It was an evening a little over a quarter moon after the Gathering when Frostmask padded up to the lichen covered entrance to the medicine cats' den, hesitating at the entrance to the small cave.
"Can I come in?" Frostmask called.
"Frostmask, is that you?" she heard Autumnleap's voice reply. "Thank StarClan, I'm boring my tail off in here."
"Yes, come in," Elmclaw's voice cut in.
Purring slightly, Frostmask pushed her way through the lichen and into the dark, cozy cave. Autumnleap was sitting up in his nest close to the entrance of the den. Elmclaw was sorting herbs farther towards the back, and Clearstream was not in the den. Autumnleap still had a few herbs plastered on his white belly fur, but his eyes were bright, and he was looking a lot stronger.
"How are you Elmclaw?" Frostmask asked, greeting him first, but padding over to Autumnleap.
"Alright. I'd be better if your den-mate here was being a better patient," Elmclaw said with a grunt, shooting Autumnleap a pointed look from his sharp green eyes. "Clearstream stuck me with him all evening while she's gathering some herbs for Dawntail and her kits. I'd much rather deal with those four little hellions than Autumnleap. I think I'm going to have to tie him to his nest."
"Hey! I'm right here you know," Autumnleap protested.
Frostmask purred, twitching an ear towards Autumnleap, but she continued to look at Elmclaw.
"Oh no! There isn't anything wrong with Dawntail or her kits, I hope?" she asked.
"Oh there's plenty wrong with those kits, but nothing any herbs can do about it," Elmclaw said with a chuckle. "The herbs are for Dawntail. The kits had the bright idea to put some stinging nettles in the nest while their mother was sleeping. I think Buzzardkit and Cedarkit were trying to prank their sisters Cricketkit and Hollowkit, but the nettles all got on Dawntail instead. Clearstream's getting some herbs to sooth her stings."
"Stinging nettles?" Autumnleap echoed, wincing in sympathy. "I got into a patch of one of those once while hunting as an apprentice. It wasn't a good time. Those are some devious kits, huh?"
Frostmask nodded in agreement, turning to him.
"The nettles could've gotten on Snakeeyes or her kits too! Thank StarClan nothing like that happened to us while we were in the nursery," Frostmask meowed.
Autumnleap grimaced slightly.
"Well I might have tried once to put a thorn in Poolcloud's nest…" he confessed.
Frostmask's eyes widened.
"No way… was that that time when Amberberry stepped on a thorn inside the nursery?!" Frostmask said with a gasp. "Autumnleap, that was you!?"
Autumnleap nodded, his ears flattening guiltily. Frostmask shook her head, sighing in exasperation.
"But, that convinced Amberberry that the thorn bush was dropping them down into the nursery! She made us all help her prune the den for sunrises! My paws were aching for days after that," Frostmask said.
"But, I didn't want to get in trouble," Autumnleap said, widening his eyes imploringly at her, but a purr was building in his throat.
Frostmask rolled her eyes, reaching out a paw instinctively to playfully shove him, but she stopped before she made contact, her gaze flickering down to his bandaged stomach. Not wanting to hurt him, she lowered her paw again.
"Fine. I guess I forgive you," she said, with a huff to pretend like she was still upset about it. "I guess it's moons old news anyway. How's your cut feeling?"
"Still hurts a little sometimes, but I'm getting a lot better," Autumnleap said, eagerly flexing his claws in and out.
"It would heal more quickly if you stayed still like I keep telling you instead of fidgeting all over the place," Elmclaw interrupted with a faint growl in his voice.
"I know. I know," Autumnleap said with an impatient sigh. "I'm just feeling so restless! I feel like I'm ready to go back to warrior's duties! Frostmask, have you gone hunting on SkyClan's territory yet?! I've been dying to, if only Elmclaw would let me out of this stupid den!"
"The cats in this stupid den saved your life," Elmclaw said, his green eyes sharp as he padded over to Autumnleap. "You could show a bit more gratitude."
Autumnleap sighed dramatically.
"But, is life really worth living if you have to spend it stuck in a nest all day?" he lamented.
Elmclaw chuckled then, shaking his head in exasperation.
"Fine. Let me take a look at that wound. If it's healed enough, I'll allow you some light hunting duties," he said.
Autumnleap gasped in excitement.
"Thank you, Elmclaw!" he said.
"Now hold still," Elmclaw meowed.
Autumnleap obeyed, not moving a whisker as Elmclaw removed the dried herbs from his belly. Frostmask peered over Elmclaw's dark tabby shoulder to watch. There was no scabbing on the cut, but the scar still looked very new and sensitive. It was a light red color, cutting a furrow through Autumnleap's long white fur. Elmclaw nodded slowly.
"Alright. You can go back to some light duties," Elmclaw said, and Frostmask saw Autumnleap perk up in delight. "But, that means only one hunt a day and don't push it if it starts to hurt. You can also sleep back in the warriors' den, but I want to come by the medicine cats' den at least once everyday so we can check on it. And, if you don't follow these instructions, you'll be back to being stuck in here with me before you can say 'mouse.' And, StarClan knows, neither of us want that, right?"
Autumnleap nodded vigorously.
"You're the best Elmclaw!" he declared, getting to his paws.
"I know," Elmclaw meowed, his voice a bit smug as he turned and padded back deeper into the cave to get back to his herbs.
Autumnleap turned to Frostmask, his amber eyes bright with excitement.
"Are you busy? Can we go hunting right now? It's close to sundown, right? Want to go to SkyClan territory?! It'll be so exciting!" Autumnleap meowed.
Frostmask purred at the sight of his enthusiasm.
"Slow down! You're talking as fast as Mosspaw," she said jokingly.
Autumnleap kneaded his paws eagerly into the ground.
