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Description
Weeks went by after Honeyspots and Silverfin decided to stay with the rogue who later introduced himself as Rhodes. No one received anymore dreams. At first they were all uncomfortable around each other, but day after day, they gradually grew more comfortable. Rhodes seemed to adjust to the clan cats with ease, but they were more cautious around him, especially since their first meeting was a battle.

“I’m going to take him with me when I go to the Moon Cave next week,” Honeyspots announced one morning over a meal when Rhodes wasn’t around. Silverfin looked across at her, his gaze silently begging for more information. “I think he was right… I think he’s what we were looking for.”

“Why?”

“I think if he wasn’t, StarClan would have sent me a dream telling me to keep looking.”

“Bummer. I was really hoping it was my turn to get a creepy dream,” Silverfin joked.

“You’re not important enough,” she teased in response. He feigned a scoff as if to say his feelings were hurt, but after that, the two fell quiet and returned to their meal. Joking wasn’t really their style, and on the rare occasion that they did joke, it was always in private when not much else was going on.

“Hey, you’re awake!” Rhodes called in a cheerful way that made Silverfin shift uncomfortably. The clan cats turned their heads in time to see the gray tom finish climbing out of the tunnel that served as the main entrance and exit to the island. The island, they all had decided, was once some clan’s camp; it had all the signs: six dens, a large clearing, an obvious spot to make announcements.

“Where have you been?” Honeyspots asked, looking up briefly from her mostly finished mouse.

“I don’t know. Around. In the tunnels. Found a new exit.” Rhodes shrugged as he padded over to his new companions. He sat next to Honeyspots, licked a paw, and then swiped it over his ear. As he did so, he pulled a wad of cobwebs off that stuck to his claws when he tried to shake it away. The shaking made Silverfin and Honeyspots look at him.

“What are you doing?” Honeyspots asked, a scowl on her face. She knew what he was doing. It was something he did daily, sometimes more than once. He pulled the cobwebs off, and reopened the nick in his ear. Silverfin squinted and the other tom, his green eyes drawn to his ear, where blood was already beginning to slide down the side of his ear. Rhodes scowled back at the she-cat, and stood. He started toward the underground den that Honeyspots claimed as hers, and Honeyspots followed close behind.

Rhodes sat and watched as the torbie went around and picked up different herbs that she had gone out and collected, and chewed them. When she was done, she came over to him, and spat the mess onto her paw.

“This is going to dry, and it’s going to itch, but you have to stop messing with it,” she told him as she smeared it on his ear. Rhodes said nothing, but flicked his ear as some of it dripped down his face. He waited for her to turn around, and lifted his back leg to scratch it. “Stop that,” she said, not bothering to turn around. He huffed and settled again, and sat stiffly as she stuck more cobwebs over the poultice. “Please try to leave it alone for two days,” she sighed when she stepped back. “It’ll be fine by then, and then I can take it off without opening the wound again.”

“I’ll try,” Rhodes mumbled, rolling his eyes, and flicking his ear again. Without another word, he stood and walked out of the den. Honeyspots stood where she was, and watched as the tom left.

---

The next week passed in relatively the same way, except Rhodes finally managed to leave his ear alone for two days. When the second day came to an end, Honeyspots dampened the cobwebs with wet moss and pulled it away gently to reveal, in her opinion, a nice-looking scab. The day before the new moon was hectic.

“Daisy, sorrel…” Honeyspot mumbled, trying to pick out the traveling herbs she needed. She thought she had already found all of her herbs, but now half of them were missing. She huffed and turned on her heels. She walked briskly out of her den to the exit, only to be stopped by Silverfin as she climbed out the other side.

“Where’re you going?” He asked, standing from where he had been sitting guard. “Let me come with,” he said, not giving her a chance to answer.

“No no. I have to go find more herbs. I need you to stay and convince him to come with me,” she shook her head, and tried to keep walking.

“If he wouldn’t listen to you, he’s not going to listen to me,” Silverfin argued weakly as he sat back down.

“Please,” Honeyspots mewed, turning her head his way.

Silverfin only nodded in response, and watched her carefully as she kept walking. He watched her disappear into the forest, and then when she was gone, he turned his gaze to a small brown bird that was pecking at the ground several tail lengths in front of him. The bird picked up and dropped pieces of grass for several minutes until it found one it was satisfied with, and then flew off. Silverfin sighed and picked himself up, and ducked into the tunnel next to him.

“Rhodes?” He called out as he climbed out the other side and looked around.

“Up here,” Rhodes called from a tree. He was laid out on a branch with his tail hanging down.

