Hauntings {open}

[shadow]

The mouth of a large cave loomed ahead of the small black tomcat making his way toward the feared area of SilentClan territory. The amber-eyed apprentice showed no fear as he approached this place, his fur not prickling and his eyes glinting with curiosity about the mysterious place few clan cats would come to. Coalpaw just wasn't afraid of this place. Mystery had always drawn him in, like a moth to a flame. The unknown and forbidden tempted him and often temptation won an easy match. Moving slowly, eyes wide with awe at the large gaping mouth of stone, the silver-flecked tom paused at the entrance to the cave. Gazing into the blackness that lay beyond, Coalpaw hesitated, listening and staring. He was trying to find something to tell him what lay beyond. As far as he could tell, nothing much.

Overhead a growl of thunder made Coalpaw look up toward the cloud-ladened sky. The promise of rain hung heavy in the air and thunder continued to growl in the distance, growing closer and louder all the time. As though on cue the clouds opened up and down came the rain, pelting Coalpaw sharply making him yelp. The rain felt like hailstones. Without thinking the tomcat sprinted forward into the cave to avoid the heavy downpour as a roar of thunder made his ears lie flat.

Pausing just within his new shelter, Coalpaw shook his fur out to try and get rid of the chilly dampness clinging to his flecked pelt. Lashing his tail, Coalpaw glanced back out at the storm, mist and fog laying heavy on the ground as the heavens cried upon the land. It looked like the storm would last a while and Coalpaw was no fan of getting himself wet. Frowning at the unfortunate weather, the tom sat back on his haunches and watched the rain. He felt the damp chill of the cave's darkness coiling around him and seeping into his bones making him feel uneasy. Maybe coming here hadn't been such a good idea after all...

Coalpaw's burning eyes glanced behind him warily. Out in the storm-drenched land the bushes rustled but the apprentice failed to notice.

[Duskstar]

((Tehe *steals post from different thread after deleting it*))

The Black Forest was as quiet, dark, and scary as ever. Sunlight didn't even come close to piercing through the canopy of leaves, though it was nearly sunhigh, and the black, twisted bark of the trees seemed to give off a looming glow of life. Any cat other than a SilentClanner would be terrified in this area. Even a few of the more timid apprentices of ShadeClan couldn't bring themselves to enter it, back when it was their territory. A crow call echoed warningly in the surrounding air.

Fallendream was right at home.

The large tom cat padded silently through the trees, his bushy tail flicking thoughtfully. It hadn't been long since he had been given his first apprentice, Coalpaw, and for some reason, though this was about his millionth apprentice, the warrior was struggling as to what to start with. It seemed like he did the same thing every single time. Show territory, hunt, fight, hunt, fight, hunt, fight. Then, right as you think your paws are going to fall off from so much work, that cat is made a warrior. Only a few moons of break, then another apprentice. Sighing softly, Fallendream made himself comfortable on the leaf scattered ground. "I suppose I could teach him how to fish..." He thought, "That would be something new, especially for a SilentClanner..." Despite the fact that many couldn't, Fallendream was surprisingly good at fishing. This skill wasn't used much, but it was fun to tell everyone that he could.

The tom cat stood and continued on his little stroll, brilliant blue eyes lit up thoughtfully. "Tracking is another option, I guess, but how would I do that?" After a moment he realized that Coalpaw could track him after he left into the forest. Then if Fallendream was found quickly, he could give his apprentice a little reward. The warrior shook his head. But what do you give a seven moon old cat as a reward? Slightly angry with himself for not knowing what to do, he let out a growl of frustration. Suddenly there was a log in his path, that wasn't seen before, and Fallendream found himself tripping over it, landing flat on his face. Scrambling to his paws the tom looked around, hoping desperately no cat had seen that. Usually he was very good with covering up his clumsiness, but sometimes there was that one he couldn't, and with his luck it tended to happen around other cats. Fallendream hoped this wasn't the case this time.

