[wren]

”Why don’t you walk with me?
No no it’ll only take a minute. You’ve got quite the busy schedule n’ I see that. Don’t worry now.
…you’ve got plenty of time.”

the starry figure seemed oddly translucent to you and at the same time very real, very close, very alive. And though you could catch their scent, you couldn’t quite place it. Who.. who were they?

“The longer you stand there lookin dazed’n confused, the less time we have. Hop to it yung buck! always worrying bout where you’ll be!”

There was sternness to their tone, a little bit of urgency. So reluctantly, you followed suit, just at the heel of the massive cat. At first you weren’t quite sure where you were going, weaving back and fourth through a pitch blackness and at the same time, knowing exactly where things were. What a strange dream..

“ Where are we going? “
“home uh’course” he replied simply
“Aren’t I already asleep? In camp… at home?”
”psha kid, I figured you woulda let up with the questions by now”

The figure let out a jovial laugh and the seriousness of the conversation seemed to fade into playful jabs.
That’s when the faintest of gleams began to outline the shapes of the trees. Trees you recognized actually. This must be a starclan omen. You felt a sense of assurance fall over you and quickened your steps to fall beside your starry host.

They noticed, and a small smile picked it’s way onto their face, though somewhat difficult to discern as the light began to grow. Before long you were step in step into thunderclan territory… a slightly unfamiliar one. The breeze still tasted the same, the sun still shone just as it should have, but the trees had aged and the shrubs had grown. This must be the future! And surely there was good things to be discussed about thunderclans future.

“Gorgeous isn’it? Just the way we left it…”
“We?”

They moved on ignoring the question, as if you hadn’t even asked.

“We?” You asked again this time a bit louder.
“Yes. Now’uh what wud you like to see?”

Clearly thrown off by the bluntness of your companion and well… the lack of discernible answers you moved on.

“Camp?”

The starry figure smiled and lead onwards, though you already knew the path back home. You followed as you weaves through a familiar and yet such a different place. It wasn’t long before the overwhelming scent of moss and oak and the scent of camp was present. Though… something else. Instead of a scent it was a lingering sadness. You turned to face the source of this overwhelming sad feeling and were faced with a slightly overgrown clearing, a large pile of stones stacked near the only identifiable entrance.

“What’s that?”
”Oh. That’s right, that there hasn’t happened yet.”

The warrior moved off your original course towards the small opening and only signalling for you to follow with a gentle wave of their paw. You followed, hesitantly and suddenly filled with a great sense of grief. There was no words exchanged as you took steps past the rock pile and into the clearing, the sun seemed to flicker slightly and the wind picked up.

You could feel the presence of the starclan cat off to your side. Mounds of dirt covered by various sized stones, flowers, shells, feathers and all kinds of things were visible.

”during your leadership, ther’ wus a great plague. One no other livin cat had seen… You, Sundust, Cinderpaw and Rabbitchatter did all you could… though I ss’pouse there’s not much you coulda dun. it was a hard few months.”

They waved a paw towards the mounds of dirt, now which you could identify as burial sites.

”many were lost. But there was a triumph. You and your highranks prevailed… it was a time of great compassion.``

 

In a second flashes of memories filled your head, and one particularly stood out. You and Rabbitchatter… where had you seen him before? The big jovial tabby fellow.. yes that was him. You faced each other, crouched in your den with only the faint glow of the moon. Tears were in his eyes, the situation seemed grave. It was evident you were grieving, the pair of you huddled close, looking so small and weak despite being such large cats.

“I.. I just don’t know what to do. I feel so hopeless. I don’t know how to help them.”

“S’pouse you dun need to know that yet. All that matters is that’yer tryin. We’re tryin. You ought to take a load off… you aren’t in this alone.”

“I know but-“

“You aren’t carryin this burden on yer lonesome.” He stood and moved to your side, pressing his muzzle to your shoulder as reaffirmation before joining you. “We’ll be ok son. I promise”

In a moment the memory was gone, but it felt like you had lived a portion of life that was so real.. so painful.

