Beyond the Mountains | A Warrior Cats Fanfiction

꧁ ✧ Chapter 39 ✧ ꧂

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She heard a gentle rustling of leaves, and lifted her head, blinking with a sleepy expression. Pouncepaw looked at her in alarm.

''Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.'' He said, after dropping a plump vole in front of her nest.

''Its fine.'' She mumured, the hair along her spine flattening along with her ears as she yawned.

''Thank you, for this.'' She nodded at the vole.

''No problem, I thought you might like warm breakfast.'' He smiled, turning to leave.

''Do you have to go?'' She pricked her ears. He nodded.

''I have border patrol. Sorry, I'll come visit you afterwards, though.'' He promised.

''Okay... have fun, and thanks again. That's really kind of you.'' She said appreciatively of his kind gesture.

''Of course. Goodbye, Willowdawn.'' He ducked his head to squeeze through the fern tunnel.

''Goodbye, Pouncepaw.'' She smiled for a moment, before turning to her vole. It was still warm. She tucked in, relishing its soft musty taste. She finished it off, licking her chops pleasurably. She looked around for Ravenshade. She must be out. She works so hard. She doesn't get enough credit. She thought to herself.

She heard another rustle, and looked up, expecting Ravenshade, but was met with excited amber eyes. Wolfkit. She grinned, flattening her ears and leaning forward to touch noses with the kit. Dawnheart followed him inside, looking cautiously around.

''Greetings, Dawnheart. How are you?'' She dressed the queen more formally. Dawnheart looked flustered.

''I'm doing well, thank you. How are your wounds? Is Ravenshade taking good enough care of you?'' She asked quickly.

''I'm doing ok, actually, and Ravenshade is taking very good care of me, thank you for being so thoughtful as to pay me a visit. It's a bit boring in here, I'm afraid, Wolfkit.'' She said in a sad tone to Wolfkit, who was sniffing around the den. Dawnheart straightened up, clearing her throat.

''Wolfkit.'' She said through gritted teeth. He looked up, and licked his chops at her tone, but bounded over happily. Dawnheart raised a brow as he sat politely in front of her.

''We wanted to formally thank you for saving Wolfkit's life, which he owes to you. We will be forever grateful, and if there's anything we can ever do to return the favour we won't hesitate. Will we, Wolfkit?'' He said sternly to the young tom, who had began daydreaming, looking at a spiderweb on the dirt wall. He looked up suddenly.

''Yes. Thank you Willowdawn.'' He said, dipping his head, looking back up at her with owl eyes, brightly peering at her as if she was a hero. She purred in amusement at the little tom's funky personality.

''It was worth it. I would do it all again.'' She had already grown fond of him, since they first met. Dawnheart sighed, smiling at him. She breathed in strongly, straightening up again.

''Well, we don't want to bother you. We'll be on our way now.''

''Awwh.'' Complained Wolfkit.

''Come on, you can come see her again later.'' She said firmly, turning towards the exit. ''Goodbye, Willowdawn. Say goodbye Wolfkit.'' She chided.

''Bye Willowdawn!'' He meowed, bouncing on his toes.

''Goodbye Wolfkit, Dawnheart. See you soon.'' She smiled softly, yawning again.

The poppy seeds hadn't quite worn off yet. She rested her head onto the rim of her nest, sighing and closing her eyes. Her dreams were alive, bouncing and running at full speed, and her heart raced with the excitement, adrenaline making her legs tingle, but she was too fast asleep to move, only the subtle twitching of her eyelids were the only telltale sign. She ran over the mountain scape with her best friend.

A faint rustle disturbed her. It was Tansyleap, the crisp bedding crunching under her paws. Willowdawn lifted her head, looking at her with a warm look in her eyes. Tansyleap stood inside the den, just to the side of the entrance. Willowdawn noticed the evening sunlight dappling through the leaves, a gentle wind shifting the tiny branches against each other. It was warm, the light golden. Her senses were on high alert, and she didn't know why. She looked back at Tansyleap, who seemed to have an excited yet controlled gaze, her eyes beaming at her. Willowdawn blinked, wondering if she was imagining it. She wasn't. She wondered what she could be so pleased about. She was about to ask, when her ears swivelled around to a slight shift of weight outside the den.

''You have a visitor, Willowdawn.'' Tansyleap spoke very softly, stepping slightly to the side, a beam of sunlight flashing into the den. Willowdawn pricked her ears in understanding. Another visitor, thats all. She brought her paws up to her chest again, and raised her head expectantly, ready to greet whoever had come to visit her.

The camp felt deathly quiet as the stranger emerged through the fern tunnel, though she felt she could hear a ladybug walking up a stem, she could only focus on the tiny sounds inside the medicine den, and just outside it. The world seemed to be holding its breath. But she didn't notice. A golden paw emerged, followed by a faintly striped leg. Then, a paler golden chest.

She narrowed her eyes, the sunrise light making the rim of the figure bright, with the body of the cat dark. The silhouette made it hard to work out much detail, and identify the cat. A pair of eyes shone from the shade of the silhouette. She tilted her crown, not recognising the pair of orbs immediately. She thought she would have been able to recognise everyone in the clan by now. Golden amber eyes stared into hers. She unsteadily got up from her nest, standing in the soft moss.

Those eyes. She breathed in slowly, softly taking a step back. She knew where she had last seen such eyes. She didn't want to believe it, incase it was a dream. The eyes seemed to read her expression, and seemed stare harder into her heart, willing her to believe it. She sucked in a breath as the figure emerged, a sturdy, handsome tomcat. A sight for sore eyes. He had broad shoulders, a muscular pelt with a stern but remorseful gaze, pelt adorned in scars, including a scar snaking under his eye, which reminded her of a sick cat she had swiped at moons and moons ago, while protecting Sunny. She stood, tense. She didn't blink as he came closer, his eyes locked onto hers. Everything around her blurred out, and she could only hear her own eccentric breathing, and see his soft orbs. She exhaled sharply, her legs trembling. He stood, just a whisker-length from her face. She stared into his eyes, searching them.

''Dandelion?''

The end.