"Hey Rain! I'm taking a while on these nests, and I still have to hunt for Lightning. Could you possibly go check if Huntress needs anything? Shadow told me I needed to check up on her, but I just don't have the time."
The grey and white servant quickly lifted his head from nuzzling the kits back to their den as their mothers grabbed a few runaways from across the roomy cave. His bright blue eyes looked to the light grey tom that Rain knew as Breeze, and smiled as he registered what the tom had said.
"Okay!" Rain answered cheerfully. "Let me get the rest of these kits in their den, and I'll go see Huntress." Breeze nodded to him before continuing to put in new moss for the trainee cats. Rain bent down after that, and continued leading the kits toward their den.
Breeze was the only other servant who was a tom like him, and they understood each other. Both never minded their rank as the lowly servant, and neither of them complained; Rain couldn't remember otherwise and Breeze had been there is whole life. Apparently, Breeze had been brought as a kit, and had grown up being a servant for the Cats of the Storms. So, with so many things in common, they often helped each other out, and most definitely always made sure they were both done by the time the sun set.
"I don't wanna go to bed!" the little kit in front of him whined, pouting as Rain nudged her toward the den.
"But you must, as your mother has told you," Rain told the kit, who was stubbornly keeping herself in that spot. "You must rest if you want to become a fighter in training." Honey still refused to move, even as he used more of his strength to push her.
"But Rain!" Honey whined, looking very sad now as she tried to give him the puppy-dog expression. "I want to be a fighter now! And I want to play! Can I please stay out here?" Honey tried to look convincing, as if a simple expression was going to change his mind.
StarClan, kits are annoying, Jactur muttered under his breath. He murmured something else, something Rain barely caught, making his eyes narrow with confusion, because he heard the words 'kits' and 'Robinwing', as well as the part 'aren't as annoying'. Rain was interested and curious as to what that was about, and so he asked the voice within his head.
What did you say? Rain asked.
Huh? Jactur asked, seeming to have 'dozed off'.
Never mind, Rain muttered, inwardly shaking his head before bringing his attention back to the small kit, who was still looking toward him hopefully. "Honey, you need to—"
"Rain!" came an angry voice from the nursery. "What's taking you so long, mouse-brain? Bring Honey here now before I tell Shadow! Or would you rather me get Lightning like I did last time?" Rain's eyes widened slightly before grabbing Honey by the scruff and rushing her over to the nursery entrance.
Rain carefully set her down as a dark grey she-cat came to view, a smile on her face. The grey and white servant tom sat up straight, smiling back toward the familiar mother.
"Thank you, Rain, and sorry once again about my sister," the grey she-cat told him, making him shrug, flushing slightly as she said this. "She doesn't understand the amount of work you do each day and so she gets a little touchy with those 'lower' than her. I'm sure it's nothing personal." Rain nodded, accepting the apology quickly before standing up and turning around.
"Bye-bye, Rainy!" Honey called out to him. He smiled as a warm feeling washed over him. He didn't know why, nor did he want to find out, that kit made him so warm inside. Rain just knew that the little golden she-kit was one of the many reasons he didn't care how much being a servant cost.
He brought back his attention to Huntress' den, taking in a deep breath as he padded toward it. Rain knew about what had happened just a few days before, and knew how devastated the golden princess was because of it. It was why Shadow had ordered Breeze to watch over her, to make sure she was okay.
Rain entered the den with uncertainly, wary of the heart-broken she-cat that lay inside. He didn't know how to cheer someone up, especially one that had just basically had her mate ripped away from her. The fact that Huntress blamed herself for it made the meetings horrible to listen to.
Rain walked in quickly and silently, careful not to flat out disturb the golden she-cat as he sneaked into the large den. Moments later, he heard sobbing, something that he'd expected. However, Rain never really knew how destroyed Huntress felt. He just figured it was a simple crush she'd had on the loner.
"Who's there?" came the stressed yell of Huntress, making him go completely still aside from his racing heart. There was movement near the back of the den, making Rain's breathing even quicker. All of his instincts were telling him to run, run far away from the angry and hurt golden princess.
"I—er—it's... .um—"
"Get out!" Huntress yelled just as icy blue eyes became visible from the shadows within the den. "I know my father sent you! I don't need protection! I don't need guards! Just get out of my den before I make you!" Rain flinched at every word, his head sinking lower.
