Confidence. They had heard of the word so many times. Never had it thought they would use it on themselves. It seemed like such a faraway concept. Something told about in legends, or even just about other cats around them, but never something that it could find and grasp with its own two paws. Until Jasminejuniper came along. He told them that they were a good cat. That they should be confident. Or at least act like they were. Fake it till you make it. And so, they tried. It really did. And for a while, it seemed to work. They kept their head up. It celebrated after every piece of prey they caught. The world seemed brighter. And they felt like they had found their place. That it was worth something. That they were just as good as everyone else. That they could forget about all their worries in the whole wide world. However, it found that something was hidden deep inside their heart. It started as a simple question. Then a doubt. Then a terrible, hungry monster. Clawing to surface itself from the depths of their mind. Every night, they tossed and turned in their nest. Trying to supress the thoughts. Trying to ignore. Trying to step back into the world full of sunshine and butterflies. But every night, they asked themselves over and over again. "But is starclan on my side?" Starclan. Starclan starclan starclan As frustrating as it is, Hauntedhollow found that their insatiable need for some sort of reassurance from starclan returning again and again. Threatening to consume them whole. But thankfully, they found that while falling asleep was certainly difficult, it could fall into the warm embrace of its dreams. It could be filled with worry one second, but once exhaustion kicks in, they would find themselves somewhere else. Perhaps they would be flying across a serene lake like a falconcat, or lying down in a field of snow, watching as colorful feathers drifted down around them. Or perhaps they were just strong. Strong enough not be afraid. To be able to stand up, and live happily. But soon, the solace dissappeared. The dreams turned bad. It would be flying, but then fall. Falling, but never hitting the ground. Just watching the stars grow further and further away. They would be drowning. The dark waves pulling them away, squeezing the air out of their lungs and tearing their body apart. And amongst it all, it could swear it heard laughing. Mockery. So, one night, they couldn't take it. The beast clawing at their heart finally won. It consumed them. They gave in to uncertainty. They were going to find an answer to their question. And they were getting it now. It was going to the moon lagoon, and starclan better be there to answer their questions, or else... well... they wouldn't know what to do anymore. It took a few steps, pausing in front of the camp door, hesitating, like they always did, for a few seconds before stepping out into the world. The rest of the journey was a blur. It found itself too preoccupied to think much about their present. Where they were. Even when it was swimming, it found that they no longer feared or even noticed the water and waves trying to pull them in. They were in an almost trance-like state. They just. Kept. Moving. ————————————————————————— And so, here Hauntedhollow was. They hadn’t exactly found the lagoon yet, but they were standing in the gathering grove. The moonlagoon was around here, right? They looked up at the sky. It was past midnight now. Only now did it realize the exhaustion tugging at their body. Its eyelids suddenly felt heavier than ever. They felt their body yearning for sleep, but it forced itself to stay awake. They could sleep when they were at the moonlagoon, talking with starclan. Now, if only Starclan would be willing to guide the warrior so they could find the moonlagoon... It was pulled out of its thoughts abruptly, as they had spotted something in the corner of their eye. They gasped. Excitement and hope filled their body for the first time in many moons. In the bushes nearby, a quick rustling sound could be heard, and they saw a faint shadow. If they squinted, it looked vaguely like a cat of some kind. Hauntedhollow felt their heart soar. Their eyes filled up to the brim with tears. But unlike the times before, these were not tears of sadness or fear. These were tears of pure hope, relief, and indescripable joy. This was a starclan cat. Not a Dark Forest cat, not a normal clan cat or loner, a /Starclan/ cat. They just knew. They didn't know if it was the way the moonlight shone, or the way they just seemed kind of, well, odd. But they knew. They just... knew. Starclan had finally answered their desperate call.
part 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1351158286/ Spoiler alert: that is not a starclan cat.
