Chapter 11: Changes

The three moons after Scamp's leave were dark and hollow. Rainstone's days were one tedious chore after another, acting, playing, helping, acting some more. As the cold season took firm hold, it blanketed the valley and surrounding mountains with snow so thick that it came up to her shoulders when she went out occasionally with Night or Pepper.

Not that she went out with Pepper much anymore, between the snow and his new kits and duties, they hadn't gone out training in a moon. Whisper had kitted nearly two moons ago, bearing two toms. They were named Blizzard, and Sun.

Two very opposite names for two very opposite toms. Blizzard, a white and gray tall little kit, was rather passive and had a good nature like his father. Sun, on the other paw, with a pelt the color of burning sunlight in the middle of the warm season, had a tongue sharp enough to scorch through anything and enough energy to pass him for a mini sun, bouncing around the cave.

Their view of she-cats were the only thing similar between the two. They'd adopted their father's lenient attitude, though they expressed it in different ways. Blizzard saw it as a wrong, and treated it as such. Sun seemed to feel having a she-cat would slow him down and he didn't want to hunt for the 'miserable little creatures.'

Luckily for him, there were no she-cats for them to take as mates yet. Rainstone liked Sun better then Blizzard, though she felt it ought to be the other way. The wild tom was a natural prankster and had a fun sense of humor, nothing damaging, but still a little crude.

Stick, Ice's and Storm's last kit, had become a Trainee about a moon ago, putting another cat in the training for the hunters. Rainstone flicked an ear as she saw Sun bounding away from the fighters den, his tail straight up in the air and his darker paws swiftly carrying him toward the kit-den.

I bet he put those thistles I gave him earlier in some nests. Her whiskers twitched in amusement, she'd found a light in being his accomplice in his pranks, tiny bits of defiance against the all so superior toms.

Her heart trembled as she though of Scamp. His bright amber eyes only a fading memory, she couldn't even completely remember the pattern of his pelt anymore or the sound of his voice. The only thing that her mind refused to forget was his touch, soft and silky and healing her heart. She was scarred, but not out yet.

Scamp's leaving had caused a bit of a ruckus, it'd been assumed he'd gotten stuck at dusk out hunting in the snow and had fallen down something, dead to the cats. But then his mate, Squirrel, had been left all alone. Because of Nightly's death, there were no hunters without mates, unless they wanted to give her to a Trainee, which they didn't, but several of the fighters were without mates. So Squirrel had been appointed to Fox, Rainstone did not envy her.

As every she-cat had hear, Fox had killed his last mate because he'd found fetching her food too tiresome. Now Squirrel was in the fighters kit-den, expected to kit at any time. Rainstone twitched her ears again.

"You bratty little kit! Where are you?!" Rainstone watched through narrowed eyes as Boulder stumbled out of the fighter's den. The muscular solid gray time swung his head around, amber eyes glaring.

He'd recently gone into the den, as Rainstone sat thinking, and she assumed that he'd had the unlucky nest in which Sun had infected with thistles. "Where'd he go?" Boulder hissed, stalking up to her and looming over her small figure, her tail wrapped neatly over her paws.

"I didn't see for certain, but I think he hid in Crag's den," Rainstone lied, knowing very well that Crag and Leaf were mating at the current moment, she had heard Crag ask Leaf for a 'session.' She half-hoped they were done, half-hoped they weren't.

Boulder hissed, obviously not knowing about his leader's current occupation, and swung away toward there. She heard Sun giggle, from where he'd taken refuge behind her, under her fluffy tail. Rainstone smirked as she heard Crag's outraged yowl and Leaf's embarrassed whimper.

Boulder appeared a moment later, hollow-eyed from the words and threats his leader had spat at him. Boulder's tail and head were down. Rainstone half expected him too come over to her and claw her for the bad information, but he was too dazed and just stumbled back to his den. Rainstone spotted a few thistles still stuck in his gray haunches as he turned away.

Sun burst out laughing behind her and skipped around to her front. "Thanks Rainstone! You help make the best pranks ever!" Sun laughed, his amber eyes burning with excitement. Rainstone purred and cuffed him lightly over the ear.

"The secret is acting innocent," Rainstone purred, a laugh in her voice, though it was almost faked. Sun reminded her so much of Scamp, it hurt.

"Hey! Guess what I heard," Sun purred, bounding up against her legs.

Rainstone pricked her ears, she'd busied herself all morning in the herb-den to stay away from every cat. "No, what?" Rainstone asked, bending down to face the two moon old kit.

"Sandy's gonna have kits!" Sun burst out, leaping up and swiping at nothing.

Rainstone purred at the young yellow kit. He didn't understand the worry of this. Sandy was only seven moons, Mudslide must have mated with her as soon as she was six moons.

