Echoclaw pounced on a fallen leaf, water spattering her already soaked pelt as she wrapped her paws around it until the leaf crumbled. "Ha!" She exclaimed, turning around to face Whitefeather. The old tom laughed, exhausted. "Yeah, that was great." He commented. "Let's see if you can go to the fresh-kill pile." Echoclaw suggested optimistically. The rain had finally stopped, and even though thunder shook the ground every so often, it was refreshing to feel weak rays of sunlight without getting a drenched pelt.

Puddles still pooled on the ground, and everything was wet except for the sheltered areas. "Echoclaw, we're barely out of our den and I'm exhausted." Whitefeather groaned, sinking into the mud. "Let me rest for a minute...." He trailed off. Echoclaw sprinted over to her mentor and ran a gentle paw over her mentor's spine. There were still disturbing ripples and jagged edges midway across his back. "DON'T DO THAT!" The tom screeched, writhing out of her reach. "Hey!" Echoclaw slammed a paw down on his flank, stopping him almost immediately.

"Ow!" Whitefeather hissed. "Never experienced your own treatment before, eh?" Echoclaw asked, keeping a paw firmly in place as he tried to stand up. "Stop, and maybe it'll hurt less." She growled, satisfaction surging through her as Whitefeather stopped, his muscles easing. "Let me feel your spine, unless you want to be like this forever, defeated by your apprentice's front paw." She ordered. His flanks heaved as Whitefeather rolled over.

Echoclaw felt the curious gazes of her Clanmates as she ran a paw across his jagged spine. "This needs supported." She observed under her breath, remembering how she had made a splint for Whitefeather's paw until it had healed. "You'll need some comfrey for that," He supplied. "I knew that!" Echoclaw snapped, flicking her ears in the direction she could hear Firepaw and Carmelpelt meowing about flying badgers. "Could you get me a stick? The straightest one you can find." She requested, padding away from Whitefeather.

She hooked some comfrey leaves with a paw and drew them out of their storage compartment before grabbing some catchweed to keep everything in place. Low murmurs sounded in camp as Echoclaw carried her herbs towards Whitefeather. Since it was his first time actually moving since the tree branch had fell, it was Echoclaw's first chance to treat him, which just happened to be in the middle of camp.

She took the stick Carmelpelt had brought her and placed it flat against his back, securing it with comfrey and catchweed. The comfrey would help the bones heal, and the catchweed would keep it all in place. "Now stand up." Echoclaw instructed, taking a step back. "I...can't. It's too stiff, I can't sit up." Whitefeather complained from his spot on the ground.

Her Clanmates let out disappointed sighs and resumed chatting and organizing patrols. "Just try and stand up." Echoclaw meowed, nudging his side. With a grunt of pain, Whitefeather rolled to his paws. "Echoclaw, I know you can't see this, but, uh, I sort of can't bend my back, so I sort of can't walk." Echoclaw let out an exasperated sigh, tracing her claw in the muddy ground as it began to sprinkle rain.

Orbeye sighed and left the clearing, followed by a few other warriors. The rain hardened. Great StarClan, can't this rain ever stop? She thought grumpily, listening to Whitefeather shuffle back to the medicine cat den.
. . .
Copperheart nudged Firepaw's front leg forward a bit. "Right....there." He said, grateful for the shelter of the trees from the rain. Firepaw groaned. "I should be a warrior by now, I think I know what to do by now." She grumbled. "It's about to be your assessment, and I really need you to pass." The red warrior replied with a sigh as a drop of water landed between his ears. "But I learned to hunt sooooo long ago." Firepaw complained, flattening herself to the ground as she pretended to hunt a mouse.

"Firepaw," Copperheart snapped, a warning in his voice. "I'm your mentor." "But you're only a few moons older than me!" She grumbled. "Listen, do you want to be an apprentice until you're thirty moons old?" He asked with a disappointed sigh. "No, I guess not." The she-cat meowed, pouncing forward, claws outstretched. She landed on a rock with a hiss of satisfaction.

The faint patter of pawsteps grew, and RiverClan scent overwhelmed the clearing. Firepaw lowered herself to the ground, fur bristled. "Show yourselves!" Copperheart growled, baring his teeth. The pines rustled as Marshstar slid from behind a bush, his fur slicked to his flanks. Firepaw bounded forward, her claws unsheathed. "Stop," Copperheart meowed, rushing to her side.

"Why are you here, you know you are not welcome." He hissed, allowing his fur to bristle. "We come in peace, to see your leader." Firepaw was eyeing all of the warriors and apprentices ducking out of the bushes. "All of you?" Copperheart asked skeptically. Maplefur dipped her head to him. "Yes." She answered peacefully. "Does it look like we can do anything to harm you?" A small gray and black kit chirped, her tail waving towards her Clanmates' thin frames and soaked fur. "Hush, Fadekit." Mudtail whispered.

