Venomous Revelations

Rainstrike's past actions had already led Cherryblossom to distrust the silver and white warrior, and when the news came to light that she was responsible for putting the adder in Oakstar's nest all that time ago, the little tabby could hardly call herself surprised. Still, her jaw dropped open a little, and while she was processing the words that still reverberated around camp, both Oakstar's revelation and Rainstrike's defense, some of her Clanmates stood and chose positions around the camp, indicating their thought about Rainstrike's fate.

She watched with a little bit of pride as Hickorypaw stood and made her way over to the camp entrance, a mirror to the decision she had in mind. With that, she stood as well, and took a few steps towards Rainstrike, so that she stood before the cat on trial.
"When you took your oath as a ThunderClan warrior, you vowed to protect this Clan, even at the cost of your life. Dacedream, my mother, was ThunderClan through and through, and you failed her. You stood idly by and let her die, without even lifting a claw to help her. That is a punishable offense in my eyes, to stand and watch a Clanmate die, without doing anything to help. However, I understand that this offense is long past us, and shouldn't have any stake in this decision. But attacking your own Clanmate, siding with the Righteous Few? Oakstar was right to punish you for that, and you definitely deserve punishment for this little stunt. I don't care if the Righteous Few told you to or not, I don't know if they influenced your actions, but you still had a say in whether you did it or not. You did these things, and your actions speak louder than your words."

With that, she turned and started to make her way towards the camp entrance, stopping after a few paces, and turning to face Rainstrike once more,
"I don't know what made you the way that you are, but know that you aren't worthy of my trust."

She then continued on her way, settling down at the camp entrance beside Hickorypaw and curled her tail around the apprentice from the other side.

Dustcloud's ears pinned back on her head as she watched Mossbloom and Oakstar emerge, calling a Clan meeting and summoning Rainstri- Rainpaw forward. She hadn't intended on staying in camp any longer, but now it seemed she had no choice... With a huff, she padded forward, keeping herself rather distant from any of her Clanmates. It seemed like Mossbloom was doing a bit better, which Dustcloud was thankful for... But as soon as those horrible words passed through her maw, she recoiled. Surely, Mossbloom was mistaken... But it didn't seem likely that several medicine cats were wrong. There had to be some explanation for this. Rainpaw was so young, so... so impressionable. How could they fault her for this?

Dustcloud's head began to whirl as several cats spoke up about their feelings, a blur of words and emotions rising within her. It felt as if Rainpaw had been a kit only yesterday... How did it come to this? When Cherryblossom had finished speaking, Dustcloud stood up, faltering for a moment. What was she even going to say? She hardly even knew how to feel... Despite all that her paws moved forward, bringing her directly to Rainpaw's side. "R-Rainpaw was only d-d-doing what she th-thought was St-StarClan's w-w-will... She may h-have gone about it i-in... the wrong w-way, but she kn-knows better n-now." Curling her tail around her granddaughter, Dustcloud looked around at her Clanmates scattered around camp, and then to Oakstar. "We p-preach about f-f-following StarClan and d-d-doing as they wish. Rainpaw w-was doing just th-that... Only she didn't kn-know that it was n-not the true St-StarClan. She couldn't h-have known... None of us d-d-did. How can w-we punish our own, who f-f-fight alongside us, and a-are willing to l-lay down their l-life for the Clan," she said, gesturing to Rainpaw's recent injuries, "This h-happened in the p-past. Rainpaw kn-knows better now. She h-has proven that she is w-willing to fight with a-and for us. What m-more can we a-ask for in a Clanmate?"

Dustcloud stood with her final words, affectionately nudging Rainpaw's shoulder. Then, she quickly padded over to the elder's den. "Rainpaw d-deserves forgiveness, and a s-second chance. We owe h-her that much."

Cedarheart didn’t move. She didn’t who what to think. Oakstar’s and Rainpaw’s voices rang the clearest, and cats took their sides. Luckily, they weren’t leaning toward choosing execution. That was a fate that nobody should deserve. The warrior realized her opinion on the matter was needed. ”I-...” she started, but soon reasoned she didn’t know what she thought. ”Rains-Rainpaw was my mentor. She trained me well, and was a good and caring mentor. I trusted her completely then. After Dacedream, I didn’t know what to think. And I don’t really know what to think right now, either. But she fought those dogs. She risked her life for the kits. And if she says that she put that snake there because she believed it what Starclan’s will, then I am going to believe her. I think she has done more than prove herself with her bravery.” she finished, looking around. Even if she didn’t agree with her clanmates, she felt in her heart that she could try to forgive Rainpaw. It was the least she could do.

