Into the Sun [c]

Rainpaw’s ear twitched in displeasure as a cold breeze cut through his thick fur. He’d had quite enough of this chilly season. He would really prefer it if the sun would come back out and chase away the snow that covered the ground. A sentimental voice in the back of his head wondered if the sun could not come out as long as Crookedpaw was not home. He chased the thought away. It was silly.

He turned his head to look at his companion instead of indulging the thoughts that only served to upset him. Juniperpaw had grown so fast, and as far as Rainpaw was concerned, was making a great apprentice. Sparring, though he’d improved recently, was still not his best skill, so he hoped that he would not embarrass himself in front of her.

‘Sister’ was often the term that came to his mind whenever he looked at Juniperpaw. Something about her just felt familiar. Familial. It made sense. He viewed Birdstar like a mother, so the fact that she viewed Birdstar in similar terms meant that it only made sense to view her like a little sister. It felt strange. He was always uncomfortable putting familial terms to the relationships he had. He always wondered if he was reading things correctly. Maybe one day he’d be able to vocalize the term. For now, it remained a thought, one that brought a sense of warmth.

Rainpaw’s steps slowed to a stop as he realized belatedly that he reached their destination, a tucked away corner of camp where their tuffling was unlikely to disturb the other occupants. The area was lit by the weak sun. Rainpaw poked at the snow that remained there with a displeased noise, as if he’d half-expected it to go away from the spot he wanted to be in. Then he shook his head and moved in front of Juniperpaw. “Ready? I’ll let you take the first move,”He said, voice flat as ever but a glimmer of affection in his eyes.

Juniperpaw

Juniperpaw gave Rainpaw an excited, loving smile, already moving her stance into a sparring position. Her eyes watered from the biting breeze, harsh on her furry face just as it was on Rainpaw’s, yet neither of them voiced any discomfort. They were both apprentices now, Juniperpaw just a little behind Rainpaw on training. It was almost beyond belief for her, how far she’s come; she continued every day to think it was all just a dream, yet she continued to wake up in SkyClan, a place more and more like home with every night spent in the apprentice den alongside her brother.

Brother. It should feel strange to call what was once a stranger that, but it came so naturally to Juniperpaw— just as naturally as calling her his sister came to Rainpaw, it seemed. They both came from the same stretch of forest, both saved and raised by the same she-cats, why wouldn’t they consider each other siblings? Rainpaw was so brotherly anyways, always looking out for Juniperpaw and providing for her whenever he can— just like right then, whereas Rainpaw had invited her to spar as apprentices. They had play-fought before, sure, but this time was different. This wasn’t a game, this was training.

Rainpaw seemed a little distracted today, seemingly either by the wind or the bleak gray sky. His eyes, however, told a different story— worry and sentiment swam in those odd eyes, looking much farther beyond than the tree line. It worried Juniperpaw more than she would like to admit. Her older brother was a shining beacon to her, always giving her hope, and to see him look so downtrodden made her feel just as bad.

”What’s wrong, brother?” she asked softly, softening her stance enough to give him a concerned look. Normally, she would wait for his answer, but this was a spar; they could converse like siblings while they fought. Rainpaw’s condition did hinder her enthusiasm, however. A little slower than she usually would go, Juniper corrected her stance before quickly leaping a foxlength or so onto Rainpaw, a little disorganized but nonetheless persistent. Rainpaw, while older than her, was a little smaller, which made it surprisingly easy to send him onto his back. Grinning triumphantly, Juniperpaw added with a snicker, ”You can tell me, brother! Don’t let me intimidate you.”

Brother?

Rainpaw’s body froze at the word. He hadn’t heard it in reference to himself in so, so long. A whisper of a motherly voice spoke in his mind for a moment, a memory he tried to cling to before it slipped away. For a moment he thought of his first siblings, his litter, and his heart gave a painful squeeze. It was so hard to put those words to voice for him, and yet Juniperpaw did it as easy as breathing, it seemed. The complicated feelings that rose at that word were matched only by the intensity of the warmth he felt.

Rainpaw went tumbling easily, not even noticing her approach, caught up as he was in his thoughts. It was good, the knock to the ground, because it made his brain halt and refocus on his surroundings. He looked at Juniperpaw. Sister. The thought came again as she used that word once more. Maybe he could get used to this. He wanted to try. She clearly thought of him like a brother. Well, he’d live up to that. He had to. He would not fail another sibling.

Then, there was the matter of her question. She deserved an answer. One quick look at those big blue eyes told him he wasn’t getting away with not providing an answer and insisting he was fine. What was wrong? Where did he start? He had never truly spoken to her about his own arrival to the clan. That was still a memory only he and Birdchaser fully shared. He did not think he could quite put that to words right then. Perhaps the simpler answer, then, even if it was still a painful one.

