Warriors: The Darkness Within

Chapter 10

I'm back! Posting another chapter! I've decided to make the chapters longer from here on. So plz comment and vote!!!!! xxx

Birdpaw raced through the trees, her paws throwing up dirt and dead leaves as she tailed Waterclaw, followed by Ambercloud. They burst into the fighting and Birdpaw hesitated as she watched the two other warriors launch into battle, she spotted a scruffy tabby tom pinning Crowpaw to the ground and summoned up enough courage to pounce on him, her claws extended, digging them deep into his back and shoulders like her father had taught her and her litter mates when they were kits. The tom cried out in shock and surprise releasing Crowpaw and trying to shake off his attacker, Birdpaw held on with everything she had, digging her claws in as deep as possible. He let out a yowl of pain and rage, he thrashed and tried to claw at her, but she had a firm grip and his claws could not reach her.
Crowpaw had, in this time, regained herself and while the rogue was distracted, the small black apprentice took her chance and slashed his soft underbelly as he reared up.
The scruffy Tom yelled out in frustration, lashing out with vicious strikes, the rogue soon realised he was losing and the two young apprentices did too, for Birdpaw leaped of the rogue's back and turned to fight alongside her clanmate but he had already retreated.
"Thanks!" Crowpaw panted before throwing herself on a brown tabby she-cat who was wrestling with Waterclaw.
Birdpaw looked around, but before she could find a clanmate to help a heavy blow landed on her shoulder, she fell to the forest floor with a thud.
Birdpaw immediately leaped to her paws, only to be knocked back again, her attacker was a large grey tom, his eyes flashed with malice and she backed away, only to come to a stop when her back legs ran into a large tree, they were away from the other fighting cats next to a little pond.
She was trapped. There was only one thing she could do as the Tom cornered her, she knew she could not take him on her own.
"Help! Somebody help plea..." she was cut off as the grey rogue flung himself at her, she dodged the attack only to have a blow land on the back of her head, another rogue had joined in. She considered retreating but refused to run from enemies in her own territory, turning around to face the other rogue she slashed the tortoiseshell she-cat on the nose.
She yowled in anger and pain, rearing up and landing on top of Birdpaw, knocking the air from her lungs, the rogue Tom clawed her and she let out a cry of pain, her side felt like it was on fire
The rogues just snickered, Birdpaw tried to remember her brief battle training session and put all her remaining energy into her attack. Launching her back legs forward, claws outstretched, she plunged her paws deep into her attacker's underbelly, the she-cat cried out but did not budge from where she stood. Birdpaw let out another agonised wail as the rogues both clawed her on her head and stomach. Suddenly a strange sensation overtook the young apprentice, was it death? No.
The rogues pupils bled through their whole eyes until they were as black as the night sky, a hazy vision flashed in Birdpaw's mind of a badger, the rogues seemed to see something in the bushes because their black eyes widened and they stumbled off Birdpaw. They let out inaudible cries for help and ran like their lives depended on it, into the trees, Birdpaw heard their clumsy paws tripping and running, she was so utterly confused as to what just happened.
But she was in too much pain to care. Birdpaw felt the blood pooling around her, and tried to stand, but her legs were weak and her head was spinning she lay there, barely conscious, as she tried to listen in on the battle. What if I die? She thought.
"Help!" She meowed in a husky exhausted voice, but she knew no one had heard her cry over the racket of the battle.
I'm sorry Pinepaw. I failed you. Then blackness engulfed her.

