Dark trees blocked out the light, and there was no horizon to look forward to. Shadowsight glanced around, his ears flattened, his paw twitching erratically. He could see silhouettes looking down on him from the trees, chanting his name with enthusiasm. Their eyes gleamed with dark-hearted mischief, and Shadowsight darted through the forest, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

As he raced forward, he saw a silhouette standing in his path, their ice-cold blue eyes glimmering. Shadowsight felt his steps come to a halt, as he stared at the gray-flecked tom. The other tom grinned.

"We are one and the same."

"No… No, I'm not!" Shadowsight's ears flattened.

"We're both murderers."

Suddenly, Ashfur was knocked over his paws by Bristlefrost. The pair fell into the murky water and started sinking under its weight. Shadowsight screamed and tried to rush over to them. Yet, his fur suddenly got snagged onto a bramble. He hissed, trying to pull it off of him. However, the more he struggled, the more brambles got stuck in his pelt.

Shadowsight craned his head, seeing Bristlefrost taking Ashfur down into the depths of the water. He yowled, begging her to come back up to the surface, begging her to save herself. He could hear the voice of a cat beside him calling for Bristlefrost. Shadowsight's stomach churned, as Bristlefrost's form sunk completely underneath the surface of the water…

Shadowsight woke up with a gasp, his heart pounding in his chest. The brambles surrounding him and the thick aroma of herbs revealed his location. The gray tabby breathed out a sigh of relief and stretched in his nest, discovering the moss had been shredded. Parts of his nest were even scattered elsewhere. Sheepishly, the medicine cat pieced his nest back together. He would have to collect some moss later. Shadowsight noticed that the wall of the medicine cat den had been torn. His pelt ached and burned, and he felt a sticky substance trailing down his back.

"Shadowsight!" an alarmed voice brought him out of his thoughts.

The gray tabby turned his head as the brown-and-white medicine cat entered the den with a fresh set of herbs.

"What's wrong?" Shadowsight padded over to his side, wincing.

"What's wrong is that you're bleeding!" Puddleshine dropped his herbs and grabbed some spare cobwebs.

"Oh," Shadowsight sat down, looking at his pelt. There were several brambles snagged in his gray tabby fur, as well as several blood trails escaping his pelt. Yet, the pain was pretty mild, especially compared to the injuries he had had in the past.

Puddleshine started pulling the brambles out of his pelt. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

"N-Nightmare? What are you talking about?" Shadowsight's fur bristled.

"You thrash in your nest during nightmares. There's moss and brambles in your pelt. Not to mention, your denial of the situation proves you had a nightmare," Puddleshine observed, applying cobwebs to his wounds.

"Alright, fine," Shadowsight conceded. "You're right."

"So, then. What was it about?" Puddleshine added some marigold poultices to his wounds.

"It was just about the battle," Shadowsight shrugged.

"What cats did you see?" Puddleshine probed.

"Just some Dark Forest cats," Shadowsight answered flatly.

Puddleshine pulled away, sighing. "Shadowsight, I can cure your physical wounds quite easily. However, I can't tend to your emotional wounds if you won't tell me what's going on."

Shadowsight flattened the ear he was able to move. "I'm fine, Puddleshine."

Puddleshine didn't look convinced.

The sound of rustling by the den entrance distracted the pair. The medicine cats looked over to see Flowerstem and Flaxfoot, who both looked a bit troubled.

"Is everything alright?" Puddleshine asked the pair.

"Well, I know pregnancy is supposed to come with its ups and downs, but…" Flowerstem's words trailed off.

"The downs are happening a lot more than the highs," Flaxfoot continued. "The morning sickness is just getting worse, she hasn't been sleeping well at night, and some days, she's weaker and feverish…"

"Is there anything you can do?" Flowerstem asked them anxiously.

"Of course there is," Shadowsight reasoned. "There are some herbs that can give you strength."

