=Ravenstrike=

The next three moons had been a pain in the ass for Ravenstrike. Over that stretch of time, he had to put up with snickering apprentices, a pestering medicine holder, and an over-concerned brother. Honestly, he didn't mind the actual healing process, but if he heard one more comment about his tail, he was going to punch someone. His fur had grown back for the most part, but the new patches were shorter than the rest of his fur, causing a choppy appearance that irritated him to no end.

On the upside, as Copperwind called it, he had earned a bit more respect from Hazelpaw; emphasis on a bit. There probably would have been more if it weren't for the fact that Ravenstrike had snapped at his apprentice when she stepped on his tail during a visit. The young girl had gone from shocked to angry in a heartbeat and stomped out with Copperwind close behind, trying to calm his adoptive daughter.

Ravenstrike snorted at the memory. He still remembered the pain that had shot through him when his still-healing tail was stepped on. Just the thought of it made him want to growl at whoever came near the appendage.

"What are we doing today?" Hazelpaw inquired in a bored tone. Ravenstrike glanced down at her.

"Border patrol first," he replied, "Then hunting practice. You still need to figure out how to stay still."

Hazelpaw narrowed her eyes, looking up at him, "Berryspring said that you couldn't sit still for a second when you were an apprentice!"

"Yeah, well I grew up and learned how to," Ravenstrike retorted, making a mental note to keep his apprentice away from his mother for fear of other embarrassing comebacks in the future. He then brought his attention to Hawkspeck, whom was calmly approaching the gathered patrol with Shortpaw.

"You two are here before us," the senior warrior commented, "It must be a blue moon."

Ravenstrike nudged his former mentor, not at all pleased with the insinuation. Before he could grumble something out, Shortpaw piped up.

"Maybe you're just old. You did wake me up late," she said amusingly. Normally, the apprentice was quiet with a lack of presence, but she certainly opened up some more after being Hawkspeck's apprentice for almost six years. Ravenstrike knew that the man could crack anyone's shell.

Hawkspeck countered her in a good-natured tone, "I wouldn't have to wake you if you didn't sleep like a dormouse!"

Snakestrike intervened the conversation, "Hey, shouldn't we be going now? We're wasting dawn-light!"

"Right, right," Hawkspeck said, "We should be leaving now. Let's go."

Ravenstrike allowed the four others to go ahead of him, nudging Hazelpaw to get a move on after Shortpaw scurried passed. His apprentice didn't seem to appreciate being urged forward, but she carried on for the purpose of chatting with the older girl.

"WindClan border, right?" Snakestrike asked, directing the question towards Hawkspeck. The older man nodded.

"Darkbreeze is leading Mouseshade, Leopardtail, and Snowflower to the pines. I still think he should have taken Thunderstrike as well, since Lilyfall's developed a bit of a grudge against us. That, and Spottedclaw mentioned some delinquent rogues at the last Gathering."

"I'm sure they can handle a few rowdy teens, eh?" Snakestrike pointed out, giving Hawkspeck a nudge with his elbow. The two continued to talk, but Ravenstrike eventually drowned them out in favor of observing his home.

The leaves were losing their once vibrant-green coloration, turning various shades of orange, yellow, brown, and red. He noticed that the air was crisp and cool, too. It was somehow more satisfying that the warmed air of green-leaf that felt stuffy and uncomfortable in his lungs on the hottest days. Creatures of prey were attempting to fatten themselves up, but were becoming scarcer at the same time. Just a typical leaf-fall in the forest.

Suddenly, he found himself wondering what this season was like in WindClan. There were very few trees, so did the kits simply entertain themselves with browned grass rather than colorful, falling leaves? How did they shelter themselves from the chilly winds that would only get colder once leaf-bare arrived? What about their prey supply? Surely no creature would like to be caught on the moor at such a vulnerable time. Ravenstrike had seen WindClanners in leaf-bare, and honestly didn't know how they survived being so horribly skinny.

