THE TUNNELS

This takes place during Moon 250. <3

“Didja know there’s secret tunnels in the mountains?”

Auburnpaw grinned as Thrushpaw looked up at him, eyes wide. The younger tom had just become an apprentice that moon. His mother Hopstep had died three moons prior, after an unfortunate run-in with whitecough, leaving Thrushpaw alone. The other apprentices had been told to treat him nicely, and over the last few days Auburnpaw found that the two of them were close. Thrushpaw always listened to him, and was one of the few cats in the clan who didn’t give him strange looks.

“Secret tunnels!?” Thrushpaw exclaimed. He began to bounce from paw to paw, pelt bristled in excitement. “Show me, show me!”

“Okay,” Auburnpaw dipped his head, nudging Thrushpaw forward with his nose. “But you can’t tell anyone. It’s secret. And I’ll get in trouble if I show you.”

Thrushpaw clamped his muzzle shut with an audible click, puffing out his chest fur. “I won’t thell a thoul!” He chirped, voice muffled from him keeping his mouth shut.

Auburnpaw chuckled. He began to pad away, flicking his tail in a gesture for Thrushpaw to follow. “Come on, then. Let’s see if we can get there before it gets dark.”

The two ginger toms padded along the edge of the rocks, chatting idly amongst themselves. The chilly leaf-bare air blew at them in large gusts, making them shiver. Auburnpaw pressed himself against Thrushpaw.

“To keep you warm,” He quickly explained, noting Thrushpaw’s widening eyes.

Thrushpaw nodded, but didn’t say anything.

They continued until they reached a pathway that split into two smaller paths. Auburnpaw recognized the first- It was the path that led to the forest, where BranchClan had originated from. He remembered hearing stories about the forest from Briarburn and the other elders- Stories about the taste of rabbit, the scent of the trees after a fresh rain, and the way the camp looked. There was a day, in the middle of leaf-bare every year, when the senior warriors would travel to the old territory and bring back a feast. They would return the next day dragging massive deer carcasses and inviting the clan to dig in. Just the thought of the way the deer tasted on his tongue made Auburnpaw’s belly rumble.

But that wasn’t the path they were going on. Instead, he turned to the other path. It was a darker path, the cat-scent fainter there. Some of the warriors had made an attempt to block the path off from curious apprentices, stacking some stones in an attempt to make a wall.

Auburnpaw crouched, wiggling his hindquarters before jumping up on top of the wall. He looked over his shoulder at Thrushpaw, grinning, and playfully flicked his tail at him.

“Coming up?” He meowed.

Thrushpaw took a few pawsteps back, then ran forward and jumped up onto the stones. He stumbled a bit, struggling to find his footing, before settling at Auburnpaw’s side.

By my side is where you should be. Auburnpaw thought, before shaking his head. What a silly thought! Thrushpaw was his friend. Just his friend, nothing more. 

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Auburnpaw asked, his voice soft. “If you wanna go back home, we can go.”

Thrushpaw shook his head. “Nope! We came this far, so let’s go!”

Before Auburnpaw could stop him, he jumped down from the wall and ran along the path. Auburnpaw sputtered, jumping down to run after the other tom.

“Thrushpaw! Wait!” He exclaimed. 

But Thrushpaw had already gone, having vanished into the large, dark, gaping hole in the mountain. Auburnpaw sighed. Apprentices.

Auburnpaw made his way into the tunnel, his ears flattening against his head as he crept around. The tunnels were massive, and his pawsteps echoed as he walked. Large, glistening stones towered above the ginger-furred tom, looming over him. When Auburnpaw looked, he could see his reflection.

Wait a moment. Auburnpaw paused, head tilted as he gazed at the figured reflecting off of the rock, staring at him.

That wasn’t him.

The figure, much older than him, stared back at him. It was a tall, handsome tom, with a pelt so similar to Auburnpaw’s. His eyes were a dark, piercing blue that seemed to be staring into Auburnpaw’s soul. 

Auburnpaw blinked, and the figure changed.

Now, the face was distorted and grotesque. His legs began to bend at unnatural angles, and blood began to spill from his nose, mouth, and eyes. Before Auburnpaw could say anything, the figure’s head fell right off, landing with a gross, echoing thud.

“AUGH-!” Auburnpaw stumbled backwards, eyes wide. He looked away from the reflection, and when he looked back, he was met with only his own face. He panted, his heart pounding in his chest.

