PROLOGUE - MOON 0
(ABANDONED STATION)
"Hello, Prance. Are you here to tell us of your dreams again?"
The old railroad station had been decommissioned for ages now, and had served as a home for the wanderers who had settled here. Plenty of prey, plenty of places to hide and sleep. Safe from the rains, as opposed to the fields just south of them, or the mysterious forests to the north. Indeed, the Station had just weathered another harsh winter, keeping all cats living within safe and warm…
In the darkness of an abandoned office, sat three cats. The eldest was a cream and orange tom, bronze eyes cold and calculating… he was laying across a rotting couch, licking his paws and grooming himself.
His companion, a long furred white tom with gray patches along his back, was sat up at the foot of the couch, heather blue eyes twinkling in the low light… he had been waiting for his favorite little underling to come back to him, to tell him about his special little dreams…
And said underling was the brown, speckled tom that sat before him.
Prance had been having strange dreams, and as some of the wisest cats at the Station, Lavender and Snapdragon had been the first cats he had told.
"Yes…I… I think the dreams are gonna come to an end soon."
Prance sat down on a mat by the couch, ears flattened slightly in worry.
He had started having dreams of a forest. Of a strange cat who called themselves Oakfire. Of how there was apparently real estate in the forest to the north of here, for a group of cats to take up the life of a Clan.
At first he dismissed the dreams as…dreams. Obviously they didn't mean anything. And yet, Oakfire found their way back into Prance's dreams, night after night after night.
After three instances of this, he had come to Lavender for help.
And Lavender had helped. So much.
The older Tom had been so kind, so understanding. He had asked Prance to talk about his dreams, what this Oakfire said. And not once did Lavender dismiss his dreams as silly. As mere fantasy. But he had listened. Truly and genuinely listened.
Prance had always been a nervous cat. But he would come by every morning after a dream, telling Lavender about a tidbit of clan life. The code, the way the warriors were named, their lifestyle… and how Oakfire had INSISTED that some few chosen cats should head north and go establish a Clan in a thicket somewhere…
"Well, Prance?" Lavender purred, tail swishing. "What did Oakfire have to say this time?"
"..." Prance shifted his paws, head bowed slightly. He met the older cat's level gaze with a nervous, furrowed brow. "...I…I was told that…"
"Yes?"
"That we… we should leave before it's too late."
"....Elaborate." Lavender did not like the way Prance was dancing around the issue. "Did Oakfire say that specifically?"
"Yes. He… He said that Twolegs-"
"Humans?"
"Yeah, them. They're… they're coming to… to tear the Station down."
The cream and ginger tom would finally sit up and pay attention, after having pointedly ignoring Prance since he came in.
Lavender sat still, ear flicking as he seemed to think… "...Did Oakfire… give us a timeframe? When will it be too late?"
"I…I think he said 'Before Greenleaf ends…we need to be gone.' I…I THINK that means summer? I really don't know, but…" the brown tom would look up to the now pacing Lavender nervously. "What… What are we going to do…?"
"We leave."
"What?!" Snapdragon, the eldest tom, would jump off the couch, bristling. "You can't be serious?!"
"I am QUITE serious." Lavender would reply, eyes flicking to Snapdragon. "Inform your mate, Snapdragon. We shall leave as soon as we can get an appropriate party gathered."
"You don't really believe this stupid kit's mousebrained dreams?!" Snapdragon would snarl, fur bristling as he swept a paw toward the now balking Prance. "You would abandon this safe haven on the off chance that this clan thing is legitimate?!"
"I can and I will, Snapdragon." Lavender did not move an inch, staring down his nose at the older cat. "You are more than welcome to not join us, old friend. But your skills would be sorely needed if we are to survive out there."
"Mouse dung, you're crazier than a half rabid fox…" Snapdragon groaned, rubbing a paw over his muzzle. "...Fine! But Lilia is going to throw a fucking fit. There's no way she'll agree to take the kits out into those godforsaken woods."
"Then steal them." Lavender would say, as if it were the easiest choice in the world. He turned his gaze towards Prance, purring, "Inform the residents that I will be holding a meeting tonight, in the middle of the Station. And advise them all to be there on time."
Prance nodded, ears still flattened from Snapdragon's outburst. "O-Okay… Okay, yeah s-sure!" He turned and immediately ran out of Lavender's den, leaving the two older cats alone.
"...Well." Snapdragon sighed, padding towards the exit. "Might as well get this over with. You better know what you're doing, Lavender. Or else."
"My dear friend, I ALWAYS know what I'm doing." The white and gray tom sat and began to lick and groom his paws. He had to be presentable for the Meeting.
=
Many cats called the Station home. Families, loners, old cats, young cats… so long as no blood was shed, cats were welcomed to live under its rusting beams and rat riddled halls.
Lavender would hop onto a collapsed human structure, something that had formerly held water called a fountain. Cats from everywhere in the main thoroughfare of the Station would be able to hear a speaker from there. And a Speaker could see an attack coming from a mile away.
"Good evening, everyone." He meowed, sitting up straight. The soft mumble and murmur of cat voices slowly died away as he continued. "I am Lavender, as many of you know. And I would normally not call so many of you from your lives but this bears sharing."
A pause.
"I have reason to believe that the Station is in danger."
More mumbling and whispering.
"Now. The Station is old. And it is a Human construct. It cannot last forever. And I have been informed by a reliable source that before summer ends, the Station will be no more!"
