whisked away on a dream [closed]

"Join me for a hunt?" Lavenderdrop tipped his head slightly as he approached the apprentice. It felt so strange now to be able to lead another cat outside the camp walls, as if he were qualified just for having a warrior name. Only a few sunsets ago, he and Whisperpaw had shared a den. He hardly knew the large-eared fellow but they seemed decent enough and most cats were already entrenched in their own duties. Well, there was a warrior or two about, but Lavenderdrop had yet to grow close enough to feel comfortable enough to ask. So Whisperpaw it was.

The idea did excited him. Even though he often came across as reserved, the tom delighted in the company of others. Dark Forest cats, on the grounds of existing alone and then proven was horrifying fiends they were, had squashed the more friendly exterior that Lavenderdrop could have had. His feathery tail whisked back and forth, anxiously waiting for a response, and piping up once again, "I just want to get out of camp. I'm sure you feel the same too."

Truth be told, Lavenderdrop had not thought much about where he wanted to lead them. He was new to this warrior thing, and headed out onto the moors without some cat's heels ahead, was admittedly a daunting thought. It caused him to pause briefly. The other words that had been spoken danced in the back of his mind as he drew a blank. Perhaps it was finally time to let his heart guide him across the moors. Would Whisperpaw notice? Would they care? Swallowing slightly, the tom shook out his handsome pelt and managed to form some words on his frozen tongue.

"Oh, uh, thank you. You too." The flicker of a smile on his maw faltered as he realized what he'd said, "Wait, hm, well you know what I mean." There was a quick, yet soft, bought of laughter as his ears heated up. Although he enjoyed talking to other cats, Lavenderdrop was quickly beginning to realize that he was not the most practiced at it. He looked up to Whisperpaw out of the corner of his eye before fixating on the ground ahead. He could have very easily taken off running but he found himself simply wanting to enjoy the time away from camp, not wanting to rush through it.

"Have you ever been in the tunnels?" He mused, eyes falling on one of the slight shifts in the surface of the moorlands. The tunnels were well hidden and their routes a secret passed down through Windclan ranks for seasons. Lavenderdrop had hardly navigated them before but, now, he found the prospect to be enticing.

"I've never been in them before." He admitted honestly, eyes staring towards the shadowed hole in the earth for a moment before glancing back to the apprentice, "But I would love to check them out if you're up for it." Lavenderdrop thought it would be like exploring a whole new world. The thought was appealing for several reasons. It couldn't be worse than up here, could it? He had never minded the darkness.

"I think both... let's find out." The warrior breathed out as he drew closer to the tunnel. Lavenderdrop sucked in a large breath before poking his head through. Shoulders followed and eventually his whole body. Underneath the surface, the air was stale. Light was sparse but he could make out several tail-lengths ahead. Roots poked through the ceiling and brushed against his pristine fur. The sensation was odd but it hardly bothered him. There was something comforting about the way the walls closed in. While there was much to love about the open moorlands, at times it was overwhelming.

Calling back to Whisperpaw, he meowed, "It's... pretty incredible, huh. I can't believe we've never been down here before."

His whiskers brushed the rough dirt walls as he padded on. Each pawstep stirred the earth that had been trodden for seasons, generations. Lavenderdrop wished that he'd come here sooner or knew more about this place. It was a Windclan secret, with stories passed down for generations. They were supposed to know how to navigate them but the ancient art had been pushed aside in recent moons due to the many changing circumstances. Perhaps, one day, he would know them all. He was determined to learn these routes, to discover all the many wonders hiding just beneath the surface.

Whisperpaw's voice caused his ear to flick, "It feels like they could go on forever." He heard some of the soft scrabbling sounds, eye catching a break in the wall to the left. Lavenderdrop turned to see a rabbit that froze as he saw it. Both the warrior and the creature stared at each other for a moment. After shaking himself from the daze, the tom darted forward to snag a claw into its fur and chasing it straight into Whisperpaw, "Sorry, Whisperpaw! Finish it off!"

"Great job to you as well. We make a good team, Whisperpaw." He meowed, smiling at the apprentice, "With skill like that I'm sure you'll be joining us in the warrior's den soon." Such things meant little to Lavenderdrop but he knew that others strived desperately to be the best that they could. The warrior simply wanted to know what wonderous things the world had to offer, or rather hoped there was much more than this life they lived. He dreamed of life beyond the borders, in these tunnels... out from under the paws of dark creatures and the pressure of this world.

"Is it weird that I almost wish we didn't have to turn back?" He found himself thinking these thoughts out loud. There came a breathy laugh, nervous. Lavenderdrop's ears lowered slightly and he shook his head slightly and let out on apology after only a heartbeat, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. Of course we have to turn back. Take that rabbit back to the clan. Right?" The pale tom's heart fluttered in his chest, wishing he could snatch back the words from the air. It felt strange to admit such a heartfelt desire out loud. Maybe it was the comfort of these closed in walls, the thrill of something new no matter how unknown... it had loosened his tongue.