Warriors: Bound To Stars

Chapter 32 || Glittering Stars

Batchaser scaled the large tree branching near ThunderClan's territory, heavy leaves dipping into the lake and pulling away only when a gust of wind blew by. The black tom flexed his claws, ears pricked and alert for any signs of danger- mostly from Doestar and her warriors. He'd only been lucky to escape. Next time, he knew the odds would most likely not be in his favor.

⠀⠀Grunting, the StarClanner seated himself on the grass blanketed below his feet, tickling his paw pads, the green blurring his vision for a moment. Being in the real world again...he wasn't sure how to feel. Batchaser hadn't been here in moons. He guessed that time passed slower down here than in StarClan, because his chest felt heavier and his paws sunk into the ground. Was he really getting old? Could you age in StarClan? Was he weak again?

⠀⠀Well, it didn't do much thinking about nothing. Huffing under his breath, the black tom moved farther away from the tree, tail-tip flicking and gaze sharp for danger. The others should have been here by now; Batchaser was growing impatient and he didn't want to have to wait any longer. He figured that Jackalstar, Cypressfall, and Rushingpaw would have at least passed by here at this point. Galewhisker was most likely already near the Moonpool...as was Shellstar. The black tom craned his head up toward the sky, watching the sky blue melt away into a heavy navy, orange and pink streaks spinning through the sky, reflecting off of the lake. It was sundown; that meant Batchaser would be able to hide under the darkness of night. Another good thing about his black pelt, including that it pointed out his ShadowClan heritage. Not that it's hard to guess based on my attitude...

⠀⠀Sighing, Batchaser decided to go ahead and make his way to the Moonpool. His paws moved expertly over the terrain, stalks of wheat clumps blowing back in his face, black fur brushing over the long grass that would often rise up to his shoulders. The hills spilled away around his sight, rising and falling with no pattern. The lake was growing farther and farther away as Batchaser closed the gap between he and the Moonpool. The black tom twitched an ear, glancing over at a white blur of movement- it was only a hare. His stomach rumbled with hunger, which felt odd, but now was not the time to try and catch prey he had no chance of killing. Moving on, Batchaser eventually saw the dip in the land, revealing nothing but shadows. But as the black tom neared, that was not the case at all.

⠀⠀The pool wound through a small stream, softly trickling into the hole, casting little lapping waves into the hollow encircling. A light flashed in Batchaser's gaze as he neared the pond, paws fitting into the deep clefts left by ancestors long ago. He swished his tail, ears flicking back, eyes widening- even to this day, he felt the Moonpool was a regal place. A direct connection to StarClan that only the Clans knew of... what could be more enticing?

⠀⠀"Welcome." A soft hum caused Batchaser to jump, fur bristling as he whipped around. It was only Galewhisker. The gray tom dipped his head, sliding forward into the dip, paws dancing around the pool as he seated himself across from Batchaser. The gray tabby blinked, looking up at the black tom with emotionless blue eyes. "Do you know where the others are?"

⠀⠀Hesitating, Batchaser eventually shook his head. "No. I was going to wait for them, but they were taking too long. I thought Shellstar was here..?"

⠀⠀Galewhisker paused. "Yes, he was earlier. I believe he went to hunt around the moors." The gray tom's whiskers twitched in amusement. "This was his home, after all."

⠀⠀Batchaser tilted his head. He'd nearly forgotten Shellstar had been leader of WindClan many moons ago. Of course, not during the black tom's life.. "Right..and were you a part of ThunderClan with Jackalstar?" The warrior noted how the two stuck together at the hip. Perhaps...they'd been mates before? That thought sent Batchaser reeling in jealousy. Surely not? Jackalstar didn't seem like the kind of she-cat to settle with someone else, especially not with a feline as calm as Galewhisker.