[Tiabirb]

Sweetsong of RiverClan

She/Her
34 Moons
Purrks:

Herbal Knowledge T1; Flock Together T1; Dreamwalker
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The last feathers fell into the nest, and delicate white paws worked to fix and weave them into place. Small early newleaf blossoms decorated the pristinely crafted nest, and as Sweetsong took a moment to admire, and feel a silly bit of guilt for having to ruin it with sleep, she felt a peaceful feeling wash over her. She glanced toward the starlit sky one last time before she tucked herself into her nest and bowed her head.

"Thank you StarClan for another day," She whispered fervently, her eyes closed, "Thank you for guiding my paws as you always have, and I pray that you always will. May tomorrow bring your grace and love to RiverClan...and to all of the Clans, and I pray each and every one rests peacefully tonight..."
With her prayer completed, Sweetsong settled deeper into her mossy nest, resting her head next to the blossom of a poppy flower. She closed her eyes, welcoming the dreams she would have.

But the sleep she found was one she had never felt before. Never experienced...she was falling. Falling in the dark. She twisted herself around, her instinct to catch herself overwhelming. She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't tell if they were open or not. It was that dark. It was like being blind. Panic filled her limbs, and she braced for impact. But when she landed, it wasn't solid ground. A torrential river engulfed her, and Sweetsong felt water fill her nose and ears, her jaws clamped shut tight to stop herself from breathing more in. Her head burst from the water, and she coughed and spit, her eyes wide with terror as the monstrous river swept her away into this nightmare.


When she opened her eyes, she was stricken with some awful feeling that she was in the wrong place. Quite immediately so. She laid on the water's edge, her fur soaked and plastered to her small frame. Her tail and back legs were still submerged in the dark water. Sweetsong coughed and heaved, spewing black water from her lungs and stomach. Her entire body ached.
This wasn't her dream...was it? No...she had never experienced something like this before.
A terrified thought entered her mind. Was she in...the Dark Forest!?! But why!? She had never strayed from StarClan, from the warrior code. Not once! Thorns snagged in her tail, making her jump, but the panicked thoughts persists.
Had she offended StarClan? Was she being punished? Tested?

More thorns seemed to appear, snaring around her paws and catching her ears. Sweetsong shook them away, but it was like the briars were alive! Sweetsong felt them tighten their hold on her left paw, and this was when she truly began to panic. She struggled to free herself, and the moment she could, she ran blindly through the growing brambles and piercing thorns. They scraped and scratched her sodden pelt, and Sweetsong kept running.
Until the trees appeared. The ground was craggy and rocky, but the trees were thick, black and massive. Sweetsong stared with a mixture of awe and fear, approaching one of the towering trees. The roots were bigger than her, and they fed and snaked all over the path. She picked her way cautiously through the roots, breathing a sigh of relief when the brambles seemed to retreat, no longer in pursuit.
She crept her way over the roots until the roots themselves were a solid path, and as she padded along, she did her best to ignore the annoying echoes around her. The wind was speaking, but she didn't recognize any of the voices, nor did she listen. Something had grabbed her attention now, and as she looked down, past her paws, past the roots...

There was no ground below! Only darkness.

Then a new thought occurred; If this wasn't her dream...then whose was it? She looked back after the way she had come. She didn't realize until now, but she had taken a very specific journey to get here, and this realization brought a new concern.
Who was so tormented that their dreams were a literal nightmare? Her face set into one of timid determination, but determination nonetheless. She had been called here. Someone had...drawn her to them. Looking back at the roots, Sweetsong began to tear them away with her claws until an opening in the path was revealed.
Taking a deep breath, she plunged into the darkness as if diving back into the torrential river that had brought her here.
The fall was shorter this time. Her paws touched solid, rocky ground. Faint moonlight poured in from overhead, illuminating a single cavern. A single tree grew in the center of this cavern, the silver light dousing its dark, pitiful branches, bathing it aglow. Sweetsong watched it carefully for a time, and then her eyes adjusted a little more as she walked cautiously toward this tree.

She had a feeling she was about to find the owner of this nightmare...

@SpiritedWarrior