Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors. If I did then SkyClan would've had their own freakin' arc, like, two years ago. Furthermore, this fic should not be considered canon past the events of 'SkyClan and the Stranger'.

Special thanks to InkblotLeaf for creating this beautiful cover art! You're a gem!

Chapter Two - You're, Like, So Dramatic

When they were young, Fallowfern made sure that all of her kits felt loved and understood how special they were. She called them "my adorable kits!" and said things like "you're so talented!" and "you're so intelligent!"

That really stuck with Creekfeather as he grew up.

Now the (admittedly handsome) gray tabby tom strutted like he was a gift from StarClan, but he managed to be charming about it, so it came off as more enduring than haughty.

Unfortunately, because of this, Creekfeather learned from a very early age that he could get away with just about anything as long as he batted his deep blue eyes. That realization landed him in a lot of- ahem, sticky situations these days.

Like right then, for example.

Creekfeather panted as he ran up the sandstone path, then ducked into one of the empty caves that the Clan didn't use. Swiftleap, his partner-in-crime, was right behind him.

The creamy-colored tom's sides heaved and his pale blue eyes were wide with fear. "Do you think he saw us duck in here?" Swiftleap panted.

Creekfeather risked poking his head outside the cave ("Creekfeather, get back in here!"), and then breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't see him anywhere," he meowed, as a smirk played across his lips. "We're in the clear!"

Swiftleap took a cautious glance at the camp below. "You know who else I don't see?" he asked. "Birdflight."

Realization struck Creekfeather like a lightning bolt. A totally-not-dramatic groan escaped his lips. "StarClan, we forgot about Birdflight! Fox-dung, I thought she was right behind us!"

"Well, at least Sharpclaw only saw her, and not us," Swiftleap meowed, trying to sound upbeat. "So maybe we won't get in trouble?"

Creekfeather shot his friend a hard look. "Where's your sense of loyalty?" he demanded. "We can't just let Birdflight take all the blame!"

Dread started to weigh on Swiftleap's features. "Why not?" he groaned.

Creekfeather lifted his chin proudly and gazed across the camp. "Because we're good cats," he replied, a note of pride singing in his tone.

Swiftleap frowned. "Creekfeather, we were planning to drop a beehive on top of Mintfur. The only reason why we didn't is because Sharpclaw almost caught us."

"Andddd your point is-?"

"We're really not that good of cats."

"Of course we are," the gray tabby argued. "I mean, maybe dropping a beehive on top of somebody isn't exactly "good", but Mintfur is a fox-heart anyway. That justifies it!"

Swiftleap glanced down at the camp and narrowed his pale eyes, as if he was searching for the gray tabby she-cat. "Well, I can't argue with that," he mumbled.

"See?" Creekfeather flicked the other tom with his tail. "Besides, it's not like we're going to confess to the prank or anything."

"Wait, what?" Swiftleap raised a brow. "If we're not confessing to the prank then what are we doing?"

"Saving Birdflight!" Creekfeather exclaimed. "We'll find her and then sneak her out of camp. We'll wait until sundown to bring her back and let the Clan think that she's been catnapped, so that when she returns they'll be too relieved to even think about punishing her!"

Swiftleap simply stared. "You know, I'm starting to understand why you're such a disappointment to your parents."

"Excuse you, my parents adore me! I'm the favorite of the litter!"

"Uh-huh," Swiftleap agreed dryly. "Sure you are."

Creekfeather glared at his friend and retorted, "At least they didn't name me after twoleg fresh-kill, Egg."

"Hey! It's not like I knew what an egg was," Swiftleap protested. "Look, we need a new plan because that one is just bird-brained."

Alright, the more he looked at the plan, the more flaws he found. The Clan would probably assume that Birdflight had taken off on some sort of adventure (she did that often), not catnapped. And if Sharpclaw was looking for her then it would be next-to-impossible to sneak her out of the camp. Plus if they were caught sneaking her out then they would all be in even bigger trouble.

However, Swiftleap had called him a family disappointment, and his pride wouldn't allow him to simply accept that. No, I'm going to make this plan work even if it kills me!

"Fine then, I don't need your help," Creekfeather declared with a lash of his tail. "I can pull this plan off all by myself, and then we'll see who the family disappointment is!"

And with those parting words, he started to carefully navigate his way down the rocky ledge, eyes trained firmly on the ground below.

"No, wait! Creekfeather!" Swiftleap hissed. "You don't-"

"I'm not listening to you, Swiftleap!" Creekfeather called over his shoulder. "You'll see, this is a brilliant plan!"

