Into The Tunnels

Author's Note
This story is based off Warriors, of course, and off the roleplay clans. I want you to enjoy the story, so I'll try to make it as entertaining as possible! Enjoy!

- Ivystorm

Prolouge
A black she-cat with glowing green eyes gazed at her mate, a silver tom with blue eyes. At he belly a tiny black and silver tom nursed, kneading her belly for more milk. "My twolegs will take him away." the black she-cat told her mate, "I must find a place to keep him."

"It will be unsafe to keep him in twolegplace," the silver tom meowed, "You'd better just leave your twolegs."

"I can't do that." the black she-cat meowed, moving her gaze to her twoleg's den. They were in the garden, shielded from the sun by a nearby blueberry bush. "My twolegs need me."

"I heard of cats whom live in underground, beneath the forest." the silver tom offered. "Perhaps you can take him there?"

"I don't like that idea. What if there were a cave-in?"

"The others will keep him safe until he knows how to defend himself."

"But he won't grow up knowing his parents."

"This may be the only way."

"Fine, I'll take him to the forest and find the tunnel where they live. I shall leave him at the entrance for them to pick him up." the black she-cat pricked her ears at the sound of her twoleg calling her. She stood, leading her kit to the door. "He's so beautiful." She murmured under her breath. "And his beauty will be hidden in the darkness of a tunnel forever."

Chapter 1: A Kit
Four cats sat side-by-side in a dark cavern. They were all blind, as all cats in their clan were. Although they couldn't see, their pelts were black, dark gray, and even one tom had patches missing. "It's time for you to go on patrol, Hiddensun." came a voice.

A tom padded over to their group. "Okay, Hiddensun, Darkstorm, Narrowpath, and Palepaw, you have to patrol the cave entrances. We must make sure that no SunClan or Flutterclan cats have been sneaking onto our territory."

"Okay, Darkpelt." Hiddensun, the black she-cat, meowed. "Come on, Palepaw." She flicked her tail to her she-cat apprentice, whom had the lightest pelt of all the clan, light brown. Darkstorm, the dark gray tom with the patchy fur, and Narrowpath, a dark brown tom with a stubby tail, followed.

The patrol crawled away from the camp, which was the cavern they had just left, and followed the underground stream along a narrow tunnel. Their hieghtened senses made sure they didn't fall in, but Hiddensun kept Palepaw fartherest away from the water, just in case.

A bright light shone ahead, burning through each cat's eyelids. They could smell freshair and taste the feel the sunight on thei rskin. However, being used to the darkness, instead of comforting, it was uncomfortable and hot. "What's that?" Narrowpath stopped dead. "I smell a cat that is not TunnelClan."

"I smells of milk, It must be a kit." Hiddensun meowed, padding forward. She sniffed the kit and picked him up in her jaws. "Narrowpath, do you mind taking over the patrol? I'm taking this kit back to camp."

"Okay." Narrowpath meowed. The patrol vanished out of the tunnel, above ground. Hiddensun carried the kit back to camp.

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Tunnels
Hiddensun carried the small kit back to the cavern, and within seconds of entering the camp, she was surrounded by warriors. "Who's this foreign cat I smell?" asked a raspy voice. It was Stormstar, who, although they couldn't see him, had dark gray fur with patches missing and big, blind, white eyes.

"It's but a kit!" Darkpelt exclaimed, standing in the circle surrounding Hiddensun.

"What does a kit need with TunnelClan?" asked a silver she-cat.

"He's lost, Lightfade." Hiddensun told the silver she-cat. "We couldn't leave him to be eaten by a fox or badger."

"Was his mother around?" asked a golden she-cat.

"No, we only found the kit. It's parents musthave abandoned it." Hiddensun dropped the kit in between her paws and curled her tail protectivly around him.

"Perhaps we should leave him to FlutterClan. Those air-breathers are so soft, they'd probably treat him like leader." a black tom hissed.

"We should keep him." Hiddensun mewed over to the yowls of agreement. "TunnelClan needs more warriors."

"That's not your descision, Hiddensun!" Darkpelt hissed, stepping forward and breaking the circle. However, the circle tightened around her and filled in Darkpelt's place. "It's Stormstar's descision."

They waited tensly for someone to speak, but the tunnels were filled with silence except the little kit's squeals of fear. Finally, Stormstar padded away from the circle and jumped up onto Highstone. "Will all cats whom hunt in darkness place join me beneath Highstone!" the circle moved, keeping Hiddensun and the kit inside their ranks, and joined Stormstar beside Highstone as the leader jumped down.

"Will we keep the kit?" asked the golden she-cat from before.

"We will keep the kit." Stormstar announced, then raised his muzzle towards the roof of the cave and out the tiny hole in the top, hidden among moss and bracken. "StarClan, look down upon this loner kit, and approve my descision to make him a member of my clan." He stepped forward and took the kit from Hiddensun. He set him down underneath the Highstone and touched his tiny head with his nose. "Until you earn your apprentice name, your name will be Fallkit. May StarClan always look over you."

