AN: Ah! Another update! Woo! XD

Also, just in case this hasn't been clear, if you have any questions about what I wrote I will gladly answer you. If I don't know that you're having troubles understanding my writing I cannot explain things.

Review!

Rain, Rain

Inspired By Erin Hunter's Warriors

I felt miserable.

It had been a moon since Firestar and Sandstorm had left for SkyClan, and none of us knew whether they were okay or not. Unable to continue sorting my herbs I stood and began to pace in a tight circle, tail tip twitching anxiously. How are things in SkyClan? Have they even reached SkyClan yet? Are they still walking? Are they hurt? Are they eating enough?

"Keep that up and you'll wear a hole into the ground." I turned my blue eyes to the black tom lying in an extra nest nearby, "Relax, okay? I'm sure Firestar and Sandstorm are fine."

Ignoring the fact that he had easily figured out what I had been thinking I bristled slightly, "How can I relax when two of my Clan mates might very well be fighting for their lives or even dead?"

He frowned but didn't say anything for a moment, both of us instead listening to the steady pitter patter of the rain gently falling outside. I focused on the sound, letting the rhythm brush against my fur soothingly and closing my eyes. When I opened them I saw Scourge staring at me inquisitively.

Abruptly, he meowed, "Want me to get something for you from the fresh-kill pile?"

I blinked at the change of topic before slowly nodding, "… Sure."

"Hold on." He stood and stretched, "I'll be back soon with a vole to share."

Without waiting for me to respond he padded from the den, leaving me alone. I sat, tail curling neatly around my paws as I lost myself to my thoughts once more. I hope Firestar is alright. If he isn't I don't know what I'll do. And Sandstorm… I've been pretty close to her for a while now. She's my friend. To lose either of them…

I couldn't stop the shudder that coursed through me before my thoughts shifted a little. Scourge is so blasé about our Clan mates, but I suspect that has something to do with how little he knows them. If he knew how kind they were… no, if he was friends with more of them… then he'd understand my concern.

The black tom himself trudged back into my den, fur disheveled and slightly damp from being in the light rain outside. He spat the vole he carried in his mouth out at my feet before shaking his pelt briefly. He then looked up at me with an annoyed frown.

"What's wrong, Scourge?"

He sat down with a huff, "I'll have to eat this quickly because our mouse-brained deputy decided that I'd be perfect for a hunting patrol in this weather."

Despite his displeased expression I couldn't help the small surge of delight that went through me, "That's great! This is a great opportunity for you to make friends."

He choked a little on the piece of vole he had begun to chew, swallowing thickly and glowering up at me, "Excuse me?"

"Well," I explained, "you aren't very well-liked even though you've saved Dustpelt, Firestar, and the kits. Most of the Clan simply doesn't like your attitude or thinks you're trying to gain our trust to betray us later." He shot me a look at that, "I think that the best way to get more involved in the Clan and with its members is to become friends with them."

"I think I liked you better when you were pining for your lost love- I mean, leader."

Ignoring his comment, I meowed, "And the best way to be friends with them is to be nice to them."

Scourge gave me a disbelieving look, "Nice?"

"Yes, nice," I nodded once, firmly.

"How, exactly, do you expect me to be nice to cats who are already suspicious of my existence?"

I shrugged, gray ear twitching, "Complement them. Help them. Give credit where it's due." There was a pause, "And don't reply rudely when they say something, even when it's an insult."

He cocked his head and snorted softly, "You realize you're asking the impossible of me, right?"

I prodded him with a paw, "Just be nice when you go out hunting, okay?"

He sighed with a mumbled "Fine" before I settled down to eat my portion of the small vole. After a moment he joined me, clearly resigned to his fate.

~oOo~

I felt absolutely wonderful.

At least I would, I thought disdainfully, if it wasn't for the fact that I have to go hunting in the rainy late afternoon with cats I don't like. If it wasn't for that, I'd be absolutely ecstatic that Firestar and his nosy mate are gone for who knows how long.

