Rain poured down as Ravenpaw walked away from everything she had ever known. Mud and ash caked her paws, making them heavy to lift, but she didn't care. Not now. For her, the rain was perfect; it matched her gloomy mood. As she walked her lips curled into a silent snarl. The moon had finally come up, but even though she had been walking the whole day she didn't feel tired. Ravenpaw glanced up at the sky, barely able to see the pale moonlight through the thick clouds. She knew the stars were behind there somewhere, hiding in shame.
StarClan? Pah. If they really existed and cared for the Clans, none of this would have happened.
A small growl escaped her throat. StarClan was behind her now, left in the Burned Forest. If they didn't want her, she didn't want them! Now she regretted all those times when she had prayed to StarClan, thanked them for the life of the prey she had eaten, trusted them to watch over her.
Ravenpaw finally stopped at the top of a large cliff. The forest ended abruptly on both sides of her, as she stood on the narrow ledge. In front of her a vast landscape with meadows, forests, bushes and a small lake stretched out all the way into he horizon. he rain had stopped and the moon carefully peeked out from behind the clouds.
"TRAITORS!" she yowled to the night sky. "I trusted you! Believed in you! And now? You punish me for nothing by taking everything away!"
Ravenpaw marveled over how her screech seemed to be carried by the wind and up into the sky. The wind was helping her. The wind was her only friend. The stars would get her message. And just like she thought, the clouds came back again and covered the moon. More water droplet fell from the sky and draped her muzzle, blending in with her salty tears.
"Traitors!" she called again. "You're all.. Traitors." she sank to the ground, her mew turning into sobs. She knew that anybody watching would think she was crazy, shaking on the ground and crying, muttering the word 'traitor' to herself. But Ravenpaw didn't care anymore. It was like a hole had opened in her heart and refused to close. At last she managed to drift into some kind of sleep.
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Ravenpaw saw a tiny light appear in front of her. Desperately she tried to scramble towards it, but it felt like her paws were stuck in mud. She shook herself out of the invisible mud and ran towards the light. But no matter how far or fast she ran, the light didn't come closer. She slowed down and stopped, panting. She was thinking of going back into the darkness when she noticed the light coming closer to her.
Light shining bright through the darkness. She realized. No matter how dark it is, there will always be light.
Ravenpaw was startled awake by the thought. She blinked open her eyes, but had to close them again because of the harsh sunlight. She covered her eyes with one paw and tried opening them again. She waited a moment to get used to the light, the removed her paw. She checked to make sure her necklace was still there before standing up and stretching.
Her strange dream had made her a little more refreshed and bright. The disappearance of her Clan still troubled her deeply, but she felt more energetic; like her paws were much lighter.
Maybe there is hope anyways? Maybe I can make it? she thought hopefully. She walked along more slowly now, and took the time to study her surroundings.
Ravenpaw had found herself in a open woodland with mostly leaf trees like oak, beech, birch, and ash. a few small pine trees stood out here and there but leaves covered the ground more than prickly needles. She saw a squirrel scampering across the branches above her, far out of reach, but it made her realize how hungry she was.
