The four cats made their way through the remaining tunnels. It won't be long now until we're back in the forest, Leafpool thought with excitement. She was impatient to see the forest again. I wonder how long we've been down here. We haven't stopped to sleep once. She yawned and dragged her paws along as they walked. She was exhausted and didn't know how much longer she could stay awake.
Then she had another thought. What will I say when I get back to Thunderclan? She could just imagine everyone staring at her, whispering, saying that she'd run off with Crowfeather again. I could tell Firestar the truth about being lost in the caverns, and leave out the part about Crowfeather being here. But would Firestar believe me? He'd probably think I'm lying and never trust me again.
Oh, well… I'll deal with that when the time comes, although that may be pretty soon. Feeling half asleep, she tripped over her own paws and was jolted awake again.
"You okay?" Crowfeather asked.
"Yeah," Leafpool yawned. "I'm fine."
"I don't know," Chasm said, inspecting Leafpool's wound where a falling rock had grazed her shoulder. "Your shoulder's stopped bleeding, but it still looks pretty bad. I know that's got to hurt. Besides, you haven't slept in a long time."
"I am tired," Leafpool admitted. "and my shoulder does hurt."
"Let's take a detour," River said. "You can come to our camp and rest for a while. It's not too far from here."
"Camp?" Chasm asked.
River said "Oh! I was so excited to see you, I forgot to tell you. You and I aren't the only survivors of the flood. A few others survived; we've made our own tribe!"
"You could have told me that sooner!" Chasm said. "Who all is there?" He was getting more and more excited every second. He wasn't the only survivor! There were others, possibly friends and family of his!
"Stone, Claw, Cavern, Stream, and Batwing," she said. "And kits have been born. We call ourselves the Tribe of the Dark Cavern."
Chasm turned to look at Crowfeather and Leafpool, excitement and pleading in his eyes. He looked impatient to see all his old tribe-mates. "Can we stop and go there for a moment? Leafpool's shoulder needs healing anyway, and both of you could use some sleep."
Crowfeather was about to complain, but then he saw Leafpool's shoulder again. It did look pretty bad, and he could use some rest. His stomach growled. He could use some food, too. He regretted tossing his bat into the river earlier. "Okay," he said.
"Which way?" Leafpool asked.
"Just follow me," River said. She led them to a tunnel, where they walked for a long time until they came to a narrow but tall room. The ground abruptly ended in front of them, giving way to a huge abyss. On the other side of the abyss, the stone floor continued, leading into another tunnel.
"How are we supposed to get across there?" Crowfeather asked. "You acted like taking a detour to your camp would be easy!"
"It is," River said. "Watch." She ran at an angle, straight off the edge of the floor. Everyone gasped, but she didn't fall into the void. Instead, she grabbed the stone wall with her claws, then launched herself across the narrow space and grabbed onto the opposite wall. Then she did it again, back to the first wall. Every time she launched herself off of the wall and landed on the opposite one, she came a little closer to the tunnel on the other side of the gulf. Finally, she jumped down onto the ground at the entrance to the tunnel. "Now you try!" she called across the room, her voice echoing against the walls.
"You cave cats may be used to doing this, but there's no way we're going to make it across!" Crowfeather called.
"Cave cats?" Chasm said. "I'm a cave cat, and even I don't think I can do this."
Crowfeather's right, Leafpool thought. There's no way. Are we really going to risk this just for some food and a place to sleep? We'll be home soon enough.
"Just try!" River answered their calls.
Chasm responded. "No! I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it to the tribe. I've lived alone this long; I can just continue that way."
Is he really going to give up? After all this? What about all his friends in the tribe? "I'll try next," Leafpool said. Why did I say that? I must be crazy. There's no way I can do this. She found herself stepping to the edge of the floor, looking down at abyss in front of her. She gulped and willed herself to take the jump, but her paws felt rooted to the ground.
"Come on!" River called. "There's nothing to it. Just aim yourself towards the wall when you jump, and grab onto it with your claws!"
Leafpool thought her paws wouldn't move, but a second later she felt body hanging over the gap. She closed her eyes, feeling sick. I'm going to fall! She felt her paws hit rock, and she dug her claws in. She opened her eyes. I made it!
"Don't stay there too long!" River called. "Your claws won't hang on forever, the rock's too hard and smooth! Use the muscles in your legs to launch yourself across to the other wall."
