On a warm newleaf day in the IvyClan camp, the kindling of kittens were making a ruckus. Redkit and Hawkkit tumbled over eachother and nipped at ears and tails while Rabbitfleck watched on adoringly and Rosewind snickered. Dustkit and Newtkit also sparred eachother, neither team hesitating to start attacking the other or shift their attention to mossball simultaneously.

"it won't last," came a voice from behind Jittertail. The elderly medicine cat merely flicked a purple ear in the other cat's direction. She soon turned her head, though, to see the huge and muscular brown-and-white tabby. "nothing does."

Jittertail sighed and turned. She padded past the tom and collapsed into her nest. It was dry moss, and the frost of leaf-bare still clung strong in the outermost den. Squirrelkit, who would be made an apprentice as soon as Dawnstar recovered from the frostcough overstaying its welcome, would bring both Jittertail and her mother bird feathers to soften their nests.

Jittertail sighed and got back to her paws. She looked across from her nest, where another cold, gray rock was covered in holes. The holes held her essentials, though Jittertail only looked for one herb.

She spotted the purple flower and lunged forward. Jittertail's toes caught the edge of the hole, though a chilling breeze met her wrist first.

"Jittertail," muttered the ghostly-looking calico, "if you keep eating thyme, soon enough, there'll be none left in the forest."

Jittertail growled and tore her arm away from the spirit's. "I'll be dead before then," the medicine cat retorted, "Don't worry."

Moonstar, the calico, settled on her paws. She flattened her ears and opened her mouth to speak. Before she could, however, the huge tabby spoke.

"dear sister," Snakeheart muttered dryly.

"Snakeheart," Moonstar responded. She then huffed and faced Jittertail once more, "i have a prophecy for you."

"don't you always?" Snakeheart mewed, "very well. so do i."

Jittertail flattened her ears as the spirits backed her into the wall. The two siblings spoke over eachother, completely shutting out the other and just trying to make Jittertail believe either of their words. Their voices rose to screams soon.

"the forest will be stained red with blood!"

"blood alone can rule our clan!"

"blood alone can save our clan!"

"blood alone! blood alone! blood alone!"

Jittertail placed her paws over her ears and shut her eyes tight, snarling. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" she suddenly shrieked. Both Moonstar and Snakeheart froze in their tracks, taking a step back and falling to their haunches.

Jittertail rose to her paws and circled around the calico. The two cats were silent as they followed the pale purple cat, her tail shaking more than ever. The medicine cat clawed out two petals of thyme.

"Jittertail, no-!" shrieked Moonstar as Jittertail swallowed the leaves. In a jittery, ruffled motion, both spirits faded out of the den, from their ears to their tailtip. That didn't deter Jittertail, however. She clawed out more flowers and ate them as well. More and more, until the only thing that came out of the hole was rock dust.

Jittertail panted and crouched, looking into the hole, hoping there were more purple flowers stuffed in the back. But there weren't, so Jittertail sank to her paws, defeatedly. Jittertail pricked her ears as suddenly all the sounds of the camp became louder. The cold, salty taste of the rock against her lolling tongue became nearly unbearable, so Jittertail rolled onto her back.

Finally she gulped and smiled, closing her eyes. Teaching her how much thyme made a cat feel strange was the worst thing Pricklethroat ever did, and testing that theory was the worst thing Padpetal had shared with her. The vision behind Jittertail's eyes swirled with color. Her stomach growled, but Jittertail did not have the energy to stand and get herself food. She didn't have the energy to crawl back into her pathetic nest, either.

Instead, high as a cloud, Jittertail fell asleep on her back in that very spot.