Your cat has died. Now what? What happens? Well, depending on the life your cat lead, there are three places that they are able to go. The Garden of Stars, The Dark Forest, or The Inbetween. This page details who goes where, who decides, and what these places look like.
ART BY: MANGOPAWSS
Your cat wakes up in a starry field, surrounded by dense fog and an endless, starry sky. Before them stands two cats- a beautiful white and silver molly known as Silverpelt, and a large ginger and white tomcat known as Justicemaw. Silverpelt is spoken of rarely, but she is the messenger between the Divines and the dead, as well as the grim reaper of this world. She alone is who brings souls to this starry realm. Alongside her, Justicemaw, the one to bestow judgement upon cats. Blessed with immense empathy and to see within the very souls of cats, it is his decision of whether to send cats to StarClan or The Dark Forest, depending on their sins and their hearts.
Rumor has it that Justicemaw has been absent until as of recent, however, and that it was Silverpelt and Silverpelt alone making his decisions. Without his gift, the wrong cats ended up within the wrong realms.
In rare cases, when a cat's attachment to the earth is too strong, or when Silverpelt is unable to locate their soul, cats end up within the realm known as The Inbetween.
The Garden of Stars is described as a beautiful place, a little slice of heaven carved out by the Divines purely for their creations to rest, hunt, and play under a bright, starry sky among loved ones and family. Cats here feel no pain, no sadness. However, while cats of The Garden have the ability to peer into the happenings of the living world, they themselves are no more wise than they were in life. Any prophecies they tell the living are either made up among themselves, or delivered straight to them from the Divines.
Cats in The Garden themselves have only seen the Divines in recent times, and Geo-soul's appearance is still a mystery. They are said to show themselves in the form of albino animals in the living world unless in times of great need, such as when Flora-soul revealed themselves to Venomstar of VerdureClan during the final battle against Virtueblossom.
ART BY: MANGOPAWSS
ART BY: MANGOPAWSS
The Forest of Forgotten Shadows, also known as The Place of No Stars and The Place Beyond the Veil, is a dark, colorless land designed for the cruel and vicious- unwelcome in the Divine's land. Each cat that resides within The Forest of Forgotten Shadows lives in their own personal hell, a small bubble of isolation. It's a silent world of black and white, confined to one infinitely repeating space that could drive any cat mad. Once upon a time, there was a legend of three spirits who could traverse between these bubbles: Splitmuzzle, Shatteredshriek, and Howlermoon. Since the portal to The Forest of Forgotten Shadows opened, all three of these legendary beasts have been slain, and the rot and darkness that warped the beings within The Forest of Forgotten Shadows has all faded into nothingness. The Clans were unaware of The Forest of Forgotten Shadows' existence until the opening of the portal.
Originally crafted to confine Virtueblossom and Splitmuzzle, The Forest of Forgotten Shadows grew into the Divine's chambers for all cats that commit crimes against life.
A realm between life or death- the land a cat finds themselves within when they reject Death, when they are unable to let go of their desire for life, or when their Soul finds itself trapped, be it in the clutches of a Wraith or in a location that Death cannot find them.
The Inbetween is an empty, sightless expanse. Without any senses to speak of, cats become husks of themselves- no sight, no touch, no taste, no smell, and no hearing. Only them and their thoughts for moons upon moons, unable to do anything or go anywhere. In the event of a Soul falling into grasp of a Wraith, however, these Souls meld in with one another, erasing all sense of identity as every Soul's thoughts and emotions become entangled with one another.
Very rarely, Healers and Leaders may stumble upon cats caught in The Inbetween. These interactions are fleeting, and are the only moments that stuck Souls can communicate with the living. In this state, they appear as abstracted versions of themselves- confusing and reality-distorting, before vanishing like a cloud of smoke. This has lead to rumors of haunted locations and ghosts.
ART BY: BEWILDERBARK