"Uh...okay." Copperheart decided reluctantly. "Firepaw, get in the back." He ordered, falling in beside Marshstar. "An apprentice is going to guard us?" Mosswhisker asked disbelievingly. "She's just as old as you." Copperheart growled as Marshstar shot his Clanmate a glare.

Once they arrived at camp, Reedstar and Curltail walked with Marshstar into the leader's den, faces grim. Echoclaw was speaking to Rainleaf and Snowsap about Whitefeather's injury, Rainleaf sniffing her herbs, eyes wide. The ShadowClan warriors glared at the RiverClan cats warily, Birchkit yowling to get out of their camp, taking play lunges at the terrified Slushkit.

"Birchkit, quit it." Mistnose sighed, drawing him closer with her tail. "Stemthorn, you're expecting?" Rosecloud purred, her eyes wide with excitement. "Yes, Shardstorm's." Stemthorn answered happily, her gray fur fluffed out. Copperheart didn't dare be the first cat to ask what the RiverClan cats were doing in their camp, instead licking a forepaw and cleaning behind his ears.

"It smells like.....fish!" Velvetkit exclaimed, barging out of the nursery. Splotchkit followed her with bleary eyes, both of their pelts still ruffled from sleep. "Splotchkit, Velvetkit, that isn't very nice." Sorreltail scolded her kits, looking apologetically at Frozenspirit, a white RiverClan she-cat. Frozenspirit shot the kits a glare before moving closer to her Clanmates.

"Cats of ShadowClan....and RiverClan.....gather beneath Meeting Rock for a....meeting!" Reedstar yowled, climbing onto Meeting Rock, Marshstar at his tail. "Great StarClan, what's going on?" Embernose grumbled from beside Petalbreeze. Jaggedjaw frowned. "It doesn't look good." He meowed.

"RiverClan's camp has been flooded by all of this rain, their territory as well." Reedstar announced grimly, looking over his Clanmates. "Marshstar and his Clanmates have come to us asking for shelter, and I am not one to turn down a group with kits and elders. We will take them in, and th-" "We barely have enough prey to feed ourselves, much less another Clan! What about my kits?" Shardstorm growled, his black and blue striped fur bristled with dismay.

"We will have almost double the cats to hu-" "Where will we hunt?" Firepaw asked above the murmurs of worry. She's nothing but an apprentice. Copperheart thought. But she has lived long enough to be a warrior. "She's right." Petalbreeze agreed softly. "I hate to admit it, but I am getting thinner by the day!" She exclaimed.

"I have an idea." Marshstar announced from beside Reedstar. "I can send my warrior just beyond the boundaries of your territory, if allowed, and we can hunt there. All we ask is shelter and territory, and this is the only place to go." The gray tom looked up at the clouded skies, where raindrops continued to fall from.

"It may work," Curltail agreed, blinking thoughtfully. "We have not hunted there before, but I have seen it. There are plenty of places for prey to hide in, uphill, but the only thing is....it may be overran with brambles and vines." "Now we're scared of brambles and vines!?" Robinflight hissed disbelievingly. "If it means more pelts to keep us warm, and fuller bellies, I'll be one of the first to patrol there." She declared, lifting her muzzle up to Reedstar.

Ambernose raised his voice above the conflicting meows. "I would patrol constantly, if my kits and mate receive shelter from this camp." Reedstar raised his gaze to the sky on Meeting Rock. "Then RiverClan may stay with us for the time being."
. . .
"You are stepping on my tail." Maplefur growled into the darkness. "And you are in my den." Shardstorm retorted, his yellow gaze lighting the warrior's den. "It's not your den." The RiverClan deputy hissed. "Then who's is it?" He asked tauntingly. "ShadowClan's!" The she-cat whisper-shouted. "Then what are you doing in here?" Shardstorm spoke slowly, knowing that he had just said the right thing to win the argument. The red and brown she-cat grumbled something under her breath before sinking into her damp nest.

Copperheart sighed. Every night it had been like this, ever since RiverClan had moved in three sunrises ago. He felt himself drifting into sleep, lulled by the patter of rain on the den's roof.
. . .
Echoclaw was not looking forward to the half moon gathering. "It's wet, and I'll be wet, and we'll slip down hills, and oh- what if the way is flooded?" She went on. Not that she was worried about any of that, she just didn't want to go. She still hadn't attended a half-moon gathering since THE Gathering, but now she must go. "Come on, this will be a long journey." Snowsap meowed. "Remember what I told you, Echoclaw, no telling the other Clans RiverClan has moved in, and how I'm injured, just say I twisted a paw, and if any cat-" "I know!" Echoclaw exclaimed with a sigh.