The gathered cats would immediately start to yowl and meow in a panic, asking if it was true, if they hadn't seen it coming…
"Yeah, alright, Lavender!"
A gold and yellow long furred she-cat named Mite would approach, hopping up to the ruined fountain's stone railings to sit down. Her tail flicked in irritation, eyes narrowed as she glared at Lavender.
"Mite." Lavender would sneer, tail flicking in annoyance.
"What sources do you have, huh?" She demanded, stomping a paw onto the hard stone… "I ain't seen any humans poking around here as of late! There isn't a single sign that this place is in danger!"
"Ah, none that the likes of you can see." Lavender purred. "You see, I have been having dreams! Visions, yes, of a place north of here. A vast forest, abundant with prey and shelter. A more natural lifestyle, a place free of the fear of rats and the threat of humans! An ancient civilization of cats who came before us! Who lived with honor! Integrity! No longer scraping the bottom of humanity's barrel, but living as our own free cats!"
There was a lull, with many cats staring up at Lavender as he spoke …
"So it's a lie then?" Another laugh, as a tom came forward. This one, named Lake, was a white tom with black and gray Bengal like markings. He hopped up on the railing, purring in amusement. "Unless you had a reason not to tell us this sort of thing sooner?"
"The dreams started at the end of winter, just as the world was beginning to thaw." Lavender replied coolly, ear flicking in annoyance. "I have only recently been made aware of our dire fates. Surely I wouldn't have held this so close to my chest if it hadn't just been made clear!"
"Cut the dung, Lavender. This sounds like a ploy for you to try and curry favor with the masses, another lunge at leadership!"
A tuxedo colored speckled she-cat would hop up onto the railing, bristling.
"Burnet." Lavender snorted. "You and your self righteous talk. This has nothing to do with me!"
"And yet here you are talking about how these dreams came to you, filling your head with fluff about hunting out in the wilderness and risking our necks to the predators out there!" Burnet snapped. "The Station has been our home for moons and moons! It will not fail us for another several dozen moons, I can feel it!"
At this point, the cats started to yowl and argue, talking over one another and causing an unholy racket.
"ENOUGH!" Lavender yowled from atop the fountainhead's ruined surface. "Believe me or don't. I care not. But I was told this place was going to be destroyed by the time summer ended. So I am going to leave. In three days time, you are welcome to join me."
Lavender stormed off the stage, heading back to his den and leaving the gathered cats in a state of confused yowling and meowing.
Burnet, Mite and Lake all looked at one another, with Lake chuckling and taking up the vacant fountainhead. "Everyone, please calm down! I know that Lavender talks these sorts of things up, but I can assure you, there is no need to panic. There is no legitimacy to his claims. But should his dreams come to pass, then I promise you that I will gladly help those present relocate." He sat down, tail curled around him. "While I do not believe him, it would be remiss to completely disregard him as a mad prophet. After all, we cannot fathom the minds of humans, and they may very well be coming to demolish our dear home."
"Lake! What are you doing?!" Burnet hissed from her spot. "You're not helping!"
"Ah ah, let me finish." Lake raised a paw. "That is why, I am willing to assist in scouting out further territories for instances such as this. After all, while the station has always been our home, is there truly anything WRONG with finding back up homes for our kits? I personally would find peace of mind knowing that we knew what was out there, as opposed to being forced out without any direction!"
The cats around him murmured and mumbled, discussing his words.
"Very well. Mite, Burnet, you two are very capable, and I would like to request your assistance in this. Please, by all means, gather what cats you decide are worthy, and take them with you to patrol the areas around the station."
Mite would flick her tail in annoyance but nod. "Fine. Anything to get you to stop talking."
Burnet could only mrrp in amusement as she watched Mite stalk away. "Very well, Lake. Shall we meet up outside the station tomorrow?"
"Mm. Yes, yes. That should do nicely. Everyone! Thank you for your patience and allowing us to speak to you on this. I know the idea of leaving this place is one no cat wants to think about. But as untrustworthy as I think Lavender is, he brings up an excellent point. We must be ready for the worst case scenario. For now, I bid you all good night."
=
"Lavender!"
The mostly white tom would pause, turning back towards the voice. Prance would run up to him, panting.
"Ah, Prance." He would purr, tail flicking playfully. "Did you like that little speech?"
"But…why did you say that the dreams were yours? They're my dreams, Lavender!" He asked, eyes wide as he tried to make sense of the tom's choice. "I…"
"Pfth! Think of it this way, Prance." The older tom paced around the brown tabby. "Who would you believe? A young, impudent tom who barely qualifies as an adult in the eyes of most, or an older, respected member of the colony who only has the colony's best interests at heart? I had to claim the dreams were mine, Prance. YOU couldn't convince geese to fly south for the winter, with how you stutter and stammer. But hey, since you're still needed, I'll make you a deal." Lavender rubbed up against the younger tom, tail swiping under his nose. "In this new mess of a group, you can be my second in command. How's that sound? You can tell me all those cute little dreams, and I'll allow you some say in the way things are run."
"I…" Prance faltered, ears folded back. He was right. Lavender had a much better reputation than he did, as he was just barely out of kithood to most of the cats who lived in the Station. "..." He sighed, turning away. "...Fine. But only because I don't want you leading all these cats out into the wild to die."
"Your misguided morals and overestimation of your abilities are just adorable. Whatever the case is, be sure to get your affairs in order. We leave in three days time."