#branchbark

[clangenrising]

Month 14 - Newleaf

Lake’s paws ached. Her stomach growled and her head pounded dully behind her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt full. Still, she walked. 

Ever since her mother had disappeared, she’d been wandering. A few cats had shared a bite with her but they didn’t have much to share in the first place. Most of them were too busy training to fight and they didn’t want her around, especially not the special cats - Exalted, she remembered hazily. She’d tried following other kits home but every time she was politely sent away.

Two days ago, she’d seen a couple cats bringing back a pair of juicy looking birds and while they hadn’t shared with her, they had told her that there was plenty of prey over the far road if she could catch it, laughing between themselves. She figured that was as good an idea as any, so she’d headed out for the wild frontier! 

It was farther away than she’d thought it would be, or maybe it was just easier to get lost without roads to follow. She walked and walked and then stopped to sleep then walked some more. She was starting to wonder if there even was anything out here at all. Was she just missing it? 

The sound of running water grabbed her attention and she licked her chapped lips eagerly at the thought. The kit picked up her heavy paws and bounded towards the noise. Coming out of the grass, she suddenly found herself on the edge of a stream of cool, fresh water - fresher than she’d ever seen before at least. 

“Wowzers!” she declared because that seemed fitting. She waded into the stream and crouched down, gulping greedily until her stomach hurt. She thought about falling over and sleeping in the stream but worried she might drown. Instead, she decided to follow the water like it was a road and see where that took her. At the very least it would be fun to splash around. 

The sky was getting dark again but Lake didn’t mind. She tromped noisily against the current of the stream, humming a song as each note came to her mind. The chill of the water kept her awake, which was nice. She wondered if she would see a fish. They lived in water, right? She hoped so. She was starving and the water she drank wasn’t helping. It honestly made her feel grosser. 

Eventually the stream came upon a small hill but, instead of curving or trickling down the slope, it cut through the earth in a big metal tube. “That’s interesting,” Lake thought out loud. It was like a gutter drain but huge, big enough for a cat to walk through! She bounded up to the edge of it and sucked in a huge breath.

“Hellooooo!” she bellowed, giggling at the way it echoed off the tunnel walls. She splashed her paws in the water and listened to the magnified sound with excitement. “Blaaaaaaah! Bluh, bluh, bluh!” She snorted with laughter. This was the best fun she’d had in weeks!

“Hello?” A voice that wasn’t her own echoed back to her. She gasped. Was that possible?

“Hello?” she called back. It was hard to tell in the dark but at the end of the tunnel, she swore she saw something moving. Then a glint of eyes blinked at her, barely reflecting the moonlight in her direction.

“Wowzers!” she cried, “I didn’t think I’d see anybody! Are you hunting too?”

“Yeah,” the voice said hesitantly. “How old are you?” It sounded like a boy but there were other quieter voices outside the tunnel and they were talking very serious-like. 

“I’m three whole months!” Lake said. The eyes pulled away from the tunnel as the cat whispered with his friends. Lake decided she wanted to say hi up close and personal. She started towards the cat, sloshing through the stream up to her belly. Once the tunnel was all around her, the sound of her paw steps started to hurt her ears and she hurried towards the other end to get away from it. 

She burst out of the other end and thumped into a pair of bony legs, falling back onto her rump with an “oof!” The cat she had run into reached out a paw to steady her. He smelled like grass and dust and his breath smelled like prey blood. It made Lake’s mouth water. 

“Easy, there, kid,” the cat said. It was now that Lake looked up and got her first sight of him. 

“You’re funny looking, mister!” she said. He was a skinny white and blue tabby with big ears, like a little dog, and a very pointy face. 

“I could say the same about you,” he said. 

She laughed. “Am I funny looking?”

“The poor thing looks half starved,” whispered one of the other cats, an equally funny looking girl with brown points on her face and feet. 

“Are you out here all alone?” asked the third cat, a fluffy brown tabby boy who was much more normal looking. 

“Yessir!” said Lake. “I heard there was food here. Do you guys know where the far road is?” The cats all looked at each other for a beat. 

Then the first one spoke up, “Uh, no, but we do know where some food is.”

“Really?!” Lake grinned. “Can I have some?!” Her mouth was starting to fill with saliva. She slurped some of it down to avoid drooling.

“Yeah,” nodded the normal boy. “I’ll even carry you if you want.” 

“Nuh, uh,” Lake shook her head. “I’m a big girl now.” 

“You sure are,” said the funny looking boy. “Barleypaw, will you go grab one of the mice or something?”

“Yeah,” nodded the funny looking girl. She bounded off into the grass and Lake started after her but the funny looking boy put out a paw to stop her. 

“She’s gonna be right back with the food,” he said. “You just sit.” 

“Oh, okay,” shrugged Lake. “My name’s Lake. What’s your names?”

“I’m Floodpaw,” said the funny looking boy. 

“Sparrowpaw,” said the normal looking boy.

“And our sister is Barleypaw,” said Floodpaw. 

“Hey!” Lake gasped. “Did you know all your names rhyme?” Sparrowpaw laughed a little. Floodpaw raised one brow. 

“Yeah…” he said. “Where’s your mom, kid?”

Lake frowned. “Oh, um… I don't know.” 

“Oh,” said Floodpaw.

“That’s alright,” said Sparrowpaw. “Maybe you can come home with us, then.” 

“Yeah?” she brightened. Was she finally gonna be able to find a new place to sleep and a new person to help her get food? 

“Yeah,” said Floodpaw. “Once you’ve eaten we can go there.” 

“I can’t wait!” cried Lake. “You guys are the best!” The brothers exchanged glances again. Lake wasn’t sure what it meant but she saw the sister coming back over the hill and smelled the delicious smell of meat and all other thoughts fled her brain. She scarfed the whole thing down as quickly as she could. She ate it so fast she forgot to check what kind of animal it was. By the time she finished, she realized she felt very sick to her stomach.

“Oh…” she said. “I think I ate too fast…”

“That’s alright,” said Sparrowpaw, “Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you?”

She nodded, cheeks full of breath as she tried to stifle her nausea. 

“Alright, come on then,” Floodpaw said, stretching. “Why don’t we go back to camp? I bet a nice walk will help you feel better.” 

“Okay,” mumbled Lake. She didn’t feel like walking. She felt like falling over and never moving again. She didn’t like saying no to people, though, so she forced herself to take a few steps. 

Floodpaw tilted his funny looking head and said, “I dunno, maybe we should just sit for a while.” Lake sighed a little in relief. “Yeah, why don’t you guys go gather the prey and tell somebody about Lake and I’ll chill here with the kid until she feels like walking.”

“Are you sure?” asked Barleypaw. “We’re awfully close to the border.”

“It’ll be fine,” he said, flopping down in the grass. “Worst comes to worse, I'll grab the kid and go.” 

“Alright…” said Sparrowpaw, looking unconvinced. He and Barleypaw started off into the grass, looking back over their shoulders and whispering to each other. Lake let out a big sigh and eased herself into the grass next to Floodpaw.

“Thanks,” she said, closing her eyes. “I don’t feel very good.” She swallowed, her sides heaving under the distress of her sick tummy. 

“No problem,” smiled Floodpaw. “Barleypaw and Sparrowpaw are always like ‘go, go, go, let’s follow the rules’ or whatever but I get just wanting to lie down.” 

“Yeah,” Lake smiled wide and wiggled into a more comfortable position. “I like laying down!” 

“Me too,” laughed Floodpaw, dropping his head onto the ground too. “So, what are you doing out here, Lake?” 

“Looking for food!” Lake purred. Her stomach gurgled loudly and she giggled a bit. “Thanks for sharing it with me.” 

“Yeah, no problem,” said Floodpaw, one ear flicking away the gnats buzzing by. “But why are you looking for food all the way out here? You’re from the city aren’t you?” 

“Oh, yeah, I am,” Lake nodded, peeking her eyes open at him. “Some cats told me there was food out here. I was really hungry. Plus it sounded fun to try.”

“Don’t other cats bring you food?” he asked, brows furrowed. 

“Nah,” she sighed. “Not since Mother went missing.”

The crease in his funny, pointy face deepened. “Still, there wasn’t anybody else who helped you out?” 

“Um…” Lake frowned too. “No. I’m sorry.” Was she answering wrong? Why was he upset?

“Oh, no, hey,” he said quickly, “It’s okay, I’m not mad, I’m just-” His skinny little tail twitched. “I just think it’s not cool that no one looked out for you.” 

“They’re busy I guess,” Lake shrugged. They were learning to fight or taking care of their own kits. She didn’t blame any of them for not having time for her. 

“Well, here we take care of kittens,” Floodpaw said firmly, “no matter who they are.” Lake smiled and hid her nose in her paws shyly. Floodpaw laughed and stretched his big, long legs out in opposite directions. “Take a little nap, kid. I’ll keep watch.” 