"That would be wonderful," Flowerstem smiled before her face contorted. "I never expected that kits could be so… difficult. And they're not even here yet!"

"Are you talking about kits?" Berryheart suddenly entered the den, her eyes warm. "I'm expecting my second litter!"

Flowerstem's eyes glimmered. "Really? That's wonderful! Our kits will grow up in the nursery together."

Berryheart purred. "ShadowClan could use some new life."

"Berryheart, did you come here for some more feverfew?" Puddleshine asked. "I'm afraid I've just run out."

"Do we have any burnet?" Shadowsight asked Puddleshine.

"No, we are out of that as well," Puddleshine's tail lashed. "We've been replenishing our stocks, but we always run low on the herbs we need."

"I can go out herb collecting," Shadowsight offered.

"That would be great," Puddleshine looked over at Berryheart. "Stop by again at dusk, and we'll give you some herbs."

"Is there a way to make herbs taste less bad?" Berryheart wrinkled her nose. "I've barely been able to stomach them."

"I could put the herbs in some prey," Shadowsight meowed.

"That would be great," Berryheart smiled.

"Could you do the same for me?" Flowerstem asked.

"Of course," Shadowsight nodded. "Any prey preference?"

"A mouse would be great," Berryheart purred.

"I'll have a squirrel if possible," Flowerstem licked her chest.

Shadowsight nodded. "I'll set aside the prey after I return from gathering herbs."

The queens and Flaxfoot retreated from the den, and Shadowsight followed after them.

"I didn't know you two got together," Berryheart looked over at Flowerstem and Flaxfoot.

"It hasn't been going on for very long," Flowerstem admitted. "But, we've been in love for a long time."

"Ever since we were apprentices together," Flaxfoot's paws scuffled the earth.

"Well, I'm sure you two will make wonderful parents," Berryheart looked at the two approvingly.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Flaxfoot meowed. "I have no doubts in Flowerstem, but… I don't think I would be a good father."

"Maybe, you should talk to a father then," Berryheart told him. "Maybe, then, you'll stop having bees in your brain."

"We were thinking of asking Tigerstar," Flowerstem purred.

Flaxfoot bristled. "N-No, we weren't!"

Berryheart nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

"He's in the clearing now – we should talk to him," Flowerstem nudged her mate.

"W-What? N-No, of course not, we should leave him be–" Flaxfoot protested meekly.

The she-cats started dragging a reluctant Flaxfoot over to the Clan leader. Shadowsight couldn't help but purr at their antics. His father was far more approachable than Flaxfoot thought he was. He looked over at the clearing, seeing his littermates over by the warriors' den.

"Shadowsight!" Pouncestep called out to her brother. "Come join us."

Shadowsight smiled, heading over to his sisters. "What's going on?"

"Well, Pouncestep and I are about to head off on patrol," Lightleap meowed. "Are you busy?"

"Well, I'm about to go searching for herbs," Shadowsight meowed.

"Perfect! You're coming with us," Pouncestep announced, already starting to walk towards the camp entrance.

"Are you trying to get me to mark the border while you mess around?" Shadowsight teased playfully.

"Oh, shush, that's what Lightleap does," Pouncestep nudged his shoulder.

"I do not!" Lightleap insisted, her tabby pelt bristling indignantly.

"Yes, you do," Pouncestep smirked.

The two sisters promptly started bickering, and Shadowsight waited for their argument to end, exasperation igniting inside him. He loved his sisters dearly, but sometimes, they could be extremely irritating.

"When are you two going to grow up and stop bickering all of the time?" The soft voice of a she-cat caused the argument to cease.

The two she-cats turned their heads, fur bristling, as Dovewing stood before them, a stern look of disapproval on her face.

"W-We weren't bickering!" Lightleap squeaked.

Pouncestep lashed her tail. "It was just a minor disagreement. Don't worry – we sorted it out."

