Starpaw groaned and rolled over, the faint sound of kittens coming from the nursery. It had been a moon since Dustpelt's death, and Ferncloud's kits had come shortly afterwards. The first kit had died a night later, but two healthy children were growing up in the nursery. The second was a lovely brown tabby she-cat, named after Brambleclaw. Bramblekit was always watching over her brother, a silky silver tabby tom with white spots named Featherkit, for his feathery pelt. Lakeflower was always cooing and playing with the little ones, letting them bite at her tail.

But as new kits came into the clan, apprentices became warriors. Millie's litter had all received their names, leaving her and Redpaw alone in the apprentice's den. Even though she could stretch out now, she still missed them, if only for the reminder that there were other cats around besides her and her sister.

Her joints ached after a long day of hunting with Firestar. He had her practice the hunting crouch until he was satisfied, and then they stalked and swiped and bit until it seemed as though they had caught every piece of prey in the forest. Firestar had caught a wren, a couple of mice, and he'd brought down a particularly annoying crow. Starpaw felt a little embarrassed by her haul, which was smaller in comparison; she caught a squirrel by literally tripping across the fluffy thing, and the rabbit already had a broken leg when she caught it.

Ferncloud and Jayfeather chatted quietly in the medicine den. Without straining her ears too much, Starpaw guessed that Ferncloud was there for not having enough milk (borage leaves). Jayfeather was probably going to give her a few, and then have her take more goatweed.

Before she could listen any further, a brown blur appeared in the corner of her eye. She turned and saw little Bramblekit wobbily making her way out of the nursery, followed by her brother, Featherkit. Starpaw sighed and padded up to the little ones. Bramblekit squeaked and fell on her side, exposing her soft kitten fur to Starpaw. "Silly kit," she murmured, plucking up the she-kit by her scruff. "Come on, let's get you to your nest."

The nursery still smelled of milk, and Starpaw nodded to Daisy. Daisy hummed and helped her move the kits, though Featherkit simply followed his sister. They gingerly placed the kits down in Ferncloud's nest. Bramblekit stood up and meowed indignantly at them. "Hey! Why can't I explore?"

Daisy trilled softly. "You're still a bit too young. When you're older, okay?"

Bramblekit whined, "Why can't I go now?"

Starpaw sighed and let Daisy deal with the kits. She padded out and made her way to the entrance of clan. "I'm going on a walk!" she called to Graystripe, who nodded and went back to grooming Millie.

Her paws ached a little as she walked herself to the lake, watching her steps carefully. Once she was there, she sat on the sandy shore and waded her paws in the water. A minnow floated past her claws, and she watched its little movements idly.

When she was satisfied, she walked along the shore, brushing the sand with her tail. As she approached the Shadowclan border, she spotted a patrol, and called out, "May I approach?"

The leader of the patrol, a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat, nodded and beckoned her forward. She trotted over and smiled. "How are Shadowclan fairing?"

The second, a black and white tom, shook his head sadly. "One of our elders died recently, and we've scented a loner she-cat to our southern border. However, the prey is running better now that leaf-fall is coming, and the rain with it."

Starpaw nodded, keeping a watchful eye on the two. Even if we're friendly now, they are still from the enemy clan. "That's good. Thunderclan has new warriors. Though if Blossomwind could be a bit less battle-hungry, then we know the world's coming to an end," she grumbled under her breath.

The tortoiseshell laughed. "Young warriors tend to be like that. You'll know the feeling one day. My name is Tawnypelt, by the way. This is Crowfrost."

"Starpaw."

Crowfrost's ears twitched. "Ah, yes. Firestar mentioned you at the gathering. A shame you weren't there. It was lovely."

Starpaw's face burned. "Yeah, well, someone had to protect the camp!" she protested, lifting her head indignantly.

The two shadowclan cats laughed. "Sure, sure," Tawnypelt chuckled. "Say, about your name."

Not this again. "Yes?" she sighed, suppressing an annoyed sigh.

