Chapter 23: There He Is!

I tried to respond, but it felt like it was just too hard for me to get any air, and to even speak back to him. It felt like my lungs were also getting crushed at the same time as well. It felt like I was dying, and who knows... Maybe I was in fact.

Maybe I had already achieved what I was destined to do, and it wad my time now. I shook my head at the same time as well, as I was recalling a vivid recollection of the dream that I had been in at the same time last night. They had told me that I was not dead, though it felt like I was.

Well, I did not know what it felt like to be dead, so I could not say that either. I tried to shake my head, but it felt like my neck was snapped at the same time, and there was also something that my head was stuck on as well, that was not letting me do so.

I wanted to yell, or try anything, but any time I even tried that, I could not even let out a whimper, without it leaving me gasping for air as well. I wanted to cry, I was in so much pain, but I could not do that, I was just stuck, and I could not see.

My ears were the only thing that was working for me at the exact moment, and it was not really all the helpful at all really. All I was hearing were cats say my name over and over again, and when I tried to respond to them, it was practically impossible for me.

I just kept my eyes closed, and I had just about given up at this point at the same time as well. There was nothing that I could do, I just had to hope that they would be able to find me. If not, well I would die... To who knows what would kill me as well.

I sat there for a bit longer, as it all seemed a bit quite for the time being. I was just about sure that the cats that Owl was with, had given up on me at this point, and that they had gone back home, and probably pronounced me as dead.

I shivered, trying to shake away those thoughts at the same time as well. Surely that could not be true right? I was the leader of the clan... They would not just be so easy to give up on me. But as the silence remained for just a bit longer, I began to grow more and more scared.

I opened my eyes, and felt a little dust fall into them, and I wished that I had not done that either. I tried to get my paws to go and wipe off all of the dust at the same time, but then I realized that my paws and my legs were stuck in place.

I began to freak out, and I did not know what to do... Surely there was no way out of this for me right? There was nothing that could be done right? I did my best to move around, but it only made the pain even worse, and I did not hear anything move either.

I had just about given in at this point, it seemed as if it were no use now. I knew that I was very hungry, and I was in fact very thirsty as well... None of that mattered at this point though... There was nothing I could do, and the pain that I felt was worse than feeling hungry or thirsty as well.

I wanted to cry, wondering how this had happened to me... What had I done to deserve all of this? Was this really the way that I was going to die? I was just trying to help my friends get some food so that we could survive... Instead I was going to die... And for all I know they might be starving as well.

I shook my head at the same time though, as I knew that it could not be true at all. If Owl had somehow gotten here, he would have found them by now... I was sure that they were in fact the reason that he was here as well. Limp had probably found the place and gone back to camp with the others to tell Owl all about it.

I kept my eyes closed, trying to just pretend that the pain was not there at all. Maybe that was the best way to take it all away. I knew it wasn't but it did not hurt to at least try. I stared for a bit, as I then heard another cat begin to speak back to Owl again, but also in hopes of me as well.

"Owl... We've been here for a lot of time now, and we haven't found anything. He is either dead, or he is somewhere else, I don't think that he is in there if he is alive... We would have found him or at least heard him at this point." I heard the voice of Shrivel say back to my deputy.

I got a bit angry, though I knew I should not be. I did not know how long they had been there in fact, and she might be right. But you could not blame me for being angry, because I knew that I was here, and she was just so willing to give up on me.

I sat there for a few moments, and breathed heavily, to get a few decent breaths on, but also hope that they might hear it as well. I knew that they would not be able to, as it seemed like they were far away from me, but for all I knew they could be right up on me, and the rocks were just blocking out all of the noise.

I sat there for a bit longer, as I waited for Owl to respond to what it was that she had just said to him. I still had my hopes up at the same time as well, as I was sure that my best friend would not just be so east to give up on me... Surely right?

I sat there in silence for just a few moments longer, as it seemed like they had just walked away. But I knew that they were still there, and I knew that Owl was just thinking of what it was that would be good to say back to her. After a bit more time, I did in fact hear him speak back to her, as I left my ears open to hear it.

"I believe you might be right... I think we need to get back to camp, everyone might be worried about us, we can keep on looking tomorrow." He said in a low tone of voice back to Shrivel. I could tell he did not believe any of what he had just said.

It freaked me out at the same time as well, as I was not sure how much longer I could make it here. I was not even sure if they would in fact go through with what he had just said, and that they would actually look for me in here tomorrow. Not that it would matter... I would be dead at that point anyways.

I sat there as the silence lasted a bit longer, just as it had been a few moments ago as well. I felt like the world was all just crashing down on me at the moment... Quite literally as well. I then heard Venom, another cat that was with them speak up on all of this. As I did my best to hear what it was that he felt like he had to add in.

"We cant just give up on him... He is our leader, and he is your friend Owl... He would not give up on you if you were in the position... He would rather starve than do that..." He said to Owl. It bright a little bit of faith back into me, as I knew that he was right, and I would not do that to him.