"You just don't understand how boring being stuck in this den has been. I can't wait!" Autumnleap said with a purr.
Frostmask angled her ears towards the cave's exit.
"Let's get going then," she meowed. "I'd be happy to join you. But, we have to go in patrols of three or more, remember? Should we see if Pineshade and Poolcloud want to come with?"
"Yes! Let's find them!" Autumnleap exclaimed, hurrying through the lichen covered cave entrance and leaving Frostmask to follow.
"You get Pineshade; I'll find Poolcloud?" Autumnleap asked over his shoulder.
"Sure," Frostmask meowed, and Autumnleap trotted off in search of his brother.
Frostmask glanced around the camp. The sun was setting, casting the clearing in orange light and long shadows. Frostmask spotted Pineshade's black pelt wreathed in darkness at the edge of the camp, where she was crouched over a puddle, lapping up some rain water. Frostmask starting padding in her direction, but she tensed as she saw Dampfang heading towards her too, and he reached Pineshade first.
"Hey Pineshade," Dampfang meowed to her. "I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me tonight? Like I don't know, um, a walk or a hunt or something?"
Pineshade lifted her head, twitching water off her whiskers as she started to walk away from him without responding.
"Sorry, can't. I'm super busy tonight," Pineshade said from over her shoulder, not giving him a second glance.
"But—" Dampfang began.
"Pineshade!" Frostmask said, waving her tail to catch her attention.
Pineshade's ears pricked, and she changed direction to walk up to Frostmask.
"Hey Frostmask, what's up?" Pineshade said, plopping down on the ground in front of her so she could lick her paw and swipe her whiskers clean, wiping the rest of the water away.
"Autumnleap is allowed to go back to some light duties," Frostmask meowed. "We were wondering if you wanted to come hunting with us in SkyClan? Poolcloud might be joining us too."
Although she didn't even twitch an ear back towards Dampfang, Frostmask could see Pineshade's eyes drift back in his direction for just an instant.
"Yeah, I'm totally free tonight. No plans," Pineshade said cooly.
"Great," Frostmask meowed, her ears pricking as she heard Dampfang give a quiet hiss of annoyance.
Pineshade continued intently licking her paw, as if she was oblivious to it. Frostmask waited quietly until she saw Dampfang stalk away before she bent her head down towards Pineshade.
"I take it Dampfang is still trying to win back your favor?" Frostmask asked in a low voice.
"The frog-brain won't leave me alone," Pineshade hissed through her teeth. "All the time, it's 'Pineshade, let's patrol together,' and 'Pineshade, I brought you your favorite prey,' and 'Pineshade, I got you some soft nest feathers.' I keep giving him the cold shoulder, but StarClan! It's been exhausting."
"He won't take a hint," Frostmask said, giving a low growl of agreement.
Pineshade snorted.
"A hint? I thought when I yelled at him that was less of a subtle hint and more of a boulder to the face," she grumbled.
Frostmask's brow furrowed in concern as she looked at Pineshade.
"Do you want to talk to Sedgestar or Grovepelt? Tell them how Dampfang keeps bothering you?" Frostmask asked. "They could tell him to stop."
Pineshade flicked her tail dismissively.
"I don't want to get them involved," Pineshade said. "Dampfang's annoying, but he's harmless."
Frostmask just twitched her ears.
"Hey!" Autumnleap's voice called.
He and Poolcloud were bounding over to them.
"Poolcloud's coming with us!" Autumnleap meowed excitedly.
"Yeah, well I was planning on going hunting with Dewleaf tonight. But, Autumnleap played the 'I almost died less than a moon ago' move against me, and I couldn't say no," Poolcloud joked, his tail twitching.
"Aw, come on! Don't you think it'll be so fun?" Autumnleap said, twining around the three of them. "Just the four of us, like old times!"
"Gross. Don't touch me," Pineshade sniffed, batting his auburn tail away when it brushed her back.
"Classic Pineshade! That's the spirit!" Autumnleap purred, looking like even his sister would be unable to put a damper on his bright mood tonight.
"I already let Grovepelt know that we were planning on hunting in SkyClan," he continued excitedly. "Let's get going! It'll be fully dark by the time we get to the border."
"Alright, alright," Poolcloud said with a good natured purr. "Keep your fur on, we're coming."
"Race you to the tunnel entrance," Pineshade meowed quickly, on her paws in a flash and haring towards the camp exit.
"Last one there's a slow-slug!" she taunted from over her shoulder as she disappeared into the thorn tunnel.
"No fair!" Poolcloud yowled as he ran after her, laughing.
Autumnleap lunged forward with an eager purr, but Frostmask leapt in front of him to block him, her belly suddenly tightening with worry.
"Wait, Autumnleap!" she said, searching his gaze with hers. "Shouldn't you take it easy? You're still healing, remember?"
Autumnleap blinked, then touched his tail to her shoulder reassuringly.
"I appreciate your concern, but I feel fine," he meowed. "I don't think a little running will be a problem."
"But, Elmclaw only said light duties," Frostmask protested, her brow furrowed.
Autumnleap glanced away from her like he was only half listening. His ears were twitching as if he was itching with impatience to get out of camp.
"I promise if it starts hurting, I'll stop, okay?" Autumnleap said, brushing around her and heading towards the tunnel. "Now we better get going or we'll never hear the end of how slow we are from Pineshade!"
"I— okay," Frostmask muttered as Autumnleap ducked into the tunnel and dashed off.
Frostmask sighed lightly, then ran off after him.
Once they had all made it to the tunnel entrance, and Frostmask verified that Autumnleap was still standing on all four paws, some of her worry about him started to evaporate and anticipation about the coming hunt on SkyClan set in.
Frostmask narrowed her eyes as Pineshade led the way into the pitch back tunnel. Desire to steal from SkyClan pricked like claws down her spine. It was a little retribution, but it was something.
