Swiftcloud was one of the first warriors to return home from battle. She was exhausted; aching, bleeding. Almost as soon as she entered through the bramble tunnel she crumpled to the floor. Her chest heaved with effort, tears pooling at the edges of her eyes.
Tabitha hurried over to her in a panic.
"Stars! Swiftcloud, what happened to you!?" She mewled, leaning down to cover her friend with licks. Swiftcloud glanced up at her, whimpering in pain. Goldensong came rushing over, alerted by the scent of blood. She helped Swiftcloud to her paws with Tabitha's assistance, guiding her carefully into the medicine den.
"It's alright now, we've got you," the golden tabby cooed comfortingly. Snowfrost was waiting for them in the heart of the den. Herbs were laid out before her paws in neatly organized piles. She helped guide Swiftcloud into a nest, ordering the injured warrior to lay on her side.
"There's a lot of blood. We're going to need a moss-cobweb combination to soak it all up. Then I think a poultice of broom, horse tail, and marigold would be best to put on her wounds. Goldenrod would work better though, but we'll have to make do with what we have," the older medicine cat noted as she turned.
"How are you feeling, Swiftcloud?" Goldensong asked. But Swiftcloud did not answer. She stared off at nothing, her mind racing. Her hearing was dulled as well, and the world around her felt distant. "She's in shock. Let's give her some thyme and lavender. Some burnet and juniper berries for strength, too."
Snowfrost nodded, picking out herbs with her expertly trained paws. She carried them over to her colleague, seating herself nearby to observe and provide aid.
Goldensong worked hard to gain control of Swiftcloud's shoulder injury. The wound gushed blood, staining the warrior's white fur crimson. Snowfrost passed Goldensong the moss-cobweb mixture, observing for signs of complications.
"Her wounds are deep," Snowfrost noted, leaning closer.
"But she's young. Surely, she will heal quickly." Goldensong added, applying pressure to the wound. Swiftcloud groaned, gritting her teeth in pain.
"Are you sure about that?" Snowfrost countered. Her eyes were narrowed, focused on the patient.
Goldensong looked at her old mentor, an unreadable expression on her face. "Nothing is ever certain," she meowed carefully, "you've taught me that lesson well."
Snowfrost hummed in response, a noise that sounded acknowledging, yet indignant. Swiftcloud didn't know if she was imagining it, or if her mind was playing tricks on her. She was in shock after all. A lot of things didn't feel real to her at the moment.
Snowfrost turned briefly from her partner, leaning down to lick up herbs. She chewed them carefully, spitting them out onto an old oak leaf to settle until Swiftcloud's wounds were under control. After a short while, Goldensong peeled back the cobwebs, assessing the blood loss. Then she scooped up some of the poultice to smear onto the warrior's shoulder. Swiftcloud whimpered and shut her eyes. As she did so, a powerfully sweet scent was stuck under her nose and stuffed into her nest. Swiftcloud took a moment to glance down. Lavender had been placed all around her, it's scent soothing the young molly almost instantly. In front of her, Snowfrost stood waiting to feed the warrior her medicine. Swiftcloud opened her mouth like a baby bird awaiting it's dinner. Snowfrost gave her the herbs, making sure the younger she-cat chewed and swallowed the entire wad of the bitter plants before turning away to create another poultice.
Outside the den, the yowls of various cats broke the silence of camp.
"The warriors are returning!" Lightpaw exclaimed just past the ivy veil, an attempt to summon the medicine cats from their chambers.
"You go, I'll take care of Swiftcloud," Goldensong insisted with a tail flick. Snowfrost looked at her old apprentice skeptically before picking up a bundle of herbs and carrying them with her into the clearing. When the older medicine cat was gone, Goldensong slipped Swiftcloud some poppy seeds.
"Here, take these. They'll numb the pain while the thyme kicks in. Don't listen to what Snowfrost said. You're... you're going to be just fine."
Swiftcloud didn't like the way Goldensong had put that last statement. But she was in no condition to argue or prod for a further explanation. Instead she licked up the tiny seeds, shuffling in her nest to get more comfortable. Not long after, she began to feel drowsy.
"We're going to need more lavender," Snowfrost meowed as she came back into the den. "Tornface's body was just returned home. And some of the warriors reek of his death stench. Myself included."
