(ORIGINAL BOOKS' AU) Warrior Cats - A Frail Soul's Torment

6 - The Ghost

<< You seem stable. But just to make sure things won't get worst, you'll sleep here this night. >>
<< Alright Jayfeather. >>

Squirrelflight sat down on the nest that was prepared for her and shighed before going for a quick bite of the mouse her mate brought her.

<< So, what happened to her? >>

Asked Bramblestar while brushing against her and purring gently.

<< Phisically she has nothing wrong, it might be just stress, but we'll keep an eye on her. At least if she has another episode we'll be able to act quickly and observe the symptoms. >>
<< I'll be fine, I swear, it was nothing. >>

Said again Squirrelflight.

<< You know how many things I've had to fight? This is nothing.>>
<< It will be nothing when I say it's nothing. >>

Meowed Jayfeather and made a quick gesture with his tail to tell that the conversation was over.
"Oh well, I still have my mission to take care of."
Smiling slightly, the red cat started to think of the possible outcomes of doing what the snake said to her.
After all, it said she had to answer "the call" and let it in, but she had no idea of what was the call and who was "it".
"Maybe it's like Midnight... well, we shall see."
Resting her head on her paws, she closed her eyes and waited, hoping to fall asleep quickly and get her answers as soon as possible, bit the only thing she got was a strange hissing sounds right in front of her.
"Wait, but the others are still there..."
She opened her eyes, gazing straight in those of the reptile she was thinking of, slithering in plain sight while the medicine cats talked with Bramblestar about his speech of before, nobody but her seemed to notice the snake and it wasn't exactly that small.
It opened his mouth, showing the fangs and hissing and Squirrelflight carefully reached to him with her white paw, unsure on how to "answer the call" (if that was the call). The answer came when the creature struck and bit her paw, the pain and the shock knocking her out like someone had just hit her on the head.

~~~~

<< Argh! Fucking snake... >>

When she opened her eyes again, Squirrelflight wasn't in her Clan's medicine cats' den anymore, she wasn't even in her Clan's camp.

<< What is this place? >>

She found herself in an open meadow, surrounded by dead trees which leafless branches scratched the sky like thin paws with unsheated claws, ready to strike down at her.
She tried to look around, but while that place looked like it missed any form of plant or bushes, between every tree there was only darkness, like a void of nothing and she couldn't see past that shadow that was everywhere, like the world had just disappeared except for that small space.

<< Hello? Is anyone there?! >>

Looking up at the sky, she couldn't see the stars, nor the moon, the sky was empty and panic got an hold of her heart pretty quickly.
"This isn't StarClan..."
She hadn't been in the Place of No Stars (or Dark Forest, as Ivypool called it) before, she only heard by Ivypool's stories of what it looked like and while her stories didn't exactly match the description, the absence of stars in the sky and the creepy appearence of the place couldn't be a coincidence.
"But why am I here? I didn't do anything wrong... unless..."
Her memories of the time she and her sister found themselves in StarClan came back to haunt her.
When they both sacrificed themselves to help Moonlight's kits and the remaining Sisters to safety, before she had chosen to go back in the living world, their ancestors had put them on a trial for what they've done, for their kits and the lies they've told the Clan.

<< Lies you were pushed to tell by those traitors themselves... >>

Squirrelflight jumped back from the direction the voice came from.
It wasn't the snake, it missed the "hiss" she heard in it before, this was clearly the voice of a she-cat.

<< Who are you? Show yourself! >>

No answer.

<< Are you the she-cat of the prophecy? Do you need help? >>

Only a sharp laugh answered her questions, a laugh that shook the red cat like the cold wind of Leaf-bare.

<< Oh, no my dear. The only one here in need of help is you. >>

Squirrelflight kept turning her head and trying to look past the trees, still failing to see the hidden cat.

<< But you're lucky. I can help you. >>

The misterious cat finally came out of the bushes.
It was a big female, her long fur dirty with dried blood and wounds that never healed, but Squirrelflight could still see her colors, the stranger was a ginger color that was slightly paler in some parts, she had some black splotches that were almost undistinguishable in that dark place and the white, the white that sood up on some tuft and the soft belly and on the long snow-like tail.

<< I guess you remember me. >>

Oh, she did remember.
She remembered the tales of the mottled ghost with a white tail and eyes that burned of a amber-gold light, the ghost who almost took the life of her mother.
The ghost that killed Spottedleaf's spirit, making it impossible for her to ever return.

<< Oh, I could never forget you... >>

The ghost smiled pleased.

<< Mapleshade. >>