My icy blue eyes darted ahead of me to where Graystripe and Dustpelt stalked ahead, scenting for prey as the rain continued to spatter around us. Several fat drops of water seeped through the foliage of the trees above us and fell on my head, making me flatten my ears. I had serious doubts that we would find any prey in the rain, no matter how light it may be.

Graystripe- the leader of the patrol- stopped moving and turned to us so he could meow, "We're going to split into two groups to search for prey. Dustpelt, come with me. Ashfur and Scourge can hunt together."

I glanced at the pale gray tom next to me, our blue eyes meeting and narrowing at each other. Ashfur was perhaps one of the cats in ThunderClan that hated me the most, though he had little reason to. At least, there was no big reason that I knew of, but I suppose just trying to take over their forest may have been enough.

"Must I go hunting with him?"

Ashfur's distasteful tone made me snap from my musings and retort, "You weren't exactly my first choice either, fluffy."

Remembering Cinderpelt's words as the tom glared at me I inwardly winced. I forgot to be nice. Whoops.

"Well, you'll both have to get along for this hunt. If we're quick we can get back to camp before the rain gets really bad." Graystripe sent a meaningful look up at the cloudy sky, "Anyway, Dustpelt and I will be close by if you need anything- around the trees near Sunning Rocks. You two can go a little closer to Treecut Place if you can't find anything here."

Without waiting to hear more complaints he turned, Dustpelt following soon after with only a small, pitying look tossed over his shoulder that could have been for either or both of us. We glanced at each other once more, disgust marring our features, before we began to prowl through the underbrush, scenting for prey as we were told.

It didn't take us long to realize that we weren't going to find anything where we were.

"Stupid furball, thinking we'd find anything to eat in this weather. All the prey is smart enough to hide when it rains."

Ashfur sneered at me, "Don't go insulting our deputy and acting Clan leader for your incompetence."

"Well, I don't see you with any prey, O Great Hunter," I retorted, making him flatten his ears.

"Why don't we just go closer to the Treecut Place? We might have some more luck there."

Noticing his quick change of topic I smirked triumphantly, "Why not? We still won't catch anything, but I'm sure it'll satisfy Graystripe to see us soaked and empty-pawed when we return."

The gray tom simply ignored me and began to walk away.

Reluctantly, I followed. As we dodged and ducked through the thick plants covering the earth the rain began to speed up and get colder. When we stopped by a fairly deep hole in the ground to try to scent prey I noticed the first rumbles of thunder in the distance. I couldn't keep the fur along my spine from rising at the sound. It was one that even cats in the twoleg place had learned to fear.

"I think it's time for us to return to camp."

My warning meow was scoffed at by the young warrior, "Graystripe is in charge of this patrol, not you. I'll leave when he tells me to."

Never mind the fact that Graystripe wasn't with us at the moment and he was looking a little nervous himself at the sound of thunder.

I never got the chance to argue this point though because it was at that moment that the place we were standing, next to the big hole in the ground, decided to give out beneath us and send us head over paws to the muddy earth below, myself hissing while Ashfur yelped. After several moments of lying useless in two paw-lengths of sucking mud I slowly stood on wobbly legs, wind whipping my fur all over the place. Bit by bit I tested my limbs, making sure they all still moved and nothing was broken. Seeing that everything still worked with minimal pain I assumed I was fine.

As much as I hate mud, I mused, I have to admit it's good for breaking falls.

Turning my attention to my fallen Clan mate I meowed, "You alive?"

"Yes," he growled, finally struggling to sit up.

"Pity," I frowned, "That means we're stuck down here together until we can find a way out."

He instantly sat up at that, dark blue eyes scanning the place where we ended up, "Is there any way to escape?"

"Not at the moment," I studied the sides of the hole, which looked to be about nine or ten tail-lengths tall (Which made us falling all the way down without getting hurt rather impressive), noting how smooth and even they appeared to be, even in the rain, "I guess one of the big, yellow twoleg monsters that eats dirt made this hole. It would explain how it was formed."