“Okay,” she said and yawned. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until he said something but now, with her belly full, she was eager to get some shut eye. Feeling very round and sluggish, she closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep. 

~~~

When Lake woke up it was very, very dark. She yawned and stretched and looked around, realizing that she was in a totally new place. She stiffened in fright. Where was she? The not knowing was scarier than any answer she could come up with. 

She was in a large den made of dirt, it seemed, in a nest of soft green moss and feathers. It smelled faintly of other cats, cats she didn’t know. 

Carefully, she got to her paws and crept towards the scent of night air, poking her head out to see a small grassy dip with a few other burrows tucked under big, grey stones. Three cats were sitting on top of a big, flat stone and talking softly. They didn’t seem dangerous so Lake ventured a bit further out to look around in wonder. 

“Wowzers,” she breathed. Everything here smelled so fresh and green. She’d never experienced anything like it. 

One of the cats, a dark blue bengal girl, perked up at the sound and looked her way. “Oh, hey! She’s awake!” 

“Shh,” hushed a brown spotted tabby girl nervously. 

“Right, sorry,” said the first girl, lowering her volume a bit. “Hey, girlie, how you feelin’?” 

Lake realized she was supposed to answer and said, “I’m good. How did I get here?” 

“They carried you in while you were sleeping,” said the third cat, a paler spotted tabby boy. Lake frowned. She had wanted to walk.

“I bet you’re pretty confused,” said the first girl. “Why don’t you come up here and sit with us? We can answer any questions you have.”

“Um, I’m okay,” said Lake. “Where’s the guy with the funny ears?”

“Huh?” asked the first girl.

The boy brightened in realization. “Oh, you mean Floodpaw.” 

“Yeah!” Lake bounced. That was his name!

“He’s sleeping over there,” he said, pointing to one of the holes in the ground. 

“Okay, thanks!” said Lake. She started towards the hole to go see him. The second girl breathed in sharply through her teeth and the first girl laughed. 

The boy started to say, “Oh, uh, I don’t know if-” but the first girl interrupted him. 

“Shh, let her be. It’ll be funny.” 

Lake didn’t know what they were talking about but she didn’t let it bother her. She made her way into the den. Five cats were sleeping in their nests; two smaller ones were curled up together and Floodpaw and the other cats she had met were sleeping near each other but not so close that they were touching. Lake padded right up to Floodpaw and settled down against his side. He opened his eyes and lifted his head groggily, blinking at her a few times before he managed to speak.

“Hey, kid, what are you doing in here?” he mumbled hoarsely.

“Looking for you,” she whispered. “Why did you carry me? I wanted to walk.” 

“Oh,” he said with a small groan. He swiped his tongue over his whiskers and rubbed an eye with his paw. “It was getting really late and I didn’t want to wake you. Sorry, kid.” 

“Mmm, it’s okay,” she decided, purring. She wiggled down into his nest and closed her eyes again. 

“Oh, uh…” he hesitated for a moment before eventually wrapping his tail around her and laying his head back down to sleep. Lake purred even harder. She’d missed sleeping next to somebody like this. 

She hoped that wherever her mother was, she had found someone new to sleep beside too.

UPDATES: - While on patrol with Barleypaw and Sparrowpaw, Floodpaw finds an abandoned kit named Lake and takes her back to camp.

[galladeverse]

List of characters

Toy Bonnie, Charlie, Berry, Rogue Virus, Puppet Bonnie, Circus Baby, Molten Freddy, Vampire Fox, Rogue (Normal/Mutated), Scared Virus, Andy, Scratchstar, Branchbark, Applepaw, Jackdawkit, Panther, Beetletail, Hunter, Cutman, Scrapman, Wisp, Gallade, CARE, Tox, Lily, Audino, Toxicroak (normal/Melted), Croagunk, Buns, Ms. Leaf, Gator, Frost, Teddy, Pyro, Ovelin, Merlin, Shy Guy, Buzzy, Huck, Koops, Slyme, Pixel, Hightail, Cartoon Mouse (Normal/Killer), Lanky Limber, QuestCatcher (River Skies, Green Lightning), Bunny, Emma, Sara, Weezord,  Zalia, Tim, Zeebah, Jinx the Jester (pre-escape attempt/post-escape attempt), Mr. Bones (cartoon/real), Tracker, Walter, Gerald, Eve, Bix, Malomon, Ender, Jeremy, Endermind, Heatwave, Waterwave, Windwave, Thunderwave, Naturewave, Icewave, Emburst, Bilge, Mint, Twinkle, Iro, Flapper, Dawn, Aalto, Archie, Pumbaa, Magma, Flint, Clepto, Nocte, Clamor, Frai, Elude, Experiment B (Umbra), Experiment D’s right half (Gordon), Experiment D’s left half (Ryan), Experiment E (Eric), Experiment F (Aria), Experiment G, Experiment H’s body, Experiment H’s soul, Experiment I (Eileen), Experiment J, Experiment K-1 (Jackson), Experiment L, Codec, Nerve, Motherboard, Protogolem, New Nox, Orianna (Orion and Kieriana), Sandy, Zalia, The creature that was in Ender's closet, Jack, Adore, Shamrock, Midas, Oak, Willow, Birch, Acacia, Warp, Crimson, Dark Oak, Spruce, Azalea, Palm, Maple, Mac, Leaf, Valerie, Beacon, Brennan, Max, a wither, Akahiro, Corusco, Fission, Chuck, Whitford, Fenwick, Grim, and I think that’s it. If I make or remember any more, I will update this list.

[clangenrising]

Month 14 - Newleaf

As usual, rumors spread through camp like a wildfire in greenleaf. When Sagetooth got back from tending the garlic patches, she immediately overheard Ospreymask and Branchbark whispering about something scandalous. 

“It’s just ironic, isn’t it?” Ospreymask was saying. “Like, he’s always getting on me for being too chummy with Pebblefall or whoever and then he goes and has kits with a rogue.” 

“Yeah,” agreed Branchbark, tail twitching. “I honestly don’t think it’s that big a deal, but it’s a little funny that it’s him. Like, I guess now he’ll get a taste of his own medicine.” 

“Who will?” snapped Sagetooth. Both warriors flinched, fur brushing up, and turned to look at her like they had been caught eating prey on patrol. 

Ospreymask recovered quickly, though. “Russetfrond,” she whispered conspiratorially. “He got Mystique pregnant.” 

Sagetooth sighed heavily. “That fool boy. What was he thinking?”

“Who knows,” Branchbark huffed. “Maybe he thinks the rules don’t apply to him now that he’s deputy.” Sagetooth wasn’t listening anymore. She stalked off towards her den, rehearsing the scolding she was going to give Russetfrond when she saw him next. 

She couldn’t believe it! She knew that the world was going insane these days - both Stormwhisper and Blazingbrush having broken the code and had kits - but if there had been anyone she had expected to stick to tradition, it would have been Russetfrond. He’d always had more sense than his mother. Honestly, Sagetooth liked the boy. It was that small affection that was feeding her massive disappointment now. 

She wasn’t expecting to see him in her den. He was talking with Oddstripe and both of them looked up when she entered. Russetfrond’s ears slid backwards in shame. 

“There you are,” she said, scowling at him. 

“Sagetooth,” Oddstripe started, surely about to counsel her to go easy on him, but Russetfrond raised his tail to stop the other healer. 

“It’s alright, Oddstripe,” he said grimly. “Would you give us a moment?” 

Oddstripe hesitated but nodded, lips pursed. “Alright.” Ears back against his skull, he slank out of the den, leaving them alone. 

“I can't believe you,” Sagetooth said. “How could you be so foolish?” 

“I don’t know,” he sighed, looking down at his paws. “I’m sorry Sagetooth. This never should have happened.” 

“Damn right!” she huffed, stomping past him to deposit her garlic in the herb stores. “Goldenstar has always had trouble respecting Clan tradition so I would have expected this from someone like her but you? You must have known this wasn’t acceptable behavior!” She sat down and turned to look at him, making her disapproval clear on her face. 

“I did,” he said, and Sagetooth was surprised by his melancholy. “I knew the whole time that it was wrong and I still did it. I thought it would be fine if I kept it a secret, as if StarClan didn’t already know. I’m lucky they didn’t pick a harsher punishment.” Despite herself, Sagetooth felt her heart soften. 

“Yes, you are,” she said firmly. “I’m glad you at least seem to understand what you did wrong.” 

“I do,” he nodded, meeting her eyes with a hollow, hopeless gaze. That broke her heart. That expression didn’t belong on his powerful face. 

“Tch, come here,” she sighed, spreading her tail to invite him close. He obediently approached and settled down against her flank, leaning down into her despite his superior height. Sagetooth stretched up to give him a few licks around the ears. 

“What’s done is done, kit,” she continued. “All that’s left is how you make it right. You’ve told Goldenstar?”

“Yes,” he huffed sullenly. “She said it wasn’t going to be a problem. I hate how accepting she’s being about it.” 

“It’s her way,” scowled Sagetooth. She pushed down the complaints she had that were begging to be voiced. Her duty now was to guide Russetfrond, not gripe about Goldenstar. “Have you tried convincing the kittypet to join the Clan?” 

“Yes,” he sighed. “She’s not going to cooperate. It was all I could do to keep her from taking the kits back to her twolegs.” Sagetooth growled lowly. Kittypets…

“Well, good on you,” she said definitively. “Once they’re born they’ll need a strong paw to raise them up. I’m sure you’ll be able to foster their loyalties properly and turn them into excellent warriors.” 

“Thank you, Sagetooth.” Russetfrond closed his eyes and leaned into her. She wrapped her tail around him and purred reassuringly. 

“It’s going to be alright,” she said into his forehead. “The Clan will be there for you. StarClan is forgiving. This is a blessing in disguise, mark my words.” Russetfrond grunted tiredly. The two of them sat there for a good long while, Sagetooth letting him take comfort in her presence. It was good, she thought, to feel like her guidance was needed again. 

She closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to StarClan. Let him learn his lesson, she prayed. Let these kits be loyal warriors. Let their mother cause no problems. 

After a few more long, quiet moments, Russetfrond gathered himself and stood up with a deep, slow breath. “I should get back to work,” he said. “Sparrowpaw has a lot of training to do before he gets his warrior name.” 

“Good,” Sagetooth nodded. “Devote yourself to your Clan. It will make these next few months easier.” He nodded dutifully, looking a little less defeated. “And don’t be afraid to come to me if you need advice. It’s what I’m here for.”

“I will,” he said. “Thank you, Sagetooth.” 

“StarClan guide you, kit,” she dipped her head and he returned the gesture.

[clangenrising]

Month 13 - Newleaf

“You'll watch her the whole time?” Russetfrond was saying to Pantherhaze. “I don’t want anything to happen while I’m gone.” 

“I will, I promise,” said Pantherhaze offering a wilted-looking smile. “Please, just go enjoy the Gathering.” 

“I won’t cause any trouble,” Mystique said, sitting beside her guard for the night. She offered a smile of her own to the deputy and he scowled in response. She still didn’t understand why he was so angry with her all the time or why he seemed to think she was going to turn around and attack them the first chance she got. 

“You’d better not,” he growled. 

“Come on, Russetfrond,” called Goldenstar from across the camp. Almost half of the cats had gathered on the slope of the hill - Goldenstar, Yarrowshade, Sagetooth, Ospreymask, and Floodpaw - and they were waiting expectantly for Russetfrond to join them. He huffed and gave Mystique one more pointed glare before stalking off to join them. She frowned .

“Have fun!” called Barleypaw. 

“Will do!” Ospreymask called back. 

After another beat, the group turned and headed out. Mystique yawned and stretched and looked over at her guard. 

“So where are they all off to again?” 

“The Gathering,” said Pantherhaze as if that answered the question.

“Okay…” she raised a brow. “That’s not vague or anything.” 

“It’s a meeting between the different Clans,” he supplied. “Every full moon they go and-”

Sparrowpaw called over to them, “I’m not sure Russetfrond would approve of telling her all that.” He looked a bit anxious as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. 

“It’s fine,” said Branchbark, laid out in the grass with Aldertail. “If she stays for too much longer, she’ll figure it out anyway.” 

“Yeah, and besides,” Mystique said, “It’s not like I’m gonna try and kill you all or anything. I don’t know why everyone keeps acting like I’m some big threat.” Her eyes caught movement as Aldertail squirmed uncomfortably. 

There was a small, uncomfortable silence that baffled her, but eventually Scorch spoke up from the warriors’ den. “If you still don’t get it then you’re being dumb on purpose.” She strolled over to the prey pile and hunched beside it to inspect the options, tail swishing with all of the confidence that she had wielded back in the city. Mystique’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to space where her Name Charm should be. 

She considered shooting back but held her tongue. She still wasn’t sure where she stood with Scorch and she didn’t want any good-natured ribbing to be taken as an insult. Instead she cleared her throat and looked away, returning to her den in a way she tried to make casual instead of defeated. Scorch smirked and Mystique knew she hadn’t succeeded. 

Pantherhaze followed her and settled down outside the door. The rest of the cats in camp went back to what they had been doing. Scorch picked a fish from the pile and ate it on the Stoneperch. The apprentices finished their own meals and went off into the night together. Branchbark slowly convinced Aldertail to relax again and started grooming her pelt. Mystique watched them and chewed the side of her cheek in frustration. 

Why was she such an outsider here? She was fun and personable wasn’t she? Why did it feel like she had a symbol of doom hovering above her head that only other people could see? She wished her Folk were nearby. She wanted nothing more than to be pet and coddled. She sighed and flopped her head onto her legs. Pantherhaze tilted his head to look at her.

“Are you alright?” he asked. 

“No,” she groaned. “Am I dumb?” She tilted her head to look at him. 

“Oh, no, I’m sure you’re not,” he said, which wasn’t the most reassuring thing in the world. “Don’t let Scorchplume bother you too much. She can be…. Prickly.” 

Mystique shifted to face him more squarely. “No, but she’s right, isn’t she? I mean, what am I missing? Clearly it’s something or everyone wouldn’t treat me like I was a sprinkler waiting to go off.” 

“A what?” he tilted his head in confusion like a puppy. 

“A sprinkler,” she brushed the thought away with her tail. “It sprays water on a patch of grass or flowers.” 

“Weird,” he frowned. 

“Look, that’s not the point!” she shook her head, “What’s wrong with me?” 

“What’s-” the little warrior blundered, “I don’t-”

“Ugh,” she rolled her eyes. She heaved herself to her feet and started across the camp towards Branchbark. “Hey!” Pantherhaze scrambled to keep up with her. At the sound of her voice, Aldertail shrank into a ball again. It was, honestly, really annoying. 

“Uh-” Branchbark glanced between her and Aldertail, unsure what to do.

