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A mouselength away, the stench of her breath reminded Pebblepaw of rotten fresh-kill. She gazed into the spotted tabby's eyes, terrified but unable to move. The she-cat snarled, crouching, the fur along her spine rising. "Get. Out."

Pebblepaw screamed, her eyes snapping shut as the she-cat's voice enveloped her. "GET OUT NOW!"

When she opened her eyes, sunlight was filtering into the den. Her heart beat quickly and she could feel the blood pumping in her ears. Mistpelt stood over her, blue eyes concerned. Pebblepaw sat up and blinked.

"You wailed. Having nightmares again?" Mistpelt asked. Pebblepaw could feel the medicine cat's gaze on her as she started to lick her tangled fur down. "You really should take poppyseeds before you sleep. I think that would help-"

"I'm fine. Besides, I don't want to waste our herbs. Better save them for someone who really needs them." She interrupted. She caught her mentor's stare and paused. The gray cat was obviously worried about her; Pebblepaw had been having nightmares even since she lived in the nursery. Mistpelt twitched her whiskers, and parted her jaws as if to say something, but after Pebblepaw squinted her eyes and flicked her ears, she closed them. "I'll go check on Plumflower," the apprentice mumbled, and padded off.

When Pebblepaw left the den, she shivered and glanced up at the sky. It was a cloudy day and the scent of rain was on the air. Dew covered the thick blades of grass under her paws; Pebblepaw liked how they felt against her pawpads as she crossed the camp clearing. The nursery was nestled between the apprentices' den and the warriors' den, the safest place in camp for it to be; it was a large bramble bush with patches of sedge growing around it. From a tail-length away, Pebblepaw could smell the sour-sweet scent of milk. She ducked under the prickly vines and entered the den.

Plumflower sat in her nest, tail twitching idly as she watched Lionpaw play with her tiny kits. Pebblepaw nodded her head at the queen when she looked at her. "Hi, Pebblepaw," the white she-cat meowed, and Lionpaw glanced up.

"Hi, how's-" She barely got out a few words before a scruffy white kit pounced on her and bit down on the thick fur around her neck. Lionpaw giggled and rolled over, letting the kitten attack her while his littermate pawed at her waving, striped tail.

"I see Cherrykit and Mallowkit are doing just fine," Pebblepaw mused, walking over to where Plumflower lay. "How are you feeling? Has Lionpaw been taking care of you?"

"I'm doing just fine as well," the queen meowed, turning her gaze upon Lionpaw who was playfully and gently batting at Cherrykit's ears. "She's also doing just fine. She really likes kittens," Plumflower chuckled and looked back at Pebblepaw, "a real -flower if I do say so myself. She brought me prey and helped clean the kits."

Before Pebblepaw could reply, a clanmate yowled from outside of the nursery. The medicine cat apprentice shared a confused look with Plumflower and Lionpaw before they left the den to see a patrol of cats cluttered around the entrance. Pebblepaw saw a flash of gray as Mistpelt ran across the clearing, turning her head to the side as she noticed her apprentice next to the nursery. Pebblepaw pelted after her. The smell of blood wafted into Pebblepaw's nose the closer she got to the patrol, and she hesitated, flashbacks to her dream clouding her mind.

"Come on!" Mistpelt growled at her and she quickened, tearing to a stop when she reached the cats. The patrol consisted of Moleclaw, her apprentice Orchidpaw, Waxheart and her apprentice Asphodelpaw, Owlclaw, and Pebblepaw's father, Alderwhisker. Her father squinted his light green eyes at her when she met his gaze, and then turned his muzzle in Moleclaw's direction. The black she-cat had blood running down the side of her face. Pebblepaw followed the blood trail up to her ear; it looked like it had been bit on the tip... or, where the tip of her ear once was.

Behind them, Railheart and Swallowstar skittered to a stop.

"What in the name of StarClan happened?" Swallowstar rasped.

"ThunderClan," Moleclaw growled, her mouth drawn up in snarl. Her fangs were dripping with blood. Pebblepaw quivered, her eyes wide and frightened. Moleclaw noticed her and flicked her uninjured ear as if to say, 'What's your deal?'. Mistpelt rubbed her flank on the long-haired warrior's side, gesturing for her to follow her to the medicine cats' den.

The rest of the patrol explained the situation to the leader and deputy; two ThunderClan warriors were on their territory, and after a few attempts of trying to scare them off, Moleclaw leapt at them when they had insulted RiverClan. The feisty warrior clawed one across the face, he fled, thinking that the rest of the RiverClan patrol would pounce, but the other one, a diluted calico she-cat, had stayed and fought with Moleclaw. She took a bite out of Moleclaw's ear and Moleclaw bit down on the she-cat's face. 'We think she damaged her eye,' Orchidpaw had meowed.

"Pebblepaw, bring some cobweb and horsetail."

"Yes ma'am."

"Patch her ear up."

"Yes ma'am."

This was Pebblepaw's second time treating an injured warrior; the first time was when Eveningpaw got bit by a watervole. The gray she-cat had said she was better at fishing.

Moleclaw winced when Pebblepaw applied the chewed-up horsetail poultice to her ear after soaking up the blood with the cobweb. When the poultice was applied, Mistpelt handed her apprentice more cobweb and the tabby patched up Moleclaw's ear. Just as Pebblepaw finished, Swallowstar's deep mellifluous voice rang across camp. "Let all cats old enough to swim gather to hear my words!"