With that, the brown tabby turned toward the elder’s den, joining the growing crowd of Thunderclanners who believed that the former warrior should be forgiven

Minkstream forced a slight smile at Thrushpaw's reply, shaking his head slightly at the question that followed, a dark feeling coiling in his chest as he glanced at Rainpaw again with narrowed eyes. "No, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

Another voice came from Thrushpaw's side, and he caught sight of Lirista, her tail twitching uncertainly as she suggested it could be a warrior ceremony. Thrushpaw replied, and he felt a smile twitch at his maw as Pinepaw leaned in from nearby to whisper to her.

The smile faded as he focused back on the others in the middle. No, this wasn't a warrior ceremony, not by a tail's splash. Mossbloom was there, and Oakstar had a tight look in his eyes that Minkstream had seen only a few times before - one of them at Rainpaw's previous trial. If he was to stab a guess at anything, it would probably have something to do with the Righteous Few. Clenching his jaw, he let his gaze darken again as he studied the scars obscuring her face. If she really did murder Dacedream.... He resisted the urge to flex his claws. Even defending the Clan won't save her. Deliberately turning his eyes away from her, he watched Mossbloom as the medicine cat stepped forward, her gaze averted from the other molly.

He felt himself stiffen as she mentioned the adder, surprise pricking at his ears, a frown touching his maw as he flicked a look back at Rainpaw. What does this have to do with her? The she-cat hadn't even appeared from the warrior's den. Not until everything was almost over, at least. But Mossbloom continued on, taking a couple of breaths, and he felt his eyes narrow. The truth. Was she implying...?

She all but confirmed his suspicions a moment later, and he felt his claws sink into the ground, his mind flicking back to that scene, the fur on the back of his neck prickling. Oakstar, lying still, an adder in the corner, the scent of death and snake over a sharp undertone sticking out fresh in his memory. And Batbite's unspoken fear, the haunted look in her eyes.

It was her.

He almost couldn't believe it. Her own kin. And she'd deliberately taken an adder.... Lip curling, he felt a low growl rumble deep in his throat, more felt than heard. Of course it would be Rainstrike - no one but her would be that cowardly. He could feel the slashes on his face - all but healed, now - burning again, as if the announcement had slashed them open. Every word that came from her mouth was like a snake's hiss to him, a bitter nausea rising in the back of his throat as she played the innocent loyalist. Heat rose underneath his pelt, a burning desire to rip that facade off her.

Snakeheart. You piece of lying frog-dung.

With an effort, he kept his mouth shut tight, gaze flicking briefly to Oakstar as the tom spoke. Her fate. Something flickered in Minkstream's eyes for a brief moment, the medicine den catching the corner of his view. One of the new apprentices moved to the base of the rock, and a moment later, to his disbelief, Daris moved to the elder's den. Didn't he understand what she'd done? He watched his son go, a flicker of confounded shock stirring under his pelt. Why shouldn't he? She fought with him. A bitter taste welled on his tongue, and with an effort he focused on Batbite beside him, searching the profile of her face as she stood.

He stayed where he was, flicking his tail in grim satisfaction as she spoke, and giving a nod in agreement. Rainpaw had hid, like the foxhearted coward she was, hiding like a snake in the shadows. No cat could trust her. A humourless smile with a flicker of pride twitched at his maw when Dock stepped up to spit in her face, and he watched her go to the camp entrance, Batbite leaning down slightly to whisper something in her ear. The flicker of warmth stayed there as others spoke, inclining his head slightly at Nettlefire's words, echoing his mate's.

Thrushpaw's startled words came from beside him, and he didn't take his eyes from Rainpaw, feeling again the dull throb of the scars on his face. "She did." Thrushpaw hesitated, and he didn't move to stop her as she finally hobbled forward to sit with Rosepaw, leaving him and the others.

He felt his jaw clench again as Cherryblossom brought up Dacedream, his eyes narrowing in on Rainpaw's ruined face. More had fought for her than she ever had for Dace. And yet she lied and murdered. Cherryblossom joined Hickorypaw and Batbite at the camp entrance. Dustcloud stood next, her stuttering words almost making him shake his head in disbelief. Did she really believe that? She hadn't learned - if she'd done it once, she'd do it again. There was no way they could trust her. But Cedarheart, too, seemed to think that. Finally, he couldn't keep quiet any longer.

