3

The sun was boiling. Blacktuft felt it striking into his fur, nearly painful. The air was sharp to breathe in. He lifted his head, peering around the WindClan camp, and discovered it was completely deserted. He rose to his paws, flattening his ears and swishing his tail back and forth, low to the ground. "Hello?" he called, pacing around in a circle. The grass seemed to shrivel up under his paws, the middle of the hollow growing barren. He turned and bounded out from the dip, pausing on the crest and perking his ears. The sound of yowls met his ears, and he squinted against the blazing sun. "Hello!" he called again, springing into the heather and extending his legs to run as fast as he could toward the lake.

Hisses and screeches carried to him, and as Blacktuft skidded to a halt, he sharply realized that he was standing in caked mud. He lifted his muzzle and gazed with horror. The lake was gone! He could hear the cats yowling and hissing, and he turned around and around, bewildered.

He woke from his slumber with a start. He jerked his head up, half convinced to yowl for Tallear to make sure she was okay, but he relaxed when he sensed her warm pelt against his. He brushed his tail along her side, then rose to his paws. He shook out his fur, the freezing night air biting through his winter-thick pelt. He padded to the edge of the hollow and left it, making his way in the direction of the lake shore. His ears perked up, relief flooding through him when he saw the star-specked water lapping at its normal place. He could feel the frost breaking under his paws, only adding to the cold pricking at him.

Blacktuft stopped beside the lake, leaning his head down and lapping at the cold water. He felt only further relief as it washed out the dry taste in his mouth. It had been a nightmare, that was all. It was likely because of Trenchstar's words about a drought, Blacktuft figured. That had to be it, even if a day had already passed since that night. He shuddered again at the thought, sitting down beside the lake and watching the water as it washed up to his paws. He didn't mind that it wet his fur.

For a long while, he sat there, trying to shake off the thoughts in his head. He couldn't stop envisioning Gorsenose, when the Gathering had ended. His eyes had been so cold, so malicious… Blacktuft practically felt the rake of the gray tabby's claws along his pelt, and he dreaded returning to camp. He'd done his best to avoid Gorsenose, but he wasn't the only warrior who had been dissatisfied from the outcome. Blacktuft had caused the Clan more pain than it needed. More suffering than it could likely handle. The warriors were furious, and he couldn't blame them. Yet, he feared for his safety, and for the safety of his family.

Finally, he sighed, raised his muzzle, and squinted at the island. He had to face what he had done there. He had to face the mistake he'd made, or he could never fix it and prove to his Clan that he was truly on their side. His gaze followed the tree-bridge before touching Horseplace, and he rose, taking a few steps toward it. His tail slowly lifted, his heart beginning to glow, and then he let out a yelp as paws slammed into his side. Bewildered, he scrabbled at his attacker, kicking out with his hind legs. Claws pulled at his fur, a cat spitting and hissing over top of him. When they quit rolling, the cat sprang off of him, and Blacktuft was left blinking in surprise, standing awkwardly. His ears flattened as he saw Ripplepaw glaring back at him, his teeth bared in a snarl.

"WindClan cats are pathetic enough to be defeated by apprentices?" sniffed Troutclaw mockingly, giving his tail a few lashes as he joined his son's side.

Blacktuft fixed his posture, narrowing his eyes at the patrol of RiverClan cats before him. A jolt made his fur stand as he remembered the deal made at the Gathering. He quickly dipped his head, apologizing, "I'm sorry, Troutclaw. I forgot about the deal we made." He backed away, moving toward where he supposed the new territory line would be.

Piketooth exchanged a glance with Troutclaw, the deputy grumbling, "Of course, Blacktuft. I forgot. WindClan cats are extremely forgetful, too, is that right?"

Blacktuft felt embarrassment grow within him, heating his fur, even against the freezing air. "My apologies," he meowed again, lowering his tail. "It won't happen again."

"It had better not!" Ripplepaw hissed, baring his teeth in a snarl. "This is our territory, now!" He stamped his paw on the ground, lifting his chin with pride.

Blacktuft resisted the urge to rip the whiskers off the young cat, turning himself away. He dipped his head again before bounding away, feeling the heated gazes of the RiverClan cats following him. When he had landed in a clump of heather, away from their stares, he crouched down, pressing his tail against his side. He narrowed his eyes, shaking out his pelt as if that would shake away the embarrassment. Never mind that, he had an idea! He closed his eyes, pondering over it.