After a few moments of keeping perfectly still, the warrior looked up to the sky. A few dark clouds were lining it, and the sun was no where to be seen. Sighing softly, Fallendream was thinking about heading back to camp when he was suddenly pelted with water. The sky had erupted in a sudden downpour. Hissing at his sudden wetness, he ran toward the first shelter he knew of. The Mysterious Caves. Upon arriving he ran into the first cave he saw, bumping right into Coalpaw. Literally.

After almost tripping over his apprentice, Fallendream struggled to catch his breath. Then he realized where he was. Gulping silently he gazed around as if an unknown creature would pop out and attack him. After all, it was possible.

[shadow]

Coalpaw let out a yowl of fright as his mentor, coming from what seemed like thin air, tripped over him. Unbalanced the young grey-splashed tomcat tumbled farther into the dark cave for about a foot before coming to a stop. Springing to his paws with a defensive hiss, Coalpaw lashed his tail for a second before blinking and realizing he hadn't been attacked by some mysterious monster but instead tripped over by his own mentor. The aggression and defensiveness in the young apprentice seeped away with a wary sigh. His mentor was a klutz. Fallendream wasn't a cat Coalpaw was very familiar with yet but from what he'd seen so far, Coalpaw was unimpressed. Than again, Coalpaw wasn't exactly easily impressed by anyone or anything. His sister thought he was stuck up. He just shrugged it off. Who cared what Kestrelpaw thought anyway?

Sinking into a crouch, Coalpaw tucked his paws under his chest, back to the dark interior of the cave and blazing amber eyes watching Fallendream with a calculating expression. "Hope you weren't looking for me" Coalpaw meowed at last. "Going out in a storm just for an apprentice isn't very smart."

Sarcastic, calculating and cool-headed. That was Coalpaw, whether his mentor liked it or not. Wrapping his tail around his side, Coalpaw continued watching Fallendream coolly. The coolness from the darkness in the cave seemed to coil around him, seeping past his fur into his bones while the rainstorm outside faded to a rather pleasant background noise.

[Duskstar]

Fallendream fluffed up his fur nervously and glanced around. It was too quiet in there, and too creepy. He gave his chest a few quick licks. Unlike many others may have, the mentor didn't pay much attention the defensiveness of Coalpaw. It was natural, especially in a place like this, to be frightened so easily. Instead he merely watched, brilliant eyes studying his apprentice, until the young cat relaxed. Yes, the warrior knew he was clumsy. He found it very embarrassing, and though cats rarely mentioned it, it was hard to ignore the odd looks he got from them after tripping over a stick.

"Hope you weren't looking for me. Going out in a storm just for an apprentice isn't very smart."

Flicking his tail lightly, Fallendream gazed down at the silver flecked tom. "There are two problems with your statement." He meowed softly, "First of all, it didn't start raining until simply moments ago, surprising both of us. So even if I had been looking for you, I wouldn't have known about the storm until just recently." The tom's brilliant gaze locked onto Coalpaw, the expression darkening, "And two, an apprentice shouldn't question a warrior's decision. Even if it had been storming, the entire clan would risk some wet fur to go looking for the stupid furball that wandered off." Fallendream turned his gaze toward the pelting rain outside. He didn't mean to call Coalpaw a mousebrain for leaving camp, but was simply stating his point. The tom didn't plan on taking any nonsense from his apprentice.

Rasping his soft pink tongue over a paw, Fallendream sighed, seemingly dismissing the matter. "I wonder why this place is so frighting to most." He muttered, mostly to himself. Several times the warrior had been to these caves, and though he had never been in them before now, not once had some mysterious force attacked him. Fallendream hoped his thoughts wouldn't jinx the two. After all, it didn't look safe to go outside yet. The rain was pelting down so hard you couldn't see farther than a fox length from the cave, and small chunks of hail were beginning to fall.

Curious, Fallendream scented, not catching anything dangerous over his glands. Hesitantly he padded forward, fur prickling, farther into the cave. Every few steps the tom stopped to scent, and walked slowly as to not find himself falling down an unexpected drop off in the cave. Normally he would've followed the stories passed on from generation to generation about the cats who disappeared into The Mysterious Caves, but for some reason, he felt himself gravitated toward the inside of the stone tunnel. Blue eyes glinting, Fallendream continued, the only noises being pads against rock, and the distant sound of thunder outside.

