Disclaimer: Warriors isn't mine.
CreekClan
Leader
Pantherstar: Black tom with dark yellow eyes that appear amber occasionally.
Deputy
Falconheart: Silver tabby tom with blue eyes and a white spot on his chest.
Medicine Cat
Webriver: Gray tom with pale yellow eyes
Warriors
Darkstream - lithe black she-cat with green eyes
Cloudflower - pretty white she-cat with yellow eyes.
Whitepelt: A white tom with green eyes.
Skyheart: Gray tom with white paws and dark blue eyes.
Kestrelclaw: A dark brown tom with yellow-green eyes.
Honeynose: A light golden she-cat, with light amber eyes.
Emberpelt: A calico she-cat with green eyes
Sparrow-wing: Dark brown tom with green eyes.
Sootleap: A dark gray tom with green eyes.
Smokeflight: A dark gray tom with green eyes.
Beechwhisker - reedy brown tabby tom with one green eye, one amber eye
Brindlewing – a brown she-cat with green eyes
Apprentices
Lightpaw - Little golden tabby. Honeynose's younger sister
Larchpaw - brown tabby she-cat
Badgerpaw - black-and-white tom with a bit of a temper.
Queens
Elders
Spottedthorn – a spotted she-cat with green eyes
Thistleleaf – a pale brown tom with green eyes, he's very calm and kind, enjoys telling stories to the young cats
Leopardshadow - dappled she-cat who is agile and stealthy, as well as a bit under-pawed when it comes to fighting
Tigerfrost – dark brown tabby she-cat with white paws and underbelly, has blue eyes. She is very sarcastic, and a little cold.
Chapter 3
Pantherstar stretched his black paws forward, yawning to reveal his sharp fangs. The leader of CreekClan glanced around his den, well, if his deputy wasn't up, he'd have to change that.
The black tom hopped out of the shallow hole in the river bank, with a friendly nod to Darkstream. "Morning." He greeted the senior warrior. She was perched at the entrance to camp, a narrow strip that opened into the river bank. The cool dirt underpaw was black like the edges of camp where the dens had been dug into.
Darkstream flicked her tail, and returned the greeting. "Someone slept in." she teased.
"He did indeed." Pantherstar agreed, "I hope he's not sick."
The warrior shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe Smokeflight is sitting on him."
"Always possible." Pantherstar mused. "Which would mean I should expect Sootleap to jump me." His whiskers twitched. "Wish me luck."
The warrior laughed and shook her head. "You'd be fine if I didn't."
Pantherstar entered the warriors den instead of replying, crouched to avoid his fur brushing the roof of the tunnel.
The warriors den was a hollow in the river bank, with a tunnel as long as cat leading down to it. Light spilled into the den that way, thus preventing warriors from tripping over each other. The rich soil absorbed all liquid that spilled down, effectively preventing the den from flooding during rain. They had to clear snow out in leaf-bare but it was a small price to pay for it.
As the leader stepped out of the tunnel the dawn light once more fell on his sleeping Clanmates. Kestrelclaw and Honeynose, Emberpelt's calico stood out next to Skyheart's gray. Sootleap and Smokeflight were curled up in identical balls; Pantherstar didn't bother to guess which was which. Pawstep by pawstep he snuck towards the silver tabby that was snoozing by himself, near Brindlewing.
Pantherstar leaned next to his ear, one paw over his shoulder. "I've got you now!" he hissed, placing his paw on the tabby to pin him to the nest.
"Agh!" his deputy yelped, with a sudden jerk. "StarClan in the night sky, Pantherstar not all of us have lives to spare!"
"Good morning to you too Falconheart." Pantherstar meowed cheerfully, even as his brother gave him the coldest look he could muster after that wake-up.
"Yes, good morning, now let us sleep." Kestrelclaw muttered, knowing he could speak like that to his leader. Pantherstar moved away from his deputy to peer over the dark brown tom.
"I'm afraid Honeynose is on the dawn patrol."
Kestrelclaw grumbled under his breath, not uncurling from his mate. "Take Whitepelt."
"I'm already going." The white tom meowed calmly, grooming his pelt.
"Then go yourself Pantherstar." The warrior snapped sleepily. "I'm sleeping."
Honeynose had woken up, likely when Falconheart had shrieked, and shook her head at Pantherstar. She distangled herself from her mate, who let out several noises of protest, before padding over to join the deputy.
Falconheart yawned, and blinked at Pantherstar. "I would've gotten up by myself you know."