"You two are way too old for this," Dovewing muttered under his breath, her eyes glimmering with amusement.

"H-Hey, at least we don't still play moss ball like Hollowspring and Spireclaw do every day!"

"Is it really a good thing if you have to compare your maturity levels to those two?" Dovewing teased, her eyes lightening up.

"That was obviously just one example. We–"

"That's enough, Pouncestep," Dovewing cut her off. "Since you two are so mature, why don't you head off on the border patrol, so you'll be back before sundown?"

"But, Shadowsight is coming with us," Lightleap protested. "We wouldn't want to leave without him."

"I just want to talk to him for a moment," Dovewing told her daughters gently. "He'll be on his way soon."

"But–" Pouncestep pouted.

"You wouldn't interrupt a conversation between mother and son, would you?" Dovewing asked them gently.

"Alright, alright," Pouncestep conceded. "I'll leave you two be."

Pouncestep waved her tail, then at last, departed from camp.

"Make sure to join us soon!" Lightleap chirped as she made her exit.

"What do you need?" Shadowsight asked his mother, his tail drooping.

"Puddleshine told me about your nightmares," Dovewing's voice lowered to a whisper.

"They're really not that bad," Shadowsight scuffled his paws. "Puddleshine is over exaggerating."

"Shadowsight – look at your pelt! Puddleshine told me those scratches were from brambles."

"I'm fine," Shadowsight insisted. "I just rolled over in my sleep."

"It was more than that – you got those thorns in your pelt during your nightmare," Dovewing's eyes were wide with concern.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Shadowsight winced.

"I know you're lying," Dovewing was troubled.

"Look, I've been through worse," Shadowsight brushed her off. "I need to gather herbs. Pouncestep and Lightleap are waiting on me. Can I go now?"

"Shadowsight, this isn't like you," Dovewing frowned. "You used to be really open with me, but now…"

"Now, I just have nothing to say," Shadowsight lashed his tail, starting to feel frustrated.

"I know that's not true," Dovewing seemed hurt. "Shadowsight, you're not usually a liar…"

"I haven't been lying to you!" Shadowsight insisted.

"You're right," Dovewing nodded. "You just haven't been telling me the full truth."

"There aren't any more crazy visions that'll get any cat killed," Shadowsight told her bitterly. "What else do you need to know? StarClan hasn't said anything to me."

"I don't care about any of that," Dovewing looked at him. "I want to know if you're happy."

Shadowsight felt his breath hitch, and his throat closed up. He looked away from his mother, his shoulders hunched.

Dovewing rested her tail on his shoulder. "I know you're going through a tough time right now. I was in a similar spot once as well. Sometimes, even after the villain is dealt with, there's still more going on."

"There's nothing going on," Shadowsight's voice cracked. "Just leave me be."

"Shadowsight, if there's anything I can–"

"Just leave me be," Shadowsight looked up at her desperately. "Please."

Dovewing's eyes glimmered. "Alright. You may go."

Shadowsight trudged out of camp, feeling a wave of bitterness cross over him. His mother always had a way of turning every conversation into an emotional one. He understood that she was trying to be supportive, but it came off the wrong way. When Dovewing had these types of conversations with his sisters, it normally went better. But for Shadowsight, he only grew more reserved and closed off with her attitude.

Lightleap and Pouncestep were waiting for him a short distance away from camp. Their eyes glittered with concern by Shadowsight's changed demeanor.

"C'mon, we should get going. You two need to mark the border, and I need to search for herbs," Shadowsight walked past his sisters, his tail lashing.

"Y-Yeah, of course," Lightleap nodded, deciding not to pry.

"What border are you going to be marking?" Shadowsight asked.

"We're heading over to the SkyClan border," Pouncestep meowed.

Shadowsight nodded. "That sounds good. Can we travel by the lakeshore? I'm sure there will be some feverfew there."

"Of course," Lightleap changed course towards the lakeshore.

