No Way Out
OK, I know that a lot of people think that Hollyleaf survived the tunnels. I happen to be one of them, so I thought I'd add my own little story as to what I think happened in those tunnels. I might add more chapters…but don't hold your breath. For now, it's only a bit of drabble on what went through Hollyleaf's mind when the tunnel caved in on her. It's a bit of a song fic to 'No Way Out' by Phil Collins (from Brother Bear).
DISCLAIMER: Warriors does not belong to me and I make no money off of this. (Obviously!) I don't own the song either. Thanks!
Everywhere I turn, I hurt someone. But there's nothing I can say to change the things I've done.
Of all the things I hid from you, I cannot hide the shame. And I pray someone, something will come, take away the pain!
There's no way out, of this dark place. No hope, no future.
I know I can't be freed. Oh, I can't see, another way.
I can't face, another day.
Hollyleaf turned and fled down the tunnel, her paws pattering against the cold stone. She heard the roar of the river underground, pounding hungrily against the walls.
"Hollyleaf, no!" she heard Jayfeather yowl.
She turned angrily for a moment. "You don't know what it's like," she began furiously, but her angry yowl was drowned out by a loud rumble. Her belly lurched, and she instinctively crouched to the ground.
The cave was falling around her. And she was trapped inside.
Hollyleaf let out a terrified screech as she watched the roof and walls collapse around her.
StarClan, help me!
For a moment, she stared in horror at the falling dirt and the rocks that were growing bigger by the moment. The roar of the underground river was swallowed by the deafening roar of the collapsing tunnel.
Hollyleaf spun around and began to run. She knew that it was practically impossible to try and outrun a collapsing tunnel. But still, her paws pattered frantically on the floor of the cave, barely moving on anything but the terror pulsing through her body. There was no way out!
Am I going to join StarClan? she wondered for a moment. Will they even accept me now that the truth of who I am is out? After what I have done?
She could feel the dust and rocks shaking just inches away from her back paws. She tucked her tail underneath her, terrified.
Suddenly something obscured the darkness she was blindly running into…something that almost made her squint.
Light.
There was a light at the end of the tunnel.
The end of the tunnel…
Instinctively Hollyleaf bolted for the patch of light. She had to reach it…had to make it…had to make it before the black rocks swallowed her.
Her paws swept her faster than she'd ever gone before until she was close enough to the light to almost taste it. Desperate, she flung herself into the light. It was the only way out…only way out…
There was a brief, terrifying sensation of flying though midair. The light surrounded her; her eyes were unaccustomed to the light as of yet, so she wasn't able to catch a glimpse of where she was before her body hit something cold that knocked the breath right out of her lungs and left a sharp pain like the sting of a thousand bees on her side.
Hollyleaf opened her mouth to gasp, and was choked by a mouthful of liquid. She clamped her mouth shut and tried to hold her breath.
That's when she became aware that she was being suspended in…water. Was she in a river? The lake? Her legs moved weakly in the current.
CRASH!
Hollyleaf jumped in the water when a boulder crashed into the water too close to her for comfort. Desperate, she swam away from it only to be bombarded by another falling rock right in front of her nose.
Hollyleaf would have let out a wail of terror if she hadn't been submerged in water.
Her lungs felt like they were about to burst. She needed to get to the surface…she needed to get away from these rocks! Up! Away! Away!
Desperately, Hollyleaf pumped her legs to try and get in the direction the rocks were falling from, which must be 'up'. Her paws seemed to be made of stone, and she had a hard time dragging them through the water.
Air!
Hollyleaf gasped as her head broke the surface of the water, filling her starved lungs with the scent of salt water and sand and the cold dampness of the nearby cave.
She glanced behind her. Rocks were still pouring out of a small opening in the rock wall that must connect to the collapsing cave, but the torrent of stone was slowing. She shivered, half in relief and half in terror.
Still shaking, Hollyleaf heaved herself onto dry land and shook the water from her coat. She began coughing wretchedly, feeling miserable. Her coat was completely sodden, she had water in her throat and in her nose, and she was sure she looked like a sopping RiverClan cat.
RiverClan? She looked around. Wasn't this their territory? She looked around uneasily and opened her mouth to scent the air. Yes, this was RiverClan territory, for sure. She'd have to figure out how to get back to ThunderClan from here…
Wait. Did she really want to go back to ThunderClan…after they had lied to her? To all four Clans?
Anger rose within her again. ThunderClan was nothing but a pack of fox-hearted cowards and liars. She refused to return to them.
In the distance, the mountains caught her eye. Maybe, if she could survive the journey…she could still make it.
Raising her chin, trying her best to ignore her dripping black fur, Hollyleaf stood up on still-shaky legs and began to walk towards the mountains.
There was a light at the end of her tunnel.
I see the path, from this dark place; I see my future.
And the forgivers are setting me free! Oh, and I can see, another way.
I can face, another day!
TBC?