Goldensong shook her head slowly, pausing whatever task she had began doing to pass the older she-cat some of the purple flowers. A couple of stems she took and wove into Snowfrost's long fur, perhaps as an easier means to carry them, or even to act as a ward against future fowl odors. Swiftcloud could barely register what was going on anymore, her vision blurry and dark at the edges. Her eyes felt heavy with sleep, and before she'd realized it, the warrior had been pulled into a deep dreamless slumber.
Bright evening light slipped past the ivy tendrils of the medicine den, dappling the clearing in orange and gold. Swiftcloud awoke as one beam rested gently upon her face, greeting her kindly to a world of silence. Swiftcloud let out a yawn. It seemed all the craziness from the battle earlier had finally settled down. Good, she thought as she heaved a sigh.
"You're awake," a voice noted from across the den. Swiftcloud turned her head to acknowledge whoever had spoken to her. She hadn't realized another cat was present until now.
Snowfrost sat a tail-length away, a few rows of berries and flowers set at her paws. She appeared to be reorganizing them. At her side was a fat, uneaten mouse. Swiftcloud's belly rumbled, loud enough for the other molly to hear. Snowfrost's expression became soft, a gentle smile pushing at her muzzle.
"You must be famished after what you've gone through today. It's a good thing I grabbed this prey for you," she mewed as she stood. Carefully, as if handling a newborn kit, Snowfrost picked up the mouse and carried it over to Swiftcloud. She settled it in front of the warrior, giving a quiet purr. Swiftcloud glanced up at Snowfrost, a little confused at the medicine cat's behavior. She wasn't usually this sweet towards anyone except her kin, at least not that Swiftcloud had seen. Yet it'd been some time since she had been left in this particular medicine cat's care. Perhaps this was how Snowfrost's nest-side manner was with all of her patients nowadays.
Swiftcloud let go of the thought for the time being, distracted by the tasty prey laid out before her. As she bent down take a bite, a strong scent wafted from her meal. The mouse smelled a little too sweetly of lavender, caked in the perfume of the hard working medicine cat. It was almost enough to make Swiftcloud lose her appetite. It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't eat it, right? This prey could better serve to feed a hungry kit, or another injured warrior. Besides, Swiftcloud could fetch herself something else later on.
As she lifted a paw to push the mouse away, Snowfrost's tail came upon her, slapping her in the muzzle. Swiftcloud sat up in surprise. The lynx point molly fixed the younger she-cat with a glare, like a mother staring down her fussy kit. Only, the sensation of her ice blue eyes upon Swiftcloud's pelt was not as warm. Any softness the healer had shown before had completed disappeared.
"You must eat," Snowfrost insisted. "You will never heal if you do not get your strength back up. Besides, prey like this in Leafbare is too precious to waste. The other Hunting warriors worked hard to track that mouse down. Now eat." Swiftcloud shrank against the other she-cat's words, recognizing them to be true. Sucking in her breath, she craned her neck and took a slow bite from the prey. Satisfied having seen her at least take a bite, Snowfrost turned around, padding out of the den with a swish of her plumed tail. She took one last glance over her shoulder at Swiftcloud before disappearing from sight. Swiftcloud continued to eat through her prey, enjoying it's meaty flavor until it began to change. Change? Swiftcloud glanced down at the carcass as she swallowed the next mouthful she had taken. A strange red juice oozed from the now open cavity. It was too bright and too runny to be blood. A tingling, almost choking sensation began to scratch Swiftcloud's throat a moment later. She coughed, pushing the mouse away with a now flailing paw as she tried to catch her breath. Her vision began to swim and ears rang with numbness, her heart beating at an irregular rate. What's happening to me?! Swiftcloud began to panic, kneading her claws into the ground by her nest. She wanted to yowl out; beg for someone to come help her, but she couldn't bring herself to do more than gasp. Agony shot through her every nerve; blood roared in her ears. Her life force felt as if it were draining. And soon, everything slipped into darkness.
When Swiftcloud opened her eyes again, a silver shape was hovering above her. Panic shot through the patched molly, causing her to bristle. Oh no, am I in Starclan!?
"Swiftcloud..?" A familiar voice spoke to her, sounding distant and dreamy. Swiftcloud blinked a few times, her vision clearing up to reveal the figure in front of her. She was relieved to see that it was not a Starclan warrior at all. It was Mistyleaf who stood above her, staring down at her with full moon wide eyes.
"Swiftcloud!" She breathed, pressing her forehead to the warrior's. Swiftcloud blinked up at her weakly.
