Sorry for the late update! I had a 14 hour shift yesterday, and a doctor's appt. D: Thank you for your patience!
"Rainpaw, concentrate!" Wolfmask snapped, padding up to him as the vole slipped out of his claws.
Rainpaw shook out his fur angrily. Wetness, wetness everywhere. Even on the moor, where there wasn't ferns and trees constantly dripping, there was water. Of course without the trees and fronds blocking the sky, that gave the sleet much more room to fall.
"Sorry Wolfmask," he growled.
"It's not his fault," Gorsepaw chirped, bouncing forward with shining eyes. "His fur's too heavy because of the rain. And here I thought you were trying to make me look good!"
If he was being honest with himself, Rainpaw was not angry because of the weather. Angry wasn't even the right word. He was frustrated.
Maizestar had referenced him becoming a warrior soon, but he had not made mention of when this ceremony would occur. Wolfmask was pressing him harder and harder in training as preparation for his final assessments. He said that Rainpaw had to be prepared. Yet not one of them actually said how soon it would happen.
Tigerpaw was redoing his final assessments that very day. Rainpaw had thought, after Tigerpaw had not been made a warrior with Flamethistle and Brightwillow, that he would be made a warrior when Rainpaw and his littermates were. Apparently not.
Gorsepaw's humor was hard to ignore. With a playful nudge, he responded, "Like you'd ever need me to slow down for you."
Today was paired hunting practice. Usually the pairs consisted of two aboveground, two in the tunnels to chase the prey. However their underground partners were not there today. Crowswoop and Nightspots had decided to take Pearlpaw and Mousepaw to the Moonstone the previous night, and they were not back yet.
So instead it was just him and Gorsepaw. Ever since they'd decided to be friends, she'd been quite enthusiastic about fulfilling that promise. She volunteered for tasks such as this one, paired hunting. Rainpaw was supposed to be modeling how to do it for her, as it was really her first experience with it.
Gorsepaw was a quick learner. Wolfmask had explained it to her one time, and then paired with Rainpaw to show her how to do it. When they'd gone out together, Rainpaw had fully expected her to struggle before they made any success. However with her help they'd already caught a bed of mice and a rabbit.
When she wasn't ignoring him for her own popularity's sake, Gorsepaw was actually a fun cat to be around. She was smart, and funny. And her loyalty to her Clan was unquestionable. Rainpaw honestly admired her boldness, even though he sometimes wished she'd tone it back a little bit.
A small noise from behind had Rainpaw's ear swiveling. Ever since the incident with the fox, he'd been extra careful about checking around him for more signs of it. If it snuck up on him while he wasn't paying attention…well, he did not want to relive that chase.
Gorsepaw opened her mouth, her brow folding in confusion. "I smell cats," she admitted.
Suddenly Wolfmask was there, standing in front of them with his hackles raised. His eyes were narrowed in the direction up the slope. Rainpaw instinctively dropped into a crouch. He felt Gorsepaw beside him do the same.
Voices floated down the slope towards them, familiar and yet somehow still worrisome. "Are you okay?" the first voice asked. "Do you need to rest?"
"I'm fine!" the second voice snapped, painstakingly familiar. It set Rainpaw on edge to hear her here of all places.
Gorsepaw stepped forward, looking up at Wolfmask in confusion. "That sounds like Owlflight."
"And a guest," Wolfmask growled in response. Rainpaw glanced up at him to see that he was still stiff, his fur refusing to lie flat.
When the newcomers peaked the hill, the trio could clearly see two outlines. The tom was clearly Owlflight, recognizable even from this distance. Rainpaw could not make out the identity of the she-cat, only that she was unfamiliar to him. At first the pair did not notice the patrol just down the slope from them. It didn't take long, however, for the two to realize they were being watched. Owlflight turned his head, eyes widening at the sight of the two apprentices and their deputy. Apprehensively, he began to lead the way down the slope toward them.
They were at the halfway point when recognition hit Rainpaw as to who the second cat was. "That's Marjorie," he hissed to Wolfmask.
"Who?" Gorsepaw asked, forehead creased in confusion.
"Marjorie. She's the barncat who took in Toadkit," he added in response to Gorsepaw's continued bemusement. Her expression cleared and she eyed the newcomer with more interest.
Owlflight lead Marjorie directly up to where the patrol was waiting. Rainpaw noticed that they were walking rather close, although Marjorie looked incredibly uncomfortable. The pair stopped facing Wolfmask, where Owlflight dipped his head.
"What is going on?" Wolfmask asked. "Who's your friend?"
Owlflight paused, looking around at Marjorie with wide eyes. "Well this is Marjorie. Marjorie, this is Wolfmask, the deputy of the Clan."
The barncat inclined her head towards him, eyes narrowed at him in a similar way to how he was staring at her. She gave him a sharp nod as greeting, stiff and forced in nature.
