I Fell In Love With My Apprentice
Chapter 11: Help Me
Lilypaw desperately looked back and forth at the three tunnels, completely unsure of what to do. Wait, Darkclaw and Talonstrike have been in here before, she thought frantically. Jaystorm hasn't... he'll be lost and scared! It took Lilypaw a split second what to do. Taking a deep breath, she raced for the tunnel that Jaystorm ran into. She saw him quite a ways up, weaving as he ran. Lilypaw knew he was frightened, but there was no time to think about that. As Lilypaws paws pounded the rock floor, her claws ripped painfully. The stone walls creaked and groaned, as if they were crying.
"Jaystorm!" Lilypaw shrieked. "Slow down!"
This seemed to freak Jaystorm out even more. He darted to the side, and Lilypaw figured he smashed into a wall. Lilypaw streaked forward, expecting to see him crumpled on the ground. However, when Lilypaw reached the point where he turned, she groaned. Jaystorm hadn't run into a wall, there was a detour in the tunnel. It branched off into a hugely smaller tunnel, leading into darkness. Lilypaw had to crawl to fit, and she wondered briefly how Jaystorm was moving so quickly with his larger size.
"Jaystorm!" Lilypaw called again. Then she heard thrashing, and she realized with dread that she had spooked the poor tom.
"It's me!" Lilypaw cried. "Lilypaw!"
The thrashing stopped, followed by silence.
"Lilypaw?" he whispered. His voice eerily bounced off the walls, chilling Lilypaws spine.
"Yeah," Lilypaw said, moving forward.
The tunnel got tighter.
"Lilypaw, don't come any farther," Jaystorm called. "It's too small."
"I'm coming to get you," Lilypaw grunted, pushing her way forward. How on earth did he manage to squeeze his way in that far? Lilypaw thought as the roof of the tunnel scraped painfully into her back.
"Lilypaw," Jaystorm said again. This time Lilypaw stopped, he had a tone in his voice that she didn't understand.
"What?" she asked cautiously.
"I'm stuck."
"Just crawl backwards!" Lilypaw said. Her suggestion was followed by shuffling and grunts. Finally he swore. "I can't!" he cried. "Get Talonstrike and Darkclaw!"
"And what good will they do?" Lilypaw was starting to get very scared. "They're bigger than you! Not to mention I have absolutely no idea where they are!"
"I want to get out," Jaystorm whispered.
"Well, I'm gonna get you out," Lilypaw said, hoping she sounded confident. "Try to wiggle around."
"I can't do that!" Jaystorm hissed. "There's barely enough room to breathe!"
"Then I'll go try to find the others," Lilypaw said at last, starting to crawl backwards. "Maybe they'll know what to do."
"No!" Jaystorm cried. Lilypaw stopped moving and waited for him to continue. When he didn't she sighed and kept going.
"Don't leave me," Jaystorm whispered. "Please."
"We need to get you out of there," Lilypaw said quietly. "And I don't know how. We need help," then she started making her way backwards again.
"Lilypaw, please," Jaystorm cried, his voice hitting a desperate note. Lilypaw stared into the darkness, all traces of her fear gone. She slowly crawled forward, gritting her teeth as she shoved her way through the tiny tunnel.
"What are you doing?" Jaystorm asked in panic. "You'll get stuck too!"
"I'm small enough to get out," Lilypaw said, voice strained as she dragged herself forward. "Don't worry," she crawled up until she reached Jaystorms tail, hoping she wouldn't spook him again. She gently placed a paw over his tail, making him jump in surprise. When he realized it was just her, he relaxed. Lilypaw rested her head down on his tail, and closed her eyes. "We're gonna get out of here," she murmured.
"I know," Jaystorm whispered. "I just don't see how."
...
Darkclaw ran through the tunnel, gasping for breath. How do I get out of here? He thought frantically. There's tunnels leading every possible direction! He turned and wove through a tunnel to the right, then to the left. There's no way out of here! He inwardly groaned as he came upon a clearing with four tunnels branching out of it. He charged through the one on the far left, figuring it didn't really make a difference.
"Darkclaw."
Darkclaw stopped dead and looked around. He didn't see anyone, but that was probably because everything was pitch black.
"Who's there?" Darkclaw called.
"You're going the wrong way," it said.
"Talonstrike, if that's you, this is no time for jokes," Darkclaw called, backing up. The fur on his back bristled, and he unsheathed his claws.