As the siblings padded through the pine forest, their paws snapping pine needles, Pouncestep started letting out small mrrows of laughter. Lightleap and Shadowsight turned to their littermate, confusion on their faces.

"Don't you remember," Pouncestep giggled, struggling to get her words out, "how we snuck out of camp as kits?"

Lightleap's eyes lit up. "How could I ever forget? We wanted to get a head start on our warrior training."

"And, I wanted an early start to my medicine cat training," Shadowsight inputted.

"Yeah! Remember how we started 'training' on our own?" Pouncstep nudged Lightleap. "You wanted to catch a fish."

Lightleap's fur fluffed indignantly. "We were down by the stream, and they were fishes in the water."

Shadowsight purred. "But ShadowClan cats don't eat fish!"

Lightleap licked her chest, embarrassed. "I just wanted to try it. I thought it would make me a cooler warrior!"

Pouncestep snickered. "Yeah, that went well. As soon as you slipped into that stream, you started wailing!"

"It was deep and dangerous!" Lightleap defended herself.

"There wasn't a current that day," Shadowsight reminded her.

"And, the water didn't even go up to your underbelly!" Pouncestep laughed. "You were so scared for no good reason."

Lightleap cuffed her sister around the ears. "Don't act like you were any better! Don't you remember the squirrel story?"

"The… squirrel story?" Shadowsight twitched his ears.

"Lightleap! You promised not to tell him about that," Pouncestep hissed.

"That was back when we were kits," Lightleap smirked. "Not to mention, you embarrassed me, so now it's your turn!"

"Alright, you have got to tell me the details about this," Shadowsight grinned.

Pouncestep merely grumbled, flattening her ears.

"So, when you ran off due to that weird vision you had," Lightleap twitched an ear towards Shadowsight. "Pouncestep thought it would be a good idea to catch a squirrel."

"I wanted to feed the Clan," Pouncestep raised her head.

"Mhm, and that went so well, didn't it?" Lightleap snickered. "Anyways, anyways, Pouncy saw a squirrel and thought it would be a good idea to hunt it."

"Don't call me Pouncy!" The gray she-cat's fur bristled.

"Alright, Pouncy," Lightleap grinned, knowing she riled up her sister. "She saw the squirrel on the ground and started chasing it like a WindClan cat! She didn't stalk it whatsoever."

"I didn't know the proper technique at the time!" Pouncestep hissed.

"Calm down, Pouncy, it's all in the past," Lightleap giggled. "Don't get so defensive."

"Says the cat who got all grumbly about their kithood shenanigans," Shadowsight butted Lightleap's shoulder.

"Shut up," Lightleap grumbled while Pouncestep snickered.

"Anyways, when Pouncestep started chasing the squirrel, she tripped over her own paws and fell!" Lightleap's eyes lit up mischievously. "But, that's not all. She had fallen onto an ant hole. Those angry ants started swarming her, and she yowled and ran like a coward!"

"You were just as scared!" Pouncestep's fur bushed.

"Nu-uh," Lightleap shook her head. "Those ants weren't even poisonous. Puddleshine said so."

"And, you discovered this after the fact when you ran into camp, tattling to everyone about how we ran away from camp," Pouncestep scowled.

Lightleap's fur prickled. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's all in the past now."

Pouncestep rolled her eyes, nudging her sister. "Mouse-brain."

"What about you, Shadowsight?" Lightleap turned her eyes to her littermate. "Do you have any embarrassing kithood stories?"

"You usually ended up going off on your own," Pouncestep's eyes glittered. "Surely, you have some good tales."

"Well…" Shadowsight thought back to his kithood days with a frown.

He did end up going off on his own often in his kithood days. While Lightleap and Pouncestep would play warriors, he would be eager to learn about all kinds of herbs. He regularly ventured out of camp at an early age, trying to learn more about the world around him. Most of the time, nothing too dramatic happened to him. Whenever he sensed danger, he would climb a tree or make sure his scent couldn't be detected by predators. He did get in trouble every once in a while though.

