Stormfall winced. "Stormfall, can I speak with you?" She turned around to see a cat so unpleasing.

She sighed, "Fine, but make it quick." She didn't want to be tired for tomorrow's journey, especially if she had to carry Treekit.

"Ha, make it quick she says." Smallclaw snorted.
"Let's make a deal," He said padding towards the camp entrance. As if she couldn't control herself she followed.

"What deal?" She asked, a hint of concern pricking her voice.
"If you want to father kits, could they be mine?" He asked with an intimidating glare.
What!? Father his kits!? After all of this! Besides, I'm banished. Why would he like me?
"Why would you want that? From me, a banished rogue?" She carefully questioned. The gaze in his eyes seemed to jump for joy at the question.
"Because, your beautiful, and that tom Raincloud doesn't seem to want to be your mate, so, I thought I could help." Smallclaw shrugged his huge tabby, handsome- wait, what?! Shoulders. He gave her a look that sent shivers down her spine, making her feel good.
"Of course he does!" She prayed to StarClan she was right. They had left the camp and now were heading towards Fourtrees.
Smallclaw wrapped his tail around her spine, again sending shivers.

"If he does, then why don't we find out. I could make you mine." She couldn't carry his kits. She wanted to have Raincloud's.
"You already have a mate! Remember Hazeleyes? She has your kits!" She yowled. This tom was a complete furball!

Smallclaw snorted. "Why should I miss out on you? We could have the most beautiful, healthy, strong kits in ThunderClan." He persuaded.

"But I'm leaving tomorrow, and I'm a rogue now." She said, sounding hopeful he would leave her alone.
"That doesn't matter, I can tell the clan your carrying my kits." He answered blankly.
It did sound like a good deal, and she did kinda like this tom. But could she leave her friends?
" I don't know, what about my friends? I can't just leave them."

"You'll have me, and we could rule ThunderClan together." Smallclaw mewed, flicking his tail towards her. "We could even have kits."
"Have kits? With you? Not ever!" She hissed, turning away.

Smallclaw snorted smugly. "Well, that tom you like doesn't seem to like you back much."

Her heart lurched. Who was he talking about? "What do you mean?" She asked, pricking her ears.
"Raincloud, of course." Smallclaw had a devious look in his amber eyes.
"Wh- What do you, mean?" She asked nervously.

"What do you mean?" He mocked. "You obviously like him, no matter how much he doesn't like you back! That's why I'm here, for you." Smallclaw's suspicious gaze raked her pelt.
Her heart felt like it had shriveled into pieces, then had exploded and no one bothered to put it back together.

"Raincloud loves me!" She hissed.

"Oh really? Prove it."
She sat in thought for a few heartbeats, every second getting more doubtful.
"Right." Smallclaw scoffed.

"He saved me from the badger." She pointed out proudly.

"So he could save those RiverClan kits." Smallclaw argued.

She thought again, "What about that flood when we were apprentices?" She mewed hopefully.

"He followed you, he did nothing to save you."

She sighed, her heartbeat quickening, "What about when a branch broke off the Owl Tree, he pushed me out of the way then."

"Yeah, brilliant Raincloud. He pushed you onto the frozen river," Smallclaw contradicted scornfully.

"But he still saved me!" Her doubts grew. Why would Raincloud love her, anyway? And why do I care what Raincloud thinks?
She lowered her head in defeat.

"Not so special, now, huh?" Smallclaw brought his tail to lay around her waist. "I love you, Stormfall. That's why I need you at my side when I take over RiverClan after I become leader."

Stormfall's face lit up in terror.
She paced around frantically. "I need to get back to camp, the rogues, Raincloud," she whispered half to herself.

"Where are you going?" Smallclaw asked, a grin on his smug furball, fox dung- not in front of the kids- face.
"Going home!" She yelled, sprinting to camp. When she reached camp, Flameheart sit quietly guarding. "Something wrong?" He asked, eyeing the gray warrior.

"No, just a bit hungry." She lied, avoiding eye contact.
He dipped his head slowly, not saying anything more.

She padded into camp alone. The only cats not in their nests were Finchstar and Prickleface, who sat under the shelter of the Highrock. They turned their heads to look at her.

"What are you doing up this late, on your own?" Finchstar started to bristle. She hadn't noticed the moon had risen almost to its full height.
"I, um, I was hunting," she stuttered, regaining her voice she spoke again "trying to find prey for my friends, with loyalty. We have dangers of our own ahead of us." Prickleface had an amused look, but Finchstar looked like he wanted to rake her pelt off.

"Very well then, go sleep in your rogue den." Finchstar kept his cool. Stormfall's neck fur began to bristle, but she flattened it and continued walking towards the rogue den proudly.

Cloudsound lay next to Yowlpaw and Birchbark, while Raincloud slept quietly next to Flywing and her kits. She layed carefully next to Raincloud.

"Help! Help me!" A familiar voice cried. "I'm coming!" She called. Stormpaw sprinted over to the helpless apprentice. "I'm stuck! Get me out!" He wailed. She dug her claws into the walls of bracken and tugged at them. The water was at her shoulders now, and she was in the highest part of the clearing. "Don't worry, I'll get you out!" She screeched over the pummeling rain.

"No! Get out! The water's to high!" She heard Rainpaw yowl beside her. "No! He's almost out..." She tugged at the bracken again. Rainpaw sighed and tugged at the bracken too.
"Get over here! Both of you!" Thrushwing, Rainpaw's mentor yowled. "Redpaw's still in there!" She refused. She felt teeth grab at her scruff.

"We have to go!" Rainpaw had started to pull her while swimming horribly through camp.
"No! I won't leave without Redpaw!" She screamed.

