a/n: (pretty graphic) drowning tw

also, molenose = molewhisker (rc)

(...)

It had been three separate leaf-bares, about to go into the fourth, and still no kits had been born into SkyClan.

RiverClan's river had since shifted, putting the Sunningrocks on ThunderClan's side of the border. They'd won several battles with ThunderClan and Troutstar, the newest RiverClan leader as well as Splashstar's apprentice, had grown a bit too cocky and started marking SkyClan's shore.

"We can't stand for this," said Thorn, lashing their tail. "We're going into leafbare and I know how to fish! Land and sky prey has never been kind to us in leaf-bare. What are they going to do, poison their own supply?"

Blossom shifted awkwardly on her paws, "But no one else knows how to fish, Thorn. How would we eat off the river?"

"I'll catch them all myself!" they exclaimed.

"Don't do that, Thorn," Birchstar mewed, "We don't have enough cats to fight RiverClan. They have four more warriors, Rainsplash and I have had to chase them out before they climbed The Maple."

She caught a quick glance at Rowanfang, whose leg and yet to heal completely and likely never would.

"Wreckless warriors," Beechpelt mewed, "Fernleaf would never."

"But we aren't fighting Fernleaf," Honey Pelt added, "Fernleaf is an elder."

"Hang on," Dashtail mewed, lashing his tail. Everyone immediately shut their jaws before any yowling could break out.

"What is it, Dashtail?" Thorn asked.

"Let me think. RiverClan has… warriors," he mewed, just thinking out loud, "They have two senior warriors, Eelwhisker and Pikeleap… They've also got four more warriors, Nettlepad, Lightningpelt, Molenose and Snaketooth… but Snaketooth broke his leg and I don't know if he's strong as Rowanfang. Then there's Reedpaw and Oatpaw, but Oatpaw's Meadowpelt's apprentice now, but they both have their fair share of battle skill… and Fernleaf could fight too… and Troutstar has many lives…"

"So?" asked Thorn, flicking their ear nonchalantly.

"So," he mewed, "RiverClan has seven absolute warriors, nine if Meadowpelt, Oatpaw and Snaketooth fight, twelve if Sunspots' kits are apprentices, and thirteen if Fernleaf fights!"

"And how many cats does SkyClan have?" Blossom asked.

"Nine, since Nettle died!"

"Well," Thorn said, standing, "Seven absolutes is less than us, right? I'd say we have the upper paw!"

Birchstar rolled her eyes, "Cool. I'm not going with you. What if someone attacks the camp," she said, deepening her voice to imitate Thorn's, "Did you ever think of that?"

"Birchstar!" said Peppermint, "ThunderClan has taken the strip of land from the silver birch on the riverbank to that lone yellow Twoleg den-" Birchstar shuddered at the mention, "-we can't let RiverClan take our territory too!"

"This greenleaf wasn't as plentiful," Cherrystep mewed, "And lack of food has made us irritable. But Thorn is right, leaf-bare will only be harder if we're hungry. We need a source."

Rainsplash turned to his leader, who was lashing her tail. "So, are you coming?"

Birchstar sighed. "No. Someone needs to watch the camp and Dashtail can't fight to save himself in case something happens," she huffed and padded over to lay her muzzle on Rainsplash's head, "Please be careful. I feel a thunderstorm on the horizon."

"I'll make sure everyone comes back alive," he promised, licking her cheek before holding his tail up and leading everyone out. Birchstar frowned and closed her eyes, curling her tail around her paws before praying to Skystar Rainsplash could keep that promise.

(...)

Thorn had marked the border right in front of a RiverClan patrol. They taunted them and then they went knees-deep into the river, scooping up a trout right in front of them.

They saw the two amber eyes in the reeds glance at eachother before disappearing.

"Ha!" they exclaimed, swimming to shore and placing the fish on the grass, "And Birchstar was so worried! Cowardly finks, the lot of them!" they placed a paw on the fish, "Run this back to camp, would you, Blossom? I think Birchstar would quite en~joy it!"

Blossom nodded and did just that. Suddenly, before she could return and with more boasting and degrading from Thorn, a roar sounded through the forest. Then lightning flashed.

"Uh-oh," said Rainsplash, "The storm will be here soon. We should get back to camp before the-"

"Oh, you think you can just leave?" came a voice from the other side of the reeds, "Honestly, I'm not surprised that SkyClan has forgotten the warrior code, it's not like they've suggested any laws."

"We started Gatherings!" Peppermint spat back.

"Oh, now the kittypet is gonna preach to us?" asked Reedpaw, who was nearly as tall as Troutstar, and Thorn figured he was a warrior by now. "Go back to your housefolk!"

Peppermint unsheathed her claws and looked as if she could jump across the gorge just to attack. Thorn lashed their tail.

"Yeah," they said, "And RiverClan has two laws, don't you? I would've thought you'd know crossing borders is against the warrior code!"

"Yeah, whatever you say, Clear Sky!" spat a small calico tom with two sets of ears- Rabbitkit- Rabbitpaw, rather- Sunspots' kit, Thorn figured. They lashed their tail but before they could say anything, Troutstar spoke.

"Riverstar isn't leader anymore and I will battle against you."

"Seems rather easy," mewed Lightningpelt, "This is the whole of SkyClan, isn't it? And we've got the whole of ours."

Nettlepad sneered, "I bet Thorn still wishes their little girlfriend Dew was still alive so they could get away with this."

Thorn decided that was it and moved their tail from where they were blocking Peppermint. Bundling their muscles underneath themself, they launched straight for Troutstar's throat. Peppermint was next, going for Reedpaw. Blossom had returned and upon immediately seeing the splashes of fights in the river, went for Rabbitpaw.

