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After her encounter with Humbledove and Beetle, Riftsight fell into a deep slumber. To any outside cat, this seemed almost merciful- she was weak and feverish, the stress of her journey combined with her lack of sleep had taken a serious toll on the young medicine cat. If she were awake, she'd only be delirious and in pain.
Riftsight would rather be awake.
The molly's ear twitched as a dove fluttered by. Riftsight didn't know how long she'd been stuck reliving this stupid, prophetic dream. At one point, she wondered if she had died- maybe this was some sort of punishment for defying Starclan's wishes- though one look down at her dull, furry, and very much not starry paws disproved that theory. Unless this is the Dark Forest, Riftsight sniffed sardonically then paused, looking back to the tree line. She could hear the creature pacing, undoubtedly still stalking the stray dove chick.
"If the doves are Starclan, then maybe this is the Dark Forest." Riftsight murmured, eyes widening with the realization. The small she-cat didn't have much time to dwell on the revelation, though. Somewhere behind her, a voice called out.
"Riftsight!"
A familiar voice.
Riftsight's already wide eyes rounded further as she whipped around. Some distance behind her stood a molly near identical to herself, only taller and broader. Alicepelt was smiling warmly, her eyes misty as she stared down at her daughter.
"There isn't much time before you wake up, but I need to tell you something."
Riftsight nodded in response, too stunned to speak or to even approach Alicepelt.
"I'm so proud of you for everything you've done. Snowhare raised you well, don't be afraid to call her your mother." The deceased warrior let out a soft chuckle, savoring the calm moment with her one and only kit. If only they'd had more of those. "Just always remember that I love you. And if you see that goof Towheefall, tell him that I love him, too."
It couldn't last forever, though. The sky dimmed, the landscape and Alicepelt fading out just after. Riftsight tensed, looking around in horror as everything around her turned to darkness. Pain began to seep into her muscles, then her lungs and face, then everywhere. With a start, Riftsight woke up.
—
Riftsight wheezed as she pulled herself from her nest, each ragged breath more painful than the last. She made a beeline for the herb stores, moving as fast as she could (which was not very, the molly practically dragged herself along). It was strange- her body seemed to know where she was, instinct guiding her paws, but Riftsight herself had no idea. Her mind was still clouded and hazy, like a stubborn fog that not even sunlight could permeate. It didn’t seem to affect her medicinal knowledge, though- while she couldn’t recall their names, she knew exactly which herbs she needed and was quick to pull them down from the rocky ledge they were stored upon.
“Riftsight?” A fluffy, white molly rushed over, blue eyes wide with both joy and worry. “You’re awake! You- Riftsight, leave the herbs alone. Let me get them for you.”
Riftsight flinched away as the other she-cat reached out. She was so familiar, and yet trying to remember who she was was so hard. It felt like she was pawing through the muck in the shallows of the river. She could feel things- smooth stones, scurrying crawdads, waterlogged twigs and slimy blades of seagrass- but she couldn’t see them. She had no idea what they actually were or looked like, instead she was only aware of the space they took up and the way they felt. When she looked up at the taller white she-cat, Riftsight felt safe, but also almost indignant. That was all she knew.
“I have to go.” She murmured, clumsily pushing past the other cat. Each step was painful, her paws never landing quite where she wanted them to. As uncoordinated as she was, though, Riftsight managed to push her way out into the open portion of the cavern. So familiar, yet she just couldn’t place why. The other she-cat followed, expression now only one of concern. Stopping at the base of the High Tree, Riftsight looked up through the chasm in the cave ceiling. Riftsight’s expression intensified, the other white she-cat stopping by her side as she stared up at the darkened sky.
Where the sun should have been only a gaping black hole remained, red light spilling out around it. It was eerie, unlike anything Riftsight had ever seen before. Instinctually, she backed away, fur standing on end. The other she-cat was also staring up at the sky, sharing Riftsight’s serious expression, though she seemed almost fearful, too. As if some realization had struck, she turned and sprinted from camp, calling out some name Riftsight felt like she ought to know, Bluejay.
So fixated on the sky, Riftsight hardly noticed when she crumpled to the ground, too weak to stand any longer. The sky had her bewitched. It whispered to her, faint echoes that sounded so otherworldly they couldn’t possibly have come from anywhere but the mouth of the void.
And yet, somehow, it sounded familiar.
But why?
“Riftsight!”
A paw jut into the side of Riftsight’s belly as some cat stepped over her, blocking her view of the sky and tearing her from her trance. The golden ring in the sky was burnt into Riftsight’s vision, obscuring the cat’s features. Not that it mattered much, Riftsight wouldn’t have been able to recognize them anyway. A few blinks and the image began to dissipate; now, Riftsight could see another pair of cats behind the first. Some young, scruffy tawny tom stood, his brown eyes wide, with a battered calico laid across his back.
Riftsight leapt into action, instinctively pulling the wounded tom off of the other’s back. She pressed her dainty, white paws against her patient’s slit throat, not that it did much. He gurgled and gasped- if Riftsight had thought she was in pain before, whatever this tom was going through was on a whole new level. And yet, he reached out, cupping Riftsight’s face in one of his trembling paws. Suddenly, she became aware of how wet her face felt. Was she crying? Why? She never cried, especially not because of a patient.
“Rift- sight-” He choked out, each syllable causing more blood to bubble out from underneath Riftsight’s paws. They were stained red now. “I’m so-”
He broke off into a terrible cough, spewing blood across the cave floor. It took a few agonizing gasps for the tom to regain his wind. The cat that had pulled Riftsight to her paws reappeared, a bundle of cobwebs latched tightly between her dark maw.
“Sorry.” He rasped, paw slipping away from Riftsight’s face as he grew too weak to hold it there any longer.
“I love you. Alicepelt loves you.” Riftsight spoke the first words that came to mind, now unsure of who this ‘Alicepelt’ even was. Why she said it didn’t matter, though, not to Riftsight. What mattered was that it seemed to comfort the tom. His bloodied lips twitched up into a half-smile, while his eyes, one yellow, one green, grew dull. The blood gushing from his wound finally slowed to a halt, no breath fighting its way through the tom’s windpipe anymore.
“He’s dead.” Riftsight muttered, partially to herself and partially to the molly with the cobwebs, shaking her head softly. The motion, as gentle as it was, made the world around Riftsight spin. The white molly teetered back, unable to catch her balance, as she fell to the cave floor once more.