She hadn't had the chance to go hunting there yet, having been busy with other patrols the past few nights. And, now as she found herself padding closer and closer to SkyClan territory with each step, she found a mixture of eagerness and nervousness swirling in her belly; even though she knew that she was following explicit instructions from Sedgestar to the letter, trespassing on enemy territory without going there to battle them still felt a bit strange and taboo.
But, she had Pineshade, Poolcloud and Autumnleap with her, and Frostmask wouldn't have chosen any other cats to be with her on this mission in enemy territory. She knew these three inside and out. All of the training sessions they'd spent together during their apprenticeship meant that when they all worked together, they almost stopped being four cats, instead turning into one.
They moved quietly through the tunnel, communicating simple thoughts mostly through tail-signals and light touches. The sign-speak that Lizardkit and his family had developed had become more prevalent throughout ShadowClan. It was slowly being implemented as something that was taught during apprentice training, and warriors had started to use it to convey more complex ideas to each other in situations where they needed to be silent.
Pineshade used one of the signals now to halt the group behind her with a wave of her tail. The tunnel in front of Frostmask had become slightly illuminated as a bit of dim, grey light streamed in through the exit ahead, and Frostmask was able to make out Pineshade's and Autumnleap's silhouettes in front of her. Pineshade approached the entrance to the tunnel, warily poking her head out of the tunnel to make sure the coast was clear.
Pineshade signaled the group forward, indicating they could head out.
The four of them streamed out of the tunnel, silently bounding through the small stretch of ThunderClan territory between the tunnel exit and the neutral territory around Fourtrees. Frostmask could barely make out the stale scents from the Gathering several nights ago still clinging to the bushes there, but there were no fresh scents. Frostmask relaxed as their paws crossed over the ThunderClan border and into Fourtrees.
"Let's find something to disguise our scents with," Pineshade meowed in a low voice, and the group split up to investigate the bushes.
They hadn't gone with their standard mask of toadstools because SkyClan territory was less damp than ShadowClan's, and it would seem out of place to any SkyClan cat that happened upon it. Frostmask scented the air for strong plant smells, and her nose led her to a big patch of chamomile. Frostmask signaled to the others with her tail.
"This'll work!" she said in a loud whisper.
Frostmask rolled in it first, and the rest of them followed.
"Nothing to see here, SkyClan. Just a big, wandering patch of chamomile," Autumnleap said with a soft purr.
"Are we ready?" Poolcloud asked, his fluffy black-and-white coat prickling in anticipation and his amber eyes gleaming.
Frostmask flicked her tail eagerly. Pineshade nodded, her pelt bristling with excitement.
"By the time SkyClan wakes up, their entire territory will be emptied of prey!" Autumnleap declared, flexing his claws in and out.
They prowled off, heading in the direction of SkyClan territory. Without having to say anything, they fell into their normal positions. Pineshade was on point, leading the group. Frostmask and Autumnleap were walking side by side behind her, on alert for any disturbances in the environment around them, and strong Poolcloud was behind them, guarding their backs.
Frostmask also kept a half an eye on Autumnleap as they walked, staying on alert for any sign of limping from him. If he started looking like his wounds were bothering him too much, Frostmask would turn this whole patrol around and lead them back to ShadowClan camp. Autumnleap would argue up a storm against it, but she knew Pineshade and Poolcloud would be on her side.
Autumnleap seemed like he was doing fine at the moment, however. He was moving smoothly and his eyes were bright as he looked around at the unfamiliar forest. They crossed into SkyClan territory, and almost immediately they came across a stream that blocked their path. Frostmask glanced from left to right. There was no way to go around it. If they went left, they'd end up back in ThunderClan territory, if they went right, they would be heading towards RiverClan. Frostmask gazed back forward at the water, her paws prickling in fear. She dearly hoped that they wouldn't have to swim through it…
"Let's look for a place to cross," Pineshade murmured. "If we swim, it'll wash off the chamomile scent."
Frostmask nodded in agreement, feeling a rush of relief that she wouldn't have to get her paws wet. They padded upstream, and just before the river split, creating a Y that encircled RiverClan territory, they came across some stepping stones into SkyClan territory. Pineshade crossed first, and Frostmask followed her. She went slowly to keep her balance on the slippery stones, her claws unsheathed for better grip, but she made it across without incident. Frostmask felt a prickle of worry for Autumnleap as she she turned to watch him cross, but he made it over fine, as did Poolcloud.
"Which way should we go?" Autumnleap asked in a whisper, his tail twitching as they gazed out at the dark forest unfurling before them.
"Why don't we stick to the bank of the river?" Frostmask suggested in an equally hushed voice. "We're not that familiar with the territory, so it'll be easier if we use a landmark that can bring us back here when it's time to go home."
"Good idea," Pineshade said softly, signaling them forward.
The whole group was tense as they padded up the river. Frostmask's ears were constantly pricked, and they swiveled towards every little noise, in case it was a SkyClan warrior. But, the only living creatures she identified were two mice, hiding among fallen leaves at the base of an oak tree. Frostmask touched Autumnleap's flank with her tail, nodding towards the tree. They slunk towards the mice side by side, leaving Pineshade and Poolcloud to wait by the river. As they got within striking distance, Frostmask read the tenseness of Autumnleap's muscles as he prepared to pounce, and they leapt together. Frostmask's paws smacked squarely down on the back of one mouse, before she dipped her head, killing it with a bite. When Frostmask lifted her head back up, she saw that the other mouse was already dangling from Autumnleap's jaws, and his eyes were shining in the starlight as he gazed at her.
Our first catch on SkyClan territory!
Frostmask nodded at Autumnleap, warm satisfaction in her chest. She swiped her tongue over her lips. The blood from her enemy's food seemed to taste sweeter than what she was used to.
