Thanks to Reviewers: Mikaceous, Leafshadow, & Pandean

We'll break our fast with friends.
Once we're fed we shall disappear rapidly,
Many moons to the west of here and happily,
Our journey never ends.

-Come along by Cosmo Sheldrake

I love his songs. A few reference stories, folk tales, and books, and it's fun to figure out which is what.

Chapter 10: The Travelers

The days following the half-moon passed swiftly even as they dragged. Compared to Bravepaw's first days after her apprentice ceremony, the next three days were dull and routine. The medicine cats stuck to camp and rested. When Bravepaw tried to discuss the night of the halfmoon, there was always some duty to keep her or Halfshine busy. With Cedarberry in the den and at least one cat in camp, there was no private opportunity for Bravepaw and Halfshine to discuss the vision further. As Bravepaw didn't want any cat to overhear and worry, she refrained from pushing the matter.

Cedarberry occasionally left the den to stretch her legs and get food. Halfshine insisted she stay healthy, and crouching over Hedgepaw wouldn't make her better sooner. Once a day, Halfshine and Bravepaw practice battle moves, and even her brothers joined in for a particular training session. Bravepaw lost. As did Halfshine. It wasn't unexpected, but the fun she'd been having drained away as she realized how unprepared she was to battle.

At least Halfshine didn't try keep her from his work. To keep up his promise of teaching her, Halfshine let her assist him by gathering coltsfoot and more honey from his storage so he could rewrap Hedgepaw's tail. The process was slow and Halfshine was thorough. He checked for areas of pus. Bravepaw knew he did not want to let a second round of infection set into his work.

As the days passed, the urgency over the vision faded. Nothing had happened this half-moon and maybe nothing would happen for many more half-moons. Certainly, none of the prey smelled strange and no cats vomited blood. The bristling of Bravepaw's fur slowly started to relax. She began to sleep through the night, her dream unhaunted by the red moon and choking cats.

Hedgepaw's amputated tail slowly grew less red and felt less warm to the touch; yet the gray apprentice seemed to only grow thinner and her eyes did not focus. Then one day, Hedgepaw's health turned for the better. Her eyes cleared and she began to acknowledge the cats around her. She ate better when Cedarberry fed her. Even Halfshine didn't appear as tense when he examined her. Bravepaw knew then, that Hedgepaw would be all right. The lump of stone in her chest felt a little lighter.

Bravepaw hovered nearby while Hedgepaw whispered replies to Halfshine and Cedarberry. When Bravepaw got a chance to say she was glad her sister was getting better, Hedgepaw didn't even turn in her direction. There wasn't even an ear flick to acknowledge her words. Bravepaw lowered her tail and went to gather mousebile for the elders.

Hedgpaw's refusal to speak with Bravepaw was something that neither Halfshine nor Cedarberry missed. Cedarberry asked Hedgepaw what the matter was, but the gray apprentice refused to answer the question.

Halfshine followed Bravepaw to the herb storage. He sat while she gathered the pelt of fur that was soaked in mousebile. Getting it prepared was one of her least favorite duties, but right now she preferred it to the snowy silence of her sister.

"She'll be all right," Halfshine meowed. "She's too stubborn to give up."

"But why didn't she talk to me?" Bravepaw meowed.

Halfshine tapped his tail on the dust. "Too tired? Scared? Ashamed? Give her time. She has to adjust. I'm sure she'll talk to you again in no time."

The only outstanding injury in camp in those days following the halfmoon occurred when Hunterpaw stumbled into a rabbit hole. He limped into the medicine den on a twisted his paw, escorted by Pheasant-tail. The den was crowded with so many cats inside. One more would have pushed the limits, so Pheasant-tail left his apprentice in their care. Even Cedarberry declared she was going for a walk. Clearly, she had seen too many of her kits in the medicine den at once. She licked Hedgepaw's head and left to walk off her anxiousness.

Bravepaw was not about to leave, not when she was about to actually treat a patient.

Halfshine told Hunterpaw to lay down, and probed Hunterpaw's front leg with his paws.

"Hunterpaw has no open wounds," Halfshine meowed as he examined the injury. "You can see not even his fur is ripped. So, what are we looking for?"

