In the storm it was hard to even move forward. As the fierce wind howled relentlessly in her ears, Watersplash struggled to keep putting one paw in front of the other. Oftentimes she found herself slipping backwards, more so when she made her way closer to the border and the shale beneath her paws changed to grass, slick with rain. She couldn't see three tail-lengths in front of her, the rain washed away any scents, and the wind drowned out every other sound. Watersplash could only fight blindly forward and hope that she wasn't already too late.
Suddenly the ground beneath her gave way to a steep hill and she slipped, skidding and tumbling to the bottom. She let out a terrified screech as she careened down the hill which was cut off when her landing knocked the air out of her. She lay, stunned, at the bottom of the hill for a few moments before shaking her pelt out (useless, of course, since the rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon, but she did it nonetheless) and carrying on.
It wasn't until lightning flashed in the distance and the empty field with its rolling hills and patches of heather was illuminated around her that Watersplash realized she had no idea where she was going. An instant later she was in the dark again, and she stood still, defeated, as the freezing raindrops beat down on her. A thunderclap echoed in the sky, causing her to shudder involuntarily. Even if it weren't for the storm, Watersplash wouldn't have any idea where to go, because she didn't know where the WindClan camp was. Grasstail had visited her in RiverClan a few times, but she had never returned his visits. Watersplash shivered in the cold as she glanced frantically around, mind racing to pinpoint a direction to travel in.
"Grasstail!" she yowled. "Where are you? Grasstail!"
She doubted any cat could hear her in the storm, but she tilted her head back and screamed for him (or any cat who may have been listening) at the top of her lungs.
"Grasstail, our kits are in danger!" she cried, desperately hoping some cat- any cat- would hear her. "Minnowleap is going to take them! Grasstail, are you there? I need you! Grasstail…!"
No cat responded to Watersplash's yowls, and eventually her throat began to burn and her voice became rough and scratchy. She let out a mournful wail and collapsed, feeling utterly helpless, with her paws over her eyes. Sobbing, she shuddered in the dark beneath an uncaring sky as the wind and rain and cold buffeted her.
It was hopeless. Her mother was going to take her kits away, and then… Oh, StarClan, what if Minnowleap did something to Grasstail?! Watersplash screeched in torment, curling her claws into the rain-drenched earth. She needed to help, but she couldn't! Why was she so useless?!
She didn't know how long she stayed there, bawling like a kit in a stew of anguish and self-pity, but it felt like a long time. Watersplash was sure that nothing could ever get her out of the situation she'd gotten herself into. For the first time in her life, she felt utterly defeated. She was such a fish-brain! How could she have ever thought she'd be capable of this? By know she should have known her own limitations, but she had wanted to think of herself as better than she really was, and because of that everything was ruined. Everything was her fault. She should never have fallen in love with Grasstail. He deserved better than her. She couldn't even defend herself against her own Clanmates.
Grasstail had travelled to the RiverClan border many times, and many of those times his Clanmates had not known about, but never in the middle of a thunderstorm. As a WindClan cat he should have been able to easily catch up with Minnowleap, but the weather made things extremely difficult. At least he had the wind on his side, though. Besides, Minnowleap had the kits weighing her down. However, not knowing which way she had gone prevented him from tracking her down directly.
His best bet was to make it to RiverClan. He would likely be able to find her there, and even if he didn't, Watersplash would be there. She was Minnowleap's daughter, and would likely know how to find the silver warrior better than any cat. Watersplash was the strongest cat Grasstail knew, and he had no doubt that as soon as he found her the situation would drastically improve.
Of course, that was only if he made it to RiverClan at all. It was easy to get lost under an open sky that threw heavy sheets down at him with no letup. It was impossible to see where he was going, and it would be easy enough to stumble into a hole in the ground or become prey for a nocturnal predator. He doubted he could fend off an owl without Watersplash's aid. He loved her so much. If, and only if, he could get to her, everything would be okay…
Gritting his teeth and forging ahead, Grasstail thought of his recurring nightmares. Was the precipice that sometimes appeared in those dreams just symbolic, or was it a real location? If so, perhaps that was where Minnowleap was taking Sprucekit and Ripplekit.
As terrifying as the nightmare becoming a reality was, Grasstail could at least take some marginal comfort in knowing the reason Featherkit never appeared in his dreams. He was safe at home, with Barkstripe watching over him. Soon enough his littermates would be back at his side- Grasstail was determined to make it so. As for Appleshine, he could only hope her injury wasn't serious. There was nothing he could do for her, though; as much as his heart ached when he thought of her lying unconscious in the nursery, his sister's recovery was Podtail's responsibility. Grasstail's duty was to rescue his kits, and he had to concentrate on that and that alone. His kits needed him.
Suddenly a flash of lightning lit up Grasstail's surroundings. He gasped upon seeing a hunched-over, trembling shape at the base of a hill a few fox-lengths away. "Hello?!" he called, raising his voice against the screaming winds. "Are you okay?!"