They scraped some dirt over their prey to stash it for pick it up on their way back, and they continued upstream. It wasn't long before they came across more prey. Pineshade snagged a blackbird, and Poolcloud snatched up a water vole that had darted across their path.
As they walked longer with no signs of SkyClan warriors, a slight feeling of relaxation began to creep over the group. Frostmask wasn't jumping at every little sound, and they started to even hold conversations with each other in hushed voices.
"Oh! Look at that! What are those?" Poolcloud said, flicking towards the river with his tail.
The river had gotten wider the farther they traveled into SkyClan land, and Poolcloud was pointing at a large mass right in the middle of it. Frostmask blinked, trying to make sense of the shadowy shapes.
"It's like a little island?" Autumnleap meowed.
"Yeah," Pineshade said, squinting at it. "It looks like a bunch of big rocks. Boulders."
Frostmask sniffed the air. She could tell by the strength of RiverClan scent on the breeze that the large stones were a place frequently visited by the RiverClan cats, but she couldn't figure out what exactly was so appealing about them.
"Huh," Frostmask said curiously. "Maybe RiverClan uses them as a fishing spot?"
Pineshade shrugged.
"The behavior of those fish-faces barely makes sense even in the best of circumstances," she said. "So, there's really no way to guess."
The rest of them purred at the comment and kept padding on.
"Squirrel scent ahead!" Pineshade whispered, perking up. "I'm going after it."
She flicked her tail at Poolcloud to signal him over to her.
"Come with. Let's circle it," she said.
"You got it, Pinestar ma'am" Poolcloud said with a sarcastic purr, heading after her.
Pineshade just rolled her eyes.
"Be right back," Poolcloud said to Frostmask and Autumnleap.
"We'll just keep heading up the river," Autumnleap said. "Catch up with us when you get it."
Poolcloud flicked an ear to let them know that he heard as he and Pineshade vanished into the dark undergrowth. Frostmask and Autumnleap kept walking on.
"Are you having fun?" Autumnleap asked with a purr, as they weaved around the bushes at the edge of the river.
"Hm. It's definitely exciting. Although a bit hard to concentration on hunting when you have to worry about being hunted yourself," Frostmask said, flicking her tail.
Autumnleap eyes sparkled with amusement.
"You worry too much," he said, flicking her side with his tail.
"No. You entirely don't worry enough," Frostmask shot back with a soft purr.
Frostmask's gaze studied the dark territory around them. Despite the undercurrent of constant concern that an enemy might appear at any time, she was still able to find the forest pretty. Even though it was dark, she could still make out the orange, gold, and red, leaf-fall colored foliage above her.
"It is interesting to see the other Clans' territories, though," Frostmask added. "Like, we're getting this glimpse into how the other cats live."
Autumnleap's ears pricked.
"You're right," he meowed. "While we're here, we should get the whole SkyClan experience! Which means…"
Autumnleap ran over to a large, nearby maple tree. He reared up, dug his claws into the bark, and bounded up the tree to sit on a low branch. Frostmask's eyes widened.
"Autumnleap! What are you doing?" Frostmask hissed in a scolding voice as she trotted over to the base of the tree.
He blinked laughing amber eyes down at her.
"Getting the full SkyClan cat experience, clearly!" he purred. "The bird-brains practically live in the trees!"
"You shouldn't be climbing!" Frostmask protested, her tail lashing as she glared up at him. "You could tear you wounds back open! And, make yourself fall because you hurt yourself! Or, you could lose your balance, fall, and hurt yourself from that! Also climbing is so noisy with all the leaf rustling. We're supposed to be being quiet; what if someone hears you?"
"I'll be fine, Frostmask," he reassured.
Frostmask just narrowed her eyes at him, jutting out her chin. Autumnleap tilted his head at her, not so easily cowed.
"Alright, fine. But, if you want me to come down, you'll have to come up here and make me," he said, his tail playfully flicking as it hung down from the branch under him.
Frostmask huffed, still glaring at him. Autumnleap arched a brow at her but stubbornly held his ground, an infuriating look of amusement on his face.
"Stupid, frog-brained, idiotic toms!" Frostmask grumbled under her breath.
"What was that?" Autumnleap asked in a sweet, innocent voice.
"I said, I'm coming," Frostmask said, rearing back to sink her foreclaws into the bark. "But, if you hurt yourself by playing around in this tree, I'll claw you up twice as badly for being a frog-brain!"
Frostmask bounded up the tree easily as Autumnleap laughed.
"You sound just like Swoopstrike," Autumnleap purred as Frostmask reached his branch and sat beside him.
She furrowed her brow at him.
"Good. Unlike you, Swoopstrike had sense," she grumbled, twitching her tail.
Autumnleap took in her stony expression for a moment before leaning over to gently bump his head against hers.
"Alright" he conceded with a quiet purr. "I'm sorry. I didn't meant to rile you so much. I just thought it would be fun to climb some trees after having been stuck in the medicine cats' den."
Frostmask pulled her head away so she could search his gaze with hers.
"Can't you see I just don't want you getting hurt!" she meowed, her eyes wide. "You were so injured not that long ago, and I just can't stop thinking about how after the battle, when Swoopstrike was dead, and you were just lying there, limp and bleeding—"
Frostmask's voice suddenly choked up, and she paused, blinking hard a few times as grief and pain unexpectedly rushed over her. Autumnleap gazed at her quietly, his face sympathetic as he waited for her to continue. Frostmask sunk her claws into the branch to steady herself as her legs began to shake.
"You're my best friend," Frostmask meowed, her voice quavering as she spoke around the lump in her throat. "And, I'd just lost Swoopstrike, and all I could think about was how I wouldn't make it if you died too. I couldn't lose you too. I couldn't. I can't, Autumnleap."
