Falling With the Rain

~ Trial ~

Fireheart Third Person POV

Fireheart couldn't sleep. For some StarClan knows why reason, he had a nagging feeling telling him to go out. Finally giving up on rest, Fireheart complied to the nagging feeling and followed it to the ShadowClan border. Right before he reached it, he found a small rumple-pelted tortoiseshell frame sleeping among some ferns.

What's Rainsong doing here?, he thought bitterly. Fireheart lowered down into a pouncing crouch and crept slightly closer. With the meaning to chase her away back to the sinister monster that called himself ShadowClan leader, he pounced. With a flash of triumph, his forepaws landed squarely on Rainsong's side. However, as his hind paws were about to land, Rainsong let out a shriek of fury and snapped upwards onto her paws. Shock flashing through him, Fireheart tumbled onto the earth.

"Honestly!" The tortoiseshell hissed crossly as she sat down to groom her muzzle. "You young warriors have no sense of honour! I don't see anything honourable in attacking a defenceless and unprepared cat! Especially one that's old and very clearly sleeping!"

Fireheart lay in the grass, taken aback at the she-cat's actions.

"Well don't just lay there like a mouse-brain!"

"Aren't you going to attack me?" Fireheart asked, his voice hoarse with shock.

"Of course not you flea-brain!" Rainsong replied with a snort, as if it were the most ridiculous thing she had heard. "I came here to come back, if that wasn't evident by the fact that I was sleeping on enemy territory. Now take me back to camp frog-brain."

Fireheart got up and planted himself across from her. "I don't trust you when you say that." I can also finally see where Cloudtail gets his snappiness from!, he thought with a touch of amusement.

"Well I'll come as a prisoner, just take me back, I don't care how." She snapped in reply. "But I've got Tigerstar's plans and I'm willing to spill them all out."

A sudden urge to force the tortoiseshell warrior to speak nagged at Fireheart. Shaking his head roughly, he replied: "Fine, but as a prisoner."

Forcing Rainsong to lead the way so that he could keep an eye on her, the pair marched back to camp–with Rainsong doing so rather joyously for someone who had been taken in as prisoner. As they walked, Fireheart studied the she-cat. Nothing had changed since the border patrol except for one thing. The only noticeable change was the lack of herbs on her left eye, now it was closed and looked rather deflated.

"What happened to your eye?" Fireheart yelped in alarm as he took in this detail.

Silence followed as Rainsong's joyful pace slowed down and she looked at her paws. "I'd rather not talk about it." She whispered quietly.

Clearly, the she-cat was bothered, so Fireheart left it at that and the pair continued their walk.

When they arrived, every cat came out of their dens despite the fact that it was almost moonhigh. Now much less joyful, Rainsong looked at her paws as she walked, ducking gazes shyly. No cat questioned anything, they merely glared at the tortoiseshell. Once they neared Bluestar's den, the leader marched out from the lichen covered entrance.

"Good, she's here." Bluestar meowed sharply, giving a brief nod to Rainsong and blinking thankfully at her.

"B-but she's a prisoner, and how'd you know she was coming?" Fireheart protested, his muzzle open with shock.

"That doesn't concern you, we all need our sleep so Rainsong can take Yellowfang's old spot and we'll hear her out tomorrow!" Bluestar snapped back impatiently.