Welcome again and thank you for deciding to drop by this humble story! This line has become my automatic greeting now, it seems. Anyway, on with the answering reviews.
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Braveheart of Shadowclan - I base most of the information on Warriors Wikia. And there, I found that one of the Erins said she died in the Bloodclan war. Thank you!
Glacierstar56 - Thank you! Here comes the next chapter.
Tallpine22 - Thank you, Tiger. I really appreciate it.
"Podfall said that Flowerheart could due any day now, aren't you excited?" Runningkit exclaimed as she jumped up and down next to their nest keenly. Littlemoss sighed and went to pick Runningkit by the scruff and placed her in the nest. "Don't go jumping near the den entrance, Runningkit." Littlemoss gently chided. "It's raining today, you could get sick. And you'd stay in the way if warriors were to bring us freshkills."
Runningkit grumbled glumly in reply. "But it's sooo boring in here. Flowerheart doesn't even kit yet and Sandspots is not here. There's no one to play with." Whitekit nodded in agreement. Rainkit would've felt bored out of his mind too, if not for the gnawing anxiety of Flowerheart's kits being a reincarnation or not at the back of his mind. If they were, who would it be? But if they weren't, then when will the ones of our kind that Bluestar mention were to be born? Those questions alone keeps him up all night nowadays.
Seeing that the kits are pretty lifeless, Flowerheart piped up helpfully. "How about paying a visit to the elders? From what I recalled, you kits have yet to visit them, have you?" This, of course, caught Whitekit's attention, who quickly took the suggestion into consideration, and ultimately, devised a plan. "I want to visit the elders den, please?" Littlemoss stilly gazed out of the nusery, observing the weather with a deeming look , before hesitantly giving an answer. "Fine. But I will not catch you playing in the rain, understand?"
Whitekit bounced in delight and a giddy light entered her eyes. "Yes yes! Let's go Runningkit, Rainkit!" With that said, both she kits scampered hastily out of the nursery into the rain, towards the elders den, leaving him to frantically try and catch up with them. They ignore me again?! "Don't leave me here alone you two!"
In the elders den, there were three cats. One russet and ginger healthy looking cat, one dark grey elderly looking tabby, and one ragged looking grey tom. The later was the first cat to turned to them, surprise in his eyes. "Ah, kits. Our clan hadn't got one in a while. How nice of you to drop by, come in, little ones." Whitekit casually waltzed near the elder and settled down comfortably, while he and Runningkit found it more awkward, but settled down nonetheless.
The tom who greet them earlier nudged his fellow arguing elders, hoping to get their attention. "Hey, Littlemoss' kits visits us, did you notice them at all?" No response but a continuing fierce argument. The elder heaved tired sigh before facing them again. "Hello, I'm Cloudyfoot. That's Rosestorm and Chippedclaw. They always fight, don't mind them." Runningkit actually snickered at that while Whitekit beamed blissfully. It's sad to think like this, but Rainkit guessed it reminds her so much of the old fellow Thunderclan elders she used to live with. "I'm Whitekit. This is Runningkit and Rainkit." She introduced them to the elders, like always.
A low purr rumbled in Cloudyfoot's chest. "I see. Well then, for that you came to visit us, how about I tell you a story in return?" Now, he may never appear that way, but he could never resist elders stories. They always hold long buried history that used to be a someone's vivid moment - a fragment of someone's lifetime, now nothing but remnants of the past. Always mysterious and hold a certain charm to them. "Yes, of course!" So he took the chance. Whitekit subtly smirked, which somehow irked him to an extent, while Runningkit gave him a somewhat smugly pity look that irked him even further.
Cloudfoot's hummed in thought as he decided over which story should he tell them, before his eyes lit up with eagerness. "I think you little furballs would like the story of the great journey. Now, let me tell you, about the journey where we found our new home." Sadly, that's...not the story he want to hear much, for he's alive at that time and it brought back...regretful memories. However, Whitekit and Runningkit got that curious light in their eyes. That's when he recalled, they've been long dead before the great journey, so he's actually the only one here that went on the great journey with the clans. The sad realization slowly seeped into him, and he wondered how would Whitekit and Runningkit feel about it.
"It was a long journey from the clans old home, a forest near a cluster of twolegplace. The clans traveled a long way away from their home. Past dangerous terrain, past the mountains that reached high up in the sky, till they reached the lake." Cloudyfoot explained. "Imagine, rocky hills that gradually rose up to touch the clouds and bask the sun rays. Unknown stretch of land that in the dark, danger lurks around every corner. Our ancestors must be very strong to survive that." Eh, not really. A look at his wobbly, muscleless legs was quick to affirm his doubt.
