Chapter 14

Rainpaw wasted no time in learning every inch of the tunnels FireClan used. According to Flowerspot, the Clan had used to camp in a large clearing surrounded by ancient oaks. But Silverstar had moved the camp after she became leader. Silverstar wanted to keep the element of surprise over her enemies.

One day had passed since Silverstar gave her the test. At least it felt like an entire day had passed. Rainpaw wasn't even sure how long she had spent in the tunnels. There was no light penetrating the dark tunnels, and no cat ever told her how long she had been underground.

Silverstar seemed impressed with Rainpaw's skills as she explained where the dens were, and which warrior was which. Nightfeather's lips were drawn back in a snarl when Rainpaw mentioned her as deputy. The black and silver tabby seemed more than unhappy that she was pointed out. Silverstar sat in the cave where the first meeting had been held. Rainpaw sat beside Flowerspot, while the rest of the Clan listened eagerly. Rainpaw had no doubts that they were hoping for an execution.

"You have learned quickly, young one," Silverstar purred. "An intelligent apprentice is just what we need in this Clan." Her eyes flashed towards the group of apprentices watching from the back of the crowd. Rainpaw noticed with a slight grin that their ears were flattened submissively. "You have passed the test, and so I trust Flowerspot to train you into a fine warrior that FireClan can be proud of."

Flowerspot's eyes gleamed with pride when she touched noses with Rainpaw. Rainpaw looked at her new mentor doubtfully before dipping her head. She was thankful that Silverstar didn't decide to kill her. But her heart lay in MoonClan, where her mother and father were.

How could I face them in battle? she wondered fearfully. Would they ever forgive her?

"That MoonClan stench is gonna fill these tunnels for moons," Marshpelt, one of the elders, grumbled.

"I'll wash my scent in the stream," Rainpaw promised. Truthfully she would have rather kept her scent. But she knew that it was a sign of loyalty to accept changes.

"We'll start training right away," Flowerspot meowed when the meeting ended.

She led the way out of the tunnels, and piercing daylight nearly blinded Rainpaw. Her eyes widened in shock when she found herself blinking against the harsh light. Flowerspot stopped for a few heartbeats to let the apprentice adjust.

"How long have I been in there?" Rainpaw asked when she finally stopped blinking.

"At least four days," Flowerspot murmured sympathetically. "It takes a while for us to get used to the brightness as well. We do most of our hunting at night."

That made sense. Rainpaw could imagine how a blinded warrior would miss catching a juicy mouse or vole. The tunnels reminded her of MoonClan's cave. But even in the cave there was still a little bit of light. The tunnels were just an inky darkness that seemed to swallow her up.

Flowerspot wasted no time in leading Rainpaw to a smaller clearing that was covered in sand. Rainpaw could see the pawprints of apprentices and mentors that were here earlier. She looked back up at Flowerspot, whose tail brushed against the sand.

"Right, why don't we start with showing me what you already know?" Flowerspot asked.

Rainpaw gave a slight nod, though she wasn't sure if showing Flowerspot a MoonClan move was a good idea. She would only show Flowerspot the most basic moves that any other apprentice would know. With a flick of her tail she bounded forward and managed to smack Flowerspot in the muzzle with her paws.

She jumped out of the way to avoid getting swatted like an insect. Flowerspot was watching her in amusement as Rainpaw struggled to keep up. She managed to launch herself at the older cat, but not without getting pinned to the ground in the process.

They continued throughout most of the day like that. Rainpaw had gotten pinned down three times before finally giving up. She let her shoulders go limp and closed her eyes. After hearing Flowerspot's mew of confusion, her eyes suddenly flashed open and she sprang up, nearly batting Flowerpot in the nose.

"That's about all I've been taught so far," Rainpaw admitted after catching her breath.

"Seems like I have my work cut out for me," Flowerspot murmured with a shake of her head. "Let me show you how a FireClan cat does it."

With those words she dropped to a crouch and stared anything but Rainpaw. Rainpaw's whiskers twitched with annoyance when she recognized the move. Flowerspot was trying to make it look like she wasn't aiming for her apprentice.

Rainpaw jumped aside just as Flowerspot sprang. But to Rainpaw's surprise, Flowerspot had landed almost on top of her, using her front paws to hold her down. Rainpaw stared at Flowerspot in disbelief when the brown and white she-cat released her.

