camp here?”
Brindlepelt couldn’t see the older apprentice pause to look around, but she knew what he’d find regardless. It was no different to what she’d observed earlier; claustrophobic darkness and terrifying maws made of stalactites and stalagmites, the dripping of murky water the only sound to break through the gloom aside from their own footfalls, breathing, and chatter. A beat of silence passed before the young tom began to mutter, chastised. “...We’d starve to death, because there’s no prey…”
“Not to mention there’s no water to drink,” Hollowpaw added, her soft mrrow of laughter filling the air. “Unless you mean for us to fight to the death over mere droplets of dirty cave water!”
Hyacinthpaw bristled, squaring up to his fellow apprentice. Brindlepelt felt dread crawl down her spine and slowed her steps just a little in anticipation for the inevitable fight. This was a truly terrible time and place, and she had no herbs at the ready, so she’d just have to hope that there were no injuries–
The fight never came. This took several seconds to register in the medicine cat’s mind before she looked back; a silver-eyed she-cat with a speckled light brown pelt had slipped in between the two apprentices, separating them before claws could flash and fur could fly. It was impossible not to recognize her; Warmbracken, a sweet and kind warrior with a respectable amount of moons of experience under paw. All of MountainClan had treated her something like a second mom, and she’d never quite seemed to mind. Ashenspider and Rimelarch may have been the figurative brains of this journey, but there was no denying Warmbracken was the heart. Without her, Brindlepelt was certain there would’ve been at least some preventable injuries on this journey. The other two couldn’t talk every cat down, particularly not when Shinenettle was in a mood, but it seemed as though Warmbracken could melt even the thickest tension like ice in newleaf.
Newleaf. Looking around the dark and dingy caves, it was impossible to tell that outside these labyrinthine caverns, fresh new blooms were peeking their delicate petals out from underneath a layer of snow as the sun escaped from its cloudy shroud. If anything, the caves showed more of the signs of the tail end of leaf-bare; though there was no wind down in these depths, only stale and stuffy air, a frigid cold still bit at their noses, paws and tails. Brindlepelt felt herself suddenly endlessly thankful that even the shortest-furred MountainClan cat was still predisposed to grow a thick pelt that would help protect them from leaf-bare’s ravages. It was not something she’d stopped to consider much before, when the various coughs still went around every season despite it, but she was realizing that without their protective, warm coats, every single one of them would be shivering and sneezing by now. Just thinking about it was enough to make her nose itch, and she batted a paw at her own face in irritation, trying to quell the urge to sneeze.
Brindlepelt was drawn out of her own thoughts by Warmbracken’s soothing, gentle voice, and she couldn’t help but cast another glance over her shoulder. The motherly warrior was still trotting between the two apprentices, tail held high, giving them both reassuring smiles as they looked at her with wide eyes. “Now, Hyacinthpaw, Hollowpaw, there’s no need to fight over this,” she cooed softly; as she spoke, she twined her tail with Hollowpaw’s, leaning down to give Hyacinthpaw a quick lick on the forehead. Both apprentices purred loudly enough at the gestures that Shinenettle and Roarspeck could be heard snickering a bit; even Brindlepelt had to force down a small smile. “You’re both very smart, and you’re both quite right about why we can’t settle here. MountainClan is going to need clever young cats like you in its future; instead of fighting, why not try cooperating? For the good of the Clan?”
The two apprentices shared a look, as if silently deliberating whether they would heed Warmbracken’s advice. The decision was clearly made not a moment later as Hyacinthpaw suddenly puffed out his chest, a fervent gleam in his pale blue eyes. “Alright! Hollowpaw, for the sake of MountainClan… I agree to a truce.”
Hollowpaw closed her eyes for a moment, clearly trying not to laugh. For a moment, Brindlepelt worried that the action would be taken as mocking, and that even Warmbracken’s best efforts weren’t enough to diffuse this situation, but then the younger apprentice spoke again. “Okay. For the sake of MountainClan, I accept your truce, Hyacinthpaw.”
