Distant Sun: Flashing Lights - Shimmering Stars

Chapter 11

Jadepaw whirls around and gawks at Ambereyes. The brown and white she-cat looks odd in the red landscape. She gives off a blinding glow that makes the dim trees around her seem much darker.

"Ambereyes!" Jadepaw cries in relief. It was nice to see a familiar face.

"I'm sorry this happened tonight, Jadepaw," Ambereyes meows. "I wanted to talk to you privately, but it seems the founders have prevented any living cat to be inside my prison altogether. I've tried bringing Thrushsong there, but to no avail. I guess she has Bluesong to guide her, but I'd rather keep an eye on her."

"So, I guess we're going to be seeing this one in the Forest more often, then?" the brown cat asks.

"I don't know. But I don't have much time, the guards are going to switch soon and I know Strikefeather isn't as lenient as Vinetail is," Ambereyes places her paws on Jadepaw's shoulders. "Jadepaw. I know why the spirits of dead cats need to be retrieved now instead of appearing where they should, like they should."

"What is it?" Jadepaw asks in a quiet voice.

"The founders, they run this place. They have the power to manipulate it to their whims and to create a new space if they so wished. But, as all cats use this afterlife, their power is limited to just SpiritClan. They cannot touch loners, kittypets or even other groups of cats nearby. But they're trying to expand their power outward anyways. Due to that, their power is stretched too thinly."

"So they can't bring cats into their afterlife like they usually can?"

"Exactly. Their power is stretched so thinly, in fact, that the border between SpiritClan and the Forest is not as strong as it used to be. In certain places, a Forest cat could walk right into SpiritClan without being bounced back. Not only that, they're also trying to keep me contained on top of everything they're doing right now. So what we need to do is very simple," Ambereyes glances over her shoulder quickly, but a smile is on her face.

"Let me guess, you and Featherspeck have an idea," the black and white she-cat meows with sarcasm thick in her voice.

"We do," Ambereyes meows, mischief gleaming in her blank eyes. "We will use the herbs that grow here in the Forest to create an opening wherever we want into SpiritClan from the Forest. From there, a group of Forest cats whom I trust very much can enter SpiritClan and cause problems. While the founders are trying to fix the problems, I will take the time to get my paws on the thing that holds all their power and put it back how it was, limiting them to just SpiritClan."

"Where do I come in?" Jadepaw asks anxiously.

"You get to help me and Featherspeck make the concoction and then accompany me to the center of SpiritClan's power," Ambereyes replies. "That is, if you are willing?"

"Of course I am!"

"Good. Now I need to get back to my prison before Strike–"

And suddenly Jadepaw was back in the Moon Cave, surrounded by her fellow medicine cats.

"Jadepaw!" Rocktooth's relieved meow sounds loudly from beside Jadepaw. "Oh, thank the stars! You're alright!"

"What? Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Jadepaw questions, blinking away sleep.

"You were still under when we all woke up," Thrushsong meows, a flicker of fear in her green eyes. "And we saw you bleeding."

Jadepaw looks at her pelt and sees some tears, right where the bush had torn at her fur when she was hiding.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that Jadepaw is back where she is meant to be," Rocktooth meows firmly.