The sounds of the storm drowned out any reply the figure may have given. Doubt flickered in the back of Grasstail's mind- what if this was Minnowleap playing a trick on him? And besides, his kits needed him. As sorry as he felt for not being able to help this cat, whoever they were, his kits were his first priority. In fact, he couldn't be sure it even was a cat. The flash of lightning hadn't lasted long enough for him to be sure. Perhaps his eyes had simply been playing tricks on him.
Even so, avoiding them would slow Grasstail down, so he closed the distance between them. As he got closer, it became clear that it really was a cat. Not only that; it was a cat Grasstail knew very well.
"Watersplash?!" he cried as soon as he recognized her. He rushed to her side and crouched next to her. "What's going on? Why are you here?"
Slowly, Watersplash raised her head. Her eyes were wide and vacant, but the faintest glimmer of light returned to them when she saw Grasstail. "You're here," she whispered. Her voice was thin and scratchy, as though she had just been yelling a lot.
Grasstail's heart broke at the sight of his love looking so disheveled and upset. He pressed his muzzle to her cheek and laid his paw on top of hers in an attempt to comfort her. "Of course I'm here," he murmured. "I love you."
"I love you too," she sniffled. Then she gulped and blinked forlornly at him. "Our kits-"
"Minnowleap took them," Grasstail meowed solemnly. He hung his head as Watersplash bit back a cry of despair. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was too late to stop her."
Watersplash took a few shaky breaths before whispering, "I know what she's going to do to them."
Grasstail had hoped that she would. He knew that Watersplash had the same nightmares he did. If the rock formation from his dreams was real, she probably knew where it was. It was only a matter of getting there in time to stop Minnowleap.
"She's going to expose our secret," Watersplash continued, her voice gradually rising into a wail. "She wants me to be special, so she wants me to be the one raising our half-Clan kits… but she also wants to punish me for having them! She's going to let every cat know that I mated with you!"
As much as the distress in Watersplash's voice pained Grasstail to hear, her words also brought him a mixture of confusion and relief. Was that really what Minnowleap intended to do with the kits? It would still be horrible, of course- Grasstail shuddered just thinking about what the consequences would be. And yet… if she wasn't going to kill them, as up until that moment Grasstail had been positive she meant to, then what were all his nightmares about?
I don't have time to think about that, he told himself sternly. Even if their kits weren't in mortal danger, Minnowleap was still a dangerous cat who needed to be stopped.
"Come on," he told Watersplash, helping her up. "We have to go save our kits. Can you take me to where you think your mother is going?"
She nodded. Together they made their way up the hill and toward the RiverClan border. Watersplash moved slower than Grasstail would have liked, but the storm was slowing them both down anyway, so in the end it barely made any difference. All that mattered was their destination.
Together, they would save their kits.
Although she was half-blind in the storm, having Grasstail next to her made it easier for Watersplash to make it back to RiverClan. She didn't even bat an eye as they crossed the border. Territories were irrelevant to them. The only thing in her mind at that moment was Shale Hill.
For all the times Grasstail had snuck into her den in the dead of the night, she'd have thought he'd have noticed Shale Hill, but apparently not. She wouldn't hold that against him, though. She wasn't in a position to after collapsing into a sobbing heap in the middle of WindClan territory. Such a pathetic display… she absolutely hated herself for breaking down like that, and she was sure Grasstail's perception of her had been altered by it. He probably didn't think so highly of her anymore, and Watersplash didn't blame him. She didn't think nearly as highly of herself as she'd used to, either.
Watersplash pushed her negative thoughts to the back of her mind as she led Grasstail through her territory, trying to stay in spots where the water didn't reach too high. In places, it went up at least as deep as the stream. It was certainly deep enough to drown a four-moon old kit in, if that was what Minnowleap was planning. However, Watersplash was certain that wasn't the case. It just didn't add up with Minnowleap's motivation. Hadn't she wanted Watersplash to have half-Clan kits because it made her special? Killing them wouldn't make any sense!
"Are we nearly there?" Grasstail asked her as they neared the camp. He was shivering, and though he was probably doing his best to hide it, Watersplash could tell he was terrified.
"Shale Hill is located within the camp," she told him. "We've only got a short while left to go."
Grasstail let out a sigh of relief. Watersplash noticed that although she had struggled to keep up with him at first, now he was starting to fall behind her. She gave him a gentle nudge of encouragement, which he responded to with a lick on the ear. Warmth spread through Watersplash, but it was only momentary. No matter how much they loved each other, the freezing weather overpowered it in terms of physical effects on their bodies. That was why they had to stay close to each other.
