☁ 𝒜𝓈 𝒞𝓁𝑜𝓊𝒹𝓈 𝒞𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓀𝓎 ☁

Chapter 12

𝒦𝑒𝑒𝓃𝓅𝒶𝓌

~ ✵ ☁ ✵ ~

Keenpaw watched from the far side of StreamClan camp as Mistpaw and her mentor emerged, their heads held high as they carried abundant amounts of prey. The she-cat dropped a large rabbit in the prey pile and her mentor followed with a plump squirrel as well as a mouse.

If only that fox-hearted wolf hadn't eaten my catch. He thought irritably, gathering the moss he had collected and distributing it to the warriors' den, where he set out clean bedding for his clanmates. He ducked out of the cave and stopped himself abruptly to avoid running into Quickpaw, who was waiting at the entrance.

"Quickpaw?" He dipped his head to greet her, flashing a questionable look at her. Perhaps she was trying to rub in how he came back to camp with empty paws while she and Mistpaw hunted like experienced warriors.

"Sorry, is this a bad time to talk?" For an older apprentice, she seemed embarrassed in front of Keenpaw, giving her chest fur self-conscious licks every once in a while.

"No. I just finished cleaning out bedding." He told her. "Why?"

"I was just wondering how hunting was going. If you want, I could give you some pointers." She suggested.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he told her, "I made my first catch today, but Shiningsoul and I had a run-in with a wolf that got to it."

"Oh, I'm sorry. If you ever want to, I know a way to sneak out of camp during the night. We could practice hunting together." The she-cat kept her voice low, making sure no cat in camp could hear her conversation with Keenpaw.

The tom gave it a thought for a moment but shook his head. As much as he wanted to improve his hunting skill, he didn't like the idea of going against his clanmates' wishes, and if he ever got caught, who knew what kind of punishment would be sent his way?

Keenpaw padded off toward the prey pile, looking back to see the sandy brown and white she-cat's saddened yellow gaze as it followed him. Sorry, Quickpaw. I don't want to take any chances.

✵☁✵

Thanks to the large prey pile that had collected, every cat was full by the time they had all eaten and Keenpaw felt like he drifted off to sleep as soon as he crawled into his nest.

The next thing he knew, he was awake, blinking away the sleep in his eyes and getting to his paws. The sky above him was bright, stinging his eyes as he looked up into the endless sea of blue that hung above him.

But wait, the sky was above him. He wasn't in the apprentices' den at all. His heart began to pound in fear as he looked around. Towering above him were large oak and birch trees that seemed to stretch infinitely into the sky. Panic rose in his chest once he remembered what territory looked like the one, he was in.

BreezeClan! It has to be! But how did I get here? Had he walked in his sleep? As strange as it sounded, he knew it was possible, but he never recalled doing so before.

Pawsteps sounded from behind him and he spun around, trying to come up with some sort of reasonable excuse as to why he was intruding. But the thoughts in his mind were so wild, he couldn't come up with anything. The cat he met wasn't like any normal cat he had ever seen though. Its fur was slightly transparent and he could see the rest of the landscape before him through its pelt.

"Fear not, Keenpaw. You're dreaming." It wasn't until the stranger spoke when Keenpaw realized he was shivering slightly in fear. The apprentice could tell this cat was male by the tone of his voice and he relaxed. He was only dreaming, there was nothing to be afraid of. Right?

Keenpaw narrowed his eyes, squinting his blue-green eyes to get a glimpse of the tom's appearance despite the transparent look of his coat. He was definitely handsome, with golden fur like a ray of sunlight shining down from the sky. He was well-muscled too, definitely a strong warrior if he had to make a guess.

"Even long after my leadership, BreezeClan territory still looks the same." The golden tom said out loud as he took in his surroundings. Keenpaw's eyes grew wide in realization. Is it really... him? He had never actually seen the cat before that encounter.

"No way..." he breathed, "you're Breezestar?" He asked in astonishment.

The leader smiled. "I knew you were intelligent from the moment I laid my eyes on you."

Keenpaw's heart soared with pride at his words. "You really think so?" He inquired. Ever since he was apprenticed, he felt as though he wasn't good enough.

"Of course, I know that for a fact." He said, his eyes shining as he looked toward Keenpaw. "Why else would I choose to bring such an important message to you?" He let out a slight chuckle before his gaze darkened, and his voice lowered, his tone becoming more serious. "I'm afraid I'm running out of time, young Keenpaw, but you must know this," the tom paused, glancing at his fading form before turning his green eyes back to the apprentice before him. "Beware the clouds that cover the sky, Keenpaw."

And with that, the golden warrior disappeared from the silver-furred apprentice's sight, and before he knew it, the landscape before him began to disappear too. Darkness pooled his vision and in what seemed like an instant, he opened his eyes, awake in his own den.

He was back to his own clan. He was back to his responsibilities.