“I’ve got a question for you,” said Mystique. “Why does everyone think I’m a secret murderer or something?” Branchbark swallowed hard and sat up taller, giving Aldertail better cover and lifting his face up onto the level with Mystique’s. 

“Um, because you’re a rogue?” he said like it was a question. 

“What is that?” she pressed. “I’m a rogue? Since when?” 

“It’s just a word we use for dangerous groups of cats,” said Pantherhaze, tail twitching. 

“Okay, but what makes me so dangerous?” she said. From her spot above them all, Scorch laughed. 

“Well, all the kittypets we’ve met so far have it out for us?” said Branchbark in the same tone. “They’ve been starving us out, they’re trying to kill Aldertail…”

“Well, okay, but she’s a criminal,” Mystique scoffed. “Besides, it's not like I’m gonna attack her right now for no reason.” 

“You’ve contradicted yourself,” Scorch called airily. Mystique glared over, not appreciating the attitude she was giving.

“Yeah,” agreed Branchbark, “you just said you wouldn’t attack her for no reason but you admitted you think other cats have a reason to hurt her.” His tone was getting bolder, his jaw set with a defiant edge. 

“Well, that’s not-” Mystique tried. 

“And!” Branchbark kept talking, a fire starting to grow in him, “And, she didn’t even do anything! Her brother is the one who committed the crime!” Behind him Aldertail was shaking visibly. Her tail was tucked underneath her, her ears pressed flatly against her skull. 

“I-it was an accident anyway!” she cried shakily, hiding under her own paws. “He didn’t mean it, he didn’t-!” The kittens had poked their heads out of the nursery to watch. Branchbark wrapped his tail tightly around her and leaned down to run his tongue over her forehead. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said softly, “take a deep breath.” 

“Right, but-” Mystique took a step back, “Look, I didn’t do anything though! I don’t know why you’re angry at me.” 

“Exactly,” Scorch snapped, rising to her full height. “You didn’t do anything.” She stared at Mystique burning those words into her with eyes of blue flame. Mystique’s tail started to lash anxiously. 

“What was there to do?” she said, “I’d never even met her before now!” 

Scorch scoffed and leaped down to stride up to the group of cats. “You think you’re so good ‘cause you never do anything wrong but you never do anything right either. Razor and his pig-headed friends bully and kill and worse every day and you just pretend not to see it.” 

“I don’t-” Mystique’s stomach was tight. The recesses of her mind were screaming. No! Leave now! You’re too close to the shadow truth! She took another step back.

Scorch followed her into the empty space, staring up at her. “You just sat by and let him. You’ll claim you didn’t see anything but you didn’t want to see it! I don’t know what’s worse, honestly; Razor, pretending he’s done nothing wrong, or you, pretending to believe him.” Mystique’s fur bristled and the words stung, sinking deep into her and piercing holes in the wall protecting her from the shadow truth. She’s right, it hissed, bubbling up within her. 

Scorch was still going. “Tell me, Mystique: What will you do when he comes to kill us all? To drag me back? Will you shuffle your paws and turn away as he slaughters these cats? Will you go back to your Folk and forget it ever happened? Will you still convince yourself you were good?” 

Mystique reeled. “No,” she said on instinct. “No, of course not, I-”

“Really?” Scorch laughed. “That’s what you’ve done every other day of your life! Why change now?” 

‘Cause… ‘Cause I wouldn’t, Mystique thought, but no words managed to get through the chokepoint of her throat. How did she know that? She tried to imagine what she would do if Razor showed up in one of his tempers. The thought was paralyzing and that wasn’t a good sign. The shadow truth was starting to swallow her whole. He isn’t a good cat, it whispered, you know this. It’s been here the whole time. You don’t just know this, you have known. Her stomach roiled terribly. 

Suddenly, Pantherhaze was shoving himself between her and Scorchplume. “Hey, ease off,” he said, his little voice firm as he could make it. Scorch curled her lip, glanced at Mystique one more time, and then turned around.

“Fine,” she said as if she were perfectly satisfied, “I said my piece.” She swished back up to the top of the Stoneperch to finish her meal, brows lifted imperiously. To Mystique, she felt vacant somehow. She didn’t have much time to examine why though. Pantherhaze turned to her, looking concerned.

“Why don’t we go back to the den?” he said gently and she just nodded. Branchbark was glaring at her while Aldertail clung to him like she was drowning, shivering in fear. The kittens were staring. Mystique ducked her head and, like a coward, fled back to the safety of her cage.

[clangenrising]

Month 13 - Newleaf

“Still no sign of them,” Pantherhaze said sadly. “Russetfrond and Sparrowpaw are still out there waiting though.” 

Goldenstar sighed. The longer they waited, the clearer it became that Smokyrose and Songdust were in serious trouble. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much they could do but wait. They had no idea where the missing cats were and the chances that anyone she sent would also go missing were just too high. She couldn’t in good conscience send her warriors into such a dangerous situation and so she was forced to sit and hope that the two old she-cats would find their ways back home. 

“Alright,” she said. “Thank you, Pantherhaze.” 

“Of course,” he said. Dipping his head, he slipped off to get a meal and left her alone at the foot of the Stoneperch. She closed her eyes and let the cold night wash her with melancholy. She tried to think about what Sunstar would do in this situation but that only led her to the conclusion that Sunstar would be storming the city single-pawed to get her sister back and Goldenstar would be forced to try and stop her. She almost wished it was that easy for her, that she had a good enough excuse to storm blindly into trouble. Then at least she wouldn’t have to agonize over the choice to do nothing. 

A strange scent blew down into camp on the wind, vanilla mixed with thunderpath and twolegs. Her fur bristled and she snapped towards it, mouth open. Had an attack finally come to their camp? The scent wasn’t strong enough to be too many cats. Her ears strained towards the sound, hoping for more details. 

“I’m just saying, he started it,” said a stranger’s voice, causing Goldenstar’s tail to brush up.

Then Russetfrond’s voice set her slightly at ease. “What are you, six weeks old?” 

“Enough!” Goldenstar’s heart leapt at the sound of a third, impossibly familiar voice. “You’re both very cute and funny and smart. Can we please give it a rest?” A pair of mismatched ears crested the slope and then there was Scorch, strolling into camp like nothing had happened, a perfect scowl on her perfect face. 

“Scorchplume!” Goldenstar was halfway across camp before she knew what was happening. 

“What?!” she heard Yarrowshade shout from inside the warriors’ den. 

Scorch had stopped in her tracks wearing a blank expression. Goldenstar stopped too. Was Scorch still upset with her? Oh, Stars, she hoped not. She was wearing a little blue collar with a little star shaped charm. Her blue eyes seemed to glow in the fading twilight as she licked her lips apprehensively. 

“Scorch!” Yarrowshade had burst out of the warriors’ den and bounded up past Goldenstar to butt his head against hers, a deep purr thrumming in his chest. Scorch stiffened but leaned into the touch. With the spell of her gaze broken, Goldenstar suddenly noticed the large blue she-cat looming close behind wearing a collar of her own and a suspicious glare. Cats were starting to gather, whispering amongst themselves, and the kittypet looked like she was trying to size all of them up.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” Yarrowshade laughed. “What happened to you?” 

Scorch let out a small, frustrated noise from her throat, like she tried to speak but no words came out. “It’s a long and complicated story,” she ended up saying. Turning to look at the kittypet, she added, “This is Mystique. She helped me escape.” 

“I feel like ‘escape’ is a bit much,” the cat said. 

“No, it’s quite accurate,” Scorch said, looking back at Goldenstar. The leader’s breath suddenly froze in her chest. “Smokyrose is dead.” 

“What?” Russetfrond snapped, suddenly tensing up again. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?” 

“How do you know?” Yarrowshade asked.

Scorch pursed her lips and glared back at Russetfrond. “I told you I wanted to find Goldenstar before I started talking, remember?” She ignored Yarrowshade. 

“Right,” said Goldenstar, jolted out of her paralysis. “Why don't you come sit and tell us what you have to share.” She swept her tail towards the center of camp. As much as she probably ought to pull Scorch into her den for a more private briefing, she knew that everyone was going to be starving for details and that it would be faster if they all just heard them now instead of asking her for them one by one. 

“Thank you,” Scorch sighed, shoulders slacking. “Mystique and I are both very hungry as well. Would it be alright if we ate?” 

“Of course,” Goldenstar said immediately. 

Russetfrond growled. “We shouldn’t be sharing prey with the enemy, Goldenstar.” 

“She brought one of our warriors home,” she replied. “At least for tonight, she’s a guest.” Russetfrond huffed disapprovingly but didn’t protest any further. Mystique shot him the smuggest grin. Oh, dear, Goldenstar thought. Those two are going to be a pawful. 

A moment later, everyone who was awake was gathered around Scorch and Mystique who had been given a mouse each. Mystique seemed unsure how to approach the prey at first but once Scorch started eating she quickly followed suit. Everyone gave them a few beats to eat despite the palpable curiosity in the air. 

Russetfrond eventually broke the silence. “What do you know about Smokyrose and Songdust?” 

Scorch swallowed and straightened her posture authoritatively. “Smokyrose is dead. She and Songdust showed up to try and barter peace two days ago but Razor found out that she and Ghost were intertwined and killed her for it.” Mystique glanced at her with a frown but refrained from interrupting, focused instead on finishing her meal. 

“Because she wasn’t from the city?” Goldenstar asked in shock. She’d heard old stories about tyrannical leaders killing the cross-clan mates of their warriors before. She wondered if Razor was a kittypet purist. 

“Not exactly,” Scorch said. “He and Ghost are not on good terms right now. Razor killed her just to spite him.” Her tail lashed once but Goldenstar could see the burning anger underneath her calm and collected facade. Floodpaw reflected that anger, tail lashing back and forth as he sat on the edge of the meeting with his littermates. 

“That’s horrible!” Ospreymask said. 

“Poor Smokyrose…” mumbled Pantherhaze, looking at his paws. 

“What about Songdust?” Pressed Russetfrond. 

“She escaped,” Mystique volunteered. “Nobody’s seen her since.” 

“Nobody?” Branchbark frowned. 

“Nobody who will say anything at least,” shrugged Mystique. 

“Snake guts,” Yarrowshade cursed, staring through the dirt with wide, overwhelmed eyes. Beside him, Pantherhaze shut his eyes and whispered a prayer under his breath. 

“Okay, well that’s good,” Goldenstar said, trying to focus on the positive. “That means she’s probably safe.” 

“So why hasn’t she come home?” Ospreymask asked. 

“There’s a chance she’s been caught by the humans,” Scorchplume said, licking the last traces of her mouse from her lips. “If they’ve got her she’ll be in a place the city cats call a Judgement House.”

“Oh, that’s not scary at all,” Yarrowshade muttered. 

Scorch continued, “They’ll decide if she’s Chaff or if she’ll become Exalted - what you would call a kittypet. If she’s Chaff, she’ll be back on the street after about four days. If she’s not then it could take moons.” 

“Seriously?” Ospreymask scoffed. “Why?” 

“I don’t know,” Scorch shrugged. “I got taken home by a human after a week.” 

“So you were in one of these ‘Judgement Houses’?” Goldenstar asked. The idea sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what such a place would look like. 

“Yes,” Scorch twitched an ear. “It’s not important though. What is important is that the city cats are preparing to step up their attack. They’re going to keep starving you out but on top of that they’re training the Chaff to fight so they can send strike teams to pick your patrols off one by one.” Goldenstar noticed Mystique shifting uneasily, eyes darting over the scowling warriors around her.

“If they fight anything like the cats we fought before, they won’t stand a chance,” Floodpaw declared, puffing up his chest. 

“Shush,” Goldenstar said and he deflated, ears flopping backwards.

“It doesn’t matter if they do,” Scorch said. “There are a lot more Chaff in the city than there are Clan cats and the Exalted won’t have a problem with throwing them at you until you’re overwhelmed. It’s not a matter of if they wipe you out, it’s a matter of when.” Goldenstar swallowed. 

“So what do we do?” Branchbark asked. 

“Run?” Scorch said. “I told you, there’s no winning with Razor. Your best chance is to leave and live to fight another day.”

“No way,” Russetfrond growled. 

“That’s been discussed and discarded already,” Goldenstar said. “The Clans would never agree to it.” 

“I thought Snowstar was willing to help us relocate on the other side of the mountains,” said Yarrowshade. 

“Yes,” Goldenstar winced, “but I doubt we’d be able to convince SkyClan and FallenClan to come with us. Besides, we already decided that we weren’t going to abandon our home.” 

“Goldenstar, how many times do I have to tell you,” Scorchplume’s claws sank into the grass, “there is no other way! If you stay here you’ll all die. That’s that.” 

Goldenstar bit her lip, unable to hold back the disappointment overwhelming her. She’d hoped that if she ever saw Scorch again that there would be a tearful reunion, not a bitter argument. She shuffled a bit, aware that the eyes of her Clan were on her. Whatever she said next would have weight.

“I know you believe that,” she said and she saw Scorch scowl defensively. Quickly, she added, “I’m not saying you’re crazy, I’m just saying I have to make sure there isn’t another course of action before we resort to something that drastic.” 

“We should ask StarClan,” Ospreymask suggested. “They led us to victory during the snowstorm! They can do it again!”

“Of course they did,” Scorch scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked away. Goldenstar wanted to scream. They had! Scorch had somehow managed to be gone right when StarClan gave them definitive proof of their existence. It was infuriating. 

“I’ll plan a visit to the River,” she said instead. “We’ll see what guidance they can provide.” 

“What about you?” Branchbark said to Mystique. “What do you think we should do?” 

The kittypet sat up, ears flicking back uncomfortably, and she looked around at them with an uneasy grimace. “Me?” 

“Yeah,” he said. “You helped Scorchplume. You can’t be all that bad. We have kits and elders here who are in danger and we’ll fight to defend them but we don’t want to kill your cats any more than we want you to kill ours.”

“Sure,” scoffed Mystique. “I’ve heard about how you swarmed the hunting party and slaughtered Sycamore.” 

“He was going to kill Floodpaw,” Ospreymask said, voice sharp and clipped. Floodpaw squirmed in embarrassment. 