Wolfmask looked equally uncomfortable. "Who is she?" he asked. "Why have you brought her here?"
The warrior swallowed hard, looking, if possible, a little more nervous than before. "I think I should explain that in front of the whole Clan."
Rainpaw's eyes widened, and when he glanced at Gorsepaw, he saw that she was just as bewildered. No one defied the Clan deputy like that. It wasn't like it didn't happen. There were some things that warriors liked to keep to themselves. But the deputy was the backbone to the Clan, the support that every Clan leader needed. His position required the trust of the whole Clan. Usually when he gave an order, it was followed. And there was no question that this was not a request.
However Wolfmask's only reply was a terse nod.
At Wolfmask's signal, the rag-tag patrol made their way along the edge of the slope towards the WindClan camp. There was a general tension among the cats, from Gorsepaw's stiff shoulders to Marjorie's darting eyes.
They were almost at the camp when a voice called from behind. Wolfmask paused, waiting as Crowswoop and Nightspots came running towards them, Rainpaw's sisters hot on their trails. When they had caught up, Wolfmask signaled for the patrol to gather together. Rainpaw saw Nightspots and Crowswoop exchange a glance, but fall into place. He noticed that Owlflight was with Marjorie at the center of the group rather than with the other warriors.
It was like this they padded into camp. At first nobody seemed to notice. Orchidfur was sitting beside Smilecloud and Sedgeclaw. All three she-cats seemed rather giggly. If Rainpaw wasn't as focused on what was going on with Marjorie, he might have been more curious as to what was going on with them.
Forestheart dashed forward to meet them. "Pearlpaw! Did you hear? Orchidfur is-" she cut off, looking between the warriors and their unexpected guest, a politely bewildered look crossing her features. "Who's this?"
"This is Marjorie," Rainpaw answered her. "She's the barn cat that took in Toadkit."
The brown tabby she-cat offered the pretty barncat a new look of consideration. If she noticed, Marjorie did not respond.
By now the Clan was beginning to notice the newcomer in their presence. Several of the warriors were abandoning their projects to openly stare at her, some like Forestheart were better able to hide their nervousness while others were openly hostile. Talonwhisker was glaring with smoldering concern.
Wolfmask lead them to the center of the camp. "Get Maizestar," Houndwhisker ordered Cloudpaw. The apprentice darted off in the direction of the nursery.
Rainpaw padded over to the edge of the clearing with his sisters, looking curiously over at the group of cats around Orchidfur. "I wonder what's going on," he muttered aloud.
"Was Owlflight with her?" Mousepaw asked, causing Rainpaw to jump. He frowned. He had not been referencing the situation with Marjorie, as that was obviously a problem and he was about to find out. But his own Clanmates didn't often share with him. He might not find out what was going on with Orchidfur for some time.
Still, this was not the time address that issue. "Yeah, he was." Curiosity bloomed in his chest. "I wonder why."
"Maybe he picked her up at the border?" Pearlpaw intoned.
Rainpaw shook his head. "No, he said they had news to share with everyone. They refused to talk about it with Wolfmask," he added. His sisters' eyes widened in surprised.
"What's going on?" Maizestar's voice resounded, loud and commanding. Rainpaw had a flash of deep respect for his leader, and the authoritative way in which he held himself. Everyone turned towards Owlflight and Marjorie as Maizestar glanced at them. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Marjorie glanced at Owlflight, eyes keen. The black-furred tom stepped forward imperiously. His eyes were bright, and Rainpaw felt an air of nervousness from him, despite his calm stature. "I met Marjorie when we took Toadkit to her," he spoke. "She lives at the barn on the way to the Highstones."
"Wait," Crowswoop interrupted, eyeing Marjorie with interest. "She took Toadkit?"
"He goes by Kevin now," Marjorie admitted, but Owlflight swiped his tail over her mouth to silence her.
"That's right," he continued. "And much like many of us at the time, I was uncomfortable leaving one of our kits in the care of a kittypet, a kittypet who knew nothing of Clan life, might I add."
Owlflight hesitated, as if he were afraid to go on. "The first time I went to see her was the night after we'd taken Toadkit to her. I wanted to make sure that he was safe. So I followed her trail, and found her barn. Toadkit seemed alright. Confused, but safe, and he was obviously well-cared for. But I was still uncomfortable, so I stayed and talked to Marjorie. I hoped that if I got to know her better, I'd feel better about leaving Toadkit there."
"And you fell in love with her," Maizestar guessed. His dark eyes were unreadable.
Owlflight nodded in reply, and Rainpaw heard Pearlpaw gasp beside him in shock.
Maizestar spoke again, "And now she wants to join our Clan?"
The dark warrior hesitated. "It's a little more complicated than that," he said in a rush. "Marjorie is expecting kits."
There were true gasps of surprise now as the Clan grasped what Owlflight had said. The cats were murmuring darkly among themselves, looking at Marjorie with suspicion in their eyes.
