Chapter 11
The sound of pawsteps thundering across the land echoed around her as she slept. Rainpaw knew that she was dreaming. But it felt so real as her eyes opened to a world of trees and dark forest looming around her.
"Where am I?" Rainpaw asked as she found herself in unknown territory.
A knot of worry had formed in her stomach. It seemed that every direction she looked there were trees or dark spaces that would creep up on her.
"Where am I?" She asked the question a little louder this time. Blood roared in her ears as she searched for any signs of life. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when a pair of amber eyes gleamed through the darkness.
Rainpaw let out a startled yelp and whirled around, only to find that she couldn't run. Her paws were stuck in the mud.
"Rainpaw, you should recognize this territory." Her eyes widened when she recognized the cat emerging from the shadows. It was Brackenfoot, an elder that had died a few moons before she had become an apprentice. She remembered hearing stories from Lilytail and Cloudpelt of how brave Brackenfoot had been. He had died saving them during a FireClan raid. "This is MoonClan's territory, or what is left of it."
The dark ginger tom was looking around as it finally sank in why this seemed so familiar. Rainpaw's fur bristled with unease when she realized that he was right.
She recognized the trees where the apprentices trained near. And the edge of the border between FireClan and MoonClan.
"What happened here?" she whispered as fear and dread began to take over.
Brackenfoot gave her a sympathetic look before settling down beside her.
"This is what will happen to the Clan if Silverstar is not stopped," he explained. "She along with her kin will take over the forest and destroy everything. The Clans will merge into one, under their rule."
"We can't let her do that!" Rainpaw exclaimed. Her eyes were wide with horror as she looked at Brackenfoot.
His amber eyes were dark with worry as he looked down at her. What could one apprentice do against an entire Clan? It wasn't like her own Clanmates were willing to fight back. Redstar managed to keep Silverstar at bay, but that wasn't going to last long.
"You will need the help of your Clanmates for this battle," Brackenfoot meowed as if he had read her thoughts. "The journey ahead will be difficult, but the rewards will be worth it."
Rainpaw looked away, eyes clouding over with grief as she imagined what could happen to her Clanmates. The last thing she wanted was to put their lives in danger. But as long as Silverstar was alive, every cats' life was in danger. She really didn't have much of a choice. She was about to ask how she could be of any help when the dream began to fade.
So much for that, she thought in annoyance.
Her eyes snapped open heartbeats later, leaving her in the apprentice's den. Rainpaw felt a sigh rising in her throat when she realized that the nest her brother used to sleep in was empty. It was strange not having someone she grew up with in the same den.
Goldenpaw, Applepaw and Flarepaw slept in separate nests closer to the den's entrance. Rainpaw's tail lashed from side to side as she looked around. She knew that the dream she had was serious. And she knew that she should share it with Bluepaw or Redstar. They would know what to do.
With a sigh she rose to her paws and shook scraps of moss from her legs. She didn't realize how torn up her nest was until she turned to look at it.
"Rainpaw!" She nearly leaped out of her fur when she heard Shadepelt's hiss echo through the tunnels. The other apprentices were still fast asleep, but Goldenpaw's ear twitched when Shadepelt had called her name.
Her tail lashed with annoyance as she slipped out of the cave. Sure enough Shadepelt was waiting outside the cave's entrance with Cinderfire sitting beside him.
"Can you please tell us what this is about?" Cinderfire muttered as she fought back a yawn.
"We need to rescue Sandstar's kits," Shadepelt announced when Rainpaw looked at him curiously.
"We?" Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "You keep forgetting that I'm just an apprentice. I wouldn't last five heartbeats in a fight against FireClan warriors."
"She has a point," Cinderfire purred in amusement. Rainpaw restrained the urge to glare at her. She was only trying to point out the obvious, not make herself look weak.
"We can't just sit here and do nothing while those kits are suffering!" Shadepelt snarled. "It's against the warrior code!"
"Keep your voice down mousebrain," Rainpaw snapped. Hazelfrost and Nettlepelt were on guard duty. Nettlepelt's ears flicked back when he heard something coming from the back of the cave.
"Please, they need our help," Shadepelt murmured.
Rainpaw stared at him for a few more heartbeats before sighing in defeat. She knew that he would never let it go, and would likely risk his own life by going into battle. So the only way to stop him was by helping.
"Fine, but if we get caught you're the one to blame," she hissed.
Cinderfire eyed her skeptically before nodding in agreement. Shadepelt continued thanking her on their way out through the back of the cave. Rainpaw tried to remember the back exit as it was the only way out besides getting past the guards.
Once outside Rainpaw gave Shadepelt the chance to lead. He knew the borders better than anyone after spending so much time with Frostpaw. Rainpaw doubted that he would let them get caught, unless this was a trap. A shudder coursed down Rainpaw's spine as she pushed the thought away. Shadepelt wouldn't so something so foolish.