"Sorry, princess, I was just following orders," Rain told her with what he hoped was a somewhat calm voice, though on the outside he probably looked the exact opposite of that definition. "I—er—just wanted to know if you need anything, but ma-maybe I should just come back later. .." Rain quickly turned around, ready to leave before Huntress did what she warned him about.
"Wait!" Huntress suddenly gasped, as if trying to keep him there. "I'm sorry, Rain, I didn't know it was you." Rain looked into her eyes now that had she made herself visible, stepping from the darkness of the back of the den and allowing some light to spill on her. He was quite shocked to find that her fur was not groomed and messy and her eyes were puffy as they looked toward him, glinting with a faint hope.
"Oh...well...I didn't know that you wanted to see me..." Rain said, fumbling with his words, curious as to why it was him that made a difference to Huntress. Huntress gave him a weak smile, enjoying his mumbling as she purred with amusement.
"I know, but it just seems like you're the only one who I can talk to anymore," Huntress told him, still desperately trying to keep him there it seemed. She looked down at her paws as she continued. "My father is angry at me, the other servants don't even know me, and the rest of the tribe just thinks I'm a Princess, nothing more. They won't think of me as a friend, not when I've got Shadow's blood running through my veins." Rain gave her a comforting smile.
"Well, I just think that you're a fun she-cat to be around," Rain told her honestly, looking at his paws as he nervously shuffled them on the ground. "I-I guess the others think you're royal and boring like Shadow, and they're afraid of your father because they know how protective he is. I'm not scared, of course, because he can't do anything to me. Plus, I'm not going to turn my back on someone who's as broken as you right now. Not unless they don't won't me near them." At that last sentence, he glanced up curiously before noticing that Huntress was looking down, her gaze upon her small yet strong paws.
"Sorry!" Rain said suddenly, his eyes filled with worry as he realized what he'd just said. "I-I didn't mean to bring any memories back! I was just—well, I was just speaking the truth...I didn't realize it would make you remember—I'm sor—"
"It's okay," came a warm yet somehow chilling voice from Huntress, making him stop short. "It wasn't your fault. None of this was. It was mine. If I had just been there for him, if I had stayed and argued, he wouldn't be dead. He wouldn't have been captured, or hurt. But I guess we all make mistakes, right?" Rain was uncomfortable as he listened to her. He didn't know how to respond without screwing himself up, or making Huntress remember once again.
"It wasn't your fault at all, Huntress, it was his." Rain told her. Confused icy blue eyes glanced up to him, narrowed as she tried to figure out what he just said.
"What do you mean?" asked Huntress, her voice cracking as emotions restricted her vocal cords.
"He told you leave, didn't he? He told you to go get a patrol, and even though you argued with him, he still made you go," Rain told her, trying hard not to show his embarrassment. "For that, I think it was his fault. If he'd let you fight, maybe he would be alive. If he'd let you fight, maybe your father wouldn't have found out, and you'd still be with him." Huntress's eyes clouded with emotion before looking back down at her paws, his words probably leaving her even more devastated.
"Or you could just blame the Volans," Rain went on, trying to keep Huntress happy. "After all, if they hadn't shown up, none of this would have even happened. The constant wars, his first injuries, his death, his capture, your sorrow, and the other deaths that go around. Maybe if you just focus on the real enemies, you won't be as sad all the time. You'd just be a bit angrier, but that's got to be better than being in here all day long." Huntress looked at him for a few moments before a smile slowly replaced the frown on her face.
"Thanks, Rain," Huntress told him. The smile she gave made his day, for he felt proud and filled with honour as he was thanked by the princess. "You can tell my father that I'm okay, but I just really want to be alone right now." Rain nodded quickly.
When he padded out of the den, he swore he could feel his heart dancing. To have a friend like Huntress was like having someone you could always count on, no matter if she was royalty or not. It made him happy since only the Servants seemed to like him while everyone else thought of him as what he was—a lowly servant.
Rain shook his head free of the thoughts, remembering that he had a lot more chores to do before night fell upon him. With the mood Shadow was in, who knew what would happen if he didn't do what was required. Rain shuddered at the thought before noticing that Breeze was already back from his hunting, and he was just then setting down a vole in front of Lightning, who looked quite disgusted of not only how small the vole was, but also of who had brought it to him.
It was at that moment that Rain noticed that Lightning was reprimanding Breeze, making the light grey tom shrink as the authority figure yelled at him. The grey and white tom didn't like this sight; this wasn't the first time Lightning had bullied one of the servants.
