Two days of relative peace past before disaster struck again. A bright sunny day brought with it another Treeclan battle, resulting in another harsh defeat for Grassclan. Swiftcloud was among the first to burst into camp, body riddled with various wounds. A cat had seen her hardly healed shoulder and went to town on it, leaving the gash much deeper than before. Any hopes of it healing properly were long gone. Shadowfang also returned to camp with a wound that would potentially scar. A slash on his flank turned sleek black fur rusty brown. The wound was deep, still gushing and angry. Swiftcloud worried for him. Even more injuries littered the tom than on her. Shadowfang's leg had been wounded too, deeply bitten in the meat of his thigh. The young warrior would probably be nest-ridden for a half moon or more. What will I do without my partner? Swiftcloud worried, letting Shadowfang lean on her. She led him slowly over to the medicine cat's den, where he could rest and soon be tended to. Upon emerging, Swiftcloud could see more of the damage from today's battle. Rabbitstorm seemed to be sporting a similar wound to hers, on the opposite shoulder. Jaybird fussed over him, trying to clean the cuts and get the bloodstains out of his mostly white fur. A ways off, Nectarpaw was licking a bloody white paw, assisted by her sister Lilacpaw who cleaned a slash on her back. Cowpatch was behind her, licking blood from a bite on her tail. Rosebloom was two tail-lengths away, twisted around, nosing at some fresh cobweb laid down by Mistypaw on her flank. And by Tall Stone, Tigerfang receive furious licks on the muzzle by Whitestar, who was no doubt mewing complaints of foolishness to her mate.
Ambereye was one of the last cats to burst through the bramble tunnel, pelt darkened with thick crimson blood. She stood by the entrance panting heavily, as if she had just ran home all the way from Split Rock. Her legs shook violently as she stepped forward, so much so that it caused her to collapse. She let out a deep wheeze then began to spasm on the floor. Distressed yowls rose up from Swiftcloud's clanmates as cats started to surround the seizing warrior. Goldensong and Mistypaw pushed through the crowd, corraling the onlookers towards the edges of camp to give Ambereye room to breathe.
Ambereye withered against the earth for a few moments more before tensing up, her body locking into an odd position. The amber warrior's front end stay outstretched, paws reaching across the grass with claws extended uncomfortably. Her back end lay curled up, tail wrapped around back paws which pressed against her belly, toes curled together tightly. Ambereye's head lay at a crooked angle, one ear to the floor and jaws locked wide open. A high pitched whine of agony escaped the her, tears streaming down her face. The only part of herself she was able to move was her eyes, which darted around wildly.
"Goldensong! Snowfrost! Mistypaw!" Jaybird cried out as she ran to her mate's side. The queen licked Ambereye furiously, crying into her fur as she waited for help to arrive. Goldensong came running over, Mistypaw in toe with a supply of herbs. She halted by the frozen warrior's side, gasping out as she bared witness to what had become of the amber warrior now.
"Starclan!" She shrieked.
As she did so, Ambereye's eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her chest immediately stopped moving, followed by a sickening gurgling sound. Cats backed away in horror, and Jaybird pulled herself that much closer to her mate. Swiftcloud found herself frozen in terror. She wanted to flee, to hide her face in some cat's pelt or to hide away in a den, but her paws would not allow her to move.
It was only a few more moments before the noises emitted from Ambereye finally stopped. Everything lay eerily still and it seemed as if Goldensong had to force herself to approach and examine the warrior. She lifted a shaky paw, resting it upon the cat's chest.
"She's gone... She hunts with Starclan now." She announced solemnly. Jaybird began to wail. Mistypaw brought herself to her mother's side instantly, pressing her fluffy body against her comfortingly. A few silver tears dripped down her pale face, and Swiftcloud felt herself move to flank the apprentice's other side. Mistypaw turned her head to press it into Swiftcloud's shoulder, and Swiftcloud gave her a few calming licks between the ears in return. She could feel how tense the other molly was, how grief had already latched onto her like a burr to a thick pelt.