Ashfur's ears flattened, "Why in StarClan's name would one come all the way out here just to dig a hole?"

"Not a clue. Twolegs and their monsters have always been strange."

"Lots of help you are," he grumbled, "telling me what every cat already knows."

"But of course," I retorted, "I have to make sure your mind isn't so rattled after the fall that you forget things."

He raised his nose with a sniff, "You should be more concerned about yourself and your memory. Do you even remember your name?"

"Do you remember yours?"

He huffed, "As well as I remember how strange twolegs are."

"Seeing as I had to remind you about that, should I be concerned?" I remarked with a cocky tilt to my head.

"The only thing you reminded me of was how much I hate you." He responded haughtily.

I couldn't stop the sarcastic reply from leaving my muzzle, "You mean you forgot that you hate me? Should I feel insulted?"

"Let me assure you that your existence is the ultimate insult."

My eyes widened a little at the biting reply, making me genuinely chuckle, "That was a good comeback. Mind if I use it in the future?"

The confusion following that question was equally amusing, "There's no reason why you shouldn't."

Before we could continue our somewhat pointless squabble thunder crashed through the air and lightning lit up the sky, which was rapidly darkening as thick clouds and night set in. Well, I mentally sighed, if the weather and the banter both keep up this pace then I'm going to be in for a very long night.

~oOo~

Wind howled menacingly outside of my den, thunder booming and lightning striking in the distance. I glanced out of my den's opening in hopes of seeing Scourge, instead seeing nothing. He and his patrol hadn't returned yet and the light rain from earlier had quickly escalated into a full blown thunderstorm.

My ears pricked at the faint sound of pawsteps approaching, head twisting to look. I saw the dim forms of Graystripe and Dustpelt entering camp, followed by… nothing. My eyes narrowed and concern drove me to fluff up my pelt and push my way into the violent wind, slowly making my way towards the duo.

Upon reaching them, ears flattened to keep out water, I yowled, "Where's Scourge and Ashfur?"

"You mean they're not back yet?"

I swung my head to Graystripe at his incredulous meow, seeing his long gray fur lashing wildly as Dustpelt cried over the storm, "We thought they'd returned without us because of the weather so we decided to come back ourselves."

"But they're not here," I wailed, "Does that mean they're both out there in the storm?"

"They'll be fine," Graystripe reassured, "Ashfur is sensible and- as much as I hate to admit it- Scourge has a decent enough head on his shoulders to realize that they should hide somewhere out of the wind and rain."

A shudder went through me as another cold gust went by, "What if they're trapped? Or hurt? They'll get sick staying out in this!"

"Be that as it may," Dustpelt meowed, dark brown tabby fur bristling against the chill, "Nobody is going to be able to go out and look for them until the storm is over."

Turning my blue eyes towards the camp entrance my next few whispered words were ripped away from my muzzle and tossed into the wind, "I hope they're okay."

~oOo~

"Get up."

I opened a single slitted eye, glaring at the pale gray tom standing next to me, "So help me, Ashfur, if you poke me one more time I will gut you."

He dismissed my threat with a tail flick, "Heard scarier threats."

"Keep it up and it won't be a threat," I sat up and flexed my claws, "It'll be a promise."

He snorted.

I grumbled, "Well, I'm up. What do you want?"

"To get out of this stupid hole. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed spending the night huddling for warmth with an evil cat in the middle of a violent thunderstorm with no tree cover, but I'd like to go home now."

Glancing down at my pelt, which clung to my frame limply with rain water and mud, I wrinkled my nose in disgust, "I concur, but do you have any idea as to how?"

"You mean you don't have a plan?"

"Seeing as I just woke up," I huffed, "no."

He opened his jaws to speak but was beaten to it when a different voice piped up from above us, "Great StarClan, don't tell me you've been acting like this towards each other ever since yesterday!"