And so he stood, eyes as hard as the frozen river as he took a step towards her. "You like lying through your tongue, don't you? Doing everything you can to try and push off the blame onto everyone else to keep your own muddy paws hidden." He lifted his lip, hissing, "Coward. Everyone who believes you is wrong. No one but a snakeheart would catch a snake to do their dirty work. How can we trust you not to do it again? If you really wanted to change Oakstar's mind, you should've tried talking, instead of killing him."

Almost leisurely, his eyes turned to the medicine cat den. Was Dustcloud right, or did she really deserve death? If anyone does, then she's the one, He thought coldly. If she lived, there was no guarantee she wouldn't come back. Even with one eye and ear, she was still dangerous. And he, or those close to him, would be the first ones she would come after. And yet....

He turned his eyes back to her, seeing the pelts of his family out of the corners of his eyes. Oakstar clearly didn't want it. Then again if she was his family, neither would he. "No one can trust you, and fighting off a couple of dogs shows nothing." He looked into her one eye, a flicker of dark amusement twitching at his tail. Her opinion of him was no secret. She probably still thought he was just a buffoon spitting nonsense in her face. Let her. "Exile is too good for you."

He turned, padding across the clearing, and settled beside Batbite, Hickorypaw, and Cherryblossom.

---

Of course it wasn't a warrior ceremony. Lirista shook her head, her fur burning with embarrassment. A moment later her mind was taken off that as Pinepaw whispered to her sister, and she pricked her ears, eager to forget her stupid question and join in with some other conversation not about whatever was going on. But Pinepaw was shushed before he could go on, and Mermurr was stopped from replying, too. So she held her tongue, feeling her ears flatten slightly as she looked back up at the rock, Oakstar stepped forward and opening the meeting.

And then everything got a little confusing, anger and outrage and shock crackling in the air.

She looked around uncertainly as everyone started talking, most of it going over her head. Rainpaw had killed Oakstar? Or... well, somebody had. Rainpaw seemed to think so. She said she'd done it to help. How does dragging a snake into camp help? Everything seemed to be going so quickly. Daris went to the elder's den, the one for staying. Dock and Batbite seemed to think it was bad, and had gone over the camp entrance, the... was that the one for exile? Hazily, she remembered that meant the cat couldn't come back to camp, like a rogue.

And Rainpaw had attacked their dad? She glanced up at him as Thrushpaw asked the question, the fur on the back of her neck prickling at his expression as he answered.

"M-Mermurr?" She whispered as her sister as the molly moved to the rock, undecided. Shrinking a little against the ground, she glanced around, tucking her tail tight to her side as her ears flattened against her head. It sounded bad, but she'd defended the camp, hadn't she? She'd been injured, and she looked sorry. But Batbite and Dock and the others had said that didn't mean anything, so....

Lost, she glanced over at Minkstream, hoping for some sense of direction. A cold feeling of uneasiness was all that she got, a little prickle of fear shooting down her spine at the look in his eyes. His voice was so cold, and she watched as he stepped up to Rainpaw, almost afraid he'd... well... she didn't know, but... she'd never seen him look like that. But, if him and Batbite and Dock were this mad over everything, didn't that mean Rainpaw was bad? She squeezed her eyes shut. Am I supposed to choose?

I don't know.

Oakstar had said they didn't have to. Trembling slightly, her tail down, she slunk to Thrushpaw's side, her head down and not looking at Rainpaw, a churning feeling in her stomach as she curled her tail tight around herself, making her feel queasy. Couldn't fight a dog. Can't choose what to do.... She shut her eyes and buried her paws into the ground.

Beecloud remained silent as Mossbloom and Oakstar laid out the charges presented to Rainpaw. He swallowed with agonizing difficulty as he processed the magnitude of her actions against Oakstar and the clan. Their wizened, kindly leader... her grandfather... Nettlefire's words solidified what he was very much sure of. If she was telling the truth, she was a great idiot. His amber eyes fluttered shut, painfully flexing his claws into the ground. As he opened his eyes, he moved to the camp entrance.

"She broke the Code," he said very plainly. "She brought venom into camp, and she endangered everyone."