In that case, how in the name of StarClan were the helpless able to live? Leaf-bare for WindClan was the worst, judging by the announcements of various deaths at Gatherings; mainly that of elders and kits. A strike of dread hit Ravenstrike. Would Briarsong make it through the coming season? What about the kits that she was carrying? Given the time of her heat, they'd be born in the unforgiving leaf-bare, which was the worst season for having kits.

Not paying attention, Ravenstrike let out a shout when he stepped in a hole, barely managing to catch himself before falling. The cry caught some attention from his clanmates, and Hawkspeck gave him a concerned look.

"Are you alright, Ravenstrike? It isn't like you to be unaware of your surroundings," he commented.

Ravenstrike waved him off, feeling both embarrassed and stupid, "I'm fine."

"You sure? Because the last time you were distracted like this, you—"

"I said I'm fine!"

Hawkspeck's eyes widened at the outburst. Ravenstrike saw this and silently cursed at himself. Yeah, he'd been pissy lately, but he'd never yelled at his mentor before, even after Dewflower completely shattered his heart. Sighing, he looked up at the rest of the patrol.

"Just give me a moment, dammit," he said, "Go ahead. I'll catch up."

His former mentor hesitated, but eventually nodded to the others and started walking. Snakestrike and Shortpaw didn't need to be told again, and quickly followed the senior warrior. Hazelpaw, however, stayed behind and simply watched her mentor warily.

"What?" Ravenstrike snapped, yanking his foot from the hole.

Hazelpaw stood firm, "Are you sick?"

"Huh?"

"Are you sick?" she repeated, "You're really distracted, like Hawkspeck said."

Ravenstrike was confused for a moment, wondering how his apprentice had picked up on his behavior like Hawkspeck had. He needed a bit of time to think, he figured, then he'd be alright.

"I'm fine," he restated, trying his best to sound calm and convincing.

Hazelpaw stared at him for a long moment. Finally, she said, "Okay."

Without another word, the apprentice promptly hurried after her clanmates, leaving her mentor completely bewildered. Ravenstrike watched her go, and glanced back down at the hole, giving himself another curse.

He shouldn't have been thinking about Briarsong, or WindClan as a whole for that matter. There issues weren't his problem, and Briarsong was nothing to him. She was carrying pure WindClan kits, after all, so their fates and hers were not of his concern. Yet, he still found himself thinking about her every damn day, for six fucking moons. It was really beginning to piss him off, too.

Ravenstrike let out a growl, and urged himself to regain his cool composure. He wasn't sure how long he took, but it was a good while until he deemed himself calm enough to catch up to his clanmates without the danger of yelling at them. Satisfied with himself, he set off to find them. The task wasn't hard, since he knew the route like the back of his hand, and walked at a brisk pace until he caught sight of the patrol.

He didn't say anything as he approached, but was aware of his clanmates' odd behavior. He saw them gathered together at the stream, all looking like they were on high alert. Shortpaw's tail was puffed up as she hid partially behind Snakestrike. Hazelpaw's hands were twitching, and she looked prepared to fight. Hawkspeck stood at his full height, and Ravenstrike was able to make out his words as he continued forward.

"Why would Eaglestar do something like that?" Hawkspeck asked over the sound of the stream's flowing water.

"Your guess is as good as mine," a man replied, "We're just following his orders."

Ravenstrike was suddenly just as alert as his clanmates, and fastened his pace until he stood beside Hawkspeck. Once there, he saw that the speaker was a young WindClan male, with dark hair and clear, blue eyes. What caught his attention; however, were the two behind him. There was a tall, red-haired man with a cautious look about him, as if he expected an attack. And then there was the woman who had unknowingly tortured Ravenstrike for moons.

Briarsong, with a swollen belly and wide eyes, was just a few fox-lengths away.

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A/N: *slams this chapter down on a table* There you go, my dear readers! You'll have to wait until next time to find out just what the heck is going on! ;)

Fun-Fact: Green is on the amber spectrum for cat eye color. (This is a hint for who Briarsong's father is)

For those of you who have guessed who sired Briarsong, none of those guesses were correct. Sorry! Keep doing your best, though!

Please remember to review, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Later, my lovelies~!

- Tina