"I'll send someone to get him, just go!" Yowled Sparksong, the deputy, from across the clearing helping an elder named Bluewhisker. She glanced back at her littermate,
"Goodbye, I'll see you later." She whispered. Redpaw nodded as the water covered his head. "No," she whispered again. "Come on! The waters' rising!" Rainpaw yowled while prodding her side.

She glided he paws swiftly through the water. What was she now, a RiverClan cat?! She might as well start fishing!

"Hurry you two, down the ravine!"
Flypaw's voice startled her. The black she cat waded smoothly past her. Rainpaw grabbed her a scruff again, yanking her forward. They had slipped out of camp by now, and were heading towards Snakerocks with no control except the small paddles they made with their paws.

"Duck!" She looked forward to see a knocked down tree with a branch hanging. She did as told an dunked her head underwater. She brought her head up, spitting out water.
"Rainpaw! Flypaw! Stormpaw! Where's Redpaw?" She heard Redpaw's mentor, Stripetail yowl with a hint of worry.
Stormpaw turned her head to look at Stripetail. "He's still in camp, Lionfang is getting him." She said with a hint of doubt.
They made their way to the Owl Oak, where the water barely sat and they had made their new make shift camp.

"Whose still all in camp?" She overheard Finchstar asking Sparksong.
"Lionfang is getting Redpaw, no one else." Sparksong answered.

"Send another warrior to help, we can't lose another apprentice." Finchstar ordered. Sparksong sprinted over to the gathered warriors and apprentices.

They wouldn't make it, she thought. They'd be to slow, and they're to big to squeeze him out, she had to help.

She turned and gave Rainpaw a pleading look. He seemed to understand, although he shook his head. "No, I won't lose you so you can try to help him. You need to think about this." Rainpaw gave her a pleading look.
"I'm sorry," She managed to whisper. She quickly weaved herself around bushes, trees, and undergrowth. When she reached camp, the water hadn't seemed any lower or higher.

That's good, right? She found Cloudpaw, an apprentice half a moon younger than her, tugging to get his tail out of a bracken bush. His mentor Frosttree was trying to untangle his apprentice's fluffy, wet, tail, but couldn't quite grab it with his claws. "Stormpaw! Help! My tail's stuck!" Cloudpaw yowled in distress.

"I see that!" She commented back. "Get over here and help me already!" Frosttree hissed impatiently.

She raced, er, waded over to the water matted tom.

"Pull!" Cloudpaw screeched as the two cats bit his tail and pulled. "It's worse!" Cloudpaw yowled. "Get me out of here!" Stormpaw sighed and removed a few thorns as Cloudpaw yowled.
Cloudpaw swam out. "Are you three alright?" Frosttree asked concerned.

"Three?" She asked. Frosttree glanced behind her awkwardly. She did the same, only to see Rainpaw. "Rainpaw! I thought I told you I'd be back!" She mewed irritably.

"I know that. I knew you might get hurt, and I couldn't find Cloudpaw." He answered smirking. She sighed and turned back to Frosttree.
"Redpaw's still in camp! Let's go!" She trudged her way through. The water started to go down, and the rain wasn't as heavy.
Cloudpaw yowled in pain as Frosttree dragged the apprentice through the thorn barrier. Weakling, he's definitely going to be the best warrior ever. She glanced over at the thorn bush. Redpaw couldn't be seen. As she made her way over, Rainpaw stopped her. "He's gone. There's no way he could've made it. We need to leave."

"No."

"We can at least look." Cloudpaw intervened. They waded over. She dove under the surface of the water, and swam. She waved her head back and forth until she found a pile of russet fur.

She pulled with all her might, but she couldn't bring him up. She went back up to breathe. "Have you found him?" Frosttree asked.
"Yes, but I can't pull him up alone." She dove under the water again, and moments later Rainpaw joined her. Together they lifted Redpaw onto their backs and to the surface.
They brought Redpaw back to the make shift camp. Lionfang turned to look at the three apprentices.

"You three are very brave, coming back like that. I'll make sure Redpaw knows who saved him when he wakes up." They nodded and Lionfang stalked away to speak with Finchstar.

Redpaw survived, and they were all made warriors after the flood had vanished. "Stormfall, Raincloud, Flywing, Redflame, Cloudsound!" The clan cheered.

After
Soon after, leaf bare had struck the forest, with its friend Whitecough, that tuned into Greencough. Redflame had gotten sick with White cough, and soon was cured.
Redflame was hunting with his new mate, Spottedflower, in the season after his cough. The patrol was found dead, due to four, full grown, vicious foxes. Stormfall, Raincloud, Flywing, and Cloudsound drove out and killed the foxes without help, insisting they do it themselves. They saved and avenged Redflame.

She awoke with a start. She was in her nest, and she was still tired. She looked around, where is everyone? She was alone.

"Welcome, Stormfall." A faded orange tom with an orange muzzle sat in the gloom.
"Who are you?" She snarled. No cat is going to wake me for small talk.

The old tom chuckled. "What are you doing here?" Stormfall asked.

"To tell you something." The tom answered.

"To tell me what?" She asked irritably.
What's with this tom?!

"I'm Thunder, the first ThunderClan leader." The tom mewed, seeming to remember something.

"Oh." She said. "What have you come to tell me?" She asked a bit softer.

"You must follow the rain where it takes you. Trust it no matter what. The rain will never fail in the end."

"What rain? Follow it? What do you mean?" She hissed. The tom disappeared from her sight. Ugh, toms!

I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow's journey won't be easy.

How are you liking this so far? Your probably thinking 'its about time they left.' I wanted to end this chapter with more of a cliffhanger, but this'll have to do. d:₱