CotS #2: A Brighter Future (currently being rewritten)

Chapter Thirteen

Raindrop and Riverflame slept on the hill that night, dreamy and happy in their slumber. They were together, finally, and nothing was going to break them apart.

However, while they slept, something crept upon the camp. Raindrop awoke immediately. It was the soft patter of pawsteps that thumped against the riverbed. Raindrop slowly got up from the hill and crept down. She saw no purpose in waking her mate, but she sincerely hoped she wouldn't regret it.

Raindrop's jaw almost dropped completely down when she saw who the steps belonged to. An entire SeasonClan patrol of Goldenstar, Sandwhisker, Appledawn, Pansyleaf, Zealheart, Conefoot, Mountainpeak, Glazeshimmer, Silkpelt, Ashdust, Flametail, Stargleam and Sunbright, all creeping up on WaveClan in the dead of the night.

Raindrop and Riverflame, having slept on the hill, were completely safe. But the rest of their beloved Clan was not. Raindrop scurried into the camp through the back entrance and was terrified to see Fireflame, the cat on night watch, asleep! She ran over immediately and jerked him awake. Fireflame drowsily looked at her.

"What?" he slurred.

Raindrop ignored him and dashed to the warriors' den, waking everyone. Then she ran to wake their leader and deputy, since they slept in the same den. She even woke the medicine cats, although Teardrop was extremely grumpy about it. The entire camp was wide awake by the time the SeasonClan patrol entered camp. They killed Fireflame, who had dozed off again before that. The fiery orange tom fell before Sandwhisker's claws.

"What is this?" Oceanstar hissed, baring her teeth. "Didn't we help you, Goldenstar? It's because of us that you have nine lives!"

"Of course not. I could have tortured BreezeClan for the same information," Goldenstar cackled. "I wanted you to think we were indebted to you. Which we are not. I want the river back for the happiness of my cats. The former river cats are upset living in a forest."

Raindrop jumped before the leader and bared her teeth. "Minkfur and Eveningprimrose might miss the river, but they would never ask you to do something like this!" Raindrop's temper seemed to flare, and she instinctively unsheathed her claws as Goldenstar moved closer to her. Raindrop could practically feel the golden she-cat's breath on her chest, and she cringed from that.

"You, I will kill personally, Raindrop," Goldenstar hissed, advancing on the silver she-cat. "You abandoned our Clan, and yet you pretend to care. We made you a warrior and you swore to defend us!"

"Actually," Raindrop whispered, her voice small, "because Icestar kept forgetting ceremony words, she just named me a warrior. I swore nothing, and that's why I never felt bad about this."

Goldenstar hissed in annoyance. It was true, though. Icestar was always forgetting the words for warriors' ceremonies and apprentices' ceremonies so most of their newer warriors hadn't sworn to protect their Clan, either. They were just named warriors out of the goodness of Icestar's heart, without making them swear anything. They received their names at no cost. The newer warriors were at no danger, and Raindrop saw the realization flitting across Glazeshimmer and Mountainpeak's gazes. They had been merely named warriors as well.

"It doesn't matter. You still turned your back on your birth Clan, did you not?" Goldenstar moved increasingly close to Raindrop, and Raindrop almost called for personal space.

"That was never where I was meant to be," Raindrop whispered. "I was born by the river. I stayed by the river. The cats surrounding me changed. But I will always stay by the river."