Beyond the Mountains | A Warrior Cats Fanfiction

꧁ ✧ Chapter 16 ✧ ꧂

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Willow and Sunny had paused outside a gaping hole, the waterfall next to them, continuing to the right of them. They were under it's great mass. Sunny looked cautiously at Willow, who was staring into the cave, unmoving. He could hear murmurs coming from inside the cave, and pawsteps. He could make out quiet complaints of the cold, and he let out a mrrow of laughter as he heard a cat claim his whiskers were falling off. He cast Willow a sideways glance, who was staring into the cave longingly. He looked at her in concern. Her body shuddered as she let out a shaky breath. Her tail and whiskers quivered in anticipation, and she raised a paw to move, but placed it back down again with a sigh.

''You okay?'' Sunny asked her gently, his eyes round, gaze soft.

''Yeah, yeah. I just gotta get my stuff together.'' Willow didn't look at him, and her voice was shaky. He gave her a brief nod, and sat down, waiting for her to be ready. After a minute, Willow turned to him, her olive eyes flashing.

'' I'm ready.'' Her eyes had a new, careful yet brave glow to them, and as Sunny looked at her, he widened his eyes as they flashed crimson, the pomegranate colour swirling around her eyes like smoke, but only for a heartbeat, then it faded away in a moment. He exhaled, and Willow tipped her head, angling her ears at him.

''All okay?'' She queried, confusion was the only thing swimming in her gaze now, and he smiled reassuringly back at her.

''Yes, lead the way, Willow.'' A warm rush shot through his veins, and he dipped his head down, feeling odd. I love Willow, i do but... what was that emotion? He pondered as Willow took a hesitant step forward, turning back to Sunny. He gave her an encouraging smile, and she nodded, smiling back and padded into the cave. He followed, and as his eyes adjusted to the darker environment, he peered around, looking at cats. Many cats, all shapes, colours, and sizes. He felt nervousness crawling in his stomach. He had never been around this many cats at once. To his right he could see where the ground lifted, and continued out in a thinner hollow, then a narrow tunnel which continued into a big cave, a quarter of the size of the main cave, but still big. It had shiny circles and shapes on the floor, stars reflected in them, even though it was day. He wanted to stop, and go look at the strange stone icicles jutting out from the floor and the ceiling, some meeting in the middle, and listen to the echoey drips, but Willow was walking forward into the centre of the cave, her tail flicking nervously, and her ears flat. No one had seemed to notice them until now, but as their stranger scent wafted around the room, and more cats began to realise there were oddities among them, they began to stalk forward, hissing threats. Caterwauls echoed throughout the cave, and angry screeches broke the calm from before. Willow looked panicked, and backed up into Sunny. He pressed against her, before a tail was raised by a ginger-brown she-cat with amber eyes. He felt Willow relax slightly. The brown she-cat padded forward, her head tilted to the side, muscles flexing.

''Willow That Shines At Dawn?'' The she-cat said. Sunny looked in confusion at Willow as he saw joy in her gaze. Was that her... full name? He wondered.

''Leaf From Autumn Tree!'' Willow pounced forward, on her tip-toes as they pressed their foreheads together. Sunny watched, utterly perplexed as cats around them murmured in confusion and disapproval, before yowls of joy echoed through the cave. Cats crowded forward, separating him from Willow, a small ring of space around Willow and Leaf, and a smaller ring around himself.

''You're here! You're- you're alive! Is Dandelion with you?'' Leaf asked, lifting her head and looking around for the cat, her eyes meeting Sunny's for a moment, whom she looked at in disappointment.

''Where is he?'' Leaf asked Willow hoarsely, her gaze searching Willow's. Willow stared back in desperation, her eyes blinking swiftly. Her eyes were stinging, Sunny could tell from her expression as she stared at Leaf hopelessly.