"I'm not talking about the plan!" Swiftleap cried, urgency heavy in his tone. "Watch out, the ledge isn't-"

Creekfeather didn't catch the rest of the warning because, at that moment, the rocky trail began to crumble from beneath him. He yelped and tried to find a stable paw-hold but it was too late. The next thing he knew he was falling, and then a sharp crack resounded when he crashed into the ground.

"Creekfeather!"

"Great StarClan, are you okay?"

"What happened? I heard something crack!"

"Ugh," Creekfeather groaned, as he gathered his legs beneath him and tried to stand up. "I felt something crack…"

Fallowfern and Waspwhisker pushed their way through the crowd of cats until they were standing at their son's side. "Are you alright?" Fallowfern fretted, as she nosed his body, carefully searching for any wounds.

"My shoulder hurts," Creekfeather meowed through gritted teeth. "I think I-ugh, I think I dislocated it." Another thought struck him and he raised his head to look at his parents. "Hey, I am your favorite kit, right?"

Waspwhisker blinked, then shot Fallowfern a look of unease. "I think he hit his head," he meowed, genuine concern in his voice.

"I did not!" Creekfeather protested loudly. He jerked away from his father and then immediately regretted doing so when he put weight on his shoulder. A stinging pain darted through it and he hissed loudly.

"Creekfeather!" a stern voice snapped. The gray tom jerked his head up, and immediately dread began to bubble anxiously inside his chest: Sharpclaw.

The dark ginger tom was striding towards him with anger burning in his leaf-green eyes. "What in StarClan's name were you doing in that cave?" he demanded.

Creekfeather swallowed the fear that formed in his throat and risked glancing up at the cave. Thankfully Swiftleap had ducked back inside so that Sharpclaw wouldn't notice him. "Um, which cave are you referring to, exactly?"

"You one you just fell from!" Sharpclaw snapped. "The one that's off-limits."

Fallowfern stepped forward, attracting the deputy's attention. "Don't be too harsh with him, Sharpclaw. He hit his head when he fell, so he-"

"I didn't hit my head!" Creekfeather cried, exasperated. He looked at Sharpclaw as a frown played across his lips. "And how was I supposed to know that the cave was off-limits? Nobody told me!"

Sharpclaw narrowed his eyes. "Leafstar announced it at the Gathering, bird-brain. Weren't you paying attention at all last night?"

Oh, fox-dung. "Uhh…"

"Ahem, Sharpclaw," Waspwhisker cleared his throat, then gestured to his son's head with his tail. "His injury might have-"

"For StarClan's sake, I landed on my shoulder!" The gray tom groaned, frustrated. "My head is fine!"

"That's debatable," Ebonyclaw muttered to Patchfoot, who nodded agreeably in response. Creekfeather glared at the two senior warriors but kept his jaws clamped shut; I'm already in enough trouble as it is...

Sharpclaw shook his head, disgusted. "Creekfeather, go to the Medicine Cats' den and have them look at your shoulder."

"What about his head?" Mintfur piped up, smirking. Creekfeather glared at the gray tabby she-cat, and suddenly wished that they'd gone through with their prank and dropped the beehive on her; it would've been worth any punishment Sharpclaw could dream up.

Sharpclaw rolled his green eyes. "Not even the most gifted medicine cat could fix Creekfeather's head."

"Hey!"

The SkyClan deputy stepped aside and gestured towards the Medicine Cat Den with his tail. "Go on, then. Leafstar and I will discuss your punishment later." Suddenly his eyes narrowed and he looked up at the cave. "And don't think you're going to escape punishment either, Swiftleap!"

Even from his place on the ground, Creekfeather still overheard Swiftleap mumble, "Fox-dung."

Fox-dung indeed, Swiftleap. Fox-dung indeed.

Creekfeather limped towards the Medicine Cats' Den, mindful to keep his weight off of his shoulder. Once he limped inside the den however, he was greeted with an unexpected sight: Nettlesplash.

Not that Nettlesplash was invincible and never injured himself, but because he would rather wallow in misery inside his nest then walk all the way to the Medicine Cats' Den.

"What are you doing here?" Creekfeather asked his littermate.

"Making sure I haven't caught any diseases," came Nettlesplash's bland response.

Creekfeather raised a brow as he settled down beside his brother, still mindful of the shoulder injury. "Diseases," he echoed. "Why would you have any diseases?"

The pale brown tom's features twisted into a grimace. "Because Birdflight shoved her tail in my mouth. Twice."

Creekfeather rolled his eyes and said, "Nettlesplash, don't take this the wrong way but you're, like, so dramatic." Even more so than me.

