Warriors: War of the Clans - Darkness

Chapter 5

Lion leaped to her paws. Standing on the hay pile next to them was a golden­-brown tom. His feet were white, and his black face was puzzled. Splattered along his pelt were patches of darker brown. His tail was black with a white tail tip, perked up with curiosity.

"Who are you?" He repeated. His brown eyes held no hostility.

Lion's companions leaped to their feet, standing next to her. "We're sorry," Lion apologized. "We didn't realize this was your barn. We'll leave right away." Lion started towards the entrance, but the tom held his tail in front.

"You don't have to leave. It's not even my barn! Wait here, I'll go get you three some mice. You look half starved!" The tom bounded off the hay, trotting into the darkness. Lion nervously padded back to Cheetah and Magpie.

"Should we stay?" She asked them.

"I think he's trustworthy," Cheetah admitted. Magpie didn't respond. His short, ragged fur had done nothing to protect him from the cold, and he was starving as well, so he didn't respond, only whimpered and shivered. Cheetah curled up around him, helping warm the young tom up. Lion looked at Magpie, deciding it was better to just wait here rather than going back out into the blizzard.

It wasn't long before the tom came back with six mice. He gave two mice to each cat, then sat down and curled his tail over his paws, patiently waiting for them to finish.

When they had all finished and groomed, he stood up. "My names Dog. What's yours?" He asked brightly.

Lion glanced at the other two. "My name is Lion."

Cheetah dipped her head. "I'm Cheetah, and this is Magpie." The tom looked a bit better after the mice, and he looked up at Dog warily."Cool!" He glanced at the entrance as a draft of cold air blew in. He shivered. "Follow me, this isn't a real good place to rest." He waited patiently as Magpie staggered to his feet, helped by Cheetah. Lion followed closely behind Dog, ready if this was a trick. Dog led them past piles of hay, some with sleeping cats on them.

No other cat was awake at this time, only Dog and the three newcomers. Dog stopped at one of the hay piles, leaping up in two bounds. Lion hopped

up next to him, while Cheetah helped Magpie scramble up. Dog pulled out some hay from the pile, and made three nests. The three were too exhausted to do anything but thank him then flop down on the hay. Dog leaped to the hay pile next to them, which held his own nest.

Lion closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep. <|.........|>

"Why did you take them in here?!"

Lion awoke to a strange, harsh voice of a she­cat.

"Well... they were hungry and cold. I can't just leave them out there to die, Okapi!"

Dog. He was standing up for them.

"Yes you could! You don't know them. It wouldn't have made a difference." That she­cat

must be Okapi.

"I know them! Thats Lion, thats Magpie, and thats Cheetah!"

Another voice snorted. Another she­cat. "You know their names. Who knows, they might

be from Dreaded Night, sent here to kill us all in our sleep!"

"Then they would've done that last night, right?" Dog reasoned.

"They don't know where we all sleep. Thats why they didn't strike!"

"You're crazy, Flame!" Dog called the second she Flame.

Lion had enough of this. She opened her golden eyes and sat up, claws sliding in and out. Dog and the strange she­cats were arguing on Dog's hay pile. Lion twisted her head around to see a brown she­cat with white legs and black paws and a black tail tip. Next to her was a white she­cat with different shades of orange splashed over her, as well as one leg different shades of brown.

The brown she­cat noticed Lion. She nudged the she next to her, and they looked at her. The brown she­cat had brown eyes, while the other had sky blue eyes. They glared at Liony gleaming in their eyes.

"So, why are you here?" The white she snarled.

Lion flicked her tail tip nervously. "We only wanted shelter for the night. We will go if you want."

The two she­cats leaped onto Lion's hay pile.

"We didn't ask you to go," the brown she­cat hissed.

Lion was getting annoyed with these two. "Listen, I'll do what you want, okay? I don't

mean to intrude."

The two shes narrowed their eyes, and then, with a huff, whipped around, slapping Lion

in the face with their tails. They leaped off of her hay pile and stalked outside. Dog jumped over, looking harassed. "I'm sorry about Okapi and Flame."

"Which ones which?" Inquired Lion.

"The brown she­cat is Okapi. Flame is the white one with all that orange on her." He sighed. "They're pretty suspicious of anyone. Not of me, of course. I've lived here my entire life. They're only suspicious of new arrivals, like you and your friends."

Cheetah sat up and yawned, as did Magpie. Lion looked over at her friends. Where will we go? She thought.

"You can live here," Dog told her, as if he had read her mind.

Lion jumped. "What? They didn't seem to like us. At all."

Dog snorted. "Okapi and Flame are nice cats. Just give them time to warm up."

Lion frowned. "Well, seeing as we have nowhere else..." She sighed, glancing back at Cheetah.

Cheetah nodded to her encouragingly. Lion looked back at Dog, determination lighting her golden gaze.

"Where can we sleep?"

<|......|>

Tiger led Fox through the dark tunnels. Immediately after their conversation, Tiger had offered to take Fox to the underground river she had told him about. Once they arrived, Tiger settled on a low ledge that overhung the river.

"I really only can show you," she began uncertainly. Fox sat down next to the ledge, curling his tail over his paws. He pricked his ears attentively.

"So, you put your paw into the water, and when a fish brushes it..." She pulled her paw out, a fish stuck in her claws.

Fox frowned, looking into the water. "Why don't you just flick your paw in and catch it? I can see them; there must be a small crack where light can get through." He looked up, seeing that there was a crack.

Tiger looked down at her paws and mumbled something.

Fox blinked. "What?"

She looked up. "I- I can't see."

<|......|>

Lion, Magpie, and Cheetah followed Dog out of the barn. There, Lion was astounded by what she saw.

The barnyard was covered in many strange creatures. Some looked like fluffy white clouds, while others were pink with stubby legs. Some were large birds, with large feathers and beaks.

Dog looked back at us, eyes bright. "Welcome to the barn."