[shadow]

At his mentor's comments Coalpaw hissed softly. Was his mentor an idiot? Anybody could tell it was going to downpour since sunup! It was painfully obvious in the thick clouds. Most apprentices, including his sister Kestrelpaw, had gone out of their way to stay in camp for the day even if it meant cleaning out the elders den. Of course to Coalpaw that was a fate worse than death. He preferred to hunt and stalk, not clean up after crabby old scraps of fur. Since Fallendream would have shredded his ear if he spoke that particular thought aloud, Coalpaw kept that one to himself and settled with an icy glare settling on his mentor as the other cat began to wonder around.

He looked almost frightened of this place. Coalpaw couldn't understand why. It was a cave. Unless a bear was hibernating or something they had nothing to fear from it other than damp paws. Yet another reason respect for Fallendream dropped. Coalpaw kept an internal count and merely found he wished he had Kestrelpaw's mentor. Fallendream was nothing more than a warrior screw up in Coalpaw's mind.

"Don't be such a coward" Coalpaw hissed, getting to his paws and padding toward the absolute darkness. "There's nothing in here apart from rock." Coalpaw felt absolutely comfortable now that he'd gotten used to the gloominess of the cave interior. He felt it calmingly quiet, a good retreat from the mindless babbling of the other apprentices and warriors. This place seemed to make Fallendream quiet. Coalpaw loved it now. He was a cat that spent a lot of time watching and little time talking because his mind was always going and he thought that his thoughts were more important than the mindless babbling of superstitious warriors. Kestrelpaw said affectionately that it was because he was smart and small. Coalpaw stuck to the theory that everyone else was just annoying. So far he'd been mostly right.

[Duskstar]

Fallendream whirled around and hissed at the apprentice's arrogant comment, "Excuse me, but at least I wasn't the one that nearly attacked my mentor simply because he ran into me. You looked pretty spooked back there!" After speaking he started toward Coalpaw, tail lashing back and forth. Normally this warrior was a laid back cat, but when things ticked him off, he was like lightning. Once merely a mouse length from the silver flecked tom before him, he continued, claws unsheathed, "Those stories your parents told you, and that the elders told you? Those were TRUE. My father's father lived when it happened, and his best friend was lost in this cave." A low growl was heard from Fallendream's throat, "So if you think that a warrior shouldn't be aware of his surroundings in here, I will happily escort you back into the rain." For emphasis the tom flicked his tail toward the exit of the cave with a snort.

Fallendream whirled back around and started deeper into the cave without waiting for an answer. It may have seemed like a mousebrained thing to do, especially after all of that, but the curiosity gnawing at his belly couldn't be ignored. He swallowed and took it one step at a time, eyes still adjusting to the darkness that engulfed him. It was Coalpaw's choice whether he came or not, but Fallendream was determined to find out what happened here.

Once deeper into the cave, the air around the warrior seemed to become more moist, humidity making it uncomfortable. Brilliant blue gaze the only thing visible in this night like darkness, Fallendream pressed on, not even noticing the new temperature that much. So far it had just been a tunnel, with no forks or turns to chose from. It would be easy to turn and go back, but that force that was guiding him through the caves never ceased, so Fallendream didn't either. By now his fur was ragged and limp, laying down by his sides as if he had just swam out of a river.

[shadow]

Coalpaw hissed at his mentor, his own claws unsheathed. Fallendream was just like the rest of them, scared of what they didn't understand, afraid of the unknown, afraid of what they couldn't see. These caves were no more dangerous than a newborn kit! Lashing his tail the ash-splashed tom rose to his paws, glaring after his pathetic excuse for a mentor. Why couldn't he have a decent mentor? Why did it have to be Fallendream? Why the superstitious one? Why the clumsy one? Why did StarClan land him with such a pathetic warrior? Coalpaw had hoped and hoped for a smart warrior that knew what he was doing, a warrior that could stand up for himself and not trip on himself instead. It was an insult!