“Wait.. when will this happen? I must know. I must get everyone prepared!”

The starclan cat chuckled
”It hasn’t happened yet kid, it might not yet come tu’pass either. Tis how I see it in my memory. Depends what your choices are. Thrushstar.”

There was a warmth in his face, a knowing warmth, and a faint familiarity in his face you hadn’t quite seen before.

“come away from ther’ much kind’er things to see round here than this.”

He turned to leave and you followed, still shocked by the grave implications of what you saw. Your journey to camp resumed and the grief peeled off your back, even the memories of the place began to get fuzzy as you made your way to the camp which looked… so… different? You stared in awe at the sprawling walls fortified by stones laced with vines and fallen foliage.

“It looks so different” you remarked giving it another good visual inspection.

An embarrassed look crossed the starry hosts expression and he padded up beside you to give the wall a good look.
”it is sumthin that’s fur’sure.”

You reached a paw out to gently graze the side of the wall and again were overcome with the flashing of more memories that.. were yours? But also didn’t feel like yours?

 

There was screaming, lots of screaming, frightened voices of the scared and confused and you barely howling to keep your voice above them. You guided your clanmates out of camp, a camp you recognized… aside from the masses of cats you didn’t? Unfamiliar and dangerous scents clung to their pelts and your clanmates… your warriors, queens, elders fleeing and fighting for their lives.. and just like that the camp was silent again.

You stood facing Rabbitchatter who himself looked worse for wear, perhaps more emotionally than physically. Distress aged his face by years.

“I’m sorry… I- I figured they was nice folk! They looked like they needed help n’ my heart took over… I wasn’t usin my head… it cost us so’much and I can’t pologize e’nuff for it.”

“You compromised the safety of your clan… you let your feelings get in the way of good judgement … …. … “

Your voice was stern, tired, but hardened by your long night. Rabbitchatter had offered sanctuary to a pair of rouges who looked famished, nearly emaciated… they had been thankful of the sanctuary but slightly off. You had questioned rabbit on his judgement but trusted him. The rouges departed.. and returned days later with an attempt to raid.

“I- I’m s- sorry…”

“I know.”

In a second you were back outside the camp having withdrawn your paw from the camp wall and whipping a nervous look over your shoulder at the starclan cat… who again looked even more familiar now? His fur even began to take on colour aside from translucency. He again looked quite sheepish, and didn’t seem to offer anymore words on the subject. You opened your mouth to ask… but expected the same kind of response like before. There was a chance it wouldn’t happen.

“shall we move on?”
You only nodded in response.

This time you took the lead in front of the starclan cat, weaving your way along the wall until you found a small entrance. You were welcomed with the familiar scent of home, the chatter of clanmates surrounding you. It was a good change of pace from the sad events you’d just witnessed.. which again seemed to kind of blur into the background of your mind. You attempted to look over your shoulder but the starry warrior had joined at your side already.

“Beautiful isn’t it? It’s been peaceful.. veery peaceful. N’ that’s thanks to you.”
You felt a small glimmer of pride enter your chest and tried to hide it by looking around at the cats surrounding you.

When the sudden clamour of excited voices sounded from behind you. A patrol of warriors, slightly bloodied was returning from the territory. Yourself? You.. me? Myself. Thrushstar? You walked through the camp entrance accompanied by some of your closest friends and Rabbitchatter at your hip. You both look proud and the rest of camp erupts in cheers.

“What happened I-“
Here we go again

 

You were on your territory, accompanied by a patrol of experienced warriors. Ahead of you.. a badger. The thing had foam frothing at the corners of its mouth… rabies. There was fear but also hopefulness. Rabbitchatter was with you as you lead your attack.

The battle was long, and while dangerous to be in such close quarters with a rabid badger… nobody was bitten. There were certainly close calls as you dodged a cleverly placed nip towards your tail when Rabbitchatter alongside [______] threw all their weight into the side of the badger knocking it off balance and saving you possible infection.

