THROUGH the marsh, Sedgestrike led her patrol in silence. Her paw with the torn claw was still sore from her test two days prior, but she refused to slow down; this was her first time leading anything, and she wanted to do well despite her only being graced with the task because of her title as "paragon." As they waded through the murky water, she began to wonder just how many of the patrols were led by members of the Order… As her mind mulled over memories, she realized with shock that just about every patrol or party was led by a paragon. To think, Whitestar's trusted warriors were more than just favored, they colluded together, and now Sedgestrike was one of them…
"This fire," Snakefang mewed, "will it harm us?"
"That's what we've been tasked to find out," Sedgestrike rumbled as she set foot on the shore. She could see the field of palmettos from where she stood, knowing that beyond them was the pinewoods that would take them to the river border. She wanted to start on the northernmost part of the border and do a full sweep.
"Shouldn't you have let us know our primary tasking before we set off on the patrol?" Zinniablossom pointed out condescendingly.
Sedgestrike grimaced. "Perhaps, but you were taking to long to groom yourself for me to get a word in," she quipped.
Zinniablossom hissed in response, and Blueflower giggled. The tortoiseshell turned on her with a curled lip. "Don't laugh at me, flunkey."
"Hey," Sedgestrike snapped, bristling. "We're all warriors here. What gives you the right to call her such things?"
Zinniablossom quirked a brow, confused. "Don't act like you don't know."
Sedgestrike lifted her chin, knowing exactly what Zinniablossom was referring to, but refusing to believe in it.
Blueflower sighed in frustration. "How long are you going to parade around me for being an honor graduate?" She rolled her eyes. "It's just a title."
Snakefang growled. "So you think."
"Enough!" Sedgestrike snapped. She was growing tired of the childish arguing within her patrol. If this was what it meant to lead, she had her fill of it. "Let's keep moving before this fire gets out of control."
Pebblepaw was quiet during the exchange, but Sedgestrike noticed his small frame trembling as their words got more heated. She was surprised to see the apprentice looking so timorous still. She thought he would've grown out of his skittishness after a moon of tough training. Turning her back on the patrol, she headed for the border.
Crashing through the palmetto field, the sandy earth grew more moist and rich as they came upon the pinewoods. Needles scattered at their paws, flying up to cling to their fur in their wake. The rich scent of evergreens was rivalled by the strengthening scent of smoke and charred wood. Sedgestrike's heart twinged with concern when she noticed a faint haze wafting through the trees as they met Oakbridge and the Training Gully below. Sedgestrike squinted against the sting of smoke, but pressed on. It was not thick enough or strong enough for the fire to be close; the wind likely carried the haze this way.
As the rush of the river reached her ears, Sedgestrike paused, panting softly. The river was larger now, swollen by the rains, and it rushed through the territory fiercely, overtaking the boulders and fallen trees that used to impede its flow. Sedgestrike watched its merciless strength in awe, feeling humbled by its presence. Now this was a power eternal…
Beyond the gushing river, Sedgestrike gazed through the trees, she could not see fire, but the smoke beyond the river was much darker and thicker. The Land of the Fallen was consumed by flames.
"Well, it's not coming our way," Zinniablossom observed from behind her.
Sedgestrike nodded, but was distracted by the horror on Blueflower's face. The warrior's pretty blue eyes were stained with dread as they beheld the destruction beyond. Sedgestrike was left wondering what perturbed her so.
Snakefang narrowed his eyes as he gazed across the river. "I believe we should cross," he suggested with a hiss. "We need to make sure the fire is not close enough to shed embers onto our land."
Pebblepaw whimpered from beside him, visibly not thrilled by the notion.
Snakefang hissed again, this time glaring at his apprentice. "As if your fear will hold us back," he scorned. "What kind of warrior will you become if you tremble at the slightest sign of adversity?"
Sedgestrike felt a pang of sympathy for Pebblepaw as he shrunk back, but she had to agree with Snakefang. A warrior needed to be brave. Turning to the river, she watched it rush angrily before them.
"While I agree that we should investigate, we can't do it here," Sedgestrike decided. "The river current is too strong. We will need to travel downstream."
"Well, let's hurry then!" Snakefang prompted. "Time is against us."
Sedgestrike prickled in annoyance at his impatience, though she knew it was justified. Leading her patrol down the riverbank, the water continued to rush fervently. As they travelled along, they would pause every now and then to renew their scent markings, but the main goal was finding a safe way to cross. After following the river border to the end of the pine forest and the beginning of the cypress swamp, the river grew even wider, but calmer. Without such a narrow path, it was free to stretch and flow, and it needed not to crash and rush to do so.
