Sorry, this is a bit of a filler chapter.
It was dark when we got back to camp, but Redstripe and Suneyes welcomed us.
Birchpaw was exhausted; she collapsed onto soft moss among the other apprentices. The warriors filed into soft nests, all but Waterlily, who wanted to have a talk with Daystar. Hawkpaw, Blackclaw's apprentice, tended to the elders and kits before turning in for the night as well.
I felt disappointed that I hadn't been able to retell the whole thing to Mosskit, Badgerkit, and Littlekit, but that would have to wait until morning. Before I went to sleep, I talked with Seastorm a little.
"You know, I'm going to request that Birchpaw be made a warrior. I mean, it's true, she didn't get full training, but she had to be pretty brave to survive something like that. Don't you think so?"
I didn't know what to say. "Uh, yes and no. Yes, she did need to be brave, but maybe you should train her a little more, so that she has all the more training experience." I held my breath as I waited for her to answer.
"I suppose," she said finally. "I guess it is a little early."
I breathed a big sigh of relief. "Good. Now, let's go to sleep," I requested. In the dim light I saw Seastorm nod. I lay down in my nest and fell asleep almost instantly.
The next morning dawned bright and clear. As soon as I padded out of the warriors den for some morning fresh-kill, I was bowled over by three tiny bodies.
"What happened? Tell us!" Littlekit squealed.
"Yes! Tell us, tell us!" Mosskit chanted.
Badgerkit joined in: "Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!" I laughed.
"Okay, okay! I will. Just get off!"
Obediently, all three kits leaped off and sat on the ground in a line in front of me. I was amused.
"Well, somebody taught you manners," I smiled.
Badgerkit nodded, and Littlekit said impatiently, "Yes, we have fine manners, we're going to be great warriors someday, blah blah blah. Now what happened? We asked Seastorm, but she told us to ask you. She had Birchpaw with her, early practice session, I guess. Did you fight?"
I shook my head. "No. It was actually kind of strange. Tidestar just sort of handed her over, but she had definitely been a prisoner. I don't know why it worked out that way, but it did, and Birchpaw's back. Don't we have some delayed playtime to catch up to?"
The kits squealed. Badgerkit play-attacked me from behind, grabbing onto my tail. I waved it around a bit, but Badgerkit held on tight. Mosskit jumped onto my back with Littlekit and hung on. Finally, I gave an exaggerated, defeated sigh, and flopped down on the grass. Badgerkit let go and joined in clawing at me playfully, claws sheathed.
"Rainpath, you're so fun!" squealed Mosskit.
"Kits!" I heard Windpelt call. All three leaped off me and raced to my mother. I followed more slowly.
"You're certainly good with teaching obedience. When these three become apprentices, you should get apprentice too. Hazelkit and Larkkit should be ready about then," I offered.
My mother shook her head sadly. "No. When I'm done with these three, I'm retiring. I'm too old for a new apprentice. Rockfur grew up nicely, and Blackclaw," she replied, thinking about the cats she had mentored. She shook off the memories. "I'll be headed to the elders den. This is my last litter, I can feel it." I was disappointed, but I nodded.
Mosskit and Badgerkit began a heated argument over who was oldest, and Littlekit batted at her tail. Finally Windpelt stopped them.
"Enough! Littlekit, your tail is not a toy. Badgerkit, Mosskit is older, she was born first. Kits, why don't you go play with Redheart or bother the elders or something? I need to talk with Rainpath." They scurried off, not surprisingly, toward the elder's den. Kits. We sidled off to a corner of the camp.
"I'm worried about Jetfur. What did she do at Birchpaw's rescue?"
I shrugged. "When we came she was talking to Crowfur in what I suppose is the warrior's den—it looked biggest—and then she came out and sat in the crowd and watched like all the others. You'd think she had belonged to RiverClan forever. She's only half-clan," I added bitterly, feeling a sudden anger towards my sister.
Windpelt nodded understandingly. "You're half-clan too," she pointed out. It was true. An older warrior in RiverClan, Nightfall, was my father. Jetfur had gone to live with him, and Crowfur.
"Well, yeah. But I didn't abandon my clan," I added.
"She didn't either. Instead, she abandoned the clan that she felt was not right for her and was accepted into a new one. She did not abandon her clan, Rainpath. She found it. She was just a bit late."
My sister had left when she was an apprentice, sneaking off with Crowpaw after he had run an errand. Everyone had proclaimed her dead. Then, at the next gathering, I saw her, over with RiverClan, talking to Crowpaw. When I tried to ask her what was going on, she had sneered, "Go back to your own clan. I'm part of RiverClan now," and gone right back to her conversation. It took a while, but eventually she softened toward me—clearly she had been trying to forget ThunderClan—and told me the whole story.
I bit my tongue. "I suppose." I glanced around for a distraction.
"Hey! Seastorm! Back from hunting so soon?"