Rainypaw's World

For Queen Rainy, my strength and inspiration, to write, and the fact to prove that Troutstream is awesome and Bushtail sucks!!!!!!! (That isn't the point, but I must express it!) It stars a young cat named Rainypaw, and her struggle to survive in a world where there is nobody can trust.

Chapter 1

Applepaw was coughing. I lifted my head out of my nest, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. The den was quiet, except for Applepaw. Her eyes were glazed with fever. She's been sick for days, but she won't admit it. I leaned over to her nest and whispered to her. "Go see Dawngaze. You are very sick!" Applepaw shook her head. "No way Rainypaw! I don't need herbs. I just swallowed a snowflake. Besides, Dawngaze and Cherrypaw need to save the herbs for the really sick cats. What if Dawngaze or Dreamstar caught greencough? The catmint needs to be saved for them." I rolled my eyes. "Applepaw, go to Dawngaze now, or I will tell the clan that you like Owlpaw! You have greencough, and it needs to be treated now!" Applepaw sighed. "I can't get around you, can I Rainypaw? Fine, I'll go see the medicine cat." She stood up and walked out of the den, trying not to tread on Snowpaw's tail and Owlpaw's leg. Snowpaw grunted, but didn't wake up. Applepaw trudged out into the snow, and up the hill to the medicine den. Cherrypaw came outside and brought her in. I fell back asleep, knowing Applepaw would be okay.

I padded into the clearing to begin my training for the day. I looked around for Turtlefang, my mentor. He promised Snowpaw and myself that we would start advanced battle training today. I was convinced Turtlefang had joined the cats with greencough, until I saw his dark brown eyes pierce through the snowy air. He seemed slightly annoyed, as the wind messed up his brown and white pelt. “Lets head to the training hollow! There won’t be any prey out in this weather!” We nodded and trudged out of camp. All I could see of Snowpaw was her dark green eyes. She was lucky. Her long fur would protect her from the snow. My short fur was ruffled, and I could feel every icy breeze. By the time we reached the hollow, I was shivering. Why did leaf-bare in MountainClan have to be so awful? MeadowClan was lucky. They got sunny skies all four seasons. At least the hollow kept the wind out. There was a small layer of snow to cover the bottom, but it was a small price to pay. Turtlefang turned to us. “I am going to show you a move that could save your life in battle. You know how feisty SwiftClan cats are. They will kill you with one quick bite if they have to. To avoid this attack, we have to be faster and lighter. The only problem is, MountainClan cats are thick and heavy by nature. We always land heavily, which gives us a huge disadvantage in battle.” Snowpaw nodded. “So do we block our neck with our paws? Or do we jump in the air and kick them? Or do we-“ Snowpaw broke

off when she saw Turtlefang’s face. “Sorry” she murmured. Her tail drooped. Turtlefang started again. “To stop them from attacking this way, we have to confuse them. By weaving around them and diving under them, we can avoid their deathblows. However, it is always best to do one move, but look like you are doing another. That way they are prepared for the wrong attack. Try that on me Rainypaw.” I carefully sized up Turtlefang. He was 3 times my size. I dived under him, and back flipped onto his head. He let out a yowl and threw me off, but I was ready for his counter-attack. I slid under his legs and batted my paws against his underbelly. Turtlefang rolled over and pinned me down. “Always expect the unexpected.” He hissed through his teeth. “Then you should be expecting this!” I cried and threw him off. He flew through the air and landed next to Snowpaw. “That was good for the first time.” He turned to the startled white she-cat. “Now you go Snowpaw.” Snowpaw nervously charged at Turtlefang. He avoided her easily, but Snowpaw kept running, and rammed herself into the wall. Turtlefang rushed to her. “We have to get her to Dawngaze.” I looked down at Snowpaw. Her eyes were shut, but her face was bleeding through a huge cut. She must have caught it on a rock. I picked her up, and we ran to camp. Dawngaze hissed when we tried to go into her den. “Cherrypaw and I are the only cats allowed in here now.” Turtlefang looked bewildered. “Is the greencough that bad?” Dawngaze rolled her green eyes. “No you mousebrain! Dreamstar and I condemned them to die!”