L I V I N G + I N + A + W O R L D + O F + L I E S
Have you ever been lied to? Did someone ever tell you they loved you but then threw you away like worthless dirt? Being abandoned and betrayed and forgotten like that, and then have everything you ever loved taken away from you. It hurts. It hurts so terribly that it leaves a wound so deep in your heart that you can never be healed. It will plague your thoughts day and night until the day you fall. And collapse. And finally, die.
The longest chapter yet! I really want to finish part 1 and get on with Hazystorm's story. But I'm guessing that it will take me at least a month to finish. This is taking way longer than I thought. Anyways, R&R please.
::N O T E:: I do not own the Warriors series however much I would like to and I am not Erin Hunter. However, this story, plot and characters belongs to me unless otherwise stated. The Clan names, territory, and Coming to Be are copyright to Tawnycloud. Plagiarism is prohibited.
Chapter 3: Courage
More determined than ever, Dapplepelt headed towards DoomClan territory—a dark sinister forest that lay just beyond the clans. Her thoughts were all focused on her task as she pelted through the windy moorland. She was cautious as she traveled through the bracken-covered land, for this part of the forest belonged to BrackenClan, one of the four clans. But this place was something more to her, something she had abandoned as a young warrior and now regretted.
The sky looked like it was painted with hues of fiery red, orange and gold, and the sun, which was now a fiery ball of fire, was slowly vanishing behind the eastern horizon. The scene looked as beautiful as ever, with its bright warm colours and the natural beauty of the forest. But the running cat, now only a dark shape across the horizon of the moorland hills, outlined it a thin line of gold light was in turmoil. No matter how gracefully her lithe body was as she pelted through the endless bracken bushes, it could not disguise her pain and worry and the forever ache in her young heart.
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A low grumbling noise came from Dapplepelt's belly, reminding her of how hollow her stomach was. She had not eaten for two days and the young she-cat was starving. She longed for a tasty meal of mouse, with its juicy tender meat and forest-scented flavours. But the terrible condition she was in made walking a hard task, so hunting was virtually impossible.
Letting out a sigh of defeat, Dapplepelt lay down at the edge of BrackenClan territory and waited for the first star to appear. She licked her ungroomed fur attempted to wash her wounded leg clean while she rested.
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Night lay heavily upon the forest like a wet towel, not seizing to let go of its cold, deathlike grip on the land in which it possessed. Frightened and tired, Dapplepelt slowly trekked through the forest, her pale green eyes clouded with fear and anxiety. She silently travelled through the still land, too panic stricken to notice the beauty of the dark. The beauty of the delicate crescent moon as its light penetrated the Earth, turning everything into pale silver and white; the beauty of the stars as they stretched across the sky like spilt milk and the beauty of the trees as their branches gently swayed in the evening breeze.
This was DoomClan's territory. And although it was as beautiful as any forest, it always gave visitors a feeling of dread and anxiety. Cats knew what lay ahead in this sinister place, there was a band of cold-blooded cats so fierce and strong that nobody had ever dared to defy. Until now, that is.
Dapplepelt's tortoiseshell fur was bristling with hostility, her tail was held high and her eyes alert for even the smallest flicker movement along the trees. Although she was in a nervous wreck, she knew she had to do this. It was time to show him that he underestimated her. She wanted to prove she was more capable than he thought. But more importantly, her kits needed her, and she couldn't let them down.
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It was moonhigh and Dapplepelt was in the heart of DoomClan territory. Her paws were weak and trembling as she silently found her way through the dark twoleg structure. It was abandoned by its owner seasons ago, and now it lay in the middle of the forest. The abandoned den now belonged to a cat. It was where he sheltered from the rain and snow and where he slept in cold nights.
Dapplepelt had been here before. This dark sinister place was once her home. There was dust everywhere, and cobwebs hung from the corners of the walls. She could here the quiet scuttling sound of rats living in the walls and floors.
The tortoiseshell she-cat opened her jaws and breathed. She was instantly choked with dust, and she quickly snapped her mouth shut. But she had caught something else in her mouth besides the revolting dust. It was the scent of kits.
Dapplepelt navigated through the maze of walls and dens, desperately trying to find the source of the kit-scent. But she finally lost the scent, and all she could smell was the stench of this dusty twoleg den.
Just when the tired and hungry she-cat was about to give up, she heard a high-pitched mewl come from somewhere behind her. Her heart raced and she knew her kits were near.
Excerpt from Chapter 4: Family
She stood at the little den's entrance, panting. Her eyes searched the dark gloomy room for any sign of life. Then a small mewl caught her attention. Dapplepelt turned her head to the direction the mew came from and saw a small bundle of fur in the corner. She instantly knew what it was. The tortoiseshell she-cat raced to the mound of fur with her heart pounding on her chest.