"So if you were to become leader, would your name be Starstar, or…"

Starpaw shrugged. "I'm not really the leader type. Though I guess if I were, I'd use the second part of my name. Like, if I'm Starclaw, my name would be Clawstar. That'd be pretty cool, yeah?"

"Maybe." Tawnypelt's eyes flickered to a buzzard flying overhead. "Your mom was a loner, yeah? Is that why she named you Starkit?"

Starpaw squirmed a little. She didn't want to tell these cats something so personal to her, and she especially didn't want them to go around talking about her mother like that. "I guess," she lied, flicking her tail.

She had asked her mother before, when she and Redkit were four moons old. Dawnfur had smiled and licked her cheek. "Well, when you were born, I chose names based on what you resembled. Gorsekit was named after the flowers growing in the clearing, and his fur spiked up just like the yellow petals. Burntkit, for the dark brown color of his pelt. Redkit, for the color of her pelt."

"Mama, I'm yellow!" Redkit protested.

Dawnfur had chuckled and pulled her close. "I know dear. But when your fur was wet and fluffed up, your silly mother thought you looked red."

Redkit looked mollified, and settled in with her sister for the rest of the story. "Now, originally, I was going to name you Silverkit. But when I looked up at the sky that night, weary and delirious, I saw the most beautiful shooting star. I knew, as soon as I saw it, that you were meant to be Starkit."

Tawnypelt nodded. "Well, we'd better get heading out. Gotta make sure that the border is safe from scary apprentices like you," she teased.

Starpaw was about to leave when she heard a rustling in the bushes. The cats turned, and Tawnypelt unsheathed her claws. "Be ready for a fight," Crowfrost muttered, flicking his tail. Then, out stumbled a she-cat.

She was thin, and her fur was caked in grey gunk. There were a few long gashes down her flank, ragged and dirty. She smelled of infection. Her steps were uneven, and she barely kept her head up. Another step, and she tumbled to the ground, breathing raggedly.

Crowfrost stepped back. "So this is the loner," he commented, lowering his defense.

The she-cat whimpered, placing a paw above her forehead. "Ple- please, I'm no trouble. I j-just want to get out of here."

Tawnypelt sighed and flicked her tail. "We're not going to hurt you, alright?" She turned to Starpaw and Crowfrost. "We should just let her go."

Crowfrost shrugged. "Fine. Do what you will, but watch your back around that loner." And with that, the two Shadowclan warriors padded off.

Starpaw felt pity for the she-cat, who was fearfully staring at her. "Get up," she ordered, and the she-cat did as she was told. She had only taken a few steps before nearly collapsing, falling squarely into Starpaw.

"I'm sorry! Sorry, sorry," the she-cat hissed.

Starpaw shook her head. "It's fine, really. Lean on me for now, alright? And stop apologizing, it's getting annoying."

Starpaw helped the loner to the lake edge. Starpaw led her to the shallows and let her relax. "First, we should get this grime off. Stay still and I'll even take a look at your wounds." The loner lay there as Starpaw brushed away clumps of dirt and sap, occasionally hissing as a claw snagged on a knot here or there. The water around them clouded, but by the end, she wasn't caked in dirt and gunk like before.

"Thank you for helping me," the loner said. She shivered as a wind blew past, cooling the wet fur.

Starpaw nodded. "Let's get you out of the water, alright? I don't want you sitting in your own filth." The two made their way to a little rock outcropping a few fox-lengths away, where the loner lay down to catch her breath. Now that her fur was somewhat clean, Starpaw could look closely at her wounds. They were shallow, but they stunk of infection, which wasn't exactly a good sign. The skin around them was cracked and inflamed, and a foul yellow liquid leaked out of the deepest one. "I'm going to bring you back to my camp, alright? You'll be okay."

The loner nodded and leaned on Starpaw. "Why are you helping me?" she asked, breathing heavily.

Starpaw shrugged. "I don't know. It just feels wrong to leave you here, I guess."

