The Beginnings of ShatteredClan
699/200+ words
A thin crescent moon hung high in the sky, glowing faintly above the small collection of twoleg houses below. In one small cottage, curled up beneath it’s battered, caving roof, lay Rabbitfoot and his newest friend, Scatteredfur. Caught by what appeared to be a nightmare, Rabbitfoot was wriggling and squirming restlessly in his sleep. His mouth occasionally opened in silent whimpers but his eyes remained tightly shut. Minutes passed in silence, the fluffy ball that was Scatteredfur lay unaware of what was happening, deep in the embrace of sleep. In a single moment the silence broke.
Rabbitfoot woke with a scream, quickly cut short once he realised where he was. Unfortunately this was not quick enough to avoid waking Scatteredfur. The sleepy calico turned towards him with great concern spread across her face. There was a brief moment of silence before Rabbitfoot spoke, “Scatteredfur, what beliefs did you clan hold about their ancestors?” Scatteredfur had to think for a second, blinking away the blanket of tiredness that slowed down her thoughts. “Well.. In WoodClan we believed our ancestors watched over and protected us from their realm in the clouds. We called them CloudClan, if I recall correctly it’s rather similar to your StarClan,” she explained. “And then there was the Neverending Storm… They.. They were-- are the collection of souls belonging to the most evil of WoodClan’s cats. The murderers, the power hungry, the liars and frauds. There were never many at one time, but over the clan’s lifetime they amassed. In the realm of the neverending storm, they are tormented with brutal, lashing rain, thunder and lightning and a constant layer of gloom. They no nothing of dryness, nothing of warmth, and nothing of friendship.”
The sharp edge to her words as she described the Neverending Storm stung Rabbitfoot’s ears but he nodded as she spoke. He allowed a beat of silence to pass before opening his mouth again, “Thank you for the explanation, Scatteredfur. It seems I’ve been contacted by CloudClan… More specifically, three cats who called themselves Yarrowwhisper, Greyecho, and Littlestar.” Scatteredfur gasped as he named the three he spoke to. “Th-those are the names of the three Ancients of WoodClan!”, she blurted out in response. Collecting herself and her thoughts for a moment, she calmed down before she continued, “Yarrowwhisper was the first medicine cat and is the one all cats thank when their wounds are healed and their illnesses cured. Greyecho was the first deputy, a pillar of patience and loyalty. He gifted every cat the ability to understand and accept others. And Littlestar… Littlestar was the first leader of WoodClan. She was stubborn and never really backed down from an argument, yet at the same time was as kind as a mother to her kits. She gifted every cat the traits of tenacity and kindness.”
Rabbitfoot blinked, he hadn’t expected them to be so significant to WoodClan’s history. “Well, the three of them asked me to rebuild WoodClan. They asked me to save the clan they loved,” he responded. Scatteredfur looked surprised for a brief moment before understanding washed across her face. “You are a good choice, you don’t have any connections to the old clan. The old clan was not the best it could be and perhaps the storm was a blessing in disguise. Congratulations, Rabbitstar,” she smiled. Rabbitfoot shook his head, “No, no. Not Rabbitstar. I’m still only Rabbitfoot. They offered me the name, and the lives, but if I can’t do this without the status symbols, what kind of leader am I?” Scatteredfur chuckled, “Fair, fair.” They sat in silence for a few moments, staring at each other, waiting for the next one of them to talk. Rabbitfoot cleared his throat, “Well, anyway, I was wondering… I was wondering if you’d be my deputy in the new clan? You’re knowledgeable, respectful and kind. I couldn’t think of a better cat for the position.” Scatteredfur looked shocked and stared wide eyed at Rabbitfoot. “Oh! Uh.. Well… S-sure? I mean, I mean… Of course Rabbitfoot!” she answered, stumbling over her words. Rabbitfoot nodded with a smile, “Thank you. We should go back to sleep, we have a lot of work starting tomorrow.”
Rabbitfoot woke with a scream, quickly cut short once he realised where he was. Unfortunately this was not quick enough to avoid waking Scatteredfur. The sleepy calico turned towards him with great concern spread across her face. There was a brief moment of silence before Rabbitfoot spoke, “Scatteredfur, what beliefs did you clan hold about their ancestors?” Scatteredfur had to think for a second, blinking away the blanket of tiredness that slowed down her thoughts. “Well.. In WoodClan we believed our ancestors watched over and protected us from their realm in the clouds. We called them CloudClan, if I recall correctly it’s rather similar to your StarClan,” she explained. “And then there was the Neverending Storm… They.. They were-- are the collection of souls belonging to the most evil of WoodClan’s cats. The murderers, the power hungry, the liars and frauds. There were never many at one time, but over the clan’s lifetime they amassed. In the realm of the neverending storm, they are tormented with brutal, lashing rain, thunder and lightning and a constant layer of gloom. They no nothing of dryness, nothing of warmth, and nothing of friendship.”
The sharp edge to her words as she described the Neverending Storm stung Rabbitfoot’s ears but he nodded as she spoke. He allowed a beat of silence to pass before opening his mouth again, “Thank you for the explanation, Scatteredfur. It seems I’ve been contacted by CloudClan… More specifically, three cats who called themselves Yarrowwhisper, Greyecho, and Littlestar.” Scatteredfur gasped as he named the three he spoke to. “Th-those are the names of the three Ancients of WoodClan!”, she blurted out in response. Collecting herself and her thoughts for a moment, she calmed down before she continued, “Yarrowwhisper was the first medicine cat and is the one all cats thank when their wounds are healed and their illnesses cured. Greyecho was the first deputy, a pillar of patience and loyalty. He gifted every cat the ability to understand and accept others. And Littlestar… Littlestar was the first leader of WoodClan. She was stubborn and never really backed down from an argument, yet at the same time was as kind as a mother to her kits. She gifted every cat the traits of tenacity and kindness.”
Rabbitfoot blinked, he hadn’t expected them to be so significant to WoodClan’s history. “Well, the three of them asked me to rebuild WoodClan. They asked me to save the clan they loved,” he responded. Scatteredfur looked surprised for a brief moment before understanding washed across her face. “You are a good choice, you don’t have any connections to the old clan. The old clan was not the best it could be and perhaps the storm was a blessing in disguise. Congratulations, Rabbitstar,” she smiled. Rabbitfoot shook his head, “No, no. Not Rabbitstar. I’m still only Rabbitfoot. They offered me the name, and the lives, but if I can’t do this without the status symbols, what kind of leader am I?” Scatteredfur chuckled, “Fair, fair.” They sat in silence for a few moments, staring at each other, waiting for the next one of them to talk. Rabbitfoot cleared his throat, “Well, anyway, I was wondering… I was wondering if you’d be my deputy in the new clan? You’re knowledgeable, respectful and kind. I couldn’t think of a better cat for the position.” Scatteredfur looked shocked and stared wide eyed at Rabbitfoot. “Oh! Uh.. Well… S-sure? I mean, I mean… Of course Rabbitfoot!” she answered, stumbling over her words. Rabbitfoot nodded with a smile, “Thank you. We should go back to sleep, we have a lot of work starting tomorrow.”