"Now me and Blizzard-"

"Blizzard and I," Rainstone corrected his pronunciation.

"Now Blizzard and I won't be the only kits in the den! I hope the kits like playing, Blizzard would rather hear stories then play," Sun's chin set in a grumpy position, before lightening again.

"Hey, Rainstone!" Sun asked, crouching down before her, his haunches waggling and his tail whipping behind him. "Will you be my trainer?" Sun asked.

Rainstone twitched her ear uncomfortably, "I'm a fighter, you'll have a hunter mentor," she told Sun.

"But you were born a hunter, you're my father's sister!" Sun pointed out, straightening up, his amber eyes looking at her innocently.

"Yes... but I'm a fighter now," Rainstone mumbled.

"Then will you mentor a fighter kit?" Sun asked.

Rainstone shrugged, "Maybe one of Squirrel's," she mewed absently. Not that I want to tell a kit all the rules she has too follow and everything she has to allow to be done, and teach her all about dusty herbs. I'd rather train a cat to fight! Her belly churned with longing, if only she could be a real fighter. The days when she'd imagined it becoming a reality had long left her, but she still felt she was meant to fight real battles with tooth and claw.

She sighed, a long sorrowful sigh, one that was almost drowned out by a screech from the fighter's kit-den. Sun turned his head over his shoulder and pricked his ear to the kit-den. "What's that?" Sun asked.

"Sounds like Squirrel's kitting," she muttered, watching Leaf bound out of Crag's den, her eyes dazed from mating, as she slid into the fighter kit-den.

Rainstone pricked her ears, the howling wind had rose in strength, the light darkening. She sniffed the air, it had changed; fresher, moist and tinged with ice. It must be snowing again. She twitched her ears with worry as she saw a group of hunting cats and fighters return. Night was still out, patrolling with Pebble and Trip.

She watched Pepper pad into the cave, shaking snow from his black and white pelt. "Hey! Dad!" Sun called, his tail curling up in happiness as Pepper trotted over to them. Pepper bent down to nuzzle Sun affectionately, his blue eyes warm as he skimmed his tail down Sun's spine.

"What's going on?" Pepper asked, as another muffled wail came from the fighter's kit-den.

"Squirrel's kitting," Rainstone responded, her tail flicking. "Being a little loud, isn't she?" she muttered. When kitting, she-cats had to muffle their scream's with moss, as to not annoy the 'tired' toms. Squirrel's screeching was loud enough that it still echoed around the stone cave, muffled only slightly by the patchy dirt walls.

Rainstone sniffed, peering over Pepper, snow drifted in under the thick ivy curtain that waved only slightly in the rushing wind. The stream that ran over the hole where they came and went had frozen a few days before, it still melted occasionally in the warm sun, but it refroze every night. A hanging sheet of liquid star shine at night.

"Is it snowing hard out there?" Rainstone asked as the snowy toms went to there dens to warm up and get away from the loud screams of Squirrel.

Fox paused beside them, his green eyes sparking with annoyance. He'd never been particularly pleased with Squirrel, Rainstone guessed he'd accepted her only to mate with her. "I'll go and shut up that good-for-nothing she-cat forever if she doesn't quiet down," he snarled.

Rainstone glared at him, but held her tongue. Pepper didn't seem to want to speak out either, but Sun had yet to learn sense. "How can you say that? She's obviously in pain, and you're wronging her for that?!" Sun's voice vibrated with anger and Rainstone felt a rush of pride.

Fox glared down at the bold little tom. "That mouth of yours will get you in some serious trouble some day, especially for a cat who won't be leader," Fox hissed, his eyes gleaming.

Sun flinched and Rainstone stiffened with anger. Because Blizzard had been born first, he would be leader, provided he was still alive when Pepper died. It was cruel for Fox to mock the little tom on that!

Pepper had stiffened besides her, but he still kept quiet, probably to keep the situation from inflaming itself. But the look Sun gave her, to help him against this challenge, it wrenched her heart.

"Bold words, Fox, for a cat as old and fragile as you," Rainstone mewed slyly, bracing herself for his temper. She gasped as he swiped his claws across her cheek, she stumbled to the ground on her side, scrambling to her paws, but Fox placed a powerful paw on her shoulder.

"You still think I'm old?" Fox snarled, his face twisted and his claws pricking her skin until blood rose from the scratchy pressure.

Then the lanky red tom whirled around and made for his den, Rainstone scrambling to her paws. "Are you okay, Rainstone?" Sun whimpered, pressing his paws on her tail.

"Yes," Rainstone muttered, licking her paws and cleaning the blood off her face. The scratches weren't deep and had already stopped bleeding, they'd be fine.