"You're going the wrong way," it repeated, laughing at the end. Darkclaw stood rigid. The thing talking to him had a female's voice.
"Lilypaw?" he said, voice breaking. "Is that you?"
"No," was all it said. Darkclaw was starting to get spooked. He darted back down the tunnel, and nearly had a heart attack when he ran face first into a solid stone wall.
"Dead end, Darkclaw," the voice giggled. Darkclaw spun around, trying to backtrack. He couldn't find the tunnel. Slowly, he stood still, looking around.
"Where do I go?" he whispered.
"Look up."
Darkclaw looked up at once, at first not understanding. The roof was dark, just like the rest of the walls. Darkclaw could see a few specks of dirt on the roof, but then a thought hit him. Specks can't glow! He squinted his eyes, and tried to figure it out what it was.
STARS!
Darkclaw had never felt so relieved in his whole life. There's a way out! He thought. But wait... Darkclaws feeling of relief disappeared. How am I going to climb out of the roof of this place?
"How do I get out?" Darkclaw asked the voice. "It's too dark to see anything."
"Well, wait for the morning then," the voice replied. Darkclaw figured that was a good enough idea.
"Thank you," he called to the voice. "Whoever you are."
His only reply was a breeze, chilling Darkclaw to the bone.
...
Talonstrike ran until he had no breath. He stumbled into a clearing, gasping for air. He slumped into the rock wall and shut his eyes. Why is this happening, he thought desperately. Is this a punishment for keeping the tunnels a secret? Well, it's working! Talonstrike thought angrily. Don't you think you've punished me enough?
He was woken out of his thoughts as a raindrop hit his head.
Talonstrike opened his eyes, utterly confused. Rocks can't rain, he thought. That means... Talonstrike whipped his head up, staring at the ceiling.
Another raindrop hit his chin.
An exit! Talonstrike thought excitedly. I found an exit! Talonstrike was then under the sudden realization that it was much too high to reach.
Crap!
Talonstrike sighed and lowered his head again.
He was just in the process of closing his eyes, figuring he would take a well earned nap when he was hit again.
This time, by a stream of water, running on his head. He stepped away, listening to the water splash all over the rock floor. It pooled under his paws, making them cold. As if this could get any better, he thought angrily, shaking his paws in a failed attempt to dry them off. Talonstrike walked irritably to a corner in the tunnel, where it was dry. He longed for the warm nest in the warriors den, hating the feel of the icy stone. The running water sounded like a waterfall, echoing around the cave. He was dimly aware he was missing something vital. It finally came to him once the water pooled enough to reach him in the corner. Talonstrike stood up in alarm, suddenly terrified.
I need to get out before it floods! He thought desperately. I need to find the others!
...
Lilypaw woke up with a jolt, suddenly aware something was off. She patted Jaystorms tail until he snorted, and sneezed. "What?" he mumbled.
"Something is running over the roof of the tunnel," she whispered, listening to the tiny drumming sounds coming from above. Jaystorm stopped and listened too.
"Maybe it's a bunch of little mice," Lilypaw suggested. Jaystorm laughed. "No, that's ridiculous. "It's probably a bunch of bugs."
"That's silly," Lilypaw giggled, happy that they were finally telling jokes. "A herd of tiny mice sounds much more believable."
"Maybe it's minuscule dogs," Jaystorm said mystically. "Or maybe a cat is sitting directly over us, tapping the ground."
Lilypaw opened her mouth to respond but stopped with a jolt as something icy crawled around her belly. She shuffled a bit back, and realized with horror what it was.
"Maybe Talonstrike and Darkclaw found their way out and are tapping a message in morse code," Jaystorm suggested happily.
"Jaystorm, its-"
"Don't ask how I know morse code, it's just one of those random things I learned."
"Jaystorm, I really think-"
"If you want I can teach it to you. Dash dot dash dot dot-"
"Jaystorm! This is-"
"That meant tree in morse code."
"JAYSTORM!" Lilypaw screamed. "THE TUNNELS ARE FLOODING!"
"What are you talking abou-" Jaystorm shrieked as he finally felt the water. Lilypaw forced herself backwards, ignoring the rock digging into her back.
"Try to wiggle out!" Lilypaw said desperately. "Or you'll drown!"
Jaystorm thrashed and kicked, but it was only in vain. He was really stuck.
"I can't!" Jaystorm cried.
"Try!" Lilypaw screamed.
"I did!"
