The wind blew through the trees as the patrol ventured to the river, as it marked the end of their territory to the south. From there, Echopaw and the others continued west to the edge of the forest, north to the border between their territory and the twolegplace, and east where their territory stopped at a thunderpath.
On the way, Echopaw and Splashpaw stopped by a new area they found on the trip east. A small patch of their territory led into a beautiful clearing filled with scents of herbs and flowers. Splashpaw began to show off her new moves while Echopaw tried to gather some of the herbs.
"Come on Echopaw! Dawnpaw already has enough herbs to last us all leaf-bare." Splashpaw bumped into Echopaw and meowed, "I wanna see if you can beat me in a fight."
Echopaw recognized the familiar scent of catmint. It was one herb that he could remember Dawnpaw saying it was very special. "Let me gather some more, then I'll fight you."
"What's so special about plants anyways? Why collect them?" Splashpaw twitched her whiskers.
Echopaw tried to think back to what a medicine cat does. "Herbs are what clans use to heal the sick and mend wounds. If we were to get into a dangerous battle, like the one in the sewers, we need these to keep us healthy."
"But why don't you just go to the white coated upwalk-... Twolegs? They always make me feel better."
"We're not kittypets. Remember?" Echopaw shrugged off her ignorance. "We need our own healing methods. And another thing at that, you're lucky you didn't go to the Cutter before you joined our clan."
"Yeah... What's a Cutter again?" Splashpaw really didn't know?
Echopaw didn't know how to reply and stared blankly. "Uh... well. Ask Squirrelflight. She'll tell you what they do." He returned to searching for catmint. "I'm looking for something like this." He showed Splashpaw the herbs in his jaws. "If you can help, that would be great."
"Hah... I guess I'll help." Splashpaw dashed into the bushes.
Echopaw smiled as she left. Silence. A kit's heart in such an excitable cat. Echopaw tasted the catmint, struggling not to eat it. Dawnpaw had said it would be tempting, but it was better as a healing herb for greencough.
He scanned the clearing again. It was gloriously green in such a season. Leaf-bare had barely touched this part of the forest for some reason. Still, it was nice to have a place here to warm up. They could probably make some kind of extra camp here for the Guests if they ever got the time. But right now, they had to prepare for snow. He saw a patch of catmint near the edge of the trees.
He trotted near them, but then stopped.
The bushes near the patch began to rustle.
Echopaw jumped back. "Splashpaw, is that you?"
The rustling ceased. But a strange scent still lingered.
Echopaw unsheathed his claws and stepped closer. "Come out!" He narrowed his eyes, trying to see between the leaves.
"Okay! Geez." A tom came out of the bushes. A familiar tom. "It's just me."
Echopaw sighed and unsheathed his claws. "Koul. You scared me." He sat back down.
Koul smirked. "I heard that you scare easily." Koul looked around the clearing. "I must say that you have a nice amount of territory. Ripe for prey and filled with green. I haven't seen much grass in a while."
"Why are you here?" Echopaw turned around, seeing if any other Poisons or Twoleg cats were around.
"Remember? I'm The Messenger. So, I have a message for you. A special message from a couple cats actually." Koul licked his paw. "First, Claude wanted to thank you again. He just can't stop thinking about you. Another thing from him is that the sewers are starting to become a busy place for loners, hopefully for the good."
"You mean it's becoming another way to travel for cats?" Echopaw was happy for the Poisons.
"Yes." Koul's eyes flashed. "Now for the important messages." He closed his eyes. "Loners and Upwalker cats alike are having problems. Very bad problems. And those problems all include the Broken Hearts."
Echopaw swallowed hard. "They are becoming more violent. I know. I've been scenting them on our border. I think they are going to attack us."
"Wouldn't be surprising. Technically, you killed two of their commanders." Koul looked down. "Food is becoming harder to find, the Broken Hearts are attacking any cat that gets in their way, and the cold days are getting colder. Of course, us Poisons don't really need much food, but the Broken Hearts are becoming a bother as well in the sewers."