They traveled on in silence as Shadepelt led the way across the FireClan border. Rainpaw's whiskers twitched with worry as she gazed across the landscape. There was no undergrowth around for them to hide in. Only barren shrubs or thorn bushes that were scattered across the ground.
Shadepelt took the lead once more as he moved at a quick pace. Rainpaw was beginning to wonder where the camp was when she heard the sounds of pawsteps crunching on the barren soil. Her ears pricked forward in alarm before Shadepelt's tail raised.
"Keep low!" he ordered. Rainpaw dropped to a crouch when Shadepelt leaned forward. "The camp's right in front of us," he growled after a few heartbeats had passed.
Rainpaw's eyes narrowed as she studied the clearing carefully. How could this be of any protection? There weren't any thorns or bushes keeping predators out of camp. She didn't see any dens that could be of use. Then her eyes widened in disbelief when a cat emerged from the ground. Dirt and rubble clung to their pelts, but they didn't seem to mind as more cats emerged.
"Their camp is underground," Cinderfire breathed as she leaned forward.
"How do you expect us to save this kits from below?" Rainpaw demanded when she turned to glare at Shadepelt.
"Report to me, Flowerspot." Rainpaw's heart nearly skipped a beat when she spotted a thin looking black and silver she-cat standing nearby. Her paws were a dark shade of gray, almost black, and it looked like both of her ears had been torn in battle.
"Everything's safe down below," the tortoiseshell she-cat replied with a dip of her head. "The queens have been moved to the farthest tunnel, and the kits are kept separate."
"Good," the black she-cat purred. "Those stinkin' StreamClan cats keep coming back, asking for them." She added the last part in a scornful hiss.
"Oh... y-yes, they are annoying furballs," Flowerspot stammered.
"Keep an eye on the tunnels, I'm going in," the black she-cat meowed after looking at Flowerspot in surprise. Flowerspot nervously nodded in agreement as she disappeared into the ground once more.
Once she was gone Flowerspot sat down and observed the bushes Rainpaw and her Clanmates were hiding under. Her amber eyes narrowed when she realized that she was not alone.
"Who goes there?" she called out.
"My name is Shadepelt, and this is my sister Cinderfire. We have come to take back Sandstar's kits," Shadepelt announced when he emerged from the bush. Rainpaw stared at him in surprise when he didn't mention her.
What is he getting at? she wondered.
"MoonClan cats!" Flowerspot's eyes widened in surprise. "I... y-you don't belong here!" she spat as she stood up.
Rainpaw noticed with amusement that her hackles were standing on end. Flowerspot was afraid of them.
"You don't want those kits harmed, do you?" Cinderfire asked as she followed her brother.
Flowerspot looked down at the ground, and for the first time Rainpaw noticed the scars along her muzzle and legs. The dappled tortoiseshell looked more defeated than ever as she looked back at Shadepelt and Cinderfire.
"I'd rather die than let those kits get harmed one more time," she murmured. "But I can't do anything to fight back. I'm the lowest ranking warrior in my Clan."
"No, but you can distract your Clanmates," Shadepelt meowed calmly. "Get them out of the tunnels while we go and save the kits."
Rainpaw held her breath as she waited for Flowerspot's answer. If she refused than she could easily turn the Clan against them. Rainpaw knew that they would all be killed for trespassing. There were no exceptions to that rule.
"Alright, I'll do it!" Flowerspot suddenly mewed. "I hate what my Clan has become, and I'd give anything to have my old friends back."
Excitement and hope flared within Rainpaw when she realized that Flowerspot was on their side. Cinderfire and Shadepelt stepped back as Flowerspot bounded towards what Rainpaw guessed were the tunnels. Once Cinderfire and Shadepelt were hidden, Flowerspot called an alarm.
"Everyone, I need your help!" she yowled.
Heartbeats seemed to pass before a crowd of warriors emerged from the ground. Rainpaw crouched low to the ground when the black and silver she-cat glared at Flowerspot.
"What in StarClan's name is going on?" she demanded when Flowerspot's tail flicked from side to side.
"I spotted a group of StreamClan warriors nearby, I think they're looking for our camp," she explained warily.
"Tawnywing, I want you to check that side of the border." The black and silver she-cat's tail pointed towards the east, where Rainpaw was hiding. "I'll lead a patrol towards the border and find out what's going on."
Did they really just fall for that? Rainpaw wondered as she watched them disappear. It was a large patrol of cats, and she doubted that all of them had left the tunnels. Either these cats were incredibly knowledgeable of trespassers, or they had no clue what was happening. Either way, Rainpaw knew that this wasn't going to end well.