Splashwhsisker crouched above the river and waited. A flash of silver darted by, and she shot a dark gray paw into the clear water. The fish writhed on the marshy ground, and Splashwhisker bent down and killed it with a swift bite to the spine. I've never seen a fish this big! she thought. Before she could climb back onto the flat rock she'd used to perch on before making her catch, another fish swam by. And another. And another. There were so many! But wait! She was dreaming! This wasn't her river, it was too wide and clear and warm and full of so many fish. "I must. . . " she mewed aloud. "I must be in StarClan." No sooner had she spoken then two starry pelted cats descended from above. One was a mottled, blue gray tom, smaller than herself. The other was a dappled brown she-cat with dark green eyes. "Splashclaw!" Splashwhisker greeted the little tom. He had been killed by a combination of greencough, infection, and cold. The brave, smart apprentice had fallen through the ice when Splashwhisker was just a kit. They had gotten him out, but he had been in for a while, so he was freezing. A scratch he had gotten when a shard of ice pierced his shoulder became infected do to herd shortages, and on top of all of that he caught greencough in the night. It must of been a relief to him to close his eyes, probably an attempt to shut out agony, and wake up in this star-dappled landscape. The other cat Splashwhisker did not know. "Who are you?" she asked nervously. "My name is Oliveberry. We are here to tell you a valuable piece of information," she meowed. "What is it?" asked Splashwhisker. "Look into the water," said Splashclaw. Splashwhisker obeyed and saw, next to her reflection, one of a tiny, starlit kit. "What does it mean?" Splashwhisker asked. But the StarClan cats were gone, and Splashwhisker was sitting in her nest in the warriors den.
For PaintedMelody's CC.