Soon enough they arrived at the overflowing stream. Grasstail took a step back as soon as he saw it, and even Watersplash found it slightly intimidating. The stepping stones she would have otherwise suggested he use to cross it were completely submerged, and none of the chunks of ice floating in the current looked sturdy enough to stand on. Their only option was to wade through it.
Watersplash went first while Grasstail hung back, looking less than willing to cross. She knew he couldn't swim, so he'd have to be even more careful. It was easy enough for Watersplash, although the water went up past her belly and the current tugged at her with what felt like more force than usual. Still, she made her way to the other side with little difficulty, and she shook her pelt out despite the rain making it pointless and waited for Grasstail to follow her across.
With a shudder, Grasstail stepped into the stream. His legs were instantly pulled to the side, and he dug his claws into the algae-coated rock at the bottom to prevent himself from sliding further downstream. Watersplash gave him a nod of encouragement; he grit his teeth and took a step forward.
The current tugged at him once more; Watersplash hovered anxiously on the bank while he crossed, ready to jump in and save him should the necessity arise. Fortunately, he crossed without incident, and joined her on the opposite bank in a matter of seconds.
After that, the camp came into view. However, something was wrong. The flooding was even worse there than it was anywhere else, and a large cluster of cats were stationed up on a hill just outside the camp. As they approached them, Watersplash realized that the camp must have been evacuated. She hesitated, taken aback by the presence of her Clanmates; Grasstail drew in a sharp breath and pressed himself low to the ground as if trying to hide from the RiverClan cats.
"Watersplash, is that you?!" Shellsong cried, running over to her. "Oh, thank StarClan you're okay! We've been looking all over for you!" She drew to a halt when she spotted Grasstail. "…Is that… a WindClan cat?"
"He's my friend," Watersplash meowed defensively. Her mind raced to come up with a believable explanation as to why she had brought an enemy onto their territory. If she claimed that things were worse in WindClan territory, the account wouldn't hold up very well once the leaders communicated in the aftermath of the storm. "He was going for a nighttime walk by the lake with his mate when the storm started getting really bad. I heard him yowling for help and rescued him."
Shellsong didn't seem too convinced, but she dropped the subject and, ignoring Grasstail, led Watersplash over to where the others had gathered. "I found her," she called. "She's okay!"
"Good, good," Miststar muttered. The leader's sopping fur hung into his eyes, and his tail-tip was twitching anxiously as he paced back and forth. "Now we just need to find Minnowleap. Watersplash, have you seen your mother?" Watersplash shook her head. Miststar mumbled something worried-sounding under his breath but tried to sound optimistic as he meowed, "Well, that's okay. We can find her later. I know your mother, Watersplash; she's not going to be done in by a bit of bad weather."
Although she could tell the leader didn't really believe what he was saying, and took some annoyance in his somewhat patronizing reassurance, Watersplash was sure Miststar was right. She, too, had fears concerning Minnowleap, but they couldn't have been more different from his.
"We've searched the camp high and low," Graysmoke reported. "Every cat we could find, we've gathered. With all due respect, we can't waste any more time here. We have to move out."
Regret clouded Miststar's face as he addressed the huddled cats. "We're leaving now," he told them. "We'll head up toward ShadowClan; it's sheltered there, and it's at a higher elevation. Let's go."
He and the others began to move out, but Watersplash knew she couldn't follow them. She hung back with Grasstail, who Miststar had somehow not noticed- he must have been extremely overwhelmed by the severity of the storm. She wondered if he'd realize she wasn't following. With any luck, they'd be back before she could cause her Clanmates too much worry.
Side by side, Watersplash and Grasstail headed down the slope into the flooded camp. Lightning flashed, illuminating the outline of Shale Hill. Watersplash readied herself for a confrontation; Grasstail twined his tail around hers in a show of support. She gave him a grateful nuzzle and then stepped apart from him.
"I'll confront Minnowleap head on," she meowed. "You can sneak around to the opposite side of Shale Hill and climb up it while she's busy with me- I'll stay on the ground."
Grasstail didn't seem thrilled with the plan- "I want to be with you," he meowed- but he agreed to go along with it as long as Watersplash promised not to put herself at risk. Considering what they were about to do, that would be a hard promise to keep, but Watersplash didn't want her love to worry about her. If anything, she was the one who should be worried about him. She was quite literally at home in this environment; Grasstail could barely wade through a stream. That was why she wanted him to be the one who'd sneak up on Minnowleap from behind- it would require less time in the water.
Watersplash gave Grasstail a lick on the ear. "Don't worry; I'll be fine," she meowed, doing her best to sound cheerful. "Count on it."
"Well, just remember, if you need me…" said Grasstail, "I'll always have your back."
"We're meant to succeed; I'm sure of it," Watersplash purred. "It is our destiny."
Grasstail purred affectionately. Then, growing more serious, he meowed, "I love you."
"I love you too," Watersplash replied. Then, with a flick of her tail, she plunged herself into the belly-high water and swam out toward Shale Hill.