The RiverClan camp was entirely submerged in freezing water dotted with floating chunks of half-melted ice providing the occasional flash of yellowish-white amidst the choppy black waves. Grasstail felt like a tiny thorn was digging into his heart as he watched Watersplash bravely lower herself into the flooded camp, where the water reached all the way up her legs, and begin to paddle toward the tall crag of rock at the centre of the camp- Shale Hill, as she'd called it. He had to watch her for a few moments to make sure she was okay, despite his common sense telling him that he had nothing to worry about. Watersplash was a RiverClan cat; swimming was second nature to her. Still, he loved her, and he couldn't help but worry about the cats he loved…

Dropping low to the ground, Grasstail began to creep around the perimeter of the camp until he was on the other side. He winced at the cold water lapping at his belly when he crouched; his paws, which had been underwater more or less the whole time, had gone almost completely numb.

In the murky darkness of the storm, he could barely make out a figure up ahead that the rain parted around. They moved with agility through the flood, although something was clearly hindering them. As he cautiously approached, Grasstail could distinguish two more shapes beside the first cat- his kits! His heart seemed to stop for a moment, and his breath caught in his throat as he crouched at the edge of the flooded camp and watched Minnowleap swim toward Shale Hill. It wasn't until she reached the formation and began to scramble up that Grasstail reminded himself that it was his job to stop her. With renewed determination he slunk down the slope into the camp, flinching as the water rose around his body and pushed him up to the top.

Not wanting to bob about helplessly, Grasstail felt around for the bottom with his paws. The tip of one of his claws scraped over something, and he swung his hind leg downwards while craning his neck upwards to keep his muzzle above water. He let out a grunt of satisfaction when he felt the bottom of his paw touch down on rock. Grasstail soon found his footing with his other paws as well, and he took a few heavy steps forward with his neck still craned upward, at an even more extreme angle now. When he moved, the water in front of him sloshed upward and into his nose and he jerked back in surprise, snorting and coughing in an attempt to get the water out of his airway. Paws flailing, he tilted his head forward and let the water dribble out of his mouth. It occurred to Grasstail then that perhaps wading through belly-deep water wasn't going to work. He'd have to try swimming.

After a few deep breaths, Grasstail took his paws off the bottom, pushing off with his hind legs. Then he extended his front legs and swiped them through the water in front of him in an effort to mimic the way Watersplash did it. It didn't get him very far forward, but it moved him along a bit, and it would be easier than wading.

Grasstail sucked in a deep breath and plunged his head underwater before propelling himself forward once more. He held his back legs out behind him as straight as possible to make himself more aerodynamic, and soon enough, he was moving ahead by about a tail-length with each stroke. It was an extremely clumsy and rather painful method of swimming, and he accidentally whacked himself with his legs a couple times, but it worked well enough for a WindClan cat who never intended to go swimming again once this was over.

Before long he was at the rock formation known as Shale Hill. He'd have to crane his neck to see Minnowleap at the top, and his neck already hurt too much for him to do so, but he could hear her talking to Watersplash, who he saw standing on the other side of Shale Hill. As soon as he caught a glimpse of her, belly-deep in the flood, his heart skipped a beat. He loved Watersplash so much, and each time he saw her he became more determined to save their kits.

However, he was slightly daunted by his task. Grasstail had no idea how he was supposed to climb this structure, and he hadn't been able to get a good enough look at Minnowleap earlier to see how she'd managed it. Still, he supposed it couldn't have been too hard if a middle-aged cat had been able to haul two four-moon-old kits up it in such a short time. He tentatively placed each of his front paws on the rough, chipped shale and hoisted himself up. His claws hooked onto a tiny ledge; encouraged, he pushed himself further up using his back legs for support. Grasstail continued on like this for some time; he wondered if this was how it felt for ThunderClan cats to climb trees. If so, he had no idea why they found it so fun. It was a truly grueling exercise, and he couldn't have been more relieved when his paws finally landed on a flat surface. He lifted himself up onto the top of the formation and prepared to strike Minnowleap from behind.

