fading silence ♡ a warriors fanfic (book one ♡ completed ✔️)

//chapter four\\

Nightpaw's eye lids slowly fluttered open. His vision was blurry, and a throbbing pain shot through his head and hind left leg. He moved his head slowly, aware of the pain that now shot through his throat. Suddenly, it all came back to him.

The search for his Clanmates.. the thunderpath.. and lastly, the fox. Immediately, his eyes widened? StarClan? He looked around the area. He was surrounded by twigs and branches, and he laid in a comfy moss nest lined with feathers. And, just to the right, a brown tabby tom with white rings around his blue eyes sat, a grin on his face.

"You're awake," he commented. His eyes seemed to light up with satisfaction. "How do you feel?"

"A-alright..." His voiced cracked, and he wondered how long he had been out. "Is this StarClan?" Nightpaw looked around, beginning to panic.

The tom let out a chuckle. "No, you're in the LagoonClan medicine den. I am Dustshine. And you are?"

"N-Nightpaw," he stuttered. Why am in the LagoonClan camp? He wondered silently.

"You were lucky Mistpaw found you in time," Dustshine meowed. "Yes, your leg is broken and your throat is badly wounded, but at least you're alive."

Nightpaw looked outside of the den. "I have to go back!" He immediately mewed, a pang of homesickness flooding through him. He tried to stand but immediately fell back down. He was weak, and found himself trembling with the effort.

Dustshine looked at him, a ball of moss held tightly in his jaws. It was soaked with water, and the brown tabby medicine cat placed it at Nightpaw's muzzle. "There's no use. Your leg won't be healed until another half moon. Until the gathering to be exact. Then, we will deliver you back to CavernClan," the medicine cat slipped out the entrance. "And remember to drink up. You've been out for two days." Dustshine called over his shoulder.

Two days? Nightpaw's golden orbs widened. And he couldn't go back until another half moon? His Clanmates would be panicking. He pictured Maplewish's face stricken with terror for her kit, and Shadowflurry searching every inch of CavernClan territory. Even his siblings would be desperately looking for him. Couldn't LagoonClan at least send a message?

Nightpaw began to grow tired. His eyes felt droopy, and he already felt absolutely exhausted as if he had ran from CavernClan territory to the moon and back. Reluctantly, with one last glance at the outside world, he took a drink and then rested his head on his paws. Slowly, he drifted to sleep.

***

Nightpaw awoke again, now feeling more energized. Light filtered in through the gap in the den walls, lighting his black and gray face. He looked around the den. Dustshine was not in sight, though a quiet scuffling in the den told him someone else was here. "Dustshine?" He asked weakly.

An orange tabby she-cat who looked much like Applepaw emerged from a crevice in the back of the den. "Nope, it's Blazepaw," she mewed softly. The she-cat padded over to Nightpaw and ran her soft white paw over his injured leg. Nightpaw flinched slightly, but Blazepaw didn't seem to care. "Have you happened to thank my sister Mistpaw yet?"

"N-no... I haven't been out of the den." Nightpaw narrowed his eyes. Shouldn't Blazepaw know if he had been out of the den or not? Couldn't she tell how weak he was? Nightpaw put his head on his paws. He just wanted to get back into CavernClan camp. Couldn't he just be escorted? Or was there another reason why they were keeping Nightpaw prisoner in the medicine den?

"Blazepaw don't force him to do anything," he heard a voice from the entrance and he recognized it as Dustshine's. "Nightpaw needs to rest." With a glare, the tabby apprentice stalked off. "Sorry for Blazepaw's rudeness. She's a fiesty one."