"Not that I really care, but why are you here?" Nettlesplash inquired, not a drop of curiosity in his bored tone.

"I fell from a cave and dislocated my shoulder."

"Of course you did," He responded, as if his explanation didn't startle him in the slightest. Creekfeather glared at his amber-eyed littermate, offended by his lack of a reaction. I should probably be offended by his lack of concern as well, but Creekfeather knew better than to expect so much from Nettlesplash.

The littermates sat in silence for a few moments. Creekfeather shifted his weight around and hissed when he accidentally put pressure on his shoulder. Nettlesplash continued to gaze boredly at the cave walls.

Suddenly a thought struck one of them. "Hey, Nettlesplash?"

"What."

"Who do you think Fallowfern and Waspwhisker's favorite kit is?"

"Rabbitleap. Everyone knows that."

"Wrong," Creekfeather meowed immediately. "Everyone knows that I'm their favorite kit."

For a moment there was absolute silence between them. Then, slowllyyyy, Nettlesplash turned to face his brother. The faintest expression of concern creased Nettlesplash's features, a decidedly strange look for him. "Creekfeather, I think you hit your head when you fell."

"I did not!" He protested shrilly.

"Well then I have some bad news: you're just bird-brained."

"Why you-" Creekfeather growled, but was interrupted when Echosong and Frecklewish padded into the den.

"Sorry it took us so long to get here, Creekfeather," Echosong apologized. "We didn't know you were in here until Sharpclaw informed us that you hurt your shoulder."

"And Mintfur said that we should check your head, too," Frecklewish added, a note of confusion in her tone.

Creekfeather scowled at the pretty medicine cat. Nettlesplash snickered.

Echosong glanced at Nettlesplash, and a frown tightened her features. "Nettlesplash, what are you still doing here? I already told you, you don't have any diseases!"

"And neither does Birdflight, for the record," Frecklewish added dryly.

The pale brown tom flicked his tail. "Yes, she absolutely does. Anyway, you didn't check me for all diseases."

Echosong eyed him wearily. "Nettlesplash, we checked you for white-cough, green-cough, black-cough, poison, chest infections, fever, and chills. What else could you possibly have contracted?"

"Her stupidity," came Nettlesplash's response. Creekfeather almost laughed, until he realized that Nettlesplash was completely serious.

"Her stupidity," Echosong repeated as if she hadn't heard him right. "Nettlesplash, you're being ridiculous! Birdflight isn't stupid, and even if she were, stupidity isn't contagious!"

"What about insanity?" Nettlesplash challenged. "Because there's no way that-that she-demon is sane!"

"Are any of us perfectly sane, though?" Creekfeather interjected thoughtfully. "In our own special ways, aren't we all a bit insane?"

"Perhaps, however," Nettlesplash glanced pointedly at him, "some of us are saner than others."

"You're a laugh a minute, you know that?"

"For StarClan's sake, Nettlesplash," Echosong started, exasperated. "Stupidity and insanity aren't diseases, nor are they contagious. Now, please, get out of my den!"

Nettlesplash scowled at Echosong, but did as she told him to. "There's a reason why I never come here!" he called over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Frecklewish mumbled, "because you're lazy."

"Frecklewish," Echosong started warningly.

"He is!" Frecklewish protested. "He's lazy and stuck-up! Ugh, I'm glad he doesn't come here more often!"

Creekfeather flashed her a charming smile. "You're glad I come here though, aren't you?"

The mottled she-cat's features softened, and she purred happily. "Of course I am," she meowed. "You're always a pleasure to be around, Creekfeather."

Hah! Take that, Nettlesplash!

"Stop flirting with my apprentice, Creekfeather," Echosong meowed, although there was no real venom behind her scolding; Creekfeather knew that he was one of Echosong's favorite patients.

"Sorry Echosong," he apologized. "Sometimes I forget just how charming I can be," He punctuated his apology with a wink towards Frecklewish. The young medicine cat giggled.

Echosong didn't seem all that impressed. "Uh-huh, I'm sure. So, Sharpclaw said you think you dislocated your shoulder?"

Creekfeather nodded. "It hurts to put any pressure on it."

"Well if you fell from a cave then it's certainly a possibility," the silver tabby she-cat agreed. She appeared at his side and examined the shoulder for a moment, before gesturing for Frecklewish to join her. "Looks like you're right, Creekfeather."

"As always."

Echosong rolled her eyes, good-naturedly. "Anyway, we'll have to pop it back in place. Lay on your side Creekfeather, and Frecklewish you stand right there… yes, just like that!"