"Shh, it's okay," he murmured, scooting over to her so he could wrap his tail around her.
Frostmask leaned her head against his shoulder, taking a deep, trembling breath as his supportive presence against her side helped soothe her.
"I'm really glad you're okay. But, I'm just still so scared," Frostmask whispered. "Swoopstrike was taken so suddenly, and I keep thinking about how anything, at anytime, could—"
"I'm not going anywhere, Frostmask," Autumnleap said in a low voice as his tail tightened around her, not even letting her finish the thought.
"You don't know that," Frostmask whispered.
Autumnleap didn't respond. Silence hung between them for a few moments as Frostmask stared out at the dark river in front of them.
It was pitch black and she saw little pinpricks of stars reflecting in it, like she was staring down at the sky. Frostmask imagined herself plunging into the water, swimming with the stars swirling around her and seeing Swoopstrike emerge from the depths, his silver and black pelt studded with shining dots of light as he paddled over to greet her.
Frostmask shook her ears. If only visiting StarClan could be that easy…
"Maybe that's true," Autumnleap whispered, finally replying. "But, I'd never want to leave you, Frostmask."
Frostmask shook her head.
"That doesn't matter. No-one wants to leave anyone. But, it happens anyway. We don't have a choice," Frostmask said bitterly.
She lifted her head from his shoulder, so she could glance over at him. He was staring at her with a pained look in his amber eyes. Frostmask closed her eyes for a moment and sighed.
"Now I've just made you upset," she muttered bitterly, opening her eyes and looking away from him. "There's no point in talking about it anyway. There's nothing that either of us can do to control it. I'm sorry. It's stupid. I shouldn't have brought it up."
Autumnleap gazed at her in dismay.
"No! It's not stupid," Autumnleap protested. "And, you can always talk to me about anything you want to."
He leaned over to touch his muzzle to her cheek, but Frostmask moved away from his touch with a sigh, gently disentangling herself from his tail.
"Frostmask—" Autumnleap said, his amber eyes still troubled as he stared at her.
"There you guys are!" Poolcloud's quiet voice drifted up from where he and Pineshade had appeared at the base of the tree.
Pineshade was scowling up at the two of them.
"What are you frog-brains doing up there?" she hissed. "Leaf rustling is so noisy. You'll attract SkyClan attention."
Frostmask angled an ear towards Autumnleap, shooting him a pointed look. Autumnleap gave a sharp sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, like he was searching for a scrap of patience inside him.
"Okay. Okay, I get it. Climbing a tree is a frog-brained idea. We're coming down now, alright?" he said his voice a bit annoyed.
Frostmask descended first and watched Autumnleap carefully as he came down afterwards.
"Seriously. StarClan," Pineshade said, her tail twitching as he walked past her. "I can't leave you alone for like five heartbeats—"
"Put a mouse in it Pineshade. I'm not in the mood," Autumnleap growled at her from over his shoulder, his tail twitching.
Pineshade widened her eyes in offense and took a threatening step towards him. Frostmask warily watched on, her tail twitching with anxiety. She knew where this was going.
"Guys," Poolcloud whispered, his brow furrowed as he put himself between Autumnleap and Pineshade, trying to break it up.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I guess I should just let you start yowling 'Hey, SkyClan! We're right here!' then?" Pineshade spat at Autumnleap from over Poolcloud's back.
"Guys, enough…" Poolcloud said, a quiet growl in his voice and his gaze flickering around the forest nervously.
Autumnleap curled his lip back at Pineshade.
"You're always like this!" he said, his voice rising slightly in anger. "Thinking you know better than—!"
Poolcloud slapped his fluffy tail against Autumnleap mouth.
"Shh!" Poolcloud hissed in a whisper while he glared at his siblings. "Shut up frog-brains! I think I heard something!"
Frostmask immediately tensed. Her ears pricked, and she raised her nose to the breeze. The four of them were suddenly standing in wide-eyed silence, nothing but the sound of a gentle wind through the forest. Poolcloud slowly moved his tail out of Autumnleap's face, and even as Autumnleap brushed the long black and white hairs out of his mouth with a paw, he continued to be wide-eyed, his ears twitching and swiveling towards every little whisper in the woods.
Frostmask blinked. There it was. The faint sound of paws crunching on fallen leaves. It was growing louder. Heading in their direction.
Pineshade signaled to them frantically with her paw.
Hide! she signed.
Frostmask felt her training take over as the four of them scattered. Frostmask's paw-steps were light and silent across the forest floor, instinctively weaving around noisy leaves and twigs while her gaze flashed from place to place for somewhere to hide. Her ears pricked as she noticed a hollow in a gap between some roots of a nearby tree, and she squeezed inside. She crouched down, hidden by the shadows of the roots, and turned so she could peer back out.
The paw-steps were getting louder, and it wasn't long before, in the distance, she saw flickers of a white pelt through the undergrowth, which starkly stood out against the backdrop of the dark forest. It was both too dark out and the cat too hidden by undergrowth for her to identify, but she saw him pad up to the river, where he took a seat on the bank.
Frostmask let out a soft sigh of relief that the cat didn't seem to have noticed her or her friends hiding in the forest nearby. But, as the moments began to stretch on and on, and Frostmask stayed crouched in the roots, her tail began to twitch with anxiety. The cat showed no sign of moving. She and the rest would be trapped for as long as the tom stayed there… What if they wouldn't be able to get back home before the sun rose?
Frostmask was pulled out of her anxious thoughts at the sound of splashing. She saw a dark form moving through the river, swimming up to the SkyClan cat that was waiting for it. The dark cat emerged from the water, giving his pelt a shake and walking up to the white cat.
"Hello," the dark cat meowed.
