Beyond the Mountains | A Warrior Cats Fanfiction

꧁ ✧ Chapter 9 ✧ ꧂

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There was no chirpy singing of birds. There was no trickling of water. There was no rain. There was no prey. Only nighttime walks, and an endless haze, blurring the horizon. Yawning, Willow stayed in the safety of the shade, given by the trees, who's own leaves were turning brown and bare. She looked around. She had grown incredibly thin, and she hadn't seen any prey for days. She had caught a half-dead mouse, found a mainly mud puddle, and drank every bit of moisture she could get. She had begun to travel at night, as it was far too hot to travel during the day. It was never this hot with the tribe of rushing water.

I must have travelled a long way. She thought, rather mournfully. She sighed. Her pelt was dirty, and full of debris, but she couldn't waste any of her moisture by cleaning her pelt. It didn't need to be clean. No one was going to see her. She was alone. She rested her head on the ground, but found no cooling comfort in the sun-baked earth. She closed her eyes.

She opened her eyes to a flattering sound, and a high-pitched squeal. A small, dark shadow flew across the stars, silhouetted. She stood, and yawned. Her eyes had slowly started to adjust to the darkness more, and her nerves could tell if a dip in the ground was coming, based on the texture and strength of the earth she walked on. She sat for a minute, ears pricked, and eyes wide, staring into the darkness, waiting for her eyes to adjust as much as they can, before she stood, and started padding away from the safety of the treeline. She could just make out the fronds of decaying leaves near her, and huge trees blocking out the stars. She shivered slightly, even though the night gave a warm breeze, it was cold without the sun. She stood on a stone, and it was still warm, well past moon high. She sighed.

Will I ever get out of this place? She exhaled.

Did dandelion? She stopped in her tracks.

He may have escaped the Sharptooth, but did he make it out of here?

She trembled, and walked on. Her heart hurt, a stabbing pain she couldn't see. She continued walking, and broke out into a run when she heard a rustle from the ferns behind her, briefly startling her. She had previously caught scent of a foul-smelling odour, from some kind of animal. It had sent shivers down her spine, and had changed her direction slightly, not exactly hoping to encounter the animal.

Birds were waking, and beginning their quiet, lone songs. Most birds daren't sing, as a waste of energy it is in the hot daytime. Dawn began to dust away the slowly sinking stars, and the fading moon began to hide, the sky lightening into a clear ocean blue. Looking around, she noticed it wasn't as hot, and she began to realise it wasn't as hot as the early morning usually was, and continued walking, despite her devastatingly shredded paw-pads. A caw of a crow caught her attention after another half an hour of walking, and she stooped and peered around. She heard it again, mimicked by another. She ran forward, seeing three crows crowded around a decaying... creature. It had long, slender legs, and a long neck with a thin head. It had a dark nose, golden pelt with lighter underbelly, stumpy tail and strange dark, shiny, flat feet. She stared in amazement at the huge creature, but her attention was soon back to the plump crows.

I'll end up like that animal if I don't eat or drink soon. She thought and gave her best stalk, shadows flecking her pelt. Her gaze and focus were fixed on the closest, and thankfully, largest crow. She bunched her muscles, and leaped onto the back of the crow, trying to flatten it with her body. It wriggled, and realised it was stronger than she was. She was slapped in the face by a beating wing and scrambled to her paws as it took off. A new surge of energy hit her, a new sense of adrenaline, and she took a flying leap into the air, her claw catching its wing, pulling it down with her. She landed with a painful thump but threw herself on it as it tried to flap woefully away. She quickly shoved her nose through the feathers at the base of its neck, and it squawked loudly as her teeth set into its juicy flesh. Warm blood dripped down her chin, and she held on tightly, as she clamped her jaws down on its neck while it cried out quietly, before falling limp in her mouth.

Thank you, Tribe of Endless Hunting for this prey. She mumbled and dragged it into the shade, barely containing herself from ripping the corpse apart and consuming it whole. She crouched in the shade, panting from the chase, and started patiently plucking it until it was naked. She set her canines into the flesh on its plump chest. Although it wasn't as tasty as eagle, it seemed delicious to her dry stomach, and she ate everything but the guts. After her meal, feeling full and hydrated from the crow's blood, she slept in the heat peacefully, only disturbed by the jealous flies.