Greysight left the warrior's den with a yawn.
It was still very early, so early in fact that the sun had yet to rise completely. This being said, DarkClan territory was especially dark, so there wasn't too much of a difference in how the territory looked at night and how it looked now. Of course all of this was inconsequential to Greysight.
She stretched her forelegs and then her hindlegs, and tried to shake off the unpleasant feelings of her nightmare. Almost everyone else was awake already as well, which Greysight found strange; she wondered if it was because everyone was thinking about the Gathering that would happen in another two sunrises, it could be a cause for restless sleep.
She recognized the presence of Moonfur and Lostheart sitting not too far from the warrior's den and she headed their way, noticing that as she did, another cat mirrored her actions across camp. It was Roseclaw, coming from her shift of guarding Pineneedle in the medicine cat den; from the way she walked, it was obvious that she was tired.
"Morning." Greysight greeted, stifling another yawn.
"Hey." Moonfur returned, and Lostheart echoed her greeting with another "Morning".
Roseclaw came over as well. Pineneedle had somewhat emerged from the medicine cat den and was lying in its entrance while being closely watched by Raggedear.
"You seem tired, Fuzzy." said Greysight casually, causing Roseclaw to narrow her tired eyes in mock annoyance at the blind wonder, as she sometimes liked to refer to her.
"I am tired. And don't call me Fuzzy." said Roseclaw, moving to quickly lick a bit of fur on her shoulder that had stuck up out of place. "I'm a medicine cat, I'm not used to staying up all night guarding things."
"You don't have to, you know. I'm sure Darkpelt wouldn't mind doing it if you asked nicely, though I can imagine he'll be kind of angry with you at first." said Moonfur, and Roseclaw shook her head.
"No, I want to do it, I volunteered. I guess that means I have no right to complain, but yes, I am very tired. Is there anything I should know about the day's agenda before I go crash in the warrior's den?"
"Can't say for sure yet, we have to meet with Darkpelt, Thistleprick, and Raggedear to decide who's going to do what. Oh, and be quiet when you enter the warrior's den, Mintleaf's still asleep in there, so try not to be a klutz." Greysight added playfully.
Roseclaw rolled her eyes, too tired to properly respond to Greysight's teasing.
"Okay. Wake me up if you need me, or if...something happens."
Roseclaw walked away after that and Greysight turned her attention to Moonfur.
"I felt you and Raggedear leave camp the other night, did you finally work things out?"
Moonfur stiffened at first, her pelt bristling slightly at Greysight's question, though she was unsurprised that the blind she-cat had noticed their leave. Lostheart blinked, seeming curious as well, and Moonfur sighed inwardly in defeat. The skin beneath her fur flushed hotly in embarrassment, but Moonfur regained herself and answered as simply as she could.
"Yes actually, we did." She looked across the clearing at said tom and smiled when she caught his eye. Lostheart followed her gaze.
"Great." said Greysight. "He's always been so...reserved. Not to mention the other thing." No clarification was needed.
He did come off as being very reserved and taciturn, Moonfur inwardly agreed, but really, that mask he wore hid his personality, which was kind and gentle, and maybe even a bit awkward. His split personality was nothing to snuff at for sure, but it was something that she would help him through. She needed him, and he needed her; and...it actually felt really nice to be needed. Every cat had their problems, and she would be there to support Raggedear through his, knowing full well that it could be difficult at times.
"I'm happy for you." Lostheart meowed, and Moonfur softened up a bit and allowed herself to relax.
"Thank you." she purred.
Raggedear was standing guard near Pineneedle when he noticed Moonfur's gaze, and then those of the cats with her, making him wonder if they were talking about him. But what would she tell them? That they were mates now? Were they? It was obvious that they both had feelings for each other now that they had openly discussed it and admitted to it, but the word mate had never come up in conversation.
She smiled at him and turned away, resuming conversation with Lostheart and Greysight.
Raggedear was happy for that because somehow being stared at wasn't very reassuring- well, not Moonfur, but just in those situations when there was some sort of pressure involved, or imagined... Yeah, that was it.
Pineneedle scoffed discretely from where he lay beside Raggedear in the mouth of the medicine cat den, having watched the brief exchange.