“Yes!” Hyacinthpaw let out a triumphant whoop, holding his chin high. Not a moment later, he scrambled over to his mentor, an excited grin on his face. “Auburndawn, did you see that? I got Hollowpaw to agree to a truce! Do you think I could be the leader of the Clan someday?”
The ever-reserved, ever-quiet Auburndawn had always been a master of keeping her expression unreadable. This was probably a good thing, too, as Brindlepelt didn’t even want to imagine the crestfallen expression on the young cat’s face if his mentor failed to hold back her chuckles; something that the rest of the Clan was not particularly skilled at. “Of course you could,” the gold-eyed warrior affirmed instead, leaning forward to nuzzle the top of her apprentice’s head. “Hyacinthstar has a nice ring to it.”
“Hyacinthstar…” Blue eyes were wide as Hyacinthpaw repeated the name aloud. “Wow. You’re right, Auburndawn! It sounds amazing! For the most amazing leader ever!”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” Roarspeck, who had been trotting a few paces ahead of Shinenettle, sped up slightly to lightly cuff Hyacinthpaw around the ear. The apprentice whined in response, shrinking away from that reprimanding paw. “You’ve gotta get rid of that ‘paw before you even think about becoming a ‘star.” Still, judging by the excited gleam in her cyan eyes, the calico was having her own fantasies about becoming Roarstar.
Who would be the new leader of MountainClan, anyway? It was a question that made Brindlepelt’s head hurt. How would they decide; a democracy? She could definitely see Warmbracken coming into power if that was the case, but she wasn’t so sure the soft-hearted warrior had the makings for a good leader. Ashenspider or Rimelarch, perhaps, but she doubted the apprentices would go for their stricter elders. And no matter how she tried, she just couldn’t picture Roarspeck or Shinenettle going for anyone but themselves. This was going to be a mess, wasn’t it?
Suddenly, just before Brindlepelt could start to develop a budding headache from sinking too deep into that doomed line of thought, the starry pawprints she’d been relying on all this time stopped. Immediately, she began to feel panic swelling in her heart, an anxiety like no other crawling up her spine. What was happening? Had they truly been abandoned by StarClan? That couldn’t be right. Could it?
The cacophonous roar of Brindlepelt’s mind was in sharp contrast to the somber silence of her companions. It didn’t last. As the medicine cat spiraled deeper and deeper into her traitorous thoughts, a soft murmur began to ripple through the assembled cats, the group shifting uncertainly as they wondered why they had stopped.
“Brindlepelt?” Hyacinthpaw’s voice sounded anxious, but so distant that it almost didn’t reach her ears. “Why have we stopped?”
At the question, Brindlepelt felt herself choke on her words. Her tongue felt thick and heavy in her mouth, laying around uselessly no matter how much she tried to form the answer. How was she supposed to tell the truth? She couldn’t just tell them that the trail they’d been relying on to lead them to their salvation had died out. She couldn’t snatch away their hope like that; surely, they’d all wither and die without it–
“...Do you hear that?” Auburndawn’s voice was barely above a whisper, as always, and yet it may as well have been the thunder’s roar for how effectively it drew the medicine cat out of her tempestuous thoughts. Brindlepelt instantly raised her head, pricking her ears forward as she strained to hear what the warrior was calling out.
The second it registered in her mind, she immediately felt hope swell her heart so large it seemed like it might burst out of her chest. The soothing trickle of life-giving water, echoing around around the cave walls; even if it was a mere stream, it could surely lead them to its source. That source had to be what StarClan had led them to! This had to be their promised salvation!
“It’s water!” Ashenspider voiced the observation aloud, but Brindlepelt’s paws were already moving. The cracks in her sore pads may as well have vanished entirely as she raced across the ground, nose to the floor as she tried to track down that blessed water. Behind her, Hyacinthpaw gave a yelp of surprise, followed by the rush of paws in unison as MountainClan hurried to follow their medicine cat. If their numbers had been any larger, it might’ve obscured the sounds of the stream, and a slightly selfish thought wormed its way into Brindlepelt’s mind that maybe it was a good thing so many of their Clanmates were lost. It would’ve bothered her if she weren’t so excited.