"...find something bigger if it saved your life, could you, servant?" Lightning hissed, wrinkling his nose as if the vole had rotted. "This is the second time I've requested a squirrel and you've brought me back something like this. It just goes to show everyone how weak and pathetic you are." Rain walked forward slowly, listening to the conversation closely as he tried to gather up information before he defended his friend.
"I-I'm sorry, Lightning, but one of the sighters spotted a Volan and the vole was all I could see," Breeze murmured, his voice soft as he tried not to get the dark grey fighter any angrier than he already was. However, that seemed impossible, for Lightning had already decided to become furious.
"You failed to do your job just because there was a sighting?" asked Lightning with anger flashing through his blue eyes. "You are a servant, and servants are supposed to do everything their told." Breeze was now fully crouched upon the ground, shaking a bit as fear crept over him.
"I-I know, but I don't know how to fight, a-and the Volan that was sighted was coming right for me, and—"
"I don't care if a hungry wild dog was after you!" Lightning hissed, his tail lashing as his fur bristled. "I want you to bring me exactly what I asked for! It's your job! Or should I remind you with a few scratches like last time?" Breeze closed his eyes after this, for Lightning already had his paw raised, ready to 'punish' the cat in front of him.
Rain thought quickly, worried for his friend, before leaping over to Breeze, grabbing him by the scruff, and pulling him away from Lightning's claws. The fighter look dumbfound as he slashed nothing but air as Breeze opened his eyes, surprised that he wasn't in pain. When the light grey servant looked up to Rain, however, he smiled, silently thanking the star-scarred tom.
Lightning quickly figured out what happened by looking over to Breeze and Rain. The fighter grew even angrier as he found out that his victim had been taken away from him. The dark grey fighter quickly stood up and stomped over to him, his claws unsheathed as Rain struggled to remain calm and collected.
"You saved him, you mouse-brain!" Lightning hissed, his anger obviously taking over now as he raised his paw, ready to scratch Rain's eyes out it seemed. "You have no right to do that, fox-dung! I'm a fighter! And you, a mere servant, would dare interfere with my business? You shall pay!"
Rain's eyes widened only slightly before he ducked under the attack, avoiding the pain that was to come with such a scratch on his face. Lightning hissed before attacking again, but Rain just evaded his claws and stepped away as the dark grey fighter walked forward.
Lightning quickly tried again, putting all his weight onto his hind legs before using both his claws to attack. Rain easily avoided them, and though the dark grey fighter seemed calm, the grey and white servant could tell Lightning was losing his patience. Understandable, since a 'mere servant', as Lightning had put it, was evading his attacks.
Finally, after much frustration, Lightning lunged toward him, forcing Rain to lose focus. The fighter quickly raised his paw, and though the grey and white servant tried to move, he was not quick enough, for in just a few moments he felt three scratches stinging as blood oozed out of the wound.
He heard Lightning laugh, watching with pleasure as Rain felt the pain of his wrath. Carefully, the grey and white servant opened his eyes, feeling the scratches upon his nose sting even more. At first Rain felt weak, and somewhat disappointed in himself for losing the easy fight. However, as time passed, he glanced toward Lightning, and found himself very, very angry.
It was that moment that he ignored the pain and focused every bit of his energy on the dark grey fighter, who had a smirk on his face after what had just happened. As time ticked by, however, an expression of horror replaced the smug look, and Rain found himself sadistically filled with pleasure.
The grey and white servant was furious at not only himself, but also the fighter in front of him. It was unexplainable to Rain, because usually he would just walk away in defeat. However, no matter how hard he tried, the only thing he felt was uncontrollable fury that seemed to grow with every second Rain looked at Lightning.
The cats around them gasped as they felt a powerful pressure, and Lightning now held the expression of shock. Rain could feel the pressure pouring toward the dark grey fighter, leaving Lightning unable to breathe as well as unable to move. Rain wanted this; Rain was happy about this.
The emotions Rain felt were foreign to him, but at the same time, they were familiar. It was as if he'd felt this in a dream, yet had never experienced it otherwise. This will to hurt Lightning, and maybe even kill him, was nothing like what he'd do in reality, for Rain had no reason to kill anyone. Not since his memory had been erased.
Rainy, stop! Jactur hissed, his voice also restricted it seemed as he tried to get his master under control. You're risking your life, idiot! You—must—stop! Rain knew this, because if he killed Lightning, there would be no saying what Shadow would do. However, like before, Rain couldn't stop.
