Reflector [ Warrior Cats ] (UPDATES COMING)

Prologue

"Rosestripe?"

The stream gurgled gently past, lapping at the pebbles and rocks. The sun was falling in the sky, streaking the sky in hues of purple and baby blue. Clouds like cotton puffed up, dark grey and purple against the setting sun.

Mentor and apprentice gathered in the shadows beside the stream. The pale, rosy coat of Rosestripe, and the dark grey of his little apprentice, Cinderpaw. Rosestripe's ears angled towards his apprentice, and he acknowledged her with a swish of his tail.

"I have a question." Cinderpaw's amber eyes were focused upon her mentor, and the little grey she-cat fidgeted, unable to sit still for very long.

Rosestripe blinked his dull green eyes, yet the old warrior remained focused on staring into the fast-moving, gurgling stream. "What is it, Cinderpaw?" he asked.

Cinderpaw's ears pricked up instantly, excited to ask the question. The young apprentice's tail swished back and forth, and she rose to her paws, glancing quickly at her mentor, then the water gurgled past her. "I heard a story today," she began, noticing how Rosestripe angled his ears towards her, interested.

"Well, who was it from?" Rosestripe meowed.

"It was from Dawnstorm!" Cinderpaw piped. "She was telling us about Tigerstar."

"Tigerstar?" Rosestripe turned to look at his apprentice, shuffling on his paws. It was generally advised that apprentices learn the entire truth of Tigerstar's story, and the gory details were spared from the young kits.

It didn't surprise Rosestripe to know that his apprentice had finally heard the age-old story, often told alongside the tales of Alderpaw, and how the Clans were nearly lost in a time so long ago. The rosy tabby tom blinked, he himself recalling hearing the story back whenever he was much younger.

He was glad to hear his easily distracted apprentice asking questions, and he nodded his head towards her. The little apprentice spoke again, her words spilling out, almost entirely rushed. "Well, Dawnstorm told us no one suspected him." Cinderpaw spoke with the innocence of a young cat, her words coming from her heart. "Why?"

Rosestripe paused, opening his mouth, before shutting it, and fell silent.

Crickets sang in the twilight, filling the silence between the mentor and apprentice. Clouds puffed up against the darkening sky. Frogs began to sing, their voices clear and full of song as the sky darkened.

Cinderpaw continued to focus her gaze upon her mentor. Her ears gradually laid flat, worry egging at her heart, hoping she did not ask a bad question. Rosestripe remained silent, however, simply thoughtful.

The apprentice murmured a worried apology, but Rosestripe shook his head, before speaking. He chose his words carefully, fully aware that he was speaking to a much younger cat. "Well," he mumbled. "I believe it was because Tigerstar was not an obvious evil."

"What does that mean?" Cinderpaw asked.

Rosestripe turned for a moment, glancing up at the darkening sky, his dull green gaze studying the darkening sky. The mentor remained silent as he rose to his paws, motioning his apprentice to rise and come with him. "Let's go back to camp," he meowed, voice small against the frogs and crickets as they sang. "I can answer your question on the way back, and I believe Nightsong will be glad to hear your progress."

Cinderpaw nodded, rising to her paws, ears pricking, excited to hear her mother's name. The smaller apprentice remained close to the large tabby warrior as they headed towards camp.

The little she-cat cast a quick glance behind herself as her mentor spoke again. "Now, to answer." The warrior's voice was rough and grumbly, betraying the slight pain behind his movements. He was a senior warrior by all means, and was familiar to the questions that young cats would ask.

"When I say Tigerstar's name, what kind of cat do you see in your head?" he meowed.

Cinderpaw was quiet for a moment, before she answered -- "He's a big tabby cat! Tigerstar is very grumpy, and he's always mean."

Rosestripe nodded, assenting the apprentice's answer. "He's obviously evil, isn't he?" Rosestripe queried.

"Yeah!" Cinderpaw meowed. "You can smell him from far away, he's so stinky!" she teased.

The rosy tabby tom nodded his head, ears pricking forward as the familiar, faint chatter of camp reached his ears. Cinderpaw noticed an instant after, and her tail swished with excitement, but Rosestripe motioned for the little grey she-cat to stay. "I'm sure he may seem that evil," the mentor meowed, his voice rumbling with faint amusement. "But, in reality, he was not that obvious."

Cinderpaw stared up at her mentor, not quite sure how to respond, before she murmured - "Huh?"

"Well, you see, sometimes bad cats are not as obvious as they seem."

The apprentice nodded, listening as her mentor spoke again. "Sometimes, evil can come in any forms. In the eyes of his Clan, he was just a hardworking, everyday warrior. Of course, he was still terrible, but he made that a secret, you see?"

The mentor spoke with a purpose, small beneath the vast sky. Small stars began to twinkle in the darkness, illuminating the darkest of blues. The mentor and apprentice stood, Cinderpaw looking at Rosestripe with worry and confusion in her eyes.

The concept was new.

The clouds overhead drifted further and further away, and the lake glittered, reflecting the lights of the first bold appearing stars overhead. Cinderpaw glanced out towards the vastness, just a faint lapping sound, barely audible to the ear.

Crickets chirped as she spoke again, voice as small as she was beneath the sky. "So... he wasn't obvious?"

Rosestripe shook his head. "He wasn't, no." The big tabby blinked his dull green eyes. "Sometimes it's good to remember that." His apprentice tilted her head in confusion, and he responded with a simple meaning behind his words -- "Not all evil is clear, Cinderpaw."

In the words, there held a meaning that Cinderpaw knew was important -- something as important as learning how to fish, and how to fight for her Clan.

Just as important as being able to charge into battle.

It was as important as learning to swim, and feeling the water gurgle through your fur.

Just as important as learning of StarClan, and to respect Silverpelt, to respect nature itself, and the stars as they glittered ahead, brilliantly bold and carrying with them the weight of the entire world.

Rosestripe spoke again before he turned, and began to lead the two of them back to camp.

"Evil can be anywhere, Cinderpaw."