Replies to reviews:
Softeye - Rainheart! I love it! I'll definitely consider it for when he becomes a warrior!
Doodle Knight - I never actually thought about Whitepaw and Featherpaw, but now I can't get them out of my head hahah! Enjoy this RainxBright chapter hehe
Featherfall's Lullaby - UGH WE ARE SO CLOSE TO DRAMATIC CHAPTERS eeeeeepppp
Cloudjumper Kat - yessss BrackenxBright!
CHAPTER 20 – The Tunnels
"Wake up you lazy fur-ball!"
Rainpaw groaned in response and rolled over in his nest.
Brightpaw let out an annoyed huff and prodded him again. She had arrived back at just shortly before the Gathering patrol—leaving herself just enough time to crawl back into her nest. But she hadn't been able to sleep a wink. Thoughts of loyalty and honesty swirled around in her head for the rest of the night and eventually she just decided to join the dawn patrol so that she could distract herself.
"Come on," she muttered. "Get up."
Rainpaw's green eyes blinked open slowly. He looked grumpy and then confused. He and Brightpaw hadn't spoken for a few days, so it was strange to him that she was being so forward.
"What is it?" he asked tiredly, opening his jaws to let out a long yawn.
Brightpaw smiled, "I was hoping you'd say that. It's time to train for your bet with Sandpaw. Now get up and meet me in the clearing," she mewed, nudging him one last time with her nose.
"I wish you could've seen all the leaders up there, Brightpaw. StarClan, they were huge and ferocious but also elegant and wise at the same time. And I met these two RiverClan apprentices, Ivypaw and Owlpaw, who introduced me to everyone," Rainpaw rambled.
The two had been practicing their stalking skills for a while now, taking turns sneaking up on the other. It had only been a matter of time before Rainpaw had broken the silence between them as he began recounting details of the night before.
Brightpaw felt a pang of jealousy in her chest. She wished it had been her who met all these new cats. It could have been, her conscious reminded her. You're the one who told Brackenpelt to take the others.
"How was WindClan acting?" she asked curiously.
The gray tabby's eyes flashed, "They were . . . oddly calm. They didn't even report about our battle. It was like something that only happened in a memory, you know? At first I thought that maybe WindClan had let it go—you know, learned their lesson and all—but then, just before we left, I saw Rushstar and Hawkstar speaking with each other."
Brightpaw's eyes narrowed, "That's not good. WindClan and ShadowClan surround our territories on both sides."
Why didn't Cinderpaw mention any of this to me? She wondered, huffing from frustration. She knew what Hawkstar was doing—convincing WindClan to join their side against ThunderClan when the final battle came.
And it would come.
"Watch out!" Rainpaw's voice snapped her back into reality.
She felt the ground beneath her immediately disappear and she let out a surprised squeal as she tumbled downwards. The fall was short but the impact was hard. Brightpaw grunted, she could feel the herb wrap around her shoulder being torn off, exposing the infected wound.
"Great StarClan," Rainpaw called. "Are you alright?"
She glanced around. "Where am I? Some sort of cave?" she asked. Giving her head a quick shake she rose to her paws and looked up towards her companion.
"I think I remember Fernshade telling us stories about tunnels underneath the territory, but that was back when I was a kit," Rainpaw murmured. "Can you get back up?"
The she-cat stretched forward, reaching out her paws as high as she could go. The walls were smooth and narrow, making for a nearly impossible climb. She sighed, "I'm afraid not. Looks like I'll have to wander a bit and try to find an exit," she called.
"By yourself?" Rainpaw asked.
"Just me and the cockroaches."
The tom shook his head, "I can come down?" he offered.
Brightpaw shot him a warning look, "Don't. Go back to camp. Get help."
"I'm not leaving you," he meowed stubbornly. In seconds she was joined by the gray tabby in the dark cave. He smiled brightly at her and received a hard jab to the side in return. "Ow," he grumbled, huffing quietly, "what was that for?"
She sighed, "For being a mouse-brained tom cat." Now the two of them were completely lost several fox-lengths below ground, without any chance of getting help.
Rainpaw felt his face grow hot. He had been trying to impress her with his bravery, but apparently his plan had backfired. Why must Brightpaw be so hard to please? He wondered. The headstrong she-cat had already taken the lead, heading through the inky blackness without a trace of fear.
