Author Note:
Hello friends! I'm back after a long tiresome break, and have come with a brand new story! A fresh beginning I believe. Maybe you all will enjoy this story, and tell your friends about me! Just kidding!
DISCLAIMER: I claim nothing to this story. Erin Hunter owns Warrior Cats, and I take no credit for it!
Now, throughout this story and the planning, I had quite a lot of help with it. Almost every single character is not owned by me. I adopted them through WillowClan and ImagineClan; two awesome forums you should check out if you haven't! I must give thanks to all these people now because I love them all for the help they have given me!
A Dewy Leaf, Starlight Warrior 1092, Talons that Fly Upon Rainbows, The Bold Foxeh, XxDreamingofDisneyxX, xFallenSkyx, Phil-Cow the Bump-nose Dragon, Darkdragon of FireClan, Adrienna, Pebble900, Dancing on Starlight's Melody, The wings give us freedom, Kittystar loves Pusheen, Trinity-Daughter of the Dead, Jewellight, Swyfte, SwiftyLovesPudding
All of those wonderful authors have given me the characters for these stories! Round of applause for them.
Now, I must also thanks a few special people along with those.
The Last Moongazer- Moony, you are a wonderful beta so far, and a great leader of ImagineClan. I don't know what I would do without you! You've made my life on Fanfiction wonderful, and I just love you! Thank you for helping me make it this far!
Dancing on Starlight's Melody- Spire, my wonderful internet sister, I love you. You've helped with the production of this story a lot. I introduced you to Hetalia, and I know you love me back for it! You, Explosions, and I were all going to write this story together (if you both don't remember), and I took it under my wing. You're more than welcome to help me finish it!
The Bold Foxeh- Explosions, you mean more to me than you can believe. You've helped me through some very rough times, and I've probably just caused you problems. I know we haven't been speaking much lately, but I still must thank you. I've wanted to quit Fanfiction a numerous of times, but just seeing you post every once in a while makes me stay on. You helped me come up with this story, and I thank you for that. With that being said, I dedicate this story and the beginning chapter, to you.
That is all my readers! Welcome to:
Love In The Rain
-Candy
Love In The Rain
Prologue
Rainy Skies and Bad Omens
Rain is a bad omen in the Clans. It symbolizes that StarClan is upset with us. They're crying, some cats believe. The cats that don't trust in "omens" just think it is water.
The wind howled, rattling even the most sturdy trees in the darkened forest. Mice and voles huddled with their own kind, hiding from the harsh winds. The water's dark blue surface rippled in small frames as the wind passed by. Grasses waved and branches broke as the wind grew even stronger.
Storm clouds moved across the warriors of StarClan at a rapid pace; the fluffy gray covered the skies in a matter of moments.
Cats shivered in fear and anxiety at the approaching storm. Glances of worry and horror were cast at the darkened skies. Planned patrols didn't go out, and the queens kept their kits tucked safely in the nursery. Very little could be heard over the deafening winds inside or outside the dens.
The leader paced around the camp, and medicine cats glanced in silent terror from the mouth of their den, praying this wasn't a bad omen.
All cats forgot long hard grudges and quarrels as they made sure the Elder's den and Nursery were woven tightly. The youngest apprentice worked paw and paw with the oldest and most respected senior warrior.
Something almost unheard of...
By the time they were finished with their search, the clouds were almost ready to burst. Absolutely nothing could be heard anymore without it being yowled. The leader finally herded everyone into the dens.
As they waited the upcoming storm, warriors and kits alike trembled in fear.
The wind died down, easing the warriors' fears. Heads appeared out of the dens, breathing in the musky scent of the storm that hadn't happened. It was dark outside, even though it was the middle of the day. Eyes of different colors glittered in the darkness, wonderment and worry mixed in with each glance.
As the leader padded out of his den, the wind picked up again. The heads disappeared, avoiding the harshest parts of the wind. In the dens, cats huddled together; the fur along their spines risen in terror.
A terrified shriek sounded from the nursery, making the cats freeze in fear. "Spottedheart is missing!"
The strangled cries of the camp exploded around the leader, and the cat closed it's eyes in fear. The medicine cat rushed out of the den, hoping for some sign that nothing bad was happening.
A flash of dazzling white light blinded the medicine cat, and a loud yelp rang through the camp. The gray mass over the cats broke, drowning the camp in a torrent of water. Blood rang in the ears of all cats as they cowered in fear of the down-pour.
