Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors
So here the sequel! I am hopeful that everyone will like it just as much as the first story! It is a bit darker, so I rated it T instead of K+. ANYWAY, I hope everyone likes it.
"L-Leave me alone. Please. You've won...you've won! Just leave me alone!"
Dappleleaf shrunk back into the shadows, her lungs and throat aching from the yelling. Her green eyes were wide and her normally fluffy fur was now lifeless. She sat hunched down, scared. Torment controlled her expression, and the lack of sleep made her more jumpy than usual.
"Okay, now you admit it," Rosethorn meowed casually, stepping out from where she was sheltered, which was under a tree. "But I don't believe you. I really don't. I mean, honestly, all this has been amusing, but I am not done."
"I have had enough!" Dappleleaf cried out shakily, her voice wavering. "Just please...you've won. What more do you want?"
"Yeah, but see, I just don't think you have had enough. I mean, why not prove it to me, you know?" Rosethorn took a step forward, her green eyes flickering. "We've talked about this, remember? Come on, it'll stop all this. You could even be with your beloved sister."
Dappleleaf turned away, hiding her face. Her whole body was wracked with tremors. "You...you want m-me to let you kill me. I can't...I won't. Ashfall...I can't leave Ashfall! He doesn't even know yet. I h-have to tell him. Tomorrow. I'll tell him tomorrow." She was talking more to herself at that point than anything.
Rosethorn snorted audibly. "Oh right. That. Why tell him at all? I've already warned you that it will only get worse. Trust me. It's better if you end your life now." She shrugged, walking a few paces forward. "You know it's the right thing to do."
"No!" Dappleleaf shouted, leaping to her paws. "Stop! Get out of my head! Get out!" She shut her eyes ad focused extremely hard, wishing for the white she-cat to disappear, just like she had done every day. Still, when she opened her eyes there stood Rosethorn.
"Sorry, I am clearly not that easy to get rid of," Rosethorn sneered, now close enough to touch Dappleleaf. "You are young. You have moons left to live. It will be torture for you if you constantly have to deal with me, right?"
Dappleleaf snapped awake. Ashfall stood over her, his amber eyes glowing with concern. "Dappleleaf...?" he whispered, tilting his head to the side. "Another nightmare?" he questioned, probably already knowing the answer. "Won't you tell me what they are about?"
"I'm fine," Dappleleaf muttered, getting to her paws. "I need fresh air. Excuse me." She pushed past him and walked for the exit. The cat on vigil let her leave without a word.
The night air made Dappleleaf relaxed. A dream. She was just plaguing your dreams. Calm down. It was just a dream. It was better in real life. Sure, Rosethorn was a constant problem, but she had no control over anything. In her dreams, however, Rosethorn had complete power. She forced Dappleleaf to feel extreme fear and terror.
"Go back to sleep, Dappleleaf. It isn't healthy to not get enough rest." Rosethorn meowed beside her, just like the haunting ghost she was. "You're weak. I get it. You can't face me at my strongest."
"Whatever, Rosethorn." Dappleleaf muttered under her breath. "Get used to another day of being ignored. I bet it hurts when no other cats are able to see you. You always liked being the center of attention." She rolled her eyes and kept walking.
Rosethorn let out a huff, annoyed. "You are pretty irritating yourself. I'm sure you have been told enough times." She leapt over a wobbly log, landing on the other side silently.
Dappleleaf jumped, but Rosethorn stuck her paw out and moved the log, causing Dappleleaf to stumble when she landed. At first Dappleleaf didn't think much of it, but then it hit her. "Wait. Did you just...move that?"
"Yep. I told you that I am getting stronger." Rosethorn proudly announced. "I've been trying pretty hard. Hard work pays off, I guess. Maybe that's why your horrible sister was able to kill me. I never trained as an apprentice."
"Or maybe you deserved to die." Dappleleaf turned away, her heart rate rising quickly. Is she really getting stronger, or is she just trying to scare me? Dappleleaf refused to let the murderous she-cat get the better of her. "Don't think you're frightening me. Honestly, I couldn't be less concerned." A lie. A flat out lie.
"Is that why you were begging for mercy in your dream," Rosethorn snapped, her tail flicking back and forth.
Dappleleaf shook her head. "You put fear in me, so it doesn't count." She faced the ghost cat, squinting. It was so weird how it was just her that could see Rosethorn. No other cat knew. If anyone wandered out into the forest at night and stumbled upon them, they would only see Dappleleaf talking to herself.
"Whatever." Rosethorn reached her paw forward and started clawing the fallen tree, interested by how she was actually making an effect on anything besides Dappleleaf.
Dappleleaf stared at the scratch marks that were now on the tree, a shiver of fear running through her. Who's helping her? Someone must be! She can't have done this alone, and I'm sure any manipulative cat in the Dark Forest would just jump at the opportunity to torture a living cat. Dappleleaf paused. But no cat in the Dark Forest is willing to help others. Why would they sacrifice what could be theirs to help Rosethorn?
"You should probably get back," Rosethorn commented, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, you really should. Cats will start to wonder. We don't want that now do we?"
"Shut up!" Dappleleaf hissed, whirling around and starting for camp. "You be quiet. Just be quiet!" She clamped her mouth shut, refusing to acknowledge the ghost for any moment longer.