Fast forward and you are tromping back towards camp having run it off.

“Thank you.”
“Uh’course. Couldn’t do this thing without ya!”
“Not just that. I mean… the idea to draw it out of camp. And the evasion manœuvrées. This could’ve been a whole lot worse.”
“But it wadn’t. No need to dwell on it. We did it as a team didn’t we champ?”

Rabbitchatter threw an arm over your shoulders and ruffled your fur in a playful way just as you were about to enter camp.

You sucked in a deep startled breath as your point of view changed, you were spectating the memories instead of living them.

“That’s happening right now!”
You managed to exclaim turning to face the starclan warrior at your side… and being slightly surprised he had been looking at you anyways. His face had filled with colour now, a big goofy smile on his face, and his scent now instantly familiar.

“Rabbitchatter? It’s been you this whole time?” But Rabbitchatter wasn’t dead.. wait.. not that you had known since you went to sleep last night?

“Are you dead?”
The tom erupted into laughter, his chest bouncing with each breath and his eyes squinted ”No no no, gon take lot more than’that ta take me down. You should know that by now”

He giggled and shook the laughter off before gently pressing his shoulder against yours.

“Oh, then how does any of this make sense-“

He quickly cut you off.
”this is where I leave y’a kid. You’ve got some big ol choices ta make tomorrow. I’m figurin you’ll need some rest. Any cat you chose to be at your side will come with the good and the bad n’ I can do a good job assurin you of that fact. Rabbit will offer you many things… a heart sometimes bigger than his noggin, a deep love for his clanmates, a fear of bein alone, a tendency to be overproctive… he will offer you all he has. You must be patient wit’em. But he’ll make a fine deputy under your teachin. Even if he does call y’a kid. He will offer an insight not commonly found here-”

“You… you are here to show me which deputy to pick? I mean to pick him?”

”Nah, i ain’t here to tell you what to do. I’m showin you what could happen. It’s a choice yer gunna have ta make on your own. Do with my words as y’a will.”

His tone was knowing as he began to walk towards the entrance of camp where the patrol of warriors was being swarmed by excited praise.

”you’ve got a clan ta lead. And a future to make for them. You’ll do great… and I don’t make such a bad partner now so I?”

His switch from.. third to first character was slightly confusing but you figured you had the gist of it. He offered a cheeky wink as he continued to walk through the cats, and just like that his body merged into the second Rabbitchatter and you felt suddenly very alone.

And that’s when
gaaasp
You shot bolt upright out of your sleep a new fresh day just waiting to happen.

 

For a more in depth dive (: Rabbitchatter
1. Regardless of how old Thrush and Rabbit are in relation to each other, Rabbit will always try to treat Thrush like a son. Rabbit has a big heart that sometimes overcomes his logic which is one of his biggest flaws. He will put big emphasis on his and Thrush’s relationship being full of open cheesy communication. Like the therapist that makes you do those silly exercises to talk about your mushy feelings.
2. His leadership style will rely on Thrush’s logic complimenting his own heart. While he has his moments of courage and wiseness I predict they will spend lots of time in the den debating their political standings with other clans. This will be both challenging but teaching moment where they exchange values and ideas.
3. Rabbit craves close relationship with others and it will be very known in his relationship with his clanmates. It won’t even feel like he’s switched ranks. He believes the foundation to good leadership is sameness with his clan where they tackle issues as a group.
4. Definitely gonna force thrush to be his bestfriend. No grumpy thrush allowed.
5. He is nowhere near perfect as a deputy, but I see him bringing a new era of thunderclan. A compassionate and strengthened one through close bond with others, celebrations of life and changing of the seasons. The culture of Thunderclan will get rocked for the good
6. Rabbit not being thunderclan born could be a bit of a controversy, but he brings in a sense of wiseness about the outside world. It might be a bigger issue for his sense of identity but is willing to stand to defend himself against challengers of his loyalty. Could be an interesting dynamic as he brings a more rugged know how of the outside world.