Warriors #4: Darkness Awakens

Chapter 7

Swiftkit's POV

Today had been traumatizing, so terrible that I almost thought that the whole thing had been a nightmare.

Longtail was dead! I remember wanting to curl up and whimper at the news, but I didn't want to look like the whiniest kit in the nursery.

Just earlier at sunhigh, Longtail had promised to tell me all about Tigerstar and his treachery the next sunrise, but my ears flattened realizing that I would never get to hear it.

The sun was far below the trees as I sat in front of the entrance to the nursery. I thought that I maybe had heard Goldenshine call me, but I still sat in the same place with my head low, watching the vigil for Longtail take place.

Suddenly I felt a large tail gently wrap itself around me, and I felt a slow lick on my head.

"Swiftkit, it's time to come inside," whispered Goldenshine. I looked up at her with longing and sadness in my eyes.

She gave me another lick on my ear. "Longtail may walk with StarClan now, but he will always be with you, Swiftkit," Goldenshine meowed softly while looking up at Silverpelt.

I simply gave her a small nod and began to follow her inside the nursery where the rest of the queens and their kits were sleeping.

Poppyfrost's new adopted kit caught my eye immediately, who was curled up in Poppyfrost's flank but was shaking nervously in her sleep.

I blinked and continued to stare. Great StarClan, does that kit ever know when to calm down?

I looked over to see that Goldenshine was already getting settled in her nest, leaving just enough room for me. I gaped my mouth into a huge yawn and then padded tiredly over to her. I lied down and nestled myself into her soft flank as she wrapped her tail around me once more.

My eyes closed into complete darkness, and just as I thought I had fallen asleep, my eyes slowly opened again. I wasn't back in the comforting nursery though. I found myself back in the mysterious dark hollow where I had first met Ashfur.

Realizing this, I sprung up from where I had been lying, and I slowly panned my head around to check my surroundings, and I started to unsheathe my small claws.

All of the sudden I heard the rustle of bushes behind me, and a couple of heartbeats later was followed by a loud thud, and suddenly a huge shadow was looming over me.

I let out a tiny fearful squeak, but then I was able to fully unsheathe my claws and leap to turn myself towards my opponent. But I was only faced with a chuckling tom.

"Heh, not bad. Not bad at all," said Ashfur, "for a kit."

"I may be a kit, but I'm sure I could shred your fur off if I wanted to!" I hissed at him.

Ashfur let our another purr of laughter. "Yeah, right, we aren't quite there yet, you scrap," he said while playfully batting at my head with his paw.

"So, are you ready to become the strongest warrior to ever exist in the Clans?" Ashfur said with a smirk.

I didn't answer, but my mouth gaped open in shock.

Ashfur continued, "Maybe even as strong as...Tigerstar?"

When I thought my mouth couldn't open any wider, there was another rustle from the bushes, and a large dark tabby shape emerged. His flank was covered in many battle scars, and he had claws bigger than any thorns I had ever seen.

"You...you're..." I started, not able to even form a sentence.

Tigerstar padded up to stand by Ashfur. "Correct," he meowed in his deep, raspy voice, "I'd be shocked if you hadn't heard of me."