"Who needs a mentor like him?" Coalpaw growled to himself. "He's got the brains of a twoleg and the skills of a blind old badger!"

Fur fluffed up in agitation, Coalpaw padded into the cave, unafraid. His amber eyes burned as darkness coiled around his legs and wrapped up his small frame. The dark didn't scare Coalpaw because he wouldn't let it. He thought of things and used his head unlike some warriors he could mention. In this cave he smelled dampness and mosses growing in the dark but nothing even remotely dangerous. Though Fallendream was out of sight, Coalpaw kept his cool and continued along his path, tail tip brushing along the wall so he could keep his mind on where things were.

The sudden absence of wall made Coalpaw stop, freezing completely. Turning his gaze toward the wall, Coalpaw leaned forward and found himself looking down into a small chute-like tunnel entrance that disappeared into oblivion. Taking a step back to see if he could get a better perspective of how big the tunnel was, Coalpaw's hind leg kicked a small pebble that rolled noisily away in the quiet of the cavern. The noise awoke the bats sleeping in the ceiling. Squeaking and flapping of wings startled Coalpaw making him leap around in time to see a large bat fly not a whisker from his face. With a startled yowl, Coalpaw sprang back with a hiss. His legs met nothing.

Down he went. Tumbling and rolling, Coalpaw fell down the tunnel. His fur scraped against the walls and his claws tore as he tried to catch something to stop his fall. Suddenly the close tunnel walls opened up spewing Coalpaw three feet down into a much larger cavern. Coalpaw hit the ground and went limp, eyes closed, knocked out cold. Four tail-lengths from him an underground stream ran past, flowing farther into the cavern. A high ceiling created the large chamber, a whole in the ceiling letting in some of the stormy light from overhead lighting the cavern barely enough for vision, not that Coalpaw was seeing much.

[Duskstar]

Fallendream whipped his head around at the sound of bat wings, followed by a hiss, a yowl, and what sounded like desperate scrambling on rock. Though he could barely see, the warrior could tell it wasn't good. "Coalpaw!?" His voice sounded horse as the yowl echoed throughout the cave. Fallendream turned and trotted briskly over to where the sounds were heard. He could go no faster out of fear that the rock beneath him would become nothing but darkness, leaving him to fall to his death. It turned out his theory was correct. Gasping as the sudden gaping tunnel appeared before him, Fallendream prodded one paw forward to investigate, "Coalpaw?" Again the meow echoed off of the walls, the empty words coming back to him with futile effect.

Fallendream took a deep breath and took some time to investigate what he knew. First of all, he was SURE the noises came from over here, and the tunnel seemed like the first place someone could hurt themselves. Second, there were a few dislodged pebbles and rocks near the base of the tunnel, suggesting someone had taken a serious trouble. "StarClan no..." Thought Fallendream. He had no way of knowing how deep the chute was, or if his apprentice was even down there. A loud hiss of frustration was heard in the silence of the cave. This was not going to be easy. Brilliant blue gaze closed as the warrior tried to think things out. It was doubtful that a sudden drop off tunnel was the only way to get to the lower level of cave.

"Thats it!" Meowed Fallendream, running toward the entrance to the cave. If there was another entrance, it would most likely slope downward at a much easier to access level that the fall Coalpaw took. The way this place smelled deeper into it, it could have previously been a river, meaning that the water would have slowly broke down the rock instead of having a chute to travel down. Once near the cave mouth, Fallendream gazed around, trying to find a tunnel he may have missed before. Sure enough, a small curve like opening in the wall near the entrance caught his eye. Using the same technech as Coalpaw, Fallendream listened hard for the rock, hearing it tumble down one empty thud at a time. It seemed like his theory was right!

Even with this new discovery, however, the tom could never be too careful. He took things one step at a time, just as before. “Coalpaw!” He yowled, “Coalpaw, are you down there!? I’m coming to help!” Long and now matted fur brushed against the walls as Fallendream squeezed through the small tunnel.

