Second Chances - Ch3

Instructions

SECOND CHANCES: CH3 “What?!” I stared at Gorsepaw in shock. He nodded. “Yes. I don’t know how, or why, but it happened.” I realised he was shaking. “It was just one of the normal nightmares - Tigerstar lunging towards me, claws out. And then he backed off and asked me about a second chance!” I stared at him. “That sounds like the dream I had. The dogs were there. Brightpaw was there. I thought I was going to die. And then the dogs asked me about second chances too!” I began to pace up and down, the clouds brushing my paws. “This /can’t/ be a coincidence, Gorsepaw. I bet these are dreams from StarClan.” “But we’re in StarClan!” My friend looked at me, confused. “EXACTLY!” I spun to face him. “Why are we getting dreams from StarClan if we are ourselves StarClan cats? /That’s/ why this is so mysterious.” Gorsepaw sprung into the air, a sure sign he was excited. “A mystery! Let’s solve it! Maybe we could go round asking who else has had a dream like this?” “Good idea,” I meowed in reply. I looked around the den. It was empty apart from a few apprentices and kits, and they seemed to preoccupied to notice our conversation. Two dark-furred she-kits, obviously sisters, were playing with a ball of moss. Another she-kit was curled up asleep, starlight making dapples on her grey-and-white pelt. A fourth she-kit - ginger, with green eyes - was standing at the den entrance, looking surprised. A much older-looking tom with smoky grey fur was seated, flicking his tail, while a pure white tom kit with shockingly blue eyes was sneaking up on a pebble. To this day, I swear that StarClan got us all together in the same den on purpose. Because, at that exact moment, the ground began to shake. I turned to Gorsepaw, clinging the ground beneath me with my paws. “What’s going on?!” I mewed. He looked like he was thinking much the same thing. All the other cats in the den were trying to dash for cover. “Calm down!” meowed the ginger she-kit importantly. “It’s just a starquake, nothing to worry about. It’s - “ But it seemed that it actually was something to worry about, because just then, a huge chasm opened up in the ground. We were caught right in the middle. I tried to grab onto the sides, claws digging into cloud. “GORSEPAW!” I screamed. “GORSEPAW!!!” “Swiftpaw!” He sounded barely audible. And then my hold on the sides of the cloud loosened, and I tumbled into the abyss. “Not again!” someone shrieked. I was dimly aware it was the grey tom. I could still hear Gorsepaw yelling my name. I felt a pawhold on my tail for a second, then it released. The walls of the chasm were glowing with an unnatural light. I squinted, wondering if I was dreaming again. Circling round and round was a strip of blinding white. Caught off guard, I stared into it. I was aware of eight impressions. A cliff. A huge tabby tomcat, claws outstretched. The sounds of two kits, coughing. A hawk. A dog with flashing teeth. Swirling frost and snow. And a second of light, then darkness. The impressions faded. Mystical voices were chanting, as the eight of us fell. I could make out their words: “Second chances, second chances, second chances…” And then everything - the chasm, the light, the impressions, the voices - faded, until it was just me and seven other cats, falling and falling and falling. Then even that was gone. - END OF CHAPTER