CHAPTER THREE

"Uncertainty is something to look forward to, but a guarantee is never good news."

"Well that's a bit pessimistic of you, Brownstripe, don't you think?"

"The mouse is neither half-eaten, nor half-remaining. The mouse is the mouse."

"Ah, I see," xe played along. "But can you tell me how you're feeling?"

"Physical sensation is but an illusion."

"Well, let's see if we can make your illusions a bit nicer. Would you like any more chervil?"

"Yes, please."

With a chuckle and a sigh, Doveheart rubbed against the tabby warrior on xir way to xir den and collected the herb for xem as desired. It was about time to get going and gather more celandine and catchweed. After rubbing cheeks with Leechwhisker, the medicine cat headed out, but not before casting a glance back at camp. Yellowstar and Daisyfur were commandeering the medicine cat den for one of their tense discussions, Lilyfang was supervising Adderpaw's playfight with Emberpaw, and there, at their stump, watching xem, were Redfang and Ravenfur. Old fools. Xe remembered treating some of their wounds as an apprentice. Doveheart shook xir head with a sigh of a different sort this time and set xir ears forward as xe set paw into the thicker part of the forest.

The sun was setting behind xem as xe picked xir way along time-worn paths, the same that xir mentor had taken, toward familiar growing grounds for the plants xe sought. Darkness swallowed up the woods and sapped the colors from the underbrush, the soft glow of the moon supplying the feline's sharp eyes with just enough to see by. Looking up, Doveheart could see that the white shape in the sky was waxing to half-full. In another night, it would be time for the medicine cats' gathering.

Xe shivered from chill and carried on. The smells of the forest, damp and musky, acrid and green, led xem along xir way. There was a catchweed patch not far from here, xe was sure. But among the smells of plants and earth, the medicine cat detected another scent, the one that Spiderclaw had found not much before. Xir fur bristled along xir spine. When had the last patrol come through here? They should have chased this rogue out by now.

Sniffing the traces of the stench that remained, Doveheart had only just enough time to wonder where the thief had gone when xe heard a soft thud nearby. Startled, xe looked up and took fright when xe saw a cat xe didn't recognize. An outsider. A stranger. A fiery orange tabby, wiry and rough, staring straight at xem with friendless olive eyes. It was standing on the fallen log with a hunk of prey in its jaws, about a good dozen cat-lengths away, but the sight of it was still enough to remind the quaking medicine cat of xir meager size and unpracticed muscles and how xe had never completed much of xir warrior training. The cat who was leering at xir was larger than xe was and likely stronger too. Xir heart was thudding in xir chest, xir paws weakening underneath xem. Standing xir ground, Doveheart stared back and hissed.

It blinked its eyes, declining the challenge, leaped down from the log, and slunk away. Not a moment later, a patrol came through the bushes, led by Yewstorm, with Wrenface and Blacktail in company. Doveheart spun around to face them.

"What's the matter?" Blacktail asked quickly.

"That rogue's been through here," Yewstorm was muttering, sniffing the air.

"It was just there, at the log. It saw me. It had a mouse in its jaws."

"Son of a badger!" Yewstorm's head whipped around toward the place where it had last stood. "That filth will pay for it!" With a furious yowl, the tabby took off with the speed of a rabbit, crashing through ferns and bushes, and Wrenface followed at a placid walk.

Blacktail was hesitating, the tip of xir long tail flicking at the end. "Leechwhisker could probably track it better than any of us."

"That's never been enough to stop Yewstorm."

Xe looked Doveheart over with an expression of concern. "Do you want an escort back to camp?"

"No, no of course not — thank you. It just caught me by surprise," xe insisted, flattening xir fur. Xe could still feel the hot grip of fear pulsing through xir veins.

Blacktail dipped xir head, both as a nod of acceptance and a show of respect for xir medicine cat. "As you wish, Doveheart."

The gray tabby lingered behind, giving xemself a wash to calm xemself, as the black warrior started after the other members of the patrol. Most cats had a way of gliding over the earth, silent as the breeze, making tracks without drawing attention to themselves. Blacktail was even more graceful than that. Sure-footed and sure-minded, the warrior's shoulder blades undulated up and down as xe walked, a pleasing sight of shifting angles, xir tail sweeping behind xem. It was easy to see why Molenose would be interested. Doveheart watched for a time before the cat disappeared out of sight and the medicine cat decided to get going on xir own way. Each of those three warriors would have been more than a match for whatever foolish trespasser had come their way—Blacktail with xir agility, Yewstorm with xir ferocity, or Wrenface with xir unpredictability—but xe remained uncertain what would have happened if the rogue hadn't left when it did, no doubt as a result of hearing the patrol. The fact that it was even here was enough to make xem feel unsafe on xir own lands. Gathering the courage to head on through the dark, Doveheart collected up xir herbs and made xir way back to camp, but not without looking back over xir shoulder all the way.


