A quarter moon passed, with much happening within that short amount of time. There'd been another border attack. A bad one. Chicorynose had come back from the battle with a badly wounded hind leg. Ladybugbite had her ear ripped in two places. Ambereye has a few scratches along her flanks. And many more cats from the patrol had returned covered in injuries, mostly located on their backs, shoulders, and faces. Swiftcloud was no different. Her shoulder had been cut into again, and her flanks stung from scratches delt by a large Treeclan Fighter. She felt lucky that she wasn't more worse off. She was able to be treated quickly not long after returning to camp. Sadly she could not say the same about her partner. Shadowfang had faced the brunt of the attack brought on the pair. He had been knocked over numerous times, pummeled by two warriors twice his size. Try as she might to get to the tom, Swiftcloud was kept away from assisting. A third cat had fought to keep her back, and by the time she'd managed to defeat them and reach Shadowfang, Chicorynose was calling a retreat. It seemed to Swiftcloud that an above ground ambush wasn't the only strategy Treeclan had come up with. It seemed cats were deliberately driving Grassclan warriors away from their partners. They must have known separating cats would leave them more vulnerable. Foxhearts.

Swiftcloud let out a snort, shaking out her pelt to rid herself from the memories of the fight. It was over. Now was a time to think about recovery. Speaking of recovery, Swiftcloud was eager to see how Shadowfang was doing. As she turned to visit the medicine den, the clan's newest apprentices were just coming through the bramble tunnel. Pansypaw and Thistlepaw jumped over each other, batting one another's ears playfully while their respective mentors, Frostfeather and Quailbelly, watched on. Seedpaw was the more calm of the three, jaws shut around a mole he had no doubt caught on his own at last. Bumblethroat followed the little tom through, meowing some encouraging words Swiftcloud didn't bother to listen to. Wherever the six of them had been, it was clear none knew about the battle that had just been waged.

"Hey, Swiftcloud!" Called Frostfeather, prancing over to the nubby tailed warrior. As she approached, a visible wince left Swiftcloud boggled. Frostfeather took one look at her, then moved her gaze past Swiftcloud to examine today's damage. Her ears lowered, teeth clenching as she let out a sympathetic hiss.

"Sheesh, what happened? Everyone looks beat."

"Treeclan." Swiftcloud sighed. "There was another battle. We lost."

"Oh Starclan," Frostfeather griped, licking her chest fur. "Is any cat badly injured?"

"Well, I'm not too beaten up, thankfully. But Chicorynose has got something going on with her leg. And Shadowfang got his tail handed to him. Cloverpetal, Beetlepatch, and I had to help him walk. I was just about to visit him, do you want to come?"

Frostfeather nodded. "Yeah, sure! Oh, but hang on a heartbeat." She turned around for a moment to address the apprentices who were playfighting behind her.

"Hey you three, why don't you take some fresh-kill to the elders? Afterwards grab a bite to eat for yourselves as a reward, you all did awesome today." With that said, Frostfeather turned around, tail kinked over her back. "Ok, lets go."

"Wow, Frostfeather, you're really taking your mentorship seriously," Swiftcloud sounded surprised.

"Of course! Mentoring is the most amazing thing I've ever been assigned to do, if I'll be honest."

"Honestly, I think a lot of cats were surprised when Whitestar picked you to have an apprentice."

Frostfeather agreed, giving a shrug. "I know. That's why I'm going to put my best into doing this right. I want to show the clan that choosing me to mentor was the right choice. And Pansypaw's a good cat, she deserves someone who can teach her properly. She's already so smart."

A sparkle shone in Frostfeather's pale green eyes as they shifted from Swiftcloud onto Pansypaw. Pansypaw was taking a fat young hare towards the elders den on a large oak leaf, pulling it by the stem for easier transport. Swiftcloud had never seen a cat transfer prey that way. How clever of an idea that was.

"She really is something! I have no doubt that you'll turn Pansypaw into a warrior Grassclan can be proud of."

"From your mouth to Silverpelt's ears."

"Anyways, lets get to the medicine den already. I'm sure Shadowfang's bored out of his fur in there."

Swiftcloud nodded her head in the direction of the den as she spoke. Frostfeather smiled, giving a little bounce.

