A Quest of a Different Kind

[Silvercloud]

Bright Caribbean eyes traced the familiar path that snow white paws covered in dark brown mud would soon trod. Cold rain pounded the Earth while the occasional bolts of purple and blue lightening lit up the sky and briefly shed light on the forest and sliced through the inky darkness that griped it tightly. Thunder boomed and shook the forest to it's roots, water levels were quickly rising.

Ginger and black mottled fur combined with white made this cat a calico. Her medium length fur was plastered to her sides from the rain and her belly was covered in mud. Water streamed down her sides and dripped off of her whiskers. She was tense and miserably cold and wet, yet she was on a quest in a search for answers. Determination filled her with hope and enough warmth to keep her going.

Taking a deep breath she released it in a long, slow sigh and started her climb down the spiral, rocky path to the Moonpool. It would be tough going with visibility next to nothing and the path slick with rain. The she-cat had already had a rough trip with the lake and streams flooding and the marsh lands were nothing but deep, cat swallowing mud.

This was her first time going it alone but she had to find the answers to her questions and what had happened to Oakstar and her mentor, Streamheart. Would she now become the medicine cat? How could she her training had barely started. Would one cat from the other clans train her or StarClan themselves or was RiverClan now doomed? Translucent white and pink claws were unsheathed to help get a better grip as she began to pick her way with great care.

The sound of roaring water greeted her and she knew that Moonpool was flooding too. It wasn't the normal trickle and the pool filled with dancing stars. She had to be quick. If she stayed here to long she might drown or worse be stuck here because of rising waters. In her hurry to find a suitable place far enough away from the rising waters to rest she slipped on the wet rocks. With a final meow of surprise she hit heard head against the cold, wet stone floor and slipped into blackness.

(Wow that sucked. Fixed it some so that it shouldn't be as bad.)

[Heathclaw]

If there was ever a time that RiverClan's cats should have felt miserable, it would be now. The constant rain had made rivers and lakes flow over their banks, making fishing extremely dangerous. On top of that, Oakstar and Streamheart had disappeared, leaving their clan without a medicine cat or a leader, as Tealtide had yet to recieve her name and nine lives. And worst of all, the rain turned what should have been a warm Greenleaf into a wet and chilly one, bringing the threat of whitecough and deadly greencough to their camp.

Yet Tigerpaw wasn't going to let this weather get him down. The problems caused by the rain were widespread, but the actual rain itself was quite pleasant. The cool drops sliding through and off his fur made him feel almost like he was almost swimming, without the possibility of drowning. And the general wetness of the area scared up new scents, which was very helpful for the young apprentice.

Tigerpaw was out gathering herbs. It wasn't a warrior apprentice's job, but he believed it was the best way to help the clan, and take some of the burden off of Minnowpaw's shoulders. And speaking of Minnowpaw...

Tigerpaw caught a whiff of her scent on the wind, and, looking around, caught sight of her calico pelt, heading off for the direction of the lake. She must not have seen him, and she certainly couldn't have smelt him, seeing as how he reeked of lavender and marigold.

Where was she going, leaving the clan all by herself in the middle of this weather? Tigerpaw wrestled with a moment's indecision, and then tucked his herbs under his chin and set off to follow her.

She had a bit of a lead on him, but Tigerpaw managed to keep her within his sights, sometimes breaking into an awkward run to keep up. It soon became apparent that they were heading into WindClan's territory, and therefore, the Moonpool.

The churning river roared angrily to their left; this path was getting dangerous. Tigerpaw was tempted to call out, but doing might startle her into the river.

By the time he'd reached the rocks to the Moonpool, she'd already gone up and over. At any other time, Tigerpaw would have been shocked and awed at the ancient, mystical path that spread before him, but there was no time for that. Concern for their only medicine cat's safety was utmost on his mind, and he darted up the stone steps as quickly as he was able.

When he got to the top, it was to find the young she-cat slumped lifelessly along the rocks beside the overflowing pool. "Minnowpaw!" Tigerpaw exclaimed, dashing forward, the herbs falling helter-skelter under his paws. He pressed his nose against her neck fur, fervently hoping that she wasn't dead.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he got a pulse, and then turned towards the herbs he'd gathered. He remembered Streamheart telling her apprentice about the uses of a few herbs while he was cleaning out the medicine den. The one for healing wounds was marigold, right? But he didn't know how to make poultices...

"Minnowpaw. Minnowpaw, wake up! Please..." murmered Tigerpaw, nudging her shoulder urgently as lightning flashed against the sky and the rain poured down ever harder.

(Wow... sorry that was so huge. ^^; Couldn't help myself. XD)