Chapter 40

30 1 0
                                    

Flowerblaze stood in shock as the monster passed over Nightclaw. Flowerblaze had just narrowly avoided the monster’s huge, crushing paws as Nightclaw pushed her out of the way. Now Nightclaw was huddled in a tiny black pile, looking weak and fragile.

Suddenly, to her shock, Nightclaw stood up, shook out her fur, and padded calmly towards the other side, staring at the two she-cats without a trace of pain in her eyes.

“You thought I was dead?” Nightclaw asked. “You’ve underestimated me. I wouldn’t ever give my life for others. If I didn’t know I would survive that, Flowerblaze would be dead.” Nightclaw turned to Flowerblaze. “Next time you might not be so lucky. Run when we tell you to. Not later.” She whisked away under a small bush beside the mountains and settled down. Flowerblaze exchanged a relieved glance with Poppyleaf before they settled down to sleep.

Flowerblaze awoke to the sun high in the sky, shedding its rays down across the mountains. Nightclaw was padding back and forth, and Poppyleaf was still asleep.

Flowerblaze yawned, letting the warm light nuzzle her. The mountains towered above them, and Flowerblaze wondered how they could have possibly made it to the top of them once before.

“We’re going to take the easy way!” Nightclaw yowled, startling Flowerblaze and making Poppyleaf jump up, calico fur fluffed up.

Nightclaw stared at all of them. “The last way took too long. It took a whole moon to get out of that forest, you know. We’ll follow the tunnel up to the top of the mountain again, and then view which way is the best way to get back. Sound easy?”

Flowerblaze and Poppyleaf blinked.

“Good. Let’s go.” Nightclaw flicked her black tail and headed forward into the dark tunnel ahead.

Flowerblaze found herself directly behind Nightclaw. Clearly Poppyleaf didn’t trust her to not get lost in a daze again and get lost. But nearly getting hit by a monster brought Flowerblaze to her senses once more.

Not even Poppyleaf complained on how their paws ached from walking for so long and far. The trip seemed to be longer than Flowerblaze recalled. Flowerblaze let out a sigh, trying to tell Nightclaw she wanted to rest. Her depression was making her tired.

Nightclaw shot a glare back at Flowerblaze, only her deep blue eyes visible. Then she turned up the trail and hiked on.

Flowerblaze looked over her shoulder at Poppyleaf. The poor calico she-cat’s deep blue eyes were tired and dry. Her ginger spots were faintly visible, and her white parts were nearly glowing.

“Go ahead,” Flowerblaze urged. “I don’t want you to get left behind.”

Poppyleaf didn’t answer, just kept staggering on.

It had seemed like forever until they saw light. Flowerblaze began to feel lightweight and happy, and began nudging on Poppyleaf with new strength. Poppyleaf seemed to gather power as well, not needing Flowerblaze’s prods. Nightclaw’s outline became visible again, and the three were on top of the highest mountain, looking over the empty plains with stars dotting the sky above.

Looking down a familiar crater, Flowerblaze could still see tufts of golden fur and blood from when Nightclaw had brutally killed Lion, claws slashing straight through his throat. The vicious killer was now one of Flowerblaze’s good friends, and although she had a short temper and could kill at any moment, Flowerblaze highly respected her.

At the beginning, Poppyleaf was a whiny, annoying brat. Now she was able to cope- not entirely, but just enough.

And Flameheart… Flowerblaze shook her head, stopping tears from rolling down her cheeks. It was Flameheart who had fallen for Lion’s tricks, which had lead them up here, where Nightclaw could observe the safest way to go. Although she’d never admit it to Nightclaw, Lion was one of the most important parts of the journey.

Deep Blue Eyes-- a warriors fanfic (completed story!)Where stories live. Discover now