Rain Storms



 R a i n S t o r m s

Episode Four, Season Two, of Beauty.

Enjoy <3

Dedicated to my dear friend and sister, Rainy :) <3 Enjoy this my dear!! <3

Rain Storms
“What did you do in the days that we were still in the Academy?” Hawkpelt asked. They were taking a stroll in the poor while planning to go to the hunting areas to hunt for the rebels. “Was it lonely?”

Rainstorm shrugged, “I didn’t do much other than join up with the rebels,” she confessed, “though I did try to solve one of the mysteries that I stumbled upon while in the Academy.”

When Hawkpelt gave her a questioning look, Rainstorm continued. “Remember the day we saw the raids?” The brown tom nodded, “Brightleaf told Amberfrost that there were almost none left. But I wanted to check it out for myself.”

“Did you find anything?”

Rainstorm nodded. “It’s quite a long story. Let’s find a good place to settle down first.”

~

It started as a rather gray and cold morning. I just joined the rebels but they didn’t let me stay in the camp. I didn’t really mind though, since I had to help Duskheart and Silverfrost.

I was walking towards one of the tunnel entrances, determined to make Shadowfang give me a job. The actual leader of the rebels still wasn’t there at that time.

Suddenly, I heard screeches and yowls fill the air. Alarmed, I darted towards the racket and found give victims. They were all Beauty warriors.

Only two of them were barely alive. There were other cats nearby, so I couldn’t just leave them there. Redstar would be after me in moments.

I helped the two up but before I could get far, rebels surrounded me. I recognized a few of them, but none of them acknowledged me. In fact, they treated me like I was with the Beauty warriors.

“Come on,” one of the gruffer looking cats growled, “Our leader will see what to do with you.”

I expected them to lead us to the underground entrance, but instead, they covered our eyes with tough leaves and secured it with sticky week around our heads. I couldn’t see a thing as they led us away, although I never felt the dip of the underground tunnel.

They didn’t pull off our blindfolds even when they told us to stop. They also secured brambles around our paws and then they left.

The two warriors were furious. They wouldn’t stop cursing and shouting for the rebels to release them. Soon, they got tired I guess, because they stopped making a racket.

Meals came and went. It was hard to eat since I couldn’t see a thing, but somehow, I managed. On day three of my imprisonment, a guard mewed.

“Untie her brambles, the general wants to see her.”

Seconds later, the rebels were hauling me away. That’s when I heard Shadowfang’s snarl. “Rainstorm, it’s so nice to see you.”

“Spare the greetings,” I snapped, “Why am I your prisoner?”

Shadowfang made a disapproving sound. “Why did you try to help two of the Beauty warriors? You are a rebel now. You don’t show mercy to Beauty cats.”

I stiffened. “There were other cats nearby! Some of them might have been loyal Beauty members. I had to take precautions.”

Shadowfang didn’t reply for a few moments. “Take off her blindfold.” A flash of blinding light stunned me for a second. “Why should I believe you, Rainstorm?”

“After all they did to me,” I hissed, “You really think I’d still be on their side?”

Shadowfang narrowed his eye. “Enlighten me, Rainstorm, what has the Beauty done to you that forced you to betray them?”

I was reluctant to tell him, but I could tell this was the only way I could regain his trust. “It started when I was a kit,” I began, “My mother was from the poor. I lived in the poor too.”

“She never got the chance to be a warrior, and never learned any fighting or even hunting techniques. She just taught herself how to hunt and sold pretty accessories to the Beauty cats.

“I had a brother at that time. Just like actual Beauty warriors, I had no idea who my father was. I also had no idea my mother was a rebel until the Beauty attacked. At that time, I was perfectly content with the life I had, and I was even willing to accept the Beauty’s rules.

“They stormed into our den and trapped us in a corner while they tore apart the den. They were looking for something. My mother looked on without blinking and she took off a little necklace that she usually has on at all times. Poor cats don’t usually have any accessories, but my mother insisted on wearing it. She gave it to me and mewed. ‘Put this on and when I say run, run.’

“She managed to create an opening and I took the chance to escape. I watched from a distance and that’s when I realized that the Beauty warriors were advancing on my mother. They appeared to be arguing and then one of the Beauty warriors lunged for her and sliced her neck open.

