CHAPTER 2 | THE TRUTH COMES OUT
1725 Words
The patrol arrived at the camp entrance and slid through the thorn tunnel. Whitepaw was just walking away from the fresh-kill pile and Rainpaw guessed he put his prey on the pile he had just caught on the hunting patrol. He trotted up to Rainpaw when he saw them approach. The sight of the handsome young tom made her relax, reminding her of her exhaustion. Her and the other cats on the patrol all had mud stained paws, Birchfall being the only one who was covered in mud from his wrestle.
The sight of the dirty cats made Brambleclaw come bounding over from underneath the highledge. “What happened?”
“ShadowClan. . ,” answered Dustpelt, turning his gaze on Rainpaw. “Rainpaw started a fight that could have been avoided.” Firestar arrived behind Brambleclaw a moment later to listen.
“We’re they on our territory?” asked Brambleclaw.
“No. Which is why it was wrong for Rainpaw to break out a fight. Now there will be even more trouble.”
As the two cats spoke most of the clan had arrived to listen and Rainpaw was sure that they all knew what she had done. She felt the stares of many cats, and the stare that burned Rainpaw’s pelt the most was Firestar’s. She didn’t dare return his gaze and only kept her eyes down. Whitepaw sat next to her but that was only little comfort.
It was clear he noticed her discomfort so he gave her shoulder a lick and led her to the apprentices den for some privacy. To Rainpaw’s relief there were no cats inside as they were all in the clearing. The two young cats made themselves comfortable in a nest together and shared tongues. (Grooming each other)
A while later Whitepaw asked, “are you ok Rainpaw?”
“Yes,” she lied hoping that he won’t notice the tone in her voice that indicated she wasn’t telling the truth. Honestly she was scared and really upset. She didn’t want her best friend to move on without her. Everything would be different and nothing will be the same again. Alongside her sadness she also had to face punishments.
To her disappointment Whitepaw had noticed and he asked her, “please tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m not going to be a warrior!” she burst out. “I mean at least not for a while longer. You’re going to move on without me and I’m still going to be stuck doing apprentice duties with Foxpaw and Icepaw!”
“Hold on. . .” Whitepaw took a breath. “What do you mean your not going to be a warrior with me?” Whitepaw’s face was full of shock and Rainpaw had her face in her chest and paws, wailing like a kit.
She looked up. “I keep breaking the Warrior Code and. . . I don’t believe in Starclan. . .”
“W-why?”
“Oh, I’m not going to explain it to you too! I am sick of how everyone expects me to believe in this Starclan tale. And you and Foxpaw drive me crazy with your competing. I don’t even like Foxpaw and you don't make things easier with how you consistently try and annoy him!” Whitepaw looked taken aback and Rainpaw quickly regretted what she had just said as the white tom stalked out, but before he was able to leave Foxpaw stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
Rainpaw was nervous. Had he been listening? She looked at him and fury burned in his eyes. Foxpaw and Whitepaw had always had an intense, silent battle for the she-cat apprentice, but he wasn’t looking at Whitepaw, he was looking at her.
“Rainpaw! Your my mate! Not his! Whitepaw is nothing compared to me,” Foxpaw hissed, and turning his gaze to Whitepaw he whispered, “Rainpaw is mine.”
“Think what you like you stupid fur ball but I will not let you win.”
“Guys, stop!” Rainpaw wailed but Whitepaw turned to her, silencing her with and angry glare. “W-what?”
“I thought we were more than friends but you clearly don’t like me.” Both Whitepaw and Rainpaw turned around at the sound of bushes rustling. Foxpaw had left, clearly in a rush and the scent of anger and revenge clung to the air. Rainpaw burst into the clearing; Foxpaw had heard the conversation that Rainpaw and Whitepaw had had. Only one result can come from and angry, heart broken cat like Foxpaw. He was gonna let her secret out of not believing in their warrior ancestors.
She raced to the middle of the clearing, Whitepaw on her heels. Where had he gone? She saw Firestar approach from upon the highledge and her heart sank when she saw Foxpaw was walking out from behind him. He scrambled down the rockfall and padded up to Rainpaw and sat between her and Whitepaw.
“Hope this will change your mind on who your mate is. I think the answer is clear that it’s me.” He shuffled closer to her, his flank pressing against hers but she stood up and walked over to sit next to Whitepaw again.
