Post by LιθΠΗΣαRτεD on May 4, 2017 2:29:01 GMT
Coldness and blackness enveloped Lionpaw making him shiver. The smell of decay rudely invaded his nostrils, and he resisted the urge to hold his breath. He needed to find Cherrybreeze, now. He had a bad feeling that time was against him.
"Good luck finding her," a snide voice said behind him, and Shadowpaw's eyes gleamed before the cat altogether disappeared into the tendrils of the Forest. Gulping, Lionpaw looked around. Where to start? He couldn't see a thing. His eyes were adjusting, but they weren't doing it quick enough!
"Cherrybreeze!" he tried calling out. He'd seen her, right on the other side. Well, now he was here, and she was gone. "Cherrybreeze!"
"Lionfire!" her voice still sounded distant, empty, ghostly. He raced towards the sound, his blood pounding in his ears. He was still alive, but he could feel the claws of death creeping upon him, slowly consuming him. A panic was rising within him, his soul sensing the innate danger of this place. He didn't know the consequences of being in this place too long, but he could hazard a guess that he'd be trapped here forever.
"Cherrybreeze! Where are you?"
"I'm here, Lionfire! Hurry, please!" her voice sounded desperate, and Lionfire wanted to cry. He continued running, almost aimlessly. Where was she? Where was anything? All he could see was a forest, all in grayscale. The images sharpened, and he was staring at endless rows of deathly white trees, ghostly claws that loomed omniously over his head, bending in, as if attempting to hold him in. He felt sick, and a part of him desperately wanted to retreat out of here. But he couldn't, and besides, there wasn't an obvious exit. It was just dark. He was standing on an empty trail, racing into blackness, and as he continued running, the same forest with its gray and white trees appeared over and over again.
"Keep talking! I need to listen to you, I can't see!"
"I'm here! I'm here!"
"Hurry, hurry..." Shadowpaw's teasing lilt came out of nowhere, and it was everywhere at once, booming, as if he was speaking through some sort of amplifier. There was a high, dark laugh, and Lionfire wanted to scream. "Time is short... some longer and the two of you will be stuck here forever!"
"Lionfire!" Cherrybreeze cried, louder now. Emboldened by the fact that he was nearing her, Lionfire continued to run in the same direction.
"Lionfire!" Cherrybreeze's voice was now above him, and he looked up: she was crouched on a branch, eyes wide. "Help me!"
"Jump down!" he cried, confused on why she was still up there. She shook her head.
"Shadowpaw!"
"What?" he turned, and a large, stinking mass crashed into him. Eyes glowed evilly in the darkness, and he could smell Shadowpaw's rank breath on him as the black tom clawed into his sides, and each wound burned harsher than any of the ones he'd received in the WindClan tussle. Gritting his teeth, Lionfire mustered all his strength to push back and fight.
"I... I'm too weak," Cherrybreeze wheezed. "I... I can feel my physical body burning away!"
Lionfire was feeling it too. He could feel the innate warmth of his body slowly decaying, being replaced by an empty coldness. He was rotting. His strength was ebbing, and he was growing more tired by the minute. Finally, he managed to slip free of Shadowpaw, and before the black tom could react he leapt up the tree Cherrybreeze was on and grabbed her by the scruff, and they both tumbled down, landing hard.
"Run! Run now!" he cried, and Cherrybreeze scrambled to her paws, taking off. Shadowpaw lunged for Lionpaw, and grabbed him by the tail. Whipping back, Lionpaw, with as much strength as he could, landed a harsh blow on the tom's eyes and Shadowpaw released him, shrieking. Lionpaw ran after Cherrybreeze, back the way he came. "Where's the exit?"
"I don't know! Just run!"
They could hear Shadowpaw's threatening growls in the air again, and the blood was pounding too loudly in Lionpaw's ears to be able to hear his pawsteps. They ran, and ran, and laughs of many cats sounded in their ears, watching the two living cats as they raced desperately for the entrance. Cold winds teased their fur, but they didn't stop sprinting. Lionfire felt himself weakening. Come on! he urged himself, the adrenaline the only energy left. Beside him, Cherrybreeze was gasping.
"I see it!" she cried, and Lionfire saw a misty haze a distance away. He felt the warm draw of it, and it alone pushed him forward. It was the entrance, the entrance back to the land of the living. Cross it, and they would be safe. He could feel it...
There was the sound of a snarl behind them. Shadowpaw was catching up. "Faster!" he screamed, and they ran, Cherrybreeze pushing ahead of Lionfire, whose wounds from the brief fight with Shadowpaw bleeding freely. Suddenly, he stumbled, and Cherrybreeze looked back, eyes wide.
"No!" he gasped, standing up. "Keep going! I'll--" his voice was cut short as Shadowpaw descended, his weight smashing Lionfire to the ground. Cherrybreeze screamed, but didn't stop running and Lionfire knew that she wasn't going to help him anymore. He was alone now, and he watched as she leapt through the entrance with one leap. The portal flickered, and then the mist evaporated, leaving nothing but more dark forest.
"What--"
"Too late!" Shadowpaw cackled gleefully, stepping away. Lionfire lay there, heaving, disbelieving. How had the portal just vanished for him? Unless...
The wounds had stopped bleeding, but remained there, fresh as ever, the pain still alive.
"You're dead," Shadowpaw exclaimed. "Welcome to the Dark Forest!"
"No," Lionfire gasped out. "This isn't possible! I would've noticed!"