After a few fox lengths of walking, a huge cavern erupted before him. “Coalpaw!!” The sound echoed even more on the walls here then in the cave above. “Now I know how StoneClan feels…” Thought Fallendream, scanning the surrounding area desperately for his apprentice. Then, he spotted him; Nothing but a limp furball on the ground. Gasping the warrior raced to Coalpaw’s side, prodding him. “Coalpaw! Coalpaw!!” Desperate wails came from the mouth of Fallendream, trying to wake his apprentice.

[shadow]

A thin trickle of blood slithered from behind one of Coalpaw's ears, slicking the fur there and leaving a glimmering trail along the side of his dark face. Burning eyes were hidden behind dark lids and in his mind everything was fuzzy. He heard faint echoes and felt something cold pressed under him, sapping the warmth from him. Coalpaw tried to get away from the sapping cold but his paws wouldn't move and he ached all over. His claws felt flayed and his fur felt like it was rubbed in the wrong direction all over the place, something Coalpaw defiantly disliked. The echoes he had heard earlier seemed to be getting louder, or maybe closer or maybe he was just dellusional. Probably knocked my head too hard, Coalpaw thought blearily.

Coalpaw! Coalpaw! Coalpaw!

The chant echoed again and again, beating against Coalpaw's eardrums and bouncing around in his skull. His tail twitched in annoyance at the pain of his throbbing head. Forcing his eye lids to part a crack, Coalpaw would have hissed in displeasure but instead he hissed in pain, eyes closing again. The pain brought back the memory. The bats. He'd scared them...than he'd fallen...How far he had fallen was a mystery to Coalpaw but it felt like he'd been dragged through thorn bushes from the caves to camp by a badger. Something warm tickled behind Coalpaw's ear. His ear flicked. Drip. Forcing his eyes open a slit again Coalpaw ventured to very slowly turn his head. A drop of blood on the cave floor. Coalpaw's stomach rolled like a stormy sea but he clamped his jaws shut so he wouldn't vomit.

Slowly Coalpaw turned his head and found himself looking up at Fallendream. Oh his ego took a ten mile drop. Opening his mouth to say something, Coalpaw choked before turning his head away from his mentor and coughing up whatever had been in his stomach from his morning meal in camp with Kestrelpaw. It felt like his stomach was still falling and rolling around but of course that might have been his knock on the head.

Moving achingly slow Coalpaw admitted defeat and laid his head on the cool stone away from where he'd thrown up and closed his eyes. "Where are we?" he rasped.

[Duskstar]

It made Fallendream cringe to see the apprentice in so much pain. By the small puddle of blood on the stone ground and the way his voice rasped when he talked implied that he had been hit very hard. Brilliant blue eyes clouded with worry. "Its ok, Coalpaw, we'll be home in a moment..." Fallendream's voice was calm and soothing, though the inside he felt as though he could explode. Not from anger, but from fear. "We're going to get out of here Coalpaw, its ok..." The warrior hooked his teeth into the apprentice's scruff, and dodging the previous meal, started to slowly drag him toward the entrance he had came in. After a few moments, Fallendream stopped, resting Coalpaw gently on the ground. "Does that hurt? Can you walk?" He could already tell that his apprentice was somewhat sensitive when it came to his pride, so this plan may have worked better than dragging him the whole way to camp.

Fallendream sat the cold stone floor as he waited for an answer, if one should come. He hoped that from such a long fall Coalpaw hadn't been injured enough to post pone training long term. He was sure that would break his own heart seeing someone so... ready, to have to be cooped up in the medicine cat's den for a moon. The injuries didn't look that sever, but anything could happen.

[EW.... short...]

