Warriors- Rise of the Guardians

Chapter 7

~Yakon

Chapter 7

She had to get out of here. She had to escape. No cat could find her. These thoughts were constantly crowding Thunderpaw's mind, and the panicky feeling she hated was hitting her head on, full force. Her fur bristled; something was wrong, she could feel it. Her eyes were wide, her ears perked, alert. The scent of damp ground invaded her sensitive nostrils. Her nose twitched.

The ground here was bone-dry. 

Why was there such a smell? Thunderpaw took no risks. She had been with Thunderclan long enough, for Bluefang to tell her about the weakness of the other clans. Windclan cats could not climb, but they were fast and agile. Knowing this, Thunderpaw surveyed her surroundings with her sharp, keen eyes. Trees dotted the land, and she picked one, padding nervously over to it.

She took a step back, then leapt, claws unsheathing as she sank her claws into the trunk for support. Thunderpaw let out a breath that she had not realised she had been holding. Where was Firepaw? Was he safe? Did he sense the same unease that she felt? Suddenly, the direction of her thoughts changed, directing themselves to a certain gray, striped tom. 

Thunderpaw let out a growl, and climbed quickly up the tree, settling on a branch high enough that she deemed safe. She shut her eyes, desperately craving sleep, yet the moment she did, his eyes glittered in her mind. "Stop thinking about him. He's a sneaky, stupid furball." Thunderpaw could feel herself getting nervous just by thinking about Wolfpaw. It couldn't be.

Thunderpaw shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut, willing the concerned face of Wolfpaw out of her mind while leaving another thought float around in a dark corner. She couldn't be falling for Wolfpaw; she couldn't be.

 --

Wolfpaw let out a shrill yowl, leaping up from his bed of moss; yet another sleepless night. Moons had passed since Thunderpaw was banished from the clan. And since then, he did not get single night where he could get a good night's sleep. Moonpaw's annoyed voice reached his ears. "Will you quit it already, Wolfpaw?" Wolfpaw let out a snarl. Frustrated at himself, he shot an icy glare at Moonpaw; his mood was already dampened. "Shut up!" He sneered at the older apprentice. With that, he stalked out the apprentice's den. It was still dark; how long had he slept?

Wolfpaw needed to calm down. Why was he like this? Easily angered, and all those sleepless nights were not helping. He sighed and padded down the familiar path that led to the waterfall, his sanctuary, at the far side of the Thunderclan territory. His gray pelt shined under the glittering moonlight. Soon, he arrived at the foot of the lake. Water thundered down from the waterfall, shining as the moon shone on it. He stared in the pool of water that stretched out in front of him; he could see his reflection rippling across the water, and for a moment the reflection changed. 

"Father?"

Wolfpaw stretched his paw to touch the reflection; but it changed again, and his paw stopped mid-air. Wolfpaw stared, confused, at the rippling illumination, his eyes narrowing as he saw a glowing, white ball in his paw. The moon? Wolfpaw reached out to try to feel the water; was it real? Was he really holding the moon? As his paw hit the water's surface, a great ripple suddenly turned into a churning mass of water.

Higher and higher it built up, wave after wave piled up on top of one another; it was as if there was something placed in front of it to prevent it all from cascading down. It rose a few meters higher than Wolfpaw, whose eyes were wide with fear.  Wolfpaw backed away from the huge wave, biting back his frightened yelps as drops of ice-cold water splashed onto him.

Wolfpaw watched, amazed, as the water slowly transformed. He shivered unconsciously as his wet coat of fur stuck to his body like a second skin. Paws and feet grew, and the head started to emerge. The liquid monster opened its mouth as if to show off his large, watery canines. Wolfpaw was starting to hate his life. What was this? Was he going to die here? At his most trusted place; his sanctuary?

Wolfpaw growled, hackles rising aggressively, at the monstrous creature. "Who are you?" He snarled boldly, not expecting the creature to answer him at all. But it did, its voice hoarse and raspy, and his words were all thunderous growling. The rushing water from the waterfall did not help at all. His words were almost inaudible. Wolfpaw's jaw dropped, fur bristling, when he heard the creature's growl.

"Do not fear me, young one. I am a water spirit; you will know the truth soon. Beware the tiger, he will try to destroy you and the others. You have a destiny to fulfill, and you must save the clans. Search for the others- the fiery Thunder and the Guardians' wolf. Remember me, and I will help you when I can."

With that, the monster vanished in a swirl or gray-white mist, diving back into the deep waters where he belonged. Wolfpaw was dazed; was it a dream, was it real? He couldn't tell. Slightly put out by this unlikely entity, Wolfpaw decided to head back to camp. Should I tell Lionstar? He has a right to know. I wonder if this has to do with the prophecy that I overheard. 

As Wolfpaw trudged wearily through the dense undergrowth, the bushes rustled as he brushed past. The wind seemed to whisper words of a strangely familiar prophecy, but Wolfpaw knew better than to believe them. The water spirit's voice seemed to echo in his head, the words spoken as if he was underwater.

 "Four will rise in a sea of red, the wolf will cry, a guardian will fall. Thunder will strike and fire will burn. Dread the darkness as the waters churn."

What? A guardian? Fire? Thunder? What was he saying? 

Another voice rang, deep and menacing, the words slamming into him like a sledgehammer blow to his head. His eyes turned blank as his mind swirled in a seemingly distant memory, his legs carrying him back to camp. He was here, in the real world, yet somehow he seemed further from there than any other cat.

"Hear my cry as the guardians fall; see the darkness as it overwhelms all. Feel the Earth as it cracks and roars, taste the bitter-sweet poison of revenge."  

That voice. The terrible, terrible voice. I know him. I know this cat. 

Wolfpaw let out a frightened yelp as the words swirled, faster and faster around in his head. They all seemed to click into place. "No!" He yowled, paws batting at his eyes. A memory replayed itself in his mind; his eyes burned blood red with the mark of the-

"No! I can't do this! I reject! No!" Wolfpaw let out a shattering scream, his mind throbbing under the stress weighed heavily down on him. They must have chosen wrong. A young apprentice like him shouldn't feel this kind of responsibility; this kind of stress. It wasn't healthy. The water spirit's cry sounded like an alarm in his ears. He whimpered, pawing at his ears as if to block out his voice. 

It hurt. It hurt so much. It hurt... knowing that the survival of the clans was depending on him. It hurt, knowing that the mark could not be erased. Wolfpaw collapsed; his knees buckled and he slumped down onto the ground. "I can't do it. I'm sorry."