Chapter 19

(Gosh, I'm obsessed with Harry Potter now, so it's hard to find myself writing this. I'm doing this for the fans of this fanfiction. Okay, here we go.) Rainpelt yawned and stretched. It had been a few days since the last Gathering. Graystripe was still, surprisingly, ignoring her. Every time she tried to talk to him, he gave her the cold shoulder. This all flooded back to her, and her eyes grew cloudy with sadness.

The recent conditions had brought her closer to Tigerclaw, even though she thought better of Graystripe. She looked up, catching the eyes of another cat. It was Graystripe, and he immediately looked away. What had she done that hurt him so much? She shook her head and headed out of camp to clear her mind. She'd do a bit of hunting on the way back.

She traveled to a hilltop, staring down at the valley with a sigh. It was so cloudy, it seemed as though the weather was following her mood as she closed her eyes. A single teardrop soaked into the ground before raindrops followed. She looked up. Now it seemed as though not only the weather was following her mood; it seemed as though StarClan were crying with her.

She lay down, resting her head on her paws as the rain made her silvery fur wet. It was actually comforting, lying there in the rain, as though she hadn't a care in the world, but she knew that this wasn't true, and that she still had problems to face. She stood up, took one last glance at the valley below, and began walking back to camp.

"Rainpelt!" She turned, facing a shock- another WillowClan cat. She stared at her old best friend with wide eyes, memories of him drowning her heart. They had grown up in the same litter, his mother being a rogue, and her mother kindly accepting him as her own, having Rainpelt being the only kit that survived out of her litter.

"Dragoneye…w-what are you doing here?" she stammered, still staring at him with wide amber eyes. How can he be here? He died…but I thought most of WillowClan had died as well…

"Looking for you; WillowClan needs you, Rainpelt. Surprisingly, most of the cats survived; they were just faking their death, because if they didn't, Krone would have killed them." She nodded in response.

"But why does WillowClan need me? I belong to a new Clan. I'm-I'm happy here," she choked out, tears forming in her eyes. She knew she couldn't win; she knew she'd have to leave Graystripe.

"WillowClan is to be reborn, you as our leader. You were the deputy, Rainpelt, and you need to take the place StarClan has given you. You must come back. Please," he pleaded, large green eyes. She could see the gold flecks in them as the rain fell around them. She looked at the ground.

"I-I'll think about it, Dragoneye. I'm not so sure…"

"All I can ask for is your thoughts, and if they're positive, then that's excellent. If you need me, I'll be in WillowClan territory. Mistclaw is joining me." He nodded behind him, and she could see a faint silhouette that was obviously the WindClan warrior. She gave a short nod and dismissed herself from their conversation.

Now, instead of heading back to camp, she headed outside of it, to the oak where she'd found Sunfur and Dewflower. She plopped down on the ground and sobbed. How was she supposed to make this decision? Give me a sign, StarClan. Give me some sort of omen or prophecy. I need your guidance…I need your answers.

She turned her head to look up to the sky, as if waiting for StarClan to speak themselves. Then something caught her eye. She craned her neck to look behind her. The amber stone Graystripe had once given her was glowing. She could see her reflection in it as it lit up her tear-filled eyes. She could see shadows moving beyond her reflection. They were not ThunderClan. She closed her eyes tight and nodded. StarClan had shown her the path she was meant to take.

She stood up slowly and made her way back to camp. She knew what she had to do, but she didn't know how to do it. She walked up to Bluestar, head held high.

"Bluestar, WillowClan need me. I am to lead my Clan in its rebirth and to victory in vengeance. I hope you will understand." Her eyes were filled with sorrow as she stared into her leader's blue eyes.

"I knew you'd go; StarClan had spoken to me about it. I didn't know when, but I knew it was coming. I understand, but keep in mind that you best friend might not understand quite as well?" The leader gave her a look, flicking her tail toward where Graystripe was sitting. Rainpelt looked behind her to see where she was indicating. She nodded, taking the hint, and bowed before departing to break the news to him.

"Graystripe?" He looked up. "Um…there's something I should tell you…I'm, uh…leaving," she blurted, looking at her paws.

"Leaving?" His ears perked up with surprise. "But- why?"

"WillowClan need me, I have to go. I need to be with my Clan. You understand don't you? I mean…"

"ThunderClan are your Clan now. They need you."

"Graystripe, you have to understand. I am their leader, and StarClan have told me to go. Please, Graystripe." She looked into his eyes, but he looked away immediately. She could see a frown on his face, as his eyes grew cold.

"Fine, go." He didn't look at her until she nodded and turned around. She padded off to gather her fellow WillowClan warriors, teardrops falling on her paws as she ran.