The two slowly made their way into the forest, stopping every couple of minutes to let the loner rest. "I don't believe I told you my name yet," she sighed, flicking her tail to the loner. "I'm Starpaw."

The loner smiled and rested her head on Starpaw's shoulder. "And I am- well, I was- Jazz."

Starpaw cocked her head at the odd name. "Is a jazz a type of bird? Or some sort of herb?"

Jazz laughed, though she stopped and coughed roughly, gasping for breath. After a moment, her breathing returned to a normal pattern. "No, no. It's just the name my housefolk gave me, before they…" her voice faded.

"They what?" Starpaw asked, curious.

Jazz shook her head. "Never mind. It's not that important."

They were almost to the camp now, and Starpaw felt a twinge of nervousness. "Hey, when we get back to my camp, my clanmates might be a bit… hostile. But don't worry!" she reassured, catching the fearful look on Jazz's face. "Firestar was a kittypet once; at least, that's what Thornclaw told me. He'll be super nice to you, I promise."

Speaking of which… she thought, catching sight of Whitewing and Birchfall talking outside camp. She took a deep breath and led Jazz forward. "Hey, guys!" She called, smiling.

The two turned, and there was an awkward silence as the warriors stared back at her and the loner. Jazz's ear flattened against her head in embarrassment.

Birchfall spoke first. "Starpaw. What. In Starclan's name. Is that?"

"She was hurt. Please, can we help her? Please?"

Whitewing grumbled under her breath. "I'll go tell Firestar about this. Birchfall, could you help our 'guest' to the medicine den?"

Birchfall nodded and got on Jazz's other side, helping her into the camp. Thankfully, aside from the queens and elders sunning themselves, it was mostly deserted. The three of them were able to slip into the medicine den without drawing too much attention. Inside, Jayfeather, Leafpool, and Squirrelflight were talking quietly.

"Mom, for the last time, I do not need to be tended over like a kit," Jayfeather complained, as Squirrelflight cleaned behind his ears.

Squirrelflight chuckled and purred. "Oh, I know. But let me have this, alright? You'll always be my little baby."

Jayfeather groaned, and the older she-cats laughed. Then, Leafpool's eyes flickered to Starpaw, Jazz, and Birchfall. "Oh! And who is this, exactly?"

Starpaw flushed and smiled. "This is Jazz. I found her wandering around on the border. Can you treat her injuries?"

Jayfeather grumbled. "Of course. I can smell the infection from here." He padded over and nodded to Birchfall. "You can leave now, Birchfall."

Birchfall huffed. "A 'thank you' would be nice."

"Thank you. Now leave."

Birchfall grumbled something under his breath and left the med den. "Um, Jayfeather?" Starpaw asked, looking around. "Do you want me to leave, or-"

Jayfeather shook his head. "No, stay. This is a good opportunity for you to learn your herbs." He flicked his tail to his left. "You. Come here."

"I'm over here, sir." Jazz padded over from his right and stood still as he sniffed and poked at her body.

"Well, you've got a badger's immune system. You have a fever, but that's most likely a result of the infection." He pointed to the scratches on her flank, and she hissed as his paw brushed past the one oozing yellow liquid. "This here? This is the worst infection. We cure this, and the rest is kit's play."

Leafpool nodded. "The pus is your body trying to flush out the infection. A little is generally a sign that your body is fighting back, but a lot means that your immune system is overwhelmed." She reached behind her to grab a few herbs. "Here," she said, breaking the sweet sedge-leaf and holding the break over the loner's mouth. "Eat the sap. It will help your body fight the infection."

Jazz did as she was told, sucking on the leaf obediently. Leafpool took a few oak leaves and applied them to some of the smaller scratches, with Jayfeather's help. Jazz winced and bit down on the sweet-sedge. "Don't bite, suck," Leafpool instructed. Starpaw snickered at the comment, but Jayfeather's glare shut her up.