Anyhow, Cloudyfoot continued. "After that, the clans settled peacefully onwards, without an overbearing amount of twolegs around us." He'd like to say it's worse, for there're stray badgers and foxes all around the area, but the realization that it was twolegs that forced the clan out of their old home quickly change his mind. Whitekit went quiet in thought while Runningkit bugged Cloudyfoot about the land beyond the clans. Suddenly, Rosestorm just whipped her head right towards them, scowling all the while, and secretly scaring the tail out of him. "Being peaceful onwards isn't a very accurate description of the clan history, Cloudyfoot." Said elder just smiled dryly. "Well then, how about you tell them a story of your choice?"
Rosestorm peered outside the elders den, and into the rain. "Seeing the rain reminds me of the tale of how one of Thunderclan greatest leaders, Firestar, died." She stated blankly, before whirling back to them again. "He won the great battle against a dark force. However, luck wasn't on his side, for after he defeated the dictator, lightning strikes a branch above him. It fell down and crush him to death, or so I thought. I can't remember whether he died of wounds or the tree, but I'd go with the tree falling down on him." Ouch. That somehow elicit a phantom pain on his flank. He shuddered. That must felt terrible.
"Still, the clans aren't exactly peaceful after that. There are still battles there and there. Like a while ago, we won a battle against Shadowclan as they were stealing our prey. And now, I heard Windclan and Riverclan are at war." Rosestorm scoffed distastefully. "I couldn't expect less, though. For them to be fighting over something stupid." He was quick to notice that Runningkit averted her eyes, seemingly trying to ward off Rosestorm's words. Before quietly, she spoke. "I'm going to the Dirtplace." And she left. Something's wrong. At that moment, his first thought is to rush after her, and so he did.
He gave the two elders a shaky smile. "A-ahh! I need to go to the dirtplace with Runningkit! See you later!" The elders, along with Whitekit, gave them a confused look, but he was out of the elders den too early to saw that. He caught a glimpse of Runningkit darting away to the area behind the nursery, a hollow area between the bramble walls - well known to adventurous Thunderclan kits of all time - which he hurriedly scurried in.
Silently, he sneaked after her, until his eyes met a ruffled tiny tabby flank of Runningkit, who sat still for a long while, gazing at nothing up the pouring rain that showered down onto the forest beneath. After some time passed, did she spoke, her voice barely reaching his ears. "I know you're there, Rainkit." He straightened up and licked his chest embarassedly. "Sorry. I shouldn't have followed you, but..." Before he could come up with a excuse, Runningkit waved her tail. "Don't. I know why you're here." Faintly, he could make out the shape of her swallowing. "And I'll tell you what happened, little brother of mine." She gave a short, mirthless laugh after that. He immediately decide he hate her mirthless laugh with passion. It doesn't feel right with her. He wouldn't mind if it's Whitekit's laugh, but Runningkit...it doesn't suit her, she doesn't...deserve it.
She exhaled shakily, pulling him out of his thoughts, and glance back at him, her eyes solemn. "I died protecting Windclan, and I'll not forget my loyalty as a Windclan cat. Even if I'm a Thunderclan cat now." The whisper escaped her mouth hoarsely, delicately, almost as if she spoke even a little louder, the whole place around them will crumble into nothingness, and all she'd endure till now would cease to mean anything. "I always thought that Windclan is a part of who I am. The place where I belong. But now with me being reincarnated, I'm trying my best to fit in, and trying to lead a happy life. But I can't just ignore my past as a Windclan cat, I can't just nonchalantly listen as someone badmouth Windclan. I just can't just refuse to acknowledge the Windclan I still hold dear to my heart. I just can't."
In that instant moment, then he realized the weight that Runningkit must bears on her shoulders. Killed in the Bloodclan war when she was young, then suddenly out of nowhere she was reincarnate, not in her born clan, even. Leaving her old kins behind then starting anew without any warning. There must be someone she cares in her past life, but now she's forced to keep up with the pace of things and forgets them, or else she'll be left behind as others move forward. And this whole thing might even applies to Whitekit, no, it applies to everyone in this reincarnation mess, including him.
