Legacy: Timeless (Book 2)

Chapter 51: Avenging

Chapter 51: Avenging

Scorch coughed, her mouth coated with dust and the smell of dirt filling her lungs. Lifting her head, she looked around the dark cave she'd fallen into. Dust obscured the light, tossed into the air by the landslide, just a little golden light shone through the hole high above her head.

Coughing some more, Scorch lurched to her paws, pulling herself out of the loose dirt that covered her and shaking her rumpled pelt, stumbling onto the cave floor. The ground was cold and ridged; the scent of wet stone mixing startlingly with the dusty dirt. Scorch shivered, it was much colder down here, she could feel it pressing down on her warm pelt.

Wait, where is- She spun around, recalling that she was not the only one to have the misfortune of falling down here. Regarding the heap of dirt that towered above her almost to the ceiling of the cave, Scorch wondered if it would have been possible that he had died in the fall. No, that would be too easy.

Circling around the dirt pile, she came upon the tyrannical leader- his back legs pinned beneath the pile and his eyes were closed. A gash to his head showed that he had hit his head on a rock. Scorch shifted on her paws, her own body felt like it had been used in a game of moss-ball by a bunch of kits. But she supposed was lucky it was no worse than that.

Peering down a black tunnel that led away from the cavern, she couldn't make out a thing and when she sniffed the air, it just brought the promise of cold, wet rock. There were two other tunnels that all smelled the same as the first tunnel. Scorch sat down when she realized she was shaking, she needed to get out of here, but how? The pile of dirt wasn't high enough for her to get out through the top and she could easily get lost down here on her own.

She startled to her paws at the sound of groaning and realized Pinefur was waking up. Nervously, she glanced back as he raised his head and shook it groggily. His green eyes opened and split the darkness, but they were dull with pain and Scorch felt guilty. He was suffering and trapped, should she not try to help him?

And maybe he would know how to get out- since she was pretty sure they had fallen into one of the tunnels that ran between ThunderClan and WindClan territory. Cautiously, she padded over to stand in front of him. He looked up, using his forepaws to prop him up. But they slipped on the stone, sending his chin slamming against the hard floor.

Scorch flinched at his hiss of pain. "D-do you need help?" she asked, cursing her voice for being so small and tiny. She hadn't sounded like that above ground a few minutes before. But that was when she had been in a familiar place with a place to escape to, now she was trapped and needed help from a murderer. A murderer who had killed two of her precious friends.

Pinefur glared upward and she took a step back. "No," he growled curtly. He grunted as he tried to pull himself out, his front claws scratching on the floor.

"You have an injury on your head," Scorch mumbled, the blood was dripping onto the dusty floor, turning the dirt a deep crimson. Pinefur looked at her blankly. "There are no herbs down here, but you should clean it," Scorch mewed, more sure of herself.

Pinefur snorted and shook his head, "I thought I said I didn't want your help."

"So you did, but I have no reason to value your opinion," Scorch responded tartly. "I want to make a deal with you," she added, crouching down in front of him so that they were level.

"And that would be?" Pinefur's tone was still hostile, but his gaze was marred with pain.

"I'll help you get out of that and tend to your wounds. And you lead me out of the tunnels. Of course, we won't attack each other until we get out," Scorch mewed.