What lies beyond {Closed}

A few stray grey clouds dotted the otherwise clear blue sky as Nightstalker neared the clearing where the four great oaks stood. A myriad of scents his her nose and she wrinkled it slightly by pushed onward. Her paws skimmed over the earth as she paused, ears pressed forward as she looked around a break in the undergrowth, her jaws parted but failing to scent any prey. Hissing in frustration she pushed on, growing closer to the clearing and slowly losing herself in thought, no longer thinking about the hunt and following where her paws carried her. Soon she found herself in the center of the clearing below the Great Rock and she stared up at the smooth gray surface. Memories of Gatherings in the past flitted through her mind as she remembered her spat with Silvertooth, the foul-tongued Riverclan she-cat. Of the countless times she had seen her father up on that rock, looking down on the clans, looking down on her. The large tom didn't even need to go to such great heights to look down at her, she thought bitterly. He always seemed to have something about her to gripe about or a failure to point out. Nightstalker heaved a sigh as she sat down, her tail laying limply in the ground as she kept her ember gazed fixed on the stone before her.

What would it be like, if she were to be the next one to stand on that rock? What will it look like when Cloudbreeze ascends and takes her place beside the other leaders? Though the death of her father sent a shiver through her, Nightstalker knew that someday it will be her sister up on that sacred stone, addressing the clans that would gather below. The silver tabby she-cat couldn't help but wonder if she could do just as well as her sister would. She cared deeply for her clan, and looked at everything from an analytical side. She also knew that the biggest thing she inherited from her father other than looks was his infuriating temper, and she had seen what trouble that can get him in. Would she also get in the same situations where her anger would get the best of her? Would she be just as useless as she is now?

"You aren't useless," Sandbreeze's words broke into her thoughts and the silver she-cat gave her head a shake. Why was she remembering his words now? A warm feeling blossomed in her chest and she sighed, slightly wishing she had asked him to accompany her on her hunting trip. Though, it seemed less like a hunting trip and more like a stroll as she hadn't caught anything, too lost in her thoughts. 'Maybe he was wrong...' she thought bitterly as she scolded herself for not staying focused. Besides, she should have taken her apprentice first before she asked the tom. A sigh escaped her as she shook her head and looked back up at the Great Rock. Maybe she was never worth of such an honor after all.

Great StarClan, why had his daughter gone off alone and to Fourtrees of all places? Was she meeting someone? He sure hoped she wasn't...

Having been milling about the camp doing his usually daily tasks, Lightningstar had noticed Nightstalker leave camp on her own. Usually, he wouldn't fret about such things, but seeing as though the strange rogue scents had been increasingly growing with each passing sunrise, he had every right to worry about what might happen to his daughter. It seemed as though she had simply gone out to hunt, which was a relief, but even so, the large tom kept just far enough away to be unseen or heard, until they reach Fourtrees that was. With his curiosity getting the better of him, he knew he should've stayed hidden but just couldn't help himself.

"It's not safe to go out alone, you know," the husky voiced tom mewed, making his way out from the shadows and towards his daughter.