The afterlife had started to look… different. Bioluminescent orbs had begun to spring to life in the StarClan, in the fraying Outerlands, and even in the Dark Forest. Some were opalescent, some bigger than the others, while some had even sprouted feathers. Some dripped water while others breathed fire, some were blanketed by moss while others had sprouted antlers. === Borealisblade didn’t like this. It meant change. And he didn’t like change. Usually, change meant grief. Like the change in the nonexistent prey pile, or the change of FlurryClan’s territory after its downfall. And grief, meant Ralis needed to rid himself of the emotion by clawing away someone’s life. Although, he couldn’t deny that he was.. curious. The orb pulsed with power when the Dark Forest warrior dropped down in front of it from up a tree, tilting his head, half-lidded eyes narrowed. The orb he had chosen to examine was a bare one, without any of the excess trails or accessories. Of course, Borealis liked fancy. He just didn’t like /excessive/ fancy. His ghost patterns pulsed in time with the bigger orb as he circled it cautiously, examining the tendril which housed it, examining the.. /pictures/ swirling around in its white depths. Flicking his tail, he brushed its tip against the white surface, expecting himself to be bolted backwards, or at least, to feel a little warmth. But instead, what he felt was this. Nothing. Ralis frowned. Was this some kind of trick? But no, his body seemed to know better than himself. His cracks pulsed stronger now, as if urging him to extend a paw and touch the orb’s smooth surface. So he did. Lifting a glowing paw, he pressed his paw pad against the orb. Not expecting his body to convulse, his eyes to roll back. Not expecting everything to go.. Dark. —- Ralis groaned, eyelids fluttering against the glare of the sun. He rolled over, pressing the heels of his paws in his eyes, before freezing. Hang on. The sun? The Dark Forest had no sun. Sitting bolt upright and making his head lurch, Borealisblade scanned the cleaning with frantic, but measured, eyes. The high willow swooped in the wind, mocking him. With a growl, Ralis demanded it to melt back into the shadows he, since apprenticeship, had called his home. And it did. Ralis watched, breath hitching in his throat, as the green trees morphed back into the skeletal crimson ones, claw-like branches obscuring the sky. Looking around the once again shadowed forest, he noticed a wilted tendril beside him, looking like a rose stalk with the flower plucked off. With the /orb/ plucked off. Could it be? Staring at the ground in front of him, he demanded the earth to fissure. With a rumble and a crack, a canyon yawned open in front of him. In time with Borealisblade’s smirk. The canyon closed, replaced by a river. Borealisblade purred. A deep, rumbling purr. Oh, he was gonna have fun with this. ===
Andromeda giggled as she pranced from orb to orb, leaping and twirling in the air. They were just so pretty! They had bloomed like flowers in the Outerlands, dusting the faded green grass in light and sparkles. Andromeda liked the smaller ones best, because they reminded her of kits, and kits were just so adorable! The Outerlands, once a bleak place (though the former kittypet didn’t mind) had transformed into an orb spawning ground. Eventually growing tired, the she-cat flopped down onto her ba ck with a puff, then giggled at the noise she made. She was always so cheerful. The pink markings that had appeared on her pelt when she died suddenly began to flicker, making Ani’s ears twitch as she around rolled on the grass to sit up. Straightening her dislodged monarch wing, she rose to her paws, padding one way, then another, trying to understand what this pull in her stomach wanted of her. Her gut was always right. It had always been. About FlurryClan, about visiting it, about how wildcats weren’t as ‘wild’ as other housecats made them sound. The feeling in her gut intensified the moment the smallest, and cutest, in Ani’s opinion, came into view, blooming from a tendril. Andromeda gasped. Then squealed as she bounced toward it. The orb was so small it was almost swallowed by the tall grass. Flecks of a powder Ani had played in as a kit but couldn’t put her paw on swirled in a dance with iridescent colors inside, making to orb glow. Andromeda’s eyes watered as she marveled at its beauty. Tentatively, careful not to break it, she brushed her paw pad against the smooth space. Rolling around and jumping to her paws, the former kittypet spun in circles, trying to catch a glimpse of her pelt. Which, of course, would’ve been easier if she stayed still. Joy dawned on her face when she saw more of the swirly colors. Got overwritten with awe and confusion when she saw the thick white powder that was clinging to her fur. Wasn’t she supposed to feel cold? Didn’t this come from cold? Sighing, Andromeda thought that maybe these orbs were gifts from the fraying Outerlands before it was gone forever. Ani was going to miss it, but she couldn’t wait to go back to the living world. As a ghost, yes, but there nonetheless. Swishing her iridescent tail, she began to plod down the field, humming. She didn’t know where she was going, but she wanted to explore the Outerlands one last time, with color and snow clinging to her fur before she had to say goodbye.