Rainleaf pressed his warm pelt up against Echoclaw's as they left the shelter of the den, immediately soaked. Rain was literally being dumped from the thundering skies, where even if the medicine cats passed under a tree, the ground would create the illusion that they were swimming through a pool of mud. Echoclaw tried not to shiver when a half-frozen raindrop splattered onto her ear and trailed down to her muzzle.

"I wonder how Mintmouth and Flickerblaze are doing, and Weedfoot! I doubt he'll even come, the poor cat doesn't even have an apprentice....." Snowsap chattered on, and the farther they walked, the more she would talk. "Oh nooooo, what if some cat catches Whitecough in ShadowClan camp? It'll spread like wildfire! Oh StarClan, and all of the catmint must be washed away!" The she-cat cried.

"I tried to s-" "Shut up!" Echoclaw yowled as loud as she could, irritation clear in her voice. "No need to yowl about it." Snowsap muttered before falling silent. "Stop!" Rainleaf exclaimed suddenly. Echoclaw narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn't do any-" She broke off as she slipped and fell. She kept on sliding down....something....farther and farther down..... "Help!" She yowled, digging her claws into the slippery ground. "What's at the bottom?" She gasped, clawing her way up. "You shouldn't stay and find out!" Rainleaf meowed, slipping down the hill and falling in beside her.

"Look, there's a rock sticking out in the wall, just below you, it'll catch you and I'll help you up." He's so different from last time I visited him, Echoclaw thought, remember the bubbly and light-hearted medicine cat apprentice.  She almost forgot to stop when her hind leg hit a stone jutting out of the wall, just like Rainleaf had said. "Now, I know all of the holds. I'm going to have to help you up." He explained in a measured voice.

Echoclaw felt like a helpless kit again, having no choice but to follow the stronger, sighted cats. She closed her eyes. This was no time to call up the past and look it over. Instead, she focused on following the tom up the hill, where she suddenly recognized the previously undetected pawholds. She felt embarrassed as she hauled herself to the top, feeling Snowsap's gaze burning into her pelt. "Woah, you two were so impressive!" "You mean me climbing out of a ditch?" Rainleaf laughed.

A ditch? I was falling down a ditch? Echoclaw thought. Rainleaf must have noticed her unease, because he added "A very deep, flooded ditch." Echoclaw rolled her eyes, shaking out her muddy fur. "It really was a deep ditch, filled with water." Snowsap said, her voice shaking. "It was dark, muddy, and there was a tuft of ginger fur in it." She added. "Stop scaring her, it was probably a fox." Rainleaf growled. "I'm not a kit, just because I can't see doesn't mean I'm any different from the rest of you." Echoclaw said coldly, flicking her tail.

"We're here! And....and there's Flickerblaze!" Rainleaf exclaimed. "Let's go, Echoclaw" Echoclaw followed the tom's pawsteps to Flickerblaze. "I'm surprised you came, Echoclaw." The ThunderClan medicine cat sneered. "You know-after the Gathering." He added. Echoclaw dug her thorn-sharp claws into the marshy ground and forced herself not to lose her temper as she dipped her head.

"I know, but Whitefeather could not attend the half-moon gathering tonight." Flickerblaze seemed taken aback by her calmness as he fell into an awkward silence. "Moonlight is bein' wasted!" A voice rasped from the background. "Weedfoot? Peachstreak?" Snowsap meowed, obviously surprised that the old medicine cat had shown up in such dreary weather, and with a warrior by his side!

Echoclaw didn't feel right with a warrior attending the gathering, but Peachstreak couldn't be left outside in the rain. "Come on in, maybe ya' can learn a thing o' two." Weedfoot rasped, lumbering past the other medicine cats in to the cave. "So, how is Mintmouth?" Rainleaf asked Flickerblaze. Echoclaw was too busy worrying about Whitefeather to hear the tom's reply.

What if Whitefeather's spine was broken forever? It would be her fault! And all of this water! If it flooded, would he be able to escape? She could never forgive herself for that. Whitefeather still had a lot to teach her, but what if he couldn't? I'd be ShadowClan's medicine cat! "Come on, Echoclaw, it's time to share with StarClan." Rainleaf meowed suddenly, piercing through her thoughts.

Echoclaw pressed her nose up to the Moonstone, its icy surface making her fur stand on end. No warrior would ever know the feeling it gave off, of ice, yet comforting as it dragged her into starry dreams of her ancestors. Echoclaw opened her eyes to see a black and white tabby.

The pale green eyes stared at her.

Echoclaw felt chilled to the bone.

Because after all of this time

She finally got to see her mother.

Well, have a great day! XD