As he worked on formulating his words, Rainpaw’s body moved with the instincts of training, moving easily with Juniperpaw as they sparred. He rolled back to his feet, moving away from her quickly, using his smaller size to aid his speed. “You are not very intimidating.” He told her, a slightly teasing note to the words as he moved in and pounced on his sister in return, tackling her down and putting all of the strength he had gained through training to hold her. In the interest of training and helping Juniperpaw improve, he wanted to give the spar his all. If she did not yet know how to escape a pin such as this, he would teach her.

“As for what’s wrong…” Rainpaw took a moment to shrug before firming his hold. “I am thinking of a friend of mine. My best friend. I think you would get along well with him. He was taken by the twolegs, some moons ago. I miss him dearly. I am looking forward to the look on his face when he learns I have gained a sister.” A tiny smile then as he said the word out loud, another burst of warmth and complicated emotions.

Rainpaw used Leap and Hold, dealing -6 damage and costing -15 SP. Juniperpaw is pinned for 2 turns.

Juniperpaw [PINNED]
14/20 HP (-6)
53/60 SP

Rainpaw
14/20 HP
45/60 SP (-15)

Rainpaw made a face at Juniperpaw at the comment about his height, pausing from his thoughts long enough to stick his tongue out at his sister. A childish action? Maybe so. Vindicating? Absolutely. Then the heavy conversation returned, and Rainpaw’s eyes refocused to take in Juniperpaw’s reaction.

Rainpaw paused too for a moment. “Crookedpaw.” He said softly, and even he was surprised by how soft his voice got when he spoke the name, a warmth in his tone reserved only for his family and Crooked himself. “He is kind. Curious about the world. Friendly with other cats. I believe he is a hard cat not to love. He even charmed Blackbear. Who, I suppose you also do not know yet. She went to find him. When they return, both of them, I will introduce you to them.”

He paused once more, studying his sister for a long moment, intense blue and yellow eyes taking in her reaction to his words. He considered the look in her eyes, then softly said, “There is something that is on your mind as well, isn’t there? Tell me.” He paused. “If you are able.” He added, gentler. He knew there were some things difficult to voice, no matter how much you may want to.

He kept his paws in place, but it was mostly pretense at this point. He was much more focused on studying Juniperpaw and on the conversation at hand.

Juniperpaw continues to be pinned! The pin will be up after this round!

Rainpaw pulled away and sat back as Juniperpaw broke free, following her lead in pausing the spar. He sat back, stiff as a board, but he felt remarkably relaxed. Conversation, even heavy, hard conversation like this, was almost easy with Juniperpaw. Words fell easily, and Rainpaw did not worry as much as he normally did about how he was coming across. He knew that he would not be judged even if he was awkward. Perhaps that is part of being a sibling.

He paused at Juniperpaw’s words. Her mother. Once again, his mind flew back to a voice he had nearly forgotten, and he swallowed hard. “Does it help to know I never looked for mine at all?” He commented softly. It was not something he had admitted out loud before, he realized with a small jolt. “I was separated from her against my or her will. I think so, anyway. It is hard to remember. But I was too scared of the twolegged place to even consider it once I became old enough to try. I just… assumed it would be a lost cause.”

He felt a familiar spark of guilt then. Not for the first time, he envied Juniperpaw’s open heart and her brighter outlook.

“You told us she didn’t want to be found when we first found you.” He pointed out softly. “You were scared at the time. I didn’t want to push for details. Are you able to tell me more of what happened now?” He offered. He shifted closer to his sister, flicking his tail over to press against hers. He understood how difficult such a subject could be, and while he was not the best at comfort, for Juniperpaw? He’d try.

He paused, then softly added, “If you had continued looking for her, in that weather, at that age, all on your own…? You could’ve died. I’m grateful, for what it’s worth, that you are here. I think it was the right choice.”

Rainpaw sat, tail over his paws, and he listened. His heart ached in his chest as Juniperpaw spoke of his mother, squeezed harder when she mentioned that she was the only survivor of her litter. Emotions, overwhelming, unfamiliar, difficult to parse, swirled in his chest, a mixture of his own long-forgotten emotions and an agonizing sympathy for what his sister must’ve gone through, all on her own, so young.

Rain leaned over as tears filled Juniperpaw’s eyes and he pressed his nose to her shoulder before leaning lightly against her. “I can’t imagine my life without you, either.” He admitted softly, eyes downcast as he just leaned against his sister. “I am sorry, Juniperpaw. That you had to go through that.” He looked up at her again. “You did what you could. All you could. With what you had, with what you knew..." He trailed off. "You couldn't have done anything more for her."

He’s quiet for a moment, as Juniperpaw is. Then he looked up at her again, met her big blue eyes, and went, “Oh, right.”

Without missing a beat, he reached over and smacked Juniperpaw in the shoulder, before leaping back to his feet and into a defensive position.

Rainpaw uses front paw blow, dealing -5 damage and costing -5 SP

Juniperpaw
9/20 HP (-5)
53/60 SP

Rainpaw
14/20 HP
40/60 SP (-5)