Warriors Fanfiction: Rainfall

Chapter 3

Rainfall twitched her whiskers irritably as she stood in front of the tree-bridge that held as it's entrance to the island where the clans' gathering was held. Cloudtail impatiently nudged her rump with his head. "Hurry up and cross!" he hissed. Her gaze raked across the dark water that splashed beneath the tree-bridge.

Rainfall glanced towards the white warrior with a annoyed flicked of her tail-tip. No matter how many times I cross this fox-dung bridge it still scares the fur out of me...!

Honeyfur pushed past Cloudtail until she stood behind Rainfall. "Keep your fur on!" she snapped, she turned towards Rainfall and blinked her soft green gaze. Bramblestar who had already crossed first with Foxtail by his side sat on the other side of the tree-bridge and yowled over at Rainfall.

"Come, Rainfall! Riverclan will be arriving soon and we don't want to block the tree-bridge!" he called.

Foxtail stood to his paws and murmured in to his clan leader's ear and Bramblestar nodded as Foxtail padded ahead to the gathering spot. She narrowed her golden gaze her claws digging in to the earth's ground. That stupid mouse-brain thinks he's all that since he's always been the best in training...!

She leaped atop the tree-bridge and holding her breath she stiffly clawed across the tree-bridge and her ears twitched as she could faintly make out the familiar sound of Ashtail's snort of amusement. She hopped down and let out her sigh of relief padding towards Bramblestar. "You managed to cross dry" Bramblestar mewed, flicking her shoulder with his tail.

~ ~ ~

Honeyfur and Ashtail padded by Rainfall's side and they examined the Gathering clearing to see Windclan and Shadowclan had already arrived, Shadowclan's leader Rowanstar and Windclan's Onestar sat at the branches where the leaders sat at already. The clans' deputies all sat at the bottom beneath their clan leaders. Foxtail sat within a few fox-legnths away from the other clans alone his fox-tail like tail curled around his paws. "Even though he's come to the Gathering he still doesn't even try to socialize..." Honeyfur mewed, with a twitch of her golden ears. Rainfall nodded and Ashtail put his muzzle to her ear. "I'm going to talk a bit with Weaselfur..." He said, indicating towards the Windclan warrior already speaking with Thornclaw and Spiderleg. Honeyfur brightened spotting a few Shadowclan warriors and purred at Rainfall. "Me too, I'm going to speak with Pinenose" she said.

Rainfall twitched her whiskers in surprise as her clanmates padded off toward their aquaintances. I never realized how sociable Ashtail and Honeyfur had gotten with other cats... Unlike, one cat I know.

She turned her gaze to Foxtail who still sat alone with blank green gaze. He didn't look particularly like he felt lonely or if it bothered the dark-red tom at all. She uncomfortably shifted on her paws seeing that she didn't actually know any cat outside of Thunderclan nor had she tried to speak with any of them. She padded over beside Foxtail and put her muzzle to his shoulder. "It feels like it's been moons since we were apprentices..." she said, raising her head to gaze at the cats in the clearing and remembering the first time she was chosen to attend the Gathering as a apprentice. "...so many memories."

Foxtail blinked his emerald gaze at her words. "But, now we'll have to change..." he said, his shoulders sagging a little tiredly. "...we can longer go back to those carefree days now that were Thunderclan warriors."

Rainfall narrowed her golden gaze. "That is true..." she murmured, curling her tail around her paws. "...we are now warriors and we have to do our utmost to support our clan."

Foxtail glanced towards her and shifted his gaze to where he saw Bramblestar climbing atop the branches and dipping his head respectfully to the other clan leaders. "I assume you decided to take Ashtail as your mate" he said. "...Thunderclan will be honored by your litter of kits."

"I don't plan on being mates with anyone at the moment...!" she growled, standing to her paws. "Why doesn't every cat just bug off already with kits?"

Rainfall eyes widened as Foxtail stared down at her with a... what seemed to her a relieved expression. "Thank Starclan...!" he mewed.

Rainfal instantly stood to her paws, her tail straight in the air.

"You..." she murmured. "...you just made an expression! You just showed some bit of emotion just now!"

Foxtail blinked and tilted his head to the side. The same expressionless face. "What are you talking about...?" he meowed.

She sighed sitting back down. "Never mind..."

Foxtail and Rainfall blinked as a yowl sounded across the clearing announcing the arrival of Riverclan. The crowd of Riverclan cats padded in to the clearing with Mistystar in the lead. She dipped her head to the leaders and leaped up on the branch beside Bramblestar's. "Riverclan is here..." Foxtail said, standing to his paws. "...let's get with our clan."

Rainfall nodded following after Foxtail as they joined their clanmates sitting beside Honeyfur and Ashtail. "We'll now start the Gathering!" Onestar announced, his voice ringing throughout the clearing. Rowanclaw dipped his head to Onestar in gratitude and stood to his paws. "Shadowclan will start first" he called. "Prey has been gradually returning since newleaf has started and Stoatfur has given us a large litter of kits: three males, and two she-cats."

Yowls of congratulations rung through the clearing and Rainfall noticed a proud Ferretclaw and guessed that he was the father of the kits. Onestar nodded and stood next. "Prey is also running nicely in Windclan and we have appointed two new apprentices: Shadepaw and Rabbitpaw!"

"Shadepaw! Rabbitpaw!"

Rainfall turned to where Windclan stood and to see the two apprentices giving embarassed licks to the chest as the clans shouted their names. She purred remembering she was a apprentice not to long ago along with Honeyfur, Foxtail, and Ashtail.

Bramblestar murmured his congratulations to Onestar and stood to his paws. "Prey is returning to Thunderclan and we had made four new warriors of Thunderclan. His proud amber gaze swept over the four young cats. "Foxtail, Honeyfur, Ashtail, and Rainfall!"

Yowls broke out in the clearing with chants of their names. "Foxtail! Honeyfur! Ashtail! Rainfall!"

Ashtail stood up straighter proudly and Honeyfur did a couple embarassed licks to her golden chest, Rainfall glanced towards Foxtail to see his same expressionless face. She purred in amusement.

"Congratulations, Bramblestar" Mistystar mewed, standing to her paws. The Riverclan leader swept her tail over her clan. "Riverclan has also added to new warriors: Silverstripe and Flowerleap!"

"Flowerleap! Silverstripe!"

Rainfall yowled the names of the new Riverclan warriors along with the clans, she turned towards to glance at the new warriors. A beautiful silver-striped white tom with dark blue eyes and a white she-cat with silver paws and tail, who Rainfall had guessed was his litter-mate, sat his side. Flowerleap sat with a proud look gleaming in her blue gaze and Silverstripe purred in gratitude at the other clans' calls of congratulations. Rainfall stared in awe at the silver-striped tom, her ears perked as he turned to his sister and let out a faint mrrow of laughter. Is it even possible for a tom to be so beautiful?

She was interrupted in gazing at the beautiful Riverclan litter-mates when Foxtail flicked her ear with his tail-tip. She blinked and turned towards him. "Let's go, Squirrelflight, is rounding everyone up" He mewed.

Honeyfur and Ashtail were a few mouse-lengths away waiting for Foxtail and Rainfall while Squirrelflight called the Thunderclan cats in a group. Rainfall cast one more curious glance towards the new Riverclan warriors and bounded off toward her clanmates mewing to them softly and letting out mrrows of laughter at Ashtail's comments on the gathering and Honeyfur's teasing of Foxtail's anti-social attitude.