Warriors: The Darkest Promise

Prologue

The wind howled mercilessly past the side of the cliff-face, where chunks of snow have fallen but long overdue to melt, providing a slightly clear foothold full of stones and jagged rocks. Cold-driven rain started drizzling from the sky, unleashing its full power onto the mountains, though they found it to be a great relief. Large clouds of grey covered the above, cutting off the sunlight's rays and darkening hue of the stony mountains which was full of a variety but small vegetation.

Apart from the drizzling of the rain, silence remained from the peak to the long trail leading downwards below there and now presenting more sharp-pointed rocks. Then a white-pelted figure was racing across the valley with sharp pants. A she-cat who was so clearly, stiff with very old age. Yet that didn't stop her from pelting downwards, her deep blue eyes outstretched in fear from some unknown danger. A few moments passed. A menacing growl, was followed with a white-furred pelt racing a few fox-lengths behind.

"Come and get me," the elderly she-cat growled, "I would rather die plunging to certain death than by your paws, so come on and try and get me flea-pelt."

The creature predatorily hunting her was about twice her own size. It had similar features, to her face and body but had a thicker pelt naturally designed for overriding the cold.

A growl escaped their bared fangs with blatant intent, to catch, and kill the tinier cat with one swipe of its large paw as it gained on her, no doubt much faster, the huge cat's nose filled with the scent of her pelt, their belly rumbled hungrily, and instantly picked up the pace chasing the strangely smaller feline down the crest of the mountain, there was something, it did not count on though.

Against such a predator, any feline had very few advantages on their side especially since their bigger size made them much more adept, in unbelievable strength and speed.

An old she-cat who even back within her Clan, muscles began to stiffen with age hardening her ability to walk or run properly. Wispclaw was desperately hungry and fatigue easily overcame her, as she struggled to safety.

Her blue though glinted in mischief as if she already thought ahead, They are big and strong, but I am small.

As old as she was, there was still strength running through her as suddenly veered off. Scraggling onto the edge of the cliff-face, there was just enough room for a wily cat to pass through, the chaser on the other hand would likely misstep their paw and tumble down the rock-face. A hole filled with utmost darkness presented itself in her peripheral vision, with every last bit of ailing strength that she had made the feline charge upwards.

Blocking out even the clear anger from her hunter, Wispclaw gritted her inured teeth and leaped towards the scowling darkness. As tense silence and black surrounded her vision, I made it!

A whimper escaped her mouth as she strongly hit a small jagged outlying stone, pain hit her front paw as swiftly as a WindClan rabbit. The pain made the she-cat lose her balance and skid over the stony ground everything around her suddenly blurring terrifyingly. Despite her temporary blindness Wispclaw felt herself on flat ground when she huffed, from the dizzying experience and for the first time opened her eyes. It took a while for her piercing blue eyes, to adjust but squinting she could just make out the walls of the cavern. In a fearful moment, Wispclaw glanced wildly behind her as the thought of her hunter came into mind.

Her white pelt relaxed when she noticed the miniscule size of the faraway entrance, knowing that they would not be able to even squeeze through, and collapsed onto her side. It seemed the odds so far were against Wispclaw's survival, it was a miracle in the name of StarClan, that such an old cat was even still breathing, Perhaps StarClan is trying to keep me alive for a reason.

Surprisingly apart from a small nick on the tip of her tail, there was no injury or wound in plain sight counting out of course fatigue, hunger, and thirst. She survived but at what cost really? If the predator didn't catch her within its paws, then starvation, dehydration, and weakness would take her life in this huge, dark cave that was dug out on the edge of the mountain.

There was no resistance on her part, she lived a good life with her family and Clanmates back in the forest with the four rival Clans but now it was time for her to move on to the starry hunting grounds of StarClan amidst Silverpelt.

Withdrawing a discontented sigh, the thought of ThunderClan, her Clan let out a pang of sharp grief through her heart. By now they all would believe that she was no more than a legend for the achievements she accomplished, throughout her life, and came up with a story of her presumed death when she went missing.

Then the beautiful ginger-coloured pelts of her two kits, sprang into mind and she unsheathed her claws in frustration with all the broken promises she had made to them and her mate. At the time of her departure, they were only apprentices, and their father desperately wanted to keep her from going, fearing the worst would happen to her, though in the end she didn't listen. Ironically he was right and this quest was nothing but a failed attempt at proving herself.

Wispclaw closed her blue eyes miserably. But as soon as darkness engulfed her she felt her body pulled and yanked somewhere into the unknown, she opened her gaze again to see a snow-covered mountain eerily similar to the one she is situated in.

Then an ear-piercing yowl rang out, and a white-pelted figure came into view, seemingly running from something, though as the running figure reached the top of a giant boulder, a gasp escaped Wispclaw as the figure turned around.

A she-cat with the same piercing blue gaze, and white-pelted fur as Wispclaw herself. They were clearly younger and about apprentice age. Then the vision ended.
That young cat. Could they be my kin? Does this vision show the future? Will they find me?

All these thoughts whirled in her mind, and at last a spark of hope flooded into her cold heart.