Book 2 - Warriors: The Servant's Promise

Chapter Twenty-Four

"So, Rainfur, what is it that happened in that Clan?" Tigerpelt asked, just as he had been doing for the past two days. They were nearly there, as Jactur had told Rain, and the tabby tom insisted in figuring it out.

"Er...well, nothing important," Rain lied, just as he'd been doing for a while. Jactur sighed.

You know what? Tigerpelt has seen worse, and I have a feeling that evil 'king' is going to figure it out anyways. Go ahead and tell them. Jactur growled. It will at least shut this stupid guy up.

"If they already figured out your power, something must have happened," Tigerpelt pointed out again.

"Y-yeah..." Rain murmured. "I just don't like talking about it..."

"It couldn't have been that bad," Tigerpelt urged.

"I almost destroyed a..." Rain paused, acting as if he was searching for the right word.

Don't tell him about those creatures, Jactur warned.

"Well, I'm not sure what the right word for that rank is," Rain explained. "I think it was something similar to a deputy. Anyway, I almost killed her in a very torturous way. And I almost killed a powerful leader too." Tigerpelt chuckled.

"You've done worse," the tabby tom pointed out. Rain's ears perked and he tilted his head.

"Really?" Rain asked.

"Yes," Tigerpelt answered. "You've killed a whole band of rogues before, and not in the prettiest way possible. You killed a leader, and took eight lives of another leader and gave them to a few other cats you'd killed." Rain blinked.

"That's a lot more than I expected," Rain murmured.

"You are quite famous back in the Clans," Tigerpelt pointed out. "A lot of cats are scared of you. However, there are many who stand by your side." Rain tilted his head again.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because they trust you," Tigerpelt answered. "A lot of cats back then did for some reason. Apparently, you were the only one who knew the answer to that question." Tigerpelt gave him a smile before continuing forward down the path.

As Rain walked, he watched the sun sink deeper upon the horizon and thought of what would happen next. Also, he began to wonder why Tigerpelt was being so nice to him.

He's just trying to get information out of you, Jactur warned. Sharpmoon will want to know if you've evolved any further so that he'll have warning when Stormheart does so. Rain nodded in understanding, but he felt bad about it.

Soon, the forest was in their sights. It was beautiful, and the familiarity that Rain felt when he saw it made his heart beat faster. They soon entered as the sky darkened and stars began to show. The scent changed so that they smelled fish. Lots and lots of fish.

RiverClan, Jactur told him. They're known for their fishing techniques. Bravestar was your friend here.

Was? Rain asked, his eyes narrowed.

Yeah, he died during battle protecting your mate and kits, Jactur explained. But anyway, I believe we've got a bit more traveling to do before we get to where I'm guessing we're going. Rain nodded once more before he noticed that Tigerpelt had stopped.

"What are we waiting for?" Rain asked, tilting his head. His eyes were bright with curiosity.

"The RiverClan patrol," Tigerpelt explained. "They'll be escorting us through their territory since none of us originate from this Clan." They waited only a few heart-beats before dark silhouettes found their way in the distance. They became closer and clearer until Rain could see all their faces.