"So I hear you saw the rogue!"

This time Doveheart literally pushed xir old littermate away with a paw on the black cat's nose.

Fortunately, Molenose was always good-natured about these things, and xe responded by backing up and twitching xir whiskers with a bashful chuckle.

Though not annoyed, the medicine cat was bemused. "How would you know? I haven't even said anything about it to anyone." Xe had just returned to camp and had hardly spoken a word at all, having headed straight to xir den to deposit and sort the herbs.

The warrior seemed unsure how to handle the question. Xe shuffled xir paws and looked away, trying to mumble something sufficient to push the question aside. "Well... word travels fast. You know."

Doveheart set aside the herbs xe'd been dealing with, their taste lingering in xir mouth, and stuck xir gray head out of the den's entrance so as to scan the camp, looking for Blacktail or either of the brown tabby siblings. From what xe could see, none of the warriors from the patrol had returned yet. Then, like a fool, xe remembered Molenose's commemorated sense of smell, and xe swung xir gaze back to xem with an indignant glare.

The warrior gave a sheepish smile and stepped back.

Doveheart looked away slowly, feeling embarrassed and a little irritated at xir invasiveness, deception, and assumptions. Thorns and thistles and fox-dung… The grimy little sorry half of a mousetail— That cat was just as bad as xe had been as a kit. Why did xe have to make things up and take guesses at the source of anxiety rather than just asking xem what was wrong, like any normal and well-mannered cat would do?

And then, without even meaning to, by xir reaction xe had proved xir guess correct. Doveheart's pelt was bristling with resentment.

That was far from enough to put a damper on Molenose's need to satisfy xir curiosity. Only somewhat daunted by the glare, xe leaned back, ears flattened for a moment, but nonetheless, xe pressed for clarification. "Well, but you did see the rogue, right?"

Why didn't xe just shut up?

"Where was it? Did it try to attack you?" Xe still hadn't gotten a direct answer or any elaboration.

Reluctant to think about it more, Doveheart was hardly willing to give any details, the subtle indication of which being one of the few hints that Molenose failed to pick up on. For the gray tabby, as a medicine cat, the sight of a foreign cat on their land was a threat to xir sense of personal security. Xe wasn't a very strong cat, nor one skilled at fighting, but the Clan was supposed to take care of that for xem, and xe should have felt at ease and protected within the borders of KnollClan's lands. For as long as xe could remember, xe always had. Seeing the rogue wasn't just a reminder of the thievery taking place that was threatening the food supply for everyone; it was unsettling, on a level that was altogether personal. Evidently Molenose could smell the fear on xem and read it like the stars.

However much the medicine cat wished the exchanged had never happened, the conversation had not gone unheard.

"You saw the rogue?" Emberpaw exclaimed, scampering over from across the camp. "Wow! I bet that was exciting!"

Xir littermate wasn't far behind. "Did you fight it?" Adderpaw asked, xir tail quivering with excitement.

"I bet with those extra toes of yours you could claw it real good!" Emberpaw mimed the action, face scrunched up in a mock snarl.

The brown apprentice beside xem looked ecstatic, xir eyes bright, showing Yewstorm's intensity and enthusiasm as xe declared, "If it were me, I'd scratch it up so bad, by the end it'd be begging for its life!"

"That's no way for a warrior to act," Doveheart scolded, unnerved by their zeal.

Emberpaw stopped swiping the air, setting down xir paw, and looked up at the older cat with a surprised expression, whiskery eyebrows raised high above young yellow eyes. "But... aren't we supposed to defend our territory?"

"Life is sacred, young apprentice. Rogues can be chased off our land without it coming to blows. A true warrior does not kill unless there is no choice."

"Aw, what would xe know?" Adderpaw scoffed, swishing xir tail and giving a dismissive flick of xir paw. "Xe's just a medicine cat."

At this, Molenose hissed and stepped toward xem. "Not another word out of you! You had better listen to your medicine cat, or you're going to make a terrible warrior. There's nothing honorable about murder, and you waste valuable time and energy by expending violence where it's unnecessary, to the benefit of no one. Warriors need wisdom as well as strength in order to be any real asset to the Clan. It's become clear this is a lesson you have learned insufficiently. I'm going to have to talk to your mentor. Both of your mentors."

The two apprentices were cowering.

As Molenose glared at them with a heated gaze, Doveheart spoke in a quiet voice and sternly told them to return to their chores. They scurried off together at once, with one of them muttering to the other that none of the other Clans had a medicine cat this mean (not even TunnelClan, but Adderpaw pointed out that they weren't supposed to speak of TunnelClan). They had been apprenticed not long ago and were still kits at heart.

After they had gone off, Doveheart turned and began licking Molenose on xir shoulder. They were quiet for a time.

"I'm worried about them," xe murmured at last.

"I know."