Pantherstar held his retort, Falconheart sounded different. It was a ritual between the two to wake the other up, but this morning Falconheart looked like he wished they'd never thought it up.
"Sheesh, got fleas or something Falconheart?" Sparrow-wing, Kestrelclaw's younger brother and the fourth cat on the patrol, asked.
"I touched him!" Pantherstar yelped, before Falconheart could answer, jumping back, careful to avoid landing on Cloudflower.
Falconheart rolled his eyes and stalked out of the den, tail flicking behind him.
Pantherstar watched his brother go, and glanced at the rest of the warriors. None of them gave him a 'you mouse-brain he's your brother how did you not know' look so he knew he wasn't out of any loop.
"Maybe he didn't sleep well last night." Skyheart offered softly. Pantherstar shrugged, not answering his friend's comment. He let the dawn patrol go first, before leaving the den himself.
The dawn patrol headed for the pathway out of camp, and Darkstream got up to head for the warriors den. Pantherstar turned his attention to the apprentices, who were now wandering around camp. He eyed Badgerpaw, the black-and-white apprentice was growing into a decent sized warrior, the former rogue was a good addition to CreekClan.
Larchpaw, a brown she-cat, oddly of no relation to Kestrelclaw or Sparrow-wing, was grooming her pelt, and looked up when she realized the leader was watching her. He gave her a reassuring smile, the she-cat's startled look faded slightly and he moved on to the last one.
Lightpaw was a light golden she-cat, Honeynose's younger sister, and the most energetic of the three. He saw good things coming from all three of them, and nodded in satisfaction.
But someone was less satisfied with the apprentices. "Where is my breakfast?"
"Tigerfrost." Badgerpaw muttered, not that it needed to be said. Only the orange and white she-cat could yowl like that.
"I don't care if the apprentices just got up Leopardshadow I want my breakfast!" Tigerfrost was clearly speaking to her denmate. "When we were apprentices-"
Whatever the deputy before Pantherstar said it made Tigerfrost further upset.
"I did not sleep in!"
Pantherstar threw his head back and laughed, and got to his paws. A rather regular day in CreekClan all things considered.
Well, except for Falconheart. Pantherstar's tail twitched at the thought of his brother. This wasn't the first time he'd thought his brother hadn't been acting right, but he was guessing it was the first time the Clan had noticed. For the past moon Falconheart had slowly begun acting more and more like this. Pantherstar would say something to him only to find his blue eyes staring into the distance, compleately unaware his brother had spoken to him.
He looked around camp again, as cats began moving around. Hopefully Falconheart had organized patrols.
The way the cats were breaking into groups suggested that the deputy had, and Pantherstar felt a stab of guilt for doubting his brother. He knew Falconheart like he knew his pelt. They were as close as Smokeflight and Sootleap. Weren't they?
Pantherstar's claws sank into the ground, and he made up his mind.
"Beechwhisker!" he called, approaching the hunting patrol. "Can I borrow you for a moment?"
Beechwhisker looked crestfallen, and glanced over his shoulder at the patrol.
"I'll lead it until you get back." Emberpelt told him. "We'll wait for you at the Split Birch."
Beechwhisker shook his head. "Go ahead and start without me. Tigerfrost might decide an apprentice looks tasty if you wait."
Pantherstar flattened his ears slightly, as Emberpelt nodded, realizing Beechwhisker was leading the patrol.
"You haven't led many patrols have you?" Pantherstar asked guiltly.
Beechwhisker shook his head. "Falconheart had Brindlewing lead one yesterday." The young warrior lashed his tail once.
"I'll make this quick then so you can catch up to them. Do you know if something's bothering Falconheart?"
The brown tom blinked, his yellow eyes showing his confusion. "Why would I know? I mean he was my mentor but I was never as close to him as you were. I would've thought you'd know before me."
"I just wondered if he'd said something to you before he got a chance to talk to me." The leader meowed calmly, hiding how good of a point Beechwhisker had made.
"Nothing comes to mind." Beechwhisker shook his head.
"Let me know if something does." Pantherstar nodded, "I think you can catch up to them."
Beechwhisker didn't need telling twice. He whirled and charged out of camp eagerly, bounding so fast Pantherstar probably could've blinked and missed him.
The leader shook his head with amusement, remembering when everything important had to do with matching Falconheart in deeds. Before Pebblestar had thought Pantherstar showed the talent to lead the Clan.