What was that? Was that a StarClan cat? Was that an omen of things to come?

Maybe Sweetwing would know about this.

“Auburnpaw?”

Thrushpaw’s voice snapped Auburnpaw out of his thoughts. He turned, still trembling slightly, and saw him standing a few tail-lengths away. Thrushpaw’s face was that of both confusion and concern, and he tilted his head, tail swishing.

“Are you okay? I heard you scream.” Thrushpaw questioned. 

“I’m fine. I just…” Auburnpaw trailed off, looking at the reflection stones one more time. Just his own reflection. Just him.

“It’s nothing.” He finally mewed in defeat, turning back to Thrushpaw.

“Good…Hey, I heard something weird.” Thrushpaw meowed, pointing his tail in the direction Auburnpaw assumed he came from. “It’s coming from over here. Check it out with me? I don’t want it to attack me!”

“Haha, someone’s scared of a little echoing?” Auburnpaw teased. He stood up straight and padded the way Thrushpaw pointed. “It’s okay, little Thrush. The big, strong Auburnpaw will protect you!”

“I’m not scared! Just…Cautious. Yeah. Cautious. Really cautious.” Thrushpaw insisted, following after Auburnpaw.

The two made their way deeper into the tunnels, and Thrushpaw suddenly froze. “There. I heard it again. Did you hear that?”

Auburnpaw froze. His ears swiveled back and forth, trying to listen.

Then, he heard it.

A low, pained moan.

Ohhhh…..Help me…

Auburnpaw huffed, undeterred. “Who is that? What are you doing on BranchClan territory?”

“Hello..?” The new voice called out. “Oh, gosh, did someone finally come…? Can you help me?”

“Are you a rogue?” Thrushpaw replied.

“A what? N-no, I’m…I dunno. Just a cat.” The voice meowed back. “Please, I need your help…I’m hurt really bad!”

“Fine. Promise you won’t attack?” Thrushpaw asked.

“Promise.”

The two apprentices pressed forward, back fur bristled. They kept their steps cautious and their claws ready to attack, just in case. 

As they grew closer, the scent of blood filled Auburnpaw’s senses, making him wrinkle his nose. “Gosh, you’re really hurt…Where are you?”

“Over here!” The voice replied. “Hurry, please…”

They turned a corner, and what they stumbled across made both toms pause.

A young cat, barely older than ten moons by the looks of him, laid on the ground. He was a brown tabby, his muzzle and paws white. His eyes were a bright golden color that seemed to glow in the darkness of the tunnels. His hindleg was caught underneath a large stone, and Auburnpaw figured that was where the blood scent was coming from.

The tom let out a pained wheeze, looking up at the two with flattened ears and a pitiful, desperate expression. 

“Please,” he begged. “Get this rock off of me.”

Auburnpaw looked at Thrushpaw. “You comfort him. I’ll push the rock.”

“On it.” Thrushpaw meowed. He padded forward, crouching down in front of the tom and beginning to gently groom his ears. “It’s okay, we’re here. We got you.”

“Thank you…” The brown tabby meowed, lowering his head.

Auburnpaw padded forward, placing his front paws on the stone and beginning to push. After a few attempts, the stubborn boulder rolled a few feet away, freeing the young cat.

The tom sighed in relief. He tried to stand, but the moment he put weight on his injured leg, which was clearly broken and twisted at an angle, he hissed in pain and collapsed again.

“No, no, no!” Thrushpaw exclaimed. “Don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself!”

“It hurts…” He whimpered. “Please, don’t hurt me…Just gimme a second and I’ll leave…”

“Who said anything about you leaving?” Auburnpaw meowed, wiggling underneath the tom and hoisting him onto his back. “You’re coming back with us. What’s your name?”

“Gill,” The tom panted out. “I’ve been stuck there for days now…I’m so hungry and thirsty, I just want to find my dad…”

Auburnpaw nodded. “I see…Well, we can help you back at home. Our healers can fix your leg, and…If you wanna leave, you can go find your dad. How’s that sound?”

“You guys would really do that?” Gill asked.

Thrushpaw nodded, already starting to pad away. “Everyone back at the clan is so nice! I’m sure Hopestar would accept you!”

Up next is the other first canon LGBT main series cat, and most likely the first gay one (hence the gay/MLM flag colors in the background), it’s Thrushcall! :D