Here it is!
Rappidpaw had been accepted back to Thunderclan. She was glad to be home and she didn't blame Fernpaw anymore. She padded to the fresh kill pile and grabbed a vole.
She sat next to Freepaw. He looked at her and simply looked away again. Freepaw hadn't accepted her back, however.
"Freepaw?" she mewed, carefully.
"What?" he snapped. "Ready to tell me things now?" Rappidpaw bent her head in shame. He was hurt because she didn't tell him anything about going on a journey before she left.
"Freepaw I couldn't tell you because I had a dream of the place and you were killed there." She had to make him understand. He was all she really cared for inside her clan apart from her parents.
"Really?" he scoffed.
"PLEASE, believe me," Rappidpaw whispered.
"Why does it matter?" Freepaw growled.
"You would have come and maybe killed," Rappidpaw murmured. His head spun around to look at her.
"That's not what I mean," Freepaw hissed. "Why do you want me in your life? Huh? You have that… medicine cat now."
"No," Rappidpaw whispered. "She's my friend out of the clan. You are my friend in the clan. I have two best friends."
"Best friend? I'm one of them?" Freepaw asked.
"Yes," Rappidpaw replied.
"Maybe we can go to the gathering and I can meet her?" Freepaw mewed.
"Sure. Maybe." Freepaw smiled.
"Freepaw, Tigerheart, Lionheart, Rappidpaw, Weatherstorm, Ravenfoot, and Falconwing will go to the gathering!" Creamstar yowled.
"Oh, yeah, Hollowfoot attacked Riverclan so now he's not deputy anymore. Weatherstorm is," Freepaw whispered to Rappidpaw. Rappidpaw's ears pricked at the news. Uh-oh.
Rappidpaw searched for Fernpaw at the gathering. She was going to introduce her to both her mother and Freepaw. Fernpaw was sitting alone in a patch of sunlight.
"Hey. This is my mother, Ravenfoot, and my friend, Freepaw," Rappidpaw mewed.
"Hi," Fernpaw meowed.
"Hello." Freepaw dipped his head. Ravenfoot, however, was staring at Fernpaw.
"Starclan, there she is! You have led me to her at last. I knew she was in Riverclan but you showed me the one. Starclan thank you!" Ravenfoot mewed.
"What?" Fernpaw asked.
"Rappidpaw, Fernpaw is your sister," Ravenfoot meowed.
"She's my what?" Rappidpaw yowled.
"Sister. I had to give one of you to Riverclan because we were starving and your father thought that Fernpaw, Fernkit then, would adapt better. Fernpaw always liked water," Ravenfoot explained.
"You're my mother?" Fernpaw whispered. "No, this is crazy! I-I-I was abandoned! Streamstar said!"
"I asked her to say it. Streamstar and I are best friends. I gave you to her when you didn't need to be suckled anymore. I would tell you," Ravenfoot mewed.
"It's true?" Rappidpaw whispered. "It's true."
"Mother," Fernpaw breathed. Falconwing appeared.
"Father, this is my sister," Rappidpaw hissed, angrily. "Remember her? The one kit worth dumping?"
"Fernpaw?" Falconwing asked.
"You abandoned her," Rappidpaw growled. Fernpaw was her sister and Rappidpaw would protect her.
"I had to." There was a note of plea in his voice. "Please understand."
"I-I do," Fernpaw mewed. Rappidpaw smiled. If Fernpaw understood she should too.
"Me, too," Rappidpaw sighed.
"Good," both parents meowed. The gathering began and really the news seemed boring after what they found out. Together. As it always would be.
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Fernpaw groaned softly. She lay down next to the river and groaned again. The dream. It was with every moment she was asleep. Swiftpaw pelted to her. An extra body had been added in her dream. Swiftpaw's.
"Fernpaw! I'm becoming a warrior!" Swiftpaw yowled, triumphantly. Fernpaw felt like her stomach turned upside down.
"G-good job," she mewed. He wouldn't be able to hang out with her anymore. Helping a medicine cat is optional but he'd be too busy being a warrior. And that's how it should be, a voice inside her head nagged her.
"I just feel bad about not being able to hang with you. Streamstar says I'll be too busy," Swiftpaw whispered. Anger flashed inside Fernpaw. Streamstar had lied to her hadn't she? Fernpaw nodded.
"It's alright," she responded.
"We're still friends right?" Swiftpaw asked.
"Yeah." Right after Fernpaw replied he sped away, to Willowpaw. What had happened? She knew. Rappidpaw and the journey. She had left.
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Rappidpaw stretched her jaws in a yawn. Freepaw padded to her.
"Guess what?" he meowed, grabbing a vole. She took a rabbit.
"You're becoming a warrior?"
"Me? I believe you mean, we," he responded, jokingly.