"Broken bones," Bravepaw meowed quickly.

"Good. That would be the most worrisome. What else could be the problem?"

She found herself uncertain as she looked at her brother. She couldn't help but notice he kept sending glances over in Hedgepaw's direction. The gray apprentice quietly lay in her nest, watching.

When Bravepaw struggled for a suitable second answer, Halfshine relented. "Come and feel his leg. Tell me what you observe."

Bravepaw shuffled closer and carefully put her paws on Hunterpaw's tender limb. He twitched at her touch and she nearly jumped away. She took a deep breath and tried again. Other than his fur moving across his bones, she didn't know what to expect. She wondered if she risked adding any pressure. She knew her touch was light, perhaps too light, but she didn't want to hurt him.

"Ask him, what kind of pain is it," Halfshine murmured. He sat to the side, tail curled over his paws.

"Hunterpaw," Bravepaw meowed quickly. "How does it feel when I do this?"

"It hurts."

"How?" Halfshine meowed. "Throbbing or sharp?"

"Both?" meowed the apprentice.

He winced as Bravepaw hesitantly pushed down. She didn't feel anything else moving when it shouldn't.

"Can you move your leg?" she hesitantly asked, wondering if that was a good idea or if that would make his injury worse.

He complied and she could feel his joint moving. It was slow and he breathed in sharply at the movement, but other than slowly sliding back and forth, nothing outstanding pointed to anything direly out of place.

"I don't think it's broken," Bravepaw meowed. "He can move it. I don't see any bones poking out, it isn't twisted oddly. He is moving smoothly, if painfully."

"I would say your judgement is correct," Halfshine meowed. "Which leads to the second possibility: joint injury. His ligaments and muscles were stretched beyond what they should have. You may have noticed the swelling compared to his opposite limb."

Bravepaw was ashamed to realize she hadn't compared his legs, but when she pulled away, she could see that despite his fur, one front leg was a little larger than the other.

"This injury is common enough and easily taken care of," Halfshine was meowing. "What do you think is the treatment?"

Bravepaw thought quickly. If there were no open wounds, there was nothing to bind. But he was in pain and something had to be done. "Relive his pain."

"And keep it from getting worse," Halfshine added. "Good. Hunterpaw, the next few days will be easy for you. You aren't to do any training. No hunting, no patrolling. Keep yourself off of your leg if you want it to get better."

"But I can't just stay in camp all day!" Hunterpaw wailed. "I just got to be an apprentice!"

"You can and you will," Halfshine meowed. "You rest and you heal. If you press yourself, then you heal slower and you risk injuring yourself permanently. Broken bones aren't the only thing that can keep you from your duties. You tear off one of your tendons and you won't even be able to walk on that leg."

Hunterpaw's mouth fell open and he stared at Halfshine. Then his eyes darted toward Hedgepaw again. Their sister rested her chin on her paws, staring back at them.

Halfshine sighed. "No, you won't lose your paw."

Hunterpaw's eyes snapped back to Halfshine. "T-that wasn't what I—" but Hunterpaw's reddened ears told a different story.

"Halfshine isn't incompetent!" Bravepaw burst in. "He won't let your leg get that bad!"

She felt she had to say something. She knew that Halfshine would never risk amputation lightly. Hunterpaw had probably never feared he'd be in such a position until he twisted his leg. Halfshine would make sure she also never did anything to hurt Hunterpaw. Even if Hedgepaw had turned for the worse, their sister was recovering now!

Hunterpaw looked too ashamed to say anything in response. In the nest Hedgepaw's head was tilted as she gazed at her wrapped tail.

"You will be fine," Halfshine meowed reassuringly. "Rest is all you need. I will let Pheasant-tail know, but you have to keep off your leg. And even if your paw was that badly damaged, you would still make a fine warrior. It would just take a little retraining and a different hunting technique. So, let's make sure it doesn't get that bad, shall we? Bravepaw, go to my storage and select what herbs you would use to treat his pain, and give me your reasoning."

Bravepaw was grateful to leave the immediate area. In time, Hunterpaw's leg was wrapped in the poultice and heather fronds. As there was no infection to combat, the only thing they needed to do was reduce swelling and pain of his strained joint. Soon, he was limping for the daylight. Bravepaw cleaned up the scattered leaves and fur in the nest.