Our head whipped up, instantly setting sights on two golden-brown tabby toms and one dusky brown she-cat. The one who had spoken was Mousefur, the only she-cat. They all, however, looked both amused and appalled at what they had stumbled across.

"Nice of you to show up," I puffed grumpily.

Ashfur added, "Care to join us?"

Thornclaw flattened his ears, "Great. Scourge is a bad influence on our young cats."

"True," Brackenfur nodded, "Ashfur never used to be so disrespectful to his elders."

Despite the fact that their words were playful and full of relief (Probably because Ashfur wasn't dead or hurt- it undoubtedly had nothing to do with my well-being) the tom next to me ducked his head sheepishly and seemed to remember himself. Mouse-dung, I mentally sighed, And I was finally starting to get along with him.

"Can you help us get out?" Ashfur's meow brought me from my inward pouting, "We think a twoleg monster made this hole, and when it rained yesterday the soil at the edges weakened and it fell, taking us with it. You can see where we fell in over there."

He gestured to the only noticeably caved section of the wall with a tail, making Brackenfur nod thoughtfully, "Twolegs, huh? Always causing trouble." There was a pause before he continued, "We're going to look for something to lower down to you so you can get out, okay? Wait right there."

A mocking remark came from me before I could stop myself, "Nah, I thought I'd flap my wings and tweet like a bird."

"Oh, shut it."

With a cheeky grin I sat down and curled my tail over my paws, trying to ignore the repulsive feeling of muck seeping between my toes. A few instants later the three cats returned dragging a large tree branch, all of them together barely able to move it.

For a moment they paused, panting, before calling down to us, "We're going to lower this, so stay out of the way. When it's stable you can climb up. You okay with that?"

"I'm fine as long as you don't drop it on me."

They ignored my comment before beginning to proceed with their plan.

Slowly, bit by bit, they started to lower the massive branch, but it didn't take long for it to feel the pull of gravity and start to lower faster. Our Clan mates now strained and pulled to slow its descent, hissing curses under their breath as they went. Ashfur and I, however, did the smart thing.

We pressed ourselves against the opposite mud wall and refused to move.

Finally the branch hit the ground, shifting a little before settling. Ashfur and I locked eyes, each daring the other to be the first one to try the new escape route. I was winning until the mouse-brained Thornclaw called down the wise words of "Scourge should go first since he's the smallest and it has a better chance of remaining still for him". That basically settled the stare-down, leaving Ashfur with a smug look on his muzzle.

After that the steady climb up the lowered branch went quickly, my claws remaining firmly stuck in it for safety at all times. Ashfur, seeing it was secure, followed soon afterwards.

Upon reaching the top Cinderpelt's brothers circled us slowly, "Are you both alright? Any injuries?"

"The only pain I have is the one next to me," my pale gray companion scoffed.

With a falsely hurt expression I mewed, "Aw, now he's gone and hurt my feelings. Take me to Cinderpelt so she can make it better."

Every one of them scowled at me for that statement, making me blink innocently. With a huff of annoyance they decided we were fine and began to lead us back to camp where we would have to explain- in detail- what had happened. Though the four cats that surrounded me were quite clearly uneasy in my presence none of them seemed quite so standoffish towards me either. They were- at least compared to when we first met- actually rather friendly.

I sneezed once before thinking triumphantly, And Cinderpelt says you make friends by being nice!

AN: Wow. Scourge managed to get one of the nicest, most understanding cats (At least to Squirrelflight) in all the Clans be really mean and sarcastic to him. Impressive, isn't it? Well, that's Scourge for you! Making other cats hate him since he was little- uh, littler. Yeah… he'd hate me for that comment.

So anyway… this is just a random note, but I'm hoping to get (At least) another five chapters posted during the summer after I finish school for the year. It's not set in stone, but I'm hoping to manage that much. Wish me luck! ^_^