They've only got each other, and he wants to be strong for them. If you ask him half a moon ago in the past, he's everything but close to the former elder in his clan he barely even talks to and the former Windclan cat he'd only knew by name. But now, he felt as they're really siblings. His former siblings are important and he loves them dearly, but Whitekit and Runningkit...the three of them carry the same doubt, fear, and hope. They could rely on each other, and only them could understand themselves alone. The factors quickly bind them together and in the end, it's the key to their survival; to be there for one another and to help support one another if one falls.
A sigh pulled him out of his thoughts. "I...I tried to be cheerful and optimistic, I really tried. To at least lessen your and Whitekit's emotional burden." Runningkit tentatively looked away from him. Her eyes were glistening with uncertainly. "But it's so hard." She confessed. Gingerly, she gazed at her paws as fine droplets of tears pattered the ground. "It's so conflicting. I don't even know what should I do." Despite the tears, her voice was still eerily calm and collected. As if the tears were nothing more but mere water drops she can't seems to control. "I don't even know is it right for us to even exist at this point. And I wonder, did I really deserve this chance?" At this, her voice sounded wistful and despairingly bleak, almost as she was planing to give her life away for someone else. "I'm not ready to let go of my old life. I can't forget them." She concluded softly and gazed up, through the brambles dripping with rain, up to the grey, cloudy sky. He could feel as his heart just broke in half at the sight of his new littermate's despair.
No. He won't let Runningkit think like this. Even if they have doubts, they will survive and do well, he believe that they can, he trust that they will. Gradually, he got up to his paws and gave Runningkit a sympathetic, yet determined stare of his own. "We are given this life by them, we have the right to exist." He gently uttered. This whole concept of reincarnation, or how to achieve their long awaited goal - happiness and being loyal warriors - won't even matter at all if they don't trust themselves and be confident that they'll success. "And don't let go of your old life - no, I beg you, please don't let go of what is a part of you." He smiled a little too sadly, but understanding, nonetheless. "I can't let go of my old life, too. My siblings, Sorreltail and Sootfur, are cats who shaped a big part of me. I can't let go of them, too." His smiled then took a little more force to keep it up, but he ignored it for the time being and went on.
"Also, you have me and Whitekit. Please count on us too, we're in this together." The smile on his face became gentle again. "I know it's harder on you than me and Whitekit, so think of us as your sibling. We'll go through this mess together, then you'll see we're meant to be. And if you don't believe me, I'll prove it to you someday. Just wait for me." He promised, hopeful.
Runningkit gazed at him silently for what seems like a moon, before she flashed a smile that he never thought he'd misses this greatly. "I'll...I'll try my best. And I'll wait for you." That sentence almost magically lifted away the weight on his shoulders. They later sat in silence for a very long time, only the sound of rain and quiet murmuring of cats hang between them. Every little sound that reaches them, every little pitter patter the rain makes, every little talks a cat make, it echoed fuzzily around them and calmly, it eased the atmosphere to the point it was easy to breathe.
After when the rain had calm down until it was mere drizzles, Runningkit smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for this little breakdown of mine. Guess I'm not in the best of moods nowadays." She yawned a little. "Well, I better take a nap. Perhaps I'm getting restless because of the lack of sleep." He could sympathize with that, for his eyelids felt kind of heavy, too.
"I'll join you."
"Great choice, Rainy. Now, where is Whitekit, then we'll complete the trio."
He paused for a heartbeat, before answering. "I'll go and fetch her if she's in the elders den, go ahead."
"Right. See you at the nursey. Oh, and." Sincerly, Runningkit smiled. "Thank you."
"It's no problem. We're siblings, after all." So he gave back the most genuine smile he could muster up. And to be honest, it feels nice.
When he went to the elders den again, there's only Cloudyfoot and Whitekit in there. Cloudyfoot was sleeping peacefully, while Whitekit's eyes glazed over as she gazed into the rain, seemingly daydreaming. He approached her, careful not to awake Cloudyfoot. "Whitekit. Are you all right?" Whitekit jerked in surprise just as she snapped out of her daydreaming. "Rainkit! Don't creep on me like that!" She hissed, but padded forward to meet him at the den entrance. "Is everything okay by the way? How's Runningkit?" She's very straight to the point. He'd had laugh dryly at her, if not for the situation he'd encountered with Runningkit.
He gave her a weary sigh. "It seems that Runningkit isn't as healthy as she appears to be." Whitekit went quite - which he was hit by the same weight of nervousness like when he's with Runningkit - and tediously she looked down at her paws, her eyes grimly calm, to his worry. "I expect no more than that." She whispered, and he froze. His eyes widened. "What?"