Cats ran inside the dens, tripping over tails and paws. The kits mewled in terror, and the leader yowled for order. Nothing stopped the frightened cats. The rain poured down, striking the cats like a thousand tiny claws.
All the warriors huddled together in the den hoping to keep the heat within them as the storm raged on. Whimpering sounded from the Nursery made the cats' hearts drop in their chests.
The storm continued until the morning lights appeared in camp drowsing the cats in a pinkish golden light. A loud growl from in the forest made the warriors poke their heads out of the dens. A high pitch cry and a deep yelp carried after the growl.
A gray head appeared out from the Leader's den, eyes wide with concern. The cat flicked his tail and raced out of the camp, followed by five warriors. Small mewls and a growl sounded closer to the cats as they headed toward the river.
The fluffy gray tom shook his pelt out from the humidity in the air, but stopped suddenly. Mottled gray and black cats skidded to a halt behind him, fur fluffed out from horror. Pitiful mewling sounded from the center of the clearing. The forest floor was covered in dead leaves and broken twigs and… blood.
Eyes wide with concern, the leader stepped forward trying to find the source of the cries. He shivered in his mind at the squishing of blood and mud between his paws as he walked around the clearing. His tail lashed anxiously, and his warriors stayed back, concern across their faces.
"It smells like Spottedheart was here. The scent of fox is here too!" one of the warriors spoke fast.
The gray leader lowered his head, sniffing the ground carefully. His eyes dull with fear for the expectant queen, "She isn't here, but… She has already kitted. Last night."
Eyes flashed with horror and pain. Yowls sounded from the cats.
"She couldn't have kitted! StarClan wouldn't allow it!"
"Her kits shouldn't be accepted! They were kitted during a storm!"
"It's a bad omen! Rain is a burden to the Clans!"
"Quiet!" the leader roared. His body shaking with the effort. "Spottedheart was a great cat, and we should respect her. Now, the storm isn't over. We have to get to camp before it starts again." The cats dipped their heads in respect. "I'll follow, and we must inform the camp that Spottedheart is gone."
"How do you know?" one of the toms asked curiously.
The leader curled his lip slightly, "Because. Her body is over that way, mangled. I'll get the elders to come later and get it."
"Did her kits not live?" the same warrior asked.
Fur fluffed out throughout the patrol, hoping that something survived the attack. The leader shook his head slowly, "I don…"
His mew was interrupted with a flash of lightning and a powerful mewl coming from under some brush. Hesitantly, the old leader walked toward the bushes, and laid on his belly. Shoving his muzzle into the bushes, he reappeared with a small kit. Its eyes were still closed and it was soaking wet.
The warriors gasped, looking at the kit. "It's probably freezing cold. Is it one of Spottedheart's?"
"Yes, it is. It's almost dead; let's take it back to camp before the fox comes back," the gray leader mewed after setting the kit down next to his paws.
The warriors dipped their head, turning tail to head to camp. The leader picked the kit up, heading after his warriors.
"This kit will be known as Rainkit after the storm it was born in!" the leader called. Warriors lashed their tails and queens looked up with concern.
"The kit shouldn't live!"
"Yeah, it was born in a storm!"
"A bad omen from StarClan. It's going to destroy us all!"
"Exile it!"
"Give it to the buzzards!"
"Send it down the river!"
"Rainkit! Even the name speaks horrors! Do you want StarClan to be angry?"
"Come on, we all know it won't make it past three moons!"
"Just another mouth to feed!"
"Enough!" the gray leader mewed. "I am the leader of this Clan, if you haven't forgotten, and I haven't received a bad omen from StarClan yet. This kit will have to prove itself before it becomes a full member of the Clan!"
A small kit pushed his way through the crowd. He tumbled over his paws, landing on his back. Getting up slowly, he stood in front of the Clan. "Maybe this kit won't be all bad! Can't you give it a chance?"
"No! You're just a kit! Learn how the Clan works."
"Of course not! Storms are a bad omen from StarClan."
"Maybe one day you'll learn!"
The kit gave a short indignant squeak, "Well. I'll give Rainkit a chance! I'll prove to you all that a name and when a cat was born means nothing about the kit! You'll see!" He padded confidently over to the shivering kitten, its eyes were still closed. He whispered softly in the blind kitten's ear, "Hi Rainkit. I'll stick close to you always, and I won't let anyone hurt you!"
Rainkit shivered a little less at the strange kits touch as he rubbed his body against the cold cat. She let out a little squeak and snuggled closer to the little kit.
"I'll always be your friend, Rainkit… Always. I promise."