Username: Knickknacks
Clan: KnollclanPrompt:Knollclan was, all things considered, a pretty nice place to be, the cat decided.
They'd initially been wary- and sick, and injured, and caught on the clan's territory in an encounter with a bristling patrol of at least five cats. Not the best first impression they could have had, they acknowledged wryly. But the cats hadn't attacked- instead, upon seeing how bad a state they were in, the strange cats offered a place to stay, and healing, and protection for the time being.
Naturally, the cat had been a bit suspicious at first- what kind of group would just offer things like that? What was the catch? But so far, there hadn't seemed to be one- the healer had been a bit stern, but overall friendly, and the clan cats seemed fairly full of good cheer and hospitality, warmed up to one another and even to injured, crabby strangers by a comfortable life of ease. The cat could understand this- their forest was beautiful, and food seemed to be plentiful, and the cats seemed to genuinely like and trust each other. They couldn't help but be filled with a sense of wistfulness when they saw young cats tumbling around in play, or adults relaxing and grooming each other, sharing news and small talk.
Despite the comfort, though- the cat knew they could not stay. A cold trickle of fear pierced through them as they remembered the dream.
It might have been the result of their delirium, a hazy vision brought on by sickness. That was what they had assumed it to be, the first night they'd fallen asleep in the strange healer's den, poultices of sharp smelling herbs plastered to their various wounds. But the longer they stayed and talked with the strange healer, the more they learned about the traditions of this group called Knollclan, the more they wondered if it might have been more than a simple dream after all.
This clan believed in the watchful (and sometimes vengeful) spirits of their ancestors, watching those who came after them from among the stars. The benevolent ancestors twinkled like stars, sending helpful visions and watching over their beloved kin. The disgraced and wrathful among the dead skulked in the dark places between the stars, unseen and meddling and plotting their interference with the world of the living. Sometimes, they appeared in dreams.
The cat wondered which kind of ancestor had visited them in a dream. Unfamiliar with the clan's exact traditions as they still were, and confusing as the dream had been, it was hard to tell for sure.
They had opened their eyes to find a hazy, indistinct landscape- like a mirror of the forest, with every landmark blurred and hard to make out. They hadn't encountered any other cats, hadn't caught any trace of the clan-scent that had somehow managed to become so familiar over the course of their stay.
But they had heard voices. Rattling like the wind, ruffling their fur and sending shivers down their spine and causing their fur to fluff up in defensiveness and fear.
"W-who are you?" they had demanded, voice shaking and back arching in a sad parody of an aggressive stance. They had felt extremely out of their depth, unsure of what was going on but knowing it was something they did not want to be a part of.
"You have reached Knollclan while it is in the eye of a storm." The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, rattling the foggy branches and causing the whole landscape to quiver, as though the ground itself was about to break from beneath their paws. "Things seem calm and peaceful right now- you have even pondered the possibility of staying, and training up as a warrior within their ranks. But be warned, stranger- a threat is on the horizon. One that would claim your life right alongside those of the clan. One that you can escape, if you take your leave of Knollclan before it is too late."
"What do you mean? What kind of threat?" Their voice shook despite their best efforts- this was a nightmare, it had to be, there was no way it could be real.
"The ancestors do not deal in absolutes," the strange voice mused. "That is the peculiar preference of the living- wanting everything clearly defined and solidly known. Unfortunately for you, stranger, I do not care to enlighten you further. I come only to set a choice before you- save your own life, and watch from afar as Knollclan faces a trial by fire. Or stay, and risk perishing with them amid the flames."
"Wh- what kind of choice is that? You said you don't deal in absolutes, but give me only two black-and-white options like that? Come on," the cat pleaded. "Tell me what's going on. Or give this warning to someone who will better understand it. Like the healer- isn't he supposed to be the clan's spiritual advisor? Why not tell him about this? Or the leader, or his second, or anyone, anyone but me-"
"You are an outlier," the voice purred. "An unknown quantity. It gets boring here among the stars- the interesting part of all this lies in observing what you will do next. Think on what you have heard, stranger, and choose carefully. You can not change Knollclan's fate- only your own. Decide what you will once you have awoken."
And then, with a sharp jerk, the stranger found themself thrown from the dream, shivering and sick and in their makeshift nest once again. It was nighttime, and the clan was silent, and they couldn't get back to sleep for a good while after that, frightened out of their mind by what they had heard, by the strange and ominous words of the spirit in the dream. If it had even been a vision of some kind. Once they did sleep, it was shallow and fevered, still haunted despite being a dreamless rest.
That had been several nights ago. Their fever had broken, and the healer had remarked with pride that they were getting stronger. Soon, they would be expected to leave- unless the clan extended an invitation for them to join them. THat was possible- they seemed welcoming enough, and indeed some of the young cats had taken a liking to the stranger, crowding around their nest and asking for stories of their life as a loner.
"I should speak to Rookstar," the cat murmured to themself, scratching behind one ear.
"What was that?"
The cat nearly jumped out of their skin as a deep voice sounded behind them- Rookstar himself, watching them with a curious light in his orang gaze. The cat had never really gotten over their initial fear of the leader- he cut an intimidating figure, despite reportedly being rather warm and friendly with his clanmates.
"What did you want to speak to me about?" the leader asked, tilting his head and taking a seat alongside the cat. FOr a moment, the looked out over the camp together, the cat shifting in nervous silence, sorting through what they wanted to say.
"You all have been so kind to me," they ventured at last. "I thank you for taking me in when you didn't have to."
"It wouldn't have been right to let you die on your own," Rookstar murmured.
"And now-" the stranger's voice caught in their throat. "Now I hope to return the favor."
"Yes? How would you go about that?"
"The other night- I had a dream. And I have a warning for you."
