Chapter 5, the cliff
"You finally pounce, and the mouse is yours," Chaffinchfur instructed Rainpaw one day at training.
Rainpaw was turning into an excellent hunter. She had already caught two shrews and a rabbit, and Chaffinchfur was showing her how to catch mice. Rainpaw had never understood how to catch the little furry creatures.
"That's enough for to day I think," Chaffinchfur said, shaking dust out of his fur.
Crowfeather entered the little clearing.
"Come on, Rainpaw, Chaffinchfur, Ashfoot wants you for a patrol."
Chaffinchfur glared at her father, there was clearly some sort of squabble going on between them.
Rainpaw, her mentor and her father climbed over the rise and met up with Ashfoot, Owlfur, Blackpaw and Weaselfur.
"Patrol time," Ashfoot said cheerily. She led the small band of cats down a slope.
Rainpaw's pelt prickled as she walked down the slope. She looked over at the distant rocks. Wolfs were out there. What were they doing? What was Star and Lupin planning to do to the cats?
"We're their prey," She murmured.
"What did you say?" Chaffinchfur asked softly from behind her.
Rainpaw whirled around, drawing her ears back. "If I had wanted you to know I would have told you!" she spat.
Chaffinchfur looked clearly shocked. "Sorry, I just thought-,"
"I don't care what you thought!" Rainpaw snarled. "I want you out of my fur!"
She turned around and bounded down the slope, ahead of the rest of the patrol.
She ran faster, her mind filled with angry thoughts.
The rocks came closer and closer.
There was a sheer cliff edge in front of her. Rainpaw skidded to a stop. She slipped off the edge of the cliff.
Her hind legs flew off the edge. Her claws went out, and she deg them into the ground.
Curiosity made her look down. Many fox lengths below her was the wolf camp.
A gray wolf with a silver muzzle looked up.
Rainpaw froze in terror.
Her front paws had lost their holding.
There was only one thing left for Rainpaw.
Death.
OoOoO
Moonpaw slowly walked along the WindClan border. There was a small patrol of cats making their way down a rise. They were really running.
She already had several bundles of herbs in her mouth, so she turned back to the camp.
The camp was full of activity. Grasspaw was grumpily searching the elders, Sandstorm and Dustpelt, pelts for ticks. Cloudtail was giving a piece of prey a sniff.
"Firestar!" he called. "This rabbit has a faint smell of dog to it!"
Firestar walked into his den without any sign of knowing what Cloudtail had said.
"What's wrong with him?" Cloudtail asked his daughter.
"I can think of two reasons," Moonpaw meowed. "One, that he is terrified of the dog pack coming back, and two, he is getting old."
"Firestar is getting old?" Cloudtail meowed in shock.
"Yes, Dustpelt and Sandstorm have been elders for a long time, and their older then him."
"But he has nine lives…" Cloudtail whined.
"Nine lives aren't everything. Firestar is on his last you know."
Cloudtail looked worried. "I could-," he began but he was interrupted by Firestar leaping onto the Highledge.
The cats began to gather around.
"This meeting is called because I have planned to attack WindClan. I just visited RiverClan, who are also angry at Onestar not taking the problem of dogs in his territory seriously."
Meows of shock and outrage followed his words. But the Clan knew they could never disobey their leaders order.
"When will we attack?" Brambleclaw asked.
"In one moon," Firestar answered, "At night."
The cats crawled away, shaking. Soon there would be deaths, and horrible ones at that.
OoOoO
Rainpaw thrashed her front paws out and they hooked onto the slick surface of the rock. She slipped, and she dug her claws in farther.
The patrol was racing forward. Chaffinchfur and Blackpaw were both running, trying to catch her.
Blackpaw got to the edge of the cliff first. She bent down, and hooked Rainpaw into her teeth and began to haul her up.
Rainpaw felt the grip of Blackpaw's teeth on her scruff. A moment later she was lying on the ground.
Chaffinchfur raced at Blackpaw and knocked her to the side. Then he grabbed Rainpaw's scruff then let go of it. It made no sense.
The rest of the patrol came racing over.
"I saved her!" Chaffinchfur gasped, acting tired and out of breath. "I saved her! I really did!" he collapsed to the ground and lay there, pretending to be gasping for breath.
Rainpaw didn't have enough energy to explain what had really happened. She slowly let her gaze travel over Chaffinchfur, then…
"Blackpaw!" Weaselfur cried. "What happened to her?"
Blackpaw was lying motionless in the sand.
That sight made Rainpaw sit up. She never thought she could have such a strong feeling of friendship for another cat, but she did.
"Are you alright?" Rainpaw mewed, looking into her eyes.
Blackpaw sat up and blinked.
"Were you dead?" Rainpaw asked. (AN: I wanted Rainpaw to say something really stupid.)
"Just stunned. Why did Chaffinchfur push me aside?"
"He wanted to make me think he had saved me so I would think he is a real hero and like him. A lot."
The words poured out of Rainpaw's mouth and she didn't know how she knew why Chaffinchfur had done that. She just did.
"Thanks for saving my life," Rainpaw meowed.
"Will you be my friend?" Blackpaw asked.
Rainpaw was silent for a long time. "Yes." She finally answered.
Blackpaw grinned. "Thanks," she meowed.
Battle in the next chapter! I made Rainpaw a lot like Squirrelflight because:
1, I like Squirrelflight a lot.
2, the name "Rain" seems sassy to me.
3, it would rock.
Anyway…R&R!