Blind Storm
A Warriors Fan Fiction
Part Two
Yarrowpelt reeled back in disgust. The juicy prey she had been about to close her mouth around was suddenly rotten. Maggots crawling around in it's torn gut, flies moving about on glazed, long-dead eyes. She tried to squeeze her eyes shut, but found that doing so didn't block out her vision. She wheeled around, trying to escape the smell. The sight. The sound of death. Instantly she was engulfed in a rush of water, but this couldn't be water, it burned, like hellfire. She worked to get to the surface, but couldn't. The fire had spread to her lungs and suddenly the water was full with corpses of prey. No, that wasn't right, they were too big. They were cats. Ripped-up cats that screamed from torn throats and looked around with empty sockets. One of them sunk claws crusted with dried gore into her shoulder and a voice as loud as the roar of the water clanged in her head. "The sky will overflow, and the darkness will blow away the light."
"Yarrowpelt.Yarrowpelt!" Yarrowpelt extended her claws on instinct and lashed in every direction, yowling like a dying breed. Her claws slashed at something furry and she felt blood land on her own fur. "Yarrowpelt stop it! You're hurting me!" She opened her eyes and jumped to her feet, looking around wildly. A small bundle of mud-colored fur was at her paws, sprawled on his back, looking up at her with scared eyes. "F-Fernkit? What." She hadn't even noticed that a crowd of cats had spawned at the spectacle. "What's going on?"
The crowd parted to admit a very large tabby with a proud stance and a challenging air. Instantly there was uproar as all the bystanders broke into explanations. "She's always annoyed with Fernkit!" " Fernkit wants all the best warriors out of the way, he attacked her first!" "Yarrowpelt was bitten by a sick fox!" "No, Fernkit was!" The tabby made her voice heard over the squabbling cats easily. "Silence!" And there was. "Fernkit," Her gaze finding Fernkit first, who was somewhere across from her own paws. "I-I don't know. Yarrowpelt was screeching.and thrashing.and.I don't know." Fernkit looked up at Yarrowpelt questioningly. "Yarrowpelt?" She straightened herself and looked directly into the clan leader's eyes. "Yes, Goldenstar?" "Explain." Yarrowpelt nodded, glancing again to the trembling Fernkit. "I'm so sorry, Fernkit," She looked back up at the ThunderClan leader. "I was having." An hesitant breath. "A nightmare. Fernkit.Fernkit startled me."
"Out of the way! Out of the way!" The crowd parted again to let in Dapplefoot, a brown and white spotted she-cat. "Who got hurt? Right, clear a path! Fernkit, where does it hurt?" With the arrival of the ThunderClan medicine cat, the muttering crowd went back to their duties, some looking over their backs at the quartet in the center of the camp. "Nothing to serious, come on Fernkit." Leaving just the warrior and the clan leader, Dapplefoot and Fernkit retreated to the medicine cat's den.
"Yarrowpelt, may I speak to you?" Yarrowpelt gulped and nodded. Leading Yarrowpelt to the stump under the Highrock, Goldenstar set off a quick pace. She seemed anxious to talk to Yarrowpelt. The curtain of lichen swept over Yarrowpelt as she entered the cool darkness of Goldenstar's den. Goldenstar retreated near the back, beckoning Yarrowpelt with a flick of her tail. She sighed deeply, almost deflating. Yarrowpelt realized that the clan leader had put on an un-weakened face just a moment ago. She was just as stressed as the rest of the camp.
"This hasn't been a good season for the clan. As a matter of fact, the whole forest has felt the strain of this unnatural heat." Yarrowpelt nodded. Goldenstar looked very strained. She sounded tired too. Yarrowpelt didn't envy the clan leader. "This weather has. been known to drive cats mad, as you already know." Yarrowpelt shivered, the memory of Bearfang, a RiverClan cat that had lost his mind and tried to devour his own kits only a few moons ago, for StarClan's sake! Seeing the expression on Yarrowpelt's face, Goldenstar smiled weakly. "I doubt such a case as severe will occur any time soon," though she sounded very uncertain as she did.
"So you'll understand the reasoning in my asking of your well-being. Just a pre-caution." Yarrowpelt nodded again. "It's alight, I understand. Well, I've been." Yarrowpelt thought of what to say carefully. Had Bearfang had any grizzly nightmares before he lost it? He had seemed like a decent cat. When Yarrowpelt was just an apprentice she had met him once at a Gathering, and he seemed just as sane as any cat. "I've been having nightmares, like I said." Goldenstar twitched her tail to indicate that Yarrowpelt was to continue. "What kind of nightmares?" "Well, really bad ones, really, uh. horrible ones." Goldenstar made a noise of understanding. "Not unusual, the heat brings strange emotions to us all. Those develop in dreams sometimes too. Myself, I've been having quite horrible dreams lately too." Goldenstar looked up and sighed. "Anything else? Strange pains or unusual thoughts? Too much or too little fresh-kill" Yarrowpelt was surprised at Goldenstar's reaction. She had sounded like she meant to interrogate her, but had seemed to not take much interest in the task. "No.nothing like that."
Seeming satisfied, Goldenstar got to her feet and so did Yarrowpelt. "You sound okay to me. Just uh, make sure that you don't overdue yourself, Yarrowpelt, you've been working very hard lately. I appreciate it greatly, but if it brings unneeded stress, then perhaps you should lay off a bit." There was no doubt in Yarrowpelt's mind, her leaders mind was not at all focused. Though she thought that extra rest would hardly help, she nodded.
"I'm sorry for taking up your time, Goldenstar." "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that." Yarrowpelt watched her leader anxiously, worried for her. The strain of duty showed deeply on her young face. "Yes, Goldenstar?" Goldenstar seemed to shake herself. "Nothing, forget I mentioned it." This seemed so unlike the strong cat to lose herself, Yarrowpelt almost said something, but thought better of it. It wasn't her place.
"Okay." Turning to leave, Yarrowpelt heard Goldenstar pad up behind her. "Wait a minute." Yarrowpelt kept on turning until she was face to face with Goldenstar. "Yes?" "Perhaps you ought to pay Dapplefoot a visit. It looks as though Fernkit might of sunk his claws into your shoulder after you hit him."