"Beecloud, stop!" Ferretnose hissed, breaking out of her stupor. She was a sight to behold. Every hair on her pelt stood on edge, and her good eye was wild with terror. Her son turned briefly to face her, the anger weaning in his face, replaced with pity and softness. "She... she's our clanmate, and she defended our camp, and she gave her eye-"

"I won't give her leniency for doing what she is supposed to do!" Beecloud said. He turned his back on his mother once more. "So what if she lost an eye? Thrushpaw almost died, and lesser cats have done more. You know you see the connections in all of her actions. Don't tell me that you can't tell she's lying through her teeth. She knows that you and Dustcloud will defend her. But go ahead, give her another chance, Ma. Look Mossbloom in the eye and tell her that she got her prophecy wrong. Tell her that StarClan lied to her, and that the Righteous Few told Rainpaw to do it! But I know what the truth is."

Beecloud took a seat beside Cherryblossom. He and Ferretnose locked eyes. He relaxed his body in her sight, as though he might transfer some resolve to her in this uneasy and tumultuous state. He watched his mother break away from his gaze. Ferretnose let out a strangled whine as her eye swept past Rainpaw. She could hardly bear to look at any of them: Oakstar, Mossbloom, or Rainpaw. She stepped back on trembling legs and shut her eyes. "I know how lost you are, Rainpaw!" she cried out. "I know. You're confused and lonely and your clan barely understands you. I wish I could have been a better mentor. I wish I could have shown you your place in ThunderClan. I wish none of this had ever happened to you! You're so lost. And..."

The senior warrior finally opened her eyes. "I pray that StarClan finds you someday."

Ferretnose's tail dragged across the ground as she collapsed at the camp entrance, at Batbite's side. "I'm sorry," she whispered to her friend, the black she-cat.

So it was decided.

Oakstar watched while warriors and apprentices alike stated their reasonings, made their choices. His heart twisted agonized in his chest. One part of him desperate, agreeing with those who cried that Rainpaw was good, that she needed help. Another chance. Yet she had already gotten it, unknowingly. He had been forced to watch his clan divide itself over her. Good or bad, in what felt an endless cycle.

Now it would be broken. His mate’s heartbreak in his ears, Ferretnose’s plea… the calls for justice and for mercy. All of them from a clan that had now cast its votes. Many of them lined the entrance to the camp. It was over, Rainpaw was to leave. He looked down at the she-car, one final time.

It hit him hard. His breath hitched painfully in his chest. This would be the last time he saw his grand daughter. He had failed her father… his son… He hoped Mistwalker would forgive him someday while he forced himself to speak.
"The clan has spoken, Rainpaw. Now I will cast my own vote. You claim that Starclan led you to do it, but Mossbloom tells me it was before they spoke to you. Am I to believe the words of a cat who fought against her own clan, than the words of our medicine cat? The one who has cared for all of us? Who despite her own illness, tends the wounded. Who has done everything in her power to keep peace?" His tail lashed behind him. He tried to keep the sorrow from showing, but he couldn’t hide the anger… the conflicted feelings, from his expression.

"Rainpaw, from this moment on, you are no longer a member of ThunderClan. You are not welcome on our territory, and before Starclan, I now strip you of your apprentice title. You are only Rain, and I hope, that someday out there, you find a home that suits you better." His expression shifted unbidden. The sorrow showed plainly now. "I wish I knew where I went wrong. What I could have done… to stop you, to guide you down a better path. I have failed you… and someday, I hope you can forgive us."

Rainstrike refused let her gaze waver from Oakstar's face for more than a second or two at a time. Regardless of whether or not he met her gaze, she kept it there, watching, waiting, relishing in the discomfort and pain in his features. She wasn't stupid. She knew which cats she could count on, and which cats were foolish enough to believe that they'd be safer were she an exile. Most of the cats who voted against her were predictably boring, complete with snoozeworthy tirades that the pointed tabby simply tuned out of. There was only so many times she could hear "you were wrong" and "I hate you" and "I don't trust you" before it just stopped being heard altogether. Rainstrike didn't care about being trusted, or liked, or even tolerated. Rainstrike cared about being recognized, and that didn't exclude what was going on right now. ThunderClan thought they were voting on her life, and that was laughable.

No, ThunderClan was voting on their own lives. And she had to admit that the fact there were pitifully few cats on the winning side amused her more than it should have. However, it was Dustcloud's words and actions that truly garnered a response from the she-cat for the first time since this had all started. Rainstrike lowered her head as her grandmother approached, ears flattening atop her broad skull, to preach in her defense, and she entwined her tail with Dustcloud's own, a wordless thanks as the older she-cat moved towards the elder's den. Cedarheart, likewise, was met with a brief, appreciative glance.

