The Elementals Trilogy [REWRITING]

Chapter 11

(RAINKIT'S POV)

Rainkit and the band of apprentices that had snuck out of camp had finally returned and the moment they pushed past the reeds that led into camp, several pairs of eyes turned to their direction and his clanmates' worried chatter only increased in volume.

"Uh oh," Rainkit whispered to the apprentices worriedly, his tone rather loud for a secret. "I think they noticed our absence."

Leafpaw flicked an ear at Rainkit, hushing him as Rain's father, Cavestar approached the group.

Rainkit felt his soul leave his body as his father walked towards him, his giant, muscular figure looming over him. Despite this, Rainkit quickly plastered on his most innocent face, even though his fur was thoroughly caked with mud, small twigs and other miscellaneous pieces of debris that had managed to embed themselves into his fur.

"Where have you been, my kit? Your mother and I have been looking through the entire camp for you. We thought you drowned! Regardless, now that you're here, we can finally perform the ceremony," his father breathlessly spoke to Rainkit.

"They took me exploring!" Rainkit mewed, gesturing towards the apprentices who were frozen with shock and worry. He excitedly bounced around Cavestar. "I saw so many fishes swimming in the river and..." Rainkit continued, not realising he was spilling the secrets he was trying to hide from his father just two moments ago. "Anyway, what ceremony is it? Is it finally my apprentice ceremony?"

Cavestar's face lit up, to Rainkit's surprise, "Exploring I see? I remember my kit days, a long, long time ago. However, let's get you cleaned up and no mention of this exploration to your mother. I'm sure she won't be very pleased, considering the risks of our territory and how dirty your fur has become."

Rainkit saw his father's brown eyes flicker to the apprentices who had not even dared to twitch a whisker ever since they entered camp and chuckled slightly, "No need to be scared, dear apprentices. As a reward for taking my son exploring, Plumpaw, Leafpaw and Berrypaw, you three will get to eat first and as much as you wish tonight."

The apprentices gave a collected sigh of relief as they all bounded back to their den, joking and racing each other.

After the apprentices left, Cavestar picked Rainkit up by his scruff and doused him in a shallow puddle nearby before deftly giving him a few licks to settle his fur down.

"There," Cavestar beamed proudly. "Now Featherstar won't start yowling at me for the rest of the night about how irresponsible I am and how you nearly died."

As if on cue, Rainkit's mother appeared from nowhere, her fluffy, wispy white fur flowing gently in the balmy breeze as her brilliant sapphire eyes looked at Rainkit.

"Come now," Featherstar spoke in that low, seductive, yet gentle voice of hers. "The moon waits for no cat."

Rainkit scrambled up the pile of logs, rocks and twigs that had served as a High-Log for moons and once he reached the top, he shook out his wet fur again and puffed out his chest, beaming as he stood regally beside his parents.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey, assemble in front of the High-Log for a meeting!" Featherstar called, her voice reverberating across the island.

However, the majority of the clan were already seated in front of them, the moment they saw Rainkit return to camp.

"Mountainmist," Featherstar hissed, her usually gentle voice now harsh, like snapping icicles as her blue eyes reflecting malice in the darkening light.

Rainkit's sister shouldered past the clan as she stood proudly, confidently in front of the trio.

"It has come to our attention that you have mated with a commoner," Featherstar continued, practically snarling at Mountainmist. Rainkit was surprised that her sister could remain so calm and serene after committing such a heinous crime? How could she soil her family's name like that and still stand there, shameless? Rainkit stood beside his parents, seething with rage, almost wanting to leap down from the High-Log and claw his sister into tomorrow.

"Stone," Featherstar meowed, fluffy tail flicking in ire. "Step forward."

A grey tom crawled towards the High-Log, entire body bowed into submission, as though he had accepted whatever the Gods had laid out for him. Leo seemed to be breathing down on the tom's neck as he risked a glance up at the Royals and Rainkit. He felt repulsed that her sister would consider having an affair with someone as abhorrent as him.

"Mountainmist," Rainkit's mother continued. "If you kill Stone and dump his body into the West River before the moon is at its highest point in the sky, you will be pardoned and may remain in the clan as an Heir. However, Rainkit will replace your position as Crown Heir."

Through his anger, Rainkit felt a thrill of energy ripple through his body. Him, as Crown Heir! Rainkit daydreamed, or rather, nightdreamed, about the power he would hold in his paws after he became a Royal. He'd get everyone to bow down to him, to never wrong him again and he'd be able to take over the other clans if he wanted to!

Rainkit shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he watched his clanmates slowly leave, most, however, sticking around to see Mountainmist kill Stone. Rainkit was about to leap off the High-Log and gossip with the apprentices, her sister's piercing green eyes bore into Rainkit's, then Cavestar's and finally into Featherstar's as she declared,

"I refuse to kill Stone."

Rainkit saw everyone else gawp at her sister in utter shock, even his parents looked ruffled at her words.

After a couple of seconds of shocked silence, Featherstar finally spoke,

"Fine. Your choice, your loss. Mountainmist, you are now exiled from TorrentClan and if you or Stone ever step on TorrentClan territory, we will hunt you down and kill you."

Mountainmist waited for the grey tom to scramble out of the territory first, waited until he was out of sight before turning around and proudly striding away, through a crowd of hissing, snarling cats. Before she completely left the camp though, she turned her head around and gave Rainkit an ominous look, her green eyes giving an almost otherworldly glow, holding it for two seconds, just as the chills were creeping up his spine before darting away into the darkness.

Rainkit was sure that he would have nightmares from that one gaze for days to come.