Rising Storm [Warriors: Lakefront Sagas Introductory]

•Chapter Two•

The air felt thick and heavy. Scorchpaw felt his heart beating faster than a vole running for its life, with terror and anger filling his entire body. It felt foreign, yet so familiar to him. He looked around wildly, and all he could see were cats fighting each other. Some of whom he recognised; others he did not. Despite the fighting, however, he heard nothing.

Just then, he felt compelled to look in front of him, and he could see a shadowed figure standing ominously. Menacingly. He couldn't see them. There was no single detail he could discern to tell him who this cat was, but they felt familiar. Too familiar.

He could see their mouth moving, but there was no sound to he heard. But yet Scorchpaw felt like he understood what the silent words meant. His haunches suddenly reared up as he let out a muffled hiss. Just then, he launched himself at the shadowy cat, and they fought back and forth.

Anger and pain seemingly let themselves out and he battered the cat over and over again, and then he grabbed the cat by the scruff and dragged them over to a cliffside. Without hesitation, he thrusted his jaws outward, and he watched the dark figure fall to their death towards the river distantly below.

Scorchpaw opened his eyes wide as he felt himself jump from his slumber. He was breathing rapidly, and he tried to get it under control. It wasn't the first time he had such dreams, but they never ceased to be overwhelming for him.

He felt something brush against his fur as it laid down next to him, and he turned his face to a white molly stare at him with a concerned yellow glare. "Did you have another one?" she asked as she curled tail around Scorchpaw.

"I did," Scorchpaw meowed lowly as he turned his ears to a stirring sound from another trainee waking up. "This one was different, though. It wasn't the one with the tree. This one felt genuinely real. But maybe it's because I'm not accustomed to it..."

Willowpaw flicked her ears as she began to stand up. "You should try to talk to either Ravenpool or Hollypaw about it, then. They have helped with past nightmares."

A grey-speckled tom began to pad towards the vine exit of the trainees' den, but stopped to look at Scorchpaw before leaving. "Willowpaw's right. Your nightmares have been getting worse these past few moons since Sootclaw, Hoppaw, Finchpaw, and Blackpaw, and I don't think the fox attack helped at all."

"Yeah," Scorchpaw gave in. "I guess so."

Willowpaw and Ashpaw both looked unconvinced by the reply, but didn't push any further. Ashpaw briefly nodded at Willowpaw before leaving as Scorchpaw saw the grey tip of his tail disappear.

Willowpaw licked Scorchpaw's forehead before whispering into his ear. "Promise me you'll talk to them."

The white molly stared expectantly at Scorchpaw, waiting for his answer. Scorchpaw felt befuddled by the thought. It had taken a lot of convincing the last time they wanted him to talk to Ravenpool and Hollypaw. At the same time, he didn't feel like it was an appropriate time to talk to Hollypaw as the anniversary of her parents' exile was just the other sunrise. But one look into Willowpaw's caring gaze was enough convincing for him.

"I promise," Scorchpaw meowed as he shifted his paws so he could stand up. "I will talk to them."

Willowpaw mouthed a "thank you" before walking outside the den. Scorchpaw, however, remained there as he stood and pondered about things from the past. It should have felt strange, bizarre, and terrifying to him, but he had grown so desensitised to it that he largely ignored it and let his thoughts wander about. But it still hurt.

Scorchpaw turned to the den's exit and finally began to walk outside. He was immediately greeted with a busy camp as cat after cat walked past briskly. There was never a moment when the Roots could let its guard down. The Rippling Lake Empire and Dusk Hollow had been ramping up assaults on the mountainous camp, and so warriors and trainees alike had to constantly ensure that the camp's defences were strong, and that the Roots' borders were defended and maintained.