Chapter Text
Chapter Text
》 SCENE 1. SOUP'S HOUSE, DAY, SUMMER.
Salad lays a paper plate with activated charcoal on it on the grass. Across from him, Gourdstar lays one with lily petals on it.
GOURDSTAR
Is that everything?
TAILFUR
Yes.
GOURDSTAR
You're certain you want to do this?
DEADHEART
It's the only way.
LOYALSTAR
We'll be here.
DEADHEART
I know.
Deadheart takes one of the petals in her mouth and chews. Tailfur does the same. Loyalstar and Gourdstar, across from each other, exchange nervous glances. Beside Loyalstar, Salad stares at Deadheart.
Deadheart coughs as her mouth starts foaming. Salad gasps.
GOURDSTAR
(to Salad)
You should go inside. We'll come get you if we need you to retrieve your twolegs.
Salad cringes and runs away. Just before he reaches the cat door, he looks back. Then, he goes inside.
INT SOUP'S HOUSE.
He lands on the other side clumsily and sinks to the floor. With a distressed noise, he puts his paws on his face.
SALAD
A coward, I'm just a coward...
EXT SOUP'S HOUSE.
Deadheart and Tailfur are both unconscious. Gourdstar and Loyalstar hover over them.
LOYALSTAR
Do you think it's working?
Gourdstar give a humph.
GOURDSTAR
There's no way for me to tell. We'll just have to wait.
Deadheart's paws twitch. Her claws scrape against the ground.
LOYALSTAR
She's moving!
GOURDSTAR
That doesn't indicate anything. Tailfur briefed me on the symptoms of this kind of poisoning. It includes tremors and twitching.
LOYALSTAR
Is there anything we can do?
Gourdstar motions toward the charcoal.
GOURDSTAR
We can give that now.
Loyalstar immediately dives toward the charcoal.
INT SOUP'S HOUSE.
Salad watches from the window, distressed.
SALAD
They know what they're doing. It's going to be fine...
He forces himself to leap off of the window.
SALAD
It's going to be fine...
EXT SOUP'S HOUSE.
Loyalstar sticks his nose on the inside of Deadheart's back leg, feeling her pulse. He turns to Gourdstar with wide eyes.
LOYALSTAR
Do it now!
Gourdstar presses his nose against Deadheart's forehead.
INT SOUP'S HOUSE.
Salad is pacing the doorway.
SALAD
(mumbling)
She'll be okay, she'll be okay, she'll be okay...
His mumbling grows in intensity.
SALAD
She'll be okay! She'll be fine! It's fine! It's—
He rushes outside of the house.
EXT SOUP'S HOUSE.
[Note: The body swap was successful. From this point until specificied otherwise, Deadheart uses Tailfur's design and Tailfur uses Deadheart's.]
Salad skids to a stop in front of Deadheart, Loyalstar, Tailfur, and Gourdstar. Deadheart and Tailfur stand, while Loyalstar stares down at an unconscious Gourdstar.
SALAD
(yelling with relief)
She's okay!
Deadheart blinks at him.
Salad pauses, looking at Gourdstar.
SALAD
(hesitantly)
Is he okay?
GOURDSTAR
(muffled)
Yes.
SALAD
(to Tailfur)
So, you...
TAILFUR
Successfully switched bodies? Yeah.
SALAD
Okay...
He hesitates before turning to Deadheart, still reeling from the idea that she's not in her body.
SALAD
Will I see you again?
DEADHEART
Maybe.
She turns away. The other Clan cats hesitate before doing the same.
SALAD
Bye.
Deadheart turns back toward him.
DEADHEART
Bye.
The Clan cats leave. Salad's ears fall as he watches them.
》 SCENE 2. TWOLEGPLACE BORDER. DAY, SUMMER.
Deadheart, Loyalstar, Gourdstar, and Tailfur walk along the side of a road. Loyalstar pauses at a very familiar bench.
DEADHEART
What is it?
LOYALSTAR
We met here.
DEADHEART
You and dad?
LOYALSTAR
(fondly)
It was summer. His fur was the color of the sun. I attacked him for trespassing.
GOURDSTAR
How lovely.
Loyalstar ignores him.
LOYALSTAR
He fought back and won. Then, he told me he'd never fought another cat before! I didn't understand how an unpracticed kittypet could fight so well.
GOURDSTAR
Maybe you were just bad at fighting.
LOYALSTAR
(slightly irritated)
I'm not the best, but it was still impressive. I met up with him here the day he decided to join ShiningClan, too. He let me take his collar off.
GOURDSTAR
Sounds like you were close.
LOYALSTAR
(bordering on anger)
Obviously. I was—am his best friend. Did you even know that before you stole my body?
GOURDSTAR
There are no windows to the living realm in the Dark Forest. They were eliminated after the Spirit War.