Sedgestrike hesitated on the sandy shore, flanked by cattails and reeds. "This is where we will cross," she decided. "It's a long stretch, but we can swim it."
"But-"
Pebblepaw's mew was cut short by a warning growl from Snakefang. "The patrol's leader just gave an order, and you will respect it!"
"But, there's another way," Pebblepaw continued meekly, shying away from Snakefang as if he would strike him.
Sedgestrike's brows raised. "Where?"
Pebblepaw nodded beyond where they stood. In the distance, a vast oak was lying on its side, stretching almost completely across the river. Its side was charred and frayed, its splinters jagged like a collection of teeth.
"The lightning from the storm last night likely struck it," Blueflower surmised. She smiled at Pebblepaw. "Well done!" Her purr brought the first smile to Pebblepaw's face Sedgestrike had seen all day.
"Yes, good eyes, Pebblepaw," Sedgestrike praised, smiling back.
Snakefang grumbled in turn. "'Bout time you do something useful."
Pebblepaw's smile faded when Snakefang spoke, and Sedgestrike frowned with sympathy. Her relationship with Batface was strained in the beginning as well, but Sedgestrike knew her defiance was the cause. It just seemed like Snakefang lacked the patience to deal with Pebblepaw. She wondered if she could mention something to Whitestar…
"Let's get a move on," Sedgestrike murmured, knowing not to dwell on here concern for long. Heading for the fallen oak, Sedgestrike climbed atop it with ease. The muscles in her broad shoulders rippled appreciatively as they were stretched, and when she stood on the trunk, she caught Blueflower gazing at her admiringly. Sedgestrike felt her face grow hot at the attention, though she was silently pleased, and turned to lead the others along the trunk. The oak's branches rattled and shook as the cats trekked across its body. Bark flaked against Sedgestrike's paws, falling into the river to be swallowed by its current. Padding faster, she pushed through the cluster of branches and landed on the other side of the river. The smoke was not as strong here, and she could see into the depths of the foreign forest. Bracken and ivy dominated the floor, hiding clusters of sodden leaves that had fallen from the surrounding oaks and maples. The cypress swamp was not as predominant on the other side. Sedgestrike thought it was remarkable how much a simple river border could do to change the landscape between two territories.
Once her patrol assembled around her, Sedgestrike nodded appreciatively. "We're in the Land of the Fallen now," she stated. "Let's keep close together and find this fire."
"And if we see the Fallen?" Zinniablossom demanded. Her claws were already unsheathed.
Sedgestrike hesitated. She did not want to be picking fights outside of MarshClan, especially when their tasking was so simple. "We ignore them," she mewed simply. "Let's try not to be seen. This isn't our land, we are the trespassers, remember?"
Zinniablossom grumbled, nodding grudgingly.
Sedgestrike pushed through the massive swathes of ferns. It was strange to not tread on boggy earth or behold massive cypress trees. The feeling of leaf rot beneath her toes was alien to her, but she curled them into the soil curiously. The scents of the forest were strange and new, but void of the one thing she sought after: smoke.
"Let's backtrack along the bank," Sedgestrike mewed. "We need to head towards the fire."
Breaking into the brisk trot, Sedgestrike maneuvered through the hammock of hardwoods. As they pressed on, the thick, moist soil thinned into a bedding of familiar pine needles. The scent of evergreens returned to her nostrils, and with it, the scent of smoke. Sedgestrike stiffened.
"We're here. Stay close," she ordered.
The pine forest grew thicker as they left the river border and ventured deeper into the Land of the Fallen. Sedgestrike's heart skipped excitedly at the notion of seeing new land, but she felt anxiety prickle along her spine when she considered what it would mean to see a Fallen. As the air around them darkened with a haze of black, Sedgestrike lowered herself closer to the ground, her patrol followed her lead, and they slithered through the narrow pine trees and congregations of palmettos.
"Do you see it?" Pebblepaw squeaked, coughing.
"No," Sedgestrike called back, squinting the smoke thickened more, burning her eyes.
All her instincts screamed for her to turn back, but the demands of the mission and her role as leader prevented her from obeying her body's most basic desires. Once the pine forest began to think, Sedgestrike came upon a vast field. Leaving the shadows of the pine forest, Sedgestrike stared in wonder at the territory before her.
