[Deleted]

Timberwing

The Fox of Rainclan

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

---

Snow was falling again. It seemed like this leafbare was an endless journey of blizzards, ice and snow. Cats were starving and dying, and yet there had been no sign from their ancestors on what to do or how to act in such a situation. It was cold, the leafbare winds cut through fur no matter how thick or long the pelt may have been. There seemed to be absolutely no prey in any of the territories within the valley. The herbs that the medicine cats needed to heal the sick and wounded were dead and wouldn't return until the summer winds did.

And within the midst of all this chaos, all this turmoil and despair, there was a split in a single clan. It had started small, with such a little whisper of doubt. But all whispers grow into something loud and dangerous. As the whisper moved from ears to ears, the crack began to show as the clan who resided by the river started to shake and split into two separate groups. Two portions of a whole, breaking and withering down the clan from the mighty entity it had once been.

To make matters worse, the rift between the two groups was focused on the two cats who should be leading the clan together in harmony. The leader and the Medicine Cat. Because of this, it had taken far to long for the red pelted she-cat to travel across the valley to the Moon Tree, to claim her lives and name. There had been attempt after attempt to keep her at bay, in hopes that she would grow ill and weak and die before her naming took place.

Alas, the old she-cat had survived and had pulled the traitorous whisperer from the darkness, revealing her as Swanfeather, a pure blood loyalist who despised the blood from which Timberwing had been born. On the night of the Gathering, the clan had split into two halves.

The Purists, cats who believed the same as Swanfeather, that a Rainclan bred and raised cat should lead the clan.

The Loyalists, cats who believed that Razorstar and Starclan had chosen Timberwing for a reason, that despite her blood, she was loyal and pure to Rainclan.

And so, with the loyalists following Timberwing to the gathering, those who believed in Swanfeather went their own way, branching away from the clan and taking off on their own. And now, without the purists to stop her, the old she-cat was finally making her way towards Moon Tree, trekking through the cold and snow as it bit through her long fur and pulled at her ears.

There was a pause in her steps as she reached the base of the mountain. Her graying paws stuck in the snow as she looked up at the rest of her journey. Her breath was heavy and her body tired. She had taken no pause in going from the Gathering to making her way to the Moon Tree the next morning. She was probably wearing her body thin, but her clan needed her now more than ever since it had split apart.

Her green orbs glanced behind her, Russethawk was standing near Minnowpaw and Ottersplash, who looked absolutely terrified. Timberwing felt terrible for the young Medicine Cat Apprentice, he was skiddish enough as it was, and with the lack of Swanfeather to guide him, he seemed even more on edge. Minnowpaw looked rather cold, as did Russethawk, but the two of them almost insisted to come along. Timberwing was grateful for both of their loyalty towards her.

"We are almost there." She rasped out, a puff of cloud bellowing from around her muzzle as she spoke. It was far too cold tonight, but Timberwing had to get her nine lives, she had to keep Rainclan together, for the sake of Razorstar, for Sandstar, for all the leaders who had looked over Rainclan for moons upon moons. It was her duty to pull the half together and make them whole again. She couldn't stop until she had completed this.

Lifting a graying paw from the well made print in the snow, the large fox colored she-cat started the long climb up the side of the mountain. The cold wind batted at her, causing her long fur to fluff up against the frost. She knew that her companions, her clanmates were as cold, if not colder, than she was at this moment. The fact that they had stayed with her this whole way sent a warm ripple through her body.

Dark green orbs narrowed against the pelting snow, she could just make out the entrance of the cave up ahead. With a flicker of her bushy tail, the large feline clawed her way up a couple more bolders and stones before finding herself in the hollow of the mountain where the wind couldn't touch. Turning to face her clanmates, Timberwing reached down to grab Minnowpaw by the scruff, hauling her over the lip of the flat stone and into the cave, Russethawk and Ottersplash quickly following.

