Crowstar's Mission {COMPLETE}

Chapter 21

 Crowpaw and Ivy returned from their walk, and he felt like a lot had happened when in reality they had just shared their stories and yet now it felt like Crowpaw had known Ivy his whole life. As they walked back through the forest he found himself focusing on her every action. The way she walked, he paw steps were gentle and her eyes distant, as if her mind was somewhere else. Yet she knew exactly where she was going.

Crowpaw wondered what was going on in her mind as they walked, were her thoughts similar to his? He turned away from the she-cat and looked into the camp. Flint, Leo and their mates were talking while their kits played and Raindrop watched. Crowpaw remembered what Ivy said about Raindrop, how she was like a mother to her along with another cat named Drizzle. Something told Crowpaw that Raindrop was a queen at heart, didn't she have her own kits?

Crowpaw found himself meeting Raindrop's shocking blue gaze, the she-cat had such intense blue eyes. He almost found it unbearable, but there was something deep inside her gaze that Crowpaw couldn't name. For a moment, her gaze shifted over to Ivy who didn't seem to be aware. She was looking at the four kits as they played, with amusement in her eyes.

"Ivy," Raindrop spoke suddenly, looking at the tortoiseshell with kind eyes. "Were you just out hunting with Crowpaw?"

Ivy shook her head. "We went for a walk, but didn't catch anything. We just talked." She explained, Crowpaw feared for a moment that they would get in trouble for not catching anything.

Raindrop nodded and stood up. "Wonderful, because I want to go hunting with Crowpaw." The cats around, including Crowpaw all looked around in a bit of a shock. Crowpaw hadn't seen Raindrop go hunting in the entire time that he'd been here. Raindrop laughed, amusement flashing in her eyes. "What? I know how to hunt." She flicked her tail. "Just because I normally care for kits doesn't mean I don't have any hunting ability." She brushed past the four cats and stepped in between Crowpaw and Ivy. "Ready?" She questioned. Crowpaw felt awkward and unsure of what to do.

He looked past Raindrop at Ivy, hoping to find some kind of help but the she-cat just chuckled and went to stand beside Sabra who watched on with interest. "Let's go, Crowpaw." Raindrop nudged Crowpaw towards the exit of camp. He had just gotten back, and wasn't sure why Raindrop wanted to hunt with him.

Crowpaw awkwardly followed her into the forest which wasn't as cold now that it was nearing sunhigh. He looked at Raindrop, the she-cat's eyes were almost the opposite of Ivy's. They were focused and certain, she knew what she was doing and where she was going. There wasn't a sense of curiosity to her, just a sense of certainty.

"So," Crowpaw mewed awkwardly. "Why did you want to hunt with me?" He shuffled his paws.

Raindrop looked at him, her eyes sparkling. "Because I want to get to know you. I know every cat in this group incredibly well. I like to know the cats I'm living with." Her eyes were steady. "Every cat has a story. I want to know those stories. When I do, I know the cats around me better."

"Ivy says that." Crowpaw said suddenly. "That every cat has a story."

Raindrop's eyes softened. "I'm not surprised. It wasn't me who taught her that, it was Drizzle who taught both of us. That cat had seen a lot of things in her lifetime, more than most of us ever will." Her icy blue eyes looked over Crowpaw. "But something tells me that you've seen a lot as well. I can see it in your eyes." She turned away, looking towards the sun. "You've seen loss, you've seen danger and you've seen something else recently."

"What do you mean?" Crowpaw tilted his head, suddenly intrigued by what Raindrop was saying.

"When you got here you had haunted eyes. They were dark and sad, something heartbreaking to see in such a young cat." Raindrop turned back to him. "But recently I've noticed a change. You walk with your head higher and your eyes are brighter. Something tells me it has something to do with Ivy." Crowpaw's pelt burned and he avoided her gaze. Raindrop purred. "I know I'm right." She let out a happy sigh. "There's nothing wrong with that, Ivy is an incredible cat. I watched her grow up and she's seen a lot too. She has a curious mind, and she's curious in you." Crowpaw lifted his head, his heart starting to race. "I'm not going to tell you what to do with Ivy, just to follow your heart. Do what you feel is right."

