The Flood, a warriors fanfic

Bumblepaw shifted in his nest, trying to get away from the uncomfortably wetness that was clinging to his fur. Water, he thought absentmindedly.

Water? Water! Bumblepaw shot upright and blinked open his eyes. Sure enough, there was water in the den, and it was rising quickly. It was lapping at his paws. A flood!

"Wake up!" Bumblepaw yowled. "There's a flood!"

Bumblepaw's sister and brothers groaned, shifting slightly. The only other apprentice in the den didn't budge. Bumblepaw raced over to the nearest cat, his sister Rosepaw, and shook her roughly. She blinked at looked up at him.

"What is it, Bumblepaw?" She asked sleepily.

"There's a flood!" Bumblepaw yowled.

Rosepaw quickly stood up and darted to Blazepaw. Bumblepaw looked down and felt a surge of panic. The water swirled at his knees now. The other apprentices were floating slightly in the water. MountainClan dens were made of reeds and other floating things in case there was a flood. Like now.

Bumblepaw struggled toward his other brother, Burnetpaw. He shook him awake and yowled in his ear.

"A flood!"

Burnetpaw was instantly awake. Bumblepaw moved towards the last apprentice, his best friend, Spiritpaw, who was drifting near the entrance.

"Spiritpaw!" Bumblepaw cried, the swirling water making him stumble.

The black tom raised his head and pricked his ears. He looked down and instantly yelped with shock.

Bumblepaw and Spiritpaw raced out of the den. Outside, the clearing was filled with water. Cats were racing out of the camp. Now, it was up to his belly. Bumblepaw looked back, expecting to see Rosepaw, Blazepaw, and Burnetpaw coming out. But the entrance, which was low to the ground, was completely filled with water.

"Rosepaw!" Bumblepaw cried. "Blazepaw! Burnetpaw!"

The black-striped ginger tom tried to struggle back to the apprentice den, but a cat seized his scruff and pulled him back. Spiritpaw.

"Let me go!" Bumblepaw yowled.

"Bumblepaw... They're dead. Your littermates are dead."

"No!" Bumblepaw screeched.

But he saw the truth in Spiritpaw's words. If they hadn't gotten out before the entrance was filled with water, they wouldn't be able to leave the den because the water would keep pushing them away.

"No," Bumblepaw meowed more softly. His tail drooped.

The two friends turned toward the emergency passage to leave the camp. Bumblepaw spotted his parents, Leafbriar and Stagfrost, right in front of him. They stumbled and lost their footing as a large wave smashed into them and toppled into their son, who was knocked over, spluttering.

Bumblepaw tried to regain his footing, but now the water had rise to his neck. It kept pushing him down. His lungs burned.

I won't die! I won't! Driven by a sudden surge of energy and determination, Bumblepaw kicked his legs and his nose hit the surface. The black-striped ginger tom drew in a deep breath.

"Bumblepaw!" He heard Spiritpaw yowl.

The black tom was struggling towards him. His mentor, Lightheart, seized his scruff and pulled him up the camp, away from Bumblepaw.

Bumblepaw looked around. Leafbriar and Stagfrost were no where to be seen. They're still underwater! He dove under, searching desperately. He couldn't find them. Bumblepaw felt a sinking in his heart. No! They're still alive! His mind tried to convince him. But deep down, in his heart, Bumblepaw knew they were dead. They had drowned.

"No!" Bumblepaw let out a grief-filled, heart-wrenching yowl. "No!"

He stopped fighting the water and let it sweep him away. My mother, my father, my brothers, my sister, all dead! All dead! All dead!

(SEPARATING LINE HERE)

Bumblepaw jerked awake, panting. His eyes were filled with tears as he thought of his dead family. Ever since he had washed up on the shore, barely alive, a moon ago here, wherever here was, he had had the same dream. Over and over again. He missed Spiritpaw. He missed his mentor, Eaglestrike, even though his tactics were harsh. He missed MountainClan. But he didn't think he would ever see any of them again.

Bumblepaw was alone. Alone in a world that seemed to hate him. He had to fight a fox, several rogues, and the prey was low. The good news was that it was blossoming into green-leaf. But that was what had caused the flood. All the melting snow had turned into water and overfilled the stream

"Why, StarClan, why!?" Bumblepaw yowled.

