Chapter 3
Raincloud purred in amusement as she watched Hollypaw try to reach for the squirrel that had climbed up a tree. It was early in the morning, and she had decided to take out a hunting patrol. So far the prey was running well today, unlike a few days ago. Cinderfire and Petalfur had managed to catch a mouse and two shrews while they were out on their own.
"Stupid squirrel!" Hollypaw hissed in frustration. Fortunately she knew better than to climb the tree. Raincloud on the other paw, wasn't too put off by it's height.
It was like the squirrel was mocking them as Raincloud clawed her way up the tree. By the time she reached the branch the squirrel was on, it was too stunned to move. She reached out with one paw and knocked it off the branch, right into Hollypaw's waiting jaws.
"Since when did you turn into a squirrel?" Petalfur mewed in amusement when she joined them.
Raincloud wasted no time in climbing back down, digging her claws in so she didn't fall down. It was the first trick Redstar had taught her when she was an apprentice. And for a moment she wondered if he was proud of all of the achievements she had made lately.
Maybe now isn't the best time to think about that, she thought.
"I think this is more than enough for the day," she murmured after Hollypaw had dropped the squirrel at her paws. "We should head back."
That was when she picked up a familiar scent in the air. Her fur bristled with unease when she recognized it as FireClan's scent. They had been hunting a little close to the border, but not to much that they had crossed it.
"Looks to me like we have a couple of intruders," Cinderfire hissed, her claws unsheathing as she glared at a couple of cats in the undergrowth.
Narrowing her eyes, Raincloud shot Cinderfire a warning look and padded forward, careful not to step over the border. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, recognizing Crispleaf and Stormheart.
"Flowerstar wanted to speak with you," Crispleaf meowed, her eyes darkening with what looked like fear. "Please, it's urgent."
For a moment Raincloud was hesitant to say anything. Then she turned to her Clanmates. Cinderfire's eyes were narrowed with suspicion, while Petalfur's head was tilted to one side with curiosity.
"Cinderfire, can you please go and warn Oakstar what's happening?" she asked, realizing that if Flowerstar couldn't come herself, then something was wrong.
Flowerstar was so much different from any other FireClan cat. She was usually compassionate about the warrior code and her Clanmates. Before back when Silverstar was leading the Clan, she had always been afraid of what lay in front of her.
She found it hard to believe that it had been so long ago since that battle against Silverstar. Life in the valley had gotten peaceful since then. But Raincloud was well aware that life was never what it seemed. Now things were different, especially with SunClan sharing a border right beside MoonClan and FireClan.
"Alright, I'll go," Cinderfire muttered crossly after giving it some thought. "But I know for a fact that Oakstar isn't going to like it." Her remark only made Raincloud roll her eyes.
Once she slipped away into the undergrowth, Raincloud turned back to the FireClan cats. It was only than that she noticed how thin they were. Her eyes widened in horror when she realized just how desperate they must be.
Why aren't they finding any prey? she wondered.
"Petalfur and Hollypaw can come with us," Raincloud suggested, giving Hollypaw one look as the apprentice's eyes widened in excitement. "After all, I was just an apprentice when I got to see another Clan's territory."
"Under normal circumstances, we would not allow that," Stormheart growled irritably. "But I don't suppose this is normal."
Raincloud shot him a sympathetic look, though she doubted these cats would thank her for it. FireClan cats were usually too proud and stubborn to ask for any help. She knew it must be serious if these cats were asking for it.
With that being said, she followed Crispleaf and Stormheart back into FireClan territory. Almost at once the undergrowth began to disappear, and Hollypaw was looking around frantically as she tried finding a place to hide.
"Don't bother, there isn't much undergrowth for you to hide in here," Crispleaf meowed over her shoulder as if she had read Hollypaw's thoughts.
"Is it true that you spent time with FireClan?" Hollypaw asked, trying to keep up with Raincloud.
"Yes, she did," Crispleaf answered for Raincloud, earning a look of annoyance.
I can speak for myself! she thought indignantly. She didn't dare say it out loud though.
"FireClan isn't much different from MoonClan," she reassured Hollypaw. "They're just grouchy most of the time because they don't get enough sleep." She could hear Stormheart stifling a mrrow of laughter at the comment, while Crispleaf only rolled her eyes.
"When do you sleep?" Hollypaw asked.
"Seriously? When did this turn into a game of questions?" Crispleaf demanded, her voice flat with annoyance.
