Dark. Mucky. Cold. Burrr... It's so cold... My side hurts. I-i can't hold on much longer. I spot of white-and-ginger cat walk up to me and he looked down at me.
"I'll take care of you, Hollypaw." The tom whispered, his voice soothing and caring. I closed my eyes as my contentiousness slipped away.
:) :) :)
Hollyleaf's eyes fluttered open. "Wha- where am I?" The black she-cat's emraled green eyes darted around. She couldn't see anything. As her eyes adjusted, the vision of hard walls of rock showed themselves.
"You're awake."
The former Thunderclan warrior swirled around to the patched tom who seemed to appear out of thin air. Her eyes widened slightly as she crouched back, sliding out her claws. "Who are you?!" She hissed.
The loner just smiled at her. "My name is Fallen Leaves."
"Fallen Leaves?" Hollyleaf blinked, straightening up. She heard her brother, Jayfeather, talk to a cat named Fallen Leaves when he thought he was alone.
Fallen Leaves nodded and turned, padding away. "Rest. You are still recovering."
The she-cat opened her jaws to speak but clammed it shut, obeying. Her curious gaze watched him pad down the tunnel before picking something up with his jaws. Her eyes widened. It was huge! Could it be- his last victim?! She gulped. The tom turned to her and a dim light reveled that it was a large fish. Hollyleaf sighed in relief and scolded herself for thinking such things.
"Eat." The mysterious tom placed it down i front of her. He laughed lightly at her wrinkled nose. "You don't like fish?"
"Not really." She admitted with a small smile.
"I'll try to catch you a mouse later." He flicked his tail as he started to head down a tunnel.
"Wait!"
The ghostly cat turned and gazed at her, his green eyes burning into hers. "Yes, Hollypaw?"
Hollyleaf didn't notice that he called her Hollypaw. She whispered curiously, eyes shining. "How long have you been down here?"
His eyes darkened and he turned away. "Too long." His voice broke slightly as he turned to leave again.
Hollyleaf nodded with understanding, closing her eyes. She had her own secrets as well...
:3 :3 :3
"I-i'm your mother." Leafpool admitted, not meeting their shocked gazes.
Hollyleaf's ears flattened against her head. "But-but why!?"
"You're a medicine cat!" Jayfeather's blind, blue eyes widened, as surprised as his littermates.
Leafpool just hung her head. "I'm sorry..."
Lionblaze stayed quiet as Hollyleaf glanced away, her green eyes tearing. "Why now?! Why didn't you tell us before! Why did you lie to us?! You and Squirrelflight lied to us! To Brambleclaw! We-we aren't supposed to be here! We were never supposed to be born!" She sobbed.
Jayfeather rested his tail on her shoulder and whispered, his tone still filled with his usual grumpy tone. "Stop. What's done is done... And keep your thoughts to yourself."
Hollyleaf closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing.
"Who is our father?" Lionblaze spoke up, seeming to recover from the shock.
Leafpool squeezed her eyes shut. "Crowfeather. Crowfeather of Windclan."
"No..." The she-cat backed up. "You- you broke two codes! We shouldn't be alive! I shouldn't exist! You broke two codes!" She tried to wrap her mind around it. She started feeling dizzy. "I-I can't so this!" Hollyleaf turned quickly and ran as fast as a Windclan cat, a trait she must have inherited from her father.
"Wait! Hollyleaf!" Lionblaze darted after her. "What's going on!" Jayfeather followed, close behind his littermates.
Hollyleaf darted toward the tunnels that she once adventured in to help those Windclan kits. She darted through an unstable tunnel.
"Hollyleaf!" Her brother's called. The mighty warrior's eyes widened as he saw the tunnel a about to collapse. "Hollyleaf!"
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Boulders and rocks fell from the cave-like tunnel and she slipped into the dark, surrendering her life to the dead.
The two brother's turned to meet each other's eyes - even though Jayfeather can't see - and the golden warrior whispered. "Our sister is dead."
"What will we do without the third cat?" Jayfeather mewed breathlessly. He turned his blind gaze back to the collapsed tunnel.
:O :O :O
"Wait!" She called again, gazing into his deep, green pools. "Thank you for saving me."
"Your welcome." Fallen Leaves smiled with signs of affection before disappearing into thing air.
;) ;) ;)
"Good job!" The ginger-and-white patched tom grinned.
"Thanks!" Hollyleaf purred through her cave-mouse. She was fitting in well in the tunnels, her pupils larger to gather more light.
The two cats walked to their "camp", their tails inching toward each other without either one knowing.
When they reached their "camp" they settled down next to each other. The cave was like a rock-dome with tunnels intersected through it. A moss pile sat against a wall not occupied by a tunnel and a small prey pile sat not far away.
