Warrior Cats One-Shots [COMPLETE]

A Light In the Dark ≫ Snowtuft x Dead! Female! Reader

Art: Natale77

⚠️ Warnings ⚠️
• Gore
• Mentioned murder
• Angst
• Panic attack

This is a request for
IkedaTheFurry.
Enjoy! :D

****

You slowly opened your eyes, slightly surprised that there was no burning from a source of light. In fact, more darkness greeted you.
I must still be asleep.
You allowed your eyes to fall closed again, silently willing yourself back into slumber.
After several moments of this, however, it became clear to you that you were indeed wide awake. You opened your eyes again, and then it became clear that you weren't in ShadowClan anymore.
As the feeling returned to your limbs and your eyes adjusted to the darkness, you realized you were standing in a desolate clearing surrounded by colorless dead trees and orange fungi that glowed eerily in the dark black shadows.
You tilted your muzzle towards the sky in hopes that the moon would help you find your way back home, but instead of relief, a sickening dread filled your chest and caused your stomach to curl around itself.
The sky was an endless black void, vacant of the moon or a single star.
You took a timid step back, only for your hind paw to slip on the slimy ground and cause you to hit the ground with a wet splat.
"For StarClan's sake!" You spat, struggling to heave yourself back to your paws.
A sharp, fiery hot pain suddenly erupted inside your throat, causing you to double over and began coughing violently.
Thick, dark crimson blood began seeping from your jaws, splattering the dark grass with puddles that seemed to evaporate like mist.
You spat out one last mouthful of your insides, then slowly sat up and touched a paw to your neck. You winced as your pad brushed against exposed bone, and suddenly, everything came flooding back into your mind like a rushing river.
You had chosen to join Darktail when he took over ShadowClan and demoted Rowanstar.
Not by choice, of course, but because the rogue had promised you your freedom if you did exactly what he told you. You agreed in hopes of eventually being able to flee the forest and start a new life elsewhere, but your agreement came at a grave cost — You would have to kill every cat Darktail wanted dead, innocent or not.
You spent the next several moons perfecting your battle skills and staining your claws with the blood of every cat, young and old, who was foolish enough to question Darktail and his Kin. Some of your own clanmates fell victim to your cowardice, and it never failed to sicken you. You had began to think you would never see the end to your torment, but when Darktail overheard you warning Violetpaw about his plan to kill her, he wasted no time getting rid of you in the same way you had gotten rid of so many others. You supposed it was karma.
Realization dawned on you as the flashback ended, and you gritted your teeth as tears began streaming down your bloodstained face.
A real warrior would've died first. I deserve to be here.
Deserving as you might've been, it didn't change the fact that you were alone in The Dark Forest. Alone, cold, hungry, and scared.
This is what you get, (Y/N). This is what you get for being a coward.
You began to cry harder, doubling over and allowing violent sobs to shake your entire body.
"I'm sorry," You choked out in a whisper, looking up at the starless sky. "I was so scared..."

You were so wrapped up in your misery that you didn't even notice the white pelt manifest from the misty shadows and slowly approach you from behind.
"Um... Hey." The stranger meowed uncertainly, staying at a safe distance behind you.
You gasped, leaping to your paws and whirling around, facing the strange voice with your hackles raised and chest heaving as you continued crying.
The strange tom's blue eyes widened slightly, and he took a small step back.
"Easy," He meowed lowly, as if trying not to intimidate you further.
"I'm not going to hurt you."

For some reason, you found it hard to believe that any cat living in this rank, dead forest would want to do anything but hurt you.
"Why should I believe you?" You spat, your strained voice echoing eerily through the skeletal trees.

The white tom sighed, allowing his eyes to flicker closed for a brief moment as he collected himself.
"You're just going to have to trust me, alright? What's your name?"

You were slightly taken aback, but responded anyway.
"I-I-I'm (Y/N)." You tried to make your voice sound as steady as you possibly could, but it still came out in a strained shudder.

The white tom nodded, taking a small step towards you.
"Nice to meet you, (Y/N). I'm Snowtuft, and you're going to be just fine. I know you feel like you're all alone right now, but you're not. I'm right here with you, okay? You're not alone."
Strangely enough, his words were comforting, and you found yourself slowly beginning to settle down.
You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath, doing your best to ignore to overbearing stench of rot and mold.
"That's good," Snowtuft meowed, and you could tell by the volume of his voice that he was much closer now.
"Keep it up, (Y/N)."

You sucked in several more ragged breaths of stale air until you could feel your paws again.
"I'm sorry," You breathed once your panic attack fully subsided. "I just never thought I would end up here. Not in my worst nightmares."

One side of Snowtuft's mouth curled up into a slight smirk, and an amused huff escaped him.
"Welcome to my life. At least you knew StarClan wasn't the only place cats can go when they die before you woke up here."
You chuckled, causing some blood to seep from your neck. He was right, in a way — Waking up in The Dark Forest with no idea of what it could possibly be had to have been so much worse.

"I'm scared," You confessed, a slight tremor finding it's way back into your voice.
"I don't know what to do, Snowtuft. I don't know how to survive here."

The white tom looked away, and for a moment, you could've sworn you saw regret shadowing his eyes.
"If I'm being honest," He began, shuffling his paws slightly. "I really don't, either. I guess we'll just have to figure it out, huh?"
You blinked. We'll?
Is he implying that he wants to stay with me?
You were about to ask him, but the look on his face told you everything. This tom was lonesome, and there was no way you were about to wander off into the rotting, groaning forest alone.
Why not? I've got nothing left to lose.

"Yeah," You replied, swallowing thickly.
"I guess we will."
A smile stretched across Snowtuft's muzzle, and he jerked his head in the direction of a tumble of large rocks that lead up to a gaping maw of black, and what you assumed to be the entrance to the true Dark Forest.

"I have a feeling we'll get along just fine, (Y/N). It'll be nice to have some company down here."
He began stalking towards the rock pile, his translucent form flickering in and out of view between the skeletal shrubs.
You followed him, not wanting to be left behind.
Maybe this won't be so bad.

****

I like the way this one turned out, honestly.
Snowtuft deserves waaayy more attention

Thanks again for requesting, IkedaTheFurry! It was a pleasure