| “ | Is that why we came here? To hide behind the bushes and hunt prey no one else wants? We live on a tiny piece of land when there's a whole territory right there for taking. | „ |
| ~ Rain challenging Darktail |
Rain is a major antagonist in the A Vision of Shadows arc, a supporting antagonist in the Super Edition Hawkwing's Journey and a minor antagonist in the Super Edition Onestar's Confession in Erin Hunter's Warriors book series.
A member of The Kin, Rain served as Darktail's right-hand-cat, helping him drive out SkyClan from their territory and later take over ShadowClan. He often challenged Darktail's leadership, believing him to be too weak. He attempted to smother Darktail to death in his sleep, for which the tom killed him.
Biography[]
Hawkwing's Journey[]
Darktail introduces Rain to SkyClan under the pretense that the tom will help them find the other Clans. The search ultimately fails, and some of the SkyClan cats grow suspicious of Rain and Darktail after they return.
At a Clan meeting, Rain challenges the medicine cat Echosong when she attempts to explain her interpretation of a vague message from StarClan.
A few nights later, the rest of the Kin ambushes SkyClan, and Rain and Darktail fight on their side. During the battle, Rain helps Darktail to kill the SkyClan deputy, Sharpclaw. The Kin win the battle, forcing SkyClan to flee their home, which the Kin decide to settle in.
A Vision of Shadows[]
Rain escorts Alderpaw and his patrol to their camp in SkyClan's gorge. At mealtime, he is shown to be the second cat to choose his prey (after Darktail), before the rest of the Kin are allowed to eat.
Rain is ordered by Darktail to learn about herbs under Alderpaw. Rain assumes that just two herbs can cure everything, but Alderpaw explains that there are many herbs they will need to find to cure a large variety of diseases; Rain shrugs the information off.
At night, Darktail, Rain, and Raven discuss heading for the Clans. Needlepaw pads up to Rain, purring that it sounds like they are close to making their minds up about whether to leave the gorge. Rain looms over her, hissing that it is rude to eavesdrop. Needlepaw playfully responds that she didn't have a choice, as they are not subtle in their plotting. Rain mutters something and walks away.
Needlepaw follows him, and they discuss the Clans, which Needlepaw says have many rules that Rain and the others will need to learn to fit in. Rain responds that everything will work out the way it is meant to, in a voice that is either hopeful or amused.
After Alderpaw speaks to the SkyClan exile Mistfeather, Darktail brings him back to the gorge and reveals that the Clan cats are working with SkyClan to take the territory back from them. Rain thrusts his face up against Needlepaw's until their noses nearly touch, demanding to know if it is true, his anger and hurt evident. Needlepaw responds that it is obviously not true.
When Alderpaw's patrol returns to the Clans, the Kin follow them, and Rain participates in a battle against WindClan. Needlepaw begins visiting the Kin at night to see him. When she is found out by her leader, she sends Violetkit to tell Rain that she can no longer come to visit him; Violetkit is attacked by an owl, but Rain and another member of the Kin, Roach, fight it off. Rain is worried that the owl took Needlepaw, but Violetkit explains that she couldn't come.
The next day, Rain, Darktail, and Roach return Violetkit to ShadowClan. A few days later, he, alongside his fellow Kin Raven and Flame, bring an offering of prey to ShadowClan and request to join, but are turned away.
A number of ShadowClan cats, including Needlepaw, Violetkit, and Sleekwhisker join the Kin. Rain hunts with Sleekwhisker, although neither takes hunting very seriously and catch only a mouse each. When they return, Needlepaw, now Needletail, flirts with Rain, complimenting his fighting skill. Rain invites Needletail to go hunting with him--just the two of them--tomorrow. Now back in camp, he learns that two of their Kin are sick, but shrugs and remarks that it just means more prey for him and Needletail.
At that moment, Darktail enters camp and tells Rain that due to only catching one mouse, he isn't allowed to eat today. Rain growls that no one is allowed to tell him he can't eat and angrily asks if the prey he caught isn't good enough for Darktail. Darktail snaps that Rain has been bringing less and less back to camp and this is the most pitiful of his hauls yet.
Rain demands to know if Darktail has been counting how much prey he's caught, and Darktail affirms it, saying he must make sure everyone pulls their weight. Rain sneers that Darktail sounds like a Clan cat; Darktail retorts that the Clans live well. Rain snorts that they only live well if you enjoy having rules.
Rain asks if they had only come to the lake territories to hide in the brush and hunt prey no one else wants. He growls that they are living on a tiny piece of land when there is a whole forest for the taking. He claims that Darktail has gone soft, and Darktail, furious, leaps at him.