More warriors began to bring themselves closer to Ambereye, Whitestar pushing herself to the front. She looked distraught, ears lowered and tail drooping.
"Ambereye..." She whispered, settling by the molly's head. "I'm so sorry..." The Grassclan leader dipped her head, sobbing softly to herself. Her mouth moved but the words she spoke were unable to be heard. Perhaps Whitestar was saying her final goodbyes, apologizing more, or praying. Whatever she had said led her to rest her muzzle on top of Ambereye's. Swiftcloud waited for the leader to move, but it did not appear as if she would anytime soon. She must have been closer to Ambereye than I'd realized. The sight of Grassclan's leader sobbing and miserable was hard to take in. It was hard seeing any cat upset, but Whitestar? This was becoming too much for Swiftcloud to bare. Still, she remained by the fallen warrior's side for the time being to pay her respects.
Swiftcloud took a pace away from Mistypaw to share tongues with Ambereye one last time. As Swiftcloud prayed, looking at the deceased she-cat, she noticed something peculiar. The way Ambereye laid was the position she had died in. But the way she looked seemed eerily familiar.
Swiftcloud thought back to her early days in the clan, to the time of her first assessment. She remembered how she found poor Waspwing. Now, Swiftcloud realized, he was laying in almost the exact same way as Ambereye was.
Another dead clan member's memory crawled into Swiftcloud's mind. Butterflytail-the Guard warrior, the sire to Whitestar's litter- had come to camp after a battle and collapsed in a way very similar to Ambereye. When he finally lay still, his body matched Waspwing's and Ambereye's. How is that possible?
Swiftcloud moved, placing herself close to Whitestar so she could examine Ambereye's muzzle. Narrowing her eyes, Swiftcloud noticed a few bright red drops of a liquid clinging to the warrior's lips, one or two dripping down the bottom of her chin. Blood? No. It couldn't possibly be blood. Compared to the thick dark red which caked around Ambereye's wounds, the liquid on her mouth was much different. That was another thing which reminded Swiftcloud of Waspwing. He had the same thing too. Hadn't Goldensong said it was berry juice? Berry juice... Swiftcloud suddenly remembered the bush she'd found during the investigation of Waspwing's death. Could this mean Ambereye had been poisoned, the same way he had? Perhaps Butterflytail as well?
Swiftcloud began to think about the evidence she and Dewstone had collected for Waspwing, and compared it to what had become of Ambereye. All three cats had some connection to Treeclan; Waspwing found on the border, and both Butterflytail and Ambereye returning home from a border skirmish. Could Treeclan be responsible for the warriors' deaths? It seemed to be the most logical answer, but there was still one fact out of place. If Ambereye and Butterflytail truly were poisoned, like Swiftcloud guessed, then how did either of them make it back to Grassclan's camp? Surely the poison would have taken hold long before they'd arrived. The Forest Patch was a long distance from here. Could that mean someone on Grassclan's territory had killed them?
Swiftcloud's head began to reel. All this connecting information was too much for her to bare right now. I will definitely discuss this with Dewstone later, she decided. For now, Swiftcloud needed to be healed, and to have a good rest. She stood up onto her paws, giving herself a good but painful stretch. After nuzzling Mistypaw one last time, Swiftcloud turned, taking herself to the medicine den to be with Shadowfang.
"Let all cats old enough to travel through the meadow gather here beneath the Tall Stone for a clan meeting."
The call woke Swiftcloud from her slumber the next morning, summoning her out from the warrior's den. She followed her denmates into the clearing, seating herself in the center of the crowd. Shadowfang shuffled his way through their clanmates to sit and press himself into her side. Swiftcloud leaned her head against his as they turned their muzzles towards Tallstone.