There were a few cats lingering outside when the mollies approached. Ladybugbite laid a fox-length away on her back, belly exposed and paws to her chest. She was sunning herself beside Dewstone who helped clean her wounded ear. A tail-length closer to the medicine den was Chicorynose. She was being tended to by Goldensong who fretted that the deputy's injury may scar. And then there was Snowfrost who was busy dealing with Gingerstrike, a large wad of cobwebs being wrapped around his neck. Swiftcloud made a mental note to check up on all the warriors later, worried for their conditions.

When Swiftcloud and Frostfeather finally slipped into the medicine den, both were shocked to find Shadowfang standing over one of Jaybird's kits, a paw repeatedly pressing against her chest.

"Someone get help!" The tom yowled at the sight of them, the most heart wrenching look of fear upon his face. Below him, Jaybird's kit was twitching, a disturbing cough rising from her little chest. Her kitten blue eyes were wide, glazed over by pain.

"What happened?!" Swiftcloud demanded to know.

"Jaybird's kit has kitten cough. But she was fine a few heartbeats ago. Snowfrost was just here, she checked on her, gave her some herbs. And no sooner she left to take care of other cats, the kitten started choking!" Shadowfang began to hyperventilate, giving his full attention to the silver tabby kitten. "She can't breathe, please get a medicine cat!" He pleaded.

Frostfeather turned fast on her heels to sprint out of the medicine den. "Snowfrost!"

"I'll-I'll go get Jaybird!" Swiftcloud decided in a panic, whipping around and rushing to the nursery as quick as her paws could carry her. She darted beneath the honeysuckle bush, shaking the branches violently as she skidded to a halt in the dug-out beneath. The queens who lay within the den all turned to look at the frantic warrior simultaneously, mirroring the same confused and dazed expressions. The young kits in the den mewled out in surprise of the new arrival. Ashwhisker sat up in his nest, awoken from his nap by the cries of his two newborn kits.

"J-Jaybird, come quick! Its your kit!" Exclaimed Swiftcloud.

Jaybird immediately rose to her paws without question, Ashwhisker doing the same. No doubt the Den Mother would come assist when it came to a kit in trouble. Swiftcloud took no time to explain what was going wrong, she simply turned and rushed back out of the nursery, right back to the medicine den. The two queens were hot on her tail, coming to a skidding halt behind her as they witnessed the scene which was unfolding.

Snowfrost was standing over the body of Jaybird's kit, her paw pressing rhythmically against her chest. Herbs had been slipped beneath the kitten's nose, perhaps to help open her lungs. Snowfrost's efforts seemed to be in vain, but still the medicine cat was not giving up yet. This was her kin, of course she would do everything she could to save her.

"My baby!" Jaybird cried, Ashwhisker holding her back by the scruff. Swiftcloud watched on to see what the fate of the half-moon old kitten would turn out to be. Her nubby tail wiggled with anxiety, claws kneading into the earth beneath her paws.

After a few nerve wracking moments, everything went still. Shadowfang was the first to make a move, melting into a sobbing black mess on the floor. Snowfrost's shoulders slumped, a sigh escaping her.

"I'm sorry..." Snowfrost's mew was soft and low. She didn't need to say any more for everyone to know what had happened.

"Nooo!" Jaybird wailed, pelting forward as soon as Ashwhisker let her go. Shadowfang lifted his head enough to look up at the hysterical queen, ears flat against his head.

"I'm-I'm sorry," he croaked. "I don't know what happened. One moment she was fine, napping in the nest next to me, the next she was... I tried...I tried to help.. I tried to help her hang on until the medicine cats came! I..I..."

Swiftcloud found her paws moving for her, bringing her to settle by Shadowfang's side. She layed down and pressed her patched pelt against his, providing the tom the support he certainly needed now. Ashwhisker rounded the group, squeezing himself between Shadowfang and Jaybird to press his flanks against both cats. He leaned more into Jaybird, but bent around to groom his son between the ears soothingly.

"My poor kit..." Jaybird weeped, darkening the kitten's silver tabby fur as tears dripped from the queen's face.

"Jaybird," Ashwhisker whispered. "You must choose a name."

"Now..?" Jaybird hiccuped, pulling away for a moment to acknowledge the Den Mother.