They settled down next to each other as they shared snippets of their lives and ate.
"-Holly." He finished using the nickname her gave her. Hollyleaf laughed lightly. "What did I do that was funny?"
"You keep calling me Holly." She smiled friendly at him.
"Sorry." The ghostly tom blushed lightly and glanced away.
"It's fine, Fallen." She gave his shoulder a long lick. Hollyleaf pulled away slightly, her pelt burning.
Fallen Leaves hesitantly leaned over and licked his shoulder. "I-I love you Hollyleaf. Will- will you be my mate?"
The beautiful, black she-cat's equally-as-beautiful, emerald green eyes shined with affection, meeting his gaze. "Of course, Fallen Leaves. I'll be your mate."
His eyes widened as he purred. He licked her ears rapidly. "Thank you, Holly! Thank you! I promise to take care of you!" Now I won't be alone in this cave...
Hollyleaf purred and rested her head on his shoulder.
:D :D :D
"Fallen Leaves?" Hollyleaf called out softly, her stomach slightly rounded.
He appeared out of thin air. "Yes, love?"
Hollyleaf nuzzled him before gazing into his eyes. "I'm expecting your kits."
Fallen Leaves' eyes widened. Is this even possible? I'm dead... and she's alive... His mind wondered even more. When she dies, would she also be stuck in the tunnels with me? Would she have a choice? She'll grow old without me...
"Fallen?" Hollyleaf blinked at his wide eyes.
"I-i.." The almost sharptooth stammered. "I'm going to be a father! I can't believe it! How did this happen?!"
Hollyleaf ducked her head. "We had some 'fun'..."
Fallen Leaves licked her ear. "Thank you, Holly..."
"Anything for you."
(: (: (:
"Push, Holly! You can do this!" Fallen Leaves encouraged her. Holly felt a kit coming and slammed her jaw down on the stick, breaking it. The first kit, a blackish-gray-and-white patched she-cat, slid out onto the moss. The tom nipped it's sac and licked her fur the wrong way. He placed her by his mate's stomach before quickly giving the queen another stick.
"The nest one- ahhh!" Holly screeched, biting down on the stick. The tom was ginger - the same shade as his father's ginger patches - with a white paws and tail tip. Hollyleaf's breathing steadied.
"What should we name them?" Fallen Leaves asked softly as the black she-cat admired her kits, who suckled.
"I'll like to name the tom Blaze."
"Blaze. Perfect. Just like his mother." He nuzzled her.
The new mother purred softly. "You name the she-kit."
Fallen Leaves studied the kit for a heartbeat. "I'll like to name her Shadow, after my mother."
"Perfect." Holly closed her eyes, curled around her kits. Fallen smiled softly and curled around his mate.
0.o 0.o 0.o
"Sh-shadow?" Hollyleaf licked her daughter's fur, who stopped breathing.
Fallen Leaves blinked open his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Shadow isn't breathing!" Hollyleaf cried out.
The tom's eyes fluttered to the kit. "I-i'm sorry Hollyleaf."
"I-i..." She cried and cried and cried.
Fallen Leaves did the best he could to comfort her.
"I can save her..."
"What?" He perked his ears.
"I can save her." She repeated. "I can use some of my energy to save her."
"But- even if you could, you are still weak from kitting!" Fallen Leaves protested. "Think about Blaze! He needs you."
"So does Shadow." Hollyleaf countered.
"I-i can't lose you Holly. I need you. Blaze needs you."
"It's a risk I have to take." Hollyleaf closed her eyes and placed her tail on the kit's head.
Fallen Leaves watched, sitting still with his green eyes wide as if he were frozen in time.
Their daughter's chest started to rise and fall.
The former warrior slopped forward, exhausted.
:o :o :o
Hollyleaf's deep green eyes fluttered open days later. "Fallen..?"
"I'm here, love." Her mate gazed into her gorgeous green eyes. He loved her so much...
Hollyleaf purred and felt small creatures moving near her belly. "Is Shadow okay?!"
"You did it, Holly." Fallen nuzzled her. "And now we get to see them both grow up."
"I did it." Hollyleaf purred. "My kits... our kits..."
"Forever and ever."
Hey guys! I hopes you like my AU or whatever that was! :D
Okay... I was dared to do this and I forgot to so I'm doing it now.
Ivy dared me to mention her in a good way in my next chapter I write! (She's the Ivy that used my OC, Stormycloud, in her OC Advise from an Idiot story... mostly because I dared her to update and she dared me to give her a OC for her to use! XD)
Word Count (not including author's note): 1,572 words
Word Count (including author's note): 1,675 words