"You shouldn't have goaded him," Pepper mewed, his eyes dark with worry.

Rainstone swatted at him with her tail, "I'd do it all again for that look on his face," she purred.

Pepper sighed and shook his head, his whiskers twitching in slight amusement. "Come on, Sun, lets go see your mother and brother, see you later Rainstone," Pepper mewed, padding away with Sun at his side.

"I'll talk with Fox later," Rainstone jumped and turned her head to see Night, snow frosted on his fur and whiskers, padding toward her.

"You look cold, is it snowing hard outside?" Rainstone asked, the question Pepper hadn't answered.

Night nodded, "Its not too bad at the moment, but getting heavier," he answered, sitting down and shaking the snow from his fur. Rainstone helped him groom the cold snow off his fur. She did it not because she liked him any more then before, but because she wouldn't get dinner until he was done grooming himself.

"What did you do to get Fox's tail in a twist?" Night asked between licks.

Rainstone twitched an ear, "He was mocking Sun, so I stepped in," she answered.

Night sighed and shook his head, sitting back. "You get too involved in these things, you need to learn when to ignore an insult and when to stand against it," her mate mewed.

Rainstone sniffed, "But Sun is a kit, taunting a kit after saying something very questionable is rather harsh," she grumbled.

Night twitched his ear, but when he spoke, it was on a different subject. "I heard Squirrel had her kits, Fox didn't look too happy," Rainstone nodded, the wails had stopped while she was grooming Night, replaced by shrill mewling. Fox had stalked to the kit-den, an expectant look on his face, then left a moment later with a look of disgust, snapping names she couldn't hear over her shoulder.

"Would you like to go visit them?" Night prodded, standing up.

Rainstone sighed and nodded, though she'd rather go get some food and quiet her rumbling belly. With the cold season had come less food, so cats only ate either at the beginning or end of the day, not both.

She padded over to the den, the place she'd first seen Night, thinking his amber eyes were the prettiest thing she'd ever seen. Now they just seemed dark and nightmarish, she tried not to look at them.

She'd never been in the fighter's kit den, and had thought it would be like the hunter's kit-den. It wasn't. The ground was stone covered with a thick blanket of moss and lichen, sheltering her paws from the warmth-sucking stone. There was a gap in the stone wall, moss growing over the hole and letting only a bit of light glow through, tinting the light green.

Squirrel sat in a exhausted heap, hardly curled around the musty smelling bundles at her belly. Rainstone noticed a fresh nick in the queen's ear, crusted with blood. Fox must have really been annoyed.

She flinched when she saw why, two she-cats lay at the queen's belly, no toms. One of the she-cats was patched black and white, her tail black while all her paws were white and one eye was patched with black while the other was patched white with the alternate ears the same colors. The rest of her face was white and her nose was the palest tinge of pink.

The other she-kit was already looking slender, with a solid gray coat that had the faintest tinge of pink, like the clouds in the sky in the early morning. Her nose looked more purple, like a berry.

"They are very lovely," Rainstone murmured, she wouldn't admit it, but she thought they were very adorable and it sparked a feeling. She wanted kits of her own now.

No you don't! She told herself, but it didn't change that spark of longing in her heart. Night had a longing look in his sap colored eyes as well and he hummed quietly. "Lets leave her to rest," Night murmured in her ear.

"Wait," she stopped. "Squirrel, do they have names?" Rainstone asked. Squirrel nodded tiredly.

"The patched one is Half, and the other is Flower," Squirrel mumbled.

Rainstone frowned, Half? The name... was interesting. Sounded more like a tom's name to her, but Fox was weird, so it'd do. Rainstone then nodded to Squirrel and followed Night out, happy when he padded over to the fresh-kill pile, grabbing a rather plump hare for them to share.

Rainstone ate her share of the meal, idly answering Night's questions about what she'd done that day, and faking a purr as he laughed when she told him about the prank she and Sun pulled. At least he found her exploits amusing, other toms would claw there she-cats for doing something so audacious.

She yawned and stretched out on her belly by Night's flank. Sleepy murmurs echoed around the cave, like the soothing murmur of dripping water, rising and falling in tone. She wondered why Night didn't go to their nest, every other cat had left and the moon must be close to moon-high, though the blizzard still roared outside, it sounded distant, unable to touch her warm fur.

But Night laid on his belly, paws tucked under him, eyes half-closed, ears pricked toward the entrance, tail flicking restlessly. "What's wrong?" Rainstone mumbled through a yawn, raising her head to blink sleepily at the entrance and fighting the lull of sleep.

