To say that they weren't welcome was an understatement, Thunderstorm realized. Nearly all of the cats they passed on their way into the cave hissed angrily upon the sight of them and he even saw a few sets of claws unsheathe. He hoped that Rock and Day would be able to settle things quickly and that there would be no need to fight. He had been taught the basics of fighting but it wasn't something that had been encouraged. Fighting was only done when there was no other option.
"Rock," a silver-spotted tabby tom spat. "What's the meaning of this? Why are you bringing strangers into our midst?"
"They need to see Speaks for the Mountain," Rock replied. "It's urgent."
"How urgent can it be?" the other tom hissed. "Why do strangers need to speak to our leader?"
"I'm pretty positive they're the prophesized ones, Talon," Rock replied. "Speaks for the Mountain is the only one that will know for sure if they are or not."
"Why do you think they are?" Talon demanded. "Because they look like Lightning?"
"We've had dreams," Rainstorm interjected. "And we've traveled a long way to find kits that have been stolen from us."
The two toms acted like they didn't even hear her.
"No. I think it's them because it all fits," Rock growled.
"Only Speaks for the Mountain can decide that," Talon spat.
"Then take them to him!" Rock hissed, claws unsheathing. "Or at least let us pass."
"I won't let them near our kits," Talon protested.
"We won't harm your kits," Rainstorm mewed gently but once again she was ignored. Day nudged the black she-cat off to the side.
"Don't try," she mewed to Rainstorm. "When we're among clan members, the protectors like to ignore the hunters and other she-cats. They'll only listen to a select few she-cats."
"Why?" Rainstorm asked. "Every clan member's voice should be heard." Day licked a paw as she tried to formulate an answer.
"Who knows why toms act the way they do," she replied. "And I'm sure that some have gotten it in their heads that since us she-cats only hunt and give birth to kits, instead of actively defending our clan from predators and the few enemies we have, that we're not as important as they are."
A white she-cat with a single black paw sitting off to the side nodded in agreement.
"That doesn't make any sense, though," Rainstorm mewed in confusion.
"Not many things do in our world. We learn to accept them and move on," the white she-cat stated. "I'm Night of Ice and I'll take you to Speaks for the Mountain since Talon won't stand aside."
"How?" Rainstorm asked. "Won't we have to go past him?"
Night of Ice and Day shook their heads.
"Our home breaks apart into many sections," Night of Ice said. "But there are a few routes that will lead to the same place if you go far enough. Talon guards the most direct route to the center, where our leader makes his nest, but it's not the only way."
"My companions—" Rainstorm began to ask but Day shook her head.
"Talon will notice them sneaking away," she said. "Rock will make sure they join us. If we move quickly, we can get to Speaks for the Mountain before Talon notices that we've taken you away."
"Why me, though?" Rainstorm asked as she padded after the she-cats.
"Because you seem to be the leader of your tiny group," Day replied. "And a leader must speak to their fellow leaders first, before any others."
"I'm not the leader," Rainstorm protested quietly. "There are no leaders in our group. We work together as equals."
"Then you are the one that wants to succeed at this task the most," Day mewed. "Even just by talking with you for a small time, it was apparent that you are the most passionate to get your kits back. One tom seems reluctant to fill his role and the other seems hesitant to do what is necessary to take the kits back. Only you, it seems, have accepted your role and the possibility of fighting to win your battles."
Rainstorm sighed. She had the same fears but she hadn't realized it was so noticeable to others. She trailed the two she-cats silently, wandering further into the cave. At times the ceiling was so low that she had to flatten herself on her belly to push forward. Wherever she brushed the walls, dirt caught on her fur.
"Not much further," Night of Ice encouraged. Her pace quickened and Rainstorm had to quicken her own pace to keep up. The cave began to open up and soon there was small circle in the cave where the path seemed to end. It was brighter than the rest of the cave. Rainstorm looked around as her eyes adjusted to the light and she saw why. There was a small hole in the ceiling, just big enough for a small cat to squeeze through. Light streamed through it.
"Speaks for the Mountain?" Day asked politely. A gray tabby tom stepped forward into the light, followed by a pure white she-cat.
"Speaks for the Night," Day greeted the she-cat.
"Day that Never Ends," the tom greeted. "What brings you down here. I can sense that you have a visitor that is not of our clan. Who is she?"
Rainstorm was confused as to why the tom only sensed that she was there and didn't look directly at her. Then she noticed the small deformation. Where there should have been eyes, there was nothing. There were just the eye sockets. The black she-cat shivered nervously.
"She calls herself Rainstorm," Day mewed. "And she travels with two toms named Thunderstorm and Windstorm." Speaks for the Mountain and Speaks for the Night stiffened at her announcement.
"Are they the ones?" Speaks for the Night asked sharply. "Is it finally time?"
"I believe so," Day said. "That's why I brought her to see Speaks for the Mountain. We wanted to be positive before—"
"Before you told me?" a sharp voice rang out from the corner. Rainstorm watched with wide eyes as another cat emerged from the cave's shadows. The newcomer was a black cat with the most unusual set of eyes Rainstorm had ever seen. One blue and one green.
Day sighed but nodded.
"Yes, before we informed you, Storm full of Lightning," she said. "We didn't want to give you false hope."