Chapter 5

"And you just expect us to share our prey with them?" Oakstar narrowed his eyes when Raincloud returned with a story to tell him. The whole Clan had gathered to hear how FireClan was fairing. And the news she shared wasn't good.

"No, I don't expect you to," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. They had enough problems catching prey as it was! "But there has to be something we can do to help them."

Oakstar didn't say anything for a moment. A hushed whisper fell upon the crowd when she said that. Raincloud felt her heart racing as she thought of what to say next. Flowerstar had personally asked her for help. No Clan leader ever did such a thing, not unless they were truly desperate.

"We have our own problems to deal with," Oakstar hissed. "As my deputy I expected better of you."

Raincloud flinched when he said that. She knew that as deputy she should have put her Clan above all else. But the urge to help other Clans came so naturally. When she was an apprentice she had helped save FireClan from the tyranny of Silverstar. Then she helped the others bring back SunClan from their old home to the valley.

"She just wants to play hero again," Rowanfire snickered. Other cats joined in her statement, causing Raincloud to glare coldly at her.

Rowanfire's always been obnoxious, but this is ridiculous! she thought bitterly. To make matters worse cats were actually agreeing with her.

"No, we will not help FireClan," Oakstar decided after mulling over it for some time. "They can handle their own problems."

Anger surged within Raincloud as he turned away. This was exactly what had happened with SunClan! They had stayed behind in the forest because they were too stubborn to leave. They thought they could handle their own problems. But in the end it was their selfish desire to survive that had driven them away from the forest.

"Why don't you stop playing hero and actually do something useful, deputy," Rowanfire sneered once Oakstar was gone. "Or should I tell the Clan your little secret?"

"What secret?" Raincloud snapped. Her eyes were narrowed with hate as she glared at Rowanfire.

"That those kits are HalfClan kits."

Dread washed over Raincloud when Rowanfire said that. Her green eyes were sharp as she locked gazes with Raincloud. If it had been anyone else she would have clawed their ears off for making such a threat. But her kits' lives were at stake.

But she could be talking about Shadepelt's kits, she added silently.

"And just who are you talking about?" she demanded to confirm her fears.

"Yours of course." Rowanfire tossed her muzzle to one side in triumph. "It's obvious that the father isn't in this Clan. It doesn't take a genius to know."

Claws sliding out with outrage, Raincloud had to restrain herself from attacking Rowanfire than and there. How this arrogant mousebrain was related to someone as gentle and kind as Mousefang, she would never know. The two were nothing alike, and Mousefang got along with everyone unlike his sister.

"I'm ashamed to call you my Clanmate," she hissed under her breath.

"Yeah, well that makes two of us." Rowanfire smirked and turned away, lashing her tail across Raincloud's muzzle in the process.

Raincloud looked down at her paws shamefully once she was gone. She was not ashamed that her kits were HalfClan. They were strong and brave just like their father. She was more ashamed of the fact that Rowanfire would go to such lengths to cause her misery.

"You shouldn't let her get to you like that." Raincloud flinched when she heard Shadepelt's voice. She turned to see him standing nearby, eyes dark as he watched Rowanfire leave. "She tried using the same trick on me, but I wouldn't let her. If she thinks she's going to threaten me with my kits, she has another thing coming for her." His claws scraped against the ground as if to prove his point.

"How did she find out?" she wondered as Shadepelt sat down to join her.

"She has too many resources, and I'm sure she found out during the Gathering," he replied with a shrug. "Rowanfire's always been a foxheart, and she always will be."

She nodded in agreement to that. Shadepelt had no idea just how right he was about Rowanfire. For a while it had seemed as though Rowanfire finally calmed down in her age. But now she had to drop this bombshell and make things even worse.

Oakstar would strip her of her title as deputy if he found out. He might even name Rowanfire as a mentor and deputy for her successful discovery. Raincloud had no doubt in her mind that he would do such a thing.

...

She spent the rest of the evening with her kits. Sootpaw was bigger than his brother, Shadowpaw. But what Shadowpaw lacked in size he made up for in speed and intelligence. He'd make a great hunter if it wasn't for his lack of patience. And Smokepaw, there was no telling what she was capable of. She was a mixture of both Sootpaw and Shadowpaw. Her cunning nature would scare off most cats, but not Raincloud. She loved her kits, and would do anything to keep them safe.

