AN: Yes, I am adding two chapters at once, before anybody even has know this fic exists. I wrote both chapters around the same time, but they're two different chapters. Once again, I do not own Warriors or Hidden Prophices. Erin Hunter owns Warriors, Tainted Purification owns Hidden Prophices. EDIT: Fixed the wall-of-text issue.
Peppermintpaw's head was spinning from all the things out of the camp. It had so many smells, and it was so pristine and wonderful! Whispersage led her through the section of forest they were in, which was populated by silvery birch trees. Whispersage's fur was almost opposite of the birch trees, being deep black with silver specks. Peppermintpaw thought it somewhat resembled Silverpelt. When they reached the edge of the forest, they leaped over a thin river, and finally, Whispersage stopped. "Do you smell that?" he questioned.
Peppermintpaw took a good sniff. She ignored her own scent of peppermint and the scent of RubyClan, and could smell something odd that definitely reeked of cat."This is the border between DiamondClan and RubyClan. Never cross it, for that is against the warrior code. The river here flows into their territory, where it widens into a large lake. Crocodiles live in the lake, but they almost never swim up into our territories because the river's too narrow up here." he informed, and led her away.
He led her to another border, which was part of a few grassy hills, however, just outside the border was an ominous black forest with deep grey fog flowing out from it. Merely seeing it made Peppermintpaw feel uneasy, and she thought she could feel a thousand unearthly eyes filled with malice stare from it. "This is the border to outside the territories. No matter what, never go into that forest. It is a... portal, of some kind that leads to the Dark Forest." Whispersage warned. "The Dark... Forest?" Peppermintpaw asked. "It's where all the evil cats go when they die. It also has seven ghostly demons haunting it, who each have powers and can possess cats. It's said that a few apprentices had wandered into this forest, and only one came back. However, the one that did... didn't come back whole." he mewed, also unsettled by being so close to it.
"Who was the cat that survived?" Peppermintpaw wondered out loud. "That would be the elder, Ghostcry." answered Whispersage, who was beginning to pull Peppermintpaw away from the border, as he could no longer handle being near it. Peppermintpaw shuddered. She remembered seeing Ghostcry when exploring the camp. Ghostcry's eyes were pitch black voids with ooze leaking from them, though she had tiny blue pupils. Some parts of her didn't seem tangible, and at times she would let out a sudden moan of agony, though when questioned, she would say she felt nothing. Peppermintpaw didn't want to think about the same happening to her.
They both ran away from that border, all too pleased to be getting away from it. Whispersage took Peppermintpaw to a gaping opening in a small mountain on the edge of the territory, on the side that led to the Glitterstones. She peered inside, and could see thousands of glowing crystals in various colors. "These are the Crystal Caves," Whispersage stated. "Inside, there is an incredible amount of bats, which is a good source of fresh-kill for the clan. Also, in the deepest part of the cave, there's a pond where you can make wishes, with a lot of moss growing around it. Because this is the best source of moss in the territories, we have to allow cats of other clans in so they can gather it, but they have to be accompanied by a RubyClan warrior."
Whispersage then took Peppermintpaw to a very rocky area. There was a lot of lichen growing, but very little grass. She could smell another clan scent. "This is Ruggedrocks, the border between EmeraldClan and RubyClan. We shouldn't linger around here long, EmeraldClan patrols may take us hanging around here of proof we've been stealing their prey, even though we aren't." The ragged terrain was much easier to climb down than up, so they got down quickly.
It was beginning to get dark out, however, so they started heading back to the camp. Peppermintpaw was still awestruck by everything she had seen, though she was very tired from all the walking they had done. She padded up to her sister, who was also exhausted. "Hopefulnight nearly trained me dead, and I still can't land a hit on her!" Crystalpaw lamented. "I got to see the territories today!" exclaimed Peppermintpaw. Crystalpaw stopped being sad immediately and asked Peppermintpaw to tell her about absolutely everything she saw. As they talked and talked, they laid into the soft, springy moss of the apprentice den and fell asleep.
Their rest was cut short by a horrific yowling that woke up the whole camp. Ghostcry was wide awake, and in the middle of the camp. When everyone left their dens to see what it was, they were greeted with a terrifying sight. Ghostcry was digging her claws into her "eyes" and pulling them out. Ooze splattered all over the ground. Ghostcry began screeching an ominous statement over and over again, as she continued the gruesome act. "THIS CLAN'S FATE IS DEATH! THIS CLAN'S FATE IS DEATH!" she yowled over and over again. Everyone was frozen by fear - or possibly, some other force. However, once all the goo was out, Ghostcry collapsed, her paws still inside her empty eye sockets. "Unless you find the one who holds its fate upon her chest..." she whispered, though loud enough for the clan to hear. She then stopped moving entirely. The cats suddenly found themselves no longer paralyzed, and Soulsilence slinked over to Ghostcry's still body. "She's dead." Soulsilence announced. The clan was traumatized by what they had just witnessed. Most of the clan decided to sit vigil, though many of the apprentices, including Crystalpaw and Peppermintpaw, only knew her as "that really creepy elder", so they decided not to and went to sleep, though their rest was filled with nightmares.