Warriors: Tainted Paths

Chapter 4

After a long while of staying awake, Wolfpaw finally welcomed her sleepiness to take over. She could feel her eyes blissfully close shut as the only thing she could hear was the rhythm of her slow breathing, knocking her out rather easily soon after.

Her mind was full of imagination during her heavy slumber, but the main one being her dream of being Wolfclan's leader. Within her dream, she looked much older, being far bigger than most of her clanmates when compared to how small she was as an apprentice. Anywhere around her body was some sort of battle scar to show off how strong of a fighter she was, striking any fear to anyone that dared to challenge her.

Her dream felt so surreal, she could even feel the warm rays from the sun hit her scarred body. The sounds from her clanmates were relentlessly chanting her name, her new name.

Wolfstar! Wolfstar! Wolfstar!

That name alone was something she could get used to, especially from her very own clanmates. She felt she was finally a part of the clan, welcomed, loved even from their loud cheering.

Wolfpaw...

Without a warning, the she-cat's ears perked straight up, still in her dream-like body she turned her head to where she heard her name from, only to reveal nothing out of the usual.

That's strange...

Her inner thoughts echoed through her head. Shrugging thinking that it was nothing she went back to embrace more of the cheers from her clan, only to be met with complete darkness and absolute silence.

W-What just happened? Where is everyone, it should be light out right now, right?!

Wolfpaw found herself back into her small unscarred self again, only bringing even more questions to raise in her head. The warm green grass she once stood in now felt wet and cold to the touch. Looking around her area, it was total darkness, no signs of light were anywhere to be seen. It was completely black that she could not even see her own paws even though she could hear each weary step she took, which would cause faded echoes through the endless abyss.

It almost scared her with how quiet and alone she was, she didn't feel like she was in control of her own dream, or self even. The place she was in right now, almost felt, real? Though it was hard to explain within her own dream, in the dream-like position she was currently in, she could just feel it. 

Though it was a little harder for her to explain how she got from her original dream to this blank space of a dream. So how in Starclan's name did she get herself here?

So many questions kept running through her head as she continued walking through the abyss; her echoed pawsteps getting fainter than the last. She kept herself calm a little by breathing a slow rhythmic pattern to help steady herself, but as soon as she could settle herself in, her echoed steps soon came to an abrupt stop, her current steps almost sounded mute as she came to notice this.

Everything was quiet, not even her now heavy breathing could be heard through her ears. She began shifting her eyes to any direction in the abyss, even if all she saw was darkness. She wasn't sure how long ago it started, but Wolfpaw soon began to feel like she was being watched. She wasn't sure how, but she could feel the eyes of whoever was spying on her burn into the back of her head rather ruthlessly. It almost brought her fur to a stand with the fear of not knowing where she was along with the fear of not seeing wherever, or whoever was there.

Okay, Wolfpaw. This just must be some strange little dream you're having right now. I just need to count to three, and I'll be back in my nest, in the den with my friends. Everything will be back to normal...