"Mamma, when do you think Oakstar will give us our warrior names?" Sootpaw asked as he yawned and stretched over a stone slab. Raincloud stifled a purr at the sight as Shadowpaw swatted his paw away. Sootpaw grumbled in annoyance and staggered back to his paws.

"You aren't ready for them yet," she replied. "But you will be. Unless you continue disobeying your mentors." She looked at Shadowpaw while saying that. His ears flattened in embarrassment and he looked away.

"Blazelight was expecting me to take down something twice my size, I had to turn him down," Shadowpaw muttered in an accusing tone.

"Or you were just too lazy, like always," Smokepaw purred with laughter when Shadowpaw glared at her.

Amusement washed over Raincloud as she watched them argue. She remembered a time when she and Bluelightning would argue like this. Feathercloud would always get so angry with them for fighting. And Berryfur would make sure they were stopped before they got worse.

Her eyes darkened for a moment as she thought of her father. What would he say if he knew who the father of her kits was? She wondered if he would approve of her choice. It wouldn't surprise her if Berryfur turned away from her as well.

I will not consider them mistakes, she kept telling herself.

"Is something wrong?" Sootpaw looked at Raincloud warily, and she realized for a moment that she must have dazed off. She blinked and looked down at her kits before sighing.

"No, everything is fine," she replied. "Why don't you go to your nests, tomorrow's a big day for you."

They looked like they were ready to argue when Smokepaw nudged them towards the apprentice's den. Being the more sensible of the three, Smokepaw always acted like the leader. Raincloud held back another purr as she watched them disappear into the tunnel. Her kits would make fine warriors when the time came.

As she returned to her nest in the warrior's den, Raincloud noticed that everyone slept further away from Rowanfire. She held back a sigh of relief as she curled up in her nest. At least she wasn't the only one suffering from the arrogant cat's attitude.

...

The moment her eyes closed she knew that something was wrong. All around her she picked up the stench of fear that was almost overwhelming. The air seemed hot and thick as she opened her eyes to find herself in the forest.

Raincloud gasped when she saw how bare and dry the trees looked. The ground under her paws crunched as she moved to get away. The forest around her looked absolutely devastated by the drought. She had never seen such damage before. Even leafbare wasn't this bad.

Horrified by the sights that fell upon her, Raincloud started running. She didn't stop until she reached the edge of the border. From here she could see StreamClan's territory. But something was wrong. She could clearly see how dried out the streams were, and saw dead fish laying on the ground. The stench rolling off of them in waves made her nose wrinkle in disgust.

"What's happening to the valley?" she demanded, her voice rising above the blood roaring in her ears.

"This is what will happen if the Clans do not stand together." Raincloud's eyes widened when she heard that familiar voice. She whirled around in time to see Berryfur standing in front of her. The gray and white tom's eyes were bright with starlight as he looked calmly at her. "This forest faces devastation unlike anything we have ever seen," he went on, gazing across the barren landscape.

"But why? The valley has always provided everything we need," Raincloud whispered.

"No, not everything." Berryfur closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, Raincloud thought she was looking straight at her own reflection. "Something has happened that scared away the prey. Soon everyone will starve, and the forest itself will burn. You must leave this valley, and find a safer home."

Raincloud felt her chest heave with anxiety at the thought of leaving the valley. It was where she had grown up. It was her true and only home. But she wouldn't be stubborn like SunClan had been. If need be, she would leave with the rest of the Clans.

"A-Are you sure there's no other way to help the valley?" she asked.

"No. Only by leaving will you find peace."

She was ready to say something else when his body began to fade. Raincloud let out a hiss of frustration when she was left behind once again by her father. She hated what had happened to him. He should be alive and living in the elder's den with Feathercloud. Instead he resided in StarClan with Redstar and every other cat killed by Silverstar.

"I miss you!" she nearly yowled the words.

Raincloud hadn't realized until now just how much she missed her father. Seeing him again only made things worse. And now the valley was about to face it's worst enemy yet. She didn't know what to do, and the Clan wasn't likely to listen to her after what Rowanfire had said.

StarClan give me strength, she begged silently.