"Why does she need to do that?" Swiftcloud asked before she could stop herself.

"It's tradition. All cats must be named when they become official members of a clan. Jaybird's kit has just joined Starclan, and she needs a name for them to call her by."

Swiftcloud nodded slightly in understanding turning her gaze onto Jaybird to see what she would do. The silver tabby queen was deathly still, her blue eyes trained on the inanimate form of her child. A quiet settled upon the den, making the air in the space feel uncomfortable and stagnant. Finally Jaybird shifted, lowering her muzzle to touch her nose to her tiny daughter's ear.

"Dovekit," she decided solemnly. "Her name is Dovekit."

Ashwhisker nodded, dipping his head. "Starclan, we pray you accept Dovekit into your ranks, that her name may be known among you, and spoken with a mother's love. Have her watch over us now, for Grassclan will miss her dearly," the Den Mother prayed, making Jaybird sob again. "The clan shall sit vigil for her tonight." The dilute tortoiseshell tom turned to touch his nose to the grief stricken queen's ear. "And I shall find some flowers to make a nice nest in her grave. How does that sound?"

Jaybird nodded weakly, gaze unfocused as her muzzle now rested upon the still figure of her lost kitten. Ashwhisker turned his head to address Swiftcloud, expression serious.

"Will you fetch Whitestar and tell her of the news?"

Swiftcloud nodded, rising to her paws. It was difficult to make herself pull away from Shadowfang's side, but she knew she'd be right back to comfort him.

"Whitestar, may I come in?" Swiftcloud called, poking her head into the leader's den. Whitestar was laying in her nest, washing along Lightkit's back. When she heard the warrior calling, she paused in her task, beckoning Swiftcloud in with her tail.

"Swiftcloud!" Thornkit cheered, rushing over to greet her. He paused about a tail-length away when he saw the look on her face. "What's wrong?" This gained Whitestar's attention once more, prompting the leader to stand.

Swiftcloud shook her head at Thornkit "Would it be alright if we spoke alone for a moment?" She spoke directly to the clan leader, ignoring the excited kit for now.

Whitestar swished her tail in agreement, nudging her kittens towards the den's entrance. Thornkit and Lightkit complained a little, but were more than happy to leave when told to visit their father. When the kits were gone, Swiftcloud stepped fully into the den.

"What seems to be the trouble, Swiftcloud?"

Swiftcloud swallowed the lump of sadness in her throat. "One of Jaybird's kits has died."

Whitestar's ears pricked in surprise, though her eyes shone more knowing than shock. "Oh dear, I feared this may happen. How dreadful... Thank you for letting me know. I shall have the clan sit vigil for her. Did Jaybird give the kit a name?"

"She said her name is Dovekit."

Whitestar hummed thoughtfully. "I should make an announcement to the clan, then. Come."

"Let all cats old enough to run across the meadow gather here beneath the Tall Stone for a clan meeting."

Those who resided in the medicine den were the first to come out at the leader's call. Jaybird's head hang, ears and eyes lowered. Ashwhisker and Frostfeather flanked either of her sides to comfort her. Snowfrost followed a few paces behind, carrying Dovekit's body to be presented to the clan. Between her teeth around the kit's scruff were two stems of lavender to mask the stench of death coming from the little one's pelt.

A few heartbeats later warriors, elders, and apprentices alike edged their way towards Tall Stone. Cricketsong gathered with her family just outside the nursery, becoming alert upon the sight of Jaybird through the crowd. Swiftcloud watched her excuse herself to Cowpatch, weaving her way around clanmates to settle by her best friend. Mistypaw and Rabbitstorm, whom both just arrived in camp came to sit beside their sister. Frostfeather did not dare speak the news, granting Whitestar the chance to do so instead. In no time all the clan was in attendance, minus the quarter moon old kits and a few others. Happy with the turnout, Whitestar began the meeting.