Then Stormstar gazed around the crowd of TunnelClan cats,a nd his eyes met Lightfade's. "Lightfade, you have milk left, I trust?"

"Yes, Stormstar." She meowed, knowing what was coming.

"Since your kits, Palepaw and Shadepaw, recently became apprentices, will you be mother to Fallkit?" Stormstar asked.

"Of course I will." Lightfade nodded.

"Then Shadepaw, move your mother's nest back to the nursery." Stormstar ordered a black tom with a white tuft on his chest. stormstar picked up Fallkit and dropped him into Lightfade's paws. "Welcome to TunnelClan, Fallkit." He murmured to the black and white marbled tom.

Chapter 3: Life in Darkness
Fallkit leaped at Palepaw, battering her ears. Palepaw flicked him off and meowed, "That was great!" she purred. "I wonder if I'll get to be your mentor when I'm a warrior?"

"Probably not." Fallkit sighed. "Stormstar's strict, he wouldn't want a young warriors mentoring."

"You have a point." Palepaw sighed. Then she slammed into Fallkit's side and pummled him with her paws. Fallkit wriggled under her paws. Then he kicked her belly with his hind paws. While Palepaw was winded, he slipped under her belly and pounced on her back.

"You're good." Lightfade appeared out of nowhere and pulled Fallkit off Palepaw's back. "You're about as good as Palepaw already."

"And you're just a kit!" Palepaw giggled. "And you're about as good as me, even though I've had three moons of training!"

Lightfade dropped Fallkit next to Palepaw and watched them continue their play-fight. This time, Palepaw waited for Fallkit to attack her first. When she saw him swing out his paw, she darted around him. Fallkit kept swinging in the wrong direction, trying to find Palepaw, while the she-cat was waiting for him from behind. Palepaw leaped on his back and pinned him down.

"Well, well." Lightfade meowed, flicking her tail for Palepaw to let Fallkit go. She licked her adopted kit clean then spat out the dirt. "It looks like your only weakness is that you weren't born in the tunnels."

"What? What does that have to do with fighting?" Fallkit asked.

"cats that are born in the tunnels are blind, but can find other cats with their other senses." Lightfade explained. "But because you weren't born blind, you still rely on your eyesight, which is useless in this darkness."

"So you're saying," Palepaw meowed, padding over to her mother, "that Fallkit's weakness is that he can't see?"

"Exactly!" Lightfade meowed. "He needs to learn how to use his other senses!"

"There's only one other cat in the whole clan that ever had eyesight." Palepaw meowed. "Stormstar!"

"Speaking of which, I must go talk with him." Lightfade trotted away and left Palepaw and Fallkit to their play-fight.

Chapter 4: The Overground
Fallkit ran in circles, excited. "Clam down, Fallkit." Lightfade meowed. She was grooming Fallkit as they waited in the cavern for Stormstar.

"What's going on?" Hiddensun asked, emerging from a nearby tunnel with a rabbit in her jaws.

"Stormstar is making me an apprentice!" Fallkit mewed happily, dodging Lightfade's tounge and racing to Hiddensun's side.

"But you're only four moons old!" Hiddensun exclaimed, dropping the fresh-kill on the pile.

"Stormstar said I was strong enough!" Fallkit exclaimed as Lightfade sweeped him closer so she could continue grooming him.

"He is stronger than most at his age, and already good at fighting." Lightfade told her friend. "Also, Stormstar wants to mentor him himself. He's also going to make Palepaw and Shadepaw warriors."

"That's great!" Hiddensun purred. Fallkit saw Stormstar emerge from his den and climb the Highstone.

"May all cats whom hunt in darkness join me beneath Highstone." Stormstar called. When every cat gathered, he called out, "Will Fallkit, Palepaw, and Shadepaw step forward?" The three cats stepped forward, and Stormstar started the ceremony. "Hiddensun, has Palepaw learned all she needs to become a warrior?"

"Yes, Stormstar." Hiddensun nodded.

"Then from now on, you will be known as Paledust." Stormstar touched Paledust's head, and Paledust licked his shoulder. "Narrowpath, has Shadepaw learned all he needs to become a warrior?"

"Yes, Stormstar." Narrowpath nodded.

"Then from this day forward, you will be known as Shadepath." Stormstar touched Shadepath's head, and Shadepath licked Stormstar's shoulder. "Now, lastly, Fallkit, are you ready to become and apprentice?"

"Yes!" Fallkit bounced closer to Stormstar.

"Then from this day forward, until you get your warrior name, you will be known as Fallpaw. I myself will mentor you, because I know how hard it is to train in TunnelClan for a cat with eyesight." Stormstar and Fallpaw touched noses, and the whole clan cheered, "Fallpaw! Paledust! Shadepath!"

Fallpaw padded along in the dark tunnels after Stormstar as he led him to his first training session.

coming soon