Darkness of Fear - [Sitewide Plot - Solo]
There was a calmness to the night as two lone forms slunk their way along the Thunderpath, sticking to the shadows and freezing every time the roar of a Monster split the air. The two dropped to the ground as a sleek black Monster, almost invisible if it wasn’t for the glaring yellow eyes that illuminated the blacken path that it claimed its own but moved on without incident and the two figures moved on once more.
“I will never get use to them,” one of them grumbled under his breath after a few heartbeats had past, getting a sidelong glance from his companion. His yellow eyes flickered onto the tortoiseshell that had placed herself between him and the thunderpath as he scrunched up his nose at her.
“How can you act so calm around them Larksong? You barely flinch whenever one goes by.”The she-cat shook her head with a faint chuckle, her amber eyes glowing ever so slightly in the faint moonlight.
“I suppose I’ve just gotten so use to them. Back when I was stuck as a kittypet for a few moons, they were everywhere. I was even in a Monster a few times...They are strange creatures, not natural if you ask me but I’ve learned that they are mostly harmless as long as you don’t get under their paws…” She drifted off as she noticed that her companion had come to a stop as he stared at her with wonder.
“Smokestripe? What is it?” she questioned with a worried twitch of her whiskers.
“You’ve been in one of them?” he gasped in awe as he forced his paws to keep moving, his tail swishing as his eyes lit up like a kit about to hear a story from an elder.
“What was it like? Is it true that they allow Twolegs to ride within them? What did it look like...What did it smell like?”There was an uneasy laugh from Larksong as she kept moving, causing Smokestripe to have to give a burst of speed to catch up as the ShadowClan warrior allowed her gaze to focus on the path before her.
“I’ve been in one, yes, but I had been stuck in a strange gray log that the Twoleg had put me in. I couldn’t see all that much from it. From what I can tell, yes they do allow Twolegs to ride in them but I don’t know why...Also they surprisingly smell much better from the inside,” she noted.
Smokestripe shook his head in wonder as he fell into step beside her, his ear twitching.
“I suppose I just forgot that you were a kittypet for a while...We’ve just been friends for so long it slipped my mind. I mean, we even became warriors together!” he purred with a wide swish of his tail at the recalling of the happy memory.
“It has been a long time since my return...I try not to think about my time away but now I don’t find it much of an issue,” Larksong admitted as she tasted the air as they walked the border.
“With everything that is going on, it's just so hard to think about that part of my past. I mean, my father is deputy now for StarClan’s sake! It's amazing...I’m just so proud of him,” she whispered with a happy purr. Then her eyes took on a mischiefing light as she took a step toward Smokestripe, gently giving him a shove with her shoulder.
“And then there is everything with you.”Smokestripe gasped in surprise as the sudden shoulder shove, a nervous look crossing over his face as he stared at his friend.
“I-I’m...Sorry? What do you mean?” he laughed, tilting his head slightly.
“You and Ravenclaw of course! I mean, I always thought you two would be cute together but it was just so...Sudden.” Larksong gave a shrug of her shoulders as she thought on the events of the last few moons. It had been so strange, Smokestripe and Ravenclaw suddenly announcing that they were together and that she was expecting kits of all things! There had been no denying that Smokestripe had loved Ravenclaw - even Larksong could see it and she was ready to play matchmaker between the two but...Maybe there was something that Larksong couldn’t put her paw on but she supposed it wasn’t any of her business.
The nervousness in Smokestripe’s body relaxed slightly as he listened to his companion but there was still a flicker of worry in his eyes. Him and Ravenclaw had been rather sudden...It hadn’t been planned. Not them, not the kits...After all, he wasn’t even the father of the kits! But he had promised to act the father for not just Ravenclaw’s sake but also for the kits’ sake. He didn’t know who the father was, he didn’t care...But he truly loved Ravenclaw and he couldn’t let her face being a parent alone.
“Yeah...It was rather sudden,” he sighed wistfully but he didn’t regret it. Not for a heartbeat.
“Life works in mysterious ways…But I wouldn’t change what I have for anything.”Larksong rolled her eyes at the sappy comment, playfully sticking her tongue out. But then something caught her attention as she came to a halt. A flicker of movement on the WindClan side of the border. She was tempted to just ignore it and keep on walking - if it was a WindClan cat then she didn’t care but there was something...Off. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to make out the shape but even in the moonlight, it was hard to make out as it clung to the shadows of the moor.
