Melody of the Rain

Chapter 11

The quarter moon was high in the night sky as Rainpaw snuck out of camp. A hole in the camp wall behind the warriors' den made for an easy escape. She squeezed herself through the gap, trying her best to ignore the brambles scraping her pelt. I'm going to leave half of my fur in this stupid bramble! She glanced towards the camp entrance where Heatherdust and Tumblefoot were keeping watch.

A chilly wind blew overhead, making her shiver. It had been much colder recently. It was only a matter of time before sickness took over. Rainpaw hurried away from the bramble wall, trying to step as lightly as possible through the snow. Once the camp was out of sight, she broke into a run, excitement fizzing in her belly. I hope he remembered! It was his idea after all...

As she reached the EagleClan border, her heart started pounding. She slowed, panting lightly. Her leaf-green eyes searched the snowy treeline. Is he here? Finally, her gaze landed on a figure standing several fox-lengths away and she drew in a sharp breath. There he is!

Skypaw was standing in the snow across from her. White snowflakes dappled his pale gray and cream pelt, and his amber eyes were locked onto her. He let out a purr and bounded over in a few strides. "Rainpaw!" The tortoiseshell purred back and touched her nose to his. "Hi Skypaw," she mewed. The EagleClan tom puffed out his chest. "Actually, my name is Skyfall now," he said proudly. Rainpaw felt a thrill of excitement for him. "Finally! That's great," she exclaimed.

Skyfall grinned. "I know right? Splitstar gave me my full name as soon as he came back from getting his nine lives! He said I deserved it way sooner, but obviously I couldn't get it while I was stuck in the SnowClan camp." Rainpaw felt a slight stab of guilt. It wasn't her fault, of course, but she knew that he deserved to be named with his siblings instead of being forced to wait.

"So," she began, "How are things in EagleClan now that Splitstar is leader? Any different from Wildstar? Also, your leg looks like it's healing nicely!" Skyfall smiled. "My leg feels great. I've been exercising every day! And things are very different, actually," he mewed, "Splitstar is very involved in clan affairs, way more so than Wildstar was. He's been having us reinforce the dens and barriers for the remainder of leafbare. All apprentices are getting extra training and he insists on overseeing as many of their battle practice sessions as possible. Fadingsky is the new deputy. He attends many of the training sessions too, but usually just the hunting ones."

Rainpaw nodded, taking in all of the news. This could be a strong start for EagleClan. At least Skyfall seemed excited about it. If he was happy, it made her happy as well. "I'm glad to hear that everything seems to be going well for you," she purred. He gave her his usual cocky grin. "Yeah, it is," he mewed, nudging her, "But I should really thank you for everything you've done for me. You're amazing."

Rainpaw blushed. She loved hearing him say that. Not knowing how to respond, she shuffled her paws. "I um, I should be getting back," she mewed, standing up. Skyfall shrugged. "Alright, meet me here at the next quarter moon then?" The tortoiseshell gave him a small smile. "Of course!" Before leaving, he gave the top of her head a lick. "See you soon," he mewed, pressing his pelt against hers before bounding back into his own territory. Rainpaw let out a dreamy sigh and padded back to camp.

The sound of coughing broke Rainpaw out of her shallow slumber. It seemed like she'd laid in her nest only moments ago. Still, her pelt spiked with fear as she looked over to see Hollypaw having a coughing fit. "You should go see Otterfoot," she ordered the black she-cat, who could only nod in response. Rainpaw watched the younger apprentice pad unsteadily out of the den and several worries entered her mind. I hope it's nothing too serious, but it sounds like greencough! Who else will get sick? I hope my family stays safe. Unable to fall back asleep with her belly in knots, she rose from her nest and padded over to Smokepelt. The gray tom was organizing the dawn patrol. "Can I join?" asked Rainpaw, "I can't sleep." The deputy nodded. "Of course. We could use the extra paws."

When the dawn patrol returned to camp, the first thing Rainpaw noticed was Amberpaw pacing outside of the medicine den. She hurried over and pressed against him. "What happened?" she asked, trying not to panic. Amberpaw glanced at the den again. "Meadowfrost is sick. And Hollypaw has gotten worse. Moonpaw  says it's definitely greencough and that they're doing everything they can." He didn't sound convinced. "Who else is sick?" Rainpaw asked, taking a deep breath to try to calm down. "Roseheart, Jaggedbite, and Darkblossom." Rainpaw couldn't find the words to respond. It was too overwhelming. 

"Roseheart and Meadowfrost are strong, I'm sure they'll both be fine," Amberpaw tried to reassure her. Rainpaw shook her head. "Darkblossom is the oldest cat in the clans. She's the one I'm worried won't make it," she mewed. Rainpaw was very close to all of the elders, but Darkblossom was special. As a kit, Rainpaw had wormed her way into the grumpy she-cat's heart and stuck there like a tick. She would visit every chance she got. If she caught a bird on a hunting patrol, she made sure Darkblossom got it. Rainpaw knew the chances of the dark she-cat recovering were slim. It was heartbreaking. And on top of that, her mother and her mentor were sick too. Oh StarClan, please don't take any cats from us. Please!

By nightfall, Snowstar had fallen sick, and Darkblossom and Jaggedbite were dead. Upon hearing the news of their deaths, Rainpaw was devastated. It wasn't really surprising, but it was still unbelievable to hear someone actually say it. As Moonpaw prepared the elders' bodies for the vigil, Rainpaw felt the tension that enveloped her clanmates. Everyone was on edge, waiting for the news that a loved one was sick or dead. The vigil was quiet, and Moonpaw didn't allow any cat to touch the dead elders for fear of the sickness spreading. Otterfoot arranged for the strongest and healthiest cats to remove the bodies for burial. When they were gone, the camp grew silent.

"Please, I need to see her!"

The exclamation surprised most of the clan. Rainpaw turned to see Bearstrike trying to shoulder past Otterfoot into the medicine den. Surprisingly the older medicine cat held his ground against the much larger tom. They began to argue, but she tuned it out. In that moment, Rainpaw noticed how similar the two toms' pelt colors were. Hmm, odd. I wonder who he's so desperate to see.

Amberpaw bent down to whisper in her ear. "I think he wants to see Meadowfrost." Rainpaw raised an eyebrow at him. "He does? Why?" The russet tom tilted his head in confusion. "You haven't noticed? They've been getting very close for a while now. He's always doting on her and any spare time she has that isn't spent with us is spent with him. I think they might be mates."

Rainpaw was surprised. She really hadn't noticed. When she thought about it, she would usually see them eating together or sharing tongues. Bearstrike usually made an effort to be on whichever patrol Meadowfrost was on. It was honestly kind of cute. Besides, their mother deserved to be happy too. I guess I've been too focused on Skyfall. I didn't even realize my mother had a new mate!