—

Part of Watersplash's mind was still reeling over how her own mother could be so despicable. The reasonable part of her knew that she should have known Minnowleap was a bad cat right from the start, but how could she have? Minnowleap loved her, and had praised her at every turn when she'd been young. She'd been showered with so much love as a kit that Watersplash had gone into apprenticeship thinking that she was the best cat in the world, with the best life possible. Thinking back on the mindset she once held, Watersplash wanted to gag. Her life was a mess, and half her Clanmates didn't care about her at all. She valued the ones who did all the more highly because of it- not to mention Grasstail- but still…

Now, as she swam toward Shale Hill just as Minnowleap clambered to the top of it with Sprucekit and Ripplekit dangling by their scruffs from her muzzle, Watersplash took all the negative feelings that had been thrust upon her over the course of her life and channeled them into rage toward Minnowleap. This was a cat who should not be thought of as kin, or even thought of as a cat at all. It was an obstacle that needed to be overcome in order for Watersplash to save her and Grasstail's kits.

"Minnowleap!" she cried, raising her voice to be heard loud and clear by her mother. "Stop what you're doing!"

Up on the precipice, Minnowleap froze. She set Ripplekit down next to her and the back she-kit immediately tried to scramble away, but then she came to the edge and backed up with a terrified squeak. Sprucekit squirmed free from Minnowleap's grip, which Watersplash suspected she had loosened- she had no reason to keep a hold on the kits anymore; the daunting height Minnowleap had put them at prevented them from having an escape route. The two kits huddled together as Minnowleap blinked innocently down at Watersplash.

"My dear daughter, whatever is troubling you?' she trilled, her voice echoing in the thunderous storm.

Watersplash dug her claws into the rock at the bottom of the flooded camp and glared up at her mother. "You know exactly what's troubling me," she hissed. "You kidnapped my kits!"

"Oh, so these are your kits?" Minnowleap said with faux surprise. She drew her tail under Sprucekit's chin and chuckled quietly to herself. "That's funny, my little water droplet! If these are your kits, how did I manage to find them in the WindClan nursery?"

"Stop playing dumb," Watersplash snapped. She had no time for her mother's little games. "You already know everything about me and Grasstail. Just tell me-" she paused, biting back the bitterness in her mew. "Just tell me why you're doing this! I thought you said you were glad I had half-Clan kits, because that made me special, just like you wanted, remember?!"

Minnowleap shook her head and made a tut-tut sound. "It's true, dearest; being the mother of half-Clan kits is a very special thing indeed." She gazed fondly at Sprucekit and Ripplekit, who flinched when her gaze fell on them. Watersplash's hackles rose and she bit back a snarl as her mother continued, "But I think we're forgetting about something even more special than that: the prophecy! Surely it would be even more special if you and your lovely little half-Clan kits ended up fulfilling Podtail's silly old prophecy together, wouldn't it?"

So that's what she's trying to do! A hiss escaped from Watersplash's clenched teeth and she raked her claws across the submerged rock floor of the camp. Minnowleap curled her tail around her paws and puffed her chest out, purring in amusement as Watersplash struggled to stop herself from climbing right up onto Shale Hill and pushing Minnowleap off herself. She had to remind herself that it was her job to keep her mother preoccupied so that Grasstail could sneak up from the other side and rescue the kits.

"I won't let you do this, mother," Watersplash said. The last word tasted sour on her tongue, but she used it nonetheless. She didn't know why- perhaps in hopes of appealing to Minnowleap's good side, if she even had one. "These are my kits, and you're not going to hurt them!"

"Oh, you're right about that, my little water droplet," Minnowleap meowed. She stood up, windswept pelt bristling, and leaned over the edge as if to taunt Watersplash to come and get her. "That's the whole point, dear: you have to fulfill the prophecy! You'll be the saviour, rising from the rain to save your poor little kit…" She chuckled, hooking her claws into Ripplekit's scruff and pulling her over to her. "As for the voice in the wind, well, I'm sure we can work something out."