Silverfin sighed and clawed his way up the tree. He sat a polite distance from the rogue and wrapped his tail around his paws. “You have to go with her tonight,” he whispered.

“I already told her no. I don’t believe in your gods in the stars.”

“They’re not gods, they’re our ancestors, and this is important.”

“Okay, fine. Ancestors. But why should I? My ancestors aren’t there.”

“You should go,” Silverfin started, speaking through his teeth, “because of your dream.”

“What about it? It’s over. I left the city and found this place. I’m good.”
Silverfin took in a sharp breath. “Okay, fine. Don’t go because of the dream. Go to protect her. Or as a favor to me or her. Whatever suits you. I don’t care, but you need to go,” he snapped.

“Okay, whatever,” Rhodes rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” Silverfin snapped again. He stood, bunched his muscles, and leaped to the ground. Rhodes watched the tom disinterestedly, and then closed his eyes.

---

Honeyspots returned to the island before the sun set, but just barely. She came back carrying a mouthful of herbs, which she immediately took to her den. After several moments, she emerged, and padded to the small pile of prey in the clearing. She selected a mouse, and sat down to eat. She ate fast, and was surprised and relieved when Rhodes sat beside her with a small, half-eaten bird.

“You changed your mind?” She asked, blinking at him.

“Yeah,” he grumbled through a mouthful of bird.

Honeyspots nodded and returned to her meal. When she finished, Rhodes took the remains of her mouse and his bird to bury them, and she returned to her den. She emerged again, this time with two bundles of herbs in her jaws. She met Rhodes by the camp exit, and dropped the bundles at his paws.

“Carry these, and follow me,” she mewed sternly. Surprised by her tone, the gray tom picked the bundles up without a second thought, and followed her into the tunnel.
He followed her out of the tunnel, through the forest, past the edges of where he had explored. He followed her up the side of the cliff, and into the Moon Cave, and then when she laid down next to a pool of clear, dark water, he dropped the herbs at his paws.

“Sleep,” she instructed. She scooted forward a bit until her paws dipped into the water. Rhodes only shook his head in response, and then looked around the cavern when Honeyspots didn’t argue. There were sleeping cats all around, some of them touching the water in some way, and others not. He stayed awake as long as he could, but after what seemed like forever, his eyes began to droop. Reluctantly, despite his exhaustion, he laid down next to Honeyspots, and fell asleep.

---

“Told you he’d come,” a voice whispered behind him. Rhodes whipped around, startled. Was this a dream? Where was he? Why did it feel so… real?

“Where…?” He asked when his gaze landed on Honeyspots in a crowd of other cats.

“This is StarClan,” she answered. “This is where our ancestors live.”

“Rhodes, we saw you in the city, and we chose you to start a new clan with Honeyspots and Silverfin.” Another cat mewed as it stepped forward. “You will be the leader.”

“What… does that mean?” Rhodes asked.

“You will be given eight more lives,” here Rhodes glanced around and counted the cats. Ten, including him and Honeyspots. “And a new name.” He scowled. He liked his name just fine. The StarClan cat appeared to take in a sharp breath. “It’s really just a formality,” they mewed shortly. “You can go by any name you want.” Rhodes relaxed a little, but stayed frozen where he was.

“If you’re ready, we’ll begin.” Another cat mewed, their green gaze powerful and overwhelming.

“I guess,” Rhodes barely managed to choke the words out, feeling like there wasn't much choice, and the second StarClan cat nodded and stepped forward.

“Rhodes, you have been chosen to be the leader of this new clan. With the power of StarClan, and in the name of Sher, in the name of Tendue, in the name of Baagh, we grant you the name Fernstar and nine lives to serve and protect your new clan.” As the cat finished talking, they touched their nose to Rhodes’s, and he froze completely, unable to move even if he wanted. Energy washed over him, making it hard to breathe, and then it was over. And then, one by one the other StarClan cats walked over to him to touch noses. After each one, a wave of energy flooded his senses, and then the StarClan cat disappeared.

---

Rhodes woke up panting, and looked around frantically. He was in the cavern with all the other cats, just like he remembered. Other cats around him were beginning to stir, others were leaving, and the rest were still sleeping. Beside him, Honeyspots lifted her head.

“You okay?” She whispered.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“What do you want to be called?” She asked, her expression tense.

“Uhm,” he hesitated, “I think I’d like to try Fernstar.”

“Well, Fernstar. Eat these.” She shoved a bundle of herbs toward the tom. “We have to go back now, and we can’t eat until we get back to our own territory.”

Fernstar nodded and obediently ate the herbs. When they both had finished, they stood and left the cave. They walked in silence back to the island, but this time, they walked side by side.