“They glared down at my brother and for an unknown reason, they took him away. I ran from the scene after that, and a moon later, my father found me and brought me over to live in the Beauty.

“Later on, I examined the necklace and found a small leaf that was strung on a strong twine. Except my mother had been wearing that for moons now, and the leaf has never dried up or died.”

I paused and Shadowfang nodded. “The Beauty has done many wrongs against you. You are released and for now you’ll be a recruiter.”

I didn’t mind such a low position since it gave me the opportunity to be with Brownhare’s parents and to help them out.

Over the course of the moons I was out there, I delivered messages and new recruits. If course, I was under the impression that there weren’t that many rebel groups.

But I’ve been out there, there are so many camps outside of the Main camp that provides shelters for rebels.

~

Hawkpelt blinked. “So Amberfrost is right?” He asked, “There are an overwhelming popularion of rebels?” Rainstorm nodded. The brown tom frowned, “Okay, so the question remains, how come the rebels haven’t won the war already?”

The gray she-cat sighed. “I’ve gotten the impression that more than half of the rebels don’t want to fight the war. It’s almost like a two way war for the rebels because some of them are fighting other rebels to stop the war while others are fighting the Beauty for equality.”

“Why would they want to end the war?” Hawkpelt questioned, “Don’t they want to defeat the Beauty too? I mean even if the rebels try to call off the war, the Beauty will just continue it until they demolish all the rebels.”

“Yes, but what if the rebels left?” Rainstorm countered.

“That’s what they want to do?” Hawkpelt mewed in disbelief, “They want to just run away?”

Rainstorm nodded, “They didn’t all used to want to end the war. But they’ve also lost so many cats to the rebellion that they don’t want to lose anymore cats.”

Hawkpelt looked slightly angered. “So what’s the whole deal with them fighting the rebels that we’re part of?”

Rainstorm shrugged. “Apparently they still get attacked by the Beauty members despite being so far away from main camp. They’re still losing members because the other rebels won’t stop the war and their loved ones that they want to run away with aren’t allowed to stop the war. They want to overthrow the current leader’s rule and order all the rebels to leave.”

“Would you do it?” Hawkpelt mewed after they had walked in silence for a bit, “Would you run away so you’d never lose anyone like you had lost your mother and your brother?”

The gray she-cat was quiet for a few moments. “No,” she finally mewed, “Because then we’d be leaving others to suffer. There’s a reason we’re fighting this war. Not to get revenge, but to free the poor from the Beauty’s grasp forever.”

Hawkpelt nodded, “You’re right. That’s our goal, isn’t it?”

Rainstorm smiled. She leaned forward and touched her nose to his. “Yes, though I’d hate to have to sacrifice anyone just to have freedom.”

Hawkpelt closed his eyes. “I love you, Rainstorm.”

The gray she-cat purred.

“I love you too.”

~

A couple hours later, the two were sitting under a rather large maple tree. Hawkpelt noticed for the first time the necklace that hung at her chest.

“You’ve had that on all this time?” Hawkpelt pointed at the leaf, “I never noticed.”

Rainstorm glanced down at it. “My mother made it clear that it was important. I didn’t want to lose it or anything. In fact, I’m not even too sure why I need to keep it safe, but I just know I have to.”

Hawkpelt nuzzled her affectionately. “I’m sure it has some sort of power in it. That’s why we need to keep it safe.”

“Actually I figured something else out,” Rainstorm pawed at the dirt, “My mother only gave it to me because she wanted to make sure this was safe. The warriors were also looking for something important.”

Hawkpelt’s eyes widened. “Are you saying that they were looking for that?”

Rainstorm nodded. “She gave it to me and told me to run. I don’t know what this thing can do, but my mother knew she was going to die.”

Hawkpelt didn’t comment.

The gray she-cat continued. “I also found something interesting. I’m not sure why I’ve never noticed before, but watch.”

Rainstorm reached over and touched her tail to his. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Hawkpelt suddenly felt a surge of energy within him.

“What-?”

“I possess the power to give cats energy. It costs me some of mine, and I think if I practice hard enough, I can give cats energy without even touching them.”

The End.