Hollypaw fell silent after that, much to everyone's relief. It was close to sunhigh by the time they reached FireClan's camp. The camp itself was surrounded by tall grass and a few boulders that provided some shelter from the wind. Raincloud noticed that Flowerstar had guards posted on the boulders this time, and her fur bristled with unease.
Already Raincloud could make out the thin forms of cats as they entered the clearing. She wondered for a moment if it was always like this. Everyone was staring at them with hungry looking eyes. Hollypaw suddenly curled her tail as Petalfur picked up the squirrel Raincloud had caught earlier.
"Give the squirrel to them, they need it more than we do," Raincloud whispered. Petalfur was about to argue when she thought better of it.
"What's this for?" a silver and dark gray she-cat known as Hollowsong demanded when Petalfur dropped off the squirrel.
"Take it as a gift, from MoonClan," she replied, trying to keep her fur flat. Hollowsong's eyes narrowed with suspicion as she looked down at the squirrel.
"We don't need your prey!" Pinefrost hissed, glaring at the newcomers as he left what looked like the warrior's den.
"That's enough, Pinefrost." The FireClan deputy flinched when Flowerstar spoke up for the first time. Raincloud felt her shoulders sag in relief as she recognized the dappled tortoiseshell she-cat. Her relief was short-lived though when she saw just how thin Flowerstar was. "My apologies for their hostility... we have not had an easy leafbare," she murmured.
"But at the Gathering-" Flowerstar cut Petalfur off with a serious look.
"I only said what I said to keep the Clans off our backs," she snapped. "But it turns out that we need more help than I had expected."
A few cats stared at Flowerstar in disbelief when she said that. Raincloud tilted her head to one side, suddenly more anxious than ever to find out what was wrong. A Clan leader never gave such devastating news away, especially to strangers from another Clan.
"Maybe we should talk somewhere more private," Raincloud suggested, noticing the glares she and the other MoonClan cats were receiving.
"Yes, we can speak in my den," Flowerstar replied, suddenly realizing the tension that filled the air.
They wasted no time in heading for what looked like a hole in the ground. The hole was covered in leaves and moss, but as Flowerstar headed inside, she revealed it to be much bigger and roomier than Raincloud expected. She purred in amazement when she realized this den was much like the caves in MoonClan.
"Flowerstar, I don't know exactly what it is you expect me to do," Raincloud meowed once they were inside and away from those glares. "I'm the MoonClan deputy now, and I have my own Clan to worry about."
"I was hoping that as a friend, you could help me out," Flowerstar murmured, keeping her eyes on the ground. "We have long since been friends before I became leader, and you a deputy. Perhaps some of that friendship can rub off on the Clan."
Raincloud found herself feeling guilty when Flowerstar said that. It was true, they were still good friends. But she had to put her Clan above anyone else. She couldn't just go behind Oakstar's back and help Flowerstar. Not when her own Clanmates needed her.
"What is it that you need?" Raincloud asked, trying to keep her voice calm as she thought of all the trouble this would get her into.
"Our forest has become so dry that there is no prey around," Flowerstar explained. "I-I am afraid that if something is not done soon, we will all starve to death. Mapleshine's kits are barely five moons old, they should not be as thin as they are."
If one Clan goes, the others will soon follow, a small voice reminded Raincloud. She remembered what had almost happened to SunClan when they didn't get any help from the other Clans. The same thing couldn't happen again. History was bound to repeat itself.
"Alright, I'll see what we can do," she meowed after giving it some thought. Flowerstar's eyes brightened with the faintest spark of hope. "Maybe I can divide the prey between FireClan and MoonClan. I'm sure Oakstar won't be too happy, but he should be easy to reason with."
Flowerstar nodded and sighed in relief. "Thank you, I truly am grateful for your help," she purred. "The queens and elders must come first though, then the apprentices. I want to ensure that they have enough to eat."
Raincloud blinked in surprise when Flowerstar said that. She was willing to give up the own urge to feed for her Clanmates. She suddenly wondered if this was something Silverstar would have ever done. FireClan had certainly changed, in more ways than one.
AN: So... it's king of been a month since I last updated this... I think by now most people have learned that my updates tend to be a bit slow. Sorry about that. But nonetheless, I will be posting and continue working on this story along with my others. I may just update Fireblazin' next since it's been so long for that as well. Then Sharpest Thorn shall be updated.
Lightclaw's Shadow - It's okay, it has been a long time since those stories were posted Oo And yeah, poor Creekfeather didn't deserve that kind of a death!