Frostmask's brow furrowed. She didn't recognize this cat's voice.
"You're late," the white cat growled, and Frostmask stiffened as a voice she did recognize, Paledusk's, grumbled in her ears.
Frostmask couldn't make out the dark tom's expression, but he seemed unconcerned in the face of Paledusk's anger based on his relaxed body language.
"Why did you ask to meet?" Paledusk continued, his voice impatient. "What does Willowstar want this time?"
"She's not pleased," the tom responded. "She was expecting us to have access to the hunting grounds on this side of the river come leaf-bare. But, you refuse to give it to us, since you failed to secure ThunderClan territory for yourselves."
"Well Perchpelt, tell Willowstar that if she had given us some RiverClan warriors to help us, we would both have new territory," Paledusk snarled. "She can't expect to always lie around and have other cats do her work for her."
Frostmask's eyes widened.
Perchpelt! RiverClan's deputy…
"We will control both sides of the river before the winter solstice," Perchpelt said, stating the words coolly like it was a definite fact.
Frostmask could barely make out Paledusk's lashing tail through the undergrowth as he sized up the RiverClan tom.
"Is that a threat!?" Paledusk spat.
"Calm yourself, Paledusk," Perchpelt said, giving a dismissive tail-flick. "Willowstar understands now that she can't leave Fennelstar to his own devices. She wants to meet with him. I am sure she will have our warriors play a more active role going forward…"
"How dare you just waltz onto my land and threaten us!"
Paledusk was on his paws now, hissing and snarling furiously.
"SkyClan doesn't need you! Take your fish-stinking pelt off of my territory!" Paledusk roared.
"Careful, Paledusk," Perchpelt warned in a low voice, not moving a muscle despite the large, bristling tom before him. "Think about it before you do something rash. We know about the two-legs. They're destroying more of the forest this season, aren't they? And, frightening the prey off? We can hear their monsters from across the river… SkyClan does need us. This riverbank in exchange for RiverClan's help in securing you more land is more than a fair trade. After all, it's poor hunting here for cats that don't fish. You need more territory, and you clearly aren't strong enough to take it alone, or you would've already succeeded. Do you really want to starve this leaf-bare?"
Paledusk didn't respond besides giving a low growl. Perchpelt got to his paws to leave.
"Tell Fennelstar what I said," Perchpelt meowed over his shoulder. "And, give me his response, so we can arrange a meeting."
Perchpelt slipped back into the water and swam off. Paledusk turned on his heel and stalked away from the river, vanishing back into the woods. After the sound of his paw-steps faded in her ears, Frostmask still waited for several heartbeats longer to make sure Paledusk was truly gone before she emerged from her hiding spot. Her chest was tight with anger at the sight of him, but drowning that out was worry for her friends; that they had safely hidden and were okay.
She crept warily through the trees back to where she last saw her clan-mates, her gaze flickering around for them.
"Autumnleap? Pineshade? Poolcloud?" she called in a cautious whisper.
"Frostmask," Poolcloud's voice hissed.
Frostmask's ears pricked and she turned to see him brushing out of some undergrowth. Frostmask felt a rush of graduate to see his face as she hurried over to him. Poolcloud blinked at her in relief, seeming equally grateful that Frostmask hadn't been caught.
"Where are Autumnleap and Pineshade?" Frostmask asked.
"Over here," Autumnleap's voice grumbled.
Frostmask turned towards his voice to see twin pairs of amber eyes staring out from under the same bramble thicket. As Autumnleap and Pineshade tried to emerge from the bush, they shoved at each other, both of them trying to get out from the thorny, densely woven tendrils first. Pineshade finally squeezed free of the thorns, sighing in relief as she straightened and shook out her dark coat, and Autumnleap shoved his way out behind her.
Autumnleap glared at Pineshade as he flicked his tail.
"She shoved me under there, and I had to spend the whole time sitting on thorns!" he hissed in a low voice.
"You're welcome for saving your mangy pelt!" Pineshade hissed back. "News flash: it wasn't a blast for me either. You were standing on my tail the whole time!"
"You two are unbearable," Poolcloud groaned, interrupting their bickering. "Get over it! We have more important things to discuss. Didn't you hear those cats talking?!"
Pineshade and Autumnleap both shook their heads.
"We heard voices, but we were too far away to make out their words," Pineshade meowed.
"Besides, I couldn't concentrate because of all the thorns stabbing me," Autumnleap grumbled.
"I heard them," Frostmask said, stepping forward. "It was SkyClan and RiverClan's deputies meeting."
Poolcloud nodded.
"Morningstar was right when he came to our camp all those moons ago. Those Clans do have an alliance," he meowed. "We need to let Sedgestar know what we found out."
Pineshade twitched her tail.
"Is it urgent?" she meowed. "Should we go back to camp now?"
Frostmask shook her head.
"I think we can finish our hunt," she said. "We should just report back to Sedgestar when we get home."
"Alright," Pineshade meowed, before turning to Autumnleap to blink at him with exaggerated concern. "Is that good for you? Or, does poor Autumnleap need to rest to lick his little thorn scratches?"
"I'm fine," Autumnleap snarled, brushing past her. "Let's get back to hunting."
Pineshade rolled her eyes, but didn't taunt him any more, instead flicking her tail to gather Frostmask and Poolcloud to her, and the four of them set off again. Frostmask bounded forward to catch up with Autumnleap, but he didn't look at her when she walked at his shoulder.
"Hey," she murmured. "You okay? I'm sorry Pineshade's treading on your tail. If you've still got thorns tangled in your pelt, I can—"
"Stop treating me like a dumb kit, Frostmask!" Autumnleap snapped, glaring at her. "I'm fine, and I can take care of myself! You said it yourself just earlier that no one has control over what injuries or deaths happen. So, why do you still keep worrying about me!?"