Honeypelt joined his mate while Rowanfang and Cherrystep jumped for Eelwhisker and Pikeleap. Beechpelt jumped for Molenose and immediately dug his teeth into his spine.

Rainsplash hadn't quite gotten over his fear of water, but the sight of Tansypaw, Sunspots' other kit, and Nettlepad leaping at his former apprentice Rowanfang's throat and back sparked something inside him. He leaped for the light tabby, gashing a claw through his ear and pressed his throat into the bottom of the bank.

He was about to let up and let him run when Nettlepad kicked Rainsplash's stomach and scored through his shoulder as he sat up. Tansypaw landed squarely on his shoulders. For a moment Rainsplash's muzzle fell under the water.

Nettlepad leaped back to his feet as Rowanfang threw Tansypaw off and started her own fight. Immediately, Nettlepad let out a yowl and shoved Rainsplash backwards deeper into the river. The rain started to fall as Rainsplash's head hit the pebbles of the ground. In response, Rainsplash's jaws gasped open for air. Water filled his mouth and involuntarily and he feebly tried to reach Nettlepad's stomach- or any place to kick him off. The tom was taller than Rainsplash, and he couldn't reach his stomach if he tried.

The light tom was pressing harder and harder on his throat anyway, and Rainsplash couldn't even open his eyes to try and pry him off.

I'm going to die.

The current was suddenly so calming, and the water in his belly felt warm. He couldn't breathe and Nettlepad wasn't going to stop. Rainsplash let out a breath, bubbles popping and floating upward.

"What are you doing?!" came a yowl. A white and dark ginger figure bundled into Nettlepad, bopping his head, claws unsheathed. "Murderer!"

"What are you on about!?" yowled Troutstar, throwing Thorn off himself. The battle was at a halt. Reedpaw stepped forward and tripped over Rainsplash's body. He let out a distressed yowl and nudged the unconscious body upward and onto the nearest cat's shoulders. Rabbitpaw shot closer to Lightningpelt, keeping Rainsplash's nose above the waves. Troutstar froze.

"Run him back to one of our camps, the three of you, this battle is over," he announced. Reedpaw got under Rainsplash's hindquarters and the three shot of toward the RiverClan shore.

Troutstar turned a cold blue gaze to Nettlepad, looking as disheveled as ever.

"Back to camp," he snapped, "All of you," he nodded to Thorn. "Rainsplash is Birchstar's brother, right? Go get her and bring her over. We are figuring out what happened."

(...)

Birchstar's eyes were wide as she paced back and forth in the RiverClan camp. Rainsplash was alive and as well as he could be. He'd swallowed a piece of driftwood that had torn his throat up pretty bad. Meadowpelt had said that no matter how much honey he ate, chances are he'd never be able to talk correctly again.

The sky was red with sunset and the blood that had been spilled in the water. All of SkyClan was in RiverClan's camp, Meadowpelt, Oatpelt and Dashtail working to help wounds.

Rainsplash was alive. That was all Birchstar cared about. ...though a little part of her told her that she couldn't ever fight RiverClan again, she'd murder the fink who did it.

"He was trying to kill me!" Nettlepad exclaimed.

"I was not," Rainsplash rasped, the usually so eloquent tom unable to put any power into his voice. "I was about to let you up, let you run, but you kicked me and tried to drown me!"

Troutstar ran a claw up the rock he was sitting on before yowling could break out. Birchstar collapsed onto her haunches and cringed at the noise.

"You are Clear Sky's grandson," Nettlepad said coldly, his green eyes bearing into Rainsplash's pale yellow. "Wasn't that the cat who killed Rainswept Flower?"

"Nettlepad!" Troutstar scolded. The pale tom snapped to attention. "You are. So. Lucky you are my son," he hissed, "I believe Rainsplash and Rowanfang's story wholeheartedly. And even if I didn't, there is no excuse for the insults you have thrown tonight. Snaketooth," he called.

The brown tabby sat up, his leg wrapped in stick and leaf from where he had broken it so many moons ago.

"Are you fit to mentor an apprentice?" he asked.

Snaketooth pricked his ears, "I think so, sir! I can't guarantee how great I'll be at fighting, but Molenose and Lightningpelt can help me."

"Good," Troutstar mewed, "Rabbitpaw, your new mentor will be Snaketooth."

"What?" the four-eared tom exclaimed, "But I like Nettlepad!"

"And if Nettlepad can prove himself a bit more respectful you might get him back," Troutstar turned a gaze to his child, "You are reduced to apprentice duties until you can prove yourself better. You will change bedding, pick ticks, and do whatever I, Fernleaf, Meadowpelt and Oatpelt ask of you, is that clear?"

Nettlepad hung his head. "Yes, sir."

"If I didn't queen you, you'd be exiled, Nettlepad, do you understand that?"

Nettlepad looked back up, his eyes flaming with the same determination that nearly killed Rainsplash, "Yes, sir!"

"Good. I want Molenose watching over you." Nettlepad nodded and Troutstar stood up to the full size Birchstar had seen so many times in Splashstar and Darkstar. "Meeting dismissed! Reedpelt, Rabbitpaw and Snaketooth, make sure they make it across the border."

Birchstar hadn't hardly registered all the words of the meeting. Even back in SkyClan, she just couldn't process the day's events. She tapped her tail to Rainsplash's shoulder.

"Sleep in my den tonight," she said, half-way between a command and a suggestion. Either way, Rainsplash took up the offer, and for the first time since Flower Foot's death, the two shared eachother's warmth. But Rainsplash was still so cold with water.