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

XVII

Rootspring's mind felt like it'd been pulled out, clawed at until it was liquid and poured back in. He felt like he'd just awoken after a long sleep, but somehow something told him he had been awake this whole time. Ashfur had been staring at him, that was all he could recall. When he was aware again he was laying at the edge of the lakeshores, sopping wet with Shadowsight, also sopping wet, staring down at him. He knew he hadn't just fallen asleep but he couldn't remember what happened.

"What happened?" he asked, then he realized that Shadowsight seemed to be staring up at the sky in alarm and confusion. He looked up too, and he realized exactly why.

The air was lighter, the trees were no longer twisted and gnarled. For the first time in centuries, the skies of this realm were clear. The moon beamed out in an otherworldly light, a divinity that was not meant to exist, and stars banded together to create a shimmering trance. The skies were a gradient, from purple, to blue, to aqua, like the waveless surface of a fresh pond. The Dark Forest was not supposed to be so vibrant, so cascading with beauty.

"Shadowsight, what is happening!?" he hissed. Reality was twisting. Everything was becoming something it was not meant to. None of this was meant to happen.

"Rootspring," Shadowsight spoke as he finally turned away. The breeze played with his fur, and the light of the moon and stars shone down on the smoky tom before him, making him look like some kind of spirit. "You said you could move between StarClan and the Dark Forest if you thought hard enough? Take us there."

"I'll try," he gulped. Shadowsight stepped forward and touched his nose to his, and he tried to reach for thoughts of what StarClan now was. He allowed himself to sink into images of the flat plains, of the dead trees, of the dark skies, etching them deeper and deeper into his imagination until the woods around him faded and they were his new reality. He opened his eyes, and backed away, seeing Shadowsight staring in pure shock at the new StarClan.

Flat, dry, rocky ground stretched out for miles and miles. Only a few trees stood along the desolate roads, and their bodies were frail with starvation. The only sound here was the bitter, stark winds which flew endlessly upon cold air. The sky was a void that stood a million miles above. "We're here. Yeah, this is StarClan now."

"StarClan?" Shadowsight appeared utterly shocked, but it seemingly stopped after a few moments. "We've gotta find cats here."

Shadowsight immediately bounded down the hill, disappearing down the plains, and Rootspring rushed down after. The ground dipped, allowing his paws to fly down freely until he caught up with Shadowsight, and the wind tousled with their fur as they dashed towards the horizon.

Rootspring's chest nearly burst when he caught two silhouettes emerging into view. As he zoomed closer, he realized that they were Leafpool and a black she-cat with green eyes that he didn't recognize. She was slender and long-legged, with thick, puffy fur.

"Rootspring?" Leafpool mewed, the breeze of her voice bringing a song to the dark. "Who is this? A spirit? A Clan cat?"

"Oh, um, that's Shadowsight," he replied. "He's a ShadowClanner. Name sticks. So, who is she?"

"Hollyleaf," Leafpool answered. Hollyleaf was like a shadow, sitting still and silent like a cat made of black stone. A mute enigma. Somehow, despite the abyssal wasteland stranding them, a light of wonder burst within Rootspring. Was this the famous Hollyleaf? The forgotten sister? The omen's flaw? He'd already thought of it, but she really was like a shadow of no source. A dark spirit rarely seen, a symbol of obscurity, an enigma like the moon. He liked her already.

Shadowsight didn't seem that excited, he just stared at her with a deep scowl, but Rootspring couldn't help but bound toward her in exhilaration. Hollyleaf's expression didn't change, however, she just stared with her piercing green eyes as he spoke. "So how did you get out of the tunnels? Was killing Ashfur easy? What did you think when you were stuck in the fire?" he couldn't help but blurt out a million questions.