Watersplash's mind raced as Minnowleap drew her tongue across Ripplekit's shiny black pelt. As she did so, the kit flinched and let out a squeal of terror while her brother hung back, trembling. Watersplash didn't want to believe it, but she had a sinking feeling that she already knew what role Minnowleap meant for Sprucekit to play in the prophecy…

Even so, she asked just in case she was mistaken. Surely, as a mother herself, Minnowleap couldn't really be so cruel?

"Wh-what about Sprucekit?" Watersplash meowed with a gulp. "What role is he going to play?"

She prayed to StarClan that Minnowleap wouldn't give the answer she thought she would. However, her prayers went unanswered and her mother purred, "Why, that's very simple, dearest."

She stalked over to Sprucekit and dug her teeth into the tabby kit's scruff, lifting him off the ground and ignoring his flailing paws and mewls of protest. Ripplekit lunged forward, biting down on Minnowleap's heel only to be kicked backward. With a nefarious gleam in her eye, Minnowleap dangled Sprucekit over the edge.

"You see," she said, "little Sprucekit here is going to be the one who falls into the waves."

—

Grasstail scrambled up over the edge and onto the top of Shale Hill. Minnowleap's back was to him, and she clearly didn't notice him. Nor, from the looks of it, did Ripplekit, who was gazing with rapt attention at the events playing out before her. It took Grasstail a moment to realize where Sprucekit was, as he hadn't heard anything that Minnowleap and Watersplash had been saying and was completely lost for context. However, when he heard Minnowleap say, "…going to be the one who falls into the waves" and realized that she was dangling Sprucekit over the edge, it didn't take him long to put the pieces together.

He had almost been convinced he'd been wrong before. Watersplash had said her mother wouldn't try to harm their kits. But it looked like Grasstail's earlier assumption had been correct: Minnowleap really did plan to drown their kits- or at least one of them.

The drop from Shale Hill to the flooded camp below must have been at least ten, possibly fifteen fox-lengths; far enough to be potentially fatal on its own even if it weren't for the freezing cold water that went up to the chest of an adult cat. A cat Sprucekit's size would most likely be in over his head- and that's if the shock from the fall didn't kill him.

On top of that, the temperature was dangerously low; Grasstail could hardly feel his paws after spending just a few minutes wading around in it. Watersplash was too far away from Sprucekit to catch him if he fell. With all of these factors combined, letting Minnowleap drop him was not even remotely an option. Grasstail had to stop her through any means necessary.

All of these thoughts ran through Grasstail's head in the time it took for Watersplash to let out an enraged screech and splash toward the bottom of Shale Hill. Minnowleap scoffed and parted her jaws slightly, so that Sprucekit slipped partially out of her grip. Squealing in terror, the kit clung onto Minnowleap, but his grip on her wouldn't last if she decided to stop playing around and drop him. Grasstail had to act now!

"Minnowleap, you snake-heart!" Grasstail yowled as loudly as he could to get her attention. She whirled around, tightening her grip on Sprucekit's scruff, just as he pushed himself off the ground and pounced on her. Minnowleap skidded back toward the edge; encouraged, Grasstail prepared to strike her again and send her tumbling to her doom when he realized Sprucekit was still in her grasp.

He silently berated himself for being such a reckless mouse-brain. He wasn't supposed to get Minnowleap's attention- that was Watersplash's job! He was supposed to sneak up behind her- which he had- and grab the kits before Minnowleap had the chance to react! The only thing he hadn't counted on was there being such imminent danger for one of his kits. Now what was he supposed to do?!

Before he could think of a new plan, however, Minnowleap struck. She dropped Sprucekit down safely next to his littermate (which was surprising considering what she planned to do, but perhaps she wasn't thinking clearly just as he hadn't been when he attacked her) and then lunged, snarling, at Grasstail. She knocked him back, hissing and scrabbling at his throat; Grasstail tucked his chin into his chest so his neck wasn't exposed to her blows. They tumbled around on top of Shale Hill, a blur of fur and teeth and claws, in a desperate struggle with the life of one of Grasstail's kits on the line- and possibly the other, depending on just how far Minnowleap was willing to go for the prophecy to be fulfilled.

