Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.
Chapter 1: Leaf
Leaf woke up to the sunlight streaming on her back. She stretched and looked up to the hole in the roof of the tunnels. Her littermates, Feather and Blaze were still asleep, but the rest of the tunnels were alive.
She padded out of her feather-lined nest and over to the stream. She lapped some water up. Eventually, she jumped in, enjoying the cool feeling on her skin. Leaf sighed blissfully. An idea formed in her mind. She slowly, quietly, padded out of the stream, and walked over to where her two brother lay. No longer bothering to be quiet, she shook her pelt out viciously, sending an icy blast over the two toms.
Blaze shivered. "Hey!" he said, glaring at Leaf.
"What was that for?" Feather demanded.
"I was bored and I needed company," Leaf answered simply.
"Did you really need to use that method?" Blaze asked bitterly, smoothing his fur.
"You should've seen the looks on your faces!" Leaf smirked.
"It wasn't that fun on this end," Feather replied, licking droplets of water from his pelt.
"Well I'm not on that end," Leaf countered.
"Why does she always say something like that?" Feather turned to Blaze. Blaze just shrugged.
Leaf stood up proudly. She was small, but not that small, there was no significant difference between her and Feather, unlike when they were kits. Now, she had learned to use her appearance as a disguise, not many enemies expected such ferocity from such a small opponent.
"Have you hunted yet?" Blaze changed the subject.
"I figured I'd wait for you," Leaf responded.
"Okay then. I'll take the east, Blaze, you take the west, and Leaf, you can fish in the stream," Feather said, heading to the maze of tunnels on their left and Blaze, to the right. Unlike before, neither of them were afraid to venture into the tunnels, like they were when they woke up here.
Leaf walked over to the stream, careful not to let her shadow fall on the water. Unlike before when she was playing around, she was careful to not utter a sound. She waited until she spotted a plump bony fish. That's about to be fresh-kill, she thought confidently, swiping her tongue around her lips.
She waited till the fish was right in front of her, then her paw darted into the stream and hooked the fish out of the water. It flopped around for a while, then went still. She picked it up in her jaws and placed it in their designated place for their fresh-kill.
Leaf padded back to the stream and waited some more. She fished until the fresh kill pile was filled with her first bony unnamed fish, three small minnows, and a golden fish, that was one of Feather's favorites. By that time her brothers had returned, Feather with a mouse and a squirrel, and Blaze with a bunch of voles.
"I found nest," he claimed.
"Well, we won't have to hunt for a while," Feather said proudly, munching on the gold-fish.
Leaf nodded in agreement, and picked up the mouse. Blaze, who had already wolfed down the squirrel, nodded too and settled for one of his voles.
Leaf feasted on the mouse, and savored the forest taste. She had a good life. Well... a somewhat good life. Living with toms can get a little... chaotic. She could never stop wishing for a sister or even for something else. Like her mother back. Or even her father.
There was always that one thing that haunted her. The thing Leaf constantly wondered: Who were her parents, and why had they abandoned her?
She, Feather, and Blaze had spun endless tales on what they thought their parents were like. They had no memory of them. One day, they woke up here, and the only things they knew were their names and that they were kin. No more, no less, but it was not enough to satisfy Leaf's curiosity.
Nothing ever was.
Her identity couldn't satisfy her. Neither could the humdrum life she led. The same customary routine everyday.
She needed to know what was outside. She needed to have an interesting life. Somedays she felt it more than others. And today was one of those days.
She was going to do it today. She was going to do something interesting. She was going to make a difference.
But first, she would take a nap.
"Leaf," a voice said. "Leaf." Leaf opened her eyes to find a dazzling black she-cat with green eyes. "You're awake," she said fondly.
"Uh... how do you know my name?" Leaf asked, confused.
"Don't you remember? I- oh wait, of course not," the she-cat's face fell.
"What's wrong?" Leaf asked, her voice full of compassion.
"It's nothing," the she-cat said, seemingly fine, but Leaf could read emotions very well. And she could tell that this she-cat didn't want to be bothered with that. "Listen, I know what you want. And I can tell you where to find it," an adventurous gleam shown in her eyes.
"Really? You know where I can find out who my parents are?" Leaf's breath quickened and her heart pounded. Would this she-cat really tell her the answers?
"Yup! And I'm going to lead you there," she smiled.
"You are?" Leaf asked with excitement.
"I already have," the she-cat winked, turned, and dashed away.
When she woke up, Leaf was in a place of the tunnels that she had never seen. A winding path was before her. She smiled before dashing off into the path that lay before her.