Lost Creek Hollow See how breeze and grass do play

The sun was high in the sky as the dark wolf moved into the shadows and set a swift pace for the healing dens.

The boy who had arrived wounded and pleading for death had not warmed much to the company that was offered. No one could blame him for being angry. No one in Riverclan would. Crowfeather still felt his chest tighten and his breathing race when the sharp eyes of Atreus met his face. He was too young to have suffered the way he did. The shadow pleaded with the stars that he might be able to help.

Doedapple's healing den was just ahead. He slowed his pace and chuffed a greeting from outside the den where he believed @Aquillius might still rest.

Aquillius? A-Are you still here?

Fear gripped his belly in a tight hand. What if the young wolf had left without a word?

He was chasing the witch.

Across the wide expanses of a flat mountain top. His legs churned, kicking rocks and dirt into the air behind him. The witch evaded his every grab, slithering through his teeth, the touch of her black shadow against the roof of his mouth making him gag.

But the end was in sight, the edge of the plateau, and the witch was racing right towards it. Aquillius put on speed, his nostrils flaring, his ears pinning-.

She veered. He put on the breaks, until he managed to stop mere centimeters from the edge. Of course, that was never going to be the end of it.

He was hit again. This time, the demon’s high cackle rang in the air, and the ground vanished beneath his toes. Aquillius was in free fall. The boy managed to kick himself over into a turn, staring up at the two, their heads held together.

Then, the great eagle tore through them, claws outstretched for him.

And he shot up with a strangled noise. 

He felt shaky, like he had been running in the waking world too. Aquillius swallowed, staring sightlessly at the wall in front of him as he slithered back down into his nest of pelts. Since coming to Riverclan, he had been in a single session with the therapist Doedapple had recommended. The man had seemed mild mannered, like Doedapple herself, and Aquillius had done his best to pay attention to what he said, but he couldn’t help his wandering mind. So, when there were no eyes on him, he would sometimes range, leave the borders and find prey to fill the caches.

When the gentle voice of the dark man, the one Doedapple identified to him later as Crowfeather, spoke from the front of the den, the shadow of a boy came slinking into view of the light, poking his head out to observe the man.

I am here. He blinked a few times, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes and the remnants of the demon and the spider from his mind.

Am I needed?

The young wolf appeared in a semi-groggy state. Crowfeather's ears flipped back apologetically. He had not intended to disturb the boy's rest. It was important that he was able to find a sense of peace while he was within the borders of Riverclan.

Aquillius asked if he was needed. The tripod felt his cheeks burn hot, embarrassed. There was a lump in the back of his throat that he feared he could not swallow. Germanicus' son seemed just as duty-bound as his father. The similarities sat like curdled milk in Crowfeather's belly.

Please, no… there is no work you must do in Riverclan. This is- You are meant to rest here.

The dark figure was flustered.

Have you been having dreams? he asked quietly.

Aquillius slipped out of the den fully after a time, shaking out his thick coat and releasing a soft sigh at the feeling of sunlight on his thin-boned frame.

The boy’s single eye watched the dark leader with an expression like stone, one of his ears flicking as a fly buzzed by it. Internally, he felt a mess, a barely formed together creature of wires and knots. He was adrift, lacking the purpose he strived for all his life. But he did not let the emotion appear on his face, couldn’t.

The mention of dreams, however, cracked the stone. His eyes minutely widened, mouth dropping open for a second, before he looked away, swallowing around a click in his throat.

Yes. Lying would do no good, if he had already been caught.

How did you know? Was he so obvious in his struggle with the demon and the spider in his mind?

The dark stone cracked and his features gave way to his surprise.

Aquillius was honest with his answer. He did not deny Crowfeather's suspicion. The confirmation twisted the dark star's heart. When the question left the boy's lips, the shadow did not know how to answer. He did not know how to best explain that he understood some part of what the boy had suffered. Sadness licked at him like fire. He felt the scorching of it at the back of his throat.

Crowfeather would not allow himself to cry. He needed to remain focused. He needed to use his knowledge to help Aquillius. There would be time to shed his tears in the quiet of the hollow, where no one would find him.

Come with me, he said in a quiet voice. The dark figure nudged the boy's shoulder and made for the trees.

The dark man did not answer.

Aquillius waited for the answer with his breath bated, but it did not come. Instead, Crowfeather told him to follow, and with nary a word, he fell into step behind Crowfeather.

But he was just a boy, and one that was sometimes curious behind the militant mentality. He lasted five minutes before opening his mouth.

Where are we headed? He flinched at the sound of his own voice, but held strong.

They didn't make it far before the young wolf asked where they were going. Crowfeather wasn't certain how he might describe their destination, either. It would sound mad if he described the cave of stars and the herbs that would give them access to the heavens. Aquillius would think that he had lost his mind if he stammered through an explanation of their sacred place.

Furthermore, Aquillius was not supposed to go to the cave of stars. It was a place that was meant for only the clan. Crowfeather could feel his guilt pinching at his chest, reminding him that he was breaking the rules of Starclan.

We are going to a cave. I will be able to tell you more, when- when we get there, Crowfeather attempted to assure the boy.

He didn’t explain, and Aquillius’s skepticism was present in the backwards swing of his ears. But, he was not a man of intense paranoia (he was, he was intensely bad at hiding it) so he followed without complaint.

As they walked, he payed more attention to their surroundings than anything. Picking out landmarks, places of seeming importance, the branches were small birds gathered. Riverclan’s lands seemed to teem with life, from every angle, and he felt abruptly out of place here, in a place so peaceful.

He did not let the conflict touch his face. Couldn’t.

Whether his answer was adequate or not, Aquillius did not push for more explanation. He followed quietly behind Crowfeather. The duo passed through the hollow at a steady pace. The trees cast a natural shade on the ground. In some places, the boughs would part to reveal a spotlight that illuminated the earth in sunlit orange.

The dark star found the water that would lead them to the cave of stars. At the mouth of the cave, Crowfeather glanced toward the boy. He could not help but to see Germanicus in his stare. It made his stomach flutter, his heart pound.

How could Ruenna have left her family?

I come from a place that is far from these lands. It is a place where the water and the stars touch. Our clan found a way to- to speak with them. Crowfeather's eyes shifted toward Aquillius' paws. The stars. He did not want to see the flicker of disbelief that would mark the boy's features.

This cave will let us speak to them. The stars- They will show you things.

It was difficult to explain this process to an outsider. Crowfeather could feel his stomach clench in nervousness and doubt. Aquillius was not part of the clan. The stars might deny him any contact, any help. It wasn't acceptable to have an outsider walking among the stars.

But he was Germanicus' son.

I will not see the things you see. The visions that they reveal… they are only for you.

And they are not always pleasant.

Are you ready?

Aquillius was, of course, doubtful of the black toned man, the expression sliding further into skepticism the more Crowfeather talked.

He’s just as off as I am. Came the uncharitable thought that he quickly killed before it could root in his skull. Everyone was entitled to their beliefs, he supposed. Such as his own fledgeling views upon Mars, whoever he was supposed to be. Germanicus hadn’t been the most forward about it, from what he could recall, but..he knew.

The eagleson would trace back his lineage later and try to find in it a spark of divinity that did not exist.

Crowfeather spoke of the stars speaking to him, telling him of visions, and Aqui did not let the emotion cross his face. Visions from the stars? He didn’t know what to think of that. Aquillius didn’t really know what to think of any of this, truth be told.

After a time spent staring silently into the dark, peevish and twitching, he found Crowfeather’s own eyes in the dark, and gave a sharp nod, once.

How do we begin?

The boy did not need to speak his skepticism for Crowfeather to feel it. Aquillius might have held fast to his disbelief but he seemed willing enough to proceed.

There are herbs inside. We will eat them and our eyes will grow heavy.

When sleep washed over them, they would dream with the stars. The dark figure did not know what he would see for himself. It had been a long time since he had last participated in the ritual. Crowfeather could feel worry gnawing at him. What if the stars did not reach them? What if he had upset them by bringing a stranger into their sacred place?

Here, the tripod gestured to his herbal stash. The dark of the cave had enveloped them in its grip. Further in, Aquillius would see the room of stars - the place where the gemstones in the walls glimmered like the heavens above.