Runaway [Warriors Fanfiction]

P R O L O G U E

"Snowflower! Behind you!" A small, light gray tom yowled at his white-furred companion, bounding towards her while swiftly evading the writhing bodies of sparring cats.

Snowflower whirled around to catch sight of a battle-scarred calico she-cat lunging at her with bared fangs. She dodged to the left and raced for her comrade, not bothering to look behind her to see if her adversary was continuing to pursue. Panting heavily, she paused when she reached the tom, a small wave of relief washing over her.

"Pebblestorm!" She replied. "Where's Rainwing and Runningbriar?"

He shook his head, amber eyes wide. "I don't know––" he was briefly interrupted as he batted away a young assailant who had latched herself onto his tail, "Runningbriar said they were going to defend the Owl Family with you while I got reinforcements."

"He said that? I haven't seen them," Snowflower responded, glancing around wildly.

Pebblestorm frowned, then turned to rake his claws down the side of a nearby tabby. "They may have fallen back to hide the wounded."

"Perhaps. Did you get backup?"

"Yes," he answered, "Team Flood is on its way. They got held up around the Shrew Family den. Something about old Starling's illness."

The white feline shook her head, stepping around a burly black tom only to send him reeling away with a sharp kick to his jaw. "They better hurry. The Owls can't last much longer."

"You and I will have to hold off LichenClan until they get here," the small tom mewed with a sigh.

Snowflower smirked, sudden excitement illuminating her crystalline blue irises. "Sounds like a plan."

The duo exchanged nods and glances of determination before parting ways and leaping into the throng of thrashing cats.

Snowflower slid under the belly of a pretty tortoiseshell and propelled herself upward with powerful haunches, catapulting her extended front legs forward while she brutally slid her claws down the soft exposed flesh. The enemy she-cat released a screech of agony and scrambled to flee the warrior's grasp. Swiping her paw against the ground to clean away the blood, she raised her head to examine the battlefield.

Crimson liquid stained the air, tainting everything from the matted grass to the whiskers of ravenous rivals. Several motionless bodies littered the clearing, providing obstacles for the remaining cats to fight around. Snowflower's opponents outnumbered her associates two to one, yet her morale was far from dropping. In the distance, the caterwaul of incoming aid rang out. Team Flood had arrived.

Pebblestorm gazed up from his easy scuffle with an oversized prey hoarder to take in the sight of a tall, dark gray tom followed by the silhouettes of four others.

"Team Flood!" He called out in satisfaction while simultaneously skidding his claws across the muzzle of an unwanted brown tom. "Coalclaw! Come quick!"

The familiar warrior joined him at his side. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"I don't know, and Snowflower doesn't either," Pebblestorm returned, a twinge of concern tarnishing his voice.

"You need to locate them while you still have the strength," Coalclaw told him. When Pebblestorm visibly hesitated, he yowled, "Go! We've got this!"

The small cat dipped his head. "Thank you. I appreciate it." Spinning, he scanned the area in search of his other companion. "Snowflower!"

The white she-cat finished up her skirmish with a russet tom and shook blood away from her mouth. Pebblestorm flicked his tail to indicate their new objective. With a nod of her head, she bolted across the clearing, following him away from the action and into the placid forest.

"Can you pick up their scent?" Snowflower asked, her nose tilted towards the treetops.

Pebblestorm parted his jaw and inhaled. "I think so... but it's hard to tell them apart from all the other cats."

The two continued their hunt, stopping at every scent to see if it was their missing comrades. After seemingly endless searching, Snowflower halted at a feeble sapling.

"I think I found something!" She exclaimed, examining a chunk of dark gray fur that was plastered between the seedling's delicate branches. "That tuft reeks of Rainwing."

"You're right!" Pebblestorm mewed after giving it a sniff.

They trotted onward, following the scattered trail of scent and scraps of fur through the ever-thickening moonlit forest. After what seemed like seasons of walking, the duo approached a bubbling stream that wound its way across a sand-strewn bank. But the tumbling flow of water ran scarlet.

Snowflower gasped and rushed toward the limp body of her fallen teammate. Pebblestorm followed suit, staring indignantly down at the brown-and-black patched tom at his feet.

"Runningbriar..."

"Rainwing!" Snowflower choked out beside him, gazing upon a slender gray tabby she-cat. She raised her anguish-filled eyes to meet Pebblestorm's raging amber ones. "They're... dead."

"Who could've done this?" The white she-cat breathed.

Pebblestorm shook his head, senses going numb. They were lifeless––Rainwing and Runningbriar––torn to shreds by some vicious monstrosity and left to drift along the stream. Left to drift out of existence.

As he mourned his allies' demise, Snowflower's shrill cry sliced through the air.

"Watch out!"

A cat, no more visible than a shadow, exploded through the treeline and across the darkened current. Its silhouette soared across the night sky, momentarily blocking the light of the moon. In that moment of darkness, its two outstretched legs slashed its claws along the throats of the petrified partners.

Blood welled in their wounds. Their breath hitched. In a dizzying heartbeat of pain and bewilderment, Snowflower and Pebblestorm collapsed into the water, side-by-side with their conquered companions.