One time, Shadowsight had a seizure in the middle of the forest, all alone. Fear had suffocated him as his body spasmed violently, his sight morphing from his pine tree surroundings to complete shadows. Yet, it hadn't been complete blackness – he saw a red moon and stars disappearing from the sky. He heard muffled sounds of cats yowling and gushing water. Blood tainted his paws, and he had heard a scream before returning to reality…

As a kit, Shadowsight had been terrified of the vision. He was still terrified of it now. He never told his mentor or parents about what he saw, fearing what they would think of him. However, he was reassured by the fact that the vision never came true. And since StarClan didn't send that dream… then, it was probably just a nightmare.

"C'mon, you gotta have a story," Pouncestep pressed. "Or, are you too shy to embarrass yourself in front of your siblings?"

"I'm thinking," Shadowsight insisted. "Just give me a moment."

"Make sure to tell us a good story," Lightleap nudged him. "Not just a bothering herb collecting one."

"Aren't we supposed to be searching for herbs?" Shadowsight glanced around, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

He spotted a clump of flowers near the lake water. The medicine cat darted over to the herb clump, grabbing a hefty amount of flowers by the stem.

"This will be perfect for Berryheart," Shadowsight's voice was muffled.

"Huh?" Neither of his sisters could hear a word he said.

Shadowsight ignored his littermates as he saw a dark clump of leaves with purple flowers. He fetched the plant, his eyes lighting up.

"Feverfew," he tried to explain, but his herbs made his voice distorted. "And burnet."

"Ugh, we're not going to hear a single word he's saying, as long as he has those plants," Pouncestep rolled her eyes.

"You'll have to tell us a story later," Lightleap meowed.

"Hey, look! The border's really close––let's race!" Pouncestep swatted her sister's shoulder before taking off.

"No fair! You got a head start!" Lightleap darted after her littermate.

Shadowsight didn't chase after them, knowing that he had no chance at beating his sisters. Instead, he watched the gray she-cat and the tabby she-cat weaving their ways through the pine trees. The two were in a tight race, though Lightleap had surpassed her sister. Pouncestep suddenly lunged for her sister, causing them to tumble down a slope. Shadowsight's eyes widened, and he hurried after the pair. He peered over the slope to see the two in a heap. He sniffed the air, realizing the two were directly on the border.

Shadowsight set down his herbs and went over to his sisters. "C'mon, you two. Get up – we're on the border."

Lightleap got off her littermate. "Did I win?"

"No, I did. You fell on top of me," Pouncestep grumbled, standing up. The gray she-cat started grooming herself to smooth down her ruffled fur.

"Could you give a cat some warning before you crush him?" an annoyed tom meowed.

Shadowsight's eyes widened as he recognized the SkyClan cat. "Rootspring, are you alright?"

"Apart from having my airways compressed and getting dazed… I'm fine," Rootspring grumbled, his fur spikier than usual.

"Sorry about that," Lightleap ducked her head in embarrassment.

"We were in a race, and you were in the way," Pouncestep was unapologetic.

Rootspring merely rolled his eyes. "As long as you weren't going to ambush SkyClan, it's no big deal."

Shadowsight was surprised by the yellow tom's tone. He didn't usually sound so… apathetic. He expected Rootspring to be angrier about the situation or a bit more surprised. Yet, he didn't seem to be showing much of any emotion.

"Hey, Shadowsight, these are your littermates, right?" Rootspring's blue eyes rested on his amber.

"That's right! I'm Lightleap," the tabby introduced herself.

"I'm Pouncestep," the gray she-cat meowed coolly.

"With names like those, I'm not surprised you two cause so much chaos," Rootspring's ear twitched. "You probably leap and pounce at each other all the time."

"And, are you any better?" Shadowsight teased. "You do spring into action a lot."