Frostmask's eyes were wide. Her muscles tight, she stared at him in shock for several moments before blinking hard. She saw a look of guilt creep across his face as he took in her expression. He opened his mouth to say something, but Frostmask took off before he could, her paws flying through the unfamiliar forest.
"Frostmask, wait!" she heard Autumnleap from behind her.
"What did you say to her?!" she heard Pineshade snarl accusatively at Autumnleap, coming to Frostmask's defense.
"I'm sorry!" Autumnleap called after Frostmask.
Frostmask felt her eyes sting, and she swallowed around the lump in her throat as she kept running. But, she was in enemy territory, and she didn't know where she was going, so sense set back in after not too long, and she slowed, panting by the river bank. She padded over to the river's edge to lap up and few mouthfuls of cool water as she tried to calm her trembling paws, when she heard footsteps behind her. She whipped around to see Autumnleap running up to her, slowing as he got closer. Frostmask still felt the sting of his words as she arched her back at him defensively.
"Leave me alone," she said with a quiet growl.
Autumnleap's eyes shone with shame and apology.
"I'm sorry Frostmask," he meowed. "I shouldn't have said that. Pineshade's just been driving me crazy, and I was frustrated, and I snapped at you when I shouldn't have. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't've yelled like that."
Frostmask defiantly turned her gaze away from him, hurt and sadness still swirling in her belly.
"But, you're right, aren't you?" she growled down at the ground. "I shouldn't be so worried about you."
Autumnleap let out a huff that soundly mildly amused.
"You are maybe being a bit overprotective," he admitted. "But, you being worried about me doesn't actually bother me. Because I know that the reason you worry about me is because you care."
He padded a bit closer to her.
"I know you think I don't worry enough, and I'm not careful enough. But, I do worry about you too, you know? A lot actually," he meowed softly.
Frostmask felt a rush of hot pain and anger as she dug her claws into the ground and brought her gaze back up to his.
"That's the problem!" she growled, her tail lashing.
Autumnleap's brow furrowed.
"Worrying about you?" he asked.
"No!" Frostmask cried, clenching her fangs. "Caring in general! Everyone is just going to die. Why bother? Why should someone bother getting attached to cats that are just going to leave them…"
Frostmask hung her head defeatedly, the bright anger inside her fading to be replaced with dark, hollow, aching emptiness.
"Leave me," she muttered bitterly to the ground.
She took a seat, wrapping her tail around herself for comfort. She heard Autumnleap's paw-steps on the stony river bank as he walked over to her side.
"And, don't you dare say you'll never leave me, because you know you can't promise that," Frostmask muttered to the ground as he sat next to her.
Autumnleap purred very faintly.
"Okay, I won't," he murmured.
For a moment they just stayed there in silence as Frostmask intently studied the pebbly ground under her feet.
"You know, I think I've heard the elders say before that 'it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all,'" Autumnleap murmured.
Frostmask glanced over at him, and she saw he was gazing up towards the stars. The pinpricks of light reflected back in his dark amber eyes.
"That's easy for them to say when they know that they'll get to see all their friends and family in StarClan one day," Frostmask muttered bitterly.
Autumnleap glanced down at her in surprise.
"Do you not believe that?" he asked.
Frostmask shrugged.
"I believe that StarClan exists. But, it's just for Clan cats, right?" she muttered. "My mom won't be there…"
She looked back down at her paws as she swallowed hard.
"I don't even know if one day, will… Will I go there?" she rasped, feeling raw as she finally said the fear out loud.
"Of course!" Autumnleap said with a small gasp. "If our ancestors have any scrap of fairness in them, you, and your mother, will be with them too."
Autumnleap bent his head to nudge her cheek with his muzzle.
"And, if you aren't…" he said in a rough whisper. "Then I will leave their hunting grounds and search the skies and the earth until I find you. You won't be alone."
There was a powerful emotion in his voice that Frostmask couldn't quite identify. She lifted her gaze to look at him, and when she gazed into the amber eyes that were so familiar to her, her chest tightened in a strange way. She had an odd sense that she was looking at him, really looking at him, for the first time. His eyes were open, raw, and vulnerable as they searched hers.
"Frostmask… I- I—" Autumnleap stammered.
"Hey! Autumnleap, did you say you're sorry?!" Pineshade's voice interrupted him.
Autumnleap blinked and shook himself like there had been a spell over him which suddenly shattered. Frostmask too jerked and took a deep breath, as if she had been underwater and her head had just broke back through the surface. Still, the fur down her back prickled with energy and tension as she turned to look at Pineshade and Poolcloud padding up to them.
"Uh— Yeah- yeah," Frostmask stuttered, shaking her ears as she tried to shake off the weird feeling. "He did. It's okay."
Pineshade nodded.
"Good," she said, shooting Autumnleap a sharp look.
But, it seemed like it hardly registered for the dark ginger warrior. He was still looking at Frostmask and blinking a foggy look out of his eyes.
"Well, Poolcloud and I grabbed a couple of birds on our way here, but I was thinking we should probably head back towards Fourtrees," Pineshade continued. "We still have time to hunt on the way back, but the night's getting on, and we have to make sure we're back by sunrise, right?"
"Right," Frostmask echoed, getting to her paws and taking a step after her as Pineshade and Poolcloud began to pad back the way they came.
Frostmask blinked and turned back to Autumnleap when she realized he was still sitting by the river.
"You coming?" she asked.
Autumnleap shook his pelt.
"Yeah, of course," he mumbled, getting to his paws and following the rest of them.
It was still before dawn by the time they made it back to camp with their prey. They had managed to double their haul on their way back to the stepping stones, so it was still a good amount of fresh-kill despite the fact they had lost time hiding from Paledusk and the RiverClan deputy.