Brightpaw stuck close to the right side of the wall, feeling carefully with her paws. She could sense Rainpaw close behind her, his presence slightly comforting. Despite her annoyance, she was glad that she wasn't alone.
"StarClan," she heard him whisper. "How are we going to find our way out?"
I really don't know, she thought to herself. The darkness wasn't what worried her (she was a ShadowClan warrior after all) but rather the fact that she was completely out of her element. Her life was spent feeling the grass and dirt beneath her paws and the blue sky above her head, not lost in this rocky grave.
However, Brightpaw wasn't stupid. She remembered Hawkstar's words when in an unfamiliar situation "Stay calm and keep your wit about you. React carefully and think every move through before it happens." The ShadowClan leader had been talking about when she joined ThunderClan, of course, but she still found the advice useful.
She moved slowly, but Rainpaw didn't seem to mind. He had moved up closer to her so that their pelts could brush, just enough so that they wouldn't lose each other.
"Wait," she murmured.
"What is it?"
Brightpaw used her tail to feel in front of her. "I think there's a split in the path," she muttered, letting out a frustrated growl. "Can something be simple for just once in my life," she groaned, letting her head hit softly against the rock wall.
"It's okay," Rainpaw mewed reassuringly. "We'll just take it one step at a time. The Clan will find us soon."
She snorted, "Its sunhigh. Every cat is out either on patrol or training like we were. Nobody will notice we're missing until dusk."
"Then let's find a way out of here," the tabby pressed. "This is just like hunting, only we're looking for a way out instead of prey." Rainpaw could see Brightpaw returning to her hardened shell. This always happened when she was unsure—she turned almost mechanical-like, reacting stiffly and without emotion. And he hated that side of her. He liked her laughs and smiles and sarcasm. He liked the real Brightpaw.
He stepped forward and opened his mouth to taste the air. It was completely stale. He twisted his head around to see the she-cat watching him curiously. Taking another step forward, he closed his eyes this time, letting his senses take over.
It took a minute, but eventually he felt the faintest breeze of air twitch his whiskers. "There," he breathed.
Brightpaw watched in silent awe as the tom moved and began to walk through the right tunnel. This is not the same Rainpaw I once knew. What happened to my friend who was too scared swim? The apprentice who was too impatient to hunt for prey?
They walked for a long time, occasionally muttering about hunger or swearing when they'd step on a sharp stone and cut their paw.
Brightpaw enjoyed the silence though; it was nice to just get away from Clan life for a while. No Brackenpelt or Hawkstar or Cinderpaw or WindClan. No living a lie.
"I think I see light up ahead," Rainpaw mewed excitedly, his green eyes lighting up immediately. He began to speed up, almost running through the dark tunnel.
Brightpaw moved quickly to cut him off, "Wait," she whispered. Her ears flicked, straining to hear. "Voices," she muttered under her breath, "from up ahead." She was right. Through the dark there was the roar of rushing water and hushed voices.
The two apprentices exchanged a look and mirrored each other as they dropped into a low crouch. The ground rose up as they moved forward, revealing a huge opening to a faintly lit cavern. Cutting through the middle was a loud river, following out of the tunnels.
Brightpaw drew in a sharp breath and nodded with her head. Two black silhouettes were standing, one on each side of the river. Though it was hard to make out she could see the cat on the far side. It was the ginger tom from WindClan—Bluepaw's mentor.
"Holy StarClan," Rainpaw gasped. "Brightpaw, that's a ThunderClan cat!" he exclaimed.
She turned to see the tom looking in the direction of the other cat. It was the last cat she'd ever expect to see down in the tunnels. The most loyal member of ThunderClan.
It was Sparrowfeather.
hello lovelies :) for some reason, I think this is my favorite chapter ever! ALSO the POLL for Brightpaw's warrior name will be CLOSING on Friday (2/26/16) at 9:00 pm Eastern Time (USA) SO VOTE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!
qotd ; I have some story ideas for my new works after TWISTED is finished. Would you guys like if I posted a poll for you guys to vote on which story idea you like best? or would that be lame... haha
-Stormyyy