"Can I go too?" Hedgepaw demanded.

Halfshine approached his long-term patient. "Are you feeling up for it?"

"Yes," Hedgepaw meowed. "I don't want to be here anymore. I want sunlight."

"I will allow it," Halfshine meowed. "If you feel too tired, come back."

"All I've done is rest!"

"And you need it," Halfshine meowed. "You've had trauma. Your body needs to recover. As does your mind. Give yourself time to adjust. Bravepaw, assist your sister. Just outside. Do not go too far. If you start feeling dizzy, come back immediately."

His look was stern, but Hedgepaw avoided his look as she rose to her paws. She swayed a little.

Bravepaw darted to her side. She pressed against her sister, wanting to let Hedgepaw lean against her. Hedgepaw flinched at her touch, and seemed like she was trying to avoid touching Bravepaw, but in the end gave up. She said nothing as she tottered to the entry. Her steps were hesitant like a cat who hadn't used her legs in a long while and did not have the strength for it.

Halfshine's eyes were on them as they left. They watched the stump of Hedgepaw's tail. Bravepaw looked at it too. It wobbled up and down as though fighting for balance. She wondered what it would be like to walk without her tail and tried not to shiver at the thought.

When the sisters exited the den, no one seemed to notice at first. Not even Hunterpaw who limped toward Flickpaw. The white tomcat had rolled onto his back, dozing in the sunlight. There had been days of rain, so now that the sun had returned, each cat was content to bask in the warmth.

Hedgepaw came to a stop. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Her ribs pressed against Bravepaw as if being away from the smell of herbs was glorious. It was the first time she'd left the den in nearly a quarter moon, Bravepaw realized.

One or two heads turned in Bravepaw and Hedgepaw's direction as the two she-cats stood beside the den entry. Newfang was the first to rush to her apprentice.

"Hedgepaw!" The gray she-cat with the white chest and paws nuzzled her apprentice. "I am so glad to see you walking in camp!"

Bravepaw watched a slow smile light her sister's eyes. It was the first expression of happiness Bravepaw had seen since their apprentice ceremony.

"How are you feeling?"

"I. . ." Hedgepaw tilted her head. She looked at a loss for words. Her shoulders slumped and the light fled her gaze as quickly as it had entered.

"At least you are still with us," Newfang meowed, licking her apprentice's forehead. "Did you want to eat with us?"

Hedgepaw looked up and nodded.

"Bravepaw?" Newfang meowed, looking over.

Bravepaw didn't miss the glare that Hedgepaw sent over her shoulder. What? Did she not like that Newfang was asking for her opinion?

"Halfshine said she couldn't go far from the den," Bravepaw meowed. Maybe that's what Hedgepaw didn't like: She wanted to be out! But just as in Hunterpaw's case, Bravepaw would rather her sister recover than re-injure herself.

"Then curl up right here," Newfang meowed. "I'll bring you a rabbit."

Hedgepaw's mentor was quickly replaced by Cedarberry.

"You're out," Cedarberry meowed. "Are you sure you're doing all right?"

"Yes," Hedgepaw meowed. "I didn't want to be in the den anymore."

"Good," Cedarberry meowed. "If Halfshine agrees, we'll walk together every day."

Hedgepaw looked as if she liked that idea. She slowly settled down, resting on her side in the sunlight. Bravepaw noticed she carefully kept what was left of her tail behind her as if trying to hide the stump from curious gazes. It was the first time in a quarter moon the Clan had seen their newest apprentice. They certainly wanted to know how she was. The warriors came by in a steady trickle, eager to say how well Hedgepaw looked. Some of it may have only been words, but at least they were trying to set the she-cat at ease.

Seeing Cedarberry take care of Hedgepaw and Newfang bringing the rabbit, Bravepaw felt her own hunger. She left to get something for herself and Halfshine.

As she left, Harestar approached the group. He ambled from Bloomfur and Gorsepath's sides to join the apprentice. Purplethistle hadn't made it back to the camp yet, but when she did, Bravepaw had a feeling the calico she-cat would be quick to give support to a fellow tunneler as well.

