Dark River

Jaypaw’s breath quickened. He could hardly believe he was walking with an ancient Clan cat, watching him cross the border from kithood to cathood. The surface of the moor couldn’t be far away now, and then Fallen Leaves would be safe. Safe and a sharpclaw, just like he wanted. A puddle of moonlight splashed the floor ahead of them; Fallen Leaves dashed through it, glancing up. Jaypaw followed and saw a narrow gap above them, too high to reach.

Suddenly, the tunnel narrowed and began to slope downward.

Downward? But they’d nearly reached the open moor!

Doubt bristled in Fallen Leaves’s pelt, but Jaypaw sensed him push it away. The tunnel twisted and Fallen Leaves’s pelt brushed the wall as he swerved to follow the snaking passageway. Jaypaw was impressed how this cat coped with the darkness, much better than any ThunderClan cats would; he must have been trained to find his way with scent and touch alone.

The slope continued downward. Fallen Leaves halted, and Jaypaw sensed uncertainty. The tunnel ahead split. Which way should he take? Fallen Leaves padded slowly into one, then backed up. Jaypaw felt the tom’s tail slide through his formless body. He jerked as it sent a jolt of doubt like lightning through his fur. He scrabbled backward. The young tom was losing his nerve.

Fallen Leaves darted forward, hurrying on once more. He had chosen the other tunnel, though it sloped downward.

Jaypaw could smell heather; Fallen Leaves was following the scent of fresh air. Hope flashed in Jaypaw’s chest. This must be the right way. He saw another pool of moonlight flood the tunnel in front of them. Could they get out here?

Fallen Leaves quickened his pace. Jaypaw felt hope flare in the young tom and then plummet as he reached the moonlight. Jaypaw looked up. The hole was wide but a long way out of reach. And in the shaft of moonlight, drops of rain flickered, spattering down into the tunnel.

Alarm blazed from Fallen Leaves’s pelt. It swept away his disappointment like a cold wind clearing mist. He was scared of the rain! He shot onward, moving faster now, bumping into the sides of the tunnel more often in his desperation to find a way out. Jaypaw skidded as he followed Fallen Leaves around a sharp bend. The tunnel floor was growing slippery with raindrops. He flicked his tail, recovering his balance, frightened he might lose sight of Fallen Leaves.

The floor was growing wetter and wetter. Rain dripped faster through each hole they passed. A storm must be battering the moor above.

Suddenly, Fallen Leaves skidded to a halt. The tunnel had stopped at a smooth gray wall. He spun around and raced through Jaypaw.

Jaypaw’s fur stood on end.

Fallen Leaves was struggling to keep his terror under control. He raced away, veering down an opening in the side of the tunnel, and Jaypaw’s claws skittered over the floor as he turned and pelted after him. The tunnel dipped sharply.

Jaypaw gasped as water lapped his paws. He followed Fallen Leaves as the tunnel began to slope upward, but still the water came, rushing down the passage, washing up against Jaypaw’s belly.

The tunnels were flooding!

Fallen Leaves swerved through a new opening. It was narrower than the previous tunnels, and the walls pressed in on either side. A hole let in a glimmer of light, but it was too far up to climb out.

Fallen Leaves skidded to a halt. Jaypaw could smell peaty water and hear it sloshing ahead. He peered through the darkness and saw Fallen Leaves recoiling, his forepaws engulfed. The tunnel sloped down sharply in front of him and disappeared into water so deep it lapped the roof. Jaypaw turned around even before Fallen Leaves began to double back. He was leading now, scrambling back the way they’d come. Perhaps they could make it to the cave!

Fallen Leaves ran faster, clearly remembering the route, pulling past Jaypaw and taking the lead.

Please StarClan, let him find the cave!

Blood pounded in Jaypaw’s ears. Unbridled terror pulsed from Fallen Leaves.

Jaypaw heard a roaring. Wind surged behind him, tugging his fur as it swept over him. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw water skidding toward them, splashing around the walls and roof.

Hurry! Jaypaw was running for his life.

Fallen Leaves glanced backward too, his eyes shining with terror. For the first time, he seemed to see Jaypaw.

“Save me!”

As Fallen Leaves cried out, the water lifted Jaypaw, swallowing his tail, his belly, and finally engulfing all of him so that he was tossed and swirled by cold clutching waves. Water filled his ears, his eyes, his mouth, and he struggled against it, not knowing which way was up, lost in the darkness, drowning. His sight faded, his ears roared, and he let his body go limp.

Jaypaw blinked open his eyes, gulping for air, and leaped away from the branch. Rain was pelting down, drenching his fur, and waves pounded the shore, driven across the lake by a fierce wind. He wanted to go home, back to the shelter of the camp.