Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter, not me.
Chapter 3 - Careful
It had only been a few moments before Swiftheart had run so fast up ahead, that Mudshadow could not see him through the trees and undergrowth anymore. The tabby slowed to an average pace, knowing that Swiftheart would not enter the volcano without her there if the orange and white cat got to the entryway before she did. Mudshadow could hear Swiftheart beginning to trot far up ahead. It sounded like heavy raindrops, crashing down onto a thick log from a high tree branch. Suddenly, the raindrops stopped dripping from way high up; the tom had stopped in his tracks. Mudshadow hoped his only motive was to wait for her. Which, of course, it was. The brown and black she-cat soon learned this when she finally caught up to him a minute later. However, as soon as she did catch up with him, the warrior took off running again.
The two SolarClan cats repeated the said process a few more times before they came to the volcano, where the Tunnel of Flames – the place where all clan cats went to talk to EclipseClan, otherwise known as the clan that holds the spirits of all four clans' passed ancestors – was.
Swiftheart had stopped to wait for Mudshadow at the entrance to the lava mountain. It took her few moments to arrive from the forest, but when she did, the she-cat hesitated as she approached the entrance. She glanced at her companion, an apprehensive look spread across her face, then walked into the fire-lit tunnel, leading to the pit of the volcano, Swiftheart at her paws. Cracks in the ground and pools and small rivers of fiery magma easily lit the otherwise dark, ample, underground passageway.
Swiftheart suddenly let loose a deafening caterwaul as he accidentally stepped on one of the many tiny cracks in the hard rock that were overflowing with lava.
"Careful in here Swiftheart!" Mudshadow screamed over his yowling, and mewed softer once he had calmed down, "You need to watch your paws in here; one wrong move or a tumble over your own paws could scorch your fur."
"Well I know that now. You could've told me before we went in here," Swiftheart retorted, now limping on three legs.
"I know. But it was just too tempting to see what you would do," Mudshadow fired back with a slight chuckle in her tone of voice.
"You mean 'what the volcano would do to me'," the burnt, limping, white and orange tom muttered under his breath, meaning for the she-cat in front of him not to hear it.
Too bad.
"Yes, because it the volcano's fault that you stepped on something your nerves didn't find comforting. Of course," Mudshadow retorted, the sarcasm flowing without restraint in her voice.
"Oh look, we're here. Too bad this conversation has to come to an end," Swiftheart meowed quickly as they approached the hollow in the supposable center of the volcano, eager to not have his clan-mate have more fun by tantalizing him with her words.
Mudshadow ignored him by quickly trotting forward, anticipation running in her veins. She wanted – needed – to talk to EclipseClan. The black and brown tabby easily found the large mass of cooled, hardened magma near the enormous lake of lava in the center of the cavern; it was effortless finding the mass of black stone since the cave was so bright due to the lava lake. The said she-cat quickly curled up beside the hardened lava, and pressed both her forepaws up against the warm, black mound. Unconsciousness conquered her thoughts and her mind almost immediately.
A/N: I'm sorry this is so short! :C And I'm also sorry to say the next chapter will probably be even shorter. But from then on, I think they'll be longer... C: