WE ARE TEMPESTCLAN. 

☁︎

the skies call for a storm,
the seas were not calm.
as their cries went unheard,
the cats hide in silence.

THEN, a crash sounded.

sleepyback woke up. a flash of grey appeared in front of his vision, and he felt it nudge him frantically. he didn't respond. he couldn't move. all he could feel was agony. he felt too old to live after . . whatever had happened.

"sleepyback!" a sharp jab of claws made him gasp, spitting out a mouthful of saltwater. his vision adjusted, seeing the familiar sight of sproutbadger in front of him. "are you okay?"

"where are we?" the senior tom replied hoarsely, throat parched and dry with thirst. he looked around, trying to remember the events of the previous night.

oh.

the ship. the giant twoleg ship that carried him and his mates. it crashed into boulders near the rocky seashore, leaving the beast broken and split in the center.  sleepyback was on one of the splintered planks of what's left of upper deck, moss already growing on the damp wooden pieces.

"did we crash? where are the twolegs?" the grey tom scanned the crowd of his former clan. there were all were in a bad shape, some injured, some limp and lifeless. 

sproutbadger shook her head, normally bright gaze filled with sorrow. "nobody knows. they probably all drowned," she replied, tail gesturing to the endless blue sea in the background.

sleepyback's heart dropped to his stomach. "i thought they were going to transport us to another land?" the clan — or what remained, had to move from their home due to the great landshake. many cats were lost, both during the rumbling disaster and on the perilous journey to the docklands, where a loner told them a ship would take them away from this area, across the sea and to other new land. but now it seemed that very little of his original clan remained.

sproutbadger gave a sigh. "the storm, remember? it wrecked the ship apart. it's a miracle we lived."

sleepyback shook his head, wordless. "i'll get some sleep," he mewed, suddenly aware of his exhaustion. his old joints were sore from the exertion, and all he wanted to do was pass onto starclan. "we all need to."

curling his soggy tail over his large frame, the tom drifted into his dreams, in hopes his ancestors will take pity on him and end his suffering. 

as sleepyback dreamt that night, he found himself waking up in the starry land of silverpelt. the misty landscape surrounded him, a single starry cat sat within the clearing. 

the starry cat approaches him, although they were unfamiliar, their meeting felt like a reunion with an old friend. "my name is hillmouse. you will meet me tonight, but the cats of your clan will meet me once they passes," they spoke in a soft tone, pressing their nose to sleepyback's forehead. "take this gift, to help you lead with tireless energy."

suddenly, the mist around them began to take shape. eight more starry cats emerge, surrounding sleepyback and hillmouse.

the first cat is familiar. his name is coyotestar, rivuletclan's first leader. he gave sleepyback the life of caution. 

the second cat introduced herself as milkaspen. she gave him the life of youth. then the third, roachkit who died during the journey, gave him the life of strength. 

his niece, dropletkit was next. she hesitantly stepped forward, shyly getting to her hind paws to reach sleepyback's nose. "i give you the life of courage," she mewed in a shaky voice. "you're the bravest cat i've ever known, sleepy."

then came his parents, glowfish and beechdusk. glowfish, his father, padded up to him, then pressed his nose to his kit's. "stay strong, son," his eyes were filled with tears. "i give you the life of mercy. remember to use it wisely, as the strongest trait for a leader to have is that." beechdusk then stepped aside for his mate to speak with her son.

glowfish gently touched her nose with his. "i give you the life of strength," her voice was soothingly raspy, like a tiger's purr. "you are strong, my child. and you must forever remember that."

the next cat was also familiar, a clanmate he tried to save during the great landshake, ashbramble. he gave him the life of powerful will, telling that he must live to ensure his clan's survival. 

the final cat, his apprentice, darkpaw gave him the life of survival, telling him that he will need it for the clan. 

the cats slowly fade as they chant his new name — sleepystar. 

☁︎

WE WILL LIVE TODAY.