☁ 𝒜𝓈 𝒞𝓁𝑜𝓊𝒹𝓈 𝒞𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓀𝓎 ☁

Chapter 21

𝒫𝑒𝓉𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒾𝓈𝒽

~ ✵ ☁ ✵ ~

She waited patiently outside her leader's den; her tail wrapped neatly around her paws. It was early morning and Rainstar was still asleep, as she always was, leaving her duties to her deputy until she finally rolled out of her nest.

She could ask Badgerclaw what had happened, but with her luck, the deputy would just snap at her and avoid answering.

The camp buzzed with activity around her. Stoneshade and Skyrunner were sharing a mouse in the clearing and a few other cats were gathering and preparing to go on patrol. She also saw Brackenpounce crawl out of the elder's den to bask in the early sunlight.

As she continued standing near her leader's den with her tail draped patiently over her paws, Badgerclaw approached her. The healer respectfully dipped her head.

"Uselesswish. Whatever you have to say to Rainstar, you can tell me, you know?" The deputy's dark green eyes were narrowed into slits as she sauntered toward her.

"Thank you, but I think I should talk to Rainstar alone about this particular topic." She answered as politely as she could.

"Fine then. There's no point in wasting my time with you anyway, Petalbrat." She sneered. "Now if you'll please excuse me, I have a patrol to lead." And with that, the muscular she-cat stalked away, beckoning the gathered patrol members with a wave of her tail.

Just as the group disappeared out of camp, Rainstar poked her head out of her cave, startling Petalwish with her blazing amber eyes. "R-Rainstar." She stuttered, trying to regain her composure. "May I speak with you?"

"Fine. Come in." She grumbled, vanishing into the cave once again. Petalwish found herself hesitating for just a moment before following her lead.

The stone was cold beneath her paws as she padded across the floor of the den. In the far corner lay Rainstar's nest, made of soft moss and bracken. As she let her eyes adjust to the darkness of the den and peered closer, she noticed feathers had even been added for extra comfort.

The CliffClan leader really was treated with such adoration by her clanmates. Were the other clan leaders treated in such a way? Surely not. She could tell just by the gatherings she had been to that the other leaders weren't nearly as self-centered as Rainstar was.

And it isn't like our deputy is any better. She thought to herself. If anything, Badgerclaw was worse than the leader. Not only did she crave the admiration of her other clanmates, but she also thirsted for power over her clan, and it was obvious to Petalwish that she could hardly wait to gain her nine lives and leadership of CliffClan.

Noticing Rainstar's impatient flicks of her tail and her expectant gaze that bore into her daughter's fur, Petalwish cleared her throat to speak. "I apologize once again for being gone so long yesterday, but could you by any chance let me know what happened while I was away?" She asked.

"Why should I tell you?" She hissed, accusingly. "You're the one who wasted so much time outside CliffClan territory."

"I didn't mean to- "But she cut herself off, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. "I saw their wounds, Rainstar. It's obvious that something happened and as their healer, I feel that I should know about it." She mewed, referring to her clanmates.

"Fine then. The river by FlameClan territory, it's our river now. It'll keep us well-fed for moons now that we have it all to ourselves!" Rainstar let out a purr of pure pride. Petalwish stared into her eyes for a long moment, searching them for any hint of guilt. But there was nothing. Only pleasure and satisfaction.

"Took the river?" She echoed, swallowing hard. "But FlameClan relies on the river as well to survive! How could you..." She choked out.

"They can go scrounging around the twoleg dens for all I care!" She growled, with a careless bat of her paw.

"Rainstar you have to let them share the river! Otherwise, they'll starve!" She pleaded.

The leader eyed her scornfully. "Are you still a loyal member of CliffClan, or did your little trip to the Flower Hills change your loyalties?" She challenged. Her tail lashed behind her and her teeth were barred to match her menacing tone of voice.

"I am loyal- "She began, but Rainstar cut her off.

"Then prove it!" She snarled. "For the next three days, you shall not show your face in camp. I want you to think over your actions and work out where exactly your loyalties lie!" She growled. "Only then, may you return, unless you find that your loyalties don't belong to CliffClan after all, in which case you shouldn't show back up at all!"

"Bet Leafpounce- "She began.

"Will be fine without you. I'll have Junipernose look after him during your absence."

Shock glistened in Petalwish's brilliant green eyes. After allowing herself a few moments to process what had just happened, she turned and left the den, heading straight for the camp entrance. She was loyal, and if Rainstar expected to prove herself in such a way, she would.

But as she left her clanmates behind her, she couldn't help but think to herself that perhaps she didn't belong in CliffClan after all.

✵☁✵

The air grew chilly and crisp as the sun began to set, sending the sky into darkness. She was lucky that the nearly full moon allowed her just enough light for her night vision to kick in. Crickets sounded nearby and, in the distance, the hoots of an owl echoed across the rocky landscape. She made a nest for herself, although she didn't have time to make a secure den. It was a well-hidden divot in the rocks and she prayed that SpiritClan would shelter her from the elements until she could return safely to CliffClan.

Poor Junipernose. She began to think as she tried to drift off to sleep. Even as an elder he can't catch a break, and it's all my fault.

Maybe she wasn't meant to be CliffClan's healer. Perhaps she was meant to live in another clan. It was her own mother who had thrown her out and accused her of disloyalty after all.

She thought of Leafpounce and her other clanmates, trying to overshadow the dark thought. Surely, they would all miss her if she left after all. And in turn, she would miss them.

She thought of Branchtail, the shy and timid warrior who was excellent at hunting prey and tracking scents and was very loyal to his clan no matter what he was told. Then there was Stoneshade, always trying to make others happy even in the harshest of times. Brackenpounce, who despite her grumpy attitude, enjoyed telling stories and dearly missed her son, Grass. And of course, Junipernose who had taught her everything she knew about healing and was still willing to help her even though he had already retired from his duties.

And Leafpounce, who was once easy-going and cheerful, always radiating with happiness. It was too bad he was stuck in the healer's den now.

Worry tugged at her chest. What if I never see him again? If she actually did ditch her clan and decided she was no longer loyal to CliffClan, that was. Or worse. What if he ended up dying while she was away? He was already so sick...

Her dreams were troubled as she finally drifted off. This would be a long three days.