"Your physical entity burned away," Shadowpaw explained with a growl and an evil grin. "You are trapped here forever. Your soul belongs to us now!"
"No! Nooooooo!"
"Good luck finding her," a snide voice said behind him, and Shadowpaw's eyes gleamed before the cat altogether disappeared into the tendrils of the Forest. Gulping, Lionpaw looked around. Where to start? He couldn't see a thing. His eyes were adjusting, but they weren't doing it quick enough!
"Cherrybreeze!" he tried calling out. He'd seen her, right on the other side. Well, now he was here, and she was gone. "Cherrybreeze!"
"Lionfire!" her voice still sounded distant, empty, ghostly. He raced towards the sound, his blood pounding in his ears. He was still alive, but he could feel the claws of death creeping upon him, slowly consuming him. A panic was rising within him, his soul sensing the innate danger of this place. He didn't know the consequences of being in this place too long, but he could hazard a guess that he'd be trapped here forever.
"Cherrybreeze! Where are you?"
"I'm here, Lionfire! Hurry, please!" her voice sounded desperate, and Lionfire wanted to cry. He continued running, almost aimlessly. Where was she? Where was anything? All he could see was a forest, all in grayscale. The images sharpened, and he was staring at endless rows of deathly white trees, ghostly claws that loomed omniously over his head, bending in, as if attempting to hold him in. He felt sick, and a part of him desperately wanted to retreat out of here. But he couldn't, and besides, there wasn't an obvious exit. It was just dark. He was standing on an empty trail, racing into blackness, and as he continued running, the same forest with its gray and white trees appeared over and over again.
"Keep talking! I need to listen to you, I can't see!"
"I'm here! I'm here!"
"Hurry, hurry..." Shadowpaw's teasing lilt came out of nowhere, and it was everywhere at once, booming, as if he was speaking through some sort of amplifier. There was a high, dark laugh, and Lionfire wanted to scream. "Time is short... some longer and the two of you will be stuck here forever!"
"Lionfire!" Cherrybreeze cried, louder now. Emboldened by the fact that he was nearing her, Lionfire continued to run in the same direction.
"Lionfire!" Cherrybreeze's voice was now above him, and he looked up: she was crouched on a branch, eyes wide. "Help me!"
"Jump down!" he cried, confused on why she was still up there. She shook her head.
"Shadowpaw!"
"What?" he turned, and a large, stinking mass crashed into him. Eyes glowed evilly in the darkness, and he could smell Shadowpaw's rank breath on him as the black tom clawed into his sides, and each wound burned harsher than any of the ones he'd received in the WindClan tussle. Gritting his teeth, Lionfire mustered all his strength to push back and fight.
"I... I'm too weak," Cherrybreeze wheezed. "I... I can feel my physical body burning away!"
Lionfire was feeling it too. He could feel the innate warmth of his body slowly decaying, being replaced by an empty coldness. He was rotting. His strength was ebbing, and he was growing more tired by the minute. Finally, he managed to slip free of Shadowpaw, and before the black tom could react he leapt up the tree Cherrybreeze was on and grabbed her by the scruff, and they both tumbled down, landing hard.
"Run! Run now!" he cried, and Cherrybreeze scrambled to her paws, taking off. Shadowpaw lunged for Lionpaw, and grabbed him by the tail. Whipping back, Lionpaw, with as much strength as he could, landed a harsh blow on the tom's eyes and Shadowpaw released him, shrieking. Lionpaw ran after Cherrybreeze, back the way he came. "Where's the exit?"
"I don't know! Just run!"
They could hear Shadowpaw's threatening growls in the air again, and the blood was pounding too loudly in Lionpaw's ears to be able to hear his pawsteps. They ran, and ran, and laughs of many cats sounded in their ears, watching the two living cats as they raced desperately for the entrance. Cold winds teased their fur, but they didn't stop sprinting. Lionfire felt himself weakening. Come on! he urged himself, the adrenaline the only energy left. Beside him, Cherrybreeze was gasping.
"I see it!" she cried, and Lionfire saw a misty haze a distance away. He felt the warm draw of it, and it alone pushed him forward. It was the entrance, the entrance back to the land of the living. Cross it, and they would be safe. He could feel it...
There was the sound of a snarl behind them. Shadowpaw was catching up. "Faster!" he screamed, and they ran, Cherrybreeze pushing ahead of Lionfire, whose wounds from the brief fight with Shadowpaw bleeding freely. Suddenly, he stumbled, and Cherrybreeze looked back, eyes wide.
"No!" he gasped, standing up. "Keep going! I'll--" his voice was cut short as Shadowpaw descended, his weight smashing Lionfire to the ground. Cherrybreeze screamed, but didn't stop running and Lionfire knew that she wasn't going to help him anymore. He was alone now, and he watched as she leapt through the entrance with one leap. The portal flickered, and then the mist evaporated, leaving nothing but more dark forest.
"What--"
"Too late!" Shadowpaw cackled gleefully, stepping away. Lionfire lay there, heaving, disbelieving. How had the portal just vanished for him? Unless...
The wounds had stopped bleeding, but remained there, fresh as ever, the pain still alive.
"You're dead," Shadowpaw exclaimed. "Welcome to the Dark Forest!"
"No," Lionfire gasped out. "This isn't possible! I would've noticed!"
"Your physical entity burned away," Shadowpaw explained with a growl and an evil grin. "You are trapped here forever. Your soul belongs to us now!"
"No! Nooooooo!"