Branchbark tried again. “We were just trying to defend our homes and our loved ones. I’m sure you understand that, right?” Mystique nodded after a beat. “So what do you think we should do? You know the city cats better than we do. What’s the best way forward for everyone?” Goldenstar raised her brows, impressed. Branchbark was sharp as a thorn, as usual. All eyes turned to Mystique, waiting for her answer. Scorch in particular seemed invested in what she had to say.

“Well…” the big blue she-cat swallowed, a frown tugging at her lips. “My brother is a stubborn cat. He wants the wild territories and he’s probably not going to give up any time soon.” 

“Your brother?” Russetfrond glared. 

“Razor,” Scorch said tightly. Everyone bristled. 

“What?!” Yarrowshade was on his feet.

“The kits are sleeping!” Ospreymask hissed at him.

“How could you bring her here?!” Russetfrond accused Scorch. “Weren’t you thinking?!”

“I did what I had to do,” Scorch snarled, voice dripping with a venom Goldenstar had never heard before. “Don’t you dare lecture me!” Mystique had pulled back into a defensive crouch, tail twitching in grim anticipation of a fight.

“Everyone calm down,” Goldenstar stood as well, trying to speak authoritatively without raising her volume too much. “Blood isn’t everything. She’s done nothing but help us so far, we’re not going to turn on her because of her brother’s actions.” Yarrowshade glared at her for a second before sitting down again. Russetfrond didn’t move, locked in a staring contest with Scorchplume. 

“He’s really not so bad…” Mystique said weakly. 

“Have you ever heard him talk?” Yarrowshade laughed bitterly. 

“Didn’t he kill Smokyrose over a petty grudge?” said Ospreymask. 

“He’s the worst kind of monster there is,” Scorch growled, still squinting furiously at Russetfrond. “He takes just to take and he’s cruel without cause. But Mystique isn’t like him.” She glanced over at the kittypet. “She may be a little obtuse but she means well.”

“Okay, ouch,” Mystique said defensively. Scorch opened her mouth like she was going to continue then pursed her lips and looked away again. 

“Maybe we should have this conversation in the morning,” suggested Pantherhaze. “I think some sleep would do everyone some good.” 

“I suppose I could stay the night,” Mystique mumbled. 

“Oh, you’ll stay longer than that,” growled Russetfrond. Looking at Goldenstar, he said, “She knows where our camp is, what our numbers are, what we plan to do. She can’t go back to the city.” 

“Hold on!” Mystique rose to her paws, causing Russetfrond, Yarrowshade, Ospreymask, and Floodpaw to do the same. “You can’t keep me here!” 

“We can do whatever we like,” Russetfrond hissed, back arching. Goldenstar felt the situation quickly slipping away from her. 

“Look,” she said, “he has a point. It would be extremely unwise to let you return to the others. You’ll have to stay here, at least for a while. I’m really sorry.” Mystique’s mouth fell open, dumbfounded. 

“The elder’s den is empty now,” Russetfrond said, lowering back into a calmer posture. “We can keep her there. I’ll take first watch and then organize a rotation tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Goldenstar agreed. “Try not to provoke her too much, okay?” He grunted in reluctant affirmation. 

“Great,” glowered Mystique, “can’t someone else be my jailer?”

“Think of him more as your personal bodyguard,” Scorch smiled. The smug tone of her voice and the way that Mystique’s expression became suddenly guilty told Goldenstar there was some kind of personal meaning there she wasn’t aware of. 

“Besides,” Scorch continued, standing and swishing her tail in a beautiful arc, “It’s not like you can go home. Once Razor finds out you stole his precious little bird you’ll be public enemy number one.”

Mystique’s face fell, horror dawning behind her eyes. “Wait…”

 “You didn’t think about that, did you?” Scorch huffed a laugh through her nose. “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to think about it now.” 

“Come on,” Russetfrond said, stepping closer. “Let’s go.” Mystique stared at Scorch for another beat then slowly rose to her paws and let Russetfrond corral her into the empty elders’ den. Goldenstar’s throat seized guiltily.

“Sparrowpaw,” she called.

“Yes?” He straightened his posture attentively. 

“Get her some water and fresh bedding, alright?” 

“Yes, Goldenstar,” Sparrowpaw nodded and hurried off to do so. 

“Better than she deserves,” Floodpaw grumbled. 

Goldenstar shot him a stern look. “Shush. Don’t you have dawn patrol tomorrow? Go to bed.”

“Fine…” he sighed, trudging back to the apprentices’ den beside Barleypaw. Branchbark and Pantherhaze slipped into the warriors’ den. Ospreymask went back to the top of the hill to resume her night watch. Goldenstar and Yarrowshade were left with Scorch, a quiet tension hanging between them. Goldenstar decided to break the silence sooner rather than later. 

“I’m glad you’re back,” she said softly. 

“Yeah,” said Yarrowshade, “me too.”

Scorch shifted. The mask that Goldenstar had spent moons trying to loosen was back in place, tightly affixed to her features. Goldenstar felt it, like a wound in her own throat. When Scorch spoke, she sounded casual in a way that Goldenstar knew was calculated. 

“We’ll see how long I stick around,” she shrugged. “You may want to stay and get murdered but I’ll be long gone before then.” 

“C’mon, you don’t mean that,” Yarrowshade frowned. 

Goldenstar stepped forward, quickly saying, “Whatever you choose to do, we’ll understand.” Yarrowshade’s frown turned on her and she shot him a scowl in reply. 

“Right,” Scorch said. “Of course.” 

Yarrowshade glanced at her then ducked away. “Um, I’m off to bed,” he mumbled. “See you tomorrow.” He slunk away, tail brushing the ground. Goldenstar thought she caught a sliver of a frown on Scorch’s face but it was gone immediately. 

“I’m sorry about him,” she said. 

Scorch hummed noncommittally. 

“So…” she said, her stomach writhing like a pit of snakes. “You were a kittypet.” She glanced at the collar and Scorch followed her gaze, seemingly surprised to see it. 

“Oh, yeah, I was,” she said. “I’d love to get this thing off though.” 

“Let me help you,” Goldenstar stepped closer then stopped, waiting for Scorch to close the rest of the distance. There was a pause and then she did. 

“It’s not that tight,” she said. “I think you could probably pull it off without too much trouble.” 

“Let me see,” Goldenstar breathed, leaning in to inspect it. She tested the thing in her teeth, pulled at it, then said, “Uh, duck your head?” Scorch complied and she leaned over to grab it from the back. As her teeth brushed Scorch’s scruff, she felt Scorch’s entire body stiffen in fear, smelled the sweat forming on her paw pads. It scared her. Quickly, she hooked her teeth around the collar and pulled, wiggling it over Scorch’s ears and onto the ground. Scorch let out a shaky breath and stood up straight, giving her fur a few licks to smooth it down. 

“Thank you,” she said, “I’ll get rid of that thing in the morning.” 

Now, thought Goldenstar, say something before you lose your chance!

“Uh, your old nest is gone but you can stay in my den tonight if you like.” 

Scorch swallowed and squinted at her. “No. No, I think I’ll just use Russetfrond’s. I appreciate the generous offer though.” 

“Alright.” Goldenstar smiled, blood draining from her face. “Good night.” She swiveled and strode quickly into her own den, worried that she would die of embarrassment before she arrived. That could have gone better. There was this massive wall between them that she didn’t know how to scale and it was killing her. 

Scorch was home though… that was good. She could work with that.

[clangenrising]

Month 4 - Greenleaf

Ospreymask volunteers herself and Branchbark to kitten sit while Oddstripe stretches her legs. Barleykit's pelt beginning to change amazes Ospreymask, but Branchbark is a little distracted by how strong Floodkit can bite.

[clangenrising]

Month 10 - Leafbare

Branchbark was sure that he was being punished. Russetfrond had sent him out hunting with Yarrowshade of all cats at least five times since he’d been made deputy. He had been assured that it was simply a logistical decision, but the situation felt too uncomfortable to be pure coincidence. On the other paw, Russetfrond wasn’t exactly fond of Yarrowshade so the choice might have had more to do with Yarrowshade than it did with him. 

Yarrowshade, for his part, had been taking it well, it seemed. If Branchbark hadn’t known any better, he might not have guessed that Yarrowshade was grieving at all. As they roved the territory looking for prey, he smiled and laughed and answered all of Barleypaw’s questions in a bright and playful manner. Branchbark wasn’t sure, but that didn’t feel exactly… healthy. 

“Great catch, kid!” Yarrowshade purred as Barleypaw returned with a sparrow hanging from her jaws. “You’re getting really good at that.” 

“Fanks,” she beamed, tail swishing idly. Yarrowshade began to dig a hole in the remnants of snow to cache the bird in and Branchbark’s vision fogged as he watched the motion. 

He had helped lay Nightfrost to rest that night. Beside Songdust and Pantherhaze, he had carved a hole in the cold hard earth down hill from the camp where the rosemary grew in the spring and countless Clanmates had been buried. The entire time, his throat had been thickly choked with guilt. If he had been faster, if he had gone out sooner or braved the snow storm the day before, if he had been smarter about which patches he checked-- Despite the futility of it, his mind raced to find something he could have done to avert the tragedy. 

He found himself going through the same list of ‘what if’s now, only getting pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Yarrowshade’s voice. 

“Branchbark…? Hello?” 

He snapped to attention and smiled out of habit. “Yes? I’m here!” 

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Yarrowshade chuckled. “For a second I was like ‘where did he go?!’” He made a show of scanning the area as if Branchbark had disappeared and Barleypaw laughed in the most adorable manner. Branchbark blushed but was happy to play along with the joke for her sake. 

Still, it was weird to see Yarrowshade being so goofy already. Wasn’t he hurting? He realized suddenly that Yarrowshade had been talking again and he had no idea what had been said. 

Barleypaw was nodding. “I wanna see if there are any cardinals around! I’ve lost some of my feathers and I need new ones so I can stay brave.” 

“Good idea,” Yarrowshade said. “Lead the way, Barley-girl! I’m right behind you.” Barleypaw nodded and bounded off through the snow. Yarrowshade followed close behind but Branchbark trailed them more slowly. He just couldn’t seem to focus today. 

Yarrowshade caught a few rodents and Barleypaw caught another sparrow but Branchbark fumbled the squirrel he had spotted. Yarrowshade had laughed it off and told him it was fine but he knew it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine. He could have been smarter, faster, better. He could have found the horsetail in time. He could have- 

A flicker of movement caught his attention and pulled him from his thoughts with a jerk. 

Yarrowshade was crouched next to Barleypaw, both of them intently watching a bright red cardinal that was fluttering its wings and searching for seeds among the frost-firm grass. Yarrowshade was the perfect mentor, correcting her posture and whispering words of encouragement, but that wasn’t what drew Branchbark’s eye. A large, russet shape in the grass shifted, two black tipped ears alert and forward, beady yellow eyes fixed tightly on the two oblivious cats hunting a few meters away. 

Branchbark was running before he realized. A loud warning hiss tore from his throat as he launched himself towards the fox, and it wheeled to face him fur puffing up in fright. It opened its mouth and let out a warbling scream and Branchbark arched his back and growled in response. 

“Stay here,” he heard Yarrowshade tell Barleypaw. Then, the older tom carefully stalked up to flank the fox with Branchbark. 

The fox seemed young, probably born that spring if he had to guess, and it was thin beneath its winter coat. If they were lucky, the fox would decide they weren’t worth the energy to fight and leave instead. Branchbark hissed again, edging closer, and Yarrowshade hopped forward with a few swipes of his claws. The fox screamed again, skittering backward, then lunged at Yarrowshade, jaws snapping. 

Branchbark’s heart skipped a beat - he couldn’t let anything else happen to Yarrowshade on his watch. Hissing he leapt forward to bat at the fox’s face. 

“Wait!” Yarrowshade yelled too late.

Branchbark’s claws hooked into its nose and it wailed in pain. Twisting, it snapped at him with sharp teeth and a lance of burning pain shot up his leg as it managed to catch his foot in its mouth and pull. Blood sprayed across the grass, the tang of its scent striking his tongue, and he hissed, trying to bash it over the face with his other paw. 

Yarrowshade ducked under him and lunged, sinking his teeth into the fox’s neck. The smell of blood doubled and the fox released him with a yelping, frightened scream. Yarrowshade let it go and it tumbled away panting heavily as crimson bloomed down the front of its chest. It cursed in vulpish, looking over the red spatters on the ground, then fled with clumsy pawsteps. 

Branchbark sat back with a hiss of pain and looked at his leg, giving the wound a few careful licks. Despite the pain of it, the wound seemed mostly superficial, which he thanked StarClan for. Adrenaline pumped through him, giving him a giddy lightness in his stomach. 

“What were you thinking?” Yarrowshade snapped, his muzzle slick and dark with fox blood. Branchbark wilted. That wasn’t the reaction he had been expecting. 

“I was trying to save you,” he mumbled. 

“I didn’t need saving!” said Yarrowshade. “It was giving a warning bite, we could have driven it off without a fight.” 

“I… I’m sorry,” Branchbark said, realizing that Yarrowshade was right. “I just… I didn’t want you to get hurt.” 

“So you got hurt instead,” Yarrowshade glared. Branchbark had no argument. 

“Are you okay?” Barleypaw asked, slowly creeping up behind them. Her big, bat-like ears carefully lifted from where they had been pressed against her head and her big blue eyes were wide with fright. Quickly, Yarrowshade tried to groom the blood from his muzzle before she saw. 

“Yeah,” he said, “yeah, I’ll be fine.” 

“Barley, dear,” Yarrowshade said, putting effort into sounding more gentle, “could you walk Branchbark back to camp to see Sagetooth please? I’ll collect the prey we caught and meet you there.” 

“Will you be alright?” she asked, “W-will that thing come back?” 

“The fox?” he looked over his shoulder to see where it had disappeared and then back to her, “No, it’s probably going to be gone for a while, if it survives. I’ll be just fine.” He smiled and she relaxed, but Branchbark could see something strained underneath his grin. 

“Now go on,” Yarrowshade continued, tone turning stern when he looked at Branchbark. “Get your leg seen to.” 

Branchbark nodded. “Yeah… I will. I’m sorry, again.” 

Yarrowshade’s jaw clenched but he kept his smile. “I don’t want your apologies.” 