Step by step, Rain walked toward Lightning with narrowed eyes, his muscles tensed and ready to attack. Jactur continued warn him, each second becoming nothing more than a faded voice. Lightning was now shaking, the shock in his eyes unmistakable.
Of course! Jactur yelled, seemingly to himself. Got all—the power in the—world—and y-you're wasting—it on—this guy! Rain was feeling very...evil. It was as if he wasn't him anymore, but someone—or something—completely different. It scared him. It shocked him. It made him want to scream, because he didn't want someone to take over him. But he felt trapped in his own body.
Jactur! Help me! I don't know what's happening! Rain called pleading for assistance as loud as he could. He was only a few mouse-lengths away from Lightning now, and he was sure if he got too close, he would kill the fighter, and that was the last thing he wanted. Make it stop! Make it stop! Please!
You're—not doing—this—on purpose? Well—then this will—be easy! Jactur told him, sounding quite happier. Rain was curious, wondering what on earth Jactur was going to do. More cats were gathering, and if they found out that he was suppressing Lightning, there was no saying what Shadow would do.
Moments later, everything stopped. The anger, the powerful pressure, and everything else. Rain felt empty, unable to comprehend why he was so angry at Lightning or why everyone else was looking at him with an expression of complete and utter confusion. It was as if he'd lost his memory again.
In seconds he remembered, but he wasn't furious at Lightning anymore. He was perfectly fine, though he was shaking slightly with weakness. Whatever had just happened had taken a lot out of him, leaving him dizzy and tired, something Jactur probably forgot to mention.
To avoid being asked what had just happened, Rain stood up and turned around, looking as if nothing had occurred. Rain walked toward the fighters den, using the excuse that he had to clean out the nests to get away from the scene. However, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that no one would forget this day.
Jactur, what on earth just happened? Asked Rain as he rolled up the nests. I felt like I wanted to kill Lightning, and that's not something I'd do. There was a small stir in his mind, as if Jactur had just returned instead of being there the whole time. Rain wondered why, but ignored it. He wanted his first question answered before that one.
Actually, killing something is exactly something you'd do, Jactur told him, explaining it as if he should have known it. Rain narrowed his eyes with confusion, wondering exactly what he meant.
What do you mean? Rain asked, trying hard to understand.
Rain, I can't tell you everything, because honestly you wouldn't believe me, but I can say this, Jactur told him. You can't fight anymore. Not unless you literally want to go insane. Your mind is still healing, and if you get just a tad bit angry, it will go on the defensive, and then continue on to kill whatever may be 'threatening' you.
So you mean if I attack something...I'll kill it? Rain asked, his eyes wide as his voice shook with worry. He hadn't every killed anything in his life besides prey as far as he knew, and to have some...insanity that was as uncontrollable as what he'd just witness was like living in a horror movie to him.
Geez, I don't know all the answers, Jactur muttered. It's not like I'm a professor at a College University. I'm just someone who knows a lot about killing. Rain narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what Jactur had just said. This created an awkward silence that made Jactur sigh.
Forget I said that, Jactur told him. Anyway, did you ever wonder what that scar was on your shoulder? Rain looked down at it, seeing the perfect black silhouette of a star. It's the source of a certain...strength that you have. It's a little complicated, but remember this: if that scar is scratched, your insanity goes up one hundred percent, and you won't be able to control it. Unless you are gravely wounded or killed, it won't stop, and I would think that at least half of these cats would die.
Why? was the only thing Rain could think to ask.
I told you, it's complicated. Jactur answered calmly. Just avoid fighting, and/or getting angry it seems, and you'll be fine.
How did I even become this way? Rain asked, quite shocked at this point. He'd chosen to forget what he'd heard, though, and just listen to Jactur's instructions instead. He was one to worry. A lot. And what better to worry about than accidentally turning into a killer with no heart and no limits?
Let's just say that with the loss of your memories came the loss of control, therefore giving our powers free rein to do whatever they wanted. Jactur explained. Once you remember everything about your life, there's no doubt things will return to normal, but right now you're just going to be forced to live with them. Rain sighed, looking down at his paws.
I must had had a very...interesting life... Rain mused distantly.
Oh yes, very interesting, if that's what you want to call it, Jactur responded. However, I like to refer to it instead as a difficult, sappy, romantic—ish—, crazy, eventful, fun, yet very creepy life. There was a moment's pause and a small laugh from Jactur after that. And that's just the beginning.