He shook his head and sank to his belly. A loner. I'm a loner. Then the black and ginger tom shook his head fiercely. I'm a clan cat! I'm a MountainClan apprentice! But how are you going to find your way back? Asked the other voice.

That was a question Bumblepaw couldn't solve. How was he going to find his way back? Because the stream was so overfilled, he was a long ways away from it. He knew he just had to follow the stream, but he couldn't find the stream.

Bumblepaw rose to his paws. He shook himself. Mourning and thinking won't get me any closer to MountainClan. I need to keep looking.

The ginger tom slowly padded off. I need to keep looking. I'll never stop searching for my clan. Never. He hissed as a a bramble caught in his fur. It was no longer sleek and shiny like most MountainClan cats. The fish had been what kept it like that, but he rarely had fish now.

Bumblepaw leaned over a small pool he spotted. A few tiny fish splashed around in it. His mouth watered. It had been so long since he had had fish. All he mainly had now was mice, squirrels, and the occasional bird. And he couldn't wait to have an actual drink. Besides for when he would come across a river, stream, or puddle, or when it rained, all he could drink was the dew on the leaves.

Bumblepaw's paw flashed out and hooked one of the minnows. It flailed off his claws and flopped onto the grass next to the water. Without hesitation, Bumblepaw leaned down and swallowed the minnow in a single bite.

Such flavors! Bumblepaw savored the fish, never wanting to forget the taste again.

Quick as a flash, Bumblepaw scooped up another minnow and ate it. And another. And another. Then the last one.

Bumblepaw let out a purr. His belly still rumbled, but he found fish! He found true food!

Stretching, Bumblepaw continued, not wanting to hunt after eating the fish and losing the now-rare flavor.

He stared into the distance, thinking of his clan, his family, his paws still working themselves forward. He absentmindedly walked around trees and bushes, didn't notice when he fell down dips and picked himself up and went on. He ignored the rogue he passed, who was carrying prey and bristled and spat at him when he padded by.

At the end of the day, Bumblepaw made a nest inside a bush. Then he curled up and entered sleep. But not a peaceful sleep. A nightmare. A horrible nightmare.

(SEPARATING LINE HERE)

Bumblepaw dreamed of the night again. But this time, he saw something new afterwards. Something that horrified him.

"Bumblepaw! Why did you kill us!?" A voice rang out.

Bumblepaw was bewildered. "I didn't kill anyone!"

"Lies!" The voice echoed around the dark clearing. A light brown and cream she-cat appeared, stepping from the shadows.

"Leafbriar!" Bumblepaw gasped. He wanted run towards her, but something was wrong.

Her fur was wild, billowing around her, like she was in water. Her eyes were blank and glazed over, but somehow fury was contained within them. Her body was decaying. Despite that, the black-striped ginger tom recognized his mother.

"You killed us!" Leafbriar screeched. "You killed us!"

"I-I didn't kill you!" Bumblepaw whimpered. "I tried to save you!"

"You failed!" Leafbriar shrieked. "You killed us!"

A dark ginger she-cat appeared. She was in the same state as Leafbriar, but reeds and twigs were stuck in her rotting fur.

"You killed us!" Rosepaw repeated. "You killed us!"

Blazepaw padded in, his flame-colored fur dull. "You killed us! You killed us!"

Burnetpaw appeared, his normally sleek pelt was unkempt. His kind blue eyes were dull, but blazed with rage. "You killed us! You killed us!"

A large light and dark ginger with black stripes leaped down, landing in front of his son. His eyes glared claws at him, his calm blue eyes burning with hatred and fury. Bumblepaw shrank back. The ginger and black tom towered over the the black-striped ginger twelve-moon old cat.

"You killed us, Bumblepaw!" His father, Stagfrost, roared. He shot out a large, ginger, rotting paw, covered with maggots and dirty and unkempt. "You killed us! You are a murderer! You are a murderous traitor! You killed us!"

"You killed us!" Leafbriar repeated, growling.

"You killed us!" Burnetpaw snarled.

"You killed us!" Rosepaw hissed.

"You killed us!" Blazepaw spat.

Their voices overlapped, until Bumblepaw couldn't tell a difference between them. Their pelts blended together until they formed a single cat, with a single, thunderous, rage-filled voice.

"You killed us!"

(SEPARATING LINE HERE)

Bumblepaw sprang up, his eyes wide with pain and tears. Their furious words rang in his head.