Bile rising in his throat, Branchbark nodded again and turned to leave. Barleypaw walked beside him, worriedly eyeing his leg every few steps. He walked silently, trudging in his building guilt. He didn’t know how to make things right with Yarrowshade. He wasn’t sure if he ever could. 

“Does it hurt?” Barleypaw asked eventually.

“A little bit,” he said, and that wasn’t entirely true. It was constant and stinging against the cold winter air, but he had grown used to it by now and it wasn’t the worst wound he’d ever received. 

“I think you were very brave,” she whispered wide eyed. 

“Thank you,” he said with a bashful laugh, “but I was more foolish than brave. If I had listened to Yarrowshade I probably wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” 

“Why didn’t you?” 

What a question. He hummed for a moment before answering, “It’s my fault that Nightfrost died. I wanted to try and make it up to him and I wasn’t thinking clearly.” 

Barleypaw was quiet for a bit. “I thought it was Papa’s fault.” 

“What?” He looked down at her with a quirk of his head. 

“He went and got sick and so he couldn’t find the right plants. Sagetooth was really mad at him.” 

“It’s not his fault,” Branchbark shook his head. “He didn’t try to get sick. Sometimes bad things just happen.” 

“Then why is it your fault?” she asked. 

“I wasn’t fast enough,” he shrugged. “If I’d been faster she might have survived.” 

“That doesn’t make any sense,” she frowned. “If it's not Papa’s fault then it's not your fault either. Sometimes bad things just happen.” 

Branchbark almost laughed. “Well I guess I can’t argue with that,” he said, feeling sheepish. How had she bested his guilt so quickly? He had a feeling he was going to feel bad about what happened for a long time, but perhaps he could let go of the idea that he was uniquely to blame. He just hoped Yarrowshade felt the same.

UPDATES: - Branchbark is injured saving Yarrowshade from a fox!

[clangenrising]

Month 10 - Leafbare

A few days of sunny weather had thawed the heavy snow and caused the huge piles to dwindle down to slushy dregs. For the first time since the kits had started walking, Smokyrose felt comfortable letting her daughters out to play. Fogkit had been bouncing around the den for days, begging to go explore and meet people, but Smokyrose had insisted that they would be far too cold to have fun if they went. In truth, she didn’t want to risk either of them getting sick, especially after what had happened to Nightfrost. 

But today the sun was shining warmly on the camp and she had no excuses and she was just as eager to hand them off to someone else as they were to have some fun. 

“Alright, my darlings,” she said, ushering them forward with a gentle sweep of her tail, “Remember the rules: Don’t go over the hills and stay where I can see you, alright?” 

“Okay!” Fogkit squeaked, bowling forward into the clearing. She stopped, squinting against the light with her tail straight up in kittish excitement. Slatekit started forward, then paused for a moment before hurrying after her sister. Smokyrose watched them go with a mixture of pride and weariness, and not just for the usual reasons. 

She couldn’t help but look at the two of them side by side and imagine her walking with their father. She sighed and wondered if the ache for him would ever cease. The ache for Currentseeker had waned, she reasoned, so maybe time would ease this wound too, but it didn’t feel like that would happen any time soon. 

“Ooh! Look at this!” Ospreymask called as she slipped out of the healers’ den, Branchbark limping along behind her. “Hello there, girlies!” 

“Ospweymask!” cheered Fogkit. Slatekit gasped excitedly. 

“Look at you!” the warrior purred, bouncing over and batting the tiny kits around in her paws. They shrieked and squealed with laughter and Smokyrose smiled. Confident they were in good paws, she moved to the top of the warriors’ den to settle in the sun and warm her bones. Aldertail was already sitting atop the flat stone and looked up as she approached.

“Ah! H-hi there, Smokyrose,” she said, shifting her weight anxiously. 

“Hello, dear,” smiled Smokyrose. “Don’t let me disturb you at all, I’m just coming to stretch my legs.”

“O-okay,” Aldertail nodded and gave one of her forelegs a few firm licks. 

Smokyrose spread herself out on the stone with a relaxed sigh, one ear tilted to listen absently to her daughters’ laughter. “How have you been settling in, dear?” she asked and Aldertail sat up suddenly. 

“Oh,” she said, clearly having let her thoughts drift. “Um, good- uh, well, I mean. Everyone has been so kind and- and generous to me.” She glanced over at Ospreymask and the kittens 

“I’m glad to hear it,” purred Smokyrose. “I know the Clan is better off with you in it.” Aldertail blushed, ears sliding back, and she buried her nose in her curled forelegs. Her only reply was a small squeak that Smokyrose assumed must have been a thank you. She chuckled warmly and let out a satisfied groan as she pushed her stretch. Her back popped and she sighed in relief, melting back down into the warm stone. Kitting had taken a toll on her body that she hadn’t expected and she wasn’t sure if she would ever feel the same again but on days like today she could almost believe it. 

The sun was a gentle companion. The wind was soft and quiet, largely shielded against by the camp’s sloping hill. She looked over to where Ospreymask was wrestling with the girls and smiled, thankful as ever for the warrior’s never ending exuberance. 

“Ack!” Ospreymask cried as Fogkit accidentally stepped on her face very close to her eye. “I’m out numbered! Branchbark, you gotta save me!”

“Sorry,” Branchbark grinned impishly. “I’m injured, remember?” He waved his left paw in reminder. The wound was no longer bandaged, mostly just a nasty, dark scab and a greenish bruise underneath his short brown fur. 

“Coward!” Ospreymask wailed, flopping underneath the kittens. Slatekit and Fogkit giggled to each other and then Fogkit went in for the kill, chomping down on the side of Ospreymask’s neck. The warrior hissed in pain and pulled away. “Hey, hey, gentle! Remember, we’re just playing.” 

“Oh,” Fogkit jumped back, wide eyed. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s alright,” Ospreymask smiled, leaning in to nose the kit’s forehead. “Just be careful next time.” 

“Are you gonna be okay?” Slatekit’s tiny voice asked, barely audible from where Smokyrose was sitting.

“Yeah, I’ll be right as rain,” Ospreymask purred, hooking her into a hug with one paw. “Unlike Branchbark, I can take a bite like a champ.” 

“Hey!” he frowned, “That’s not fair.” 

Ospreymask cackled and flicked her tail at him. “You’re so easy!” Fogkit joined in with her laughter, snuggling up next to Slatekit with a wiggle of her tiny haunches. Smokyrose sighed fondly. What precious things, her girls. She tried to ignore the aching that came with the thought. 

“She looks just like him,” Aldertail murmured and Smokyrose inhaled sharply, looking over at her. Aldertail shrank with fright as she realized what she had said. “Oh! I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-” 

“No, no,” Smokyrose hurried to reassure her. “It’s alright. She does.” She’d forgotten that Aldertail had known Ghost. Curiosity suddenly gripped her and she found herself speaking, “Do they often?” 

“Hm?” Aldertail tilted her head in confusion.

“His kits,” she said softly. “I’ve heard he has plenty. Do they often look like him?” 

“Oh,” Aldertail said, her own voice softening to a whisper. “Sometimes. The girls are usually torties, the boys are fifty-fifty.” 

“I see,” she nodded. The thought that there were kits just like hers wandering around the two-leg place was still hard to conceptualize. A desire to speak with their mothers tugged on her heartstrings. She wondered if it would be possible to find them all, to let them know they weren’t alone, to find out what they knew about him. 

“How long did you know him?” Aldertail asked carefully.

“Since the spring,” Smokyrose smiled, “So… six or seven moons.” 

Aldertail nodded. “There were rumors he had a new dame but nobody knew who. People said you were a wild cat with blood on your teeth and strange magic that stole his heart.” 

Smokyrose couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, my! Well, I’m flattered but no, no. I’ve never even had any battle training.” 

“Really?” Aldertail asked. “I thought all of you did, at least a little. Branchbark has been trying to teach me a few things but I’m not very good.” 

“Most Clan cats do,” she nodded, “but some cats choose other paths. Like Sagetooth and Oddstripe, they’re healers so they spend their time practicing medicine instead of combat or hunting techniques.” 

“But you’re not a healer, are you?” 

“No, I’m a mediator,” she said proudly. “Since I was little, I’ve studied how to settle disputes and work out problems. When two cats or two Clans have disagreements, cats like me help find a solution that makes everyone happy.”

“That sounds hard,” Aldertail winced. 

“It is,” Smokyrose shrugged, “but I love it. If you wanted, I could teach you.” 

“That’s very kind of you,” Aldertail said, and Smokyrose already knew she wasn’t interested, “but I’m more scared of talking to cats than I am of having to fight one. Thank you though, I don’t mean to be rude!” 

“Not rude at all,” Smokyrose shook her head. “Mediator work isn’t for everyone.” 

“Mama!” Fogkit’s voice called out and she turned her head again, “Mama look how tall I can stand!” The kitten was rearing up on her hind legs, trying to stretch her arms above her head, which was slightly impeded by Slatekit trying to cling to her like a shield. She kept falling down and then rearing back up with an energy that Smokyrose wished she could still muster. 

“Look at you!” she called. “You’re so tall, Fogkit!” The kit beamed and Smokyrose felt another surge of fondness mixed with aching. She wondered if their father would find the display as cute as she did or if he would ignore them entirely. She dreaded to think what his indifference would do to her kittens, if he indeed felt it. 

She glanced at Aldertail, who was staring at Fogkit with a grimace made from fear and pity, and had to wonder what had been done to her to make her so afraid of Ghost. What had he done to the cats under his charge? What had he hidden from her? She decided she didn’t need to know. She and her kits were safe in RisingClan and she would raise them to know every single minute that they were loved more than they could ever know. She hoped that would be enough.

[clangenrising]

Month 10 - Leafbare

Sagetooth sat in her nest, curled tightly around herself to warm her freezing paws. The previous day had come with even more snow which had made searching for horsetail out of the question. Even the border patrols had been cut to a bare minimum to prevent anyone else from getting frostbitten. Today the snow had stopped falling but its remnants still laid thickly over the ground and her expedition had proved fruitless. Now, she waited for her body to warm up enough so that she could head back out again. 

Yarrowshade had barely left the Healers’ den since he and Nightfrost had come in together. He helped Nightfrost plan patrols and delivered them to the rest of the Clan, he went hunting once or twice and did his assigned border shifts, but aside from that he spent every moment with Nightfrost. They slept next to each other, they shared tongues, they talked about Barleypaw’s training and the truce with EarthClan and other things. 

Sagetooth had tried to tamp down her annoyance at their inane conversations. As much as she had no interest in love, she knew how important it was to other cats and she knew that Nightfrost’s situation was precarious. It was better that she focus on finding the proper medicine than on getting upset that a patient had someone who loved her. At least Branchbark had received a clean bill of health. If one more cat was stuck inside the den with her, she thought she might burst.

Outside the den, the world was a blinding white void under the noonday sun, all sound muffled by the snow blanketing the camp. Still, the sound of young voices chattering reached her ears and shortly enough, Oddstripe and his kits filtered into the den. Sagetooth sighed.

“Yarrowshade!” Barleypaw cried, rushing to her mentor’s side to snuggle up against him. 

He laughed and lifted an arm to welcome her, opening one eye from his nap. “Hey, kiddo! I missed you!” 

“Me too,” she nodded, burying her face in his fur contentedly.

Sparrowpaw and Floodpaw were bickering about something. “You’d be lost before you even found him,” Sparrowpaw frowned. 

Floodpaw lifted his head and said, “Nuh-uh, I’d find him and choke him with his own collar.” 

“You would not!” cried Sparrowpaw, seeming to get genuinely upset. 

“Boys! Boys!” Oddstripe placated, “Nobody is going to the city to fight Razor. Can we please stop fighting?” 

“I’m not fighting,” Floodpaw insisted, “he’s the one getting mad.” 

“‘Cause you’re being a beebrain!” Sparrowpaw shouted through gritted teeth. 

“Quiet!” Sagetooth snapped, “Both of you.” And the two apprentices fell silent, ducking their heads in shame. 

Oddstripe offered her an apologetic wince. “Sorry, Sagetooth.”

“Did you find any horsetail?” she asked, dismissing the apology with a flick of her ear. 

“No,” Oddstripe sighed. “I can go out again in a bit.” He stepped deeper into the den, then paused to cough. 

“Dammit, Oddstripe,” Sagetooth growled, “are you sick?”

“What?” He looked up at her. “No, no, my throat is just dry.” He coughed again, trying to hide his muzzle in his shoulder. 

“I’ll get you some water, Papa!” Sparrowpaw offered and bolted out of the den. 

“It’s all gonna be frozen, you moron!” Floodpaw called as he followed after his brother. 

“Sit down,” Sagetooth ordered. Oddstripe complied. Holding her breath, Sagetooth leaned in to press her ear against his chest. Oddstripe, who knew the procedure, waited for her to get into place and then took a deep slow breath, but it collapsed into coughs before he could finish filling his lungs. 

“You are sick!” Sagetooth lashed her tail. “Get in your nest right now, young man. And make sure your fool kits give you a wide berth.” Oddstripe crept to his nest, ears hanging low.

“I’m sorry, Sagetooth,” he managed.

“Don’t be sorry,” she said, “be better. I’m going to go looking for horsetail again. Treat yourself with catmint and stay away from Nightfrost. You don’t want her getting whitecough on top of frostbite.” Oddstripe nodded obediently. 

“Is Papa gonna be okay?” Barleypaw asked, her voice timid. 

“He’ll be fine if he stays in bed and gets his rest,” Sagetooth sighed, trying to be gentle. She did like Barleypaw. 

“I’ll be fine, sweetheart,” Oddstripe reassured her and he was right. They had plenty of herbs to treat a cough and he had enough knowledge to treat himself and keep an eye on his symptoms. Nightfrost however… Sagetooth looked at the deputy and frowned. Her paws were wrapped with clean cobwebs and she was warm inside the den but… infection was just too likely, especially with their lack of useful stock. Nightfrost met her gaze and offered her a tight lipped smile in return. She understood exactly what Sagetooth had been thinking. 

“I’ll be back soon with the horsetail,” the Healer said and then tromped into the snow before anyone could contradict her. She squinted harshly against the snow glare, mumbling curses under her breath. She would find the damned horsetail or, so help her StarClan, she would burn the entire forest down through sheer irritation.

