Chapter 4, finding a threat
Onestar gave a long nod after Crowfeather had told him about Rainpaw's parentage.
"Yes…she can join WindClan." He murmured.
"Thank you Onestar! Rainpaw exclaimed. She gave her leaders ears a quick lick and hurried out after Crowfeather.
"Where is the apprentices den?" Rainpaw asked.
"Over there," Crowfeather flicked his tail at a small bramble bush. Rainpaw crawled inside.
There were already three sleeping mounds of fur in a corner. Rainpaw settled down opposite them and fell asleep.
Silverstream padded up to Rainpaw.
"Storm and snow, the small, must join together with the large, or all the Clans will be destroyed."
"What are you talking about?" Rainpaw snarled. "If you can't say anything with a meaning, then shut up!" She hissed.
Silverstream didn't notice the sting in Rainpaw's words. She walked away, then turned back.
"The death of one will change you, Rainpaw. Pebbles falling off a cliff, will damage the heart of a single warrior. This cannot be changed, not by tooth or claw, for death is a fate that meets us all."
Rainpaw woke up with a start. A cat was going to die!
She looked around. Three cats were staring at her blankly.
"Hi!" said a little grey she-cat with dark brown eyes. "My name is Blackpaw, and this is Frecklepaw and Puddlepaw."
Frecklepaw was an orange tom with brown flecks. Puddlepaw was a silver grey she-cat. She walked past Rainpaw as if she wasn't even there.
"My name is Rainpaw," Rainpaw growled.
"And you're a ThunderClan cat," Frecklepaw finished in a snarl.
"How did you know?" Rainpaw asked.
"Onestar called a meeting earlier, and told us. You slept right through it. ThunderClan is so lazy!" Frecklepaw sneered.
Rainpaw knew that wasn't true. She had slept late because she had had a hard night last night. She remembered Firestar lunging at her with outstretched claws, and she shuddered.
"What's the matter?" Frecklepaw sneered with a smirk. "Did you get afraid of a mouse?"
Rainpaw growled. She lowered herself onto the ground.
"You smell like a fat, lazy ThunderClan cat," he went on. "If you had to run across a moor you would get so tired that you'd-," He broke off as Rainpaw leapt on him and pinned him down.
Planting a paw on his neck, Rainpaw hissed in his ear.
"You insult me one more time and you'll get it for good."
Her claws raked down Frecklepaw's face, and he whimpered in pain, and scrambled out of the den, his tail between his legs.
"Rainpaw we could-," Blackpaw began, but Rainpaw hissed at her. She was not the friendliest cat in the world.
Blackpaw backed out of the den, her ears flat against her head.
Rainpaw looked at her legs. They were especially long. They were even a little longer the Onestar's, and he had pretty long legs.
Rainpaw slid out of the small den. She scampered over to Onestar, who was sitting on a stump, looking out at the Clan already gathered around him. Rainpaw sat with other apprentices, with Frecklepaw slinking away from her. Never again would he bother her.
"As I have said before we have a new cat in our Clan. She used to be a ThunderClan cat, but now she will be an apprentice of WindClan. She will need a mentor. Chaffinchfur, you are ready for your first apprentice, and you will be the mentor to Rainpaw. Crowfeather was your mentor, and I hope you pass on all the skills he taught you to Rainpaw."
Rainpaw walked foreword and touched her nose to Chaffinchfur. He was a grayish ginger tabby tom, with big blue eyes.
Rainpaw walked back and sat down again. Frecklepaw gave a whimper of terror and tore over to another cat.
Chaffinchfur walked up to her. "We can train in a minute. Let me just wash and eat," he walked over to the fresh-kill pile and toke a rabbit. He ate it in slow, hungry bites.
Blackpaw, Frecklepaw and Puddlepaw left with their mentors. A young she cat came over to Chaffinchfur and they started talking.
Rainpaw thumped her tail. He was taking a really long time. She looked back. He was in a deep conversation with the pretty she-cat. he seemed to have forgotten about Rainpaw.
Rainpaw scuffed her paws in the dirt. She made a lot of noise, scratching her claws on wood and meowing loudly. Chaffinchfur didn't even flick an ear, of twitch his tail like he had heard her.
Rainpaw had had enough. She walked out of the camp and onto the moorland.
The cool air brushed against her pelt, making it ripple. She began to run, and run, and run. Finally she stopped when the land got rocky, and looked around. There was no sent of WindClan.
It was steep and cold. Rainpaw began to climb up some rocks when she stopped. She had heard voices.
She looked down. In a small rocky valley there was some kind of creature. A dog? No, it was too big to be a dog. It was a wolf!
It was in some sort of Clan. Rainpaw scrambled down, and hid in the bushes that lined the camp. Inside, two wolves were arguing.
"Lupin, it got worse. They eat mice!"
"Star, I already told you that all animals eat. Even Leaper and Hunter know that."
