When she opened her eyes, they were filled with stars.

She felt warm, comforted, as she was lead by her son and parents through the fields of ancestors. Stygiancall had been dead for moons, but it seems Starclan warmed the old tom's heart, Tideshriek...well...mother was always the more stoic of the pair. Algaepaw was upbeat, despite it all, recalling watching over Wildlight and her misadventures as they walked towards the rest of the clan.

When the sky rumbled.

When the ground split.

When a giant wolf's maw rose like an orca breaching the waves.

And dragged her under again.

------

Then, Riverrush was once again surrounded by icy water, the molly swimming to the surface and taking a deep breath. What the FUCK she shouted, spinning in place to get a look at her surroundings. This wasn't the darkforest, it was too bright...right? The elders tales called the Dark Forest black as pitch, this was more like....a whole lot of cloud cover. The warrior swam to shore and pulled herself from the waves, shaking out her pelt as much as she could before looking further up the beach.

This...was not Shoreclan. This was not her home.

Where did that wolf take her?

The trees were white teeth, the branches reaching for the sky even underneath all that snow.

Riverrush has no fucking idea where she is, the annoyance was clear on her face before she resigned herself to her fate. Shit she cursed under her breath, grasping at her magic so she could dry herself off.

.....

Trying, at least.

Her eyes were pinpricks when she realized her powers were gone, something that had been like breathing to her was gone. HEY. BITCH?? She threw her head back to the clouds as she yowled, puffing up as much as she could with her wet fur. That fucking. Shadowy wolf stole her powers! Her blessings! Where the FUCK are you she hissed, turning in place as she shivered from the cold.

Stealing her from her afterlife, just to drop her here to die again.

Bitch ass the warrior growled, before she made her way into the birch woods, eyes peeled for possible shelters from the cold.

Her fur bristled at the shouting, a mother instinct to run towards the suffering and not away. Without thinking, an instinct that ran through her body and pushed her legs forward. Had it been her son, her kit, she’d never think of the danger. Only that he’d be in possible harm.
That always spilled out towards other cats. Soft’Willow wasn’t a muscular cat but she was still tall and fit for her age. She could hold her own against most smaller predators.

Her rushed steps stilled at the sight of the other she-cat. Her breathing relaxed , there was no blood. No instant looking danger.

“Oh sweetheart” she approached, her shoulders sagging some, slouching lower to appear less like a threat. Her body language softening to ensure her intentions weren't mistaken. “You’re going to catch a cold like this” motherly concern bloomed out from each word.

“Let’s get you dried off, are you ok?”

She caught the faint stench of wolves, and something more akin to the bobcats but...different, but it was faint. Old. Moved on, she had to guess, but where the scents were strongest was sure to be a den she could use to get out of this cold.

So focused was Riverrush, that she didn't realize the scent of another cat was approaching until she called out, making the warrior instantly whip around with a warning snarl and the fur on her spine raised as much as it could in the Wet. Her brows furrowed in suspicion as the other molly spoke, the concern from her was evident but could you blame her for not trusting her?

She just got yanked from Starclan, for Shorestar's sake.

I'm fine she responded, though clearly not fine. Where am I? Are you clan or loner? Y'look like Mountainclan but y'er too...skinny as she spoke the fur on her spine went down, but she was still clearly suspicious. If she was in enemy territory, a patrol was bound to catch her soon enough....but she didn't know if the mountain had these kinds of birch. Maybe on the other side she hasn't seen?

Soft’Willow jostled backwards. hurt by the girl’s hostility, but not really surprised. She looked shaken up, soaked from head to toe in the middle of the cold season? Who wouldn’t be.

She took a few steps backwards, swallowing her breath. The words she spat out sounded like nonsense to her. A clan? Mountain clan?
She eyed down at her fur like it was some sort of insult, was it? She knew she was tall for some cats but a mountain?

“I’m Soft’Willow” she introduced, deciding that to have been the best course of starting conversation. “I’m not here to harm you” she replied. Her head ducked, attempting to look smaller.

“I’m alone, besides my son and a few wanderers. You look lost, how can I help you?” Her whiskers twitched, overlooking her with worry. Her gaze was not subtle, scanning over her pelt for injury or anything. Her eyes were a mix of greens and blues, though dulled by her age. It was clear they had been brighter when she was younger, but the greying furs on her muzzle and exhaustion in her gaze showed her age and experience.