Beyond the Mountains | A Warrior Cats Fanfiction

꧁ ✧ Chapter 13 ✧ ꧂

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They had buried Cherry's body, left a few pebbles and flowers on her mound, and left. Willow said she didn't want to stay there anymore, because there were too many memories, most of them were unsettling, and try going a different direction. Sunny agreed, and they set off two days later. As winter was coming along faster than they could blink, they had to get off the mountains if they were to survive. they headed the opposite way to the lake, where she first found Sunny. As the days began to get colder, they knew they had to get off the high mountains, as they weren't accustomed to being out in the snow. Willow was born in mid-autumn, and spent the whole winter in the cave. then, in early spring, she left the tribe.

Travelling down the perilous cliffs, and treacherous paths was dangerous and unnerving. There were close calls, pummeling rainstorms, and more. After travelling for half a moon, they were nearly halfway down when they came across a small, freezing lake, with thin sheets of ice encrusting the lakebed. Willow had caught a hare yesterday, a fantastic catch. This morning Sunny had caught a starling, and she caught a vole. they were making good progress, now her ankle had finally fully healed, and the injuries from Cherry were small and insignificant. They approached the riverbed, paper-thin ice cracking under their paws. She sniffed the water's surface, her hot breath billowing around, smoothing over the ripples her exhalations made. She lapped from the icy water, feeling it sink into her empty stomach like a rock, burning her gums and inner chest. She moved away for Sunny to have a drink too, licking her upper chops. She stood guard while he drank, complaining about the cold. She took in her surroundings. It was a big clearing, made of rocks, moss and a small amount of grass, which was covered in a thick layer of frost. the clearing was surrounded by huge, sharp, jutting boulders, and a few pine trees beyond them to the sides and downward, whereas behind her, where they had just come down from, a steep, rocky slope emerging from a pine forest, where she had seen another one of those strange, long-legged, thin creatures. It was alive, and eating frosty grass, though there was little of it. She had stayed clear of it, despite her curiousness. Sunny said it was called a ''deer'' and they travel in big groups, or alone. She turned to where she had come from, and her gaze followed a trail of two sets of prints, sometimes crossing or becoming deeper, where they had trotted or ran to keep warm. She turned to see Sunny sitting by the water, watching her. She smiled at him, and he perked up, standing. we both stretched out our aching, stiff muscles before continuing down the path, away from the lake.

As they walked down the rocky path, slowly, stones trickled downward in their wake, as they padded on in cold silence.

''Before I found you...'' Willow started, and Sunny lifted his head to look at her, but keep one eye on the path.

''I was chased to you, actually, by this... creature.''

Sunny perked up as if she were telling him an old forgotten story from seasons and seasons ago.

''What did it look like?'' he asked, eyes wide.

''Well, it looked like an angry, dog-sized cat. with fur the colour of the sun, and paws as dark as the night, with a snow-coloured underbelly.''

''Oh...'' Sunny looked mildly disappointed. he had been hoping she was kidding, and was about to describe a legendary creature, like a lion, or a tiger.

''That's just a fox.''

''A fox...'' Willow repeated it to herself a couple of times, growing used to the new word. ''Well, he was angry for whatever reason, and chased me to the lake, where I found you.'' She smiled warmly at him, and when he smiled back, she said, ''And I am so glad I nearly died to find you.'' She pressed into his shoulder, and he pressed into hers. She took a step back to look at him. at eight moons old now, he would have made a fine to/be, probably a prey hunter. That decision would have been made by Stoneteller. She thought back to when she had been given her place in the tribe, as a hunter. for him slim shape of course, and naturally good ability to blend in with her surroundings. well, I think I've become quite a good cave guard too. I fought against a fox, another cat, Sharptooth and came out alive. I would've suited either. She smiled to herself as they continued.