A clear field, dappled with the occasional broad oak tree stretched out before her. The grass was golden brown, growing up to Sedgestrike's chest. Never before had she seen such a sight. There was no marsh, no lake, just plains, and they stretched beyond her vision, beyond her comprehension. All around, she could see the field was surrounded by pine forests, and across the field, in the furthest forest, the fire burned. Wind buffeted at the angry orange flames, tossing smoke and ash into the sky to create billows of gray that muddied the clouds with their erratic forms.
"I don't think the fire will reach us," Sedgestrike assessed. When a gust of wind blew their way, another haze of smoke came with it to burn her eyes and lungs. Coughing, she backed away from it, back toward the pine forest.
She could hear her patrol prepare to return, but not before she heard a mysterious voice cry out, "Who goes there?!"
Sedgestrike froze.
"It's them," Snakefang hissed.
"I knew those cretins would sniff us out," Zinniablossom cursed. "What do we do now?"
Sedgestrike looked toward the field, knowing it flanked the pine and hardwood forests they initiall travelled through. "This land runs parallel to the river border just like ours," Sedgestrike hissed. "Let's just cut through the field and turn back toward it. If we run back into the pine forest now, they'll find us."
"We won't fight?" Zinniablossom spat.
"There's a fire raging!" Sedgestrike snarled, frustrated by her contention. "These are not good fighting conditions. Now, move!"
Breaking into a run, Sedgestrike led her patrol into the field. As they ran through the grasses, the wind churned into her fur, brushing through it with a cool hiss. All around them, smoke and debris clouded their vision and marred their senses. Sedgestrike kept her tail raised for her patrol to follow.
"Stay with me!" she yowled.
Heart racing, Sedgestrike slowed to a stop when another gust of wind drew smoke across the entirety of the field, darkening her vision. Her body was wracked by coughs, and she lowered her head in an effort to escape the smoke. Only the sound of her labored breathing and the distant crackling of the massive inferno could be heard. She glanced back to see the fire lapping angrily at the pastel sky, turning it black and red.
"Blueflower?" Sedgestrike called out. "Pebblepaw? Snakefang?"
Her patrol was lost. In a panic, Sedgestrike turned back to try to find them, but she was disoriented by the thick clouds of gray. Everything looked the same. Breathing heavily, she began to look in all directions, trying to find the pine forest again. All she could see was the haze of the fire and the grasses of the field.
"No… no… no, this can't be happening." Sedgestrike broke into a run again, galloping through the field like a startled deer. "Blueflower!" she called out again. "Zinniablossom!"
Sedgestrike thought she saw a frame within the smoke. Skidding to a halt, she squinted as she tried to decipher the cat it belonged to. "Pebblepaw?" she mewed. As the frame began to fade, Sedgestrike ran towards it. "No, wait!"
Once it vanished, Sedgestrike was lost again. She began to cough, eyes watering. Suddenly, another silhouette emerged, then another, and another. Sedgestrike was surrounded. Unsheathing her claws, Sedgestrike prepared for a fight she was bound to lose. Her lungs begged for fresh air, while her eyes struggled to perceive the approaching cats. She heard them whispering, not to her it seemed, nor to each other. To themselves?
Sedgestrike shut her eyes, collapsing into the dirt with a grunt as the smoke grew thicker. Her breathing became shallow as she began to crawl away. "Stay away from me," she croaked.
A pair of jaws clamped onto her hackles, dragging her. She clawed at them feebly, growling softly. Her consciousness faded temporarily, and when Sedgestrike came to again, she was staring at a graying sky. The breeze was still flowing, but it did not carry any smoke with it. Sitting up shakily, Sedgestrike saw the same field, but this time, she was near the pine forest.
"How…"
"You're awake."
Sedgestrike looked up to see a familiar pair of impossibly pale green eyes. She felt her breath catch in her throat when she remembered seeing the same pair of eyes from the top of the Great Cypress.
"I-it's you!" she sputtered, fur standing on end.
The tabby cat nodded. Their fur was a pale cinnamon hue, unlike anything she had seen in the Clan before, and their stripes twisted and curled like the moss that hung from the cypress trees. As Sedgestrike was able to gaze closer, she could see scars littering their shoulders and the side of their neck, rumpled and fierce.
"It's me," they mewed simply. Their scent was masked by the rich scent of sage and mint, a perfume so thick Sedgestrike could not decipher whether they were male or female without getting personal. "I am overjoyed to see you survived your fall."
"Uhm… thank you?" Sedgestrike rose slowly, coughing. "And thanks for saving me," she rasped.