~~~

When she returned, she was cursing herself. Finding a certain plant through thick snow was harder than she had thought and, even when searching the places that she knew horsetail grew, it was tedious and tricky to push through the snow and uncover any of it. She hadn’t been able to find any useful horsetail at all.

And what was worse, her paws were numb. She had tried to be careful and quick but her route had been a bit farther than she had anticipated and, by the time she had made it back to camp, she knew her paws were frostbitten. The damage was much less severe than Nightfrost had suffered but it was still a foolish mistake that was going to have serious consequences. 

With Oddstripe on bed rest, this meant that no one would be able to treat wounds for a while. Especially if Nightfrost’s paws became infected, Sagetooth would not be able to touch them at all or else she might catch the infection. This was bad and she was furious with herself for making such a sloppy mistake. 

As she entered the camp, she shouted, “Branchbark!” and the young warrior quickly scrambled out of the warriors’ den. 

“Yes?” he asked dutifully. Sagetooth nearly sighed in relief. Nearly.

“I need you to go hunting for horsetail tomorrow. This is urgent, do you understand me?” 

He nodded, a bit dumbstruck. “Yes, Sagetooth. I understand.” 

“Good,” she huffed. “And don’t you dare come back with frostbite.” With that she turned and stomped into her den to warm her paws. Inside, Yarrowshade was asleep against Nightfrost’s side, but the deputy was awake and locked eyes with her. Sagetooth huffed again and looked away, unable to hold her patient’s gaze. She hoped that there would be time for Nightfrost to forgive her for her callousness.

UPDATES: - Branchbark recovers from whitecough - Oddstripe comes down with greencough - Sagetooth returns from herb gathering with frostbite. - RisingClan does not have enough healthy healers!

[clangenrising]

Month 9 - Leaffall

Oddstripe was restless. So was Floodpaw, who had returned for a check up on his shoulder wound. 

“Dad,” groaned the apprentice as he wiggled impatiently, “I’m fine. Seriously, you shouldn’t worry so much.” 

“Oh,” Oddstripe chewed his lip. He didn’t know how to explain to his son that his worry was probably going to eat himself from the inside out for the rest of his days. He hadn’t realized warrior training would be so dangerous! Although, he probably should have known better. The thought of his boys - his baby girl! - out fighting murderous rogues and foxes and who knows what else! It made him want to pick them all up by the scruff and secret them away somewhere safe for the rest of their lives. 

Working the last of the horsetail poultice into Floodpaw’s skin, he sighed. He knew that wasn’t a real option. Still, he didn’t like how cavalier Floodpaw was about the situation. 

“I just want you to be safe, sweetheart,” he said and Floodpaw scoffed through his nose. That was disconcerting. 

“I am safe,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Goldenstar is the best warrior ever, she’s keeping me safe. And soon I’ll be able to handle myself for real, anyway.” 

Oddstripe frowned and began to apply the new cobwebs. “You got bitten. I’d hardly call that safe.” 

“I was safe enough,” Floodpaw shook his head. Oddstripe sighed. His little man was growing up and he didn’t like it. 

“It’s part of a warrior’s duty to risk their lives,” said Sagetooth as she walked into the den and Oddstripe jumped to attention. “The Clans have always faced dangers. StarClan smiles on those who defend their Clanmates.” Oddstripe tried to mask the frown that wanted to pull their lips even further down. 

“Right,” he nodded. “I’m sure they can forgive a bit of parental worry, though.” 

“Of course,” Sagetooth chuckled. “How’s the wound doing?” 

“Good,” smiled Oddstripe. “We’re nearly out of horsetail but we should be able to make it last long enough to avoid any infection.” 

“We’ll have to find some more then,” Sagetooth said. “Or some garlic. We’ll want to be prepared.” 

“Right,” Oddstripe said, gut twisting. There were going to be more wounds in the future. Sagetooth had taught him how to treat all kinds of wounds in theory but in practice he’d never tended anything worse than some bramble scratches. He wasn’t looking forward to gaining experience. Sagetooth, for her part, didn't seem that bothered. The advantage of age, he supposed. 

She continued into the den to look at the herb stores. “And Pantherhaze? How is he?” 

“Oh, much better,” Oddstripe said, trying to shake off the clinging sense of dread. “Although it looks like Branchbark has come down with whitecough instead.” He smoothed out the edges of the cobwebs with care, making sure that every inch of his son’s wound was protected from the elements. 

“Tch,” Sagetooth shook her head. “‘Tis the season, I suppose.” 

“Can I go now?” Floodpaw whined, shimmying in place as if it were physically uncomfortable to sit still any longer. 

“Mm, I guess so,” Oddstripe relented with a half smile. “You’re sure you don’t want to stay a little longer? I miss my boys.” He gave Floodpaw a few licks around the ears which his son squirmed away from. 

“Daaaad!” he whined, pushing at his father’s muzzle.

“Sorry, sorry,” said Oddstripe, pulling back to let Floodpaw run a paw over his new cowlick. “I’ll let you go. Just… be safe, please.” 

“I will,” promised Floodpaw, and he dashed away, barely impeded by his wound. 

“He’s young,” Sagetooth said softly. “He’ll learn patience in time.” 

“I hope so,” sighed Oddstripe. Straightening himself, he added, “I’ll go check on Branchbark again.” 

“Thank you,” smiled Sagetooth. With that, he headed out to try and focus on what he could change; a friend’s cold. That was simple enough at least.

UPDATES:

Pantherhaze has recovered from whitecough. Branchbark comes down with a case of whitecough instead.

[clangenrising]

Month 8 - Leaffall

It was late. Goldenstar sat up on the Stoneperch, scanning the dark grass over and over. She was terrified that the night would pass and no cats would show and she was terrified that the grass would be parted by the faces of a rogue war party. She tried to calm her thumping chest with slow and steady breaths but it wasn’t very successful. 

It seemed the rest of the camp was feeling similarly. Yarrowshade had returned to camp an hour or so after Scrap’s arrival. According to him, Scorchplume had said she was heading back to camp. But she had yet to be seen. No one knew where she was and it had everyone on edge for one reason or another. 

Yarrowshade paced back and forth along the stone atop the Warriors’ den, chewing his lip as he did. Nightfrost sat nearby, looking as composed as ever except for her eyes, which darted from cat to cat and then out to the grass again with an anxious energy. Branchbark was sitting with Ospreymask in the middle of the clearing, talking in hushed tones. Russetfrond sat near the base of the Stoneperch, tail twitching. 

“Will you stop pacing?” he snapped eventually, glaring at Yarrowshade. “You’re going to wake everyone.” Yarrowshade stopped briefly to glare at Russetfrond then started again, seemingly out of spite. Nightfrost sighed tiredly.

“Why did you even let her out of your sight?” Russetfrond continued.

“Because she wanted to be alone!” Yarrowshade snapped back, bristling. 

“Oh! Of course!” Russetfrond rolled his eyes sarcastically. “That makes total sense!” 

“Yeah!” Yarrowshade cried in exasperation, stopping again, “It does! She was clearly going through something and so I gave her some space! Not everyone solves their problems by force.” 

“You’re so right, Yarrowshade,” Russetfrond said, “Some people let their problems do whatever they want.” Yarrowshade growled, back arching aggressively. Goldenstar sucked in her breath and stood up but Nightfrost beat her to it.

“Stop it, both of you,” said the deputy. “You’re acting like kittens.” Russetfrond lashed his tail and looked away while Yarrowshade wilted and resumed his pacing. 

“What if she just doesn’t come back?” Branchbark asked. 

“Then she doesn’t come back and we go back to life as normal,” Nightfrost said. Goldenstar felt sick. She sat down again and curled her tail over her paws and tried to breathe again. She made eye contact with Russetfrond who was scowling at her from below. She couldn’t hold his gaze, like a coward, and looked away at the grassy fields again. 

She didn’t know what to do. There was just too much she couldn’t control about the situation. She didn’t know what she would do if Scorch never came back and she definitely didn’t know what she would do if she did. The news Scrap had brought was troubling to say the least. It made her stomach churn. She almost wanted to run to the River of the Stars and ask Sunstar for help but she knew that wasn’t a solution. She had to learn to run her own Clan. She just wished she had thought about asking for advice when Sunstar was alive. 

“Where would she even go?” Ospreymask asked. “It doesn’t seem like she would go back to the city and it's not like any of the other Clans would take her.” 

“Who knows,” Russetfrond grumbled, “but wherever she is, she’s up to no good.” Yarrowshade gave a warning growl and Goldenstar felt the need to speak up before things got heated again. 

“Listen,” she said, squaring her shoulders, “When Scorchplume comes home I’ll talk with her about what happened and make a decision from there. It’s possible Scorch is just as much of a victim as Scrap is and I’m not going to assume that she’s done something terrible just because she acted strangely.” 

“But you’ll assume she’s completely innocent?” Russetfrond scoffed. 

“I didn’t say that,” she protested, but he barreled onward. 

“You’re too soft on her, Goldie. Scorch is a threat-” Yarrowshade growled again and Russetfrond amended, “a potential threat. You can’t keep ignoring it just because you have the hots for her.” 

Goldenstar sputtered in response. “I- b- w- excuse me?” What was he talking about?!

“Yeah, it's kind of obvious,” Ospreymask grinned. “You’re like… extremely into her.” 

“I- That’s not-” She huffed sharply through her nose and straightened again. “I have not been ignoring any kind of threat! She isn’t dangerous, she’s scared.” 

“Okay, sure, you tell yourself that,” Russetfrond laughed harshly. Goldenstar’s cheeks were burning. She couldn’t believe what was happening right now. 

Branchbark shifted uncomfortably and asked, “Can Nightfrost at least sit in on the conversation? As a neutral party?” Goldenstar’s eyes found Nightfrost who looked at her paws. She sighed, reminded that she had to make more of an effort to include her deputy in her decisions. 

“Yes, of course. Nightfrost and I will figure out what’s going on and come up with a plan. Does that sound alright with everyone?” The assembled cats voiced their approval, although Russetfrond simply grunted. Still, it sounded like an affirmative grunt if she had to guess. “Alright then. Good.” Settling down into a loaf, she huffed quietly. 

She couldn’t believe the others. It was infuriating how little they understood about Scorchplume. All these rumors about her being a demon, secretly planning to take over the Clan, seducing Yarrowshade or apparently her. Ridiculous! It drove her crazy that her Clanmates had such little empathy for a cat who was so clearly terrified out of her mind and insanely lonely. None of them knew Scorch like she did. She sighed. She would just have to show them. 

The night crept on for an unbearable amount of time. Yarrowshade stopped his pacing to sit beside Nightfrost, the two of them talking quietly. Eventually Branchbark and Ospreymask turned in for the night and even Russetfrond went to bed in preparation for the dawn patrol tomorrow. Beside Nightfrost, Yarrowshade fell asleep. Nightfrost made eye contact with her and Goldenstar smiled tightly back. 

The grass rustled gently and Goldenstar sat bolt upright. Scorchplume slank carefully out of the fields, pausing when she realized she was being watched. Relief flooded through Goldenstar followed immediately by the heavy realization that the others were right about her. Foxdung.

“Scorch,” she managed. 

The ginger cat dipped her head demurely and said, “I hope you didn’t wait up on my account.” She was wearing her mask, Goldenstar realized. The careful smoothness of her voice gave her away, the way she said each word as if asking for permission. It tugged at Goldenstar’s heart. 

“We need to talk to you,” Nightfrost said. 

“What about?” Scorch asked as if she didn’t know. 

“Why don’t we step into Goldenstar’s den,” Nightfrost said, standing.

Goldenstar noticed Scorch shift tensely and said, “Or we can talk up here. Wherever you’re most comfortable.” Nightfrost’s ear twitched. 

“Your den is fine,” purred Scorchplume. She strode towards the den and as Nightfrost moved to accompany her, Yarrowshade woke with a sudden intake of breath. 

“Scorch!” he said, sitting up. 

“Later, Yarrowshade,” Nightfrost said. Goldenstar watched as Scorch pointedly looked away from him and slipped into the den, saw how Yarrowshade’s ears flattened sadly. Leaping down from the Stoneperch, she flashed him a sympathetic smile and then followed Nightfrost inside. 

Scorch waited for Goldenstar and Nightfrost to sit down before she lightly sat back on her haunches and asked, “Am I in trouble?”

“No,” Goldenstar said immediately.

“Not yet, anyway,” said Nightfrost, “That’s what we’re here to decide.” Goldenstar frowned. They needed to be careful in how they went about this. If they put Scorchplume on the defensive, she would close herself off which was exactly the opposite of what they needed right now. 

“What did the city cat tell you?” Scorch asked guardedly. 

Nightfrost said, “She told us about Razor and how you were close with him, and that he wanted to kill her for her brother’s crime. According to her, if she wanted to keep this murderer happy, she did what you said.” 

“Nightfrost,” Goldenstar said firmly, “we’re here to get Scorchplume’s side of the story, not interrogate her.” Nightfrost looked at her with a complicated expression, one that struck Goldenstar as sympathy mixed with frustration. The deputy set her jaw stubbornly but nodded in apology. Scorch continued to sit quietly and Goldenstar could tell her thoughts were racing behind her gorgeous blue eyes. 

Ugh! When did I start thinking about them like that? she thought. Russetfrond was never going to let her hear the end of this.

Sighing through her nose to let go of some of her frustration, Goldenstar said, “My goal for this conversation is to let you tell your side of things and then to decide what should be done if these cats are as dangerous as you say they are.” 