What muscles? I'm a medicine cat, not a warrior! She felt herself slipping down the wall, her claws making a horrible grating sound against the stone. It's now or never! She did as River said and jumped off the wall and across the gap, digging her claws into the other side just in time. After a few more leaps, she was on the other side with River.
"Well done!" River said, impressed. "Now let's see if Chasm and Crowfeather can do what we she-cats just did."
Crowfeather growled and followed the pattern until he too was across the abyss. Only Chasm was left on the other side.
"I knew you were a coward," River called, trying to taunt him into coming to the other side.
Leafpool looked across the void at Chasm. He looked embarrassed and afraid. Then a look of determination came over his face. He must be thinking about the tribe, and all his friends he thought had died but hadn't, Leafpool realized. A moment later, Chasm also jumped from wall to wall and made it to the other side.
"Alright," River said. "Now that we're all over here, let's go." She led them into the tunnel on that side of the abyss. As they walked she told them, "There used to be a bridge of stone there, across the gap. A few cats from the tribe went on a patrol to explore the caverns one day. They all made it across the bridge except a cat named Boulder. The bridge cracked, and he fell." She was silent for a moment, then said quietly and sadly, "It's the only death we've had since the flood so far. We're lucky more haven't been killed or injured."
They walked a little ways more until the tunnel opened into a large room, where there were hundreds of caves and tunnels at different heights on the walls.
"Here we are," River said. She looked proud of her tribe's home.
"Wow," Leafpool said. "How do you keep from going into the wrong cave and getting lost? And how do you get to the caves that are higher up?"
"We put different scratch marks above different tunnels so we don't get lost. Cave cats can jump pretty high, so we can get to a lot of the higher up caves, but we can't reach all of them."
A red-brown tabby tom with white markings and green eyes stepped out of a floor-level cave, his fur bristled.
Leafpool was shocked. She figured that all cave cats were hairless.
"Calm down, Claw," River said. "A couple of strangers just got lost in the caverns. And in case you haven't noticed, they're not the only ones I've brought with me." She flicked her tail in the direction of Chasm.
A wide smile broke out over Claw's face and he let his fur lie flat. "Y- you're alive?"
"Yeah," Chasm said. "I thought I was the only survivor until I found River. She told me about the tribe."
"We've got so much catching up to do," Claw said. "Things have changed so much since the flood. We've formed a new tribe, the Tribe of the Dark Cavern."
"River told me. She also said kittens have been born."
Claw nodded. "Batwing's and mine. Their names are Pebble, Sharpstone and Amber. I'll be back in a moment." He walked over to a cave and called, "Stone, Cavern, Stream! Get out here! You'll never believe who's back!"
A dark gray tom, a hairless tom and a hairless she-cat came out of the cave and ran over to Chasm. "It's been a long time," the she-cat said.
"I know," Chasm said. "I've missed you, Stream." He licked her on the cheek.
Leafpool could see a jealous glint in River's blue eyes. The cave cat's claws scratched at the ground. Somebody's jealous…
Chasm talked to the tribe cats for a bit, then turned to Crowfeather and Leafpool. "I'd like to introduce you to the tribe," he said. "This is Stone." The dark gray cat nodded in greeting. "This is my cousin, Cavern." He flicked his tail in the hairless tom's direction. "And this is Stream." He walked over and rubbed his head against hers.
River's fur would have bristled if she'd had any.
Chasm caught up with the tribe cats and visited Batwing and her kits, while Crowfeather and Leafpool rested and ate cavefish that the tribe cats caught for them. "So… we're almost out of the cave," Leafpool said.
"Yeah," Crowfeather said.
"What's wrong?" Leafpool asked. He's thinking about how much he's going to miss me, or debating whether he wants to leave Windclan, or both.
Crowfeather hesitated. "I'm not sure I want to run away from Windclan like I said."
Leafpool pretended to be surprised. "Oh really? Why?"
"I guess it would be lonely, living on my own, without a clan. Are you sure you don't want to come with me? We could form our own clan. Everything would be perfect."
"We've been through this before," Leafpool sighed. "I'm loyal to Thunderclan. I'm their medicine cat, and they need me. Besides… Nightcloud."
"What about her?"
"I can't believe you chose her when we still loved each other, but she is your mate now. You need to be there for her and Breezepelt. Try to love her."
Crowfeather hissed.
"I'm right, you know."
"Yes," he said.
"So, what will you do when we get out of these caves?"
He was silent for a moment. "I- I don't know what I'll do."
Leafpool didn't say anything back. She simply licked his ear, then curled up and went to sleep.
