NO ESCAPE. THE RUNAWAY

CHAPTER 6

MountianPaw rolled in his nest. It was Moonhigh and everyone was asleep. He started having dreams. He was swimming in an unknown cave, salty water filled his nostrils as he was pulled under by gravity. He struggled to keep himself up as he almost felt like he was drowning. A paw touched his side as he was pulled up from the water by some dark force. As he was pulled above water, a huge cavern with crystals as bright as the moon shined in the tom's face. He explored around and somehow made it to the surface. Climbing above the cavern to the surface, a huge clearing with Crest's clan and the prophecy cats were there. It almost felt real as if he did not want to wake up.

A few hours later and MountianPaw was woken up by OtterTusk's orders to search the queen's fur for ticks. MountianPaw shook his head and obeyed, waking up added across the clearing to find DawnPaw as she was already in the nursey with Honeybriar. MountianPaw shrugged and went to the medicine den as he took a mouthful of mouse bile. By the time MountianPaw made It to the nursery DawnPaw was already done. So MountianPaw moved to the elder's den. It was the moon after MountianPaw received the prophecy. A gathering ago, MountianPaw, HawkPaw, HollowPaw, VampirePaw and TurtlePaw all received an ominous prophecy. It echoed in ears as he searched TortoiseFur's fur for ticks, dabbing mouse bile on the ones he found.

"A little uneasy kiddo?" TortoiseFur purred and sat up.

"Yeah...But I'll be fine...Its just...dreams..." MountianPaw shrugged and finished TortoiseFur's ticks then moved on.

"Well, I'm sure you will be...Don't be too hard on yourself now...you know tonight's a gathering...which means another moon has passed on your training...I'm sure OtterTusk will want you to have your warrior ceremony before the gathering tonight..." LittleTooth purred.

"I agree..." TortoiseFur nodded with a smile. MountianPaw bowed his head then padded away with DawnPaw to wash their paws. Once the apprentices were back from a hunting and or training session with their mentors, CrowStar was perched on the high rock, BlackBird was perched on his side of the rock and cats were all gathered in the clearing. OtterTusk smiled softly as he sat down, leaning into touch. In a way OtterTusk felt that his own son and daughter with CougarPounce were getting their warrior ceremony.

"May all those old enough to watch the sun set and the evening rise, gather below the boulder for a clan meeting!" CrowStar yowled. Even elders, queens, and kittens were gathering now. "MountianPaw...step forward..." CrowStar muttered. The white speckled tom stepped forward with a proud smile, his muscles slightly tensing. You stand before your Clan, your moon, your sun, and your ancestors. You have reached the proper age of twelve moons, and I shall grant you your warrior ceremony. You have done well with your training you are a very proud warrior MountianPaw. Therefore, I grant you the name MountianCreek...Now I know it is not tradition, but this moon is the moon of a gathering...which means you will be attending our gathering tonight...as well as DawnPaw...step forward" CrowStar began. The small torbie she-cat stepped forward slowly, with her muscles slightly bunched. "You also stand before your Clan, your moon, your sun, and your ancestors. You have also reached the proper age of twelve moons, and I shall grant you your warrior ceremony. You have done well with your training; you are a highly skilled warrior DawnPaw. Therefore, I grant you the name DawnThorn..." CrowStar bowed his head.

"DawnThorn! MountianCreek!" FogPaw chanted. CrowStar jumped off the rock and rasped his tongue over the young warrior's heads. Each of the apprentices licked shoulder as a sign of respect.

"Warriors Move out! Queens, Kits, and elders must stay in camp! BlackBird you stay here and guard camp with MumbleStripe, AspenBranch, CherryFlame, GooseChatter and FogPaw and HoundPaw..." CrowStar ordered, the said warriors stayed in camp while the rest padded out of camp to travel to Fourtrees. As MountianCreek was about to enter the hollow to Fourtrees, the same dark-furred she-cat was traveling to Fourtrees, she stopped and locked eyes with the tom. A few others were behind her as her ears flicked and she dashed off the opposite way. MountianPaw raced after her with confusion.

"Wait up!" He yowled and dashed off after her. He finally was able to catch up to her and tumbled underneath her.

"Stop chasing me and maybe I will!" She growled, rolling off him with a sigh.

"What are you doing here anyways isn't your territory near carrion place?" MountianCreek raised a brow.

"I don't just live in carrion place you know...I also live in high stones near mothermouth..." She rasped her tongue over her paw and draped it over her ear.

"Wait...High stones...? Mothermouth?! Your apart of QuailSpot's Clan!?" MountianCreek snapped.

"Yeah...?" She shrugged.

"Of course! How could I be so gullible!?" MountianCreek hissed to himself and dashed away, leaving a confused she-cat. MountianCreek padded into the Fourtrees hollow, talking amongst the prophecy cats, TurtleJaw, HollowWood, HawkTail, and VampireTooth.

"Any more dreams?" TurtleJaw asked.

"I did..." MountianCreek sighed. He began telling the four cats about his dream, in the cave, when he was submerged by water, once he came up by shore, he was greeted by beautiful looking crystals in this huge cave with a waterfall. In the dream he escaped the cavern and saw a beautiful clearing with so many cats there.

"I'm not sure if its real...but if it is...I want to set a journey with the four of us and find it..." MountianCreek protested.

"Are you out of your mind?! I am not going to some "maybe real" cave that we do not even know where it is!?" VampireTooth growled.

"We can ask around!" TurtleJaw suggested.

"Ask around?! Who is seen some dark cave you almost drowned in with a waterfall and crystals that look like the MoonStone?!" VampireTooth rolled her eyes with a growl.

"Maybe Marble's seen it? Or AspenBranch? He has been around for longer than CrowStar and he's not even an elder" MountianCreek asked.

"Fine...But just know if it isn't real I'm not going...and if it is...I won't like it..." VampireTooth huffed.

"If it isn't real then neither of us are going...and I didn't expect you to like it..." MountianCreek smirked. "We meet here by next full moon...And DawnThorn will be coming with us..." MountianCreek ordered.

"Cats of all clans! We gather here today on this half-moon to discuss our great fear of the forest! As well all know...QuailSpots is back...and is taking over the forest piece by piece...They already have taken over Crest's clan and forced them to leave...She has asked each clan to help her in this battle...this battle...will be a life-or-death situation...We meet at the barn with Crest's clan in less than 5 days...that will be enough time to train..." CrowStar ordered.

"We all should agree...yes it may be other clan's problems but soon he'll take over our clan..." HopeStar nodded as well as ReedStar and FinchStar.

"Very well..." CrowStar nodded. Clouds began to override the moon, meaning the gathering was ending, every leader was gathering every warrior and heading back to their own camp. MountianCreek was talking with the rest of the prophecy cats before they all headed home.

"We'll fight in battle...then meet back here a day before the next half-moon..." MountianCreek nodded. The other five seemed to agree, then trotted back to join their own clan.