Jazz nodded and bit her cheek instead, hissing quietly. Leafpool clucked her tongue. "Jayfeather, fetch mouse bile. A lot of mouse bile." Jayfeather appeared, holding a clump of soaked moss out on a stick. Leafpool pressed the moss to Jazz's belly, between her legs, and on her back. With the moss came ticks, and a lot of them. Leafpool grunted contently. "Starpaw, can you take over with this? I need to go wash my paws, and then I'll get to work on fixing a poultice for that wound."

Starpaw nodded and rubbed the moss across Jazz's pelt. Occasionally, she would come across a rather troublesome tick that needed to be crushed, and she did so by flicking her claws and throwing it to the floor, picking up a rock in her jaws, and slamming it against the bug until it stopped twitching. "I freaking hate ticks," she muttered after one such bug that refused to die.

Jayfeather flicked his ears. "You do this for the elders all the time. Don't lick your pelt!" he snapped at Jazz, who cowered. "The smell is bad enough, but once you get the taste of bile in your mouth, it takes a quarter moon to get out."

Jazz nodded. "Oh. Sorry. But how am I supposed to clean my pelt?"

Jayfeather grumbled underneath his breath. "What, do you want me to hold your paw? Go down to the lake and wash up there. But not until we're done treating your injuries."

Jazz nodded and lay still as Jayfeather and Starpaw checked the smaller scratches. Leafpool returned, her paws clean and fresh and with a soaked bundle of moss in her jaws, and quickly grabbed horsetail, goldenrod, and marigold. She took the herbs and ground them into a fine paste. "This is one of the stronger poultices. We only use it when an infection is serious enough to warrant it," she explained carefully to Starpaw.

Leafpool took the bundle of clean moss and gently wiped the bile out of Jazz's fur. She took the moss outside and, with Starpaw's help, gingerly spread the poultice against the wound. Jazz's eyes went wide and she clawed at the earth in pain, hissing, but as Leafpool continued she slowly winded down and settled.

"Thank you most kindly," Jazz murmured, relaxing in the nest. "I'm sorry if I'm causing trouble."

Leafpool shook her head. "Nonsense. You needed healing, and here we are. Now, you're going to need some bed rest, and your wounds need to close, which means at least a quarter moon in camp. No ifs, ands, or buts, understand?" Jazz nodded, resting her head on her paws.

Firestar poked his head in, alert. "So, what's this I hear about a loner?" he asked. Starpaw gestured to Jazz, who looked up and blinked several times. Firestar smiled gently. "Hello. My name is Firestar. What's your name?"

Jazz glanced to Starpaw, who nodded, and said quietly, "Jazz."

"Well, Jazz, can I ask a few questions?" She nodded quietly. "Are you afraid of me?" A nod. "That's okay. You're allowed to be afraid, all right? But we aren't going to hurt you."

Jazz swallowed around the leaf in her mouth. "Alright."

"Can you tell me how you came to the lake?"

Jazz sighed and turned her gaze away, flicking her tail. "Well, I used to live with my housefolk, but then one day, they just- left. I wandered around for a bit, but when I got to the road, a tom chased me away and scratched up my flank." She turned and licked at the small set of scratches, lower on her flank. "I was so desperate to get away, that I didn't notice the thorns until I was stuck on it. And well, while I was struggling, it dug through my flesh and made this one big mark."

Jayfeather snorted skeptically. "I've never heard of a thorn that could tear up a cat's pelt like that."

"Was it silvery?" Leafpool asked.

Jazz nodded. "And it smelled like blood and something else."

Firestar hummed. "Silverthorn. You should count yourself lucky that nothing worse happened to you."

"And now… now I'm here." Her eyes flickered to the cats standing around her, fear lowly dissolving into curiousity. "If it's not too much to ask, well… can I stay here? Not permanently, of course, just until I'm healed."

Firestar nodded. "Stay as long as you need, Jazz." He flicked his tail, signalling to Starpaw for her to follow, and she left with him, throwing one last glance to Jazz.