“Brindlepelt?!” Again, this exclamation came from Hyacinthpaw. “Why are we running? My paws are sore!”
“Keep up!” This scolding came from Hollowpaw, who had to be right on the medicine cat’s tail judging by the sound of her voice. “Water is obviously going to lead us to somewhere we can camp!” Still, despite her mocking words, she was panting slightly, suggesting that the exertion was affecting her more than she’d like to let on.
The two apprentices quickly descended into bickering again, as they often did, their earlier truce swiftly forgotten. Brindlepelt tuned them out. She needed to focus on the water. Nothing else mattered, least of all two unruly apprentices that couldn’t get along if their lives depended on it.
Her efforts were rewarded as she came across a small stream. Behind her, a chorus of soft gasps and excited murmurs rose up.
“About time.” Shinenettle was at the river’s bank in a moment, dipping a paw into the cool, refreshing water; even she couldn’t conceal a blissed sigh at the sensation of it running over her skin. “Much longer, and I think I would’ve started biting you all and drinking the blood from the wounds out of desperation.”
“Like those monster cats in the stories Thorncrawl used to tell?!” Hyacinthpaw puffed his fur up, alarmed.
“Don’t be ridiculous; monster cats aren’t real,” Hollowpaw scoffed, shaking her head at the older apprentice. “It’s just a stupid story used to scare kits.”
“But you heard Shinenettle! She said she wanted to drink our blood!”
“Settle down, Hyacinthpaw. Hollowpaw’s right; it’s just a story. Monster cats don’t exist. As for you, Shinenettle…” Ashenspider gave the offending warrior a cuff around the ear as punishment. She growled low in her throat, chastised, but a warning look from the gray tom caused to stand down, slinking to the back of the group sullenly. “Don’t say things like that. Tensions are high enough as it is, and you’re going to make the apprentices nervous.”
“Nervous? Who’s nervous! I’m not nervous!” Hyacinthpaw puffed his chest out. It was a valiant effort, considering his voice was still trembling slightly. Hollowpaw rolled her eyes.
“Not nervous, he says, yet only seconds ago he was trying to convince me that monster cats were real…”
Hyacinthpaw, done with the she-cat’s teasing, hissed at her, bristling. “Shut up, Hollowpaw! What do you know?!”
“A lot more than you do, it seems.” Hollowpaw raised her chin high, smirking triumphantly. It seemed inevitable that the two apprentices were about to come to blows, and Brindlepelt felt her earlier anxiety about the lack of herbs surge back to the forefront. This was going to turn ugly, wasn’t it? The two apprentices had never actually outright fought before, but every time they’d argued before now they’d had a stable home environment at their back. Were their current stressors going to be the straw that broke the warrior’s back?
“Hollowpaw, Hyacinthpaw, that is enough!” A roaring voice cut through all else as Ashenspider stomped forward between the young cats, slamming a paw down. Both of them shrunk back, their will to argue quickly waning. “You have been bickering like kits this whole trip, and it will not be tolerated any longer! You are both future warriors of MountainClan, and I expect you to act like it! Hyacinthpaw, once we settle down in a new camp, you will be taking the first guard shift, along with Auburndawn. As for you, Hollowpaw, you’ll be helping Brindlepelt set up nests in her den. Do I make myself clear?!”
Obviously, Ashenspider was not MountainClan’s leader. He was not their deputy either, nor even a senior warrior. Still, the fury that flashed through blue eyes and the absolute command in his voice was enough to ensure that neither apprentice argued, hanging their heads and acquiescing with ashamed mumbles.
Silence reigned, only broken by the soft bubbling of the stream next to them. Ashenspider took a deep breath, before turning to their medicine cat. “Brindlepelt,” he began, his tone much more level, “will this stream lead us to a place to camp?”