Rainpaw narrowed his eyes, looking at the pretty barncat. She did not look nervous, despite the Clan's obvious surprise and even distaste. In fact, her gaze flared with untamed fire, and her tailtip twitched ever so slightly with defiance.
"Wait, we're not planning on actually taking this kits in, are we?" Talonwhisker said, stepping forward. "We don't have enough warriors to take care of the kits we have now, let alone these half-breeds."
Owlflight began to respond, stepping forward and opening his mouth, but Wolfmask spoke before the warrior could, "Talonwhisker, stop."
"But Wolfmask, he's right," Patchcloud said quietly. "We don't have enough warriors to train the apprentices we have, let alone new ones."
"You forget that some of our apprentices are nearly ready to be warriors themselves," Sparrowclaw answered with a less than subtle glance at where Rainpaw and his littermates were sitting.
Talonwhisker growled, "That doesn't change the fact that we have enough kits in the Clan as it is. Why did we send Toadkit away in the first place? With the sickness going around the Clan, we'll have more cats needing to be taken care of than we have cats to take care of them! Not to mention that these kits will be half-Clan. They won't have the discipline it takes to become warriors."
"Enough," Maizestar growled suddenly, his eyes flashing warningly around the Clan. His gaze locked on Owlflight, who, Rainpaw was impressed to see, didn't flinch. "Owlflight, by taking a mate outside the Clan, you have betrayed us all. This will not go unpunished. However," Maizestar continued, voice softening. "I will not punish innocent kits for your mistakes. Of course we will take them in."
"But you were willing to punish Toadkit," Hollypool spoke suddenly. She continued, despite the uncomfortable looks everyone was throwing her. "He's an innocent kit and you were not willing to have the Clan keep him. He was already in the Clan and you weren't willing to keep him."
Maizestar bowed his head, tail drooping and for the first time looking worn. "I made a mistake sending Toadkit away," he said mournfully. "It is the duty of the Clan to take care of those who cannot care for themselves. By sending him away, I have disgraced WindClan."
Everyone was quiet for a long moment, taking in what he'd said. Rainpaw looked around his Clanmates stricken faces, from Crowswoop's pensive look to Hollypool's angry face. Only Marjorie did not seem upset in some way. In fact, she looked almost confused.
"Do you mean Kevin?" she asked.
Hollypool stepped forward, eyes blazing. "No, they mean Toadkit!"
The barncat faced the black-furred warrior, ears twitching. "That kit they gave me? He goes by Kevin now."
"Kevin?" Hollypool spat. "His name is Toadkit!"
Marjorie only shrugged. "That's what the Twolegs call him. So he decided to change his name. He didn't like Toadkit, I guess," she added almost smugly.
Hollypool opened her mouth to reply, but Maizestar snapped before she could. "I said enough!" he growled. "Marjorie, you are welcome to stay as long as you like. Your kits will of course be welcomed here. Owlflight will make you a nest in the nursery."
"Maizestar, there's only one problem with that," Pushleaf said, stepping forward. "Orchidfur moved into the nursery this morning. There aren't enough nests for everyone in there."
"Right," Hollypool said stiffly. "Send the kittypet back to her Twolegs where she belongs."
Maizestar silenced the black she-cat with a glare before turning back to Pushleaf. "Then the time has come WindClan has new apprentices."
As he finished speaking, he jumped up onto the Tallrock. On Rainpaw's left, Gorsepaw leaned in to whisper to him, "Guess we know why Beetlewing was so happy then, huh."
"What?" he whispered, shooting her a confused glance. The wiry brown apprentice merely indicated where the brown tom was sitting, his eyes unusually keen. Rainpaw barely had a moment to wonder at Gorsepaw's sharp observance before Maizestar was speaking.
"Gougekit and Heatherkit, you have reached six moons, and are ready to train in the ways of WindClan," the leader was saying. Hollypool gaped up at him, clearly caught off guard by the sudden apprentice ceremony. "Heatherkit, from now on you shall be known as Heatherpaw. Houndwhisker, you are ready for your first apprentice. You will be mentor to Heatherpaw. Train her in your cunning and your boldness."
The newly named Heatherpaw touched noses with her new mentor, who looked equally as nervous. Together, the two of them padded to the side of the clearing.
"Gougekit," Maizestar continued on hurriedly. "From this moment on, you will be known as Gougepaw. Hawkfall, you have trained others so well in the art of WindClan hunting. I ask you to now pass these skills on to your new apprentice, Gougepaw."
Rainpaw felt for a moment the new apprentices were being gipped. They had not had any preparation for there ceremony at all, and now it felt as though Maizestar were rushing through it, as though he were simply going through the motions. Briefly, Rainpaw wondered what was bothering his leader so much. He watched as his leader jumped down from the Tallrock, disappearing into his den before the chanting of the new names had even begun.