As Frecklewish positioned herself above Creekfeather's head, the warrior was suddenly hit with worry. "Uh, this won't hurt, will it?"

"Only a bit," came Echosong's answer. "It'll be over before you know it."

"If you say so," he meowed, uncertainty written across his features.

"Alright Frecklewish, put your paws above his shoulder and hold him down. Breath in and out a few times, Creekfeather. Now, I'm just going to take your forepaw in my mouth and give it a sharp tug, and it should pop right back into place."

"Should?!"

"One, two, three!"

"Wai-!..."

"... Echosong? Did he just-"

"Yep."

If Rabbitleap was the responsible one; Nettlesplash was the lazy one; Creekfeather was the mischievous one; then Plumwillow was the sap that held them together and kept them close.

She was also something of a strategist and more than a little bit romantic, and when the two traits combined they spelled out trouble for the local toms. All young she-cats fancied someone, and Plumwillow was no exception.

Rockshade was her soulmate, and no one could change her mind.

Mmhmm, Rockshade. He had a stone-black pelt that gleamed in the sunlight and amber eyes that shone brightly with purpose; a small cut was on the corner of his eye that spoke of his bravery. He was strong, intelligent, and bold. He wasn't quite as laid-back as Tinycloud or Bouncefire, but Plumwillow liked how serious he could be.

With brothers like Nettlesplash and Creekfeather, it would be a relief to be around more mature company.

The problem was… well, Rockshade wasn't exactly aware of her existence.

But that's okay! That was absolutely fine. Just because they hadn't interacted much in the past didn't mean that they couldn't eventually be close.

And by eventually, that meant starting today.

Plumwillow was bold and confident, so maybe other cats would be too anxious to take a risk and try to change a relationship, but she wasn't really concerned. After all, she had a plan.

Plumwillow always had a knack for strategizing and noticing details, then piecing them together. And she finally pieced together the perfect plan to get Rockshade to notice her, and realize that she was his perfect match.

Plumwillow stared at Honeyflower with baited breath. She'd just finished relaying her grand plan to her best friend, and now she was awaiting a response.

She didn't have anything to worry about. The light gray she-cat had listened intently the entire time, and now she gazed at Plumwillow in awe.

"That's brilliant!" she exclaimed.

"Isn't it," Plumwillow agreed, not bothering to mask her pride. She'd been plotting that plan for three moons now, spending countless days simply mulling over details, analyzing interactions, and predicting various outcomes. She didn't want to share it with anyone until she had every detail mapped out, and now she was going to soak up every hard-earned praise.

Plumwillow and Honeyflower were lounged on a couple of smooth, sun-soaked stones. The stones were wonderful but since they were just outside of the camp, cats prefered to use the Sunningstones near the Elders' Den. Not that the she-cats were offended in the slightest; they didn't have to share the stones with anyone, and the space had eventually evolved into their place.

"So," the blue-eyed warrior started, "what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Befriend him," Plumwillow replied simply. "I'll tell Tinycloud about the plan later today, so she can help us schedule interactions with him."

Honeyflower nodded slowly. "Okaayyy. And once Rockshade has warmed up to me, you want me to start encouraging him towards you?"

"That's right," the she-cat meowed brightly. "Say whatever you can to make me sound impressive, until Rockshade has no choice but to want to get to know me! And then I'll handle the rest."

"Well, that shouldn't be hard," Honeyflower mused, before nudging her friend's shoulder affectionately. "You're already one of the most impressive cats I know!"

Plumwillow licked her friend's ear. "You're the reason I always expect my plans to go off without a hitch," she teased her. "You never quit feeding my ego!"

"That's because your ego is always hungry," Honeyflower retorted, blue eyes agleam. "Just like the rest of you."

Plumwillow smiled sheepishly and ducked her head. Honeyflower wasn't wrong; as a matter of fact, Creekfeather liked to joke that one day the Clan would starve because his sister had eaten all the prey in the territory. Actually, now that I think about it, I could probably go for a couple of squirrels right now…

Honeyflower smirked and asked, "You're hungry now, aren't you?"

"You know me too well," Plumwillow purred. "Why don't we-"

And then her heart skipped a beat.

Emerging from gorge was a border patrol, led by none other than Rockshade. Behind them were Ebonyclaw and Sandytail, though Plumwillow hardly noticed the other cats. Whenever Rockshade appeared, he commanded every ounce of her attention.

He didn't even glance at the she-cats when he passed, yet Plumwillow couldn't contain the dreamy sigh that escaped her lips once he disappeared into the camp.