“I’d bet my life on it,” she replied confidently. Following the stream to a larger source of water was a simple equation; the fact that StarClan had guided them here was just the first pick from the fresh-kill pile.
Ashenspider nodded, and she saw a relieved look enter his eyes. “Then let’s not waste anymore time,” he announced, brushing past her to lead the way. “We’re all tired, hungry, and sore. A new camp is well past due for all of us.”
Nobody argued. Nobody wanted to argue, and even if somebody did, the memory of how Ashenspider had scolded the two apprentices hung in the air. Nobody was going to risk causing discord; not at this particular moment. Brindlepelt had never been more grateful for such a fact in her entire life.
She wasn’t sure how long they followed the stream. In the clinging darkness of the caves, it was hard to tell any precise measurement of time; she wasn’t even sure how many days and nights they’d been traveling. Still, eventually, the stream began to widen into a rushing river. The cavern walls began to expand outwards, as well, and the excited Clan began to pick up the pace. From there, it wasn’t long until the single most blessed sight any one of them would see in their lifetimes bloomed out before their eyes.
The river cut through the center of a wide, open cavern many times the size of its predecessors, and giant crystals jutted out from the floor, walls, and ceiling. Craning her head back, Brindlepelt saw a hole in the ceiling far above, through which the moon peeked down at them. The light from outside crept inside through this same hole and bounced off the crystals, bathing the entire area in a soft, almost ethereal glow. Every single cat was held starstruck by the sight.
This was it. This was the new home StarClan had gifted to them.
“...Would you look at that. This whole trip was worth it after all.” Shinenettle was the first to break the spell, briskly trotting past her companions to head for one of the far corners of the cave. “However, if you expect me to work right away after that whole thing, you’ve got another think coming. I’m going to be taking a nap. Don’t wake me up.”
Roarspeck scoffed at the display. “You do that. I’m actually going to make myself useful so we don’t starve to death.”
Shinenettle waved her tail languidly, as if to convey that she didn’t care. Roarspeck growled quietly, then turned to Rimelarch. “Rimelarch, you’re not a bad paw at hunting. Want to help me find out what’s to eat in these caves?”
The white she-cat glanced over at Ashenspider, who gave her a smile and a nod. She hummed in affirmation. “I’ll come with you,” she agreed. “You’re right that we need to start finding prey as soon as we can, or we’ll starve.”
“I’ll go with you too,” Ashenspider offered. “We know very little about these cave systems. Not only do we need to hunt, we need to figure out what’s around us and mark our territory quickly.”
“What about me?” Warmbracken padded forward to the front of the group, eager to offer forward her help. “Should I join the patrol too?”
Ashenspider thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “No, Warmbracken, you should stay behind. Help Brindlepelt and Hollowpaw. If the camp is attacked while we’re away, Hyacinthpaw, Auburndawn and Shinenettle will need the support, as well.”
Roarspeck scoffed quietly under her breath. “I thought Shinenettle made it clear she wasn’t to be woken for anything.” This childish remark went completely ignored. Knowing it was petty herself, the calico warrior didn’t push.
Finally, Ashenspider turned his gaze to Brindlepelt, concern shining softly in his eyes. “Brindlepelt, you’ll be in charge here, for the time being,” he reaffirmed. “Are you sure you’ll be able to handle everything?”
The medicine cat nodded. “The argumentative ones are either going with you or asleep,” she replied in a quiet voice, making sure that she wasn’t overheard, “and Hyacinthpaw and Hollowpaw are fine as long as you keep them apart. With Warmbracken here as well, it’ll be no problem at all.”
“That’s good, I’m glad.” Ashenspider still leaned forward to gently press his nose to Brindlepelt’s fur; she let out an appreciative purr. “Take care. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
“Take care yourself. I’ll be really annoyed if you come back with injuries already. Speaking of which, keep an eye out for any herbs that grow down here. I’m sure some of them can flourish in this sort of environment…” Or at least she really hoped so. What good was a medicine cat without any herbs?