A sudden realization hit Crowpaw. For a moment, it felt like he was talking to Silverpool. This she-cat reminded him so much of his former mentor, so much that he felt like he could trust her even though they just met. "Do you have kits?" He blurted. The expression on Raindrop's shifted, her eyes filled with love and sadness. "I mean," He stammered. "You always the kits here and you helped raise Ivy, but do you have your own kits?"

Raindrop closed her eyes, there was a peaceful look on her face. There was a sad moment of silence before she spoke. "Yes, I do have kits." She looked over her shoulder, past Crowpaw. "Though I don't know where they are."

"You don't?" Crowpaw tilted his head. "What happened to them."

"My twolegs." Her voice went slightly rigid. "Twolegs take the kits of queens and send them to new homes. I had three beautiful kits, and they were taken from me." Raindrop lowered her head, but her gaze was never pure sadness. "Cloud, Rye and Heron." Her eyes filled with love. "I fell in love with a cat named Pine and we had our kits. However, my twolegs took them away. I don't know where they ended up or even if their names are still the same."

Crowpaw remembered meeting the kittypet Sheba, and how she was taken away from her mother and sister. Twolegs are heartless.

"Then, I was taken to the vet." Her voice darkened.

"The vet?" The name sounded so strange on his tongue, and it sent chills up his spine.

"Sometimes, twolegs take their kittypets to the cutter. When these cats return, they are not the same. They're lazier and sleep more." She looked up. "But that's not the worst part." Crowpaw felt uneasy. "Because of that place, I can no longer have kits. I will never have my own children again." For the first time, sadness seemed to almost shatter Raindrop, but she shook her head. "I remained with my twolegs until Drizzle died and then I decided to follow Cooper and Ivy." She looked back at Crowpaw. "I may not be able to kits of my own, but that will never stop my love of caring for them. I helped raise Ivy and I always help with Starlight, Firefly, Finch and Buttercup. It helps me feel complete and to not feel so bad about my own lost kits."

"I'm so sorry you lost your kits." Crowpaw lowered his head. "And that you can no longer have anymore. Twolegs are horrible."

"They're not horrible." Raindrop's voice was low and soft. "They have the best intentions, but they can't understand us or sense our emotions. I keep going by thinking my kits are grown up and happy, living their own lives, even without me."

Crowpaw met Raindrop's gaze. She makes it by when she thinks about her loved ones being happy. He closed his eyes, thinking of Silverpool, Icepaw and Frostpaw. I'm sure they're happy. They're living their Clan lives. He imagined the three she-cats enjoying their lives, full of hunting and good prey, it made him feel better.

He opened his eyes and noticed that Raindrop was looking at him kindly. "Are you thinking of the ones you left behind?" Crowpaw nodded. "Tell me about them."

Crowpaw started off by talking about Silverpool, Icepaw and Frostpaw. Soon he found himself talking about Nightkit, Badgerkit and Dovekit and even Owlstar. He had talked about almost all the cats in MoonClan while Raindrop listened intently, her eyes glowing the entire time.

"You miss them all." Raindrop mewed. "And that's okay, it's great that you don't forget about them. You should always remember the ones who took care of you."

"I'm going to remember them." Crowpaw looked at his paws, feeling warmth spread throughout his entire body. "And I'm going to remember the cats around here too."

Raindrop's eyes reminded him of Silverpool's, they had a mother's tenderness to them, Crowpaw felt safe and comfortable around this she-cat. Raindrop stood up. "Now, we came out here to hunt so I suggest we hunt." Crowpaw agreed and the two began their search for prey. Raindrop surprised him once again with her hunting skills. She was as fast as a MoonClan cat. Silverpool would love Raindrop. Crowpaw couldn't help but think as he watched her hunt.

Both caught several pieces of prey to bring back to camp and when they returned, Crowpaw had an entirely new outlook on this group of cats. He spotted Flint and Sabra sharing tongues with love burning in their eyes. Leo was on his back while Finch and Buttercup climbed all over him and Rudy watched on with laughter. Ivy was sharing a piece of prey with her father and laughing about something.

He realized that Raindrop was the only one here without a blood relation. Not anymore. Crowpaw thought. I don't have any blood here, but sometimes; the best family are the ones you don't share blood with.