Lilypaw felt the water start to rise. "Well, try HARDER!" she shrieked. Jaystorm pushed and shoved, not moving an inch. Lilypaw had to lay on her belly in the tunnel, and she could already feel the water tickling her chin.
"There's a rock digging into me," Jaystorm grunted, still shoving.
"You're just not trying hard enough!" Lilypaw cried, lunging forward. She clamped her teeth around Jaystorms tail and bit down hard. Jaystorm shrieked. "HOW IS THAT HELPING?" he cried.
"BLOCK OUT THE PAIN!" Lilypaw cried, choking on the water. "JUST IGNORE THE ROCK!"
"It hurts really bad," Jaystorm whispered.
Lilypaw bit him again.
"ALRIGHT!" Jaystorm hissed, giving a huge shove. This time he made it a few inches, Lilypaw had to back up to give him room.
"I did it," he whispered.
"Fantastic, now let's go!" Lilypaw started moving as fast as she could out of the tunnel. Jaystorm followed, moving a bit slower. Lilypaw realized with horror she had to hold her head up to keep out the water. Then there was a splash, and Lilypaw fell on her back into a puddle of water. Jaystorm fell on top of her, pushing her under. He got up at once and helped her up.
"Sorry," he said.
"Don't worry about it," Lilypaw coughed, shaking her head to get off some of the water. "Now let's get out of here before we both drown."
"It's getting lighter in here," Jaystorm commented as they ran/swam through the tunnels. "I can actually kind of see where I'm going."
"There has to be an exit around here somewhere," Lilypaw said. "We just have to find it."
"We tried to find it all night," Jaystorm said quietly.
"Don't think that way," Lilypaw snapped. "We have to stay positive," her sentence was cut short as a huge splash of water fell on her head. "Where did that come from?" she cried, blinking the water out of her eyes.
"Up there," Jaystorm looked up, and Lilypaw did the same. It was the same hole they had used to get in the tunnels.
"How are we gonna get up there?" Lilypaw cried as another huge splash of water hit her. "And why do I keep getting splashed and not you?"
"I'm not standing in front of the hole," Jaystorm replied. Then his face turned horror struck. "Rowenheart is going to float out of his spot," he whispered.
"Did you really have to say that?" Lilypaw groaned, figuring she had enough problems without having to worry about a dead cat floating around.
"Sorry," Jaystorm mumbled. "I just thought of it."
"Never mind Rowenheart," Lilypaw whispered. "Where are Talonstrike and Darkclaw?"
"Well, I'm right here," a new voice made Lilypaw and Jaystorm jump. Lilypaw looked around, feeling a huge sense of relief wash over her as she recognized Talonstrike. He was soaking wet and was holding up one of his front paws.
"I slipped and sprained it," Talonstrike said. "I think it may be broken."
"Out of all the times to break your leg, you pick now?" Jaystorm cried.
"Well it's not like I just chose to!" Talonstrike growled.
"Guys!" Lilypaw cried. "Now is not the time to be arguing!"
"Right," Jaystorm nodded. "Talonstrike, have you seen Darkclaw?"
"No," Talonstrike said worriedly. "I didn't even know where you two were, I just stumbled upon you by mistake."
"Well, we need to get out of here," Lilypaw said desperately. "But we can't leave Darkclaw behind."
"We may not have a choice," Talonstrike muttered. "We're running out of time."
"We can't let him drown!" Lilypaw shrieked.
"We can't let ourselves drown!" Talonstrike replied. Lilypaw realized with dread that he was right. They had to swim to keep their heads above water now, and Lilypaw had a terrible feeling that they were very close to running out of time. Then Jaystorm let out a cry of alarm, and Lilypaw turned her head to see what it was. A cat had washed its way out of a tunnel, flopping belly first on the surface.
"Is it Rowenheart?" Lilypaw asked, scared.
"Nope," the cat raised its head and sneezed. "It's just me."
"Darkclaw!" Talonstrike cried. "Thank Starclan!"
"How did you find us?" Jaystorm asked.
"The water just carried me over here," Darkclaw explained. "How did you all find each other?"
"I came in here and found these two," Talonstrike said. "Talk about a stroke of luck."
"No kidding," Darkclaw murmured. Lilypaw noticed Darkclaw shoot a glance at Jaystorm, but there was no time to contemplate it.
"Do you think we can get out of that hole?" Lilypaw asked desperately, looking back and forth at the three of them.