Raggedear frowned slightly, but ignored the tom and continued to keep himself occupied by looking around camp and thinking idle thoughts, and by stealing glances at Moonfur of course. It was hard not to think about her after yesterday, somehow all his thoughts led back to her in one way or another.
"Hey." Pineneedle meowed sharply, rudely, catching Raggedear's attention.
"What is it?" Raggedear asked impassively, turning toward their prisoner.
Pineneedle's gaze narrowed slightly and Raggedear's look became vaguely questioning, seeing as he was being rather reserved at the moment. He knew it would be best not to talk to Pineneedle, all things considered, but Raggedear wondered if he needed something. It wasn't Pineneedle's place to make demands, besides, what could he want?
"You're pathetic. You and this entire clan."
Raggedear didn't even blink at the insult, or at Pineneedle's show of hostility. Instead, he looked away and sat up straight, watching the camp.
"The way you're trying to do things, you'll never get anywhere. You're all soft."
No reaction.
Pineneedle must have seen this as an invitation to continue.
"I never imagined that you would be crazy. You never struck me as the type, but it's always the quiet one, right? The ones who murder for the pure fun of it, like you and your clanmate over there. When they said you were the one to murder that apprentice though, I knew they were wrong, that it couldn't be true."
Raggedear glanced at the sneering tom from the corner of his eye.
"How could a cat like you kill an innocent, little medicine cat apprentice when you couldn't even kill me? And then I go and find out you're really some sort of lunatic, then I was even more surprised. It should've been easy for you, but you're a coward, you've grown soft."
Raggedear finally turned to face Pineneedle, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You don't know anything about me." he meowed in response. "So don't try to act like you do. No, I didn't kill you. Even after everything you did, I didn't kill you. I don't care whether you're grateful for it or not."
He noticed the way Pineneedle blinked, and the slight grin he had worn fell.
"Even now, I wouldn't have done it any other way. I don't plan on being a killer." His glare gave Pineneedle a pointed look. He thought back to that time then, when he had encountered Pineneedle and saved Amberpaw, the memory now an echo in his mind.
"I don't know what you were led to believe in TreeClan, but we have no right to decide if other cats are going to die. Even with Willowstar, I don't believe it was really ever our decision to make, but it was something that had to be done, to ensure peace for everyone."
A low growl came from Pineneedle and Raggedear could have sworn he heard the tom mumble something under his breath that sounded like "pathetic excuse for a cat".
Raggedear sighed inwardly and looked away again, knowing that it was pointless to try talking to Pineneedle, when he heard the tom say something more.
"Your death would ensure peace for everyone too, wouldn't it?"
His tone was mocking, and what he said challenged the words Raggedear had just spoken.
Raggedear didn't respond.
It didn't take long for Thistleprick and Raggedear to approach the group of three she-cats. Darkpelt was set on deciding the clan duties for the day, and he also had something else to propose.
"I think it's time we give the apprentices their assessment."
The others were slightly surprised by this, thinking he had come over only to assign duties, but this was, apparently, not the case. It was true that the apprentices had been in training for a while now, but they were still somewhat young; Sunstar had made them apprentices early, after all.
"You sure they're ready?" Thistleprick meowed, giving Darkpelt a quizzical look. It was clear that Darkpelt hadn't discussed this with him.
Darkpelt nodded. "Yes, they've been in training for a long while now, and we have nothing more to teach them. They've been trained in hunting and fighting extensively, and I have upheld DarkClan's traditional training regimen."
Greysight nearly rolled her blind eyes. It was a subtle jab but it was a jab at her and Raggedear nonetheless because they hadn't continued the work of the past- being extra tough on their apprentices and making them perform surplus exercises in running, swimming, and climbing. She felt bad for Branchpaw.
"We will not tell them about the assessment and we shall observe them in secret. Let them think they are on just another hunting party while we observe their performance. Afterwards, we can test their strength in battle as well. If they pass, I believe it is high time they are made into DarkClan warriors."
Moonfur felt her insides bubble up in excitement for her kits; she was confident in them, of course, and knew that they would surely pass Darkpelt's test. She could only imagine the look on their faces, realizing that they would be made into full warriors. Raggedear would surely be excited as well, and not just for Amberpaw, but for her brothers too.
"I think it's a great idea." Moonfur meowed, earning herself a look of approval from Darkpelt.
