Warriors The Next Chapter: Still Darkness - Book One (Completed)

Chapter One

Willowbreeze stood at top of the gorge, looking out. The scent of new-leaf filled her nostrils and she took a deep breath. Her heart laid heavy when she heard the news about Shadowheart. She didn't want to believe Firestar, but she had no choice. She felt as if though a dark cloud had casted over her. Rain began to pour down and her fur clung to her, revealing only her skinny and frail body. 

"Come out of the rain." Meowed a familiar voice. 

Willowbreeze turned and purred as Stormfur padded up behind her. "We are RiverClan cats. A little water won't hurt me."

Stormfur rested his tail on her shoulder, "At least come back to camp, then. Being out here by the gorge can be dangerous."

WIllowbreeze sighed then agreed, and followed him. The tall grass was drenched with water, and made bits and pieces cling to their bodies and as they made their way to camp. Stormfur padded beside her, making sure she was steady on her feet the whole way. Willowbreeze purred with thanks and let him fuss over her weakness for once. The rain persisted, relentless in its downpour as the two cats forged their path back to the safety of RiverClan camp.

As they drew closer to camp, a faint outline of the familiar bramble entrance came into view. Stormfur let Willowbreeze duck in first, then he followed after her. Her body drenched from the rain made her feel heavy. She heaved herself over a fallen tree trunk and then she veered towards the warriors' den. "Do you really believe that Shadowheart is a killer?" She mewed as Stormfur shook out water droplets from his pelt inside the warm and dry den. 

"Well, yeah. Whitestorm is dead, isn't he?" He retorted.

Willowbreeze shrugged her shoulders. "I believe so, but Shadowheart is kind-hearted. He wouldn't kill another cat." She argued, shaking out her pelt once he was finished. She felt lighter on her feet once more and she padded over to her nest. Some water droplets still clung to her fur, but then fell onto the moss she was about to lay down on. She kneaded the moss, then tucked in her paws as she laid down. 

"How do you know that?" Stormfur sat a tail-length beside her and crossed one paw over the other just as he settled into his nest.

"Well...I." She paused, not really wanting to tell her friend about the tom she had been seeing, but she guessed that he would have found out sooner or later. "I was meeting up with him for moons down by Sunningrocks." She glanced over at the entrance, hoping no other warriors were within earshot of them.

"Willowbreeze, you know that's against the warrior code." He quickly growled.

Willowbreeze narrowed her eyes, "Do you think I don't know that?" She hissed. "I didn't expect this to happen."

"Well it's probably for the better then." He meowed more subtly. 

Willowbreeze could feel her body boiling up with anger. How could he just say that? He acted as if love was something you could choose. "I hate the warrior code." She muttered under her breath.

Stormfur blinked in confusion, then rolled his eyes. "You'll be okay." Then he rested his chin on his crossed paw and closed his eyes.

Willowbreeze let her anger boil out and she closed her eyes tightly before she said something stupid. She let Stormfur's soft breathing calm her down and then she reopened them. The rain had stopped and the snow that was left from leaf-bare was finally gone. She gently scrambled to her feet, and quietly padded out of the den. If not even Stormfur believed her that Shadowheart was innocent, she would make them believe herself. 

Once she got out of camp, she raced down to the gorge and over to the bridge that bound the two seperate cliffs together. She crossed over and snuck her way to Fourtrees, knowing no one would find her there. 

She collected herself, letting her body rest as she made it to the familiar surroundings of the gathering place. She looked around, and lifted her muzzle, opening her jaws occasionally to see if she could smell or taste Shadowheart's faint scent. Nothing. His scent was gone. Not even a gust of wind could help her now. 

She frantically trekked around the island, hoping for something or a sign on where she should start. Finally she just chose a direction after going in circles for what seemed like hours. She made her way to a thunderpath and she flattened her ears.

 A foul stench filled her nostrils as she scrunched her muzzle and her eyes began to slightly water from the fumes that drifted through the breeze. A monster raced by her. She jumped back and gagged from the powerful stench that zoomed past her. She coughed then blinked a few times before finally being able to see through the blurs of light that was coming closer. She coughed again as another monster zoomed past her once more. She shook out her pelt then took a deep breath. She raced to the other side before any monster could catch up to her.

She looked back at the thunderpath once she safely made it to the other side. Her breath was heavy, but she sighed with relief. The worst was hopefully over. She didn't recognize anything around her. She had never ventured away from her territory and she was way beyond the boundary lines.

She sought to find shelter as the rising sun began to drift through the clouds. She searched, but the wide open moors made her feel uneasy. She was easy to spot for any predators that lurked about. She opened her jaws and tasted the air. Only the faint smell of mist and rain could be identified. She padded on, knowing something had to come up. Finally, trees in the distance appeared and she raced up a narrow hill. Huge boulders blocked her way, just before the forest departed, making a small path to follow in between. She heaved herself up onto the boulder and looked out. 

Mist and darkness took over the forest and she felt a sudden chill run down her spine. But it was better than being out in the open. She jumped down from the boulder and padded into the dark forest with her head held high. She found a large tree. Tree roots poked out of the ground and lined with moss. She settled near the tree root and made herself as comfy as she could, as she was still able to look out in case any danger came poking about. 

She was determined to find Shadowheart and seek truth if he truly killed Whitestorm, but she would have to find him another day. For now, she needed a lot of rest for the hard journey that lay ahead of her.