Perhaps he should've gone straight to camp with the thought, but he didn't. He stepped out from the swathes of heather and made his way through WindClan territory, his tail streaming after himself. He slowed when he arrived at the border, though he didn't stop. He proceeded, making his way toward Horseplace, and as he approached, he flattened his ears against the thundering sounds of the large creatures. He picked his way along the strange wooden objects lining where they roamed, keeping on the outside of the area. He angled his ears toward the interior, flinching and crouching low when the creatures ever came close. He set his sights on his real objective: the barn.

However, as the black tom approached the large, closed entrance, a white tom sprang from a hole in the bottom of it, baring his teeth. Hi tail fluffed up to twice its size, lashing back and forth. "Get out of here, Clan cat!" he spat. A few other cats followed after him, their whiskers twitching. "Stay away!"

A ginger she-cat wrinkled her nose, grumbling, "He smells like the sickness!" Blacktuft took a few steps back. "Get 'im, Eric!"

The white cat unsheathed his claws, and Blacktuft stared with wide eyes, tense. "I'll go, I'll go!" he cried out, flattening his ears and backing away further. Then, he turned, bounding away from the group of cats. He heard them chase him, letting out hisses and snarls, but they didn't come close to him before he broke into WindClan territory and made his way toward the camp. Their cackles followed after him.

Despite their warnings and laughter, excitement tingled in Blacktuft's paws. It would take some effort, but perhaps they had a way to fix his mistake! WindClan could eat better and even gain some strength, perhaps… He glanced over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the pelts of the Horseplace cats as they disappeared back into their barn. Blacktuft laughed to himself, delighted, and leaped effortlessly into the hollow, allowing himself to skid to a halt. The WindClan cats in the camp looked up, surprised by his excitable entry, and Blacktuft's happiness drained out of his paws at the looks on their faces. Trenchstar was standing on Tallrock, his tail swishing back and forth. The WindClan cats didn't look especially pleased.

Blacktuft made his way toward Tallrock to come near to his leader, trying to keep his pelt smooth, and paused when Gorsenose stepped in his way. The gray tabby bared his teeth, hissing at Blacktuft, "I hope you're happy, Blacktuft, because you won't be eating, this night."

Blacktuft dipped his head, a hunger pang crawling through his stomach. He hadn't eaten before he had slept last night, either, he recalled. He took in a deep breath, trying to keep from feeling weak at the mention of fresh-kill. "Blackpaw and Grousepaw?" he mewed, glancing toward his sons. They had paid the price of his failure, too. The apprentices were curled up together, and Blacktuft felt a flash of shame fall over him anew. "Please, let them eat. They're hardly out of the nursery, Gorsenose, you know that."

"Why should we let them?" Springfeather hissed, her eyes narrowing at the deputy. "They should feel the shame of their mouse-brained father!"

"Enough!" yowled Trenchstar, leaping into their midst. The cats backed off from him, parting, and Trenchstar moved to Blacktuft's side. He rested his tail over the tom's shoulders and led him toward the Tallrock, murmuring into his ear, "You shouldn't have left, this morning. It gave them a chance to throw enough accusations at your name."

Blacktuft shook his head lightly but said nothing about it yet. He stopped beside Tallrock with the leader, whispering, "Thank you." Trenchstar nodded to him, then leaped back onto his perch. Blacktuft sat down, curling his tail over his paws and trying to maintain a scrap of dignity.

"I will have no more of this," Trenchstar growled at the cats below. "We have enough tearing us apart. Respect your deputy. He made a simple mistake. Any one of you could've made it, in Troutclaw's presence."

"He should've known better than to even speak to Troutclaw," scoffed Heatherfoot, her fur standing on end. She pressed against Gorsenose's side.

Redbird rose to his paws, and Springfeather looked at him with a small frown. The white tom lifted his muzzle, and the crowd went quiet, looking to see what the medicine cat had to say. Blacktuft felt a flash of awe and respect toward the tom. Redbird had such influence over the Clan… Blacktuft would hate to ever be on his bad side. Redbird glanced over the cats and meowed, "How could we let this happen to us? WindClan is one of the four Clans of the lake. We have a duty to the other Clans to preserve their existence, just as they have preserved ours, like in the times of Firestar. Our warrior ancestors decreed that there would be four Clans, and that is how it shall be! But if we turn against ourselves and our leaders, we will fall to corruption and hatred, for what is StarClan's code? You must obey your leader!" He looked at Blacktuft. "Our deputy will be leader someday. Blacktuft is doing the best he can, same as all of you."

