Silence {Warriors Fanfiction}

{𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐}

It was now a few days after Lightwhisper had become a warrior. He had been appointed to being a guard at the other camp. Lightwhisper didn't complain, but he wished that they would give him a job like hunting, or border patrol. He was excellent at both, Quickflash said so. 

But instead, he had to have a half-day of normality and sleep at sunhigh, then wake up at moonhigh for his part of guarding. It was quite exhausting. Right now he was trying to bask under the weak rays of the dawn light, with most of the other guards sleeping. Even with an extra camp for the elders and queens, he had to share his bedding with another cat. Lightwhisper glanced at the cat, who was snoring loudly. His name went something along the lines of 'Mottleleaf'. 

Somehow, just in a matter of heartbeat, Mottleleaf had switched from, unknown cat that will never even notice Lightwhisper, to his best mate. He was full of laughs, positivity and something else that Lightwhisper couldn't put his paw on. His tortoiseshell coat, which was rare and seen as bad luck on toms, rippled every time he moved, which was in smooth, fluid motions. Mottleleaf was always winking or smiling at Lightwhisper, not even caring that he was deaf. Lightwhisper looked at the rising sun. 

He had been so lost in his thoughts that he forgot to wake Raggedtail! He gently padded over to the sleeping almost-elder, and tapped his shoulder. The half-crippled warrior gave a grunt, before opening one bleary eye and heaving himself up. Raggedtail stumbled over to the entrance, his half-severed tail trailing sadly behind. Lightwhisper winced at the sight. Despite slowly getting used to it, it was still quite morbid. 

His tail had been injured from a skirmish with a group of rogues, who were a big problem at that time. When Lightwhisper was a kit, the story was commonly told every time a youngster did something wrong, to put fear into their hearts and remind them never to break or even bend the rules. He walked over to the prey pile, which was thankfully fresh but depleted. A shredded rat and elderly squirrel was all there was left. Lightwhisper lowered to his haunches and bit into the squirrel, trying to savour the flavour. One day. One day I will be like those great hunters, and capture the juiciest mouse and largest hawk. He imagined that. Would that have been easier to accomplish if he wasn't deaf?

But then he remembered of the balance. Rainheart had specifically taught him about it. If he could hear, then another cat would be the one to carry his burden. He sometimes doubted that, but every time, he would close his eyes and see his mother's, serious and sincere. And Lightwhisper couldn't imagine what would happen to that poor cat. If it was a kittypet that would be fine, but a fellow clanmate? What if it was tiny Brushkit that became deaf? Or enthusiastic Strikepaw. He would even feel sorry for Poolshine if that happened to him. 

Lightwhisper licked his muzzle for the last drops of blood, and buried the scraps. The sun was well and fully up now, and he was free to choose what to do. The white furred cat arched his back in a final stretch before going to make dirt. After scratching soil over it, he spotted something grey from the corner of his eye. Oh! Ferretfur! I forgot that I promised her I would help. 

Lightwhisper immediately sprinted after the blurry patch of fur, wondering what the fuss was. He was just going after the she-cat to help out! So why run away? Summoning strength, he pushed and bounded closer to Ferretfur. The tabby turned her head around and her eyes widened at the sight of Lightwhisper. He desperately wanted to say something to her, maybe a, "It's just me, Lightwhisper!" or "Who are you running from?". But it was hard to push words out when his brain was focused on running. Did normal cats have such problems? Probably not. 

The cat stopped abruptly, whispered something that Lightwhisper quite can't catch to a rock, before turning around. Wait. A rock? That's not right! She must be speaking to someone, but who? Curiosity tugged at his fur, but he restrained it. He needed to confront Ferretfur. Suddenly, she started running again, before launching up onto a tree and climbing with incredible skill, and jumping from branch to branch. For a moment, Lightwhisper marveled at her agility, before realising she had just run away from him. 

Where was she going? Who did she just speak to? The questions ran through Lightwhisper's mind, and he tried to shake off the unsettling feeling that was creeping up on him. Lightwhisper decided that he'll find Ferretfur later, she was bound to come back to camp, right? But now he had a new problem. It was already close to sunhigh, what would the other warriors say when he came back, fur snagged with twigs and leaves, with nothing in his paws? I might as well hunt for a little... He thought, thinking that fresh prey will quickly diffuse the tensions. 

Nose catching a scent trail, Lightwhisper dropped into a hunting crouch, making sure the wind was blowing towards the prey. His eyes caught a brief flash of reddish brown. A squirrel! He slowly advanced forward, knowing that if he made a sound, he wouldn't hear it, and the squirrel would be long gone by then. 

Now Lightwhisper was a tail length away from the squirrel. He prepared to propel himself forward- a dark flash of fur arrived first. The she-cat killed the squirrel with a single crunch of it's spine, before landing her steely gaze on Lightwhisper. She looked old- some parts were greying, and now he had a chance to properly look at her, her movements weren't as smooth. Sometimes a back leg would move stiffly, or a foreleg would misstep. 

"You're the deaf cat, aren't you?" Was her first question. It stung, but there was a small part of him where it thought foolishly, she acknowledged me! Most cats would just brush past him or say something, but realising that he was taking too long to reply, would quickly lose interest and head on. Finally, his body seemed to function and he forced out a stuttering, "Yes,". It might've sounded like "Yoose" or some other strange word, but Lightwhisper didn't care right now. Today's a very mysterious day, he mused. First Ferretfur, and now her. 

She seemed to dismiss the fact, though, and carried on. "This is HailClan, yes? The 'alternate' clan? One that used to be just a group of rogues?" Lightwhisper replied with a single incline of the head, deciding to include his speech only as a last resort. He didn't know much about his clan's history, but it seemed that the black she-cat didn't either. Only the basics- HailClan descended from a group of rogues which were just staying here for a few moons, until they met a loner who had tales of the great wild cats. And that was basically it. Other information, if there even were, were kept a secret by the elders. 

"Well," she said, sucking in a breath. "I'm...surprised by it's growth. The cats didn't even notice me! They thought I was just another warrior. Keep this in mind, little one- it might become your clan's greatest weakness." He tilted his head. She knew of this clan? As though reading his mind, she nodded slightly. "Sort of. I am old. But my spirit is strong. It is intertwined by others. And I have made this journey, over the mountains and Twoleg places, to pass you, yes, you, an important message. The ancient is gone. And the past is fading." The dark pelted cat stared at Lightwhisper with such intensity, those bright green eyes made her seem younger than she was, before breaking the stare. "It is not a prophecy. Prophecies hold no truths now. But hang onto what I just said," she continued, taking a step backwards. "Oh, and you can take this squirrel.. and all of my other prey, in exchange for your time." She pawed at the earth, revealing a fat vole and sparrow. Then, the strange she-cat turned around, and sprinted into the distance. 

It was the second time a cat had ran away from Lightwhisper, he thought with amusement. And he forgot to ask for her name! And where she came from! Well, there's always a next time... but then what if every green eyed and black furred she-cat I meet might be her? And she certainly won't reveal her identity.

He retrieved the prey, and then ambled towards the camp's direction. There was too much excitement out in the forest. Might as well have a quick snooze in his moss bed...

A/N

Second chapter is... OUT! Sorry for the long, long wait, but the reward is... some more Lightwhisper. Here are some questions you might like to think about during the next wait... Who was Ferretfur talking to? Who was the mysterious she-cat? Her name has already been revealed... Sorry that this chapter's shorter than the last one, I just felt bad for y'all but also had no motivation. Might make the next one longer, or... not. Nothing else to say now! See you in the next chapter, reader!

Bye 😘