"Really?" Rappidpaw swallowed the rest of her vole.
"Yep!" Freepaw replied. "At sundown." It was already sunhigh!
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Fernpaw looked up at Swiftpaw and Willowpaw, side by side, becoming warriors. Willowpaw licked his shoulder, lovingly. Swiftpaw did not turn away. Fernpaw could have pelted off then.
"Swiftpaw is now Swiftfoot! Willowpaw is now Willowheart!" Streamstar yowled. Twigtooth padded up to High Ledge.
"Fernpaw, please come up here," she mewed. Fernpaw padded up to High Ledge.
"Fernpaw is now Fernclaw!"
"Fernclaw! Fernclaw! Swiftfoot! Swiftfoot! Willowheart! Willowheart!" the clan yowled.
"Swiftfoot and Willowheart will sit vigil and Fernclaw will…?" Streamstar looked at Twigtooth.
"Fernpaw will sit vigil as well," Twigtooth finished. Fernclaw followed the other two to the front of camp. Willowheart was in-between Fernclaw and Swiftfoot. Swiftfoot moved next to Fernclaw. She smiled when she saw how angry Willowheart was. Willowheart had always hated Fernclaw.
"I don't like her so I'll make time to hang with you," Swiftfoot whispered. "And you're my best friend."
"You're mine too," Fernclaw whispered. He knew about Rappidpaw being her sister when no one else, except Streamstar, did or cared.
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Rappidpaw looked over at Freepaw. His paws were twitching with excitement.
"Rappidpaw is now Rappidstream! Freepaw is now Freeheart!" Creamstar yowled. Freeheart grinned at her.
"Hey, Rappidstream," he mewed.
"Freeheart," Rappidstream meowed, grinning as well.
"Freeheart! Freeheart! Rappidstream! Rappidstream!" the clan yowled. Rappidstream was glad that Freeheart was the first one to say her new name. Though, she didn't know why.
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Rappidstream looked at Freeheart, a moon after their warrior ceremony, and realized for the first time that he was still in danger. She would save him.
"Freeheart. I have to go again. You can't tell anyone," she mewed.
"I knew you'd go again," he mumbled.
"I'll be back soon. I swear but I have to answer Starclan," Rappidstream meowed.
"I know. I know you'll be back because you're the toughest cat I've ever met," he mewed.
"Thank you and I'll have a medicine cat with me," Rappidstream responded.
"Rappidstream, I…" Freeheart began. "Never mind."
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Fernclaw couldn't believe her nose when she smelt her sister on her territory again! She had told the patrol to go the other direction while she padded to her sister.
"I'm Rappidstream," her sister mewed quickly.
"Fernclaw. But what-?" Fernclaw began.
"We have to go back," Rappidstream mewed.
"What?! I can't. My clan needs me," Fernclaw disagreed. Rappidstream glared.
"Fine I'll go risk my neck for all the clans and the cats I care about," Rappidstream spat. She pelted away.
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Rappidstream felt her paws sliding on the hard mountain. She didn't have Fernclaw anymore. She was trying to climb the rock she slipped on last time. Her claws slid and she went plummeting downward. Her claws snagged on a rock and she clung on for dear life.
Brown tabby fur went flying above of her. A brown paw was hanging down beside her. Rappidstream grabbed at the paw. The paw dug its claws into her pad and she did the same. The cat on the higher rock pulled and Rappidstream pushed. She groaned and strained. She was finally up, panting.
"You thought I'd let you have all the fun?" a familiar voice mewed, playfully. She looked up and saw Fernclaw.
"Fernclaw," she gasped.
"Yeah. I'm here," Fernclaw replied. "Don't worry no cat knows where I am apart from Swiftfoot, my friend." Rappidstream grinned.
"I trust you," Rappidstream mewed. "Lets keep going." Rappidstream knew that they grew closer with each encounter like that. They continued to pad over the mountain, without stopping. They seemed stronger together. One afternoon Rappidstream saw the path.
"Fernclaw, there it is," she whispered. Fernclaw's eyes followed her gaze.
"You're right," she breathed. The two cats pelted to it.
"Lets go," Rappidstream mewed. Together, they padded into the dark forest. There were two paths.
"We should split up," Fernclaw meowed. "Cover more ground you know?"
"Yeah," Rappidstream whispered. "Yeah."
Fernclaw followed her path. She saw a part of the path up ahead where the paths joined and, looking down, she saw bloody paw prints. NO! she thought. She suddenly saw the limp red tabby again.
She ran up the path and advanced on the red tabby in her dream. Why hadn't she realized who it was before? She did know the cat! It was Rappidstream.
Uh-oh! Review PLEASE!! The next chapter will be the last then I'll start the sequel! PLEASE REVIEW!!