"I see it in Runningkit's eyes. She's trying to cover up how shaken up she felt with a confident front. But I know. Those eyes, she can't keep going for long." Whitekit solemnly elaborated. "Yet sometimes, crumbling is better than tolerating the strain." He'd like to question her statement, but what he prevented him was the remembering of the moons she spent living, her experience and wiseness that honed her skills and knowledge of things. Instead, He looked up to the sky soundlessly, past the layer of dark green leaves, watching as the light rain showered down to the camp below it. Like the sky shed tears for them. "What about you? You won't kept all the emotions bottled up in you too, will you, Whitekit? "
"I'm the most mentally healthy out of our lot. And I'm mentally older too, I'll do well. Besides," Then, her tone took on a more lighter note. "As long as I have something to eat and a safe place to stay, I'd be fine." Whitekit breathed out, the sound of her breath was muffled by the soft rain but audible to him, and her voice returned solemn as before. "I know you felt as it's your responsibility to support others and keep them from crumbling. But sometimes, things need to crumble to become stronger. We can't keep supporting things forever, everyone-wise." She whirled to faced him. "Don't deny it either, Rainkit. You yourself have deadly strains too, behind those eyes. Don't think of trying to support others too much, just when you can barely support yourself alone."
What Whitekit said was true, and he secretly knew it himself that he can't go on for long if he can't find a way to free himself of these strains. A tiny part of him hoped, that maybe, maybe all these burden of emotions would just disappear one day, then he'd has nothing to hold him down. But that'd be very selfish of him, to forget his old self and everyone he knew in his past life and destroy all bonds with them for the sake of his own happiness. He couldn't do that, when there're still people precious to him, that he won't ever trade for any cats Starclan could ever blessed. Sootfur, Sorreltail, Willowpelt, Whitestorm...and Swallowtail. Starclan, how could he ever forget her? She's magical and shone the brightest among every cat he'd ever seen...
"You two! What are you doing!" Out of nowhere, Runningkit suddenly leaped in front of them, almost roaring like a lion. At the sudden switch of the atmosphere, Rainkit, who was unsuspecting as always, shrieked shrilly and jumped onto Whitekit's flank, receiving a surprised snarl from the latter. Runningkit gave him a teasing look. "Aww little Rainkit, don't worry, I'm not a lion or anything." She cooed, before laughing happily, the laughter later joined by Whitekit. He grumbled as he climbed down from Whitekit, a little more than annoyed. But a glance at Runningkit's joyous smiled was quick to lit one on his own face. Even if it was at his expense and utter humiliation - well not really, but - he was happy that he could make Runningkit, no, both of them happy and smiling after such a depressing conversation. They deserve it, these little resilient furballs.
"Well, what do you want?" He huffed. But that doesn't mean he'll forgive Runningkit easily. Said kit immediately glared at them. "That's the thing I'm asking you; what's taking you so long? Flowerheart's kitting!" Whitekit and he instantly shot up, dashing away from the elders den towards the nursery, with Runningkit following with equal pace.
Anxiously, he asked them. "Do you think, by any chance, would Flowerheart's kits be a fellow reincarnated cat?" Runningkit went deep in thought, while Whitekit merely shrugged. "We'll know when we see them." She then smiled. "Don't think about it much, both of you. We'll find a way if they're one of our kinds. If they're not, we can do nothing but wait, so be patient." What Whitekit said is true, but speaking was harder than really doing it.
Together, without much choice, when they reached the nursery, the three of them settled down near the nursery entrance, next to Littlemoss who wraps her tails around them protectively. With Sandspots who was lying next to them, and Redstripe who was pacing restlessly, waiting for the kitting of his mate. He sighed, feeling the fatigue catching up with him as he lay down on Littlemoss' fluffly tail. He better catch some nap before Flowerheart finishes kitting. With that, he closed his eyes and exhaled drearily.
For your information, the Swallowtail Rainkit was thinking about, she's the Riverclan one, not the Windclan Swallowtail, the one Rainwhisker was very eager to met - if anyone could remember her. A little drama wouldn't hurt, would it? Also, hello Braveheart of Shadowclan, Glacierstar56, and any new readers out there, welcome to the crew! Anyway, thank you so much for reading this little story so far! Every review, favourite and follow is greatly appreciate!