————— ❝ɴᴏᴡ, ʜᴇᴀʀᴋᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴅs, ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ...❞ ————— Welcome to part one of the prologue for Lost Hope. ————— Next: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/624246268/ Previous: This is the first one First: you are here ————— "Alright Tornclaw, press your nose to the Moonstone and close your eyes." A black-and-orange tom stood in front of a dazzling crystal, the moonlight making its cold surface twinkle and shine. The eerie glow illuminated the cave and made the tom's pelt shimmer. Beside him stood a black she-cat with golden stripes. The tom glanced at her and she nodded in response, flicking an ear at the Moonstone. Taking a deep breath, Tornclaw paced forward and touched his nose to the Moonstone. A wave of icy coldness gripped him, and his legs felt stiff as he slowly sank into a crouch. He opened his eyes to find himself in the same cave. "What's going on? Why aren't I in StarClan?" he wondered out loud. He looked for the she-cat but to his surprise, she wasn't there. Had she abandoned him as a sick joke? "Everything's alright Tornclaw," a voice echoed from somewhere. Tornclaw whipped around to see a light brown tabby tom sitting in front of him. "Mousestar!" he gasped. Mousestar dipped his head and smiled at Tornstripe. "It's good to see you again, old friend." Mousestar mewed. Smiling, he stood up and walked forward till he was a whisker-length from Tornclaw. "You know why you're here, yes?" "Of course, and I'm ready," Tornclaw said briskly. "Then let us begin." Eight more starry cats appeared at Mousestar's voice. All except one were recognizable to Tornstripe. "There's Harerunner, Ravenflight, Breezeheart, Iceclaw, Junipersight, Galesong, and Chillycloud! But...who's that?" Tornclaw looked around the cave, listing every cat he knew. Each one bowed their head when they were mentioned. The black-and-orange hesitated on the last cat, a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with hazel eyes. "Greetings Tornstripe, I am Dappledlight. I died before you were kitted." the she-cat mewed. Tornclaw dipped his head politely. "Tornclaw, you were my deputy. Now that I have joined the ranks of StarClan it is time for you to take the role of WindClan's leader." Mousestar spoke, his voice echoing off the cave walls. "With your first life, I give you the Life of Acknowledgement. As a leader, you must acknowledge your Clanmate's needs and suggestions. Use this life to better understand where your warriors come from." Mousestar reached his neck forward to touch his nose to Tornstripe's forehead. There was a blinding flash of light as a burning sensation flooded Tornclaw's body and he forced down a yowl of pain. When he wrenched his eyes open, Chillycloud had taken Mousestar's spot in front of Tornstripe. "With your second life, I give you the Life of Empathy. Being a leader doesn't mean you have to shut out the feelings of others. Use this life to support your Clanmates in their darkest times." the snowy white she-cat murmured. She touched her nose to his forehead, there was a flash, and the agonizing feeling swept through Tornclaw's body again. Now Galesong was before him. "I give you the Life of Humility. A good leader always knows when he is wrong and doesn't act higher than he is. Use this life to know your faults and grow as an individual." Galesong rasped. Touching his nose to the black-and-orange tom's forehead, the flash and sensation came once more. Next was Ravenflight's life. "The life I give you is your fourth, the Life of Wits. Being sharp-minded and keen can help in the most unexpected ways. Use your knowledge to pry your Clan from the jaws of danger." Ravenflight pointed out. Nodding, the she-cat touched Tornclaw's forehead with her nose. The life-giving was repeated a few more times, Junipersight gave him the Life of Compassion, Harerunner's life was the Life of Defense, Breezeheart granted him the Life of Justice, and Iceclaw gave him his eighth life, the Life of Forgiveness. Lastly, Dappledlight stepped forward to bestow her life on Tornclaw. "I give you your last life, the Life of Faith. Though it seems like you'll never survive some things, have faith that in the darkest moments there will be a light of hope. When others have lost their faith and hope, bring them up by encouraging them. Strengthen your Clanmates—even the other Clans—by restoring their lost faith." she declared. Her hazel eyes blazed as she touched her nose to Tornclaw's forehead. For the last time, the young tom was overtaken by a wave of pain. When he looked up, Dappledlight had taken her place in the semi-circle of starry cats. "Tornclaw, your old life as a warrior is behind you. Tonight, you shall start a new life as leader of WindClan. We hail you by your new name, Tornstar!" Mousestar yowled with triumph. The cave was then filled with the chorus of the StarClan warriors calling out Tornstar's name. The tom relished the moment, puffing out his chest with pride. (cont. N+C)