Blacktuft stood, perking his ears. He felt gratitude swarm him for the medicine cat, but a bit of indignancy lingered, too. How could he let Redbird defend him? Blacktuft wasn't a kit! "Thank you, Redbird," he said to the tom, dipping his head to him before scanning the ranks of WindClan warriors. "These are troubled times, I know. I made a grave mistake in trusting Troutclaw not to take my words so seriously. I will regret that until the day I die, and I know that you all have to suffer for what I've caused." He paced back and forth. "I'm willing to make up for that. I'll work harder, every passing heartbeat, to help the Clan. It's going to be difficult from here on out, but it's been a long time since anything has been easy for WindClan. What have our ancestors always done? They have become innovative. Cunning. Strong. They were willing to do what no one else was. We have to do the same." He lifted his chin. "We must find another way to keep ourselves from starvation! I propose that we take Horseplace!"

A ripple of murmurs passed through the cats, and Blacktuft's ear twitched when he heard Trenchstar shifting behind him. The deputy looked back at his leader, his tail raising, and Trenchstar meowed, "There are cats in Horseplace who will fight us, Blacktuft." He clambered down from Tallrock, moving to join the black tom's side. "I know you're eager to fix your mistake, but our warriors could die, trying to take it."

"Yes, I know," Blacktuft murmured, his voice softening as he gazed at the tabby. "But what choice do we have? We're already bone-thin, Trenchstar. If we carry on like this for much longer, we'll be at a huge risk of greencough. We're lucky we've made it this far."

"StarClan wouldn't allow us to die. That's why we haven't had it," Trenchstar responded, looking up at the sky above with a reverent gaze. He lowered his muzzle. "It was my mistake, really, Blacktuft, for ignoring StarClan's demand that the Gathering end. We will suffer more, but I refuse to send our warriors into a fight where they will surely die."

"We're already in a fight like that," Blacktuft told the tom in a soft voice, studying him carefully. He felt a stab of sympathy and newfound respect for his leader. Perhaps Trenchstar hadn't lost his faith in StarClan, after all. The tom surely seemed to regret it. "WindClan will die, with the new terms." He looked at the warriors. "Let them decide, if you really want."

Springfeather sprang to her paws, yowling, "Horseplace! Horseplace! Horseplace!" A group of other warriors joined her, though Tallear and Torntail, Blacktuft noticed with a pang of regret, looked more uncertain.

The cats fell silent when Trenchstar lifted his tail. He looked at Blacktuft. "Very well. We will attack Horseplace tonight," he murmured to the dark-furred tom. "May StarClan help us." He looked at the WindClan cats gathered around them, then flicked his tail dismissively, and the group began to disperse.

Blacktuft padded away from Trenchstar, taking in a deep breath and strengthening his resolve, internally. His friends didn't agree with him… but the Clan did. They had to take this chance. Surely, they were aware of that. He ambled his way through the crowd to join Tallear, stopping beside her and pressing his nose against her ear. "It'll be okay," he whispered to her.

Tallear studied him through wide blue eyes. "We should be careful about this, Blacktuft. If RiverClan notices…" she meowed anxiously.

"They'll know the truth," Blacktuft responded to her, touching noses with his mate. "They'll know we're desperate if we're willing to attack another group of cats."

"We'll be bordering their hunting grounds," Tallear cautioned him, still clinging to her misgivings.

Blacktuft let out a soft snort and shook his head. "Then they'll have to deal with that. We'll make the case that we need that prey. They haven't taken Horseplace. They won't be losing anything. Maybe there'll be some border tension, but there already is going to be, since they took the land along the shore of the lake."

Tallear gave a small nod again, laying her tail over her paws and letting out a soft sigh. She looked at the other cats in camp, then mewed, "Blackpaw and Grousepaw will want to come with us. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Blacktuft replied, sitting down beside her and pressing against her side. He stroked his tail along her spine. "They want to become warriors someday! They'll be eager to see as much of this as possible. But don't be afraid. I'm sure Trenchstar won't let them fight, this early on in their apprenticeship."

"And you're sure about that?" asked Tallear, her voice barely a whisper. She searched his gaze with her own, wanting the utmost confirmation.

Blacktuft nodded, smiling at her weakly. "He wouldn't want to give up the future of the Clan for the sake of pride." He nuzzled the side of her head, Tallear pushing her nose into the side of his neck. He continued to stroke her spine, letting out a soft sigh of contentment.