Description
Weeks went by after Honeyspots and Silverfin decided to stay with the rogue who later introduced himself as Rhodes. No one received anymore dreams. At first they were all uncomfortable around each other, but day after day, they gradually grew more comfortable. Rhodes seemed to adjust to the clan cats with ease, but they were more cautious around him, especially since their first meeting was a battle.

“I’m going to take him with me when I go to the Moon Cave next week,” Honeyspots announced one morning over a meal when Rhodes wasn’t around. Silverfin looked across at her, his gaze silently begging for more information. “I think he was right… I think he’s what we were looking for.”

“Why?”

“I think if he wasn’t, StarClan would have sent me a dream telling me to keep looking.”

“Bummer. I was really hoping it was my turn to get a creepy dream,” Silverfin joked.

“You’re not important enough,” she teased in response. He feigned a scoff as if to say his feelings were hurt, but after that, the two fell quiet and returned to their meal. Joking wasn’t really their style, and on the rare occasion that they did joke, it was always in private when not much else was going on.

“Hey, you’re awake!” Rhodes called in a cheerful way that made Silverfin shift uncomfortably. The clan cats turned their heads in time to see the gray tom finish climbing out of the tunnel that served as the main entrance and exit to the island. The island, they all had decided, was once some clan’s camp; it had all the signs: six dens, a large clearing, an obvious spot to make announcements.

“Where have you been?” Honeyspots asked, looking up briefly from her mostly finished mouse.

“I don’t know. Around. In the tunnels. Found a new exit.” Rhodes shrugged as he padded over to his new companions. He sat next to Honeyspots, licked a paw, and then swiped it over his ear. As he did so, he pulled a wad of cobwebs off that stuck to his claws when he tried to shake it away. The shaking made Silverfin and Honeyspots look at him.

“What are you doing?” Honeyspots asked, a scowl on her face. She knew what he was doing. It was something he did daily, sometimes more than once. He pulled the cobwebs off, and reopened the nick in his ear. Silverfin squinted and the other tom, his green eyes drawn to his ear, where blood was already beginning to slide down the side of his ear. Rhodes scowled back at the she-cat, and stood. He started toward the underground den that Honeyspots claimed as hers, and Honeyspots followed close behind.

Rhodes sat and watched as the torbie went around and picked up different herbs that she had gone out and collected, and chewed them. When she was done, she came over to him, and spat the mess onto her paw.

“This is going to dry, and it’s going to itch, but you have to stop messing with it,” she told him as she smeared it on his ear. Rhodes said nothing, but flicked his ear as some of it dripped down his face. He waited for her to turn around, and lifted his back leg to scratch it. “Stop that,” she said, not bothering to turn around. He huffed and settled again, and sat stiffly as she stuck more cobwebs over the poultice. “Please try to leave it alone for two days,” she sighed when she stepped back. “It’ll be fine by then, and then I can take it off without opening the wound again.”

“I’ll try,” Rhodes mumbled, rolling his eyes, and flicking his ear again. Without another word, he stood and walked out of the den. Honeyspots stood where she was, and watched as the tom left.

---

The next week passed in relatively the same way, except Rhodes finally managed to leave his ear alone for two days. When the second day came to an end, Honeyspots dampened the cobwebs with wet moss and pulled it away gently to reveal, in her opinion, a nice-looking scab. The day before the new moon was hectic.

“Daisy, sorrel…” Honeyspot mumbled, trying to pick out the traveling herbs she needed. She thought she had already found all of her herbs, but now half of them were missing. She huffed and turned on her heels. She walked briskly out of her den to the exit, only to be stopped by Silverfin as she climbed out the other side.

“Where’re you going?” He asked, standing from where he had been sitting guard. “Let me come with,” he said, not giving her a chance to answer.

“No no. I have to go find more herbs. I need you to stay and convince him to come with me,” she shook her head, and tried to keep walking.

“If he wouldn’t listen to you, he’s not going to listen to me,” Silverfin argued weakly as he sat back down.

“Please,” Honeyspots mewed, turning her head his way.

Silverfin only nodded in response, and watched her carefully as she kept walking. He watched her disappear into the forest, and then when she was gone, he turned his gaze to a small brown bird that was pecking at the ground several tail lengths in front of him. The bird picked up and dropped pieces of grass for several minutes until it found one it was satisfied with, and then flew off. Silverfin sighed and picked himself up, and ducked into the tunnel next to him.

“Rhodes?” He called out as he climbed out the other side and looked around.

“Up here,” Rhodes called from a tree. He was laid out on a branch with his tail hanging down.