"Of course. I was hoping to see you again, but under better circumstances." Their voice was colored with a calmness and clarity that resembled the Starlit Springs. Sedgestrike felt strangely at peace in their presence. "But, as fate would have it, misfortune is what binds our lives together. It saddens me to say that a collection of misfortunes will befall us both before our destinies are realized… but that is fate at its-"
"Who are you?" Sedgestrike asked, voice hoarse.
"Mosswhisper." The tabby sat before her, the wind ruffling their pelt. "Or, as your Clan would have it… I am Fallen."
Sedgestrike prickled with unease. A Fallen… saved her life?
"You must be wondering why I saved you?" they surmised. "As if not wanting to watch someone die isn't good reason enough."
Sedgestrike lowered her head, feeling sheepish. As they spoke, she noticed a slight silvering to their muzzle, which betrayed their age. "I'm sorry… I'm just confused."
"That's okay. All will become clear soon enough."
"Do you know me or something?" Sedgestrike growled, growing suspicious and impatient with the cat's vague answers.
"I know of you." Mosswhisper's eyes narrowed. "The heavens are enraptured by your very existence."
"Charmed…" Sedgestrike deadpanned, eyeing them in confusion.
"I would say more, but you aren't ready." Mosswhisper turned their muzzle toward the pine forest. "Your patrol eagerly awaits your return, Sedgestrike."
Sedgestrike followed their gaze to the pine forest, only to stiffen and hiss. "Hey, wait, how do you know my…" She turned only for the cat to be gone. Wind whistled eerily in the air. "Name…"
Disgruntled, Sedgestrike began to make her way toward the pine forest, and it was not long before she came upon her patrol. They were pacing and frazzled, clearly disturbed by her prolonged disappearance. Blueflower in particular was fervently scanning the field, and when their eyes locked, Sedgestrike was delightfully overwhelmed by the joy in her blue eyes. The warrior rushed to her, pressing her muzzle to her own with a loud purr.
"You're okay!" she exclaimed, relieved.
Sedgestrike smiled. "It takes more than a bit of smoke and fire to get rid of me," she boasted lightheartedly.
"About time," Zinniablossom snapped. "I thought you were getting roasted to the bone out there."
Sedgestrike was able to ignore Zinniablossom's prickly remark. She had seen the warrior pacing worriedly before Sedgestrike arrived. Like it or not, she was afraid for her too.
Pebblepaw rushed to her side, smiling widely. "I thought you were taken prisoner!" He sighed loudly. "Zinniablossom and Snakefang were already arguing about who would take charge on the way back."
Sedgestrike rolled her eyes. That sounded about right. "I'm just glad everyone made it back okay," she mewed, gazing over her patrol.
"We wouldn't have been able to without Blueflower!" Pebblepaw chirped, smiling at the she-cat. "She knew how to get us through the field in a jiffy."
Sedgestrike heard Blueflower giggle in embarrassment. "I just know how to judge the movement of the wind," she reasoned.
Though Sedgestrike was impressed by Blueflower's feat, she caught the suspicious glance Zinniablossom and Snakefang exchanged and her heart sank. Before she could speak up on Blueflower's behalf, Snakefang spoke out, "Yeah, your knowledge of this land is surprisingly thorough."
"Maybe it's because your folks tell you all the ins and outs," Zinniablossom added jokingly.
"Enough!" Sedgestrike snarled. Rage boiled up inside her. "I'll not have you doubt her integrity based on hearsay. She's a MarshClan warrior just like you and I. She saved your skins for StarClan's sake!"
Blueflower's calm mew soothed Sedgestrike, "They're just being petty." Her gaze was icy. "Don't worry, I won't tell any of your friends back in camp about your panic attack in the smoke, Zinniablossom."
Snakefang broke out in a bout of snickers to Zinniablossom's dismay. "Oh, yeah! You were so freaked out, you were chasing your tail," he teased
"And I won't tell Jasminefur about how you nearly ran into the flames, Snakefang," Blueflower added curtly.
It was Zinniablossom's turn to laugh, and Pebblepaw joined in too until Snakefang flashed him a glare.
Sedgestrike sighed with relief. She knew Blueflower could take care of herself, but that did not stiphen her desire to defend her in the slightest. She brushed her dark tabby fur against Blueflower's. "Let's go," she murmured.
Making their way towards the river border, Sedgestrike felt herself being drawn back to the expansive field. Mosswhisper… The cat that perplexed her as an apprentice from atop the Great Cypress finally had a name. She was left to ponder their intentions. They mentioned something about her not being ready for what they had to say, and Sedgestrike was disturbed by the notion. What more did she have to endure before she would be ready? And what did she need to be ready for, exactly?