When she awoke, Crowfeather and Chasm were talking. The hairless cat turned and faced her. "It's time to go, if you are rested."
"Yes. I'm ready to go."
"River will stay behind. She has tribe duties to perform. I will guide you to the exit. River says it is not too far from here."
Chasm looked up at one of the caves on the wall, a few feet above. "This is the tunnel." He jumped up, and Crowfeather and Leafpool followed. Together they walked through the tunnel, quiet for the most part.
"You must be glad to be back with your tribe-mates," Leafpool finally said to Chasm.
Chasm nodded. "Things aren't going to be easy, that's for sure. I've been away from them for two years, and not all of them are exactly my best friends. But I am glad to have found them. I can restart my life now. Who knows what is in the tribe's future?"
He was quiet again, and they continued walking until they heard a rumbling. "Oh, no," Crowfeather said. "That sounds like the noise right before the tunnel caved in on River and me. We weren't even shouting this time."
"You go on without me. You run towards the exit as fast as you can. I will run back to the tribe's camp."
"But-" Leafpool began.
Chasm shook his head. "I can't lead you to the exit. If the tunnel caves in, we will either be trapped on the exit side or the tribe side. I need to be on the tribe side, and you need to be on the exit side. Now go!"
The rumbling was growing louder. Leafpool looked at the ceiling as pebbles began to fall. She looked back at Chasm. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now go!"
Leafpool and Crowfeather ran as fast as they could, as rocks fell behind them, separating them from Chasm. Now we're without a guide! Leafpool thought. I hope the tunnel is straight from here on out!
Finally, the rumbling and the falling rocks stopped. Crowfeather and Leafpool walked through the tunnel, which was straight for the most part. That is, until they came to a room that branched off into several different tunnels. "This is just wonderful," Crowfeather muttered. "The cave branches off and we've got no guide to show us which way to go."
Just then, a hairless cat walked out of the tunnel behind them.
"But… the falling rocks separated us! How did you…" Leafpool's voice trailed off and she shook her head. How in the world did Chasm get here?
The hairless cat turned to face them. "I am Rock," he said. His voice sounded like Chasm's, but deeper, older and wiser-sounding. "Chasm made it back to the Tribe of the Dark Cavern. I will be your guide now. This way."
Leafpool and Crowfeather followed him into one of the tunnels, which sloped gently upward. "Who are you?" Crowfeather asked, his fur a little bristly. He was nervous about following a complete stranger. "Are you one of the tribe cats?"
Rock looked at him, and he twitched his whiskers in amusement. "You could say that."
They were silent the rest of the way, until they finally came to an opening. Leafpool stepped out of the tunnel, blinking in the sunlight. She turned and looked at Rock. "Thank you," she said.
Rock nodded. "No trouble at all." With that, he began to fade and then altogether vanish.
Crowfeather and Leafpool looked at each other in shock. "Let's not mention this to our clans, okay?" Crowfeather said.
"Agreed," Leafpool said. "They'll think we're crazy."
"I guess this is goodbye. I better get going before I'm caught on Thunderclan territory."
Leafpool nodded, unable to speak. She rubbed her head against his. After a moment of silence, she said, "We'll be together in Starclan."
Crowfeather nodded. And Feathertail will be there too, he added in his mind. He licked her on her wounded cheek, then retreated into the bushes, heading toward Winclan territory. Leafpool turned and headed back to the Thunderclan camp. What will I say when they ask where I've been? The only thing I can do is tell the truth and leave out Crowfeather, then hope that Firestar believes me. That's what she decided to do.
Crowfeather stepped into the center of the camp. All Windclan eyes were on him. "We- we thought you died!" someone called.
"If I had, it would be because no one bothered to save me from drowning."
The cats who'd been on patrol with him the day he faked his death lied their ears back, embarrassed.
"You've been gone for two full days," Onestar said. "We all know where you've been."
"Maybe you do. Maybe you don't. I was on the way back from the lake after being deserted by the patrol, and I fell down a hole, into the caverns below. It took me two days to get out." At least it's part of the truth.
He saw Nightcloud in the crowd, and felt like turning and running away right then. She thinks I ran off to be with Leafpool. It's not the truth, but nothing I say will change her mind. Maybe I should just leave like I'd planned. Everything Leafpool said came back to him, and he decided that he would just make things work out. Everything would be okay. He would make things work out.
The End…
(Note: I may write a sequel about the Tribe of the Dark Cavern in the future, so keep watching for that.)
