Legacy (Book 1)

Chapter 33: Friends Again

Chapter 33: Friends Again

Rainstone raced along the soft grassy path, she could smell it, and she could see it. The RiverClan camp lay just ahead of her. Needlepine had insisted on saying goodbye at the border after Rainstone had informed him on all she knew, though Rainstone wasn't sure why he had seemed so sad to say goodbye.

We live right next to each other; we can meet whenever we want. Well, almost whenever we want. But part of her was relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with her Clan-mates questions about him; she knew that Clan cats frowned upon mingling with cats from other Clans. Except at gatherings, of course.

"Who goes there?!" a voice rang out in the darkness to her ass he was nearing the crossing stream that surrounded one side of camp, a different stream ran along the other side.

Rainstone hesitated; coming back under the cover of night probably hadn't been the smartest thing but... "It's Rainstone," she answered, splashing across the stream.

"Rainstone... who?" the voice faltered and Rainstone felt a flush of anger as she padded up to the guard, Webclaw. She had never really talked to him but still!

"Rainstone the rogue she-cat that your medicine-cat saved from a flood and then went to spy on the enemy for you," she snapped, stepping in front of the gray tom.

"O-oh, it's you," Webclaw mewed. "Was your mission a success?"

"Yes, it went better than I thought it would go," Rainstone answered, still annoyed that he hadn't recognized her.

"W-well I'll escort you to Sunstar's den... actually its better if we wait until morning," Webclaw murmured to himself.

"Fine with me," Rainstone shrugged.

"Okay, well, the apprentices den is empty right now, so you can go there," Webclaw mewed, trying to sound helpful.

"Thanks..." Rainstone mewed, heading for the rush-made den. It's empty? Did the apprentices become warriors while I was gone? I was only gone for a moon and a half! But the den was indeed empty and she slid thankfully into an old nest.

Her broken paw had been making her leg ache and her other paws were ready to fall off. She closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

....

"You betrayed us... we will hunt you down and kill you," Nightwing's voice was dangerously soft and only his angry brown eyes, like a snake's, glowed in the darkness.

"No! Leave me alone!" Rainstone struggled but couldn't escape the darkness. Claws pricked at her and she felt panicked fear rush through her.

"We will get you for spying on us, we will chase you to the ends of the earth and then end your life once and for all..." now Nightwing's voice was joined by many and the noise of hisses and screeches surrounded Rainstone as she tried to get away.

"Rainstone! Come on, time to get up. Sunstar wants to see you!" now a clear sharp voice broke through the tormenting darkness and Rainstone sat bolt upright in her nest.

"Rainstone, you okay?" the cat asked, looking slightly worried. It was Webclaw again, but now the pale gray light of dawn outlined him instead of cold moonlight.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Rainstone muttered, collecting her bearings. She got up and followed Webclaw to Sunstar's den. No cat was out in the clearing, but her fur pricked as she looked for unseen eyes. Her dream had put her on edge and she hoped she wouldn't be paranoid that cats were perpetually out to kill her.

Though, until we defeat them, there might very well be... Shaking her head, she thanked Webclaw and hesitantly stepped through the mossy curtain into the stone hollow den as the first gleams of orange light broke into camp.