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Birdpaw heard soft voices around her and a warm feathered nest beneath her, the smell of herbs filled her senses and she tried to make out the words being said.
"...and I want you to dress Crowpaw's wound again, it's deep so I want to keep an eye on it, have you treated..." the voices moved out of ear shot and Birdpaw blinked her eyes open.
She lay in a comfortable nest in the medicine den, next to her in a larger nest lay Waterclaw, who's leg was bound with sticks, he had a few scratches but Birdpaw knew he had broken his leg. She immediately wondered if he would be able to continue as deputy, or even as a warrior with such a severe injury, in a nest opposite her, lay Crowpaw, Birdpaw noticed a large wad of herby spiderweb plastered to her shoulder.
Another nest was in the den and she noticed the sleeping form of Tidalpaw, who was injured from a previous attack. Gingerly, she lifted her head, which was still throbbing and tried to sit up, a cat entered the den and limped over quickly. Birdpaw instantly felt comforted by her mother's warm scent.
"Oh, no no. Birdpaw lay back, rest my kit." She soothed, Birdpaw did as she was told and lay back down. Her injuries still stung and burned, her joints and limbs still ached, but the rumble of her belly made her say, "I'm hungry."
"Yes, you have been asleep for nearly 2 days. I'll get you some prey, but promise me you will not try and stand or sit while I'm gone." Quickfox meowed softly.
"I won't, I promise." She answered. Quickfox turned and exited the den.
Birdpaw tried to remember back to the battle, did we win? Were there any casualties? Was Pinepaw rescued? What happened when those rogue's eyes changed? Her head spun with unanswered questions, she needed answers, now.
Birdpaw examined her own wounds which were healing slowly but surely, a particular wound caught her attention, a deep gash in her side which looked as if it had been covered like Crowpaw's but was now uncovered. 2 days? That was a long time, Birdpaw felt like it had only been hours.
She looked up when a very tired looking Palepaw entered the den, the cream-coloured she-cat wandered over to her own nest and curled up, her breathing steadied and she was asleep within moments. Birdpaw stretched out a paw and touched the scraps of herb outside her nest, becoming impatient, her mother limped in, still sore from her injury, though it was healing well. Quickfox held a fat vole in her jaws, Pebblefoot followed her, his expression unreadable as he checked her wounds.
"Can you stand?" He asked gruffly.
"I think so." She replied and tried to heave herself out of her nest, a sharp pain nearly knocked her over, but she stopped and lowered herself down.
"No, ok well...." Pebblefoot mumbled to himself and shuffled off to his herb store.
"Can she eat?" Quickfox called, through the price of prey.
"Yes, of course, she needs all of her strength to recover." Pebble foot replied from the herb store.
Quickfox swiftly limped over to her kit, placing the vole in front of Birdpaw and sat beside her. Birdpaw felt bad about eating with her mother present if Quickfox had not had prey today.
"Go on, eat. I've had prey." She said pushing it towards her.
"Thank you." Birdpaw said before taking a famished bite, letting the delicious meat slide down her throat and sate her hunger.
"Mm that's good." She said.
"Eat up sweetheart." Her mother soothed, giving the fluffy tortoiseshell fur on top of her head a lick. Birdpaw nodded and gulped down the prey licking her lips and giving herself a quick wash. Pebblefoot returned, a poultice hanging from a leaf in his jaws, he came over and placed the leaf down, careful not to let it spill.
"What is that?" Palepaw asked sleepily from her nest, all three cats instantly looked guilty for waking the tired apprentice.
"Marigold, now get some sleep, you were up all night." He replied.
She nodded but then asked, "Have you given Waterclaw the Comfrey yet?"
Pebblefoot grunted which apparently meant he had.
Birdpaw tried not to cry out as the poultice was applied, any contact with her wounds stung, bug this was worse.
"What will it do?" Asked Quickfox anxiously.
"Fight infection." He said simply.
Birdpaw leg out a whimper when he got to the deep wound in her side, her mother comforted her throughout.
"Done, now I'll give you a poppy seed to help with the pain and help you sleep." Pebblefoot told her offering the tiny seed. She took it and crushed it between her teeth, swallowing it, he nodded and turned to Quickfox, "Make sure she rests, I have to go refill the stocks, if anything happens wake Palepaw." He instructed her firmly. Her mother nodded and watched the old medicine cat leave the crowded den, Birdpaw felt the effects of the poppy seed, her scratches and cuts were almost numb and her eyelids felt droopy.
"Sleep now my dear." Her mother told her licking her gently, Birdpaw gave in and slipped into a deep sleep.

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Birdpaw woke in her nest, in the medicine den, but it was different. All the other nests were gone, even Palepaw's it seemed to be night but it was eerily silent.
"Hello?" She called out, sniffing the air there was no scent other than that of herbs and ferns.
"Hello Birdpaw." A voice replied. Birdpaw turned her head to see a black tom with stars in his fur and kind eyes.
"Are you a Starclan cat?" Birdpaw asked, her eyes bulging.
"Yes, my name is Darkstorm." The Tom replied, Birdpaw felt a sense of awe set over her, only medicine cats got to speak with Starclan!
"Wh-why do you want to talk to me?" She asked, Darkstorm came closed sitting beside her nest.
"Because you are a very special cat, you have an ability. An ability I chose to give to you." He replied.
"M-me? But I... " she cut herself off with the memory of the rogues' black eyes.
"You have the ability to create visions, or alter others vision. You make others see things." He explained.
"R-really?"
"When you used your powers during the battle, you gained access to them. I am here to teach you how to use them properly." He informed.
"Wow... but I... I didn't even mean to use my power. I didn't even know I had one." She told him, baffled.
"I know. You can talk to Firepaw about this as well, I expect Gorseflower to be visiting him too." He said
"But, how do I use them and... why do I need them?" She asked nervously, this cat may know her entire future.
"That is a question I cannot answer, though I will teach you how to use them." He said, His black furred figure started to fade, a moment of confusion came over her before she realised her dream was ending.
"Wait! No! Please!" She cried out but it was too late.
Darkstorm was gone.
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Hi! Thanks so much for reading as always! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I added as much as I could. Plz check out my other two stories! One is a work in progress but the other is just a super short horror story.
(I'm trying a few different things tho my favourite to write about is fantasy!)
Anyway, plz comment & vote!