"Today has been a day of terrible loss for our clan. Earlier we were defeated in battle by our enemy, losing a small portion of the Forest Patch to Treeclan as a result. And now I'm afraid another bit of misfortune has come upon Grassclan. Jaybird has lost one of her kits to illness. It's a sad time for our clan. But we will overcome these tragedies. For now, though, let us sit vigil for our lost almost-clanmate. Jaybird's kit, Dovekit, would have no doubt been a great warrior and asset. I am sad that we shall never get to see what she may have become. But I have no doubt that she is watching over us from Starclan. She now rests with Butterflytail, Ryestep, Waspwing, and all the other cats we have lost over the seasons. Let us feel honored that we had the pleasure of having another kit in our camp at all. Let us honor the short life that Dovekit was able to live."

Cats began to turn, moving towards the center of camp. Snowfrost stood there beside Dovekit's body, swaying her tail to invite cats over. Chicorynose was one of the first to move to groom the kit.

"Shouldn't you be doing a follow up on some of the injured?" She asked Snowfrost, the slightest hint of bitterness in her tone. Swiftcloud watched Snowfrost take a step back in shock, then turn and storm off into the crowd. After the deputy finished paying her respects, each clanmate came forward in turn to do the same. Swiftcloud was one of the last to step up. She dipped her head, touching her nose to Dovekit's forehead.

"Be good in Starclan. Watch out for us, please." She whispered before running her tongue along the kitten's cheek. Swiftcloud stepped back, allowing Jaybird and her family to finally come over to sit beside their lost kin. No one else would stay out here with Dovekit for long, no doubt. But many stuck around by the edges of the clearing to share tongues for a while. Swiftcloud scanned the crowd for more familiar faces. She was surprised to see that she hadn't spotted Shadowfang at all. Had he even come to attend the meeting? Swiftcloud rose to her paws, trotting over to the medicine den. It was strangely quiet in here compared to the clatter going on just outside. But it was nice to get some peace now. Just as she had suspected though, Shadowfang did not reside with their clanmates. He'd returned to his assigned nest, curled up inside with his tail covering his little black nose. For a heartbeat, Swiftcloud wondered if he'd gone to sleep. But as she approached she was suprised to find him awake and fully alert, perking up slightly at the sight of her. Though his excitement dimmed rather quickly. He settled back down after only a heartbeat later. His eyes stare into nothingness, dull and unfocused.

"I've never seen you so sad," Swiftcloud realized, voice soft and full of sympathy. She invited herself into Shadowfang's nest, tucking her paws beneath her. Her pelt brushed lightly against his, but she'd left enough room so that she wouldn't be so invasive in his space. "You know it's not your fault that Dovekit died, right?"

Shadowfang shook his head slightly, sighing through his nose. Quiet claimed the den again for a few moments, leaving Swiftcloud to wonder if her friend would even respond. "It's not about that," he finally mewed, voice rough, giving away that he'd recently been crying. "Seeing Dovekit sick, and then dying...it reminded me of what happened with my littermates."

"I didn't know you had littermates." Swiftcloud was surprised she'd never heard about them until now. Not even from Ashwhisker.

Shadowfang nodded. "Shadekit and Starlingkit. My brother and sister. They died of greencough when we were two moons old. I watched Starlingkit as he died. And I'd been separated from Shadekit by the time she passed. Ashwhisker and Smokesmout had caught greencough too. That Leafbare I thought I would lose my whole family... It was awful."

"I can only imagine." Swiftcloud pressed herself into him a little more to provide comfort.

"If anything happened to Ashwhisker, or his kits..." Shadowfang continued, taking a momentary pause. Something seemed to dawn on him. "Or you... Starclan, I don't know what I would do. I'm terrified of what this Leafbare will bring. It was difficult dealing with all of that illness as a kit. And to possibly deal with it now, while in the middle of a war..." Shadowfang's voice was soft but sped with anxiety, words coming out faster and faster with each new sentence.

"Hey, hey, shhh. It's going to be ok, Shadowfang," Swiftcloud hushed the tom gently, licking his cheek.

"Swiftcloud..." Shadowfang lifted his head to look at her, his green eyes rimmed with tears. A passion burned in his gaze like emerald flames, baring deep into Swiftcloud's soft blue eyes. Swiftcloud could feel her heart pick up pace as she wondered what was going on. Shadowfang moved his muzzle, touching it to the rim of her ear. His breath felt warm upon it as he drew in a breath. When he finally spoke, his voice came out hushed; all the emotion which had shown in his eyes reflected in his tone "I love you."

