Sandclan's Destiny Book 3: Blackout

Chapter 2: Dream of a Void

The deputy snorted at his leader's words as he sat below the tree. He listened to his voice. Uplifting it was, for once, and instead of his usual grave nature and sadness, he sounded happy instead. Coalspots remembered when he was a kit, and Birchstar's strange acceptance of him, yet the denial of his littermate. He would teach Coalspots that his father was treacherous, yet Owlkit did not agree and favoured Burdockthorn, the deputy at the time- and their father. Birchstar, a warrior back then, shunned or abused Owlkit to the point where, when he was a warrior, he fled the clan. Such a shame the aftermath of my father still haunts this Clan.

"Redcloud, lead a patrol to the Birdclan border, make sure they aren't up to anything funny!" Birchstar demanded in a light-hearted tone. He sounded excited more than anything, yet his words contradicted his tone.

He still thinks we're in war. What a mouse-brain. Nobody's going to be attacking us anytime soon! Why would they, anyway? They're weaker than us at this point I'd think.

Coalspots got up from his spot to hear Birchstar ask, "Where are you going?"

"You keep organizing patrols, I am feeling a bit.. weary." Coalspots half-lied. It was true he felt weary, but that has never stopped him from preforming his duties before.

"The new-leaf sun already tiring you out?" He scoffed, "But fine. If you're going to act weak I don't want you.." He swallowed, "Sitting... below... me." His voice quieted and he sat down staring at his paws.

Coalspots ignored that. It happened often at certain things he said. Then he would enter some sort of trance and you'd never hear from him for a long moment. Good. That's for the better.

Coalspots entered the medicine den to see a long furred white she-cat sorting herbs with soft and quick paws. She lifted her head as she heard him coming and quickly fixed herself up. She sorted the rest of the herbs clumsily and turned around, dipping her head. "Deputy." She breathed.

"There's no need for that. I'm not Dappledfern or Redcloud, I don't ask for glory for things I've done only once. Lift your head."

She did so, her dull amber eyes fixing on Coalspot's sapphire blue. "S-Sorry."

Just because Dappledfern and Redcloud organized the mental Civil Rebellion during a harsh leaf-bare a long, long time ago, bringing Oakclan back to their former self in the early days of Birchstar, they think they need to be praised. Even some other cats are beginning to ask for praise as well.. The ones who served Wolfstar the closest when he took us all prisoner in his camp. Sick.

Coalspots sighed, "Sit down, I need to discuss something with you." Something has been pestering his mind for a while now. The rumours that Starclan did not watch over Venomclan were indeed true, and he yearned to know what their thoughts were on his own clan, or the others. He also needed evidence for Birchstar's fault, a sign to scare him into stepping down from his leadership and retire, bequeathing his leadership instead onto Coalspots himself, so that he may lead them once again into peace. Cougarfang had given him this idea, and he would not let his friend down by not trying.

He sensed her nervousness, or seen it in fact, for she grew frisky again and began to panic. She clumsily cleared out a space to sit and did so, quivering, "Y-Yes, my deputy?"

"Enough with that!" he sighed. "Have you heard anything from Starclan regarding... anything?" Before she could ask anything he clarified, "Yes anything! I seriously need to know. I need to give Birchstar.. counsel."

She nodded slowly, "Yes." Her eyes wandered to her paws, claws tucked in tight. "I had a dream with Starclanners.. They still don't know much. Well, they know something is coming.."

"What?" He leaned forward.

"Nothing." She looked up, her gaze honest.

"Tell me." His claws dug into the dirt beneath him. "Or so help me.." He tried threatening her. She usually scared easily. She had found her mentor's dead body in the forest only a moon after she had ran away. She also had been through many orders from Birchstar, and many dying cats would crawl back from battles. She had seen too much, her heart too soft for such vulgar scenes.

"It's true! Nothing! All I saw was black for that's all they gave me."

"You mean you got a vision?"

She nodded shyly. "Everything just went black! My sight, my hearing, I was deaf! I was floating in blackness.. or.. Or at least it seems like I was. I was talking to a Starclanner and just everything shut off. I though I was dead but I don't know.."

Coalspots felt shivers run his spine. "What does this mean?"

"The end of all clans?"

"Perhaps.." He muttered, "But this is good. I have something to tell Birchstar.. Perhaps I can make him step down after all." He looked up to Snowybreeze, "Thanks again!"

"Wait what?" S-Step down?"

Darn! I shouldn't of let her hear that! What if she goes spilling information? He padded out anyway, and into the warrior's den where he sat down, alone. She wouldn't. She's too scared. Even if she does.. I.. I could hide her out in the Forest.. Yeah. She'd like that, away from this clan. I think..

Redcloud padded up, a bloody hare hanging in her jaws. "Relaxing huh?" She asked him as she dropped the hare at his paws, letting it splash red onto the moss. "This isn't for you." She smirked, "I just wanted to wonder why you're resting? You're the deputy-look like it." She swept the hare away, leaving a smear of red. She stared at it, realizing her accident, then preceded to ignore it, slightly abashed.

He snarled, "I'm the deputy. Act like it- respect me." He rose to his paws, his usually kind blue eyes now showing aggravation, "I will not tolerate you acting like my upper." He looked to the blood staining the moss, "And clean up after yourself." He added in a mutter.

"Exactly... You don't even act like an upper." She snorted and took her hare off the moss, sweeping her tail along the blood as if that'd help clean it up. She whipped her body around and left, head high.

A pair of vibrant green eyes pierced Coalspot's blue. Those eyes. However, they looked even more menacing with that long scar across them. "Why are you resting?" He sounded almost hurt. "Come on, go make a border patrol to Sandclan. But before.. why were you in the medicine den?"

This was his chance. The black and white tom lashed his tail, "Snowybreeze had a prophetic dream."

His leader groaned, "Prophecies."

"Not like that." Coalspots urged him, "It was a scene of what's to come.. If.." He hesitated, wondering if he should utter the next set of words. He mustered up his bravery, "If you were to remain leader." He did it, and a surge of satisfaction flowed through him at that moment. He felt fool-hardy, as if he could do anything. However, he calmed himself down and persuaded himself to remain the guise of being a wise deputy.

"If I.. Is that what they said?"

"It is what they implied, Birchstar!" He urged on. He stood closer to his leader, leaning in. "In her dream, she went blind! In her dream, the world was black! In her dream she went deaf she could not hear, she suffocated, it was pitch darkness! This will happen! Step down.."

Birchstar struck him across the muzzle. "Telling me to step down... Starclan is unreliable, we all know that." He turned and padded away.

Coalspots sat there, blood dripping from his nose. He looked bewildered, his mind running with thoughts.

If the dream doesn't mean the world will be destroyed because of Birchstar, which I hope.. Then what could it mean?