"We've learned how to surprise the enemy by doing something unexpected," Flowerspot explained. "That's how we win most of our battles."

Rainpaw struggled back to her paws and stared down at the ground. This would be good information if she was still part of MoonClan. But she had to keep her promise, not just for her sake but for the kits Silverstar had nearly killed. And for her own Clanmates. She was sure that Silverstar would have done the same thing to Redstar sooner or later.

I did the right thing, she kept telling herself.

. . .

Shame clawed at Shadepelt's heart as he stared at Featherstorm. She had been horrified to hear the rescue story Cinderfire had given the Clan. Sandstar's kits had been safely returned to their rightful mother, but at the cost of losing Rainpaw.

Rainpaw could be dead because of me, he thought guiltily. A shudder coursed down his spine as he thought of what Silverstar would do to her.

"There was nothing we could do," Cinderfire murmured as she pressed against her brother. Shadepelt looked down at his paws.

That wasn't true. He shouldn't have such a close bond with Frostwing to begin with. But every time he thought of her his fur crawled. Frostwing was beautiful and caring. He knew that she would make a good mother when that time came.

"I need to go make dirt," he muttered. Cinderfire stared at him in surprise, but she knew better than to stop him.

They may have been siblings, but he could easily put his sister in her place. Most cats thought he was too quiet and soft spoken to make much of a good warrior. But Cinderfire knew all too well how good he was at fighting. Part of her torn ear was proof of that.

Shadepelt remembered the secret exit Rainpaw had found a few days ago. He tried not to use it as much out of fear that it would be discovered by the others. Cinderfire had once caught him sneaking around the area. He managed to shake her off at that point, but he knew she wouldn't be so easy to get rid of again.

He quickly made his way through the tunnel, eager to get away from camp. It was night out, the time he usually met with Frostwing. He knew that she would be waiting at the border. Every quarter moon they met, or when they had the chance.

His eyes scanned the rocky walls before he pushed his way through the hole. A few pebbles clattered against the stone, and he looked over his shoulder warily afterwords. Any keen hunter would know that something was up. But thankfully the Clan seemed oblivious to the noise.

With a sigh of relief he jumped out of the tunnel and bounded down the pile of boulders. The moon was already high in the sky by the time he reached the StreamClan border. He wasn't surprised to see Frostwing waiting there. She was crouched under a bush as she waited for his return.

"Thank StarClan you're here!" she purred when he made his presence known. She leaped out of the bushes and nearly tackled him before rubbing her muzzle against his.

"Did you think I wouldn't show up?" Shadepelt sounded astonished and disappointed that she would ever think of such a thing.

"I thought you would be worried about your own Clanmate," she murmured.

Shadepelt sighed when she padded away. He rolled back to his paws and met her gaze.

"Rainpaw knows the risks she took," he whispered. "But it is my fault she was captured. If I could go in her place, I would."

"Would you really make that choice?" Frostwing was staring at him seriously now, and a suddenly chill swept down his spine.

No, I couldn't, he realized.

"Frostwing, I love you too much to do something like that," he meowed.

Frostwing suddenly pressed against him, and at that moment everything felt right.

"I know," she purred. "I wasn't going to tell you now, but Beechnose said that I'm expecting kits."

Her words made the fur along Shadepelt's spine bristle. Expecting kits? He stared at her in shock as she waited for his response.

"I... you weren't going to tell me?" he stammered.

Frostwing began kneading the ground with her paws anxiously. "I wasn't sure how you would react," she admitted. "I thought you might be afraid or angry."

Shadepelt couldn't help but purr when he realized that Frostwing was just worried. He licked the back of her ear affectionately.

"Our kits will be beautiful," he whispered.

Their tails twined together, and for a moment Shadepelt had almost forgotten about his worry over his Clanmate. But than he was reminded of what Rainpaw had done to save the kits. With a sigh of defeat he pulled back. Frostwing gave him a look of confusion before she guessed what was on his mind.

"I'll meet you here tomorrow," she promised. "Maybe we can think of how you can save her."

Her amber eyes gleamed before she turned and bounded back into her territory. Shadepelt watched her until she disappeared from view. With a sigh of frustration he realized that she was right. He couldn't be happy until he knew that Rainpaw was safe. And the only way to do that was by rescuing her.