"Blacktuft! Blacktuft!" the deputy heard Grousepaw calling. He opened his eyes and pulled his head away from his embrace with Tallear, watching his kits run to them. He resisted the urge to purr at the excitement in their eyes. He didn't want to embarrass them! The gray and white apprentice skidded to a stop in front of Blacktuft, meowing, "Are we gonna come to the battle, too? Will you let us? Please? Please?"

Blacktuft let out a mrrow of laughter, unable to hold that back. He replied, "Yes, yes, Grousepaw. You'll be coming with us."

"But only to watch," Tallear warned the apprentices, leaning her head forward and brushing her chin against the top of Blackpaw's head, ruffling his fur. "You're not fighting yet."

Blackpaw let out a huff, "But we're warrior apprentices! We wanna help!"

Blacktuft gave his head a small shake and told the pair of them, "You're not near far enough into your training yet. You need more time to work with your mentors." He smiled lightly. "Don't worry. You'll have your chances, someday."

"I want someday to be now," Grousepaw told his father irritably, his fur puffing up and his tail giving a few lashes.

Blackpaw lifted his chin indignantly, declaring, "We're fit to fight! We're fit to fight!"

Blacktuft exchanged an amused glance with Tallear and told Blackpaw and Grousepaw as seriously as he could, "I'll make you stay here, if that's what it takes to keep you out of it. You could always stay in the nursery like kits."

Blackpaw bristled, gazing at Blacktuft in shock, as if he'd just given him the most horrid curse. "We'll watch," he stated, though he didn't look particularly happy about it.

Blacktuft nodded to the two young cats, appeased by their agreement. "Good," he purred with a little smile. He fluffed up his fur when an icy wind stirred, brushing through his ear fur. "Let's get hunting, then." He stood and shook out his pelt. "I need to run around to warm up." He glanced around, then padded toward the center of the camp. "Torntail!" The brown tabby looked up. "Take Hollowpelt and Blackpaw with you to the Horseplace border! I'll take Springfeather and Tallear with me toward ThunderClan's." Torntail dipped his head and led the apprentice and the other warrior out of camp with him.

Springfeather padded over to join Blacktuft and Tallear, stopping by the pair. Blacktuft watched as Blackpaw ran to catch up with his mentor, the tip of his tail curling as warmth filled his heart. Grousepaw made his way past them to join Gorsenose, who was busy grooming his fur. Blacktuft let out a sigh, feeling himself more at peace than he had been since the Gathering. "Nice save," Springfeather muttered to the deputy as they walked out of camp.

Blacktuft let out a small snort, but otherwise he didn't respond to her words. He increased his pace, lengthening his stride to come closer to the ThunderClan border. "How were they, last time you came?" Tallear panted as they slowed down.

"Tumblesnap is still alive, amazingly," Springfeather told her, ears perking up. She had been the one to lead the patrol into ThunderClan, the night before. Tallear had strongly cautioned Blacktuft not to go with the group, worried for his safety in the aftermath of the Gathering. "From what Heatherfoot told me, I thought for sure he'd have fallen apart."

Blacktuft purred, "Thank StarClan." He remembered Flowerpaw's words, Thank you… Birchleaf doesn't think he'll make it through the night. Most vividly, though, he remembered the pain dripping from the words when they came from her mouth. ThunderClan has suffered so much. They don't need another death, Blacktuft thought to himself. "Do you think the sickness is losing its power?"

"Even if it is," meowed Tallear tentatively, "it's going to take a long time for the prey to recover, isn't it?"

"And what will we do if it comes back next newleaf?" whispered Springfeather, shuddering as she thought of it. "I don't think ShadowClan and ThunderClan could take that."

Blacktuft sighed softly. "No. They couldn't," he murmured, drawing his ears back. Still, he hoped desperately that it was letting up. The Clans could take a bit of a reprieve.

"Hey! Look at that!" whispered Springfeather, pointing her nose and widening her eyes slightly. Tallear and Blacktuft followed her nose and spotted a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat stumbling along the bank of the stream.

Tallear and Blacktuft exchanged a frightened glance, Blacktuft gasping, "Is that-?"

"Juniperpaw!" Tallear yowled, bounding ahead of the other two WindClan cats. The ThunderClan apprentice didn't seem to hear her. Her eyes were wide and foggy from fever, her body shaking, and she continued to stumble. Blacktuft and Springfeather fought to catch up with their Clanmate. Blacktuft's heart raced in his chest, and he was sure Springfeather felt the same.