Honeyflower looked at her friend, and a smile played across her lips. "Wow, you have it bad."

"He's just so…" Plumwillow trailed off, unable to put her admiration into words.

"Handsome?" Honeyflower offered. "Skilled? Intelligent?"

"All of that," she responded. "He's the perfect warrior!"

"Well, who knows?" The light gray she-cat teased, "I mean, if he's the perfect warrior…maybe he'll end up being the next Clan leader?"

"Over Rabbitleap's dead body."

At the mention of Plumwillow's ambitious littermate, Honeyflower's features softened with sympathy. "I feel so bad for him; he looked so disappointed when Leafstar made Mintfur Firepaw's mentor! Everyone knows about those two and their rivalry."

"And knowing Mintfur, she'll rub it in his face until Firepaw becomes a warrior," Plumwillow agreed.

"Well, hopefully he'll have his own apprentice before then," the other she-cat meowed, determined to be optimistic.

"Hopefully," Plumwillow murmured. Hopefully a lot of things will be different by then. Hopefully Rabbitleap would have an apprentice of his own; hopefully Creekfeather would stop getting into trouble with Sharpclaw every other day; hopefully something would spark inside of Nettlesplash and he would actually do something productive every day, instead of hiding from social interaction and sleeping; and hopefully she and Rockshade would be mates, or at least close.

The dark gray she-cat licked a paw, then dragged it over her ear. "You know, I'm a fantastic multitasker," she started smugly.

Honeyflower's face fell, and she stared at her friend with disdain; she already knew where this was going. "Oh?" she asked, purely to be polite.

"Uh-huh. Wouldn't it be sweet if I found your soulmate while we work on getting Rockshade to fall for me? Then we could court our toms together!"

The light gray she-cat sighed, but was tolerant nonetheless. "Say I did decide to let you manage my love life; who would you pick out for me?"

Plumwillow could hardly contain the excitement that bubbled within her chest as she exclaimed, "Bouncefire!"

"You're only say that because he's Rockshade and Tinycloud's brother!" Honeyflower huffed, eyes narrowed accusingly.

"I admit, that is a bonus," she relented carefully, "but it's only a bonus. Bouncefire's personality would fit perfectly with yours! He's playful, funny, and a genuinely good tom." She smiled at her best friend. "And you deserve a tom who's all that and more."

Honeyflower's blue eyes softened, but a look of hesitance masked her pretty features. "Bouncefire is a great cat," she started slowly. "But I just… I don't know. You seem to know exactly what you want in a mate, but I have no idea!"

"Every cat has a type," Plumwillow replied surely. "You just have to figure out what it is. Look, when you talk to Rockshade, see if he mentions Bouncefire at all. Listen to what he says, and then mull over it a bit; see if he's the type of cat that you could settle down with."

Honeyflower's eyes brightened. "Yeah… okay, I can do that!" She purred and nudged Plumwillow's shoulder with her muzzle. "You're the best, Plumwillow! Just wait; once I start telling Rockshade about you, he'll be begging you to be his mate!"

Plumwillow smiled confidently, even though inside she was a bundle of coiled nerves. "Here's to hoping! Now, let's go get some squirrels and then-"

"Plumwillow, there you are!" The she-cats glanced back and blinked when they saw Sparrowpelt. The dark brown tom looked irritated and- well, actually, kinda how Nettlesplash looked every single day of his life.

"Hey," Plumwillow greeted him, caught off guard by his abrupt arrival. "Everything okay?"

"Depends," Sparrowpelt replied, his tone dry. "Echosong sent me to find you. Creekfeather fainted and she wants you to stay with him until he wakes up."

"Creekfeather fainted?" Plumwillow echoed, incredulously.

"Why?" Honeyflower asked.

Sparrowpelt shrugged. "Dunno. Echosong said she was pulling his shoulder back into place, and then he just… fainted. Passed right out."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Great StarClan, Creekfeather," Plumwillow mumbled with a roll of her eyes. And he wonders why we don't call Nettlesplash the dramatic one. "Alright, lead the way, Sparrowpelt."

I swear, sometimes I wonder what they would do without me.

Question of the Day

Who did you like best in this chapter: Creekfeather or Plumwillow?

#Creekfeather is a joy, but Plumwillow is wonderful...

Anndd now you've met all the littermates! They're a delightful bunch, I have to say, and I'm really excited to be writing about such a close group of siblings. I personally have a hugeee, very close family, so I'm confident that I can nail the dynamic (and the frustrations) xD

Reviews are better than ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies! (::) (::) (::)

Revision Date: 3/6/19