Bravepaw was too far away to hear Harestar's voice other than the low rumble. Hedgepaw looked up at him with wide eyes. His expression was a mixture of concern and kindness. It was a great honor to speak with their leader. Bravepaw was certain he was either consoling her for her loss of her tail or he was welcoming her back into the Clan. It was a generous thing for him to do.

He was still speaking with her when Bravepaw retreated back to the medicine den with a quail for her and Halfshine.

"I hear Harestar outside," Halfshine meowed when Bravepaw dropped the bird in front of him.

"He is. Sorry, I left Hedgepaw, but she seemed fine with the company of others. They're feeding her and talking with her."

"Good," Halfshine meowed. "I am glad she was willing to get out."

"You wanted her to leave?" Bravepaw tilted her head.

"I am not done treating her, but she needs to leave the den once and a while. I wasn't going to force her out before she was ready." Halfshine sniffed the quail. "Until she was prepared to let others see her, I would let her stay. Still, both she and Cedarberry were becoming rather at home here, so I am glad it was sooner rather than later. We aren't here just for physical needs, Bravepaw. We are emotional as well as physical healers. Sometimes one is harder than the other."

Bravepaw was reminded about the conversation she and Halfshine had had on their return from the Moonstone. That brought the vision forefront to her mind once more. In that moment, Bravepaw realized they were alone in the medicine den for the first time in days.

"Halfshine?" Bravepaw meowed. "Can we talk about the vision?"

He looked up. "Do you have any more information? Did StarClan tell you anything?"

She blinked. Why would StarClan tell her anything? She shivered at the thought. She still didn't want to speak with them. She was hoping they'd said something to him.

"No, I just really wanted to talk," Bravepaw meowed. "We haven't had time with everything that's happened. I have so many questions. Like. . . Divepaw told me the other day that she and Rainleaf share dreams with StarClan together. Why didn't you show StarClan to me at my ceremony? Or with the others last half-moon?"

Halfshine's pupils narrowed. "The vision didn't really let that happen—"

"No," Bravepaw meowed. "If you'd been sleeping, you would have received the vision just like the others. You still haven't, have you?"

The fur on his shoulders bristled. Halfshine shoved the untouched quail in her direction. "Here, eat your fill."

He walked away from her a few steps and then back.

"Halfshine?"

His tail lashed as he turned to face her once more. As suddenly as he'd began pacing, her mentor sat down again. He sighed. "Bravepaw, I can't explain everything. StarClan doesn't speak all the time. I have not heard from StarClan in a long while."

She could hear him choke on the words as if they stuck in his throat like a bone.

"Dreams are not always shared," he went on. "Divepaw and Rainleaf's experience will be different from our own. They speak to different ancestors so don't ask her for advice."

There was something wrong with those words. Bravepaw could feel it. Halfshine's expression had shifted from uncertain to angry. Was he angry she'd asked another apprentice StarClan secrets before asking him?

"I know you are my mentor and I should ask you first," Bravepaw meowed, "but it's not as if we have another medicine cat apprentice in WindClan for me to speak to."

Her brothers had each other. Even Hedgepaw had them to rely on when she returned to training, but Bravepaw had no one but herself and Halfshine to talk to about her doubts and worries about the vision. About her future. For the past few days, Halfshine had managed to avoid even that!

"That's fine," Halfshine meowed, sounding as if it wasn't really. "But don't compare her training to yours. It will be different."

"Yes, Halfshine," Bravepaw meowed. "But I have so many questions, and you won't talk to me."

"Talk?" Halfshine's ears went back. "When have I not told you anything? I am teaching you skills to be a medicine cat, how to fight, and I've even told you about the FifthClan. What more do you want?"

Bravepaw's heart pounded. She knew he was trying. When he wasn't being stubborn about her safety, he so good at explaining, but there was something at the tip of her tongue, something at the corner of her eyes she felt as if she kept missing.

"StarClan," Bravepaw meowed. "Talk to me about StarClan."

Halfshine looked away. "What more can I say about them? If they aren't going to explain their vision, how can I do any better? I am as frustrated as you, Bravepaw. Don't you think I'm worried about WindClan too? I want to know what is threatening them. I don't want them dying. But unless StarClan tells you what the vision means, I don't have answers for you."