They'd seen this before. When cats had such a severe case of the sickness, they seemed to turn dumb. They'd wander and stumble about as if they had suddenly turned blind. When Blacktuft was an apprentice, a WindClan warrior who had happened to catch it was kept away from camp to protect the rest of the Clan. One day, on their way to the ThunderClan border, a WindClan patrol was horrified as the warrior stumbled around until he lost his balance on the bank and plunged into the stream. He had simply floundered, not truly seeming to realize his situation, and let the stream carry him to the lake. The WindClan cats had tried to catch up, but long before they could, the warrior was trapped in the water. They'd waded in to their shoulders, but they were forced to watch him drown. WindClan cats didn't know how to swim beyond natural instincts, and the leader of the patrol had elected that they should let him go. He was going to die anyway.

Tallear wasn't about to let it happen again. She, unlike Blacktuft, had been there to see it with her own eyes. The gray she-cat's paws barely seemed to touch the ground, and she let out a high-pitched wailing, trying to catch the tortoiseshell's attention. She sprang from the bank with powerful hind legs, and Blacktuft could've sworn he'd never seen a cat jump so far. She nearly made it to the other side! She splashed into the water, but she quickly scrabbled onto the other side, racing to Juniperpaw's side and pushing her shoulder against the she-cat, knocking her to the ground. Juniperpaw floundered sluggishly, her jaws opening and closing, and Tallear stood over her.

Blacktuft and Springfeather crossed the stream, slowing down, now that the rescue had been done. When they reached the other side, Blacktuft could hear Tallear's heaves as she worked to catch her breath. They were already starting to slow and deepen when they approached, but Tallear's chest was still working hard. She looked up at Blacktuft, her eyes shimmering. "I couldn't… I couldn't let her…" she whimpered, her tail drooping to the ground.

"I know, I know," whispered Blacktuft, closing the distance between them and placing his head on top of hers. He pressed his flank to her side, their wet fur brushing. He held his head there for a moment, then moved it to lick her fur the wrong way, wanting to warm her up against the wind. "You saved her, Tallear. It's okay."

Springfeather crouched down by the ThunderClan apprentice's head, watching Juniperpaw as the she-cat's spit began to foam at the edges of her mouth. She grabbed her by the scruff, pulling her onto her paws so the spittle would fall from her mouth instead of falling back into her throat. Tallear's rescue would've been useless if Juniperpaw started choking in the aftermath.

"I-I guess I did…" Tallear whispered, staring at Juniperpaw with grief-filled eyes. "B-But for what…? She's going to die, isn't she? She's too far along…"

Blacktuft looked at Juniperpaw, his heart sinking. There was so little he could say… Tallear was right, of course. Juniperpaw was even worse off than Tumblesnap had been, when Blacktuft last saw him. The sickness had reached her mind now. No cat ever seemed to recover from that. "Th-There's always a chance," he told the gray she-cat, looking at her. He could see she wanted to believe him, but there was doubt lingering in her eyes. "Always. We have to take it. Let's get her back to the ThunderClan camp." He nodded to Springfeather, who began to prod the tortoiseshell in the right direction.

Blacktuft kept Tallear close to his side as they ventured along the beaten path. "Juniperpaw!" a wail sounded through the trees when they were halfway there, and Flowerpaw burst from the brush, panting hard. The apprentice's green eyes were tired, but the fact that she had run there was a testimony to a promise of strength. Blacktuft only hoped the sprint hadn't drained all of it. Flowerpaw glanced at the WindClan cats, then moved to press against Juniperpaw's side. Springfeather backed up to let her. Flowerpaw dipped her head, panting, "Th-Thank you… Thank you." She looked at them for a few moments. "I'll take her from here."

Blacktuft gave a small nod to her, meowing, "You're welcome, Flowerpaw. Any time you need it." He brushed his tail along Tallear's flank again, and Flowerpaw nodded meekly. She helped Juniperpaw toward the camp without another word to the WindClan cats. Silently, Blacktuft turned his patrol around and started toward the stream. He was glad that Tallear had been there, but he wondered if it had been the right thing. Flowerpaw seemed relieved, and he was glad to give her some solace instead of leaving her to wander while her half-sister drowned, but what about Juniperpaw? Was this truly right, to leave her to suffer all the more?

The WindClan cats crossed the stream, and their deputy concealed a heavy heart once more. He beckoned with his tail, beginning to run to warm up his fur. No matter what had happened with Juniperpaw, the Clan still needed to be fed. They had to keep moving.