Willowbounce's Tale

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

    Waking in the familiar surroundings, Willowbounce had an overwhelming sense of fear that suddenly flooded through her. She pounded through the forest, the dark tabby hard on her tail.
    "YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER WILLOWBOUNCE! I'LL CATCH YOU EVENTUALLY!" Hawkfrost's voice roared behind her. Willowbounce whimpered as she ran. For once she was actually feeling like she did before she snapped. She felt like her old self: the soft she-cat who was too anxious and insecure to stand up for herself. She pushed that thought away. Can't dwell on that now! She thought. The only thing she thought of was getting away from him. His huge pawsteps pounded the disgusting ground behind her, getting louder as he loomed closer. Willowbounce shrieked as the tom leaped on her, slamming her into the ground. The filthy, bloody mud seeped into her fur, making Willowbounce feel disgusting. Hawkfrost held her head to its side, pressed against the ground with his paw. His claws unsheathed, they pierced her skin, making Willowbounce hiss in pain.
    "You never should've left, Willowbounce. You can't escape your past, no matter how hard you try. You will always be one of us." He snarled. His ice blue eyes bore into hers, even though the pigment was only in his pupil. The sclera was black, as a true Dark Forest cat's eyes were.
    "I-I'm not one of..you!-" Willowbounce struggled to speak as Hawkfrost pressed his other paw against her neck, cutting off her airway. No matter how hard Willowbounce tried to thrash under the tom, she couldn't slip free. Suddenly Hawkfrost raised his paw off her neck. She sighed in relief, only to be followed by a screech of horror as Hawkfrost slammed his jaws down into her neck. As the life faded from Willowbounces body, she saw the figure of Direpaw appear from behind a nearby tree. He padded over to her and crouched down in front of her face so he was at eye level.
    "Hope you enjoyed my little game..." He said. Willowbounces vision faded to black nothingness.

    The she-cat jolted awake in her nest. Icefoot, who was laying beside her, remained asleep. She gazed around the warriors' den. Everyone was still sleeping peacefully, some softly snoring. Willowbounce raised a shaky paw to her throat, but relaxed when all she felt was her soft fur. Her breathing was still shaky, but Willowbounce felt her muscles relax. It was just a dream...Thank Starclan...She thought. But this wasn't the first time she had dreamed of being in the Dark Forest when she really wasn't. These dreams had been becoming more and more persistent with each passing night. Well, I've had enough...She thought determinedly.  Willowbounce settled back into a comfortable position. I have every intention of paying a visit to the cat responsible for these dreams...Maybe we'll reach a compromise...She thought with an irritable flick of her ears.

    Waking in the Dark Forest, Willowbounce immediately stood and parted her jaws. She ignored the stench of the filthy ground and rotting plant matter. She was star bent on looking for Direpaw. He knows I'm here for him, so he's not gonna want to show himself. She thought. But sure enough, Willowbounce picked up his scent and bolted in the direction it led. After a few moments of searching, Willowbounce found the tom. His yellow eyes bore into hers like talons.
    "Direpaw, why won't you just leave me alone?" She began. He snorted.
    "I don't break promises Willowbounce. And I made a promise to myself a long time ago. And that promise was to make sure your life was miserable! And don't ask me why, because all those moons ago in the training hollow I told you. It's because I hate you." He snarled, stepping so close to her he almost touched her muzzle. Willowbounce didn't flinch, she merely snarled. The tom paced in a circle, his gaze never breaking from hers.
    "And because you killed me before I could get to you first, that promise still stands." He hissed. Willowbounce flicked her ears, thrashing her tail back and forth. But what's the point!? She shouted inwardly.
    "But what if I were to die before you could kill me?" She proposed. Direpaw's ear flicked up, intrigued. Suddenly, the tom was overcome by tremors, he stared blankly ahead as his body shook where he stood. Willowbounce had seen this before, with Nestleberry. Is he...having a vision..? She thought. The tremors slowed and eventually stopped, his eyes shifting to fix with hers again.
    "Oh, but there will be another. One who is much like you..She will be my next victim. And with you dead and gone you won't be able to do anything as I kill her!" He said with a sadistic smile. Willowbounce blinked. Another who is like me...does he mean of my kin? She thought.
    "What do you mean 'one who is like me', do you mean a descendant of sorts?" She asked, worry for her future kin sprouting inside her. Direpaw mrrowed.
    "I always knew you had some smarts, Willowbounce. It's a shame you are the way you are. Otherwise, we could've been friends.." He said. Willowbounce wrinkled her nose.
    "And what gives you the idea I would ever want to be friends with you?" Willowbounce spat, unsheathing her claws and letting them sink into the ground. Direpaw unsheathed his claws defensively. She saw him tense for a heartbeat.
    "And what gives you the right to haunt me and my kin?!" She growled, lunging at him. Direpaw dashed to the side, dodging her attack.
    "Oh, so you wanna fight me now? Just like old times I suppose!" He said with a sadistic snarl. Direpaw launched himself at Willowbounce, grabbing onto the sides of her head, making her tumble and roll with him. Willowbounce remembered this move. Not this time! She thought. Willowbounce unsheathed her back claws and managed to plant them into the tom's gut. He growled with pain and anger. Willowbounce flung the tom off of her. She noticed that even though he had died as an apprentice, Direpaw had grown. He was as big as her now! She rushed after him as he landed on his paws. He ran at her as well. They leaped at each other in the middle of the clearing. Willowbounce overpowered him and slammed him into the ground. She clawed the tom's cheek. He swung his claws at her chest, making scores that stung Willowbounce painfully. She slashed her claws across his muzzle, distracting him for a couple of heartbeats. The black stain that marked the area Willowbounce had ripped his throat out of taunted her like the tom himself. She longed to sink her teeth into it again, to make him feel the horrible pain he once felt! Willowbounce decided to wait. The tom kicked her off of him and got to his paws quickly. He dashed to the side, moving too quickly for Willowbounce to calculate in the moment. He landed on her back. Willowbounce knew exactly what the tom was going to do. Before he had the chance to bite into the back of her neck, breaking it, Willowbounce pushed off the ground hard with all her strength. She felt Direpaw clinging to her back with his claws. Willowbounce knew she had to land incorrectly to throw him off, so as she came down Willowbounce slammed herself down on her side, effectively throwing the tom. Willowbounce pushed herself to her paws, and though her side felt sore from the harsh impact she had inflicted upon herself, she still stood strong. Direpaw was panting but he wasn't down yet. Willowbounce lashed her tail.
    "Ready to run back to the nursery, Direkit?" She said with a smile, using the exact same taunt he had used with her so many moons ago. Direpaw flashed his fangs and growled loudly. He rushed at her, to which Willowbounce easily slipped to the side and dodged him. He whipped around and ran at Willowbounce. As he approached, Willowbounce raised a paw and readied her claws. She stepped aside as he ran by, her claws hooking into the black stained area of his throat. Willowbounce was surprised when it felt like there was still everything there. Her claws ripped across his throat as he rushed by, coming unhooked once he had passed. He slowed to a trot, his breath turning to coughs as he spat blood. Direpaw still snarled defiantly at her. Willowbounce straightened up, sheathing her claws. Direpaw now stood facing her from halfway at the edge of the clearing. His eyes were locked on her, narrowed in rage.
    "This..isn't..over!-" He growled before a bout of coughing overtook him, spitting out blood. There was blood dripping from his wounds, including the fresh new wound on his throat. Direpaw turned tail and staggered off into the trees, disappearing out of view. Willowbounce waited in silence for a couple of heartbeats. Well, if that didn't finish him then I'll be a flying mouse. She thought, sitting and beginning to wash her paws and claws vigorously. She sat in the silence for a long while, long enough for her adrenaline to wear off and for her wounds to start really stinging. Willowbounce had successfully cleaned her paws and claws and decided she needed to wake up. She curled up on the spot, her chest wounds stinging the most.