"A discussion must be held over what we are planning to do about Treeclan," Whitestar began. "Normally, this would be a meeting held only between myself and the clan's senior warriors. However, since this matter has become more personal for all of us, I believe its justified to open battle discussions up to the whole of Grassclan."
"We need strategies on how we are to take on Treeclan. If any cat has an idea, speak up now," meowed Chicorynose, green eyes scanning the crowd. A few murmurs could be caught coming from the crowd, but otherwise no one spoke up. Swiftcloud glanced around her, wondering if any cat had an idea of what to do. I might, she realized, thinking things over in her mind. She'd come up with a plan, but it might be a tricky one. Would Whitestar approve? Swiftcloud kept her mouth shut a while longer, listening, waiting to see if anyone else had something to say. But no cat said a word.
"What..what if we pushed back the border?" Swiftcloud finally managed to pipe. All eyes turned to rest upon her immediately. Swiftcloud felt small under the clan's gaze.
"Push back the border?" Chicorynose echoed, looking for further explanation. Swiftcloud gulped, giving a nod. She wouldn't stand here and allow herself to be afraid to speak up, yet alone show that to the whole clan. An unusual sense of calm settled upon her, the likes of which she hadn't felt take over since the first time she'd stepped foot in camp. Swiftcloud reinflated herself, squaring her shoulders as she spoke up again.
"Treeclan continues to cross the border, trying to 'reclaim' the forest. But what if we denied them the ability to do so? What if we created a more distinct border in the Forest Patch? Like... the... Thunder Path?"
Whispers of approval and doubt filtered through her clanmates, but Swiftcloud prevented herself from being discouraged. She looked at Tall Stone, studying Grassclan's leader, seeking her opinon. For a heartbeat Whitestar was still, as if she were thinking over the idea. In another, Swiftcloud caught an odd glimpse of thrill and pride flash in the Grassclan leader's eyes.
"Perhaps that is exactly what we need, to decrease the chances of feuds, and to stop this war once and for all. Yes...yes. Grassclan, our mission is clear now: end the war, and push back the border."
That was fast! Swiftcloud thought, confusion and yet pride swelling in her chest. Initially, she had thought Whitestar would want to give this idea more thought and discussion before deciding if this was the plan they'd go for. But perhaps the idea really was that brilliant. Or maybe for some reason Whitestar trusted her that much.
"But before we set this plan into motion, there is one more matter that must be addressed," Whitestar meowed. "The reassignment of Ambereye's apprentice, Tulippaw. In times like this, we cannot afford to wait to continue a cat's training. We need as many paws in this fight as we can get." Murmurs rippled through the crowd, as each cat looked to one another, wondering who Whitestar would choose to be mentor.
"Swiftcloud. You have proven to be a great warrior; you are ready for your first apprentice. I trust that you will be good to Tulippaw, and pass down all that Chicorynose has taught you to her in turn."
Swiftcloud jumped to her paws, eyes wide with shock. She had been chosen? Shadowfang looked beside himself with glee and smiled at her encouragingly, whispering the first of many congratulations. He nudged her, urging Swiftcloud forward to meet her new apprentice by Tall Stone's base. Tulippaw had been guided to the front of the crowd by Cowpatch. She stood waiting for her new mentor, flashing her an excited grin. Yet her eyes shone sadness; clearly this reassignment had not gone as she had once hoped. Swiftcloud felt the same. She was thrilled, yet at the same time melancholy. This was a bittersweet moment for both of them. Perhaps it would help them bond, or maybe it would serve as a wedge between them. Regardless, Swiftcloud silently swore that she would do the best she could to teach Tulippaw, and turn her into the greatest warrior Grassclan could ever ask for. Without a moment's hesitation, Swiftcloud stepped forward to touch noses with Tulippaw, her hearing dulled to the sounds of their clanmates cheering their names. I'm hardly a warrior myself, but I am going to take good care of Tulippaw for you, Ambereye. She's in safe paws. And one day soon, I'll uncover the truth about your death.