The dark light flickered in the pounding snow, whirling around and dancing through the cold night to lay at rest on the frosty ground. Night shifted uneasily, "Crag went out just as the blizzard started, not wanting to stay where he could hear Squirrel, he hasn't returned yet," Night murmured in a low voice. Rainstone could see the fear in his eyes though.

She understood it, in the mountains, when it was so dark and snowing so hard... It was all too easy for a cat to lose its way, either walking off the mountain and falling to its death, or freezing in the snapping jaws of ice.

Rainstone shifted uneasily, she definitely wasn't ready to be the leader's mate, then it'd be almost a must for her to have kits, and if she couldn't... Then she'd be replaced and disposed of. Fear churned in her belly, and she sat up and copied Night's position, sitting vigil with him all through the blustery night.

She must have dozed off though, for when she jerked awake, she couldn't find what had awoken her. Night had fallen asleep, slipping into a curled ball at her side. She stood up, her muscles stiff from her crouched position.

She padded around in a tight circle, flicking her ears for what had awoken her, for she knew she'd heard it. Then she stopped and realized that it wasn't what she'd heard, it was what she hadn't heard. The wind had stopped, the blizzard was over!

She sniffed the air, cold freezing her as she realized Crag's scent wasn't there, he still hadn't returned. Faint dawn light, red-orange, touched her paws, shimmering in under the ivy curtain. She prodded Night awake.

He yawned and stretched, "Is Crag back yet?' he mumbled sleepily, eyes still closed.

"No, but the blizzard is over," Rainstone mewed quietly.

Night's eyes flicked open and she stared at her, scrambling to his paws. "We have to go after him!" Night mewed desperately.

Rainstone nodded in agreement, but flicked her tail up as Night bounded toward the entrance. "Tell some cat where we're going first, the sunrise is red, that means bad weather," Rainstone growled. She'd studied the patterns of weather and knew the signs as well as any other she-cat who hardly had anything to do all dreary day long.

Night nodded briskly, "Fine," he mewed, not wasting any time in darting over to the fighter's den and pulled out a sleepy-eyes Boulder, Red at his shoulder, her blue eyes wide as Night spoke earnestly to them.

Then Night bounded over to the ivy curtain and Rainstone followed him quickly, slipping out into the frosty morning air. Her breath shimmered in front of her as she followed him down the snowy slope, the snow crumbling away beneath her paws.

Fresh powdered snow lay on top of the compacted snow beneath, so Rainstone was still stepping in snow that went half-way up her forelegs. Night padded in front of her, nose to the frosted ground as he followed the faintest scent of Crag.

The snow and the wind had blown most of the scent away overnight though, and Night stopped at a stony patch of ground, clear of snow since it blew right over the little, slick, mesa. "I lost it!" Night growled, flicking his tail in annoyance, though Rainstone knew it arose from fear.

"Let me try," Rainstone mewed, pushing past Night, Pepper had taught her all his tricks in tracking. Because it was stone, there were no paw-prints, and it was clear of anything that might hold the scent better, but Rainstone touched her nose to a small patch of dirt along the smoothed out stone trail.

"I found it!" she called to Night, who was pacing around and trying to find the scent. He rushed over to her at her call and put his nose to the ground, his head coming up in confusion.

"I don't smell it," he mewed doubtfully.

"Its there," Rainstone promised, it was true that it was faint, but unmistakable, was Night just not used to tracking scents? He was a fighter, only looking for immediate scents on the border.

Night followed her doubtfully, but since there were no other leads, he had no excuse to not follow her. The scent trail led along the main trails, she flicked her ears at it gradually became stronger as they neared one of the few patches of trees.

Night pushed past her hurriedly as he picked up the scent, loping along the scent, where it began turning off the main trail. Rainstone raced after him, her paws only lightly skimming the snowy ground.

She slowed as she spotted Night ahead, standing stiff-legged under the skeleton of a willow tree where Rainstone's comfrey grew in the warm season. Her heart beat loudly in her chest, she was sure Night could hear it.

She'd caught another scent, a musty and harsh scent that sent claws of ice raking down her spine. She padded slowly over to Night, already guessing what she'd find. She brushed against her grief-stricken mate, wrapping her tail around his neck comfortingly and he leaned against her, as if too dizzy to stand.

"Why did this have to happen?" Night whispered.

Rainstone blinked down at the lifeless, frosted body of Crag. "Because life changes, and now you're leader," Rainstone mewed quietly, her voice surprisingly steady, she felt that the whole world was crashing down around her, but inside of her was a calm pool, not even rippling in the gusty wind of change.

"I don't want to be leader, not without Crag," Night whimpered. Rainstone stared at the new leader of the fighter's. She was now the leader's mate, and all she could think was; I don't want you to be leader either, Night.