Lostheart couldn't find any reason to disagree. Now was as good a time as any considering their clan's circumstances, and they'd be able to keep a close watch on the apprentices while they were hunting, so they wouldn't have to worry about them being vulnerable to attack from the outsiders. The Gathering was in another sunrise, so they'd be able to declare the apprentices' growth in front of all the clans, and it had been so long since DarkClan had been able to make such a declaration.
"Okay." she meowed, and Greysight nodded, shrugging. "Sure."
"Good." Darkpelt returned. "As their mentors, Raggedear, Greysight and myself will oversee their progress during the assessment. One of you should remain in camp to keep watch over Pineneedle, Roseclaw, and Mintleaf while the other two patrol the borders."
"I can stay in camp." Lostheart offered, glancing at Moonfur. "If you're okay with patrolling the borders."
She was obviously referring to Moonfur's wounds which were still very much present on her body, and also very sore. Healing could be a long process, after all.
"I'll be fine." Moonfur meowed. "Exercise will do me good, besides, I doubt you want to be alone with Thistleprick."
Lostheart was about to protest that that wasn't true, knowing that Moonfur had only said that to get a rise out of Thistleprick, when the calico tom spoke out before she was able.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? She-cats, not unlike yourself, enjoy my company."
Greysight scoffed.
"I'll wake the apprentices." Darkpelt growled. "Greysight, go tell Raggedear of our plan, and Lostheart can take up his position. Thistleprick, you and Moonfur are free to go."
"You heard the tom." Thistleprick meowed, flicking Moonfur with the tip of his tail. "Let's go."
Lostheart moved away to fulfill her duties and Greysight followed, albeit a bit regretfully; she didn't like taking orders from Darkpelt, but everyone else had agreed, so she begrudgingly kept her mouth shut.
Darkpelt watched as Moonfur and Thistleprick moved out toward the tree tunnel and he went to the apprentices den, a bit angrily as well, given all the apprentices were still asleep.
The three young cats nearly jumped out of their fur when Darkpelt stuck his head into their den and loudly shouted, "Wake up!"
Branchpaw was the first to leap up out on instinct, grasses from his nest still sticking to his pelt. Warpaw jumped awake, but his eyes were sleepy; Amberpaw only flinched.
"You've overslept." said Darkpelt, though this wasn't really true given that everyone else had simply woken up earlier than usual. "You three are going on hunting patrol today. As you know, we don't have enough warriors to send out another, so you'd best try to find as much prey as you can."
Amberpaw yawned and pulled herself up, blinking at the massive, flecked warrior.
"I thought apprentices weren't allowed to leave camp without a warrior?"
Darkpelt snorted, having never forgotten the new rule and dodged the question, not wanting to tip them off about their assessment.
"You three will be fine on your own, you have each other. Now get up, there isn't anything left to eat this morning, so you'll have to eat whatever you've caught when you return. Don't waste any time. Branchpaw will lead."
After that, Darkpelt vanished, leaving the three apprentices to themselves.
Branchpaw sighed a tired breath and shook off his pelt while his siblings got up and Warpaw stretched, gripping his claws on the bare stump that sat in the middle of the apprentice's den.
"I'm too tired for this." he meowed.
"Well, you don't have a choice. The clan needs to eat, you know. Would you rather we all starve?" Amberpaw questioned hotly. She licked her paw and used it to rub down the top of her dark, tabby head.
Warpaw ignored her, and she knew it was because she was right, and also because he had just been complaining.
"Come on." Branchpaw meowed, nearing the den's entrance. "Darkpelt will get mad if we don't catch anything and we should get out there before the sun rises and prey return to their dens. Lately I haven't found much at the Dead Oak, so I'm thinking I'll check near the swamp... Warpaw, you can check near the OceanClan border, and Amberpaw can look around where the forest meets the fields, it's a pretty good spot for mice."
Amberpaw stretched one more time and released a breath.
"Okay. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a bird that's hopping around in the grass looking for food, I've been wanting to catch one."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Finishing this chapter was a struggle because after typing some-odd (7?) long chapters in around the past week has drained me. Luckily this one has returned to my average length. The past few have been longer than usual; I'm burned out. You guys have been pretty quiet, but I hope you've enjoyed them. As always, thanks for reading.
Lost