"Come on, you know where this is going, right?" Rosethorn asked, keeping in pace with her. She casually batted at plants, fascinated by how she could actually touch them. "We both know that you are going to eventually go crazy. Think of the dream as a prophecy for the future. I know it, and you know it. Let me kill you now."
Dappleleaf flattened her ears, trying to block out Rosethorn's voice. Somehow the sound penetrated through all her mind defenses. Don't think about her. Just don't. Stop thinking about her. Maybe she'll go away. If she can get stronger with time so can you.
"Dappleleaf."
"Just leave me alone! Okay? I have had enough!" Dappleleaf snapped, whirling around to face the source of the voice. She froze when she realized it was Ashfall. He frowned at her, unsure by her sudden outburst. "Sorry. I had another nightmare last night."
"I know. Just tell me what it's about," Ashfall meowed softly, coming forward and giving her cheek a lick. "We can get you some herbs to help you sleep, or we can try and figure out what's causing the dreams so they will go away."
Dappleleaf stepped away from him, shaking her head. "No...nothing can be done. I don't want to bother you about it, alright. Let's just forget it. Pretend it never happened."
"Every night?" Ashfall asked skeptically. "Pretend it never happened every single night?" He let out a long sigh. "Stop this. I know you're strong and you don't have to prove that to me. But even strong cats can get help. Please, Dappleleaf. I can help you. I promise that I can. Just tell me what you have been dreaming about."
Dappleleaf took a deep breath. "It's not just dreams. I mean, they are the worst and everything, but it's all the time." She shyly glanced up at her mate, wondering what his reaction would be. His amber eyes appeared confused and uncertain. "I see her, Ashfall. She comes and haunts me. I see her all the time."
"Who?" Ashfall took a small step forward. "Who do you see? Creamstep? I thought you would be happy to see Creamstep. I know you recovered from her death and all, but it's obvious that you still miss her."
"No!" Dappleleaf snapped, a wave of frustration coming over her. "No. It's not Creamstep. It's Rosethorn. She is here, Ashfall. Believe me. She follows me around and torments me! It started moons ago!"
Realization lit Ashfall's face. He nodded slowly, letting out a long sigh. "That makes more sense," he meowed slowly. "Listen. You know she is dead, right? She can't be...haunting you. It's impossible. It's probably just trauma that is reappearing. We can still get you help-"
"See? I knew it! I shouldn't have said anything!" Dappleleaf snapped, her patience waning. "You wanted to know, so there it is. It is what it is, now leave it be or accept it. Either way, it's true."
Ashfall's golden eyes flickered with a flash of hurt, causing Dappleleaf to feel a pinch of guilt. She shook off the feeling quickly and got to her paws. He was quiet for a moment, but then spoke up. "I'm sorry, it just isn't possible, okay? I mean...it's just your mind that is creating these images. You can get help. I want to help you-"
"Just stop!" Dappleleaf snarled, recoiling from the harsh sound of her own voice. "Look, leave it alone." She did not wait for a response and shoved past him, heading for the camp entrance. However, Sagewhisker intercepted her as she was walking.
"Dappleleaf, hold on. You are needed on a hunting patrol."
Dappleleaf flicked her tail to show that she heard the deputy. She padded over to the group of cats at the camp entrance which she guessed was the patrol. Dappleleaf dipped her head kindly to them, sighing. Well, Rosethorn hasn't shown herself for a while now. Maybe I'm winning.
"Ooh! We haven't been on a hunting patrol recently!"
Rosethorn popped up beside her, her green eyes smug. Dappleleaf rolled her eyes and sighed. She turned to stare at her paws, shuffling them in the dirt. The SunClan camp was drier than LeafClan's since her former clan had a small brook running through the center of camp.
"Excuse me?" Rustclaw asked. Dappleleaf glanced up, confused. "How dare you talk to me like that! Not only am I a senior warrior, but you just transferred into this clan! I expect some respect. For someone who hates any talk about Rosethorn, you sure can act like her."
Dappleleaf winced at his words. It was all Rosethorn's fault. She had been speaking, her voice overpowering Rustclaw's. "Sorry...I am really not feeling well today," Dappleleaf mumbled, ducking her head with embarrassment. "It won't happen again."
"It had better not," Rustclaw said gruffly. "Go to the medicine cat's den. Maybe you'll be feeling well enough to attend Mistykit's apprentice ceremony. She deserves all the support she can get after what she's been through."
Dappleleaf nodded, backing away from the patrol. He was right, she really just needed to clear her head. She needed to be stable, or at least appear stable. Mistykit would be apprentices that day. It was a good thing that SunClan was gaining another warrior, yet Dappleleaf felt almost emotionless about it.
"Whoops, I didn't mean to do that," Rosethorn meowed casually, flicking her ear. "It's only getting worse. End it now while you aren't ruined. You know it's the smart thing to do."
"I will not," Dappleleaf whispered, shutting her eyes as she padded toward the medicine cat's den. She felt oddly wobbly, and her head seemed clouded with fuzz. "Don't talk to me. Please." She felt a wave of nausea hit her when she realized that she was begging her enemy, but what else could she do?
"It makes me so happy to see you in this much pain." Rosethorn shrugged. "All I have is time."
Okay, tell me what you think?
Next chapter: Rainstorm's life seems to be on track, aside from her own personal romance drama. However, her newfound peace and happiness if cut short when a warrior shows up in camp, clinging to life, and the blame is questionable.
Question: How was the first chapter? Good? Bad? Let me know if you liked it!