[shadow]

Coalpaw chose to ignore his mentor's crooning and cooing simply because he felt like his legs weighed ten pounds a piece, too heavy to swat at the older cat to make him shut up. Instead, the black and grey tom twitched his tail in displeasure. Quiet descended again until something tugged on his scruff. The cold stone under him scraped against his fur. Coalpaw's eyes snapped open. He was being dragged by his own mentor! A flare of anger flamed in Coalpaw's amber gaze and he gave a weak hiss, mentally kicking himself. Struggling away from his mentor's grip, Coalpaw glared at Fallendream. He would NOT be drug around like a kit! Especially since that meant when they got back to camp Kestrelpaw would see him and either laugh or have a fit.

"I can walk" Coalpaw snapped, the throbbing ache throughout his body making him crankier than usual, even with his usual crankiness about Fallendream.

For a heartbeat Coalpaw actually considered trying to eat his words as he slowly moved his aching legs under his small body. For once he was grateful for being a small cat. Any heavier and Coalpaw was sure he'd be unable to move at all. Rising up slowly, Coalpaw flexed his broken claws on the cold stone floor as the world under his paws lurched wildly but he managed to keep upright. His fur was ruffled all over, pushed in the wrong direction and bits of dirt and specks of stone littered his silver-splashed pelt. Disgruntled at looking such a mess in front of his own good-for-nothing mentor, Coalpaw refused to look Fallendream in the eye and focused on the ground under his paws, waiting for the world to still once more.

Turning slowly and wobbling just a little, Coalpaw looked back toward the tunnel where he'd taken his tumble before turning back and glancing at the older cat. His amber eyes narrowed. "How did you get down here?"

[/b]

[Duskstar]

Fallendream chose to ignore Coalpaw's hissing and squirming. If he wanted to be a grouch, he would let him. The warrior watched carefully as he got up, ready to catch the apprentice if he fell, but he didn't need it. Except for a little bit of wobbling Coalpaw looked as though he would get back to camp fine. At the question Fallendream answered, sarcasm falling heavily off of his words "I flew." And started toward Coalpaw, standing by his side, "Its over here." He stated, flicking his damp tail toward the tunnel he had came down. The warrior waited patiently for his apprentice to turn the way he was indicating, planning on going second as Coalpaw climbed the tunnel. This way he could catch him should he fall.

Fallendream rested his tail on the apprentice shoulder for a moment, preparing to guide. If he didn't like it that was too bad. Everyone needs to learn when they need help and when they don't. The warrior sneezed. He hoped that the raining had stopped. Once they were out of the cave it would be hard enough to get back to camp in the mud, but with the rain pelting as hard as it had before? Fallendream strained his ears, listening for the thunder of rain on the roof of the cave. It didn't come, but that could just mean they were too far into the stone to hear it. Had it been raining when he passed the entrance earlier? Fallendream's thoughts felt cloudy and unsure. He must have been to intent on saving Coalpaw to pay attention. A soft hiss of frustration came from the warrior.

[omg I just can't post today -.- no muse, but I still want to rp... arg]

[shadow]

Coalpaw pointedly shrugged away Fallendream's tail. The last thing he needed was pity from his mentor. Especially since his mentor was Fallendream. That was just demeaning. Intent on not wobbling or struggling in anyway, Coalpaw forced his temper down. If he kept letting Fallendream annoy him it would just mean he'd be an apprentice that much longer. He had to control his anger. Sifting through his thoughts, Coalpaw searched for something to take his mind off his mentor. Kestrelpaw? Yeah only if he wanted to imagine being snarled at when he got back to camp. His parents? Never. Crowpaw? Yeah right. A name floated to the front of his mind. Lark. An image swam up with the name. A beautiful ginger and white she-cat, slender, small and bright.

The coiling serpent of dislike coiling in Coalpaw's belly relaxed, soothed by the image and memory of the she-cat he'd known for only an afternoon. His claws retracted and the fire in his eyes dulled, bristling fur laying flat on his shoulders. Looking toward the tunnel Fallendream had indicated, Coalpaw started toward it, not paying attention to his sneezing mentor. It was the idiot's fault for going out in a storm. Reaching the mouth of the tunnel, Coalpaw paused, the world seeming to wobble less though his head still hurt.