Silverfin sighed and clawed his way up the tree. He sat a polite distance from the rogue and wrapped his tail around his paws. “You have to go with her tonight,” he whispered.

“I already told her no. I don’t believe in your gods in the stars.”

“They’re not gods, they’re our ancestors, and this is important.”

“Okay, fine. Ancestors. But why should I? My ancestors aren’t there.”

“You should go,” Silverfin started, speaking through his teeth, “because of your dream.”

“What about it? It’s over. I left the city and found this place. I’m good.”
Silverfin took in a sharp breath. “Okay, fine. Don’t go because of the dream. Go to protect her. Or as a favor to me or her. Whatever suits you. I don’t care, but you need to go,” he snapped.

“Okay, whatever,” Rhodes rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” Silverfin snapped again. He stood, bunched his muscles, and leaped to the ground. Rhodes watched the tom disinterestedly, and then closed his eyes.

---

Honeyspots returned to the island before the sun set, but just barely. She came back carrying a mouthful of herbs, which she immediately took to her den. After several moments, she emerged, and padded to the small pile of prey in the clearing. She selected a mouse, and sat down to eat. She ate fast, and was surprised and relieved when Rhodes sat beside her with a small, half-eaten bird.

“You changed your mind?” She asked, blinking at him.

“Yeah,” he grumbled through a mouthful of bird.

Honeyspots nodded and returned to her meal. When she finished, Rhodes took the remains of her mouse and his bird to bury them, and she returned to her den. She emerged again, this time with two bundles of herbs in her jaws. She met Rhodes by the camp exit, and dropped the bundles at his paws.

“Carry these, and follow me,” she mewed sternly. Surprised by her tone, the gray tom picked the bundles up without a second thought, and followed her into the tunnel.
He followed her out of the tunnel, through the forest, past the edges of where he had explored. He followed her up the side of the cliff, and into the Moon Cave, and then when she laid down next to a pool of clear, dark water, he dropped the herbs at his paws.

“Sleep,” she instructed. She scooted forward a bit until her paws dipped into the water. Rhodes only shook his head in response, and then looked around the cavern when Honeyspots didn’t argue. There were sleeping cats all around, some of them touching the water in some way, and others not. He stayed awake as long as he could, but after what seemed like forever, his eyes began to droop. Reluctantly, despite his exhaustion, he laid down next to Honeyspots, and fell asleep.

---

“Told you he’d come,” a voice whispered behind him. Rhodes whipped around, startled. Was this a dream? Where was he? Why did it feel so… real?

“Where…?” He asked when his gaze landed on Honeyspots in a crowd of other cats.

“This is StarClan,” she answered. “This is where our ancestors live.”

“Rhodes, we saw you in the city, and we chose you to start a new clan with Honeyspots and Silverfin.” Another cat mewed as it stepped forward. “You will be the leader.”

“What… does that mean?” Rhodes asked.

“You will be given eight more lives,” here Rhodes glanced around and counted the cats. Ten, including him and Honeyspots. “And a new name.” He scowled. He liked his name just fine. The StarClan cat appeared to take in a sharp breath. “It’s really just a formality,” they mewed shortly. “You can go by any name you want.” Rhodes relaxed a little, but stayed frozen where he was.

“If you’re ready, we’ll begin.” Another cat mewed, their green gaze powerful and overwhelming.

“I guess,” Rhodes barely managed to choke the words out, feeling like there wasn't much choice, and the second StarClan cat nodded and stepped forward.

“Rhodes, you have been chosen to be the leader of this new clan. With the power of StarClan, and in the name of Sher, in the name of Tendue, in the name of Baagh, we grant you the name Fernstar and nine lives to serve and protect your new clan.” As the cat finished talking, they touched their nose to Rhodes’s, and he froze completely, unable to move even if he wanted. Energy washed over him, making it hard to breathe, and then it was over. And then, one by one the other StarClan cats walked over to him to touch noses. After each one, a wave of energy flooded his senses, and then the StarClan cat disappeared.

---

Rhodes woke up panting, and looked around frantically. He was in the cavern with all the other cats, just like he remembered. Other cats around him were beginning to stir, others were leaving, and the rest were still sleeping. Beside him, Honeyspots lifted her head.

“You okay?” She whispered.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“What do you want to be called?” She asked, her expression tense.

“Uhm,” he hesitated, “I think I’d like to try Fernstar.”

“Well, Fernstar. Eat these.” She shoved a bundle of herbs toward the tom. “We have to go back now, and we can’t eat until we get back to our own territory.”

Fernstar nodded and obediently ate the herbs. When they both had finished, they stood and left the cave. They walked in silence back to the island, but this time, they walked side by side.