Warriors: War of the Clans - Darkness

Chapter 8

Fox restlessly paced the tunnels. Tiger flicked her tail tip with concern. He had been acting odd ever since he met those two shes. It was almost like something was pulling him, and he was trying to hold on, but the tug was too strong. Finally, Fox growled and plopped down.

"What's wrong?" Tiger asked for the millionth time.

"Nothing, I told you." Same answer. But something was obviously up.

Tiger sighed, settling next to him. "You can tell me, you know."

Fox took a deep breath. "I really don't know. It started when I helped those two clan cats out."

Tiger frowned. You never mentioned that they were Clan cats before, she thought.

"It's like... something is calling me. I don't know what."

An idea struck Tiger, even though she didn't like it. "Maybe you should go. This darkness is enough to make anyone to insane."

Fox turned his alarm gaze to her. "I don't want to leave!"

Tiger smiled sadly. "I don't want you to leave either. But maybe you should spend some time outside. Trust me," she added when he shuffled his paws uncertainly. "It'll help."

Fox nodded. "Alright. You've convinced me." He pushed himself to his paws. "I'll be back before sunhigh."

Tiger let out a sigh as she scented Fox leaving. "I hope so."

<|....|>

Fox raced through the tunnels, following his memory to the nearest exit. He burst out of the tunnels and took a deep breath of fresh air. Joy filled through him.

I had no idea I missed this so much! He thought. He opened his mouth to scent his surroundings when he froze.

The scent he smelled wasn't prey or neutral forest. It was ThunderClan.

<|.....|>

Lion stalked out of the barn, the funeral for Shade still ringing in her ears. No one else had known Shade, so she was the only one speaking about him. Lynx, a young gray kit with a stubby tail, had comforted her and helped her bury Shade.

She shook off her grief. She had a job to do. She leaped over a fence and tasted the air.

She remembered their encounter with the Clan cats. As quietly as a mouse, she leaped off the fence and stalked through the grass.

As she crossed into Clan territory, she scented the air. A fresh scent told her a patrol had just passed. Reassured, she stalked deeper into Clan territory, finally reaching the giant tree she, Cheetah, and Magpie hid behind.

We came straight into this tree when running, Lion recalled. She took a left, heading away from the lake and farther into the heart of the Clan territory. She wasn't as worried about being caught by Clan cats. Worst case scenario, they would seriously wound her, and she would have to abandon the mission. Best case, they would merely warn her off.

Still, it was easier to breathe when she crossed into the short strip of neutral territory between the Clan and Dreaded Night. Here she stopped.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. All I need to do is race in there, unbury whatever it is, and get out. With that, she plunged back into the territory of Dreaded Night.

Her heart raced. It felt as loud as thunder, and she was almost certain any cats on alert could hear it.

After what seemed to be a lifetime, she finally stopped in front of her old den. She tasted the air to make sure no other cats had moved in, even though the sun had only moved a quarter. Thankfully, she scented nothing. She started looking around for a place to bury something.

Her eyes fell on a spot on the ground. It was heavily scent marked with Shade's scent. Lion bounded over to the spot and madly started digging.

She stopped when she struck a scrap of fur. Her heart leapt into her throat.

This is it, she thought. She bent down to pull it out.

It was a twoleg thing. It was like what they wore, except it was a long strip of that material. She recalled, on the farm, seeing it wrapped around a twoleg's neck. She gripped it tightly in her teeth, and raced off, every moment spent in Dreaded Night making her more anxious and nervous.

When she finally burst out of Dreaded Night, she felt as if a boulder had lifted off her chest. Lion took a deep breath, thankful to be out.

The rest of her journey was uneventful. She passed through Clan territory without a hitch, and easily made it back to the barn. Once she reached the barn fences, she veered towards the lake to wash off the dirty twoleg object. She forced her way through the ice, and dipped it in the cold water. The dirt washed off easily, taking only a few scrapes to get the rest of the dirt off. When she pulled it out of the water, it was clean, but soaking wet. She carried it back to the barn to dry it off.

The other barn cats watched her sympathetically. They stepped out of her way, knowing she would want to be alone.

Lion reached the large red barn. She nosed the door open and padded to her nest. She carefully laid the soaking strip of fur by her bed. She pricked her ears, hearing paw steps behind her.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Lynx asked quietly. Lion turned to see the three-moon old kit standing in the entrance to the barn.

"Yes-" Lion replied, the word catching in her throat. "I did."

Lynx padded up and sat next to her. He was silent for a while before saying, "That's a scarf."

"A what?"

"A scarf. Mud told me about it." Mud was another barn cat. She was brown spotted with lighter brown spots.

Lion looked down at the soaking wet "scarf". "Scarf seems like a good name for it."

Lynx nodded. "It kinda sounds like a name a twoleg would give a kittypet."

Lion smiled weakly at Lynx's comment. "Yeah. I suppose so."

Lynx sat with her for a while before he gave a huge yawn that broke his silence. "I'm going to sleep. You should too. It might dry in the morning."

Lion glanced at him. "Y'know, you're pretty smart for a kit."

Lynx gave his chest a few licks to hide his embarrassment. "I like to know stuff." With that, he set off to his nest deeper in the barn.

Lion looked down at the scarf. I should get to sleep, she thought to herself. Tomorrow is a new day. Maybe something good'll happen if I get a good sleep. Lion yawned widely, then settled down in her nest, eyes fixed on the scarf. She drifted off to sleep, her mind clear, nestled in the warm hay.