“They are,” Scorch said, shifting forward. “Razor especially.” 

“Who is he?” Nightfrost asked, her ears perked with curiosity. Goldenstar nodded. That was her question as well. 

Scorch huffed softly. “He’s a tyrant and a bastard. He basically rules the city cats, he and Portia.” 

“Portia?” Goldenstar tilted her head. 

“Mm. Let me see if I can explain this simply,” Scorch said, tail swishing. “In the city, the two-legs are the supreme authority. The city is their territory and they decide what cats are allowed to stay and what cats get taken away. They control most of the food, or at least the easily accessible food, and if you want it you play nice with them. Their, uh… monsters, I think you call them?” Goldenstar nodded and Scorch continued. “Their monsters control the streets- er, thunderpaths - and you have to learn to pay them respect or you’ll be killed.” 

Goldenstar stared dumbly. What a terrifying place! She couldn’t believe so many cats managed to live there. Scorch hadn’t even mentioned Razor yet and the city already sounded like a waking nightmare. 

Scorch continued, “Now, Razor claims to be the two-leg’s chosen mouthpiece. He calls himself the Speaker and insists that everything he says is the will of the two-legs.” Scorch lifted her head and put on an airy, noble sounding voice as she said, “He and his cohort are the blessed and the worthy and to earn their favor is to earn the favor of the housefolk.” She scoffed, dropping the act. “Anyway, Portia is his right paw. They call her the Interpreter. She supposedly translates the housefolk’s will so that Razor can enforce it, but Razor is the one in charge.” 

“Like a Leader and a Healer,” Goldenstar said as understanding dawned on her. No wonder Scorch had been so nervous about Clan life and StarClan and everything. 

“Exactly,” Scorch said, and Goldenstar almost thought she heard a tightness in Scorch’s throat as she said it. “And if we want to use that metaphor, then Ghost is his Deputy.” That made Goldenstar’s stomach twist. “Razor is in charge but Ghost handles the day to day and makes sure the street cats are in line. He doesn't delight in punishment as much as Razor does but he metes it out regardless.” 

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Goldenstar asked, baffled. “Smokyrose deserves to know.” 

“Does she?” Scorchplume asked, posture suddenly guarded. “As I saw it, all she needed to know was he wasn’t coming back. Anything more than that seemed cruel.” 

“I suppose…” Goldenstar frowned. She hadn’t considered it that way. She wondered how Smokyrose would take the news that her mate was a brutal enforcer. 

“But why didn’t you tell us about Razor?” Nightfrost pressed. “And you still haven’t explained your own involvement with him.” 

Scorch pursed her lips and looked away. For a moment, Goldenstar thought she was going to simply refuse to answer, but after a long moment she sighed through her nose and said, “Razor… wants me.” She swallowed thickly, still staring at the wall as her eyes fogged over with some kind of emotion. “While I was technically below Ghost in the pecking order, I got… special privileges so long as I played along. I got first choice of food, I got the best sleeping spots. Cats left me alone because if they didn’t and it got back to Razor… Well, they left me alone.” 

Goldenstar was overwhelmed with the urge to wrap herself around Scorchplume, to drown out any thoughts of Razor with the sound of her purring, but she didn’t. She had to stay professional, impartial. Or, at least she had to pretend she was trying. 

“So you got cats killed?” Nightfrost asked darkly. 

Scorch turned her gaze to meet the deputy’s, eyes narrowed to slits. “I did what I had to do to survive, Nightfrost. Don’t pretend you Clan cats don’t kill for your own survival.” 

“That’s different,” Nightfrost said, “An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win her battles.” 

“But still, you kill,” Scorch growled disdainfully. “Say what you want about me but I’ve never lifted a claw against another cat.” 

“No, you just stand by while others kill on your behalf.” 

“Nightfrost,” Goldenstar cut in, “it sounds like Scorch didn’t have a choice. What was she supposed to do, stand up to Razor herself? How would that have ended for her?” 

“Precisely,” Scorch said, trying to hide a smirk. “The world is not as simple as you make it out to be.” 

Nightfrost’s tail lashed once. “I’ll concede that point.” She looked to Goldenstar and asked, “So what do we do if this Razor comes looking for Scrap?” 

“We’ll have to stand and fight,” Goldenstar said. 

Scorch’s tail bristled. “You can’t. The city has more cats than your Clans, cats willing to die for Razor. You’ll be slaughtered.” 

“Then what do you think we should do?” Nightfrost asked. 

“We send this Scrap back to the city to face her fate.”

“Absolutely not,” Nightfrost growled. 

“We’re not going to abandon her to Razor’s vengeance,” Goldenstar shook her head, “just like we wouldn’t abandon you either.” 

Scorch made a frustrated noise in her throat. “Then we need to leave,” she said, tail starting to lash. “When he finds out there is food out here, when he learns there are cats he doesn’t rule - cats harboring fugitives - he will come and he will make this place his own. Our only chance is to leave before he arrives, to make sure we’re far enough away that pursuing us is no longer worth the effort!” 

“No,” Goldenstar shook her head. “I’ve told you before why we can’t just leave.” 

“But you don’t understand!” Scorch cried, starting to sound desperate. 

“No, I guess I don’t,” Goldenstar said, “But I have faith that we can hold our own against Razor, especially if we get the other Clans to come to our aid.” 

“Faith,” Scorch laughed derisively, shaking her head. “Faith will be a cold comfort when we’re all dead.” 

Goldenstar sighed. “If it gets that serious, then we’ll reconsider, but we have to at least try and stand our ground. That’s what warriors do.” 

“I’ll make sure to schedule extra patrols on the southern border,” Nightfrost said. “We won’t be unprepared.” Goldenstar smiled, relieved that she had such an intelligent and capable cat at her side. 

“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll bring it up at the next Gathering. For now, let’s get some sleep. We can discuss the details in the morning.” 

“Agreed,” Nightfrost said tiredly. “Goodnight, Goldenstar.” Standing, the large blue she-cat passed Scorch and headed out of the den. Outside, Goldenstar could hear her talking with Yarrowshade. In front of her, Scorch grit her teeth in frustration. 

“Goldenstar,” she said softly, standing to step closer, “please, you have to listen to me. If you go up against Razor, you will lose.” 

Goldenstar stood to bump her forehead against Scorch’s. “I know you’re scared, Scorch, but I promise I’m not being foolhardy. This is the kind of thing I’ve trained my whole life to do. Do you think you can trust me to know my own ability?” Her voice was gentle, soft. It wasn’t a challenge, but a genuine question. Stars, how she wanted Scorch to trust her, to feel safe in her care. Scorch closed her eyes and sighed, sounding on the verge of tears. 

“Fine,” she said. “I just…” and she paused for a heart-skipping moment. Goldenstar waited eagerly for the rest of the sentence. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” That was disappointing. What had she been expecting? ‘I just worry about you’? With a reassuring purr, Goldenstar pressed her head more firmly against Scorch’s.

“I’m looking out for my favorite subject,” she said softly. They stood there for a moment longer before Scorch pulled away. 

“Ugh,” she muttered, looking over her shoulder. “I’m not looking forward to going back to the Warriors’ den.” Goldenstar winced sympathetically. She imagined Russetfrond was going to want an explanation and knew that he probably wouldn’t be very patient about it. And Scrap was in there, she remembered. 

“Stay here,” she said without thinking.

“Sorry?” Scorch blinked, looking over at her in surprise. 

Goldenstar’s cheeks flushed with heat. “I’ll go sleep in the Warriors’ den tonight,” she said quickly. “You can stay here for the night.” 

“Oh,” Scorch nodded, seeming to relax a little. Still, she shifted with apprehension. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah,” Goldenstar nodded, committing to the idea. “I get lonely in here anyway. Get some rest, Scorch.” 

“Alright,” nodded Scorch. Brushing past Goldenstar to approach the nest, she added, “Thank you, your excellence.” 

“Don’t mention it,” Goldenstar grinned, giving her one last head bump before she left the den and headed across the camp. Despite her fatigue, she was buzzing with energy. Settling down in Scorch’s empty nest, she wondered if she would be able to sleep at all. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on emptying her mind but, as usual, that only made her more conscious of her thoughts. She had more she wanted to say. She had so much to process. She didn’t feel like she had done enough.

Most distractingly of all, the nest she was sleeping in smelled just like Scorchplume.

[clangenrising]

Month 8 - Leaffall

“I’ll need a few extra paws this week,” Sagetooth said, “to help gather herbs before Leafbare hits.” 

Nightfrost nodded and made the mental note. “I’ll make sure to assign you some assistants. Any preference as to who?” 

“Branchbark is always helpful,” grunted the healer. “Pantherhaze maybe, if he's feeling better. Not Ospreymask.” Nightfrost chuckled a little. She’d heard plenty of complaints from both Ospreymask and Sagetooth about how ill suited she was for herb gathering. 

“Sounds good,” she said with a dip of her head. “Let me know if you need anything else alright?” 

A raised voice cut through the air. “Nightfrost!” It was Branchbark. He’d been on border patrol, hadn’t he? The deputy turned to greet him, hoping he wasn’t bearing bad news. She did not expect him to have a stranger following close behind him. 

“Yes?” she asked, stepping away from Sagetooth with one last respectful nod,  “What is it?” 

“This is Scrap,” said the young warrior as they met in the middle of camp. “She was waiting at the border looking for safe passage.” The cat behind him, Scrap apparently, had sunk into a crouch, ears pressed flat, and was staring fearfully up at her. She couldn’t have been much more than a year old. She was thin and scruffy, with one ear sliced off cleanly at the tip in an almost unnatural way. She smelled strongly of the thunderpath and fear. Nightfrost felt her stomach twist in pity at the sight of her. 

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Scrap,” she said in her most gentle tone. “I’m Nightfrost.” 

Scrap pursed her lips at the sudden direct attention. “The pleasure is all mine, uh, Nightfrost,” she squeezed out, voice soft and unsure. 

“Can we talk in private?” Branchbark whispered, leaning in to her. Nightfrost frowned. There was something in his eyes, in his tone, that said this was serious and it unsettled her. 

“Of course,” she nodded, “Why don’t we speak in Goldenstar’s den. I think she’s there now.” She gestured with her tail and Branchbark nodded. 

He turned to Scrap and said, “C’mon, this way.” She nodded hurriedly in response and slank after him. 

“Who’s that?” Nightfrost heard Sparrowkit ask. 

“I’m not sure,” replied Smokyrose. Nightfrost glanced in their direction and saw all three of the kits huddled in the nursery entrance, staring with wide eyes. Smokyrose behind them had a look on her face that struck Nightfrost as hopeful. She noted that Sagetooth was also watching the stranger with interest and even Pantherhaze and Songdust had come out of their dens to stare. Quickly, she hurried after Scrap and Branchbark, trying to shield the frightened cat from their eyes with her body. 

“Hey, Goldenstar,” Branchbark said as they slipped inside the den, “You got a moment?” 

“Yeah, for sure,” Goldenstar replied, sitting up from what looked like a nap. She sat up and gave a few quick licks to smooth out her rumpled cheek fur. 

“This is Scrap,” he said, wrapping his tail over the stranger’s back protectively. Nightfrost tilted her head curiously as she came to sit on one side of the den near Goldenstar. “She’s from the city and she was hoping for protection.” 

“O-only if that's alright,” Scrap spoke up, her ears pressed flat, her eyes wide. “I don’t want to impose on you.” 

“Protection?” Goldenstar asked, brow furrowing worriedly. “From what?” 

Scrap shuffled and glanced at Branchbark who gave her an encouraging nod. She swallowed and said, “I… I’m being hunted. By Razor.” 

“Razor?” asked Nightfrost, ears perking forward at the strange name. 

Scrap nodded. “Yes, Razor, the Chosen. He rules the city and he wants me dead.” 

“Why?” Goldenstar asked before Nightfrost could. 

Scrap shuffled and looked down at her paws. “My… My brother, Snip, he… He killed a housecat. Now Razor wants to make an example of us.” She sniffled, on the verge of tears. Branchbark pressed close against her side and while she stiffened at the touch, she didn’t pull away. 

“A house cat?” Nightfrost frowned in confusion. She supposed a life was a life but it still struck her as strange that a city cat would react so harshly to the death of a kittypet. 

“He wants to kill you because of your brother’s crime?” Goldenstar asked, also confused. 

“Well, he already got Snip,” Scrap sniffled. “And his mate… and our sister, Switch.” Nightfrost’s stomach twisted in revulsion. This rogue seemed like a special kind of twisted. She thanked the stars cats like him ceased to be after their deaths. She dreaded the thought of a monster like that persisting in the Dark Forest. 

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Goldenstar said gently. “But I promise you, he won’t hurt you. Consider yourself under my protection.” 

“Thank you,” Scrap began to sob, “Thank you, your excellence!” Goldenstar winced and Nightfrost grimaced similarly. 

“That’s alright,” Goldenstar said with a bit of an awkward laugh. “You don’t have to use any fancy titles. Consider me a friend, not a ruler.” 

“Oh,” sniffed Scrap, swiping a paw over one cheek. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t offend.” 

“No, not at all,” said Goldenstar. “Branchbark, why don’t you help Scrap get something to eat and a nest in the warrior’s den?” 