Art by me Warriors franchise is owned by the Erin Hunter group Tornstar is owned by my friend @EvilStarry Inspired by the fanfic being written by me and Starry on google docs (look inside [backdrops - code] for something important) ————— (cont. above) He was the leader of WindClan now! When the chants had died down, the star-pelted cats began their departure, mewing their farewells to the new leader. Several heartbeats later, the StarClan cats had gone, leaving Tornstar alone in the cave. At least...he thought he was alone until he heard a noise behind him. Like the soft scuffling of a mouse's paws on the stone floor of the cave. Tornstar whipped around, ready to challenge the newcomer. But to his surprise, no one was there. Eerie whispers began to echo in the cave, their words indecipherable. "Who are you? What do you want from me? I'm not scared of you!" Tornstar called out. His eyes darted around looking for the source of the whispering. The murmurs rose to ear-piercing screeches that set Tornstar on edge. "What do you want?!" he cried. The voices kept shrieking, growing louder, and louder, and louder. Tornstar shut his eyes, his head pounding from the continuous screams. When he opened them, he found himself in Fourtrees on the night of a Gathering with a full moon floating in the vast night sky. Except, it was different. Fourtrees, he realized with a jolt of alarm, had turned into a bloodied battlefield. Cats were fighting everywhere, hurtling at their opponents with war cries. 'Why is everyone fighting? This is supposed to be a time of truce!' he thought with a sense of hopelessness. "Stop! This is a time of peace! Why are you fighting?!" Tornstar caterwauled. But no one listened. Each cat continued to fight, claws swiping at fur and teeth biting at necks. 'StarClan, do something! Why is no one listening?!' he prayed with a silent cry. "Tornstar." The young leader jumped and whirled around with a hiss, only to relax when he saw Dappledlight. "Dappledlight! Thank StarClan! You have to do something, everyone's fighting despite there being a truce!" he pleaded. The starry she-cat looked at him silently with pitiful eyes. "Tornstar, this is just a vision," she reassured him. Tornstar let out a sigh of relief but froze when Dappledlight shook her head. "But I'm afraid this will be a reality if something is not done," she added. "What do you mean?" Tornstar asked. "You'll find out soon enough. Now, hearken to my words, I have something important to tell you: /A war shall start for foolish greed, Two Clans refuse to heed our words. Battles will tear the Clans down, Submerging them in endless turmoil. Only when the ignorant shall listen, Will the claws of battling cats sheath? Only when the cold of heart shall thaw, Will the war truly withdraw?/" Dappledlight finished the ominous prophecy, her eyes solemn. Tornstar shuddered as a cold breeze swept by, ruffling his fur. When he looked up at the starry she-cat he realized that she had begun to fade along with the horrific scene around him. "Wait! Dappledlight! There's something I need to ask!" he cried as the wind picked up. He could barely hear Dappledlight's response over the din of whistling gale. "I know the answers you seek! But only time will tell!" she called back. "What?!" "/When the two meet on the final battle, Will they be able to restore the lost hope?/" With the final verse of the prophecy, Dappledlight vanished leaving the dim shimmer of her starry outline before it too disappeared. Only her voice, quiet and whispering, remained repeating the last of the prophecy. "/When the two meet on the final battle, Will they be able to restore the lost hope?/ What does that mean?" Tornstar wondered out loud. As he closed his eyes, something prodded his side and he jolted awake. He let out a sigh of relief as he found himself back in the Moonstone's cave. The icy crystal had stopped glowing and Tornstar was overcome with darkness. "Tornstar! Tornstar are you all right?" Dazzleflower's worried voice came from Tornstar's right. "Yes, I'm fine. No need to worry, Dazzleflower," he replied. "Are you sure? You look like you've seen something terrible!" "I'm fine. But I'm afraid the doom of the Clans is coming." "What do you mean?" Dazzleflower gawked at her leader, her amber eyes wide with fearful awe. "/When the two meet in the final battle, Will they be able to restore the lost hope?/" Tornstar whispered the last words of the prophecy and Dazzleflower tilted her head curiously. "Pardon?" she asked. "Nothing. Let's get back to camp." Tornstar said with a heavy sigh. Shrugging, Dazzleflower led the way out of Mothermouth and down Highstones. Tornstar followed her, the prophecy ringing in his head. The sensation of being watched pricked his back and he turned around to see a very faint Dappledlight. "Have hope, Tornstar..." she whispered. "Have hope..."