As Minkstream approached her, Rainstrike let a lazy smile creep over her features. His anger was palpable, so much so that it swept over her as well, her claws sliding out into the dirt as he approached. Do it, her eyes begged. Give me a reason. But he didn't. He spat vitriol at her and then retreated, leaving her wound up with no release in sight. A pity.

The smile faded, though, when Beecloud and Ferretnose started arguing. If there was one cat that she would have bet on taking her side throughout all this, it was her former mentor. As Beecloud stated, Ferretnose had stuck by her without question through everything. But now, she moved away, and it took Rainstrike a moment to process the reality of that one, finite action. For a split second, her eye glazed over with grief, and in that instant she made up her mind - there was no redeeming ThunderClan. Not anymore... though some part of her couldn't fathom why no one had yet voted for her execution. So many chose the easy option, the option that would free their consciences, make her simply a cat to be banished and forgotten. They all wanted her gone, wanted her dead, even, but none were willing to admit it - to themselves, or to others.

All except Vixenpaw.

She was the last cat to vote, and the confusion in her eyes was clear as she weighed the options in her head. She, too, was as perplexed as Rainstrike about the lack of backbone, the refusal to make the hard choices. But she, seemingly, had no such apprehension, and as the fox-red apprentice sidled past her on her way to the medicine den, Rainstrike finally tore her gaze from Oakstar. He spoke, then, now that the clan had cast their votes, and the she-cat paid him little mind. She didn't care for what he had to say. She'd already come to her own conclusion about ThunderClan. As Oakstar prattled on, his words barely registering in her ears, Rainstrike rose to all fours and padded carefully towards the medicine den, towards Vixenpaw, and when she was barely a tail-length away, she paused. "You are the only one who didn't make a cowardly decision, and I respect you for that," she spoke lowly, dangerously. "Should you ever feel the need to try for your pound of flesh... I won't be far."

Her head snapped up, and every movement, every flash of pain and discomfort was disregarded in that moment. Her body was broken, temporarily, but her mind was not, and the ache of fury and disappointment coursing through her veins was enough to dull her physical malaise as she stalked back to the center of the clearing. Now, she had eyes only for Ferretnose, though there was no trace of sorrow or softness in her expression as she spoke, regarding her former mentor's final words to her.

"StarClan is a joke," she scoffed. "What have they ever done for you, for any of you-" her eyes rapidly scanned the cats gathered at the entrance "-to make you so malleable to their will? They send a dream every now and again and suddenly their word means something, but where were they when the flood scattered the clans? Where were they when the badger murdered Mistwalker? Where were they when dogs broke down our own barrier wall and attacked? Were they here fighting aside us? No. They sit in their starry forest and they watch, and they tut and shake their heads as our blood is spilled and our flesh rent." Her voice had risen now, though it was still calm. Her gaze lingered on Cherryblossom for a moment.

"Where were they when Dacedream was murdered?"

She let that hang in the air, knowing from experience how the dappled queen's name could flare tempers in even the most demure of ThunderClanners. "I didn't believe it at first, but you all were right, when you said that it shouldn't have been she who paid the blood price, it shouldn't have been she who lost her life when the Righteous Few wanted to make a point."

Rainstrike spat, finally turning back to Oakstar. "It should have been you. ThunderClan is weak, and it's because of you. Tell me - have you ever seen a clan so eager to spill each other's blood? Dawngaze was not the problem. I am not the problem. The discord starts and ends with you, dear grandfather, because you refuse to see the frailty you cause with your delicate leadership. ThunderClan is weak because you are weak, Marshpaw, and it will remain so as long as you are at its head." Her voice rose now, defiant and mocking as she addressed the rest of the clan. "You think you have won a victory today, and I'd be lying if I said I was disappointed to tell you that you are wrong. Today ends nothing. Today is the beginning. And it may not be tomorrow, it may not be a moon from now, but eventually, you are going to wish you'd shown the backbone that only Vixenpaw was able to tonight."

She approached the cats gathered at the entrance, sidled her way through them without touching a hair on a single one. She paused there, on the other side of the posse who'd voted for her exile, and looked briefly over her shoulder, "and by the way, my name is Rainstrike, and I implore you not to forget it anytime soon."

With that, she quit the camp in the direction of the Thunderpath.