“Larksong? Why did yo-” Smokestripe had come to a stop upon realizing that Larksong had stopped moving. He turned to face her but he was quickly silenced as the torshiell darted forward and threw him into the ground. Underneath her paws, he squirmed as he fought to free his head from where it had been wedged in mud. After a few heartbeats of silent wiggling, the pressure of Larksong lessen and he was able to pull his face up with a gasp.
“What was that for?” he hissed at her once he had caught his breath.
“There is something moving on the WindClan side of the border,” Larksong growled back quietly, her breath tickling his ear and causing it to flicker.
“So? It's most likely a WindClan cat.”“That isn’t a WindClan cat, Smokestripe. It's far too large…” Larksong stepped from where she was pinning Smokestripe to the ground, crouching next to him as she raised her chin and pointed her nose in the direction of the creature she had spotted.
Smokestripe followed her gaze and his heart sunk, his eyes narrowing as he struggled to make out the shadowy shape that moved along the moor.
“Maybe it's a dog?” he questioned softly.
“I’ve seen dogs before and that isn’t one. It looks like a large cat if anything!”“Like...A lion?”Silence fell between the two ShadowClan cats as the sound of a Monster started to hum quietly in the distance, growing louder and louder. The figure on the other side of the Thunderpath came to a stop, its head raising as the Monster - this time a bright crimson one - came roaring down the path, the glow of its yellow eyes giving them enough light to see what had been lurking on the moor.
It looked like a cat, but was much larger. It had ragged but short tawny fur with thick muscles beneath. Its eyes were alight with a strange curiosity as it watched the Monster roar past but barely reacted otherwise. Then it started to slink forward...Toward the thunderpath and the two hiding warriors.
Larksong pressed herself deeper into the mud, laying her tail on Smokestripe’s back in a silent signal to do the same. Her eyes were narrowed as she watched the creature move forward and forward until it finally stopped...And stared directly at the two. Panic rose in her chest as she shifted ever so slightly to the side without a sound and the lion-cat’s eyes followed. The large feline dropped into a crouch, its muscles tensing before it leaped forward straight at the two of them.
Oh StarClan…Within heartbeats, both Larksong and Smokestripe were on their paws as the large cat came bounding across the Thunderpath. Without a thought, Larksong threw her weight at the side and right into Smokestripe, shoving him hard in the direction of the territory as she spun to face the oncoming giant. StarClan give me strength...She bared her claws, her back arching but even at her best attempt to look bigger, she was nothing compared to the beast before her.
Smokestripe was thrown off balance as he was thrusted forward by Larksong, catching himself as he started to pull himself into the territory but when a yowl echoed behind him, he came to a stop as terror seized his heart. Larksong’s cry of pain split the air as he glanced over his shoulder to see the she-cat be thrown to the side by a swift paw...And for another paw to come barreling right on him. There was a split second of unbearable pain as the paw smashed into his back, his legs giving out beneath him with not even a fight. The mud was cool on his fur but it didn’t distract him from the searing white-hot pain of claws digging into his back.
Larksong struggled back to her paws from where she was tossed, bearing her teeth once more as she spun and threw herself at the lion-cat as it pinned her companion to the ground.
“Smokestripe! RUN!” she yowled at the top of her lungs as her claws raked at the creature’s face, getting its attention as it released its grip on Smokestripe. Once the tom was free, Larksong allowed herself to disengage and positioned herself between the large feline and her clanmate, her claws digging into the mud as she stood her ground.
Smokestripe pulled himself to his paws, spinning and getting his first good real look at the feline that had attacked the two warriors. It was...It was huge, its teeth pure white as it loomed over the two. Its body was indeed a tawny color, its face holding more of a golden hue however, not that it was easy to tell in the dim light of night. While he could spot where Larksong had scratched it, her wound didn’t even look to be bothering the creature in the slight...All it did was make it more angry. The warrior gasped for breath as panic rose in his chest at the sight, his paws frozen to the spot.
Larksong’s ear flickered as she realized that Smokestripe hadn’t run like she had ordered. The older she-cat glared over her shoulder with a snarl, her fluffed out tail lashing.
“Smokestripe I said ru-” she was cut off as the lion-cat took the opportunity of her distraction to strike. Claws sank into Larksong’s shoulder and perhaps neck - it was hard to tell from where Smokestripe stood - and she collapsed on the spot.