    She woke up in her nest, next to Icefoot as expected. Willowbounce glanced down at her chest and noticed her white fur was soaked in blood from her scratches. There were stains of blood in the spot she was laying in as well. She got to her paws quickly, moving around her sleeping clanmates silently. Skirting across the camp quickly, Willowbounce came to the medicine den. The sun was only just beginning to rise, giving her little light. Thankfully, it seemed only Stormberry was awake.
    "Willowbounce? What happened!" He whispered, padding over to her. By now, Willowbounce was very used to making up excuses for her wounds, so used to it that it was becoming second nature.
    "I was having terrible nightmares and I scratched myself up pretty badly..." She said. Stormberry nodded, relief showing in his face. He turned and padded over to the store of herbs. Since all the other medicine cats were sleeping, he would treat her outside. He reappeared from behind the bramble screen a moment later with marigold, cobwebs and dock leaves. Willowbounce sat still as her son cleaned and treated her wounds. Some stung as he treated them, like her chest wounds, but for the most part Willowbounce was oblivious of the stinging. Once he had finished, Willowbounce stood and gave him her thanks.
    "I'm so proud of you Stormberry, I really am.." She said to her son before he turned to go back into the medicine den. He smiled warmly at his mother. Suddenly he dropped his leftover herbs and padded up to her quickly. He threw his head over her shoulder in an embrace. Willowbounce put her head over the shoulder of her son as well. As he backed away, Willowbounce gently touched noses with her kit. Stormberry then picked up his herbs, and padded through the bramble screen into the den. As Willowbounce turned to face the camp, she noticed most of her other clanmates were beginning to wake, emerging from their dens. Willowbounce was feeling very good. As Icefoot came out of the warriors den, she trotted over to him.
    "Good morning, Icefoot! Can I be on the morning patrol?" She asked. He looked surprised by her energy, especially this early. The tom smiled, perking up and shaking the sleep off.
    "Sure thing! Let me set up some other cats to go with you and you'll be all set!" He said. Willowbounce smiled brightly. The deputy trotted over to under the high ledge, avoiding the spot where morning dew was gathering and dripping from the ledge above. Willowbounce followed more slowly with the rest of her clanmates. I think I might be able to go a little easier now, knowing that he's gone...Willowbounce thought.
    "Going on the Deathclan patrol this morning will be Badgergaze, Darkrose, Splashine, Fawnpelt, Goldfur and Snowfoot. You may take your apprentices." Icefoot began. As those cats departed, the remaining ones shifted closer, along with Willowbounce.
    "And going on the hunting patrol the morning will be Smokecreek, Iceclaw, Fierceheart, Barleyfoot and Willowbounce." Icefoot paused, "But stay for a second, I'd like a word with Willowbounce." The she-cats ears perked up and she padded forward, the other cats backing away to give them space.
    "Are you ok this morning? You have wounds and there was blood where you were sleeping." He asked, sounding concerned.
    "I'm ok Icefoot, I was having terrible nightmares last night and I scratched myself up pretty good...So I got up early to go to the medicine den. I'm fine now though!" She said with a kind smile. Icefoot thought for a moment, then spoke.
    "Ok, if you say so. But take it easy out there...those chest wounds look pretty big..." He said, giving her a loving lick before she turned and padded over to her patrol. She waved her tail in goodbye to Icefoot as the patrol began to move out. As Willowbounce turned around and followed her clanmates out, a smile lit up her muzzle. Maybe this won't be so bad...She thought. And while Willowbounce was very much still concerned about her mate and kits, at the moment she was happy as can be. Might as well enjoy it while I can!