"Me, Halfshine?" Bravepaw meowed. "Why does it have to be me StarClan speaks to?"

Halfshine blinked and he realized to late the slip of his tongue. He'd said StarClan would have to tell her about the vision. As if his speaking to them was not a possibility.

"It doesn't matter," Halfshine meowed. He stood and turned for the entrance. "I'll get your sister. You eat."

"Halfshine!"

He ignored her.

The something at the corner of her eye darted in, then away, her mind unable to grasp it before it disappeared again. What wasn't he saying? Why wasn't she smart enough to scent it out?

Halfshine was outside before she could give chase. She didn't want to yell at him in front of their Clanmates. Whatever he didn't want to say to her, he certainly wasn't about to say in front of anyone else.

Did he not believe in StarClan? She remembered their conversation before her ceremony. Something about how StarClan was not truly powerful. She had asked him, but he said he did believe in them. And he'd told her about seeing his mother and Twistedbriar. So his refusal to meet with them in dreams did not stem from disbelief. Was he frightened like her then? Had a vision scared him so badly he didn't want to talk with StarClan either? That she doubted even less. All his words were of seemingly joyous memories of talking to loved ones after their passing. What was she missing?

She glared at the quail by her paws, but the bird had no advice for her.

Bravepaw had finished eating her portion when she became aware of sounds outside of the den. There was shouting, but not of panic. There was cheering? She quickly cleaned her muzzle and paws and left the bones. She'd bury them later. Right now she had to know what was going on in camp.

When she poked her head out, a trail of cats was walking down the slope. She didn't recognize any of them and for a moment felt her heart stop. She had often been told those outside of WindClan were not to be trusted. Had rogues and loners without honor come to invade them?

While cats were rushing forward, there were no drawn claws. The groups met and touched noses. One or two warriors jumped up on their back legs and leaped about like kits, taking playful swipes at the unknown cats. The sandy-ginger tom with darker ginger stripes in the lead responded in kind and they bounded around the camp as though they were not as old as they were. Why wasn't anyone attacking?

"The Travelers!"

Bravepaw twisted to look at her mother and Hedgepaw beside the medicine den entry. Newfang, and her brothers also lay beside the injured apprentice. She flicked her ears wondering where Halfshine had wandered off too. So much for getting Hedgepaw.

She returned her gaze to the newcomers. The Travelers? She had long heard about them, but she'd never actually expected them. They were a story much like Snakebelly trapped in the tunnels or LionClan's battles with LeopardClan. In the tale of the Travelers, a group of roving cats came around every four seasons and left after a moon or so. WindClan provided them a place to stay and food to eat and the Travelers helped the Clan hunt and gave them stories. As far as Bravepaw knew, no other Clans were visited by the Travelers.

There were at least ten of the newcomers. They had dispered among the Clan while the leader, the sandy-ginger with dark ginger stripes, stopped bounding about the camp and came to rest in front of Harestar. The new tom lowered his head. Harestar responded in kind and they touched noses in greeting. Among the crowd was a ginger and white tom, a black tom with long fur, a slate-gray she-cat, brown cats, and two white cats who were apprentice-age and clearly siblings. Finally, two little kits clung to the heels of a light-gray she-cat with darker stripes as she slowly approached Harestar and the ginger tom.

"Go on over," Cedarberry meowed. "Go see the Travelers. Hedgepaw and I will be in the den."

Cedarberry rose to her paws.

"But, Cedarberry," Hedgepaw protested.

"No but, you need rest and all these cats darting about like flying birds won't help," Cedarberry meowed.

Hedgepaw looked exhausted. Even resting in the sunlight and talking to the others had tired her out. Cedarberry seemed to recognize that. She assisted Hedgepaw up. Although the gray apprentice seemed sad to be removed from camp during the commotion, she also appeared grateful to retreat into the darkness. Bravepaw moved out of their way and joined her brothers. They stared at the new cats. It was as if a second Clan had joined them. Was this what Gatherings would be like?

"They aren't going to bite," Newfang laughed at their expressions. "Come on. Let me introduce you. Their apprentices are called 'little paws', although they aren't really apprentices like you. They don't train, and don't have mentors. The group teaches them to hunt."