The first voice spoke again, a male. "Jumper told me that Luna had smelled a marker. They want our territory!"
Rainpaw listened in shock silence. She had found another clan…of wolves, but what were they talking about?
"Cats could be our prey!" Lupin argued. The voice was a she-wolfs.
Rainpaw froze. The Clans were in danger. It was time to announce her arrival.
She slid out from underneath the bush. No one saw her. She slid past in the shadows, and then walked into the clearing.
The gazes of Lupin and Star fell upon her at once. The clearing fell silent.
Lupin's eyes blazed with anger, then the look of, prey-at-last, filled the green depths.
Rainpaw sat up taller, drew back he lips, and snarled loudly.
Star stood up and walked slowly over to her.
When he reached her he expected her to lower her tail, draw back her ears and lower her head, showing him he was boss.
Instead, Rainpaw arched her back, the fur along her spine rising. Her tail shot in the air and she raised her head to meet his bright blue gaze. She growled.
Stars eyes flared with anger.
"Who are you?" he growled.
"I am Rainpaw. I am a cat."
Star growled. "Do you wish to harm us?"
Rainpaw gave a dry laugh. "Do I look like it?" she scoffed, "I can't take you all on. What kind of mousebrain are you?"
Star toke a few paces forward. He copied her position; it meant he wanted a fight.
Rainpaw tried to hide her panic. She had gone too far. She had got her self a fight. Why had she wanted to show she was there? That was just plain stupid.
She was no mach against the long-legged wolf in front of her. Muscles etched his sides, his teeth were like knives.
A small tan she-wolf named Luna walked up to her pack leader. A white pup was at her heels.
"Star, the cats patrol there borders," she reported. "There is a pack of them that are very fast."
"WindClan!" Rainpaw exclaimed aloud. "Don't hurt us; we only want to live our lives in peace. We do not want to harm your Clan!"
"Pack!" Star corrected her with a snarl.
The pup behind Luna walked foreword.
"Get back Stone!" Star snapped at him. Stone did not move.
Star whirled around on the pup with his teeth bared. Stone bared his teeth right back. They both stood there growling.
Rainpaw saw her chance. She bolted. There was a cry of shock from Lupin and Rainpaw looked back.
Stone winked at her.
The wink said it all. He had planned to occupy Star and give her time to go.
A wolf had helped her!
Those words echoed through her head all the way back to camp. Oh, she had a story to tell the cats at home!
OoOoO
Moonpaw walked with the rest of the cats to a gathering. This would be her first one in her life, and she was excited!
She walked across the fallen pine tree onto the island, where RiverClan and ShadowClan were already waiting.
Her gaze scanned the clearing for a single cat. Ravenpaw. There he was talking to Tortoiseshellpaw, a ShadowClan she cat.
Strange jealously raged through Moonpaw. She stalked over to Ravenpaw and Tortoiseshellpaw.
"Go," she snapped at Tortoiseshellpaw.
The tortoiseshell she cat gave her an annoyed glare, then stalked off.
"So that's the she cat you have in mind?" Moonpaw asked Ravenpaw harshly.
"I like her." Ravenpaw told her. "A lot. Better then I like you."
"Really!" Moonpaw exclaimed. "I guess I can walk out of your life then!" she stalked away.
There was a slight rustling in the bushes behind her. Rainpaw came out.
"Rainpaw! The whole Clan wondered where you were!" Moonpaw exclaimed.
Rainpaw let out a low growl. "WindClan is my Clan now," She growled quietly.
Moonpaw nodded. "You must have not liked ThunderClan," she commented.
"Especially the way you acted," Rainpaw mewed quickly. "All because of Ravenpaw and I know you like him-,"
She broke off when Moonpaw snapped, "I should think not! Ravenpaw hates me! And I don't care!"
Moonpaw walked away from Rainpaw. She looked up when there was a yowl from the tree.
"Come on!" Firestar snapped at Onestar. Mistystar and Russetstar were already in the tree with Firestar.
Onestar jumped up. The cats below quieted down.
Firestar spoke first. "Rainpaw, one of our apprentices ran away. Do any of you know where she is?"
"She went to join WindClan." Onestar said.
"Oh." Firestar was silent a long time. He seemed to be really thinking about something.
Onestar continued speaking. "We think that there are dogs beyond our territory. Not a threat to us."
"Mousebrain!" Firestar spat at him. "Dogs are always a problem. They attacked ThunderClan once. We almost died!"
Onestar launched himself at Firestar, who was on the branch below him.
A thick cloud covered the moon. Cats gasped as they looked up. The gathering was going to be over.
Leaders leapt down off the tree. There Clans followed in silence.
Ravenpaw wandered up to Moonpaw. "Sorry, I didn't mean what I said. I was just mad that you had told Tortoiseshellpaw to go away."
"I forgive you," Moonpaw meowed. She pressed her face against his. "I have to go now."
"I know," Ravenpaw turned away, and Moonpaw watched him vanish into the night.
R&R!