"It's my fault. I should have let them save their commander. I shouldn't have got in their way." Echopaw shook his head.
"Echopaw, let me tell you from the knowledge I have of the Broken Hearts... It's not your fault. Many of their commanders die, and they get stronger with their comrades' death. Something is odd in their ranks. The leader has become hasty like he's a whole different person." Koul stared at Echopaw.
He sat still. "Okay."
"Next, the eastern forest has become a battlefield. The Mystery cats and the Assassins are going at each other. I'm just warning you if you go to see the twins, which I heard from Okani you were planning to."
"Yeah, I was going to soon. Do you know why they are going at each other?"
Koul's expression went dark. "Echopaw, I know you don't want to hear this." He shifted his paws. "The Mystery cats' camps are starting to be burnt to ash by the Assassins. The first attack on the Mystery cats was implemented by... Blade."
Echopaw widened his eyes. "Mudpaw?" He held a paw to his head. "He's become one of them. It's my fault he's one of them too. I should have noticed his absences in the evenings." Then he realized why Mudpaw left in the first place. "But we saved Gingerpaw, so he should want to come back to us."
Koul shook his head. "Sorry Echopaw, but I know that when you become an Assassin, you won't want to leave. And if you did, one of the leaders would kill you. He's a lost cause."
Echopaw looked down.
"Finally, I need you to hold onto this." Koul put his head into the bushes and brought out a small rock in his jaws. He spat it out and put his paw near it. "This is a gift from Glaive. A stone that depicts the Tenkai Twins' marks. Them and their commanders have this design on their chest as a symbol that they are gifted with special powers."
"Like what?" Echopaw tilted his head.
"I"m not sure. I don't know who their commanders are, and any info on them are kept in secret, so Glaive must really trust you to keep this safe and keep an eye out for this mark."
Echopaw glanced at the design. He blinked multiple times. He knew this mark from somewhere. It was the same design on...
Darkpaw! The mark on his neck. Darkpaw was a commander of the Twins! This was impossible. It would explain why he may keep quiet. And the way he communicates... Special powers.
"Thanks Koul. Is there anything you need? We have extra fresh-kill at the camp." Echopaw saved the conversation about Darkpaw for later.
"Eh. No. I don't need food that much." Koul turned back and went into the bushes. "I hope you can survive leaf-bare!"
He left with the last of the wind. Echopaw glimpsed at the rock again, hoping the design he saw before had changed. It hadn't. To think that after all this time, after all that they had gone through together, Darkpaw was a commander of the Twins.
He picked up the rock and looked around. Splashpaw should have gotten back by now. She must have got bored and went back to camp. Echopaw rolled his eyes at the thought of her and started toward the camp. He needed to talk with Darkpaw again.
"Brother, I've been having thoughts."
The white she-cat, along with the black tom, was sitting in a field of leaf-bare grown flowers, gleaming with white petals. The sky was darkening as the sun was starting to set on the cloudy day. The two siblings sat next to each other, looking down on the twolegplace not too far away.
The black tom wore a smug smile. "What are you thinking about?"
The she-cat breathed in as the wind settled. "A force beyond our reach has come into play. The Broken Hearts are being guided by a different leader."
"I've noticed that too. I don't mind new player being put into the game." The tom chuckled. "The power they possess is incredible."
The she-cat frowned at her brother. "But they are causing chaos! We must do something, or many cats will die."
"Hmm. I cannot say that I agree with your judgment on this situation." The tom flicked his tail. "It feels good for me not to be in control of these newcomers. I've needed a challenge for a long time now."
"Brother, you... This new force must be dealt with by it's opposite. We must talk to StarClan soon. Midnight, please hurry."
"You do know that I do not have as much enthusiasm as you do with this meeting."
"Hah, yes. I have known for many moons that you never sought knowledge in the light. Only in the dark." The she-cat turned away. "One more week."
The tom narrowed his eyes. "Yes. One more week."