The Travelers were surrounded by cats in a press as nearly thick as Hedgepaw's well-wishers. Everyone was talking. It was like the roar of monsters on the Thunderpath, Bravepaw thought. If any twoleg were wandering the moor with their dog, they would have been attracted to the noise. Harestar did not seem to mind. He was too engaged with the leader of the Travlers. He and Purplethistle leaned against each other and laughed at whatever the tom said. Meanwhile, the she-cat with the two kits waited for the ginger tom to end his conversation. She looked only a little impatient, as she seemed to enjoy the story as well.

Newfang brought them to a group of young cats. In addition to the two white cats, Bravepaw saw a black tom with gray legs. The psuedo-apprentices were standing out of the way as if they didn't know what to do with themselves.

"How is the prey running?" Newfang asked.

"A warm day to you," the white she-cat meowed. She abruptly sneezed and wiped her running nose with her gray paw. "Sorry."

"I don't think the heather agrees with Sugar," the white tom meowed. "She's been sneezing since we left the twolegplace. I'm Sprout, by the way!"

Sprout was pure white and his eyes were a brilliant green. He looked at the apprentices with a mischievous tilt to his whiskers. For a moment Bravepaw stared at him, convinced she'd seen him somewhere before. That curve of his head, the tremble in his whiskers sparked recognition in her. Why was he so familiar?

"Hunterpaw, Flickpaw, and Bravepaw," Hunterpaw meowed, gesturing to his siblings with his tail. He kept his injured paw lifted, but Bravepaw could see the wrapping was starting to unravel.

"I was told your names would all be the same," the third 'little paw' meowed. "I didn't believe it at first. When do your names not sound the same?"

"That is Nico," Sprout meowed. "He joined us in the twolegplace about a moon ago, so he's still learning about the Clans."

"And you know about us?" Bravepaw meowed.

"Our mother always has stories," Sugar meowed. She sniffled. "Travelers have stories about everyone. We've heard them since we were suckling."

"Do you know about us?" Sprout asked.

"We've heard stories too," Hunterpaw meowed. "I-I just didn't think they were true." He looked about as embarrassed as Bravepaw felt.

Sprout laughed. "I guess if you never left the Clan, anything outside the territory would just be stories wouldn't it?"

"Are there other Clans?" Flickpaw meowed.

"They don't call themselves Clans," Sprout meowed. "But there are cats everywhere! I'll tell you a story if you want?"

The mischievous look returned. Bravepaw felt herself smiling back. She wondered if it would be a true story or something more like LionClan.

They were about to settle down when Harestar leapt to the top of the Rockpile. He summoned the cats and the conversations grew quiet.

"Welcome, everyone," he meowed. "We are grateful for the safe return of our friends, the Travelers!"

When the cheers finally subsided, Harestar continued, "We look forward to their stories and their company. Gorsepath will be working them into our patrols as usual, so if you have any requests, let him know. Elijah has also brought two kits to our Clan."

The sandy-ginger tom with the dark stripes stood when Harestar gestured to him. "WindClan, I bring two future warriors to you. We found these two kits in the Twolegplace. They were alone and their mother could not be found. We knew that your Clan would be able to provide for them in ways that we cannot. Harestar has been gracious enough to allow them into your Clan."

"I present to you Flintkit and Timberkit," Harestar meowed.

The two kits in question looked nervous where they stood beside the light-silver she-cat.

"Isn't she their mother?" Bravepaw meowed. She couldn't imagine any queen giving up her kits so easily.

"Tuck?" Sprout whispered back. "No. She's mine and Sugar's mother. She's been looking after Flint and Timber them since we found them."

"Bloomfur will be looking after them until they are six moons old," Harestar continued. "They are older than her own kits, but will make good siblings. We will look after them as though they had been born into our Clan."

There were more cheers. Not even a whisker twitch to signify anyone was against this decision.

"Thank you, Harestar," Elijah meowed. "The Travelers appreciate your hospitality. Friends and family, we celebrate our reunions!"

With that, the meeting seemed to be over. Harestar left his perch and joined the rest of the cats below. Bloomfur greeted the kits, her own children looking at their new siblings with wide-eyes.

"Flickpaw!"