"We can only rest a moment." She lifted her head, dark eyes watching the blurry outline of the moon overhead. "The moon is already high in sky." Turning towards the cave, the old she-cat paused to gently brush snow from Ottersplash's head with her plume tail before lightly stepping into the tunnel that twisted and turned into darkness. "Stay quiet, and follow me." Her voice was soft as she spoke before dipping inside, letting the shadows swallow her up.

It was dark for a long time, the tunnel would get smaller then larger and then smaller again before a small light shimmered at the edge of the tunnel. Padding into a wide open cavern, Timberwing flicked her ears, eyes staring at the almost glowing white tree. She had been here once before, long ago when she was an apprentice with her mentor. A distant memory that didn't even seem real anymore. And now, here she was, about to recieve her nine lives and become leader of Rainclan.

Flicking her plume tail, the long haired she-cat left the others near the entrance of the cavern as she made her way down to the curled roots of the tree. With a small ear twitch, the large she-cat curled up in a small hollow between two roots, the Moon Tree looming over her body with an eerie glow as she closed her forest green eyes, letting sleep over come her and drift her away to Starclan.

The smell of other cats awoke her. Timberwing's eyes opened as she slowly stood up, her body aching from age. She could probably sleep a whole moon once she returned to Rainclan. Her surroundings were different from when she had fallen asleep, instead of Moon Tree, she was at Starclan's Claws. She could smell Ottersplash, Russethawk and Minnowpaw, but knew they were not with her in this dream.

The other scents that surrounded her were becoming more intense as it looked like the stars were slowly spiraling from the black sky and down to the earth below. Cats of all sizes and colors shimmered in front of her eyes, they bore the scents of both Rainclan and Nightclan, and some bore scents so faint Timberwing could hardly tell they were there.

There where familar cats and strange cats, cats that Timberwing had known her whole life, and some who had only known her for moons before passing from the living. Her green eyes looked around before the cats spoke as a whole. "Welcome Timberwing." The unison voice spoke, echoing in her ears and vibrating within her skull. It was a power Timberwing had never felt before, a power that only Starclan could possess and it was truly magnificent. There was movement among the ranks and the first cat stepped forwards, drawing the red she-cats eyes to him.

[Deleted]

Generosity

---

Everything was blurry. It was hard to remember what had happened and when it had happened. What day was it? What season was it? Why did her side hurt so much? What had happened between the time she had managed to take Emberstrike's life to save her own and when she had been able to drag herself across the border of Rainclan.

Did that even happen, or did she die next to her treacherous nephew? Was she waiting for a cat to take her to Starclan? She hoped it was Meltingice, she missed her brother and it had been far too long since she had seen his smiling, trouble making face.

The thought of her brother taking her to a more peaceful place rolled away as her sense of smell almost hit her like a tree. It was fishy and strong, something that she wasn't expecting. After a long moment of struggling to breath in such a powerful smell, dull forest green eyes blinked open, taking in the sight of where she currently was.

She wasn't familar with this camp, but she knew that smell. Rainclan. So she had been saved, she had been brought here and saved from the brink of death by a different clan and a different Medicine Cat.

She moved, uncomfortable with the way she was laying, until a sharp pain in her side made her stop. A low hiss escaped between her teeth as she glanced over to see her herb slick flank with a large, ugly scar crawling through her long, red fur. So this is what Emberstrike had left her with, she may have relieved the valley of his dark ways, but he managed to leave his mark on her body, forever there.

"Don't move fish-brain." Came the harsh meow from behind her. Swerving her ears, the aging she-cat's green eyes fell on an old gray tomcat with fierce eyes and a face that looked to be in a permanent scowl. She knew the name of the old Rainclan Medicine Cat, she had seen him at Gatherings.

"Smokeyowl..-" She started but what cut off when the old tom growled slightly, his tail flickered before padding over to check on the healing wound of Timberwing's flank. His paws pressed against the wound, pushing a small amount of blood from the swelling skin, causing the red she-cat to hiss and curl her plume tail around her body.