"Oh––This must be Rootspring!" Pouncestep's eyes lit up with recognition.

"Shadowsight talks about you a lot back at camp," Lightleap's eyes lit up mischievously. "One time, he talked about how you saved him for an entire quarter-moon. He wouldn't shut up about it."

Shadowsight's ears burned. "...Lightleap, that was because I was violently attacked, got left in a ravine to die, had my soul separated from my body, and I was stuck in a near death state for days."

"Still wouldn't shut up about it," Pouncestep muttered.

"Well…" Rootspring coughed to get their attention. "Maybe, you should be grateful that he's able to tell you the story."

"Of course, we're grateful!" Pouncestep and Lightleap replied at the same time, stunned by Rootspring's words.

Rootspring gave the sisters a look. "Maybe, you two should focus on marking the border."

"T-That's what we were planning on doing anyway!" Lightleap insisted, her fur prickling.

"Then, do it," Rootspring replied, his voice deathly calm.

"C'mon, Lightleap. We should mark the border," Pouncestep told her littermate, beckoning her to follow.

Lightleap muttered something under her breath before following her sister. The two she-cats made their way away from the lakeshore, heading up along higher ground. Rootspring and Shadowsight didn't move – their eyes fixated on each other.

"I'm still grateful for what you did," Shadowsight broke the silence.

"It's all in the past," Rootspring brushed off his words. "Besides, we've both saved each other, right? I helped you in that ravine and you helped me in the Dark Forest."

"Y-Yeah," Shadowsight winced at the mention of the dreary place.

"So, we're even," Rootspring responded.

"I guess you could say that," Shadowsight shrugged.

"You don't seem well," Rootspring commented, examining his pelt.

"Neither do you," Shadowsight replied.

"I'm fine," Rootspring dismissed his words.

"So am I," Shadowsight meowed.

"Shadowsight, it's obvious that you aren't fine," Rootspring's eyes flashed with concern.

"It's obvious that you aren't fine either!" Shadowsight's ears flattened.

Rootspring sighed. "Neither of us are fine."

"...How are you holding up?" Shadowsight was venturing into dangerous territory.

"I'm… getting better," Rootspring admitted. "Before, I was hardly able to leave my nest, but now, I've been able to go out on patrol on my own."

"Have you talked to any cat?" Shadowsight twitched an ear.

"My family has been there to support me, but they're… not my best resource. They didn't know much about my relationship," Rootspring told him.

"Oh… that's a shame," Shadowsight shared similar sentiments with his own family.

"However, I've been talking to Bristlefrost's family. We're… We're grieving for her together," Rootspring's eyes filled with resolve. "We promised each other that we're going to get through each and every day."

"That's what Bristlefrost would have wanted," Shadowsight was relieved.

Rootspring's eyes were pained, and he nodded. "I know. I just… I wish I could see her again."

Shadowsight took a step closer to his friend, resting his tail tip on his shoulder. "She's still with us. I know she isn't a spirit, but we have her memory and legacy to uphold."

"Are you sure she's not in StarClan?" Rootspring asked, desperation in his eyes.

Shadowsight wished he could say yes. "...I'm not the cat you should ask."

Rootspring's eyes widened, but before he could respond, Shadowsight heard his littermates calling his name. The ShadowClan tom turned his head to see Lightleap and Pouncestep waiting for him. Lightleap had been kind enough to grab his herbs for him. Pouncestep's tail flicked with impatience, her eyes voicing her impatience.

"I need to get going," Shadowsight stepped away from Rootspring. "I'll… see you around."

Rootspring nodded. "Will do."

Shadowsight padded away from the tom, following his sisters up the slope. He couldn't help but look back, seeing Rootspring by the border, his eyes staring directly into Shadowsight's soul. The medicine cat forced himself to look away.

At least, Rootspring was starting to recover.

Shadowsight didn't think he ever would.