“Larksong!” Smokestripe yowled as he darted forward at the fallen she-cat only for the creature to make another strike at him. Claws dug into his side as he bit back a sharp cry, almost knocked off his paws as he staggered from the blow. He could feel the warm crimson blood start to pour from the wounds but before the lion-cat could take another strike, the roar of a monster split the air.
The feline glanced over its shoulder in the same curiosity it had before, forgetting about its quarrel for a heartbeat, but that heartbeat was all that Smokestripe needed. The mostly gray tom leaned down and grabbed Larksong’s scruff and with a mighty heave started to pull her across the mud. The sound of the monster’s roar grew closer and closer and he knew what little time he had was coming to a close. With panic he glanced around, spotting a small hole in the ground, barely visible underneath a fallen log. There! With all of his strength he moved himself and Larksong into the tunnel, not stopping until they had reached the farthest side of the small underground cavern.
He dropped his grip on Larksong’s scruff, his breath coming in ragged breaths that filled the air. He could hear the angry snarls of the creature as the shadow of it fell over the opening. His breath quickly fell silent as he waited for the shadow to disappear. One heartbeat...Two heartbeats...Finally, after what seemed like forever, the shadow disappeared and the world fell into silence once more.
He didn’t dare move, struggling to catch his breath as a small puddle of blood formed beneath the two ShadowClan warriors. What...What had been that thing? He had never seen a creature like it. It reminded him of the tales of the old Clans, LionClan, LeopardClan, TigerClan...Could it be one of them? He wasn’t sure, he was just relieved that they had escaped.
There was a cough beside him, almost causing the tom to jump before he remembered the state of Larksong. He glanced over to where he had dropped the she-cat, relieved to see her stirring awake even if her black and orange fur was stained with a deep crimson from her wound.
“Oh, thank StarClan you are alive!” he gasped as he clambered to his paws, glancing around the cavern for cobwebs and moss. It didn’t take long to find some in the forgotten hole that had saved their lives and hurried over to where Larksong was lying and pressed the moss to her neck, using cobwebs to hold it in place. It wasn’t pretty and he wasn’t even sure if he was doing it right but it would have to do for now.
“We need to get you to Honeydrop…” he muttered softly as he watched the moss quickly start to darken from the blood.
Larksong forced herself to her paws, her whole body shaking as she struggled to support herself but still found in her enough strength to glare at her companion.
“I thought...I told you to run,” she muttered softly as she slowly started to move toward the entrance of the cavern, all too eager to escape the cramp confines of the hole.
Smokestripe frowned as he followed her, giving her a shoulder to lean on. He wasn’t in the best of shapes, the wound on his back and side almost unbearable but he was at least doing better than Larksong…
“Come on, Larksong,” he said in a low tone as they helped each other though the small opening.
“You always risk your life for your Clanmates...Why can’t I do the same for you?”Larksong was silent as she glanced at the small entrance beneath the log, before chuckling slightly.
“But it makes it so much harder trying to figure out who is suppose to die for who if we are both trying to risk our lives for each other. Why not just make it simpler and let me do all the hard work?” she joked, but there was no denying the pain and weakness in her voice as she started to stumble forward.
“Well it doesn’t matter because tonight there won’t be any dying,” Smokestripe said softly as he moved to support the tortoiseshell. As he walked over to her, he tasted the air and spared a sad glance at the direction they had come from. From what he could tell, the creature had headed back toward the WindClan territory…
“We’ll both make it back to Honeydrop and she will fix us both up no problem...Besides, somebody needs to tell Leopardstar and Magpiewing about...That,” his voice died a little as he led Larksong into the territory.
“It...It went back to the moor, didn’t it?” Larksong asked after a few moments of silence, getting a confused glance from Smokestripe.
“Yeah...Couldn’t you smell that?”There was a shake of her head as she let out a weak laugh.
“All I can smell is my own blood…” There was a flicker in her eyes, of worry as she turned her gaze toward the WindClan border.
“If that thing runs into any WindClan cats...They won’t have anywhere to hide,” she noted in a soft, terrified voice.
“I don’t…”“It isn’t our problem Larksong.” He tried to keep his tone solid but despite it all, his voice cracked. He didn’t like the idea of any of the Clans having to deal with that, mostly if they were unaware of it...But what could they do? He doubted any cat could stand against that thing. Still…
“We need to get back to the camp and tell Leopardstar and your father about this. Come on,” he said in a low tone as he turned his gaze on the path before them.
And together, the two heavily injured ShadowClan cats slipped into the marshes toward the ShadowClan camp.