The two toms fight, and Darktail defeats Rain; he promises not to challenge Darktail again, but as punishment for his rebellious attitude, Darktail scratches one of Rain's eyes. Despite Nettle and Needletail's best efforts, Rain loses the eye, and pale fur grows over the empty socket. Needletail and Rain grow even closer, and it is suggested they might become mates.
After Violetkit, now Violetpaw, leaves the Kin for ShadowClan, she runs into Needletail and Rain. Rain mocks her that she left because she was afraid of her pretty face being spoiled like he lost his eye. Needletail considers taking Violetpaw back to Darktail, but Rain convinces her that they don't want anyone that doesn't want to be with them, and that Violetpaw is too soft anyway.
Over half a month later, Rain, some of the other Kin, and some ShadowClan cats help Darktail to usurp Rowanstar as leader of ShadowClan. Needletail tries to convince Rain to take the position of deputy, but Rain suggests that she ought to offer to be deputy instead, as she'd be good at it.
Coming across some ThunderClan cats at the ShadowClan border, Rain tries to annoy them, asking the warrior Ivypool how the Gathering was, and if ShadowClan was missed. Ivypool responds that even though they have control of ShadowClan's camp, they are still rogues, and won't be missed at a Gathering. Rain shows amusement at Ivypool's anger.
When the Clans attack the Kin in ShadowClan camp, Rain fights to defend his group. During the battle, he and Needletail discover Violetpaw talking to her sister from ThunderClan, Twigpaw, and Rain convinces her to attack Twigpaw, as he and Needletail are her Kin now, not her blood sister.
A few days later, Rain is mentioned to agree with Darktail that the elders need to start providing for themselves more, as they cannot have members of the Kin who don't contribute. However, Rain distrusts the new many new arrivals from outside the Clans that Darktail has let into the Kin. Violetpaw wonders if he will challenge Darktail again.
When Darktail is sleeping, Rain attempts to choke him to death; however, Violetpaw walks in on the scene, distracting Rain, who moves to attack her and dispose of any witnesses. Unfortunately, Darktail is not yet dead, and he swiftly leaps up behind Rain before he can reach Violetpaw, and quickly kills him by clawing his throat open.
Onestar's Confession[]
Rain is seen among the other key members of the Kin during Darktail and Onestar's confrontation.
Legacy[]
After his death, Rain is deeply mourned by Needletail, who becomes severely depressed and frequently calls out his name in her sleep. Violetpaw, however, reflects that she struggles to share her friend's grief over Rain's death, as he scared Violetpaw and likely would've gotten himself and Needletail into a lot of trouble.
Darktail states that he "always knew" Rain would betray him.
Appearance[]
Rain is a big, long-furred, bushy-tailed gray tom with a single green eye. Pale fur covers where his other eye used to be.
Personality[]
Rain is a strong-willed tom who is unafraid to challenge his leader when he disagrees with him, or to break rules in order to protect his lover, Needletail. An example of this is when he encourages her to hide the scrawny mouse she caught at the bottom of the prey pile before Darktail sees so that he won't find out she had an unsuccessful hunt and punish her.
While Rain cares deeply about Needletail, he has little sympathy for other cats. When he learns that two of his Kin, Silt and Beenose, are ill, he shrugs and remarks that it means more prey for him and Needletail.
Rain shows indifference at worst towards cats that aren't in his way. He expresses frustration that the Clans keep so much prey for themselves (as well as disliking how many rules they have), but shows no sign of hatred of individual cats. However, he still has little regard for the lives of other cats, and actively wishes to kill Darktail due to disagreement over Kin policies, keeping him from being truly Affably Evil.
While never directly stated, Rain's actions imply his main goal is to secure a stable food source and territory. While he does butt heads with Darktail, it is less to do with a desire for power, and more to do with disliking Darktail's decisions, as when he agrees with Darktail, he is loyal.
What he dislikes most about the Clans is their greed over prey and territory, as well as their high number of rules, showing that he prefers a simple life where everyone willing to pull their weight gets to eat, and that is the end of it. He is not particularly sadistic either, rather having no concern for the wellbeing of cats other than himself and Needletail, and preferring to let others be as long as they don't bother him or try to keep prey for themselves like the Clans do.
However, Rain is also a bit of a hypocrite, as he doesn't pull much of his own weight once the Kin are settled into ShadowClan territory, barely putting any effort into hunting even though he is capable of it, but still expecting to be able to eat his fill.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Needletail (lover)
Trivia[]
- Rain was mistakenly described with both eyes after losing one.
External Links[]
- Rain on the Warriors Wiki
