Part 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1213678849/ Krakenvirtue opened his eyes, expecting to see a beach like the shifting sands, or reefs like the refuge, or even the old den in the sunken slopes. Someplace where there was the smell of salt in the air and the sound of waves rolling in the wind, someplace where there was the sea.. But, he did not find himself there, or in anyplace a seacat may normally dream of. Instead, he found himself in the clearing of a forest, where around him the night’s air smelled of dew and sap, where shadows loomed from the trees and misty mountains surrounded him like a cradle, stretching up into the heavens and vanishing into the dark clouds and sky. “...Dama..?” Kraken meowed out, swiveling his head to and fro, trying to catch sight of the parent or sister he once knew.. “Hadal..?” …But he found them not. Disappointment crashed into Kraken like waves into rocky shores, each roll leaving behind pangs of loneliness in their wake. He had been so close. *So* close… Perhaps Meso and Hadal really were dead, or somewhere that not even starclan could reach… …But if they weren’t here, and this wasn’t one of their dreams… Then why..-? Krakenvirtue paused as another sound other than the chirrups of crickets and the rustle of leaves broke the still air, a sound that hung over the clearing like a fog of gloom. Crying. Who was crying..? The seacat paused, before slowly his paws moved on their own, following the sound of sniffles and hiccups to its source, and what he saw nearly made the spirit trip over himself in a mix of bafflement, confusion and concern: A kit. A *falconkit*, or at least, something of the sort. She didn’t look like the falconkit that had approached him moons ago- Spider-Lilykit her name was? No, her head did not dawn feathers, nor did she on her tail, and she was quite the tiny thing too. A hybrid, perhaps? Well, that hardly mattered. What did matter, was the question of why in the four clans was he in her dreams? And why was she crying? Krakenvirtue crept closer, almost hesitant to approach the kit. Why wouldn’t he be? He was a stranger, just the spirit of a cat she had never met, from an entirely different clan that had *somehow* wound up in her dreams. He shouldn’t be here. He should leave. He should- The seacat paused, now a few strides away behind the young kit, and it was then he noticed something else. Before the weeping falconkit, was the body of another kit. With a mixture of brown and grey fur and blue, purple, grey and green feathers. Lying there cold and still, brown eyes open but unseeing, froth coating the corners of his mouth. …Ah. Krakenvirtue understood now. This was no dream, it was a nightmare. …And Kraken couldn’t just leave her in it. And so, with hesitancy, Krakenvirtue closed the distance between the two of them, slowly reaching out and gently placing a paw upon the kit’s shoulder. Immediately, she flinched with a gasp and whirled around at the contact, staring at Kraken with wide, tearful orange eyes. “W-Wh.. Wha..?” She stuttered out, her gaze flicking around and taking in all of the seacat’s features with a mix of fear, confusion and lingering sorrow. “It’s alright, it’s alright..” Kraken quickly soothed. “You’re having a nightmare.” “A.. Nightmare..?” The kit sniffled, wiping her tear-stricken face with her paw, and it was then that Kraken noticed that she only had three legs. ‘Huh, kinda like Silverstar..’ He noted to himself briefly, before whisking that thought away, focusing on the task at hand. “Yes. This is all just a bad dream, little one.” Kraken murmured kindly. “None of it is reality.” “It.. It’s not?” The kit blinked, her confusion and fear slowly ebbing away, and realization and relief dawned upon her features. “That.. That’s right.” She slowly nodded, turning back to look at the still ‘body’ of the other kit. “He survived. He’s okay…” She whispered, though her sad, almost pensive expression didn’t lighten as the illusion of the ‘body’ blew away like ashes in the wind. The kit stared at the spot it was for awhile, before turning back to Krakenvirtue. Something about her features, so harrowed and melancholic for a kit that couldn’t be older than two moons, broke the spirit’s heart into pieces. “Who.. Who are you?” She meowed, brow furrowed. “You look funny… Nothing like a falconcat. Where’s your wings?” Kraken couldn’t help but to chuckle at that. “That’s because I’m not a falconcat. I’m a seacat.” He explained, flaring out his fins for show. “As for who am I? I…” Krakenvirtue hesitated. Should he tell this kit who he was? What if she told others about him in the waking world? Sure he was just an average seaclan warrior who lived and died without pomp and circumstance, but still… “I suppose you can call me a friend.” Krakenvirtue settled. The kit’s eyes widened, flashing with something the starclan cat couldn’t quite place.
“A friend..?” She murmured, so young and almost hopeful sounding, before her expression deflated and she looked away. “No.. I don’t deserve any of those.” Those words both confused Kraken and made his heart twist. Didn’t deserve a friend? What kind of two moon old kit said things like that? “Well I don’t think that at all.” The seacat meowed. “Everyone deserves a friend.” “Not me.” The kit sniffled slightly, turning away. “I’ve done a horrible thing.” “Now that can’t possibly be true. What is it that you have done? It can’t possibly be that horrible.” “...” The kit did not respond. She remained silent, and Kraken could see the way the tips of her downy wings trembled. Perhaps that was a topic best left alone, Krakenvirtue realized. It was obviously an open, festering wound in the young kit’s heart. “...What is your name, little one?” At Kraken’s question, the kit’s ears perked up slightly, and she turned back to look at the seacat once more. “Fire-Lilykit..” The kit, Fire-Lily, murmured. “Well, Fire-Lilykit..” The spirit meowed, slowly sweeping his tail across the grass of the clearing, and from the soft blades arose the flickering light of fireflies. Kraken smiles as he watches the kit’s expression morph into one of wonder. “Why don’t you have a good dream tonight instead?” ... “It looks like dawn is coming.” Krakenvirtue noted, looking to the sky as he lay on the soft dew-covered grass, and then to Fire-Lilykit who lay nearby, tired after a long and pleasant dream of playing and catching fireflies. “Awww..” She whined, slumping as she batted a moss-ball with a paw. “But we were having so much fun..” “Well, I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun when you wake up.” Fire-Lily’s expression grew thoughtful at Kraken’s words. “Right… This was all a dream.” She hummed, silent for another moment before popping up to her paws. “Does that mean you’ll come back tomorrow night??” She gasped with an excited expression that honestly caught Kraken off-guard. “O-Oh! I.. I don’t-..” Kraken was about to refuse, after all, what business did he have in the dreams of some random kit? But then he looked at Fire-Lilykit. To the ecstatic and hopeful expression she dawned, so much brighter than how she was hours ago when he fell into her nightmare. How.. How could he refuse? If him coming to her dreams to play with her made her so happy.. Then it was the least he could do, right? No harm in it. “I.. Don’t see a reason why not.” He finally responded, earning a small delighted squeal from Fire-Lilykit. “Yay!!” She cheered, dancing on her paws. Kraken couldn’t help but to chuckle, looking again to the dreamscape’s sky as it brightened over the mountainous horizon. As Fire-Lily settled, she let out a yawn and curled up on the grass, resting her head on her paw. “See you tomorrow, mr. seacat.” She murmured, and Kraken cracked a smile that felt more genuine than it had been in moons. “..Yea. See you tomorrow, Fire-Lilykit.” … Kraken let out a gasp as he emerged from the starry pool, shaking water off his pelt as his paws pulled him back onto the soft grass of starclan’s plains. That.. Did not go how he expected it to go… …And yet, for the first time since his death, for the first time in *forever* even.. Kraken felt.. Fulfilled. The seacat stood there for a moment, before letting out a small chuckle to himself, shaking his head. “Who would have thought..?” He murmured, before walking away from the starry pool and off into the expansive hunting grounds of the afterlife. Maybe there was a future for him after all.