"Wh..at...happ..ened...?" She strained her voice to speak, finding her throat to be incredibly sore and dry. The taste of vomit clung to her tongue, making her scrunch up her nose and smack her lips in disgust.
"Something terrible," Mistyleaf responded, voice barely above a whisper. "Something sinister."
"What..?" Swiftcloud asked again.
"You...you were poisoned."
Poisoned?! Swiftcloud sat up straight in her nest, her head feeling heavy as stone. She flopped down onto her side almost instantly, eyes still wide with fear. Someone had tried to kill her?
"You've been unconscious for quite a while. I'm relieved that I was able to get to you in time. For a while I...I thought the clan was going to lose you. That Shadowfang would lose you. That...I was going to lose you..."
"Oh Mistyleaf..." Swiftcloud teared up, her mate lowering her head to rub their muzzles together. "Wait..how long have I been unconscious?"
"It's been about three days. Though you've been in and out of it for a while."
Three days..? Swiftcloud's belly twisted. Hunger and nausea battled within her system, deciding between themselves which would take over the patched molly's senses.
"How did I even survive?"
"I came into the medicine den from herb gathering, and found you choking on the ground. I fed you some yarrow to see if that would help. It was touch and go for a while... I was so worried about you."
"You saved my life." Swiftcloud was starstruck, looking up at her mate with glossy, grateful eyes. Mistyleaf perked up a little, flustered. She groomed down her chest fur, avoiding Swiftcloud's gaze.
"How could I not..? I love you."
Swiftcloud forced herself to stand, burying her face into Mistyleaf's soft fur. She smelled like mint and honey. A fresh, delicate scent that Swiftcloud was addicted to. Mistyleaf purred, licking Swiftcloud between the ears affectionately.
"I should fetch Shadowfang. He'll be thrilled to see you're finally awake. Starclan knows how much strength it took to get him to leave your side."
Swiftcloud nodded her aching head eagerly, watching the beautiful she-cat disappear behind the den's ivy curtain then reappear briefly after. Behind her, a black shadow came rushing past.
"Swiftcloud!" Shadowfang breathed, wrapping his entire body around his mate. He covered her face with licks, a loud purr rumbling in his chest. "Thank the stars! You're alive, you're ok! Starclan...thank you, thank you. Ooh my Swiftcloud..." The black tom rubbed his cheek against hers between licks, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Swiftcloud purred back at him, returning her mate's affections.
Mistyleaf watched the pair fondly. Love glowed in her pale green eyes and tears slipped down her star speckled cheeks. Swiftcloud rose briefly. She grabbed Mistyleaf by the scruff, pulling the larger molly down into the nest to create a cuddle pile. Mistyleaf and Shadowfang shuffled around for a moment until they were laying comfortably together, Swiftcloud trapped between them. The mates took this time together to share tongues in silence. The only sound filling the den was their happy relieved purrs.
"I love you both so much," Swiftcloud mewed softly after a while. She shut her eyes, taking in the presence of her mates.
"We love you too," they answered in unison, pressing themselves further into Swiftcloud. The three remained this way for the rest of the night, content to be engulfed in one another's embrace.
But Swiftcloud did not feel so secure as time passed on. An uneasiness had wormed it's way into her heart, festering like a disease. Her mind raced with the thoughts of her possible demise. Someone had deliberately tried to kill her. Swiftcloud was sure the juice oozing out of the mouse she ate was from deathberries. Who would want me dead..? She pondered, going over a list of suspects in her mind.
Treeclan was a prime target to blame. Swiftcloud had been the first to mark a new border within their territory, and had meddled with clan affairs on numerous occasions. And some, including Blazestar, still blamed her for the kitnapping of Skunkpaw. It made sense that someone in Treeclan would seek vengeance on her. But Swiftcloud wasn't willing to believe any Treeclan cat was responsible for this, just as she was sure they hadn't poisoned some of the other deceased warriors in Grassclan. So that only left the possibility of the assassin being within her own borders. Swiftcloud contemplated very hard, trying to piece together clues from the previous poisonings. What were the common factors between all of them? Who was around when all of the poisoned cats were found?
Snowfrost!
