Alone #4: The Dynasty of Truth

Chapter 2

As soon as the early risers of the Dynasty started to stretch, yawn and get up, Ravenflight leapt out of her nest, waking up the Clan cats. All she told them was that they needed to talk.

The cats met Ravenflight in a secluded clearing at sunhigh, all of them gazing expectantly at her. "What is it?" Dawnmist flicked her tail impatiently. "I was talking to Deer and Fawn earlier and their tales are really interesting."

"Last night I had a dream," Ravenflight began before Lilacblaze cut her off.

"A dream?" Lilacblaze snorted. "You called us here for a dream?"

"Hush!" Ebonywind slapped her tail on Lilacblaze's mouth, forcing the she-cat to be quiet. "Ravenflight is a medicine cat. In the Clans, medicine cats have prophetic dreams and visions."

"Yeah well," Ravenflight shifted uncomfortably. "I dreamed of Dark."

Ebonywind looked like she had just stepped in fox-dung. "I stood up for you!"

"No!" Ravenflight argued. "It was real. We were in the camp and Dark and this huge bunch of rogues rushed in. It must be real."

"But we killed Dark..." Amberclaw mused thoughtfully.

"We did. But what if he's part of, say, the Dark Forest? Our mother fought against DarkClan before she had us," Ravenflight pointed out.

"I'm not sure," Dawnmist added. "I fought against the Dark Forest too. They were only able to fight us because they were close to us. The Dark Forest is really far away from here. They shouldn't be able to reach us."

"But what if they have?" Ravenflight pressed, now desperate.

"I suppose its possible," Midnightcall meowed.

"It is," Johnwatcher agreed, Rustfern and Blackshine dipping their heads in agreement. "O' course, it's unlikely, but it's possible."

Ravenflight shared a dark look with Amberclaw as she fluffed out her fur. "I think we should tell Autumn."

"Agreed," Amberclaw mewed immediately. "This is too risky to keep a secret."

"Well I think this is a pile of fox-dung!" Lilacblaze hissed, stalking off. Midnightcall shrugged apologetically before following her.

"Anyone else want to come with me?" Ravenflight asked the remaining cats.

"Yeah sure, I will," Ebonywind offered.

"Me too," Amberclaw added.

"No thanks," Blackshine shook his head.

Dawnmist decided to go with them while Johnwatcher opted out. The four of them padded back into the camp, heading for Autumn's den.

"Hello, what may I do for you?" Autumn mewed respectfully upon seeing them.

"We want to talk to you," Ravenflight explained.

"Oh dear, have the Dynasty offended you?" Autumn lashed her tail in anger.

"No, no!" Amberclaw purred. "Ravenflight had a dream."

"A bad dream?" Autumn seemed to be confused.

"I have prophetic dreams sometimes," Ravenflight mewed.

"Like Silver Light?" Autumn'a eyes widened. "Me too!"

"Autumn, Ravenflight dreamed about Dark..." Ebonywind mewed slowly.

Autumn's eyes went wide. "That lying, dirty piece of fox-dung! But he's crowfood now. He can't do anything."

"Well, in her vision, Dark was very much alive," Dawnmist sighed.

"Stop lying," Autumn hissed. "Dark is dead." With that, she swept out of the den, clearly furious.

"She does have a point," Dawnmist mewed calmly. "I think it was just a dream. Nothing special."

But Ravenflight knew it was real.

"I believe you," offered Ebonywind.

"Same here," Amberclaw nuzzled Ravenflight's neck. "We'll help you figure it out. Don't worry."

"Thanks, but all I can do is worry," Ravenflight was desperate for answers that wouldn't come to her.

"It'll be fine," Ebonywind purred. "Now let's go have some fun."

"Yeah...fun," Ravenflight repeated sadly. "Fun."

All throughout the day, Dark was on Ravenflight's mind. She could tell that Ebonywind and Amberclaw were also bothered, but not as much as her. Rustfern and Blackshine were having the time of their lives as they hunted and guarded alongside the Dynasty cats. Dawnmist understood the risk of Dark and was trying her best to raise awareness in the camp about him.

But no cat believed her.

Ravenflight, Dawnmist, Ebonywind and Amberclaw met up at the end of the day to talk. It seemed that very little cats believed them. A few cats, like Oak, Ember of Sunset and Night Sky, trusted them, but even those cats who believed them took it as a joke and were laughing about it.

"Dark's back?" Night Sky had purred. "I'd love to fight him and get revenge."

"Go Night Sky!" Ember of Sunset had chimed in before running off to his mother, Silver Light.

Some cats were skeptical, like Deer and Fawn. These were the cats that had been in the Dynasty for a long time, so long that they had fought Dark and won. Ravenflight shared her story of killing Dark, and in return, Fawn told them about how Dark had tried to join them and been banished.

Deer's face had scrunched up as she thought about it before declaring it unlikely and walking away to hunt.

"It's too hard, they don't believe us," Amberclaw rested her head on her paws, looking up at the Silverpelt.

"We've got to make them believe us! Dark is a serious matter!" Ravenflight argued.

"I give up," Ebonywind sat down beside Amberclaw, grooming her fur. "Good night, Ravenflight."

Ravenflight huffed out in exasperation before padding to the hunters' den. She lay down, falling asleep quickly.

Ravenflight dreamed again. She dreamed of Dark. She dreamed of Dark and his followers fighting the Dynasty. She dreamed of Dark and his rogues chasing the Dynasty cats out.

Ravenflight woke in the middle of the night, panting. Her light blue eyes were reflected in a puddle of water as she walked around the camp.

Ravenflight growled out loud in frustration as she tried and failed to recall her dream. She eventually gave up, heading back to her nest.

If only she had remembered her dream.