Chapter 13
When they'd reached camp, Rainpelt dashed back to Graystripe. She prodded him with her nose, waking him up. "Wha? Rainpelt, you're back. How was the Gathering?"
"Interesting. There is a lot of tension between the Clans right now," she meowed back with honesty. "It makes me wonder if the camp is truly safe. All I want to do right now is sleep for a moon." She opened her jaws wide in a yawn. "Fireheart's lucky; he's still asleep, as well as Sandstorm." She turned to see Sunfur walk in. Her ears pricked forward. "Where is Dewflower?"
"In the medicine cat's den," he replied, flopping down in his moss bed. Her ears flicked happily, now knowing her friend had been accepted as a medicine cat. She rested her head on her paws and fell asleep.
Rainpelt looked around. She was standing right in a place on the ground where a star of Silverpelt was shining it's light. All the rest was darkness. She could see another cat standing at the edge of the light, and she strained to see it better. She recognized Morningstar of WillowClan. "Morningstar!" She stepped toward him.
At first, the old leader stared her down, but as she neared closer, he began to back away, until the shadows swallowed him whole. Rainpelt leaped in after him, swiping her claw. She landed softly on her pads, blind in the darkness. Her breathing became shallow as she listened for any movement. She cried out in surprise as she was given a blow in the back. She whipped around, but neither heard, nor smelled nothing.
Her breathing came in short gasps of fear. She could feel the presence of someone, figuring it was Morningstar. A blow came behind her ear and she cried out in pain. She turned around again, and could see the light from Silverpelt. Tigerclaw sat in the middle, staring at her with wide amber eyes. She blinked slowly, making sure she was right, but in the middle, she felt a cat hit her, knocking the air out of her and blacking her out.
Rainpelt awoke with a start, breathing hard. Graystripe was staring at her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah…j-just a bad dream I guess," she stuttered, quickly leaving the den before he could ask any more questions. She shook the moss clear of her pelt and stretched her legs. She felt a gaze and turned around. Tigerclaw's amber eyes now made her feel uneasy, remembering the dream. He was sitting in the same position in her dream as he was now.
"Rainpelt," he meowed, dipping his head in greeting. She bowed her head in respect, still shaking from her dream. She ran off to Dewflower. Finally reaching the medicine cat, she mewed in her ear.
"Morningstar is alive!"
"What!" Dewflower whipped around in surprise. "I could have sworn he was dead!"
"I had a dream, Dewflower. I just know it." Rainpelt's eyes filled with uneasiness.
"It'll be okay. Sometimes dreams are just…dreams, Rainpelt. Some don't mean anything."
"NO," she meowed sternly. "I know what this one meant. I'm certain. I can't be wrong." She knew who Morningstar would be after if she was correct. "I'm going to go hunting with Stormpaw." She padded out, just barely catching Stormpaw coming out of the apprentices' den. "Stormpaw, we're going hunting; come on." The apprentice seemed surprised at first to receive orders so quickly, but he followed his mentor out of camp.
"Rainpelt, where are we hunting today?"
"Snakerocks. The Clan could use some vole. Now you know that to catch a vole you must be very quick, right? And you must watch out for adders." Stormpaw nodded.
"I know that. I've heard the elders' stories of cats being bit by adders."
"Good. I'm glad they tell the stories of the past. It often comes in handy in the future," she meowed, giving him a hint. She looked over her shoulder, back at him. He was looking around at all of the birds flying overhead like he'd never been out of camp before. "What are you up to? You look like this is the last day you'll ever see."
"Huh? Oh…just a bit drowsy today. Being outside tends to cheer me up," he answered. When they'd reached Snakerocks, Stormpaw had immediately spotted a vole. He crouched down low, ready to pounce. He leaped into the air.
"Stormpaw!" But Rainpelt had been too late. The adder had bitten her apprentice in the leg, and he now was a motionless heap of fur on the ground.