Swiftcloud sat up in her nest, eyes wide at the realization. Mistyleaf shuffled beside her slightly, aware of her mate's movements. Swiftcloud settled herself back down, resting her head on her paws as she continued considering the possibility. Snowfrost had been passing by when Swiftcloud had discovered Waspwing's corpse. She was the one to give an excuse for Butterflytail's seizures. Snowfrost had returned moments after Ambereye had collapsed in camp. And she was the one to insist Swiftcloud eat that mouse. It all made perfect sense. But could Swiftcloud really rely on this evidence to prove that the medicine cat was guilty? She wasn't sure.
Fatigue began to work it's way into the weary warrior, pulling her back into unconsciousness.
When she awoke, Swiftcloud found herself in a dimly lit forest. The trees surrounding her were nothing more than blackened silhouettes, the canopy above her a void. Fog pooled around her paws like water, and snow cascaded down from the unseen sky in thick, heavy clumps. A chilling breeze ruffled through the molly's short fur, carrying with it the sickening stench of death."Where am I..?" Swiftcloud bristled as she glanced around. In the darkness surrounding her, the patched warrior began to hear the painful cries of other cats. Panic shot through her, forcing her into a defensive crouch. Her heartbeat quickened, drumming loudly in her ears. Yet not loud enough to mask the mysterious sounds of the woods.Suddenly something brushed past her from behind, and tugged on her short tail. Swiftcloud nearly jumped out of her fur. The scared molly sprang to her paws instantly, taking off into the icy forest as fast as her legs could carry her. The woods seemed to be closing in around her as she moved, narrowing Swiftcloud's path until there was only one way she could go. The ground beneath her paws dipped, pulling her further and further along into the unknown. Swiftcloud began to slip, the frost beneath her paws making her footsteps unsteady."Swift...swift...swift..." The forest itself seemed to whispering to her ominously.Just ahead, a dried up ravine came into view, marking the end of the path. It curved around like a claw, giving way to a dead end. Swiftcloud skidded to a halt by the earthy wall, turning tail to run back in the opposite direction. But when she looked at where she came from, she noticed her exit was blocked by a wall of eyeless cats. Deceased cats, Swiftcloud realized; her clanmates. Poppycloud, Waspwing, Butterflytail, Ambereye, and Heatherwing were here. So was little Dovekit. Swiftcloud recognized Cricketsong's most recent litter among the crowd as well. But there were some other cats surrounding her that Swiftcloud didn't recognize. One looked far too similar to Chicorynose, another closer to Quailbelly. Who were they? What did these spirits want?Swiftcloud backed away from the ghosts slowly, her hindquarters making contact with the wall of the ravine. Why were they all here, she wondered. Why weren't these cats at peace in Starclan? Was it because they were all murdered? Because their killer had not been brought to justice?Swiftcloud stared at the cats in front of her, petrified. Frost coated their pelts, red liquid dripping from the their jaws. Their expressions were set like stone; lifeless. Far too uncanny."Beware, snow's unyielding frost," one of the mysterious cats whispered."Be..beware?" Swiftcloud stammered with a gulp."It draws the night closer," Dovekit chimed in, her tiny voice shrill and haunting. "They will destroy the Star. Fortify yourself. Swiftness will save us... Help us all.""Help us...help us...help us...!" The other cats began to wail, their voices growing louder and louder. The snow fell harder with their caterwauls, filling the ravine within the blink of an eye; trapping Swiftcloud. She tried to yowl for help, urging her limbs to move before she was buried alive. But it was no use. Her voice was swallowed up by the foul smelling wind, her body frozen where it stood. All Swiftcloud could do was cry pitifully as the ghosts of clanmates passed watched on, their bodies encased in ice...
Swiftcloud awoke with a start. Her heart was racing like a rabbit in her chest. The nightmare she had hung heavy in her mind as she sat up in her nest, still panting.
Now, Swiftcloud was certain that Snowfrost was responsible for all of this; for all the wrongful deaths of the clan. Somehow, some way. That had to have been what her dream meant. But Swiftcloud knew other cats would disagree with this conclusion. Snowfrost was a medicine cat, others would reason, she would never cause harm to any cat. Then why did she try to kill me? Swiftcloud thought to herself bitterly, remembering the sickeningly sweet and sharp taste of deathberries in the back of her throat. She shuttered slightly, once again forcing herself to relax for the sake of her sleeping mates. In the morning, she'd have to talk to Whitestar. To tell her of this revelation, and hopefully convince the leader that Snowfrost was dangerous. I have to protect the clan, Swiftcloud told herself. This is the only way. Whitestar must know the truth. But... will she believe me? Will anybody believe me?