Divided Loyalties

Rainpaw's Visit to WindClan

Rainpaw slept in the medicine cat's den alone, his pale grey fur shimmering against the moonlight, his body rising and falling with each breath.

He felt a pair of paws push his ribs, his eyes fluttered open to see a huge tom with broad shoulders and a rippling pelt.

Rainpaw pushed himself against the cave wall and his eyes flashed with fear.

"...What do you want?" Rainpaw whispered. The tom said nothing, instead he leaped and ripped out Rainpaw's throat.

NOOOOOOO!

"Rainpaw!"

Rainpaw woke up, that was just...a dream?

He looked up to see his sister drop a vole in front of him.

"Gotta go on a border patrol." Sorrelpaw meowed. "Ashfur's taking me, how is being medicine cat going?"

"Like it does everyday." Rainpaw muttered. "Why? Did Graystripe say something?"

Sorrelpaw looked at him like he'd gone crazy.

"What?!" Sorrelpaw laughed. "You've been tense about the deputy ever since Cinderpelt got killed by a fox!"

Rainpaw flinched at her last words.

I WISH she was killed by a fox...no...she was killed by Graystripe...

"Well?" Sorrelpaw meowed. "What's with you?"

"...Nothing, let's leave it at that." Rainpaw muttered. His sister looked slightly hurt as she left. Only minutes later, Graystripe came in.

Graystripe's eyes were bright with an emotion that Rainpaw couldn't read, but his claws were also unsheathed, which scared him.

"What do you want?!" Rainpaw tried to sound bold and he puffed up his chest for extra effect, but Graystripe's snarl made him cower against the cave wall.

"You won't be able to learn about being a medicine cat unless you go to the other Clans for assistance." Graystripe snarled. "Quit acting like a frightened rabbit and pull your weight around, you piece of fox dung!"

"You never TOLD me that!" Rainpaw growled back to Graystripe, he looked at him firmly.

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE TOLD!" Graystripe roared. "Go meet another one of the medicine cats or something! I need to set up more patrols!"

"Maybe...if you hadn't killed Cinderpelt...this would've never happened." Rainpaw whispered as he left the den.

Graystripe was about to leave as well, but Frostfur leaped onto him with a growl.

"You killed my daughter?!" Frostfur wailed. "You LIED TO US AND TRI-"

Graystripe slashed his claws across her throat, he quickly wrapped her body in cobwebs and hastily pushed her body out of the territory and under a tree. He began to dig when Rainpaw stopped right behind him.

Rainpaw's eyes widened with horror as he stopped. Graystripe snarled at him.

"I'll kill you if you say anything!" Graystripe hissed.

Rainpaw would've told the whole Clan, but if he died...there would be no medicine cat.

Rainpaw nodded and ran towards the moor to speak with Barkface. He strode over there when four WindClan cats leaped from the slopes and surrounded him.

"You!" One of them spat. "You're of ThunderClan!"

"Hold on, Appledawn" a huge brown tom meowed. "What do you want?"

"I need to see Barkface." Rainpaw replied. "My mentor died, we're medicine cats."

The brown tom's eyes clouded with shock. "My, that is terrible indeed."

"He's a spy!" another one hissed.

"Hush." the tom hissed back. "Come."

Appledawn and Webfoot leaded Rainpaw to deeper in the moorland till they reached Barkface. He was examining various herbs when the five cats came in. He looked up from his herbs.

"ThunderClan cat?" Barkface muttered. "What in StarClan's name?"

"His medicine cat mentor died." the tom explained. "He needs to speak with you."

"Okay, Stagleap." Barkface dismissed the tom. "You may go."

"Hey, deputy!" a black kit called.

"Hey, Crowkit!" Stagleap purred as he left the medicine cat den and touched noses with him. "What's up?"

"So, you need to learn how to be a medicine cat." Barkface meowed to Rainpaw.

"Yes." Rainpaw replied.

"Well, here's how you make variations of poultices." Barkface meowed. He grabbled some marigold and horsetail and mixed it together.

Suddenly a huge brown tom with ripped shoulders came in and snarled.

"Barkface, what's a ThunderClan cat doing here?" the tom snarled, he said the emphasized words like he was speaking about a slug.

"He's a medicine cat apprentice, Mudstar. His mentor...died." Barkface explained, Mudstar growled.

"That's not our problem." Mudstar retorted. "Send him back, have Deadfoot and Tornear escort him to the border...now."

"I'm so sorry." Brakface whispered to Rainpaw before he brought Mudstar's requested cats over.

"Time to go." Tornear snarled before shoving Rainpaw out of the den.

"But I don't have a mentor!" Rainpaw exclaimed in alarm. "You can't do this to us!"

"Yes we can." Deadfoot retorted, "We see you on the territory again, and you die, medicine cat...or not."

Rainpaw was shocked as he was lead to the border and left there, he padded awkwardly back to his territory, met up with Brackenfur and Kitty before returning.

Cats were sharing tongues, and Graystripe was setting up another border patrol.

"-to make sure those fish-hearts don't return." Graystripe growled to Cloudtail, Thornclaw, and their apprentices. Rainpaw came up to Graystripe as they left.

"Patrol to Sunningrocks?" Rainpaw guessed.

"Yes, how was the trip?" Graystripe asked.

"It was educational." Rainpaw lied.

"That's goo-"

"SOMEBODY HELP!"

Rainpaw stopped.

Oh no! I could have learned how to help Mousefur give birth, but Mudstar kicked me out!

"I, Uh...Mudstar kicked me out before I could learn anything!" Rainpaw blurted out loud. Graystripe's jaw dropped.

Rainpaw didn't give Graystripe a chance to reply, he just chose the herbs he believed Cinderpelt had used during Brightheart's birthing and ran to Mousefur's side.

"The kits!" Mousefur cried. "They're coming TOO EARLY!"

"I know!" Rainpaw replied. "Here! Bite down on this stick!"

Mousefur gripped it in her jaws and it splintered, she gave loud moans and her entire body shuddered.

Suddenly, a thought dawned upon him.

Where's Ashfur?!