Warriors- Rise of the Guardians

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Blinking, Tigerstar awoke to muffled yowls. One by one, they were cut off, and thuds followed soon after. His neck fur bristled. Sensing danger, Tigerstar stretched briefly and padded out of his den, spotting his two door guards in an intense battle with two other bigger and stronger cats. He could see that they were depending plainly on their agility to dodge their attacks and deliver weak blows.

What in the name of Starclan was going on?

Silently, he approached Knightmare’s cage, his mind whirling. These cats had to be sent by Yakon, or his dark self. They were bigger, stronger and darker.

Furious, he summoned his second-in-command, a loyal and strong warrior from Shadowclan. “Tigerstrike. We are under attack.” As he was speaking, he glanced towards the cage, and saw that Knightmare was still there, snarling while pacing back and forth. “I need you to search for Kougar and make sure she’s safe.” 

Tigerstrike nodded once, and then disappeared. Rules from below did not apply to Tigerstar and his clan, and that was how Tigerstrike could flash. Even though Tigerstrike was a warrior, alive and healthy, from the real world, Tigerstar had admired his strength and loyalty, thus recruiting him. Now, he bore two tattoos, one on each foot.  

Just as Tigerstar stepped into Knightmare’s chamber, Tigerstrike appeared suddenly, barreling into the larger cat. He reeked of anxiety.

Tigerstar’s heart plummeted, his eyes flashing to a sinister shade of gold.

“Tigerstar, I’m sorry. I saw her, I swear I tried to catch her, but there were two huge cats and I- she disappeared-I didn’t know-I swear-”

Tigerstar placed a comforting tail on the young warriors shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault, Tigerstrike. Calm down.”

The striped tom’s head lowered, his tail falling to the ground. “But I could have saved her. Her eyes-they were so wide, and she was calling out for you, and I-I’m sorry, so sorry.”

Tigerstar whimpered. She called out for him? A part of him cracked and fell to the ground. She had called for him; and where was he? Sleeping, so soundly. Too soundly. He should felt her fear, should have been awake, taking care of her. He should have been by her side, protecting her.

And now she was gone. 

A yowl tore from his throat. A yowl so heartbroken, so pained, that even Tigerstrike whimpered. Tigerstar slashed at the ground, his claws searing deep marks in the soil. When he got her back, he was never going to let her go.

“I’ll find you!” He yowled, a promise to both himself and Kougar.

Then he disappeared.

 --

Wolfpaw’s eyes were bleak as he padded back to his nest, curling his tail over his eyes as he settled down to sleep. His life was over. Over. He didn’t ask for this. He didn’t want this kind of life. He didn’t sign up be a guardian, and he didn’t want to get all those visions in his sleep.

And most of all, he wanted to forget Thunderpaw. He wanted to forget the almost dreamy look in her eyes when he spoke to her, the way she wouldn’t meet his gaze when he got close to her. He wanted to forget the way she smelled, a very unique scent he couldn’t identify. Just thinking about her made his heart throb. He wouldn’t deny it any longer.

He missed Thunderpaw, more than he had ever missed his parents, whom he had never known. He wanted her back in Thunderclan. She was the only cat who had ever made him feel special. The way her eyes lit up when she caught him approaching was like toxic. He had to see that look again, even if it was just once more.

I miss you, Thunderpaw. Do you miss me too?

He would give anything to see her again. He couldn’t go on like this, with Moonpaw pestering him, the other apprentices giving him pitying looks. He didn’t need their pity. Didn’t want it. Lately he’d been bad tempered, snappish, and even rude to the elders. Shame swept through him. 

If only Thunderpaw could come back...

He sighed with wonder.

She would have made it all better.

--

Thunderpaw blinked rapidly.

Where was she? Why was she here? Why was everything so white?

“Thunder? Are you awake? Holy snow, Aqua! Get your furry ass here, now! Thunder’s awake!”

The voice was loud and cheerful.

“How’d you know she’s Thunder? She might be Leaves, for all we know.”

Another voice, but from further away.

“Dude, she’s grey! Are leaves grey? No!”

“What? So what if she’s grey! Thunder ain’t grey either!” 

Who were they talking about? Thunderpaw’s head spun as she struggled to keep her eyes open. The blinding white stung her eyes, and she groaned.

“She’s awake! Quick, get her some water.”

A moment later, something was poking at her mouth, and she cowered away, her paws rising to beat it away. 

“Don’t! Drink it. It’ll help, I swear.”

Help? Yes, anything to banish this unpleasant headache.

Thunderpaw let her lower jaw drop and swallowed as icy water slid down her parched throat. Wonderful.

Energy seemed to blast through her veins, pumping her with power. She felt as if she could lift a whole mountain. “What’s that?” She blurted, surprised that her voice came out so strong. 

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just some kind of weird water that Boomer made. The pow-wow, as he calls it.”

Thunderpaw giggled. “Who’s Boomer?”

“He’s Fire. Oh god. I forgot to introduce myself! Oh nooo… Pardon me. I’m Frost, Guardian of snow. That tom over there,” Frost angled her head to her right, “is Aqua, Guardian of water. The others aren’t here, though.”

Thunderpaw’s jaw dropped. So she wasn’t the only guardian? Her shoulders suddenly felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “There are others?” Her voice was filled with excitement. Frost nodded her head, settling down on the snow.

“The Great Feline has sensed danger, loads of it. It has summoned three more cat guardians. Now there are a total of six. You’re one of them. Thunder, right?”

Thunderpaw was silent. She didn’t know what she was. 

“Oh no; Aqua!” Frost called.

A large male cat sauntered over, his tail swishing. “What?”

“Thundy here doesn’t know her element.”  

“What! Why? That’s…”

Aqua and Frost exchanged a weird look that Thunderpaw couldn’t understand.

“That’s so fun!” They chorused, nudging her along. Before long, she saw where they were headed. A huge stone slab stood in the middle, tendrils of plant stems snaking along the stone cracks. Thunderpaw blinked, her head spinning. It looked like some kind of sacrifice altar. What was wrong with her? Why was she going to be sacrificed?

Thunderpaw glanced down at herself; and screeched.

Why was her previous yellow-orange pelt now a beautiful shade of gray, with white stripes running along her flank?