I would go out of my way to find him, to matter how much it would take. He was not just trying to get leader from me right? No... Surely not... I had offered him Shadowclan, and he had told me no... He had instead came with me to be by my side as deputy.

I kept my eyes closed, as I stayed there for a little bit longer, beginning to get more and more dreadful by the moment when I did not hear Owl say anything back to him. I was starting to get a bit more scared, until I heard another cat begin to speak, as it was the last cat that was with the rest of them. I listened on on him as well.

"Venom is right... We can go a little bit longer... We still have plenty of time. I am sure he is in here somewhere, dead or not we must find out... He would not just run away from us." I heard to voice of Silent speak up to all of the others. It gave me a bit more hope once again.

Maybe they would find me in here... And maybe I was going to be okay... But based on how my body felt at the moment, I was pretty sure that I was not going to be okay. Nevermind all of that though, the first thing that I should be focused on was getting out of here.

I sat there for a bit longer, as I had very little hope at the moment, but what Silent had just said had at least stirred a little bit of that back into me. It was silent for just a small bit more of time, until Owl finally decided to respond to what Silent had just said. I kept me ears open to hear what it was he felt like he must say.

"Okay... We will keep looking until night fall, but after that we have to get back to camp... The rest of the clan will be even more worried if not." He said back to Silent. I was not sure why he had not started with that... I knew that he was not just going to give up on me...

After a few moments, I imagined all of them nodding to each other at the same time as well. After a few more moments, I heard scratching from not too far away from me, as I could tell they were moving through several layers of stone and bricks, as they were looking in hopes to find me.

As I sat there for a bit longer, my hopes were beginning to get more and more slim, as it seemed as though the noise was getting more and more quite by the moment. Maybe it was because I was about to pass out, or maybe it was because they were getting further away from me.

Either way... I felt quite a bit tired, and I felt like it would be smart for me to get a little bit of sleep. As my mind began to grow more and more dim by the moment. Just as I was about to pass out at the same time, I then heard a voice of a cat speak to me from nearby. I tried to turn my head over to it, but it was impossible for me to do that, as I just listened to what it was that the tom cat had to say.

"Don't go to sleep Moon... You will not wake up." The cat said to me. I blinked my eyes a bit, though they were still closed, as I realized the cat that had spoken to me had been Firestar. I realized that he was right, and I knew it was how cats had died in the first place.

I did my best to not go to sleep, as it seemed that what he had said to me had just made a sudden burst of strength fall into me at the same time as well. As I slightly moved my body at the same time as well. It was not much, but it gave me a little bit of hope.

I also realized at the same time, that it had also made me feel quite a lot more weak as well. As it felt like I was about to pass out again, but I knew that Firestar was right. If I did fall asleep, than I would in fact not wake up, and I would die.

I stayed there for just a bit longer, as I also did realize that it seemed as though the cats had gone silent once again. I was a bit confused as to what had happened, and I was beginning to think that they might have given up on me once again.

I then heard the voice of Venom speak to all of them at the exact same instance, as I felt quite a bit of relief that they had not left me and given up on me yet. I listened to what it was that he felt like he had to say to the others at the same time.

"I am not the only one that heard that right?" Venom said to the rest of them. I sat there a bit confused as to what it was that he had met for a few moments. I had not heard anything that had seemed out of the ordinary at all... But for all I know it could have happened, I was not focused on a thing.

All of the cats then ran over to me, as I heard their foots begin to slip and fall all over the place. It then hit me as to what it was that he had meant by it. They must have heard me as I had done my best to pull myself out of the rocks. They knew where I was at!

I then heard the scratching and digging, as it was much closer than to where I had heard it before. They were getting very close to me now! I wish I could try and do something else to let them know that it was in fact me, but I was too weak to try a single thing.

I then heard something squeak from right near me, as I was a bit confused as to what had just happened near me. It then hit me at the exact same instance, as I had remembered how I had gotten to this place in the first place. It was those dumb mice that had been the reason that I had gotten stuck here!

I heard all of the cats get silent, besides one, who was still not giving up, and he was still scratching, and doing his best to find me through all of this. I wondered what had just happened a few moments ago, as I then heard one of the cats begin to speak, to tell me what it was.

"Rats! It was just a mouse! Maybe you were right Owl... Its no use..." Silent said to Owl. There was silence for just a little bit longer. Were they really about to give up on me again?! I began to freak out, as it all became silent for just a little bit longer.

I did my best to move around, just as I had done a few moments ago. It was not a mouse that they had heard! It was me! Why were they so easy just to give up? I shivered, as I felt like at any moment, they were going to through in the towel, and they were just about to give up on the search to find me.

It was silent, until I then heard the scratching once again. As it seemed as though at least one of the cats had not given up on me. It made me gain a little bit of hope, though it was still not very much. I sat there for just a bit longer, as it then became silent again.

This time, it did not take as long for a cat to speak up to all of the other cats that it was with. And this time, it did in fact give me tons of hope! As my heart felt like it was about to burst on me, as I heard Owl speak up.

"No! Everyone look! There he is!"