"Hey!" She snapped, her green eyes fierce with pain. Smokeyowl's gold orbs just glared down at her, not with hatred but annoyance that he had to take care of her. Paw steps alerted her that a different cat was making it's way towards where the two older felines were at in the Medicine Cat's den.

"That's enough Smokeyowl." The voice was deep and calm, almost soothing compaired to the raspy voice of the gray tomcat who had been somewhat taking care of her. With a huff, the tom turned to go on about his day while Timberwing turned her attention towards the new cat. He was a tom, sandy brown in color with fierce golden eyes, not sour like Smokeyowl's had been.

"Your Medicine Cat has rough paws." Timberwing said, laying her head on her paws in almost a defeated manner. She had lost her fight long ago when she had been betrayed by her birthclan, and so now, she would submit to what Rainclan had instore for her broken spirit and bruised body.

"He knows what he is doing." The reply was short, the older she-cat could feel the golden orbs of the tom scorch through her long, red fur. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, "What is a Nightclan cat doing half-dead inside Rainclan territory?" His words stung, prodding at a wound that was still open.

"I do not belong to Nightclan." She said after a moment, her eyes avoiding him as she left her head on are large paws, staring at the ground with almost a dead like expression. There was nothing left of Nightclan inside her, nothing left except the blood that spilt from her veins. And even then, was that even Nightclan blood?

"You smell like them, even under the scent of herbs and blood." He pressed on, his voice stern almost ignoring the way Timberwing was responding so sullenly to him. Though it didn't go unnoticed.

Timberwing lifted her head, her green eyes glowed dully showing the broken spirit that lay within the aging she-cat, her muzzle with just a hint of gray moved as she spoke, "I do not belong to Nightclan." She said once more, her voice stern on the notion and she wasn't about to take any more from the younger tom in front of her face.

He watched her, golden holding green, before he nodded. "Very well Timberwing." So he knew her, or at the very least, knew of her. She wondered if her former leader had told the clans that she was a rogue, a filthy cat not to be taken in, or if he knew her from when he was younger and had seen her at gatherings.

"As leader of Rainclan, i'll let you stay until you are healed." He said, flickering his tail as if he was satisfied with his own reply to her.

"That is very generous of you..." She left off, not sure of the tomcat's name.

"Sandstar."

The all too familar sandy brown pelt and fierce golden orbs sent a strong memory through the red she-cat's mind. It had been because of the tom padding her way that she had found her home in Rainclan. He looked far better here than when he had died a bloody, brutal death at the hands of a Nightclan tom. What an ironic twist of fate.

"You look well Timberwing." Sandstar said, his lips curled into somewhat of a smirk. While the two had never been friends, there had always been respect and loyalty as clanmates tended to have with each other. To Sandstar, it hadn't mattered who blood ran through her veins, it was who's blood she was protecting.

"As do you Sandstar." She said, her voice cracked with age as she realized how much older she was compared to the previous leader of Rainclan. It was strange, to think about all the moons that had passed since the sandy leader had left Rainclan to join Starclan. The clan had survived then, and it would survive now, and survive long after she joined her previous leader among Starclan's ranks.

"I knew you would fit in well with Rainclan." He said after a moment, ignoring the small disbelief that shimmered in Timberwing's forest green eyes. With a flick of his tail, Sandstar stretched out his neck to touch the older she-cat's head. "With your first life, I give you the Life of Generosity. May you use it when it comes to the decisions that affect cats of your own clan and yourself."

A sharp jolt shot through Timberwing's body, causing her legs to shake as she supported the life Sandstar wove into her soul. She could feel the heavy decisions he had made in his time as leader, letting her become a Rainclan cat despite the clan she had been born into, giving prey to those who needed it and letting himself suffer the lack of nutrients, letting his body fall so that others may live on.

Timberwing's green orbs opened, her body shivering from the power of her first life as Sandstar nodded before returning to his spot among Starclan's ranks. With a slow twitch of her ear, the fox colored she-cat waited for the second cat to come into view. A smile almost broke out on the older she-cats maw when an all too familar sandy tabby she-cat with beautiful green eyes stepped forwards.