Pantherstar shook his head to clear it, deciding to try Webriver.
The pale gray tom was likely in his den, sorting herbs or whatever it was he did. Pantherstar idly wondered what Webriver got up to by himself. He was well stocked now, his herbs were sorted and he knew for a fact the tom didn't spend all day talking to StarClan. He'd seen the medicine cat go hunting but still… It had to get boring occasionally.
Pantherstar got his answer when he reached the medicine cat den.
A pile of dried leaves, shriveled berries, dirt, brown moss and a few small bones spilled onto the black tom's paws.
"Do I even want to know why those are there?" he asked, shaking one paw off and hooking a claw over a bone.
Webriver stuck his head out. His eyes were unfocused for a moment, before they cleared.
"Pantherstar." He greeted, and glanced at the pile and bones. "Oh. Those are left over from meals." His gray paws slid over the stone floor to remove the rest of the pile.
Pantherstar's ears flopped a little as he shook his head. "I swear sometimes I worry that if StarClan came down and spoke to you you'd miss it by daydreaming."
Webriver huffed, glaring at his leader mockingly. "Or maybe I'd hear them clearer for it. Also those get left behind when I get called away because someone stepped on a thorn, or somebody got water in his eye."
"I hope you aren't called for that." Pantherstar meowed calmly, with an amused whisker twitch.
Webriver's tail swished the pile to the side. "So I exaggerate a little." He gave Pantherstar a look. "Why are you here?"
"I stepped on a thorn?" Pantherstar offered. His medicine cat gave him a disbelieving look and Pantherstar smirked. Webriver rolled his eyes, and Pantherstar followed him into the den.
"Do you know anything about Falconheart?" Pantherstar was serious now, knowing the tom would recognize his tone.
The medicine cat paused. "What about him?"
"Has he come to you for anything?" Pantherstar asked, sitting down to wrap his tail around his paws.
Webriver shrugged "Why would he?"
"Can we stop speaking in questions?"
"Do you want to?"
Pantherstar chuckled softly, before he sighed. "Yes. He's been acting differently for about a moon now, at least. This morning he slept in and when I woke him up he definitely wasn't in a good mood."
Webriver snorted. "I remember how you two wake each other up Pantherstar. I'm hardly surprised."
"Hey, he never complained before today." Pantherstar hesitated a heartbeat. "Well, complained and meant it."
Webriver eyed him curiously. "Pantherstar, what do you think I would know about this?"
"I don't know." Pantherstar admitted darkly. "I can't figure out what got into him and that bothers me."
Webriver looked his leader in the eyes. "I have never heard of a disease that causes an issue between brothers."
Pantherstar's tail flicked, knowing the medicine cat was right and not liking it. "Webriver I'm looking for a reason, so I thought I'd ask you." It came out sharper than intended and he flattened his ears awkwardly.
"Why haven't you asked him?" the medicine cat asked carefully. He'd begun sorting a pile of leaves into two separate piles, and he glanced at the other tom out of the corner of his eye.
Pantherstar shrugged. "He went out on the dawn patrol, and I doubt his mood has improved since then. I also haven't seen him since then."
Webriver shook his head. "Well I don't know Pantherstar."
Pantherstar let out a breath. "I was getting that." He commented dryly. "I suppose I'll leave you."
"Don't step on a thorn on your way out." Webriver replied, not looking up from his pile of berries.
"Ha ha." Pantherstar muttered, not really amused. As he left the den something hit the back of his head. A dried berry fell to the ground, making a small indent in the dirt.
"Hey!" Pantherstar turned back to the Clan's only stone den to see Webriver give him a playful smirk.
Pantherstar gave him a dark look that he didn't mean and walked away. He knew Falconheart best but there were two cats that came close.
Skyheart was sitting outside the warriors den, stretching his muscles. When Emberpelt emerged as well he let out a happy meow, rubbing against his mate with a dreamy expression.
Pantherstar was tempted to walk up behind him and make though hacking up a hairball. He increased his pace then stopped, setting his paw down where he'd lifted it from.
That look on Skyheart's face, the distant dreamy look. He didn't always have around his mate but that wasn't the important part. What had made the leader stop was that he'd seen that look before. On Falconheart.
There is one disease that would cause a rift between brothers Webriver. Lovesickness.
XXX
A.N.: The longest chapter yet, over 2,000 words! Yeah! No, that's not counting the Allegiances; they will never be part of the word count, that's cheating in a sense.