The Sunlapse (A Light in the Mist AU/rewrite)

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Song of the Chapter:
Lost Horizon - Cry of a Restless Soul

The rising sun shone upon the snow, its mirthful rays travelling the vast road of the pale sky to bring light to white pines and drooping flowers. The group sat, a journey in each eye, in the midway of the cold wilderness, to hear words that could draw a trail upon the horrors of the road ahead.

"In my dream," Bramblestar explained. "I woke up in the middle of the night and there strange light filling the den. So I went outside, and immediately noticed a huge light blaring from the top of that mountain. I crossed that road, walked through that small wood, and made my way for the mountain. When I came to the base, I started to float. I floated up to the top of that huge mountain, into the light. When I looked inside, I saw the most beautiful thing ever. A light, so bright I couldn't see what it was, but it was marvellous. I woke up, back in the den, but I knew it meant something."

"How do you know that was a vision?" Spotfur spoke. The words that he'd spoken never brought the mirth nor wonder it should've, hadn't the light of the stars been silenced? How could they bring this omen? "It could've just been a dream."

"The mountain ain't that large," Squirrelflight replied, but no suspicion did her dawn-dyed eyes betray. "We'll give it a shot."

"I guess we could," Bristlefrost spoke. "But we can't be having some idiotic drama the whole quest. It could be dangerous, but we just need to walk up the mountains, try to survive, and do it all with no stupid flights of fancy. We're going to have to fight, because we're meant to help the Clans or die trying. Got that?"

"Guess we'll have to count on each other, so we can't have a bunch of conflict on this. We've got to help each other. That's the reason we're in a team," Spotfur said. "So, let's go. Together."

"Together," Mothwing nodded, and they set off from that pine forest, across that silent path where the beasts rode, to the defending side where that majestic mountain stood with wide shoulders beneath the rays.  The dawn's gentle dyes gave away to a mighty blue that stood vast upon the snow as they came to the rocky base and began to make their way up slopes blanketed in ice. 

As they walked along roads of white, a vast lake came in the midway of their path. Waters stood there, with thin glass painting the blue. The band trekked along the white rocks by the edge, and though they were at no risk of falling into the icy depths beneath, Bristlefrost still recoiled, trembling in clear dread.

"Bristlefrost? What's wrong?" Spotfur asked. Within her heart, she knew the roots of her companion's fear, but she cared not to speak of it.

Bristlefrost stared, stricken, and Spotfur could catch the wrath in her niece's eyes that almost seemed to bring plight to them. "It's...nothing. I'm fine!" she spat.

"Bristlefrost, you are not fine," Spotfur hissed, but she didn't dare challenge her. A wretched memory she couldn't seem to push away came, how she'd too been marred with that kind of sorrow and the dread Bristlefrost had shown for her. She knew the pain, the woe, the fury, and now she and Bristlefrost both held that strife as their dole.

As they carried on upon their trek through eternal snow, the vast blue skies wilted and aged. The bright colour faded from the heavens above to become a pale, woeful gray. The band wandered through toward a vast forest, with large white trees stretching for the clouds folding themselves around them. The woodland stood woeful and white beneath the snow that laid upon the brown trunks, every helpless robin or squirrel laying entrapped beneath the endless leafbare.

But just then, as they wound around the woods upon the frozen road, an agile tom barred their way. His pelt was a deep ebony, coat speckled with snow, and his amber gaze was lit with fury. "Who are you?" the tom snarled.

"Dog-spit!" Squirrelflight hissed, as a band, their fur matted and covered in dirt, joined him.

"Come on, then, whoever you are, and follow us," a she-cat spoke, her voice like honey as though she was trying to lull their minds to walk upon her path.

"Follow you?" Bristlefrost growled, her eyes lit with fury wild, and her talons laying upon the floor. She looked like that of a malicious gray hawk.

 "You've walked on our territory, and so we're bringing you six to our camp," another she-cat spoke. She looked wretched, her ginger coat dyed the hue of disgusting earth. "Now come on, walk."

"Your camp is a random forest, no markers or entrances or anything, and you expect us to just look at it and assume "Oh no, there's a bunch of rogues in there, better walk away!"? Seriously?" Spotfur scoffed.

"Someone just attack them already!" That same foolish tom hissed, and immediately vicious fangs hooked into her back, and hefty paws pushed her to the ground. Spotfur gasped, shocked by their power. The foul rogues all grasped them and began to drag them through the labyrinth of pines and Spotfur writhed as she was dragged through the snow.

"You all look so posh, like you were scared your mother would find you and think you were dirty!" the ginger she-cat laughed.

"And ya scamps look like ya been living paralyzed in a pit of mud your whole life!"  Squirrelflight spat back.

"Ooh, you better tell that to Lila. She's going to rip your eyes out!" a tom laughed.

"Lee-la?" Mothwing mewed.

"Our leader," the same tom explained. "She's so big and strong she could break all your bones without even trying, so you better not mess with her."

Bristlefrost snorted. "I could probably rip out her heart and eat it if I wanted to," she meowed. After what shared time with a rolling eternity, they were dropped by an abandoned dorm. Snow painted the roof, and the domain itself was made of tiny, round logs covered in dirt.

"Lila? We have intruders," the one with the voice of honey spoke, and finally the grasp on them broke. A white beast stepped out, hair like frost broad around her, and her wild eyes a pale yellow. Within the abode of logs dwelled several cats, all looking as miserable as those wretched rogues that'd brought them here.

Just then, Bristlefrost charged right past her, her wrath unfolded to any sight. Lila hissed, and Spotfur jumped to her paws in dread as Bristlefrost immediately reached for Lila like a falcon and the two were soon caught in a violent tussle within the abode.

"Bristlefrost!" she cried out for her niece. But she couldn't stop them, and Bristlefrost and Lila, both furious, were already aiming for each other's throats.