Looking up the dark tunnel, Coalpaw laid his ears against his skull for a moment but hissed as the action brushed the scrape behind one of his ears. Flicking his ears up and wincing lightly, Coalpaw looked up the tunnel warily. It was still pouring outside and from the sound of it Fallendream had already started getting a chill. How long could a storm last?

Stepping to the side of the tunnel, Coalpaw folded his limbs under him. "We go up there and we'll be drowned" he commented. "Why not just wait for it to stop?"

[Duskstar]

Fallendream sighed. It didn't look as though Coalpaw was accepting any help at all. "Such a stubborn apprentice", thought the warrior, "He'll have to get over that..." But at Coalpaw's comment on the rain, he had a different reaction, "Mousedung!" The tom hissed, the sudden noise echoing off of the empty cavern walls. Fallendream padded next to his apprentice and stared up into the tunnel, neck fur bristling, "Well its not like we can stay here all night. The clan will wonder were we are." His tail lashed.

Turning and growling to himself, Fallendream stepped away from the tunnel and lay down, tucking his paws underneath him. His still damp fur and the newly found chill in the cave making him shiver. Angry at this the warrior began to groom himself rapidly, hoping that the rasping of his tongue would make the cold go away. This new weakness was making him grumpy. When finished Fallendream lifted his head and stared up the tunnel just as a few trickles of water came down. The warrior jumped to his paws, "Wait! We can't stay down here!" Stories of the previous clans, Lionpaw, and the three kits he saved flooded into his mind, "Do you remember the stories you were told about flooding in caves? If we stay down here we'll drown!" Just as Fallendream spoke the cavern they were in seemed to get smaller, and the tunnel for the water to come down larger.

Then suddenly with a loud roar, water shot out of the chute that Coalpaw fell from, and from the tunnel. It blasted into the cats and bashed against the wall behind them, ricocheting on it and settling nicely on the stone floor. Fallendream was knocked off his paws, surprised by the sudden amount of rainwater in his mouth. He stood up, coughing, as the liquid settled at his paws. Although the blast of water was gone, it still flowed at a slower speed from both entrances. "I think I suddenly understand why there is a stream down here!" Fallendream yowled over the water, "Hurry up!" He shoved Coalpaw forward toward the tunnel. A steady flow of rainwater continued from it, but the sides of it were free, though the rock was still wet from the previous stream of water. If they could stay on the sides and didn't slip, StarClan's mercy another blast of water wouldn't come, then they could make it out.

[shadow]

When the water rush subsided, Coalpaw glared at Fallendream. "There is absolutely no way a little trickle of water can fill up this whole cavern!" he spat angrily. "Besides what if there's another rush that comes down? We'll be washed back out!" This was getting rediculous. Fallendream might as well be panicking and Coalpaw was just plain cranky and achy from his tumble. Not a good mix. Rising to his paws and shaking some of the water out of his fur, his head throbbing in protest, Coalpaw flicked his tail bad-temperedly. "The rains can't last that long anyway. Storms this strong don't usually last that long anyway." Coalpaw didn't exactly like having wet paws but he would deal with that. Going up that tunnel and risking another wave of water was just idiotic.

Kestrelpaw is going to laugh when she hears about this, Coalpaw thought bitterly, eyes narrowing in dislike at the thought. Making a note of finding his sister when they got out, Coalpaw flexed his claws on the stone, debating. Moving warily he approached the tunnel that Fallendream claimed was their safest way out. Peering up the tunnel, Coalpaw lashed his tail. This was all rediculous. The waters couldn't fill up the cavern and the rain couldn't, and wouldn't, last long enough to drown them. Glaring at his mentor, Coalpaw growled continually as he slowly crept up the tunnel. Ugh. Making mental plans of how to get back at Fallendream for this, Coalpaw climbed slowly and warily. Plans of torturing his mentor didn't stop his growling but it did stop his claws from flexing which was as a sure sign he wasn't as bitter as before. It was something he often did to take away some of his anger at Fallendream. He didn't always act on his plans but this time he was seriously considering it.