Swiftcloud's ears pricked, the fur along her spine rising with astonishment. Her pelt felt like it had turned to blazing hot fire as Shadowfang's words rang in her ears. Her heart beat so loudly in her chest she feared the tom beside her may even be able to hear. Her head whirled. She was over the moon. In this moment Swiftcloud had to be the happiest and most flustered cat in all of the Land's Star.

"Sh..Shadowfang," she stammered, unsure if her voice would fail her. "Th-this is so sudden. I..I had no idea you felt so s-strongly about me..."

"Sometimes I think I should have said something sooner," he admitted, pulling back a bit to look at her again. "Like when we'd gotten away from that fox. We could have easily died that day. And Starclan knows how scared I was that we might have."

"You saved my life," Swiftcloud reminded him softly. Shadowfang smiled a little.

"I did... And I'd do it again. Giving my life for you would be as honorable to me as doing so for the clan. You're worth that much to me."

Swiftcloud resisted the urge to duck her head bashfully. "Do you really mean that..?"

"Of course I do..! I knew the day we met that you were special. That whatever relationship we might form would be great. But I never realized how hard I'd fall for you. I really do love you, Swiftcloud. And I'd be honored if you'd have me as your mate."

"Oh, Shadowfang..." Swiftcloud sighed dreamily. Her tail wiggled nervously as she worked up the nerve to utter the words she was dying to say out loud. "I...I love you too."

"You do?" Shadowfang sounded hesitant but perked up nonetheless.

"Yes. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realize..."

His muzzle came to nuzzle into her cheek, drawing in her scents and she his. "That's alright. I'd rather you take your time than rush and force yourself to have feelings for me."

"Oh I've always had feelings for you. I just didn't know what they truly were until now. Although... I want to be with you, Shadowfang, but...I'm not even sure if I'm ready to settle down."

"We don't have to have kits or anything, if you don't want them," he assured.

"It's not that. I'm just...still working out how I feel about-" Swiftcloud was cut off.

"I know I'm not the only cat that you're interested in. But I'm ok with that. If you decide you want to have more than one mate, then I'm more than happy to share."

"And if I want kits someday too..?" Swiftcloud asked sheepishly.

Shadowfang purred, his smile growing. "Then we'll have the best kits in all of Grassclan."

Swiftcloud returned his purr, licking him along his muzzle. "You're far too kind, do you know that?"

"Really? I thought I was nothing more than an annoying clump of fur."

"Oh, you are. And a mouse-brain. But you're mine," she giggled.

Shadowfang's purr rumbled louder in her ears at the remark. "I like the sound of that."

Silence settled upon the den once again, comfortable and warm. Only the sounds of purring disturbed the overall peace. It was a welcomed change from earlier's melancholy. Swiftcloud and Shadowfang took time to enjoy one another, sharing tongues and taking in each other's prescene.

"...What made you finally decide to confess to me?" Swiftcloud decided to find out.

"The thought of losing you. The pressure, fear... I don't want to have any regrets... The next few moons to come are going to be hard, and I wanted you to know how I feel in case the worst should happen. And I thought that having you by my side during it all will make the hardships easier to bare; rather than standing around and pining longer."

Swiftcloud nodded, satisfied by the tom's answer. Quiet came upon them once more. After a while the pair decided to settle down and try to sleep. Shadowfang moved over, inviting Swiftcloud further into his nest. He rolled onto his side, draping a front leg and his tail around his best friend, his mate. Swiftcloud curled into him, tucking her nose under the black tom's chin. As they lay there awaiting sleep to take hold, her mind started to wander. Swiftcloud felt so at ease. She had a mate now. Shadowfang, her best friend, was hers to call her own. But a worm of anxiety gnawed at her belly like a hungry grub. Was it wrong of her to be happy right now? Today had been terrible, full of loss. But at least she could say there was one thing to gain, right? This couldn't be so wrong. To indulge in a moment of peace, of happiness. But Swiftcloud knew good things did not last long, especially during such hard times. But she would not allow herself to think of that now. Worrying could wait for another day. A small grunt escaped her, prompting the patch she-cat to bury her face deeper into Shadowfang's fur.

"Goodnight," she murmured, sleep finally settling upon her. Yes, worrying could wait for another time.