The group looked up to see Leanstep trotting closer. "Would you go hunting with the apprentices? With so many mouths to feed we'll need more prey."

Flickpaw's eyes shined. "Yes, Leanstep!"

His mentor nodded and hurried onward as she gathered her own hunting patrol.

Flickpaw looked at Hunterpaw. "We can take the little paws to Turtle Pond, there's alway someth- Oh, you can't. You're hurt."

His whiskers drooped.

Hunterpaw looked at his lifted paw and sighed. "It's no fair."

"What happened?" Sugar asked, blinking her eyes. Bravepaw noticed the blood vessels were more red than a typical cat's. The heather must really not have agreed with her.

"I hurt it earlier when hunting," Hunterpaw meowed. His voice was exaggerated as if he expected sympathies. "Now I'm supposed to stay off it. I can't hunt, I can't even go anywhere. I'm going to have to stay in came forever!"

Bravepaw snorted. It wasn't that bad.

"Don't worry," Sprout meowed. "We can help you hunt."

"Great!" Flickpaw meowed. "Let's go!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Hunterpaw meowed. "You can't just go without me!"

"We have to hunt," Flickpaw meowed. "Leanstep is expecting us to bring back prey."

"Then I'm coming too," Hunterpaw meowed.

"Hunterpaw," Bravepaw protested, "Halfshine told you to-"

"I'll stay off my paw," Hunterpaw meowed, his tail making a quick circle behind him as if that were the most obvious thing. "Just because I can't hunt, doesn't mean I can't go for a walk with the new cats. We're supposed to be spending time together!"

Hunterpaw looked as if anything she said he wasn't going to listen to. Bravepaw glanced around, but Halfshine wasn't anywhere. She couldn't ask him to tell Hunterpaw differently. She knew Hunterpaw was supposed to rest, but his fear of losing his paw had disapeared with the Travelers coming.

"I can't leave Flickpaw alone, either," Hunterpaw meowed, his voice still exaggerated. "What if he were to be ambushed or attacked?"

"By us or another Clan?" Sprout meowed, amused.

"You never know," Hunterpaw purred. "I've got to protect my brother."

"You can't re-injure your leg," Bravepaw meowed.

"It's already feeling better," he meowed, shaking the fronds and poultice off the rest of the way. "Those really did the trick."

"Hunterpaw!"

"As long as I keep off of it, I'll be fine. I'll just watch. Now, let's go." He flicked his tail toward the slope that lead outside of camp. He started in the direction. His step was limping, but he was trying to keep off of it.

Flickpaw gave her shrug and started following. The rest of the group was eager to get started. Sprout sent her a sympathetic glance and then seemed to realize she wasn't following.

"Aren't you coming, Bravepaw?" he meowed.

"You aren't going to tell on us, are you?" Flickpaw meowed. He sounded frightened of the idea.

Hunterpaw smacked him with his tail. "You didn't have to give her the idea."

"Yes, come with us, Bravepaw," Nico meowed. "Your brother will be fine! Especially if you keep an eye on him."

Bravepaw knew she was being manipulated. If she went with them, then obviously she couldn't tell anyone. But who was she supposed to tell? Halfshine was no where in sight, and the rest of the Clan was busy with the Travelers. THey were too distracted to pay attention to their apprentices, let alone one sneaking out on a busted paw. Even Rustling-grass was enjoying the company. The old dark brown she-cat had left the elders' den to sit beside one of the older members of the Travelers. Downyclaw must have remained behind. The excitment probably was too much for the tom in his condition.

Bravepaw gnawed on her whiskers. She really wanted to go with them and Hunterpaw did look as if he were trying to keep pressure off his foot. It wasn't like it was broken either. They'd only told him what could happen at the worst. He only needed to relax his duties, but he wasn't nest-bound like Hedgepaw. Besides, she could keep an eye on him better this way, then trying to report to the nearest warrior about how hare-brain he was being. Just as Hunterpaw wanted to look good for the newcomers, Bravepaw wanted her first impression to be positive as well. They'd be returning every four seasons. What if they just saw her as the no-fun apprentice and wanted nothing to do with her afterward? What if they thought she was unfriendly, like Divepaw probably did?

Bravepaw looked at Sprout's green eyes and nodded.

"Let's go."