"If you somehow manage to grow wings," Talonstrike mumbled, kicking furiously. His lame leg was dragging him down, his head kept bobbing in and out of the water.
"Lean on me," Lilypaw said, swimming over to him. Talonstrike opened his mouth to protest but stopped when he realized he didn't have much of a choice. He leaned down heavily on Lilypaw, who was startled by the huge amount of extra weight. She thrashed her legs to keep them both afloat, willing herself not to stop.
"The dirt is softening up there," Darkclaw said, looking up. "The water could rise us up."
"Are you daft?" Talonstrike said. "We could barely climb into the hole, let alone crawl up out of it with no support."
"Do you have a better idea?" Jaystorm snapped.
"We don't have much of a choice," Darkclaw said as a huge amount of water poured in. "Soon it's gonna-"
He was cut off as a waterfall of angry water streamed in, filling up the rest of the cave. Lilypaw was horrified to find herself plunged underwater. She kicked with all her strength to the top, getting very scared.
Her head hit stone underwater.
Lilypaw knew she was trapped.
She opened her eyes in the blurry water, trying to make sense of what was going on. She dimly saw Darkclaw climbing his way out of the hole in the roof, followed by Jaystorm. Wait, Lilypaw thought.
Where's Talonstrike?
Lilypaw frantically looked around, growing desperate for air but determined not to leave Talonstrike behind. She looked down, and started to panic. Talonstrike was kicking the water with his good legs, but it was obvious his broken one was weighing him down. He thrashed and thrashed, but he kept sinking. Lilypaw forced herself to swim down, realizing with a painful dread her vision was starting to flicker into blackness. Her legs were going dead numb and her vision was fading away, when she felt something pushing her up. She blearily looked down, not understanding what was going on. She recognized the black and brown pelt of Darkclaw, but her body refused to move. She let Darkclaw push her up, and her head hit a soft surface. Rough teeth promptly met her scruff and painfully dragged her out of the tight dirt hole. She gasped for air, breathing as fast as she could to make up for lost oxygen. She lay panting on the grass for several seconds, trying to understand what just happened. She looked beside her, to see Jaystorm laying beside her with his eyes shut. She reached over, and it took all her strength to gently touch him on his back. His eyes fluttered open at once, and he looked tiredly at her.
"I tried to save Talonstrike," Lilypaw whispered, voice hoarse. "I really did. But I just couldn't do it."
"Lilypaw, Talonstrike is going to be fine," Jaystorm replied quietly. "Darkclaw dived back in to save him."
"He wouldn't have had to if I saved him," Lilypaw said angrily.
"You attempted the greatest act of a savior that I have ever seen," Jaystorm said slowly. "If you hadn't gone after him, no one would have noticed he was struggling."
"I guess," Lilypaw whispered.
"And you let Talonstrike lean on you when we were trying to keep above the water," Jaystorm smiled. "He will be forever grateful to you."
"Yeah," was all Lilypaw could say. They laid in silence for several heartbeats before Lilypaw spoke again.
"They're taking a really long time," she whispered. "Do you think they're okay?"
"They are," Jaystorm mumbled, sounding way more doubtful that Lilypaw would have wanted. Her pelt started to chill as she came into the realization that her friends may have drowned.
"Maybe I should go help," Lilypaw tried to get up, but it felt like her bones were made of stone. Her head swam like a fish and when she tried to stand, sparkles sparked her vision. She flopped back down, gasping. Then Jaystorm got up suddenly, and shakily stumbled over to the hole.
"I see someone!" Jaystorm cried. Lilypaw forced herself to her paws and made her way over, nearly blacking out in the process. She looked down into the hole, to see the strained face of Talonstrike pushing his way out. The second his ears came out, Jaystorm leaned down and grabbed him by the scruff. He yanked and pulled, the dead weight of Talonstrike made it a lot more difficult. Finally, he came out, and Jaystorm lay him quickly on the ground. Lilypaw collapsed again, too weak to move. However, she forced herself to watch and make sure Darkclaw got out. She thanked Starclan as another set of ears poked out, and Jaystorm yet again leaned down and pulled out the ragged body of Darkclaw. Once everyone was safe, Jaystorm stumbled over to Talonstrike.
"We need to get you back to the camp," he said. "Rainsong needs to take a look at your leg."
"Yeah," Talonstrike choked, opening his eyes into slits. "We should go. It's almost morning, after all."
"Come on," Darkclaw said, voice barely audible as he slowly stumbled forward. "Let's go home."