Warriors: Light Comes with Darkness #1: Secret's Anguish | Never Again

Chapter 4

Champion bounded towards the lake before yelping, slipping on a reed. She crashed to the ground and spit out a mouthful of dirt to see Spiderpaw there, eyes glittering with amusement.

"You alright?" he asked as she rose to her paws.

"Yeah," she meowed, shaking her fur, which was burning with embarrassment. The sun shone down, making the lake sparkle and shimmer, radiating pure beauty as she watched, entranced. 

"Do you like it?" Spiderpaw asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh-wuh-oh, yeah. What's your favorite color?" she asked. Now you've done it, Champion! she silently scolded herself. Every time I ask that question, the other cats hate the question!

Spiderpaw didn't seem to think so, since he replied, "It's blue. It's so beautiful, like the lake. And like the ripples!" he replied.

Champion meowed, "Oh, cool! I like blue too. I hate red though."

Spiderpaw tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

"Well...well...Echoleaf...killed...my...my...mom," Champion stuttered. The memory sent another wave of agony slamming into her, as her body wracked in heartbreak. Spiderpaw scooted closer to her and let her lean against him. Champion raised her eyes to Spiderpaw, whose soft green eyes stared into her. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "My dad died recently-from greencough. But at least we have each other!" he added, trying to soften the mood. Then his eyes narrowed. "Wait, Echoleaf?"

Champion nodded. "Echo...Echo...Echoleaf. She said that that was her name."

"She's a medicine cat," he told her.

"I know," she told him, as her distrust and loathing for medicine cats deepened. She wanted her voice to come off confident, but it was bitter and came off with a squeaky edge. She blushed, fur burning with embarassment. She knew she had Spiderpaw now-but she still couldn't help it but think: Never again. 

"Every cat needs to let out their feelings. It shows what you've been through, you can let it all out," he murmured. "My mother said something like that."

Dove immediately flashed in Champion's head. Her laugh, her love, her kindness, her spirit that she used to cheer her up. Never again.

"My mother said something like that too," Champion whispered quietly. "I-I still can't get over her death, which happened...yesterday."

"You don't get over it. You will still grieve, but she wants you to move on. She needs you to move on. Would you like to do what she wants?" Spiderpaw asked her.

"Wow, Spiderpaw, who stuck a fish only full of knowledge in your head?" Champion asked.

Spiderpaw rolled his eyes. "Shut up! Not really shut up, but just...stop being so sarcastic!"

"Sorry. Deal with it," Champion meowed with a sassy flick of her ear.

"You're a pain in the tail sometimes," he muttered fondly.

"Then just throw me off your tail!" she replied.

Spiderpaw gave her a light push. Champion sprang to her paws. "I'll get you for that!" She laughed as she chased Spiderpaw around the lake, before she pounced on him. "Aha! I win!" he raised her head before lifting her tail, "I, the great Champion-"

"Stop being so dramatic," Spiderpaw mewed. "And get your big heavy body off of me!"

"You're no fun," she meowed. She waited for a few heartbeats before springing up. Spiderpaw toppled over. "Oh, I cannot breathe! Someone, save me!"

"Who's being dramatic now?" Champion teased. 

Spiderpaw rolled his eyes again and rose to his paws. "You're no fun!" he mimicked, earning a light cuff on the ears by Champion. 

Suddenly, a shape darted about. Spiderpaw stiffened. "Stay behind me," he ordered.

"Why, bossy paws?" she asked cheerfully, before seeing his serious expression.

A dog that was larger than both of them combined stalked out of the shadows, jaws slavering with drool as it eyed them hungrily.

"Go away!" Spiderpaw yowled.

The dog bared its fangs and started to pounce at Champion. Yelping, she rolled out of the way, frozen in shock.

Spiderpaw wriggled his haunches and pounced onto it, ripping at its back as he tried to hold on. The dog whimperedin pain before crushing him under his back, whirling around and tearing his throat.

Spiderpaw's eyes immediately went glassy, losing their lust. No! Champion thought, Not again! 

She would never see Spiderpaw alive, laughing and playing with him anymore. Never again.

Champion froze out of her shock, anger roaring in her ears. She leaped at the dog, claws outstretched before a piercing yowl rang in her ears. She whirled around to see a strange creature with no fur and pink hands. It only had two legs and began to yank the dog away.

She threw herself next to the dead Spiderpaw as her legs buckled and she bowed her head. "No," she whispered, "Not again! I...I won't see you anymore, Spiderpaw, will I? This...this is my final g-goodbye. Never again."

She lowered her paws and dug a hole before gently pushing his body in, scraping dirt over it to cover his body.

The horde of emotions slammed into her again.

Pain.

Grief.

Sadness.

Despair.

Loss.

Heartbreak.

Hopeless.

Guilt.

It was her fault. She could have saved him. 

All.

Her. 

Fault.

She didn't deserve the name Champion: Not until she actually did anything that deemed her to be a fighter that protected herself and others. From now on, she would rename herself as Coward, as the coward she was today. She wouldn't have the name Champion anymore: It was a new era.

Never again.