“Of course, we will.” Ashenspider didn’t linger any longer as he turned back towards the entrance to the cave, kinking his tail over his back. “Those of you heading out, form up on me. We should get going.” The patrol departed, and for a moment, all was quiet in the cave.
“We’ll get to standing guard now.” It was broken by Auburndawn, for once, who began to gently shepherd her apprentice towards the entrance as well. Hyacinthpaw whined, but ultimately went along with it, and soon Brindlepelt was left with only Warmbracken and Hollowpaw for company.
“Where do you want to place your den, Brindlepelt?” Warmbracken asked. In response, the medicine cat quickly scanned around the cave. It didn’t take long for her to notice the perfect location.
“There.” She nodded towards the spot. There was a small cluster of crystals near the main entrance that had formed in such a way that they almost created a small offshoot cave. “It’s easily defensible, and also close to the entrance, so injured cats coming in from outside can get to it as soon as possible. It’s ideal.”
“Oh… You’re very right!” Warmbracken purred, impressed. “How lucky it is that this cave came with such a perfect spot for your den… We’re StarClan-blessed indeed!”
Hollowpaw padded a few steps forward, gazing upon the den inquisitively. “There’s no herbs at the moment, is there? So all we can really do is set up nests. Luckily, while we were coming here, I saw a side cave full of growing moss.”
“Oh, you did?” Brindlepelt couldn’t help but be impressed with the young apprentice’s observation skills. Granted, she had kept her nose so close to the river it was practically in the water the whole time, so maybe it wasn’t all that surprising that she herself hadn’t noticed. “In that case, take Warmbracken with you and gather some. I’ll hold things down here.”
Both warrior and apprentice obliged, and finally, Brindlepelt was left alone. All was quiet except for the babbling of the river, and Shinenettle’s soft snores from across the cave. The medicine cat drew in a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts.
“Well, how is the new camp?” A familiar voice jolted Brindlepelt out of her reverie. An orange-and-white tom sat across the den from her, tail curled around his paws as his silver eyes shone with mirth. Stars swirled through his pelt, and the medicine cat recognized him right away. “Is it to your liking?”
“Rosecliff!” Her heart thrumming in her chest like the beat of a hummingbird’s wings, Brindlepelt hurried forth to converse with the StarClan cat. “It’s – It’s perfect. I can’t complain at all. Did you bring us here?”
“Hmm… Maybe I did.” Always sly, even in his old age, Rosecliff gave her a wink. “But… You’ve yet to discover all this cave’s secrets just yet.”
“All this cave’s secrets?” Brindlepelt repeated, confused, tilting her head to the side. “I don’t understand. What secrets?”
To her surprise, instead of answering, the StarClan guide got to his paws and stretched languidly. “Follow me,” he instructed. “I’ll just take you there. Show, not tell!”
“Take me there? Take me where?” Still, Brindlepelt had been devoted to their ancestors her entire life, and couldn’t recall a single time she’d questioned their wisdom. She wasn’t interested in making this her first, either, so she followed Rosecliff without complaint.
He guided her to a darker spot of the den, looking proud. “Here it is.”
“Here… what is?” Brindlepelt squinted into the darkness, but try as she might, she couldn’t see a thing. “I don’t see anything.”
“ Well, of course you don’t. The light from outside doesn’t reach this far inside!” Rosecliff purred with laughter. Brindlepelt resisted the urge to duck her head, embarrassed, feeling like she was surely missing something obvious. “Relax. It’s not something to see with your eyes. Come close to this wall; feel along it carefully.”
Brindlepelt hesitantly did as asked, lowering her head and carefully nosing through the darkness. At first, she was still markedly confused; this cleaved quickly to realization as she suddenly found a small crawl space in front of her. “Oh! There’s a tunnel…?” She lowered herself down, testing. It was a tight fit, but she could probably just manage to squeeze inside…
“Right you are, Brindlepelt.” Rosecliff sounded pleased, and she straightened up, glancing back over her shoulder. There was no doubt about it; the ancient StarClan guide was grinning. “The secret is inside that tunnel. Trust me, it’s safe… Anyway, I should get going.”
“W-Wait, you’re not coming with me?” Brindlepelt’s eyes widened with alarm.
“Of course not! Could you imagine how uncomfortable that would be?” Rosecliff twitched his whiskers in amusement, before he took on a more serious demeanor. He approached carefully, gently pressing his nose into her fur. “Relax, Brindlepelt. We’ll meet again. And… trust your instincts.”
The medicine cat closed her eyes and took a moment to just soak in his warmth. “Okay,” she said finally, opening her eyes again. “I’ll look forward to it. Thank… Thank you for everything, Rosecliff. MountainClan is indebted to you.”
Rosecliff didn’t seem to have any more words for her; he just smiled and gave her a nod. A moment later, his starry pelt began to fade, until he was gone entirely. Brindlepelt took a deep breath to gather herself, and then focused on the tunnel entrance again, lowering herself down and carefully inching forward. Easy does it…
Squeezing inside the tunnel was difficult, and crawling through the tiny space was far from pleasant. The air inside was stale and suffocating, and the sharp rocks of the cave walls bit into her fur; she’d have to check for any serious scratches later. Thankfully, she wasn’t trapped inside for long; even moving at a snail’s pace, she could have only been inside for around a minute before she emerged out the other side.
The sight that greeted her was a cave, empty aside from its centerpiece; a large, glowing crystal, not unlike the ones in the main cave, albeit it was strangely round and smooth compared to them. However, the difference quickly made itself obvious as Brindlepelt glanced up at the ceiling; there was no hole to the outside sky. This crystal was glowing completely on its own power, which was very decidedly not natural. Then, did that mean…?
Excited, Brindlepelt approached the odd crystal, letting its pearlescent light dance patterns across her fur. The closer she got, the more she could feel it; the thrum of mystic power beneath her paws, the ancient influence of StarClan buried deep inside the luminescent stone like a beating heart. She knew what she’d found right away; how could she not?
This was a place of communion with StarClan; the odd crystal was their new Moonstone. Or would Mooncrystal be more fitting? Either way, Brindlepelt almost couldn’t contain her excitement, feeling like an apprentice on her naming ceremony day all over again. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience…!
A small flicker of movement caught her eye, and Brindlepelt instinctively turned to it. A plain, unassuming spider crawled leisurely across the surface of the Mooncrystal, and she watched it for a few seconds. By all accounts, it was completely average and boring, but…
Trust your instincts. She recalled Rosecliff’s earlier words and frowned. Her instincts were telling her there was something noteworthy about this simple spider… but what? She racked her brain. Hmm… Aside from her and this spider, she hadn’t seen a single living thing. It almost felt like the arachnid had been deliberately placed there. Another living creature couldn’t have done it, which meant… Surely, this was a sign from StarClan!
Brindlepelt’s heart widened, her heart thudding. Okay. This wasn’t a big deal. She’d interpreted signs from StarClan before; there was no need to start squealing like a newly apprenticed kit. All she had to do was figure out what this particular omen meant.
Spider… Spider… Watching it crawl across the glassy surface of the Mooncrystal, Brindlepelt was suddenly struck by an epiphany. It was a spider – as in Ashenspider! She was sure of it! This sign definitely pertained to the gray tom, but as for what in specific it meant…
It took a few more seconds of staring at the little creature before it clicked. Of course! MountainClan didn’t have a leader right now, and their former deputy had died in the accident; this must be StarClan’s way of letting her know that they’d decided their new leader for them.
Brindlepelt turned back to the tunnel. This time, she didn’t even notice the walls scraping at her pelt, too engrossed in her discovery. She had to let the rest of the Clan know right away. As soon as he returned from the patrol, she had to bring Ashenspider to the Mooncrystal.
Ashenspider would lead MountainClan into its new era.