TAILFUR
So, you haven't seen any of what's happened since you died?
GOURDSTAR
I've been told things by... visitors. The rest I had to infer.
LOYALSTAR
Visitors? Who would visit you?
Gourdstar glares at Loyalstar before turning away and walking ahead of the group.
DEADHEART
(quietly)
It was probably whoever sent him.
Tailfur and Loyalstar turn toward her.
Deadheart
He said StarClan sent him, so someone must have been speaking to him.
TAILFUR
But who?
Deadheart looks away. The conversation ends and the group is left with their thoughts. They walk toward the setting sun.
》 SCENE 3. STARPOOL. SUMMER, NIGHT.
Gourdstar stops in front of the Starpool. He doesn't look at the water.
GOURDSTAR
We're here.
The rest of the group catches up to him. They exchange awkward glances before settling at the edge of the water. Gourdstar closes his eyes, still not looking in the water.
The group drinks.
A few moments pass.
Tailfur rises from his spot, coughing. Blood leaks from his nose. He grins.
EXT STARCLAN.
[Note: Now that the characters are in StarClan, they should go back to their regular designs. These are their spirits, not their bodies.]
Gourdstar takes a step with Loyalstar and Deadheart behind him. He pauses in front of a puddle and hums.
LOYALSTAR
What is it?
GOURDSTAR
I expected to look... darker.
LOYALSTAR
In what way?
GOURDSTAR
(irritated)
The 'Dark Forest spirit' way, mousebrain. I look like I did when I was alive!
DEADHEART
Does that make you uncomfortable?
Gourdstar's irritation drops immediately.
GOURDSTAR
I'm not alive.
DEADHEART
That's not what I asked.
Gourdstar turns away.
GOURDSTAR
Let's go find Breadheart.
The group walks through StarClan. StarClan cats watch them silently. Loyalstar stares back at one of them after he notices. Deadheart turns toward him and he gives up the stare in favor of catching up with the group.
LOYALSTAR
They're watching us.
GOURDSTAR
That's what they do. Don't look at them.
Gourdstar walks straight into Lambpaw. He makes a frustrated noise.
GOURDSTAR
Why are you—
LOYALSTAR
Lambpaw?
Loyalstar runs to Lambpaw.
LOYALSTAR
It is you! How are you?
Lambpaw tilts his head.
GOURDSTAR
He won't tell you anything. They can't talk anymore.
DEADHEART
Anymore?
GOURDSTAR
They stopped after the Spirit War.
LOYALSTAR
Spirit War?
GOURDSTAR
You're asking now?
Loyalstar glares at him. Gourdstar sighs.
GOURDSTAR
The Spirit War was between StarClan and the Dark Forest. I didn't participate.
Lambpaw taps Loyalstar. Loyalstar turns to him. Then, Lambpaw takes off.
LOYALSTAR
Wait!
Loyalstar runs after Lambpaw. Deadheart glances at Gourdstar before following. Gourdstar flattens his ears before doing the same.
Cut to him finally catching up with the group.
GOURDSTAR
(muttering)
There's no point in this. He won't tell them anything—
He gasps. Lambpaw stands beside Coalstar, with Deadheart and Loyalstar in front of them. Gourdstar closes his eyes and takes a breath before stepping forward.
GOURDSTAR
Coalstar.
Coalstar sways before looking at him.
GOURDSTAR
We aren't here to speak with you.
Coalstar blinks. Then, she stalks forward and unsheathes his claws. Gourdstar assumes a defensive stance.
GOURDSTAR
We need to get to the center.
Coalstar launches himself at Gourdstar.
LOYALSTAR
Hey!
Lambpaw leaps on Loyalstar. Deadheart turns to help him and is suddenly brought to the ground by Blankspots.
Gourdstar attempts to get out of Coalstar's hold, but goes slack with a yelp as Coalstar sinks his claws into Gourdstar's scruff.
LOYALSTAR
Lambpaw, why—?
Lambpaw slashes him across the face.
Deadheart explodes from underneath Blankspots, slashing his face as she lands. Then, she leaps onto Coalstar's back and sinks her claws in. Coalstar whirls to face her and releases Gourdstar in the process.
Gourdstar springs forward and forces Lambpaw off of Loyalstar. The three cats draw closer to each other, panting. In the time they were pinned, Other StarClan cats emerged, surrounding them.
GOURDSTAR
We need to go.
Deadheart runs back toward where they came from, leaping on top of the StarClan cat in front of her, then over. Before the cat can get up, the rest of the group follows.
DEADHEART
Where?
GOURDSTAR
I'll take the lead.
He runs ahead. The group passes the StarClan cats who stared at them earlier. They continue to stare.
Then, they cross the border into the DARK FOREST.
Gourdstar, hunched over, addresses the rest of the group.
GOURDSTAR
Welcome to the Dark Forest.