A/N: This is for CreateClan! Specifically, the challenge "The Fire Inside" Enjoy! Oh yeah, it's a side story to my fic, A new beginning.
All her life, she had been looked down on. No one had given her a chance to prove herself. She glared bitterly at her twisted hind leg. She had been born with it.
Even then, why was she not given an opportunity? She had heard tales about Deadfoot, the Windclan deputy who had a twisted front paw, but could still run fast enough to catch rabbits. In her own clan, there was Whitewater, who had been born blind, but had been a ferocious warrior.
She had been an apprentice for 9 moons now, and yet she was no closer to receiving her warrior name. And now, she was never going to. She needed to find her worth in the world.
Olivenose, her mentor, had never bothered to train her, and so, she had trained herself. She would never be as capable as the rest of her clan, but it was enough.
She crept out of the apprentice's den. It was moonhigh. There would probably be some patrols about, but she knew how to evade them.
The guard had dozed off. And it happened to be Olivenose.
This cat had held her back, restricted her.
She had not helped an apprentice whose only goal at the start of her apprenticeship had been to serve her clan well. Under Olivenose, she hadn't been able to do that. And now her goals had changed.
All she wanted was to be worth something.
If she wanted to be worth something, this had to be done.
A quick slice of her claws, and her mentor was dead.
Waterpaw rushed out of the camp, her paws taking her past her territory into Thunderclan's, and then she followed the Thunderclan/Windclan border… to the stretch of woodland beyond.
Almost immediately, a dark brown tabby tom faced her, his large form menacing.
Waterpaw didn't quail. She had a purpose. And she was going to fulfil it.
"I want to talk to your leader." She mewed, putting a note of authority in her tone.
A cream she-cat appeared next to the tom, her amber gaze suspicious and calculating.
"I will take you to her." She finally mewed after several heartbeats of tension.
Waterpaw was lead to a large den a little ways away, formed from several small boulders.
The cream she-cat nudged her inside.
A white-she cat sat daintily despite her rather muscular form, unusual stormy gray eyes resting on her.
"I can tell you are a clan cat. Why have you come?" her mew was silvery, though it lacked warmth.
She summoned her voice, and mewed, "My clan thinks I am useless. They think that because of this-"she shoved her twisted paw out, "-I cannot hunt, or fight, or run. They underestimate me. I can become strong. I can have a purpose. I will not let my defect become a disability!"
She had not noticed that her voice had taken on a passionate note, that her tone had strengthened, that her volume had shot up. She was filled with the fire of determination, a fire that was more than willing to burn down anything in its path.
"But what use are you to us? As you said, you have a defect."
Waterpaw's sleek tortoiseshell fur bristled, and grinding her teeth together, she mewed, "What use am I to you? I killed a warrior in my own clan!"
The she-cat gazed at her appreciatively, and purred.
"You are still young. We will help you hone your skills, little one. Rain, come in!"
A silver-gray tabby she-cat with sky blue eyes strolled into the den not long after the command was issued. Scars lined her pelt, and the tip of one of her ears was missing.
The white she-cat flicked her tail commandingly at the other cat. "Train her."
The gray she-cat sniffed her delicately. "She's a clan cat." Her voice was hard, and suspicious.
Before the leader could answer, Waterpaw yowled, "I am not a clan cat! My clan does not need me, and neither do I need them!"
The tabby cocked her head to the side, before mewing, "Funny, that's exactly how I feel."
With that, her new mentor of sorts guided her out of the den with her tail tip.
"My name is Rain. I was a warrior of Riverclan. I was cast out for no fault of my own by my foxdung leader." When she mentioned her leader, Rain's mew had turned into a sneer.
"She wouldn't listen to me, and exiled me without a second thought. To this day, I still do not know what I was convicted of."
Rain's tone had turned depressing, and for some reason, Waterpaw had a feeling she remembered something important.
Finally, she blurted out, "What was your warrior name?"
"My warrior name?" Rain's gaze was distant, "My warrior name was Rainstorm."
Waterpaw gasped.
"Rainstorm? I've heard stories about you. Apparently you murdered kits in cold blood."
Rain's fur bristled, and her teeth bared in a snarl, "I would never do that!" She yowled in outrage. "How dare my clan believe I would stoop so low?"
Waterpaw shrank back, intimidated. She had also heard Rainstorm was a fearsome fighter.
Rain slowly calmed down, allowing her fur to lie flat and her hackles to drop.
"What's your story, then? Shadowclan, am I right?"
Waterpaw nodded, before launching into her story.
"-and they would never give me a chance!"
Waterpaw was close to tears, and Rain flicked her pelt with her tail comfortingly.
"Don't worry, the band will take care of you." She mewed softly, licking Waterpaw between the ears. From now on, you will be known as Water."
"No."
"You would like to keep your apprentice name?" Rain asked disbelievingly, her eyes narrowed.
"No. I don't want a tie to Shadowclan. I want a new name."
"Very well then."
They both turned to see the white leader staring at them.
"From this day on, you shall be known as Storm. Show the clans that you have power, that you can destroy them."