“Yeah, sure,” he nodded, seeming hesitant. “But I think you ought to know… when we met her, Scorchplume insisted she go back to the City. She said she couldn’t be trusted and that dangerous cats would follow her but refused to explain other than that.” His tail twitched angrily. That news was… concerning. Nightfrost glanced at Goldenstar to try and gauge her reaction. She found Goldenstar scowling at the floor, eyes flickering slightly across the dirt, quietly trying to piece her thoughts together. 

“Do you know Scorch?” Nightfrost probed, looking to Scrap, “the cat you met on the border.” 

Scrap looked up, eyes wide again, and nodded. “Yes. Everyone knows Scorch. I don’t think she knows me though.” 

“Everyone?” Goldenstar asked. 

“Mhm,” said Scrap, sniffing back the last of her tears for now. “Razor has… a thing for her. If you want to stay on his good side you do what she says.” Goldenstar swallowed thickly. 

Nightfrost could see a storm of emotions and thoughts behind her eyes and said, “Thank you. That’s all for now. If we have questions, I’ll come find you.” She looked to Branchbark and tried to impress to him with her eyes that she was taking this seriously. He didn’t seem satisfied but nodded and stood.

“Come on, Scrap, let’s get you a fat robin or something.” 

Scrap nodded and gave a small bow to Goldenstar and Nightfrost. “Thank you again for your kindness. I owe you my life.” Nightfrost smiled, hoping it wasn’t too tight, and then the two spotted cats headed out of the den. Nightfrost let the silence hang for a long moment as she and Goldenstar both grappled with all of this new information. 

It seemed Scorch had once sat at the right paw of this Razor cat. The thought made Nightfrost queasy, to be honest. It seemed Russetfrond had been more right than she had realized. She wondered just how much Scorch had been manipulating Razor, how much she had been manipulating Goldenstar, or Yarrowshade for that matter. She couldn’t help but feel like she had failed as a deputy. This sort of thing was her duty to see coming and avoid and she had done nothing, too insecure about overstepping to pay close attention. 

“Well,” she said eventually, “that’s concerning. What should we do?” 

“About what?” Goldenstar asked, tail bristling slightly. Nightfrost sighed through her nose. She could already tell the younger cat was going to get defensive and stubborn about this. 

“About Scorch,” she said flatly. “We just learned she used to be close with the kind of cat who kills families for one cat’s mistake.” 

“No,” Goldenstar retorted, “we know Razor had some sort of fascination with Scorchplume. That doesn’t mean she did anything wrong.” 

“Goldenstar, please,” Nightfrost closed her eyes in frustration, “You heard Scrap. She said that if she wanted to keep Razor happy she did what Scorch said. That at the very least sounds like an abuse of power to me.”

“Maybe,” Goldenstar’s voice was tight for a moment and she swallowed thickly. “But I know Scorchplume. She’s scared too, just as scared as Scrap.” 

“You don’t know that,” countered Nightfrost. “You know the Scorch that she wants you to, there’s no telling if she’s been pretending to be frightened because she knew you would be sympathetic to it.”

“Stop that,” Goldenstar stood. Nightfrost could tell that she barely restrained herself from baring her teeth. “We’re not doing anything until I hear Scorchplume’s side of things.” 

“Alright,” Nightfrost relented, stepping towards the exit. “Just make sure that you’re not letting your feelings get the better of you.” 

“Feelings?” Goldenstar balked aggressively. “What feelings?” 

Nightfrost blinked in surprise. “Just… your feelings. In general.” 

“Oh,” Goldenstar straightened her posture and gave her chest a few licks. “Right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” 

“It’s alright,” Nightfrost said, although she didn’t know if it was. “I’ll let you know when Scorch gets back to camp.” 

“Okay. Thank you.” 

“No problem.” Dipping her head, Nightfrost slipped out of the den. Her mind was reeling. What had just happened?

[clangenrising]

Month 8 - Leaffall

Scorch squinted against the wind and huffed. The entire morning had been cloudy and cool, threatening an autumn storm. Tilting her head towards Yarrowshade as she watched the clouds rolling over the EarthClan forest, she said, “Do you think if we go back now we can convince her majesty to never send us on border patrol again?” 

Yarrowshade laughed and bumped against her side as he leaned in to reply. “Y’know, I bet we could. If we fell at her paws and gave her kitten eyes, maybe we could just lay in her den all day.” Walking a few tail lengths ahead, Branchbark glanced back for a moment. Scorch instinctively looked away to avoid eye contact.

“Who are you kidding,” she replied to Yarrowshade, “I would be doing all the hard work. You’d just leech off all my efforts, you big lug.” She reared up to bat at his ears and he skittered out of her reach laughing. She pursued him for a step or two and then fell back into line behind Branchbark. Yarrowshade stopped to roll around in the grass, spreading his scent as he did. The patrol didn’t stop for him but he easily closed the distance in a few bounds once he had finished. 

As he caught up with her, he said, “Is it really ‘hard work’ if she does everything you ask her to anyway?” 

“She does not,” Scorch huffed, twitching her tail upright. 

“Yeah she does,” he snorted. 

“I’m just persuasive,” she tossed her head back haughtily, “and right about everything.” 

“Uh, okay,” he laughed skeptically. “Hey, Branchbark! What do you think, Goldenstar has a soft spot for her, right?” Scorch felt her cheeks grow hot. Why did he have to bring Branchbark into this? The younger warrior looked back again, suddenly looking uneasy.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know.”

“Aw, come on!” Yarrowshade groaned and Scorch chuckled triumphantly.

“Leave the boy alone,” she pretended to plead, “I’m sure he’s tired of hearing you run your mouth. I know I am.” Branchbark looked ahead, ears pressed back against his head, hot with embarrassment. 

“Whatever,” Yarrowshade rolled his eyes. The plains were starting to thin as they neared the eastern end of the Thunderpath, scattered with stones and dry, dying grass. Yarrowshade nudged Scorch with his muzzle and said, “Your turn.” 

Scorch sighed and crossed in front of him to approach a flat stone in their path. Arching her back in a stretch, she reached her paws out and scraped her claws across its surface a few times, letting the scent from her paw pads spread across the stone. It was still strange to her. Already, she was marking the borders as a member of RisingClan. Not even nine moons in and their scent was her scent, their home was her home. She smiled to herself, feeling content. 

Branchbark’s next words immediately shattered that. “There’s a cat over there, look.” 

“Where?” she asked, snapping to attention. She sucked in a deep breath through her teeth to try and settle her rising hackles. 

“There,” he leaned forward to point with his muzzle and she and Yarrowshade stepped closer to follow his gaze. It took her a bit. but after a moment her eyes snapped into focus. A patch of dusty earth shifted and became recognizable as a brown speckled tabby crouched low to creep through the sparse stretch of grass. The cat looked their way a second after she spotted it and its ears snapped up to attention, one of them clearly notched. 

Scorch’s heart started to hammer in her chest. 

She nearly tore across the grass to sink her claws into them. Goldenstar’s combat lessons had been going well and she hadn’t realized until now how confident she felt in her fighting ability. If Yarrowshade and Branchbark weren’t with her, she probably would have done it. 

Yarrowshade was already heading towards the figure. “Well, let’s go see what this is about,” he said, not sounding concerned. In contrast to her previous impulses, Scorch suddenly found herself unable to move. Irritated with herself, she forced her first paw to take a step and then fell into the momentum of it. The cat ahead of them sat up slightly but stayed where they were, staring back with big blue eyes. 

“They aren’t to be trusted,” Scorch said lowly as they walked, “you should let me handle this.” 

“Why can’t we trust them?” Branchbark frowned, brows furrowing. She tried to think of a good reason but was a beat too late. Yarrowshade was already hailing them with a cautious meow. 

“Hey, there, stranger,” he called. “Can we help you?” Scorch wanted to scream. She wanted to run. She wanted to grab the cat’s throat in her teeth until they stopped moving. None of that would help though, and she knew it, but she couldn’t stop herself from trying to find some way out of this situation, some way to repair the damage that had been done. The stranger stayed low to the ground, ears pressed back in submission, and watched them move. Her eyes kept coming back to Scorch and that made her want to catch fire even more. 

“Um, I’m sorry if I’ve trespassed,” said the stranger, her voice high and frail. “I don’t mean to intrude, but I… I heard that these lands were welcome to cats passing through?” Ghost. Scorch clenched her jaw as all of the violent urges in her head turned in his direction.

“No,” she said, surprising herself, “I’m afraid you are mistaken.” 

“What?” Yarrowshade looked at her, equally surprised. “Scorch, what are you talking about?” 

“She can’t stay,” Scorch insisted firmly. “Go back to the city now, if you know what’s good for you.” She could feel her fur bristling furiously. 

“Woah!” Branchbark exclaimed, standing up taller. 

“I-I’m sorry,” the stranger said, shrinking away. “Please don’t send me back, I’ll do anything!”

“No one is sending anyone back,” Branchbark assured her, stepping forward boldly. Scorch had never seen him wear an expression so forceful. She almost felt admiration despite his foolishness. 

“Yeah, hold on,” Yarrowshade said, raising his tail. To the stranger he added, “just hang on, a moment, yeah?” She nodded quickly and held very still. Meanwhile Yarrowshade turned to block her from Scorch’s vision and said, “can we talk, real quick?” 

“She needs to leave,” Scorch hissed back. “She can’t be here.” 

“Why not?” he challenged. “What’s so bad about her? She seems harmless to me.” 

Scorch growled in frustration. “Look, you’ll just have to trust me on this, she needs to go back to the city, now.” 

“We absolutely do not have to ‘just trust you on this’,” Branchbark glared. “Aren’t you the one who convinced Goldenstar to open up our borders to strangers?” 

“Not necessarily,” she said, deeply regretting her involvement in it now. 

“Scorch, if you want us to turn her away, you’ve gotta give us a reason,” said Yarrowshade. “I wanna believe you but you’re being crazy right now.” 

Tail lashing, Scorch stepped from foot to foot as if trying to pace without going anywhere. “She’s-!” The words were strangled in her throat. She took a deep breath and tried again, “If we let her into our territory, dangerous cats will follow her. You have to trust me, if we don’t send her away we are ruined.” 

“If dangerous cats are following her, she needs our help!” countered Branchbark. “No way. We’re taking her back to camp.” 

“You can’t!” Scorch nearly begged. “Please! Yarrowshade,” she turned to him, “This is a huge mistake. We have to send her away.” Yarrowshade chewed his lip for a moment. He glanced back at the stranger, still pressed motionless against the ground, then back to Scorch. She lowered herself to look up at him, eyes wide, tried to make herself seem as helpless as possible. Surely, she thought, if someone will listen to me, it’s Yarrowshade. 

He sighed. “I’m sorry, Scorch. I’m with Branchbark on this.”

Branchbark nodded, satisfied and turned back to the stranger. “I’m sorry about that,” he said, sounding like his normal, harmless self. “We’re happy to let you stay.” Scorch had to bite her lip to stop herself from wailing in protest. “My name’s Branchbark. What’s yours?” 

“Scrap,” the cat managed frightfully. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Scrap,” he said, “Why don’t you come with me and I’ll show you back to camp.” 

“Yarrowshade, don’t.” Scorch tried one last time. 

Yarrowshade gave her a guilty frown before he looked back to Branchbark and said, “We’ll finish the border patrol and meet you back at camp.” Branchbark nodded and gestured for Scrap to follow. She hesitated, eyes meeting with Scorch’s, then ducked her head to avoid eye contact and crawled over to him, steering clear of Scorch and her gaze. Soon enough, she and Branchbark were disappearing into the taller grass on their way back to camp. 

“Hey,” Yarrowshade said, drawing her attention back to him. “What’s going on with you? Are you okay?” Scorch’s gut twisted. She realized suddenly that she had shown her hand too early, made the fatal mistake of exposing herself. She looked away from him and started continuing along the border. 

“I’m fine. I just know what city cats are like. You can’t trust her.” 

“Oh, really,” he raised a brow sardonically. “Yeah, city cats, can’t trust them.” 

She shook her head and flicked her tail in his direction, irked. “You can’t. You’re far too trusting, Yarrowshade, all of you.” 

“So what,” he glared, “should I have left you to die on the thunderpath?”

“Maybe!” she snapped, rounding on him. She wanted to scream. Why didn’t he get it? The more cats they took in, the greater the risk that someone would realize they were actually out here and come calling. She felt the beginnings of tears in her eyes and that only filled the space her stomach had dropped out of with white hot shame. 

“Scorch…” Yarrowshade’s eyes softened and that made her feel even worse. How dare he pity her! 

“Finish the border patrol by yourself,” she spat, storming past him so she didn’t have to look at his stupid face. “I’m going back to camp.” She wasn’t. She wanted to be alone now more than she ever had. Yarrowshade, to his credit, at least had the good sense not to follow or call after her.

UPDATES:

- A cat named Scrap was found waiting at the border.

[clangenrising]

Month 2 - Newleaf

Ospreymask is always looking for someone to play with and recently Branchbark has been obliging her.

[clangenrising]

And here are the rest of our founders; Songdust, a senior warrior, and Yarrowshade, Ospreymask, and Branchbark.

[clangenrising]

Branchbark in the newest update:

OH MY GOD

What a sad little Scrimblo, I love him 😍😭