Foxpaw scraped his claws on the ground and he bounced up but before he could do anything Firestar’s meow sounded from behind him, “Rainpaw.” Rainpaw could hear the blood pounding in her ears. It was clear Foxpaw had told him her secret. “Rainpaw. I’ve noticed that you have been very tired lately but I didn’t realise that you were so tired that it lead you to faint.” Rainpaw was puzzled. What did he mean? “Im allowing you to take one day off from work and any patrols to give you time to rest. If you need anything please see Leafpool.” He walked away, heading toward the medicine cats’ den.
“Uh-.” Rainpaw was cut off.
“And that is your ticket to spend time with me,” mewed Foxpaw with a massive grin on his face.
Whitepaw scored his claws over the red tom and wrestled with him till Foxpaw was pinned to the ground. “How dare you!”
“Whitepaw!” It was Thornclaw who meowed the apprentice’s name and Graystripe quickly ran up and took him by the scruff to pull him off. Foxpaw quickly got up and licked his chest to flatten the ruffled fur and to hide his fear that was quickly replaced with anger.
“Firestar!” Rainpaw called her leader’s name. “I never fainted. That was lie that Foxpaw made up so he could spend time with me. I don’t want to though.”
Foxpaw surged with anger and the air grew still until Foxpaw meowed out with fury, “Rainpaw doesn’t believe in StarClan! I heard her tell that to Whitepaw! She’s a traitor, and she attacks rival warriors and I heard her and Whitepaw planning to set a trap for you!”
“What?!” exclaimed Rainpaw and Whitepaw at the same time, both looking at each other and the cats around them. Firestar came back out from the medicine den, followed by Leafpool and Jayfeather. Icepaw emerged from the elders den with some dirty moss in her jaws while Milly and Ferncloud both came from the nursery, a few warriors also emerging from the warriors den; it looked as if the whole clan was coming out to hear the commotion.
“Is this true?” demanded Spiderleg who had just come back from another border patrol with Brackenfur, Mousewhisker, and Cinderheart.
Rainpaw ignored him. “You know that’s a lie Foxpaw! Yes, maybe I don’t believe in StarClan but I was never planning to set a trap!”
“Yeah, Rainpaw would never do that!” yowled Whitepaw.
“I think Whitepaw and Rainpaw are lying,” meowed one cat from the crowd of cats.
Firestar stepped forward. “Enough! . . . Foxpaw what happened?”
“Well, I already said it.”
“Ok. Rainpaw, Whitepaw. What do you have to say in defence?”
Whitepaw answered first, “I know that Rainpaw doesn’t believe in StarClan but that doesn’t mean she’s not a loyal Thunderclan cat.” He looked at her with a tiny smile although he still seemed angry about what she said in the their den. “But Rainpaw and I never discussed setting a trap for you, Firestar.”
“Rainpaw, do you agree?”
“Yes, that’s about right.”
Firestar sat down and closed his eyes. Everyone knew that Cloudtail didn’t believe but that was only because he was a kittypet before he joined the clan as a kit and always excepted kittypet food from twolegs in the old forest. Since then he had proved himself to be a loyal, hard working cat who still upheld the Warrior Code. “I don’t know what to think about this and I think it’s only fair to ask the clan. I cannot afford more cats in this clan who don’t believe in our warrior ancestors.” Firestar murmured something under his breath that Rainpaw wasn’t able to catch.
The clan exploded into a bunch of meowing and yowling, many angry at the two apprentices and some scared that these cats where planning to kill their clan leader while some didn’t even know what to think. “I say we drive them out!” Shouted one cat. “No place for traitors!”
Another voice called, “I think they deserve another chance.”
“No punishment will save our leader. Drive them away!
“Expected no better of Rainpaw, she’s always had signs of turning against us!”
Firestar waited till the noise died down. He never really felt much for the she-cat apprentice. His old enemy had her as his kit with a rouge and died the most gruesome death, fighting against his own clan and now Firestar was afraid that Rainpaw would turn out like her father. “I’ll leave it to the clan to decide.” Rainpaw looked down at her paws and Whitepaw just stood there, bewilderment flashing in his eyes. Was his best friend really going be driven out by her own clan?
- Writer