Over the rain and wind and occasional thunderclap to punctuate their fight, Grasstail didn't hear anything except the blood roaring in his ears. Therefore, he wasn't at all expecting to see a blue-gray blur in the corner of his vision. A moment later, Minnowleap was thrown off of Grasstail and pinned down by Watersplash.

"Grab the kits and get away," Watersplash shouted to Grasstail over the raging storm. "I'll be fine; don't worry about me!"

Grasstail had no doubt that she would be- this was Watersplash, after all. Still, he was none too eager to leave his beloved alone with her mother. There was no telling what Minnowleap would be willing to do to her, and even if she didn't succeed, Grasstail knew that Watersplash had already been through a lot of painful experiences. He wanted to keep her as safe as possible from here on out, and running away wasn't going to accomplish that.

Watersplash hissed when Grasstail hesitated. "Didn't you hear me, fish-brain?" she muttered, digging her claws into Minnowleap's shoulders as her mother struggled beneath her. "I said go!"

"O-okay," Grasstail meowed.

He sunk his teeth into Sprucekit's scruff and gently lifted him up. The kits were too big to carry both of them at once, but he stooped down and let Ripplekit climb onto his back, which she did with extreme urgency. She was fairly heavy, and the combined weight of the kits made it difficult for him to move, but he did so anyway for lack of another choice. He supposed this was the downside of being a WindClan cat; his scrawny frame meant that carrying two four-moon-old kits slowed him down much more than it must have slowed Minnowleap, who, though older, was far from old, and whose plump RiverClan physique made her far more well-equipped for carrying kits for a long distance.

Grasstail staggered over to the edge and then ever-so-carefully turned around and, keeping his front claws firmly planted in a tiny crack in the rock, dropped his hind legs over the edge and felt around for a tiny shelf in the rock. Climbing down was always a lot harder than climbing up, and climbing up had been challenging enough on its own. Ripplekit whimpered, clinging tighter to his back.

Meanwhile, Minnowleap swiped at Watersplash's cheek. Watersplash scurried back, pelt bristling, and Grasstail was reminded once again of her unexplained scratches. Hissing in satisfaction, Minnowleap lunged forward, brushing past Watersplash and heading right toward Grasstail, who had yet to lower himself fully over the edge.

With a renewed sense of desperation, Grasstail unhooked his claws from the crack and let himself drop backward, making sure to keep his hind legs firmly placed against the rock formation. Just before he fell backward out of Minnowleap's range, her attack was cut off by Watersplash stomping down firmly on her tail. Shrieking in pain and outrage, Minnowleap whirled around and took a swipe at Watersplash, who ducked, hissing.

Grasstail felt that he was nearly home free. He dug the claws of one of his front paws into a tiny rock shelf and moved his other paw to a lower ledge. Tiny chips of the shale beneath his hind paws crumbled away, sending a shower of dust below.

Just then, lightning lit up the sky- but this time, it wasn't just off in the distance somewhere.

The world in front of Grasstail was filled with bright light and white-hot heat for a split second, and he heard a tremendous crack followed a moment later by Watersplash screeching his name. Grasstail didn't understand why at first- it took him a second to process what had just happened, and a second was too late to stop anything. He knew he hadn't been struck by the lightning; his pelt was singed, but he would have felt it if the lightning had hit him. Then what…?

The weight on his back disappeared and he heard Ripplekit squeal in terror. Sprucekit wailed, scrabbling at the blackened, shattered rock in front of him as they fell away from it-

Shattered rock?

Falling?

Oh… Oh, StarClan, no…

The lightning strike had split Shale Hill right down the middle, and the half Grasstail happened to be climbing down was now crumbling apart, sending him and his kits plummeting toward the freezing waters below.