As Frostmask reflected back on the conversation she overheard between them, she remembered Perchpelt mentioning that the hunting was poor close to the riverbank.
We'll go deeper into their territory next time.
Frostmask had also noticed Autumnleap seemed a bit broody for the rest of the hunt, but she didn't think he seemed to be in pain. So, she did her best to brush his mood off, although the fur down her back rose again with a shiver when she remembered the strange feeling she had staring into his dark amber eyes.
"I'll let Sedgestar know we're back and about the conversation we heard," Poolcloud muttered around the prey in his mouth as they walked through the thorn tunnel into the camp.
They headed over to the fresh-kill pile to drop their prey off, and Poolcloud went over to Sedgestar's den.
Frostmask sighed softly. She was looking forward to napping in her nest before dawn, but as she, Pineshade, and Autumnleap turned towards the warriors' den, a dark shadow detached itself from near the bush and padded up to them. Frostmask narrowed her eyes as she recognized Dampfang, but he ignored her and Autumnleap, heading straight for Pineshade. Pineshade shot Frostmask a look that said not this again before she turned to Dampfang.
"Pineshade—" Dampfang began.
"Dampfang. Enough," Pineshade meowed firmly but quietly before he could continue. "You have to stop doing this. I don't want to hang out with you, okay? You have to stop bothering me."
Dampfang kneaded his claws into the ground.
"Okay, yeah, I get it," he mumbled. "But, please, give me just one more chance. Just one time, I promise. Let's go for a walk so we can talk privately, and after that, if you never want to see my face again, I'll leave you alone forever."
Pineshade was silent for a long moment. Frostmask felt the fur on her shoulder stir as Autumnleap padded closer to her side as he also waited to see what Pineshade would say.
Finally, Pineshade gave a curt nod.
"Alright. I'll come," she meowed.
"Thank you," Dampfang said, and Frostmask felt a bit surprised to hear what sounded like real relief in his voice.
"See you guys later," Pineshade said to Autumnleap and Frostmask as she followed Dampfang out of camp.
Autumnleap gave a quiet, discontented growl as Pineshade's black tail disappeared into the tunnel.
"Nothing but trouble will come from that," he grumbled.
"I don't think Pineshade's that frog-brained," Frostmask said in her defense.
Autumnleap snorted, seeming unconvinced.
"Pineshade's been in love with him for a long time," Autumnleap muttered darkly. "And, feelings like that can't be shaken off like rain water. They stick on you."
"You sound a bit bitter, Autumnleap. Are you speaking from experience?" Frostmask said, the quip coming out of her mouth without her thinking about it.
But, she felt a pang of regret about it immediately, which grew only stronger when she glanced over at Autumnleap and saw him looking at her in surprise. Her pelt suddenly flushed with heat, and she wished she could snatch the words back.
"I- er… bad joke," Frostmask muttered quickly, her ears burning as she turned away from him.
"Well maybe I am," Autumnleap said, and Frostmask was relieved that his voice contained only his normal cheerfulness and teasing, no weird emotions. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Another time. I think I've had enough drama for one night," Frostmask said drily over her shoulder as she padded towards the warriors' den. "Right now, my nest is calling my name much more strongly than anything else. Come on, I'll show you where yours is."
Author's Note:
Autumnleap: Stay cool, we're on this fun adventure in SkyClan territory, hanging out, having a good time. This is the prefect time to talk to Frostmask and tell her how I feel. I've just got to steer the conversation in the right direction.
Autumnleap: "Hey, Frostmask—?"
Frostmask: "Have you ever thought about how all life exists on a razor-thin precipice, and the specter of death follows each of us constantly, liable to strike at any moment?"
Autumnleap: … Well crap.
Ah, there's nothing more romantic than a conversation about mortality.
Fun fact: this convo between Autumnleap and Frostmask actually parallels the one in Chapter One between Frost and her mom. Although now Frostmask and May have switched places. Our poor girl is so sad and disillusioned now.
But, I guess good for Frostmask for moving from obliviousness about Autumnleap's crush to willful ignorance/denial? Haha… progress?
Thanks for reading and reviewing! Also I just want to give everyone a heads up that the stay at home order in my location is lifting, so I will be going back to work soon, which unfortunately means I won't have as much time to write and won't be putting up chapters as quickly as I've been for the past couple of months.
Reviews:
Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Yeah, Frostmask still needs to find out the truth of her parentage and deal with the ramifications from that. So although, I'm definitely in the second act of the story right now, there's still a ways to go before it's done (judging by my outline, I think it will end up being about 40 chapters, maybe a little more or a little less.) So, I hope you aren't getting bored of reading about Frostmask's drama yet haha!
Brian.H.H: Thank you! Very true point about how they don't normally want to kill in battle. This is sort of a side note, but I imagine in this time period of the clans that I'm writing about, killing in battle between clans is slightly more prominent than in the current era of books. Like it is still considered dishonorable, but it happens more frequently. To avoid huge causalities, I imagine that before very serious battles, Clans may pick out specific cats to target either because they are important cats to assassinate or just to send a message. Like although ThunderClan doesn't have any proof of this, I think Morningstar suspects that it wasn't a coincidence that his son Rockstorm was one of the cats SkyClan killed.
SavvySpirit: The saddest part was Swoopstrike wasn't even old! He was only like 2 1/2 years old when he died :( Although he definitely gave off "grumpy old man" energy lol. Hm Birdstrike and Slatewhisker might make reappearance, we will see. Lol well Birdstrike isn't really that much of a jerk, she's just got dementia and is confused :( And has to deal with Paledusk as her son lol. And, about the "-mask" suffix, it is a really naming suffix used in the books (for Nightmask and Silvermask, though they are background characters) so, yes, feel free to use it!
Avalanche: We will have to wait and see!