~ stuck in the tunnels ~ holly x cinder au

~ Chapter 2 ~

Hollyleaf looked up from the cold paws of hers and saw the ginger and white cat outlined with glittering stars looking down at her.

'All of that you said..' the cat began and placed a small minnow on the floor beside her.

Hollyleaf gulped. She did not want anyone hearing that at all. At least it was Fallen Leaves and not someone like Leafpool hearing it.

'You really should not think that of yourself, no matter what circumstance you are in.' he finished.

'I- Thank you.. I'm really sorry that you had to hear that..' she returned his gaze and looked back down at the minnow. 'And thank you for the minnow.'

'There's no need to be sorry,' he shrugged. 'We all have problems of our own that we can't keep in any longer. You can talk about whatever you want. It's not like someone's gonna come down here unexpected. And you're welcome.'

She purred and then she gulped down the small minnow, not realising just how hungry she really was. It was slimy, and hardly chewy. It is not like the prey she had back in ThunderClan, but the minnow was so much better than crow-food. The scary thoughts seemed to have healed in her head, and all she could think about was running in the tunnels. She got up and stretched her limbs. It was the best stretch she'd ever had in her life. Excitement rushed through her paws as she got up altogether and called for Fallen Leaves so that they could, or she could, explore the tunnels more freely. Her leg had healed much more since the fall in, so she was ready to explore.

'I've decided to explore more of these tunnels, so I invite you on this journey.'

'Yeah, sure!' Fallen Leaves replied.

----

'Okay, let's see if you know the route from that way,' he signaled his tail to the further right side of the tunnel. 'To this way,' he nodded his head to the final destination. 

Hollyleaf purred and her whiskers twitched. 'That should not be a challenge!'

The dark black cat began to trot, slowly turning into a run. Whiskers feeling against the side of the tunnels as it becomes smaller, she started to get used to exploring the tunnels. The breeze on her fur felt good as she zoomed through the cave and felt the adrenaline release anything she was angry about. Ashfur? Leafpool? Squirrelflight? Prophecy? No, just running and feeling the wind of damp air comfort Hollyleaf. 

Suddenly, as she slowed down, she felt dread creep over her. The tunnels were no longer closing in on her, and everything felt more open. Still dark, of course. She spun around so many times trying to focus on where she was. 

'Umm... I believe I might've lost my way..' her voice tinged with uncertainty. The uncertainty echoed through the unknown tunnels until there was just silence. That silence pressed all around her like water chilling her to the bone. Anxiety tried to get the best of her, but she shook it off. Being scared and getting worked up would only get Hollyleaf into some more difficulty. She looked around and shook her head in dismay,

'There is only one way out.' 

As soon as she stated that, there came a small rumble. It rang through Hollyleaf's ears as she hadn't heard a loud noise in moons. Well, it felt like moons anyways. Hollyleaf doesn't know how long she's been down these tunnels for. From the corner of her eye, she saw a white shimmer. It was urging Hollyleaf out!

The sky was falling again!

She turned and fled to follow the glittering stars leaving a trail to a safe place where the sky stayed in its place. She laid down into brace and shut her ears due to the deafening sound nearby. They were ringing her ears; it was really painful for her. Fallen Leaves found her and stayed next to her until it quieted down. Everything seemed to be shaking, the ground, the wall, the roof. Hollyleaf held her breath, preparing for the worst. She waited for the shaking to become more steady and slow down to a stop. Once it was quiet, too quiet so that hear ears would be ringing like mad, she could luckily make out what Fallen Leaves was saying.

'I think we might have a visitor.' he claimed thoughtfully.

Hollyleaf looked up at him in confusion.

'Through that way,' he bowed his head to the direction of the rubble. Hollyleaf blinked and he was gone. 'Why does he always disappear when something happens?' She thought.

Hollyleaf was still shocked by that experience she just had. Slowly getting up, she was intrigued by the 'visitor' and she trembled over to see who it was. She could hardly keep her balance for walking it was that unexpected.

Something become vaguely familiar. It was the scent of another ThunderClan cat. This scent took her back to her childhood, where they would hang out all the time. 'Who was it?' Hollyleaf wondered. The mysterious cat let out a groan of shock and all of Hollyleaf's senses heightened. She started